home

search

Chapter Fifteen: Secret Meeting at the Commanders Residence

  Deep in the night, at the Commanders mansion, in a small hall in the backyard, Gu Dao and his nephew Cheng Ming sat facing each other. On the jade table between them was placed a jug of clear wine, two tiger-striped cups, and four dishes of snacks to accompany the wine; apart from this, there wasnt even one servant waiting on them.

  "Uncle, I see youve been gloomy since returning from the school grounds today. Is there something on your mind?" Cheng Ming carefully asked as he poured a full cup of wine for Gu Daoxiong.

  "Not bad." Gu Dao raised his wine cup, looking at the wine in it, as if muttering to himself: "In the blink of an eye, Ive been in the army for over 40 years, and its also been 20 years since I became the Great Commander of the Tianying Army on the Western Front."

  Cheng Ming didnt understand what he meant, so he just went along with him and said: "Yes, I remember that when Uncle was first appointed as the Grand Commander, he was only over 40 years old, and was the youngest Grand Commander in the history of the five major military units."

  "Thats right, because I was not qualified back then and couldnt subdue those arrogant military officers, your aunt had to borrow the Sky Opening Bow from your grandfather. It was hung in the militarys grand arena with a declaration that whoever could fully draw it would be rewarded. As a result, every single person in the military with some martial arts skills came with great fanfare but left in defeat, and not one of the 100,000 soldiers could even draw half of it. Later, your uncle stepped forward and, under everyones watchful eyes, managed to draw seven-tenths of it. From then on, my orders were carried out without anyone daring to disobey or pretend to comply. It can be said that this Sky Opening Bow is a great contributor to my achievements today."

  "Its actually because of this story, but Big Brother has never mentioned it to his nephew before." Cheng Ming found it strange that Gu Dao Yan seemed to still be holding a grudge against Kai Tian Gong, but he wasnt usually such a petty person.

  "Do you think Im reluctant to part with this Heaven-Opening Bow?" Gu Dao chuckled slightly as he glanced at Cheng Ming.

  "My nephew dare not." Cheng Ming hastily bowed his head and avoided Gu Daos gaze.

  Fortunately, Gu Dao didnt intend to pursue the matter and continued, "This bow has never been opened by anyone before, and leaving it here would be a waste. Now that the divine weapon has met its famous master, I can also put my mind at ease about this matter. Im not worried about opening the Tian Xiang Bow, but rather worried about its master."

  "Qin Yong?" Cheng Ming asked in confusion: "This person is indeed extraordinary, but after all, hes just a roughneck. Why must Uncle worry?"

  He slightly nodded his head, but Cheng Ming couldnt tell if he was nodding or shaking his head: "Its not Qin Yong."

  "Isnt it Qin Yong? Then who is... Xu Haifeng?" Cheng Mings eyebrows shot up, and he suddenly lifted his head, exclaiming in surprise.

  "Tomorrow, do you know what your second uncle said after seeing this bow back then?"

  "Second Uncle? He also commented on this bow?" Chengs expression changed.

  The Second Uncle he mentioned was the only master-level expert among the four major families, Cheng Xuanfeng. The four major families were three in the north and one in the south, but the Cheng family in the south was the most famous, mainly because one of the three great masters of the Han Dynasty, Cheng Xuanfeng, came from the Cheng family.

  "It was he who tried this bow in his old age and said, This is not something that can be done by human strength."

  "Since the old man said beyond human power, it must be true, so why today..." In Cheng Mings mind, Cheng Xuanfengs words were golden and would never be wrong.

  "Tomorrow, you said one persons heaviest is how much?"

  "It probably wont exceed 400 jin."

  "That Qin Yong must weigh no more than 400 catties at most, right?"

  "Absolutely not, according to what Ive seen."

  "So how was Qin Yong able to lift up those two bronze lions with one hand, and do it so effortlessly, as if he still had strength to spare?"

  "Nephew is also puzzled, those two bronze lions each weigh no less than 1,800 catties, he can turn them with one hand as if flying, this is simply beyond human power."

  "Haha, another superhuman feat. Tomorrow, have you ever heard of anyone who can lift something nearly ten times their own weight since ancient times? This Qin Yong is not simple."

  Cheng Mings mind once again conjured up the scene of Qin Yong carrying two bronze lions onto the podium, and he couldnt help but shudder: "This mans bravery is truly something Ive rarely seen in my life."

  "Not only that, today I hinted to him for the second time to form a new army, and in the future he can be on an equal footing with Xu Haifeng. Such a great opportunity, he didnt even think about it, and simply rejected it with one word. There is no soldier who doesnt want to be a general, I see that he is obedient to Xu Haifengs orders, obviously not willing to leave him."

  "Its true, not just him, but all 123 survivors of that battle are the same, I really dont know what kind of charm Xu Haifeng has to gain the wholehearted loyalty of so many brave warriors."

  Gu Dao stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before suddenly speaking up and asking: "Ming Er, its been a month since Xu Haifeng established the new army, how are their results?"

  According to the news from Deputy General Xu, Xu Haifengs military training is unique. For the first ten days, he only let them eat, drink and sleep. It wasnt until after the tenth day that they began formal training, but his methods were extremely strict and harsh. However, strangely enough, these slave soldiers were able to hold on, and so far there have been no accidental injuries or deaths. After twenty days, this team has already gained a certain level of military might.

  "Quite intimidating, tomorrow, youve also led troops before, do you think twenty days is enough to bring out an intimidating army?"

  Cheng Ming hesitated and said: "If all the soldiers in the army are veterans, then perhaps nephew can make it."

  "What if they were all slave soldiers?"

  "Its impossible, how can a slave soldier become an independent army. Im afraid that in this world, apart from this person, there is no one else who can achieve this." Cheng Ming sighed: "Looking at his technique, it seems to be benevolent first, could it be..."

  "Ten days of wine and food can make three thousand slaves willing to serve him? This wine and food are also too valuable, arent they?" Gu Dao coldly smiled and said: "If giving them ten days of good wine and meat can make these slaves obey orders, then where is the way for others in the world? Not to mention the Romans, even the Xiongnu people would not be able to withstand. My Great Han has long unified the universe, and there are no enemies under heaven."

  "Yes, Uncles teachings are." Cheng Ming lowered his head in shame.

  "Tomorrow, youll see what kind of person Xu Haifeng is."

  "Judging from his behavior, he seems to be a timid and fearful person who is greedy for power and indulges in drinking excessively."

  "If you only look at his performance and the intelligence gathered from these few times, he is indeed such a small figure. But think about it, if he were really that kind of person, how could he have subdued someone like Qin Yong, who is unparalleled in the world? And how could he have made those hundred or so brave warriors willing to die for him?"

  Cheng Ming clapped his hands together and said, "Not bad, this person is hypocritical, but whats the logic behind it?"

  "I also couldnt see through it, but this persons depth of city is indeed the only one in my life. If I didnt know his previous achievements and saw Qin Yongs performance, even my eyesight couldnt see any flaws, almost being deceived by him. Such behavior is really sinister."

  "Uncle, what should we do?"

  "Raise vigilance, remain unchanged in response to countless changes. Sooner or later he will reveal his true nature."

  At this moment, Xu Haifeng was on his way back to the military camp. He had no idea about the secret meeting between Gu Dao and his uncle in the commanders mansion. Originally, he planned to get the weapons and stay overnight in Xijing City, then visit Weiwei at Zuiyuelou, but the murderous intent in Commander Chengs eyes made him restless and uneasy. As soon as he left the drill ground, he declined Tong Yifeng and Fangxiang Mings invitation to stay, didnt even dare to eat dinner, citing that he still needed to train the soldiers, and immediately rushed back to the military camp on horseback.

  They should have returned to the barracks long ago at their speed, but Qin Yong had just obtained two handy weapons. These two treasures were not trivial, and no horse could carry them, let alone a carriage. Among the crowd, except for Qin Yong, there was indeed no one who could carry any of them. Helplessly, Xu Haifeng had to give orders, and the soldiers dismounted and marched slowly.

  However, the two goals on Qin Yongs shoulders were really too strange and peculiar, and he couldnt help but attract attention. Along the way, people pointed and whispered to each other, fortunately, everyones speed was not slow, and they didnt surround him like a rare animal. In fact, just looking at the size of those two big guys, it was okay to discuss and speculate from a distance, but when getting close, not many people had the guts to do so.

  It wasnt easy to rush to the military camp, and Xu Haifeng knew that there was no effect at all. He still scolded Qin Yong angrily, only to find that this big guy seemed to have grown taller again. He remembered that when he first met him, he was only one head taller than himself, but now he was only up to his chest and abdomen. Such a big person would still develop again, it must be the credit of blood wine, his strength was growing, and his body was also growing.

  Bring Qin Yongs Heavenly Bow and give it to Zhebie. Zhebie pulled with all his might, and indeed he couldnt open it fully, only barely opening 70%.

  Xu Haifeng did not give up, and every day continued to feed him the blood wine. A month later, Zhebie was able to easily draw the bow, and two months later, when he drew the bow again, his expression was as if he were drawing a toy bow. However, after this period of trial, Xu Haifeng had come to realize that they could not endlessly absorb the effects of the blood wine. Once they reached a certain level, their strength would plateau and no longer increase. The specific situation varied from person to person. Qin Yong was clearly a power and tank type, with incredible strength that no one could match. His Thirteen Guards Horizontal Practice had broken through the thirteenth level, reaching an unimaginable stage. However, aside from this, his agility skills were only average. If he were far away, he would be helpless.

  As for Zhebie, he has an innate talent in archery that is unmatched. His strength and power are far inferior to Qin Yongs, but his eyesight, wrist strength, and accuracy have reached an unimaginable realm. The human eye cannot see things too far away, but his eyes are like those of an eagle, able to spot a single hair at a distance of thousands of meters. With the Sky Piercing Bow in hand, within a thousand meters, every arrow hits its mark without fail.

  And those three thousand slave soldiers were also fully trained, and only then did Xu Haifeng finally put his mind at ease.

Recommended Popular Novels