Lin Wenhai's first reaction was disdain.
True, he felt some wariness toward the man's identity, but one thing was certain: this opponent possessed no internal strength and was merely an external martial artist like himself.
With just this, he dared make a move?
These days, the martial sects were truly growing bolder and bolder. Or had the rash of rebel kings in recent years made so many people forget the court's might?
At the thought, Lin Wenhai moved to draw his own blade and teach this wandering swordsman a lesson. His mind was already sketching out his moves—how to strike a blow that would scare the rest into submission, what witty rebuke to deliver afterward—and then all thought ceased.
*Thud!*
A round head tumbled to the ground alongside the falling rain. A geyser of blood shot into the air, staining the surrounding curtain of drizzle crimson and spreading a sharp, pungent stench.
In an instant, the surrounding crowd recoiled in terror.
On the other side of the cart, Liu Fuguan, who was also escorting the prisoner, was thoroughly dumbfounded. Only when several drops of blood splattered across his face did he snap out of his daze.
A single strike?!
He had not even caught a glimpse of how the man drew his blade. In the span of a single blink, Lin Wenhai—a martial artist on equal footing with him—had become a headless corpse.
An internal strength martial master?
No, impossible. Had the man been an internal strength martial master, there would have been no need to draw a blade at all. Rather than internal strength, it seemed more like pure, brute physical power.
"Madman... He's mad..."
In a flash, Liu Fuguan sorted through his thoughts: *This lunatic must be here to hijack the prisoner cart. He wants to save the man; I can't stand in his way...*
With that in mind, he leaped swiftly down from the cart and moved aside. He hailed from a prominent family in town, respectable folk for generations, and his life was far too precious. Why throw it away against some reckless youth over a condemned prisoner? Better to save his own neck first, then report to the county yamen afterward to post a bounty on this man.
Yet right at that moment, beneath the heavy, dark storm clouds, a cloud-piercing arrow soared skyward against the rain, trailing a streak of fiery light before bursting in midair into a brilliant spray of colors.
What had happened?
Only moments later, both inside and outside the walls of Longxing County, everyone—from the common folk to respectable citizens—distinctly felt the earth rumbling, a tremor rolling in from afar.
Driven by some inexplicable instinct, people subconsciously looked about, sensing an indescribable, suffocating dread hanging in the air.
Soon, they spotted the source of the dread.
Far on the horizon, beneath the hazy curtain of rain, a fine, slender thread emerged. As time passed, it broadened into a dark ribbon.
Then the ribbon split into countless tightly packed figures.
They surged forward like a bursting flood, blanketing more than half the plains. Their footfalls fell in flawless unison, their black armor blending seamlessly into the somber sky and earth.
*Rumble!*
The tremors grew fiercer, while bolts of lightning flashed through the dark clouds above, unleashing rolls of thunder as though beating drums to spur the marching army onward.
"...Run!"
Finally, someone in the crowd snapped back to their senses. Dropping their companion, they bolted in panic like a monkey with its tail on fire.
That single flight set off a chain reaction.
The entire crowd broke into a frantic stampede. The common folk who had gathered to watch the spectacle scattered like startled birds and beasts, throwing the entire scene into utter chaos.
Yet the approaching army did not waver in the slightest. With disciplined precision, they deployed their battle formations, soldiers moving as one. Beneath the pouring rain, they seemed like an untamed, primeval beast, opening its gaping maw wide toward Longxing County to swallow it whole.
"My lord, please give the order."
Just then, another figure emerged from the ranks. It was Wu Xintai, clad in full armor and standing ready, his expression stern as a carved statue.
Liu Fuguan recognized him at a glance.
After all, as the battalion commander of the Black Armor Battalion, Wu Xintai was hardly unknown around the Longxing County yamen; practically every household knew of him.
"The Black Armor Battalion dares slaughter a county constable?!" Perhaps shaken by the terror of witnessing his comrade's death, Liu Fuguan's voice spiked an octave higher, turning sharp and shrill. "The military interfering in county affairs and shedding blood—are you people trying to rebel?!"
Having spoken those words, Liu Fuguan found his spine stiffening.
Right was on the county yamen's side.
No matter what, Lin Wenhai was dead, and the killer was tied to the Black Armor Battalion. That was undeniable, indelible proof.
Under these circumstances, the Black Armor Battalion was undeniably suspected of treason and slipping out of control. It was entirely justified for him to hold them accountable. What was more, he knew that the magistrate had been fretting over the Black Armor Battalion for a long time, pondering how to deal with them.
Now that he had caught them red-handed, it was without doubt a tremendous achievement.
As for offending the Black Armor Battalion, or even the army itself... What a joke. They did not even belong to the same hierarchy. What could they do even if he offended them?
At this thought, Liu Fuguan's mind raced with ambition.
Looking at Wu Xintai, he swiftly anticipated the excuses the man might make and planned his rebuttals, eager to seize the moral high ground and lecture him.
Yet to his utter astonishment—
"...Rebellion?"
Far from making excuses, Wu Xintai burst into hearty laughter. He glanced first at Liu Fuguan, then turned his gaze toward Wang Ping standing beside him.
*Boom!*
The next instant, Wu Xintai swung a broad palm. Roaring with immense internal strength, the blow struck squarely against Liu Fuguan's chest, sending him flying through the air.
Before, when there were no military orders, you called it rebellion, and I let it slide. But now that I march by military command, what right do you have to accuse me?
Rebellion? This is quelling a rebellion!
***
Longxing County, inside the county yamen compound.
Xu Bingzheng sat upright in the grand hall. Yet he did not occupy the head seat; instead, he was respectfully offering tea to a middle-aged scholar dressed in scholar's robes.
The scholar accepted the teacup, took a single sip, and furrowed his brow deeply. Turning aside, he reached for a basin and spat the tea out, shaking his head. "Though this tea uses fine leaves and the set is passable, the one who brewed it lacks the skill. The heat control was nowhere near delicate enough.
"A complete waste of such top-grade leaves."
By the end, the disgust on the middle-aged scholar's face was unmasked. "Ruining a fine pot of tea... Junior Brother, you cannot keep this tea master around."
"Senior Brother Li is entirely right."
Xu Bingzheng hurriedly nodded, then sighed. "Uncouth mountains and treacherous waters rarely produce true masters. Poor craftsmanship is only to be expected. I have made a fool of myself before you, Senior Brother."
Only then did the middle-aged scholar nod. "Though you earned credentials from the Imperial Academy, Junior Brother, you are after all a scholar from Changle Commandery. Situated in the Shu region, far removed from the Central Plains, this place lacks the refinement of the great aristocratic clans, so your foundation is still rather shallow. Take tea, for instance; it is of paramount importance for both self-cultivation and hospitality.
"How about this: once you and I have concluded this affair...
"When we return to the Imperial Academy to report to our revered mentor, I shall present you with several master tea brewers to uphold your prestige, sparing you from losing face as you did today."
"Then my deepest thanks to you, Senior Brother."
Xu Bingzheng beamed with gratitude, sighing with emotion. "I never imagined our teacher would not only spare me from blame, but even dispatch you here, Senior Brother. I shall never forget this kindness."
With that, Xu Bingzheng looked at the middle-aged scholar once more, his eyes half-closed. In his mind's eye, he seemed to see a fine-haired Xuan brush wielding ink across paper, painting mountains and rivers.
Ranked 104th on the Weapon Register: the Mountains and Rivers Brush, Li Yiran.
Though both held places on the Weapon Register, 342nd and 104th were by no means on the same level; their strength was as far apart as heaven and earth.
Regarding this, the world had long reached a consensus.
Venerable giants of the various sects, and even martial arts grandmasters, had offered their appraisals, dividing the 360 masters of the Weapon Register into three sub-rankings.
The top 108 made up the Mortal Ranking, the top 36 formed the Earth Ranking, and the top five constituted the Heaven Ranking.
Ascending from one ranking to the next symbolized an explosive leap in a martial artist's strength, and the foremost five masters on the Heaven Ranking were known as the Five Supremes of the Realm.
For a martial artist to stand out from all the masters across the land and earn a place on the Weapon Register was already enough to be hailed as a paragon among men. To climb even higher from among those hundreds of paragons and secure a spot on the three rankings marked one as truly favored by heaven. Even one clinging to the very bottom of those rankings far surpassed ordinary men.
Between them lay not only a gulf in strength, but also a chasm in status.
Take Senior Brother Li, for example: his father was the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, an official of the third rank, and the Li family enjoyed the reputation of "Half-Prefecture Li" in their ancestral home of Changzhou.
Xu Bingzheng was nowhere close to his match.
And even setting that aside to judge by martial prowess alone, a master on the Mortal Ranking was formidable enough to rival a standard imperial army battalion—truly an army of one.
Thinking of this, Xu Bingzheng grew all the more deferential:
"With the Black Armor Battalion watching hungrily outside the walls and myself heavily wounded, I have truly spent sleepless nights worrying that our mentor's grand design might be compromised."
"That is precisely why Master sent me here."
Li Yiran waved his hand casually. "More importantly, with the turmoil in the county seat prior to my arrival, did anything go awry with the grain gathered from the autumn tax?"
"Absolutely not!"
Xu Bingzheng replied solemnly, "Over these days, I have personally watched over the granaries, ensuring that all collected tax grain remains safe and sound, untouched by those unruly mobs."
"Good."
Li Yiran nodded in satisfaction. "Tax grain is a matter of state importance. Your understanding of this will surely please Master. There is no need to fret over other matters.
"What does it matter if a few of the common folk die? They will always grow back in time."
His tone was breezy and indifferent, paying no heed to civil unrest, rebels, or the corpses of the starved littering the lands outside the walls—treating them as nothing more than a few trivial lines in a book.
Just then, a constable rushed into the hall in utter panic.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened, my lord!"
"What is it? Has trouble broken out?"
Xu Bingzheng frowned slightly, his thoughts clicking into place. "Did a disturbance arise during the parade? Has the Black Armor Battalion outside the walls moved?"
His words sounded as if he had anticipated this all along.
Rather, his very arrangement of the street parade had been intended to draw the snake from its hole, probing the Black Armor Battalion's stance.
Now it seemed the Black Armor Battalion had indeed reacted.
The reporting constable said hurriedly, "The Black Armor Battalion mobilized in full force! By now, they've likely already marched into the county seat!"
Hearing this, neither Xu Bingzheng nor Li Yiran panicked. Instead, they exchanged an astonished glance before breaking into smug smiles.
"Entered the city? Courting death!"
"Since the Black Armor Battalion made the first move, they have only themselves to blame."
Li Yiran stood up, retrieved an official seal from his sleeve, and summoned a golden-eyed eagle. After tying the seal to the bird, he released it into the air outside the yamen.
"Rest assured, Junior Brother. The Tabai Battalion is stationed extremely close to here. My golden-eyed eagle will deliver the message ordering them to advance at a forced march. They will certainly arrive within two hours, catching the Black Armor Battalion red-handed and holding them liable for unauthorized mobilization—thus resolving that thorn outside our walls once and for all."
"Senior Brother's calculations are truly flawless," Xu Bingzheng complimented him, then turned a calm gaze to the breathless constable. "That is enough. Pull yourself together. You are not the one who should panic; they are."
A military garrison marching into town? What a joke!
Under the Laws of Dashun, no garrison could mobilize without orders. In the entire realm, only the Changle Commandery office and the imperial capital held military tallies capable of commanding the Black Armor Battalion.
The one in Changle Commandery—he knew full well where it was.
As for the one in the capital, thousands of li away, that was even more impossible.
Therefore, without a shadow of a doubt, the Black Armor Battalion was mobilizing without authorization.
At this thought, Xu Bingzheng grew entirely composed. He smiled faintly and said, "Come, follow this official outside, and let us see whether the Black Armor Battalion truly dares to flout the law!"
Chapter 47