Huang Tian had been recommended to the Guard Academy by Xia Hong, naturally branding him as one of Xia Hong's men. This was precisely why Head Instructor Liu had come to report to Xia Hong at once.
*The Huang Manor, Huang Tian...*
As early as ten days ago, Xia Hong had known that Huang Tian and the Huang Manor could not be viewed as one and the same. The boy was merely the son of a maidservant—and an utterly neglected one at that, bullied by his elder brothers. His interests were practically the direct opposite of the Huang Manor's.
Now that Huang Tian had suddenly revealed his prodigious talent and given Huang Rui a vicious thrashing, the friction between both sides had only deepened. For a moment, it was genuinely awkward for Xia Hong to choose a side. After all, while he was Huang Tian's sponsor, he also maintained good ties with the Huang Manor.
*No, there's no need to overthink it. I'll maintain my relationship with the Huang Manor, but I should cultivate Huang Tian as well!*
Xia Hong reached a decision swiftly. In his eyes, although the Huang Manor wielded considerable influence in the commandery seat, the only true pillar supporting them was Huang Xunjiu, a martial artist of the sixth rank—at most supplemented by Huang Qian, who was of the seventh rank.
Yet what mattered most in this world was never an intricate web of influence; it was martial strength and the power of one's fists!
Huang Tian had a massive chance of reaching the middle three ranks—and not merely the sixth rank, but the fourth rank!
The weight of such a genius far surpassed that of the Huang Manor!
Looking at Liu Kuo, Xia Hong spoke slowly. "Your report was very timely. Huang Tian's talent is exceptional, and I indeed intend to nurture him. However, the Pacification Commissioner has ordered me to take men and pursue Zhang Yu, the renegade disciple of the Feihong Sect, as soon as possible. It will take a dozen days or so, and I won't be able to return for now. How about this: go summon Huang Tian shortly. I'll meet with him first to see if he's lacking anything..."
He had originally intended to wait until he returned from the hunt before seeing Huang Tian. But at the thought of the youth's superhuman talent, he worried that while he was away, someone else in the Martial Restraint Guard might poach the boy, which would leave him crying without tears.
Thus, it was better to scoop him into his own basket early.
Liu Kuo nodded in agreement, then looked down curiously at the wanted poster resting near Xia Hong's hand. "Is this the Zhang Yu who stirred up such a huge commotion a few days ago by killing the magistrate and county lieutenant of Funing County?"
"Hmph, indeed it was him. But it wasn't because he had any personal grudge against the Funing magistrate, nor was he acting out of righteous justice. Rather, the magistrate once publicly declared that the root of the realm's turmoil lay in sects that flouted royal law. In particular, he explicitly mentioned the Feihong Sect, one of the commandery's five major sects. The Feihong Sect took offense in secret and sent Zhang Yu to assassinate the magistrate to establish their might.
"Who would have thought that after killing him, Zhang Yu was recognized by the county lieutenant and the reinforcements? He forcefully killed the lieutenant and fled, but word leaked out regardless. The Feihong Sect immediately proclaimed Zhang Yu expelled from the sect, cutting all ties..."
Ever since the news spread that the imperial court intended to confiscate all weapons under heaven, the various major sects of Great Gan had grown restless. Kunyun Commandery was no exception; the five major sects had stirred up frequent undercurrents.
They dispatched disciples to secretly assassinate officials hostile to their sects, using this as a deterrent.
If the disciples went undiscovered by the authorities, the sects acted as if nothing had happened. If they were discovered, the sects announced them to be renegades who had long since betrayed their masters, leaving the government with no grounds to strike against the sects.
Such was the case with Zhang Yu. Carrying the strength of a sixth-rank martial artist, he had become the Feihong Sect's "renegade." Yet he might not even care about the label; otherwise, he would never have accepted the order to assassinate a county magistrate. Anyone capable of carrying out such dirty work was undoubtedly a diehard loyalist of the sect.
"All right, go bring Huang Tian here right now. I don't have much time to wait," Xia Hong said, waving his hand.
"Understood!"
Liu Kuo departed swiftly and returned to the Guard Academy. He headed straight for Section Jia of the Upper Quarters and found Residence Jia-25, spotting Huang Tian at a glance, currently practicing stances to temper his qi and blood.
"Huang Tian!"
"Head Instructor?" Huang Tian was slightly surprised, not expecting Liu Kuo to seek him out so suddenly.
"Come with me. Battalion Commander Xia Hong wants to see you," Liu Kuo said with a hearty chuckle. "Don't worry, it's a good thing!"
Huang Tian's heart stirred at the words, realizing that displaying his talent had won him Xia Hong's favor.
"No need to pack. Come straight with me; Battalion Commander Xia is waiting on a tight schedule."
"Alright."
The two moved with brisk strides, exiting the Guard Academy and heading straight into the government yamen, soon meeting Xia Hong.
"Battalion Commander!"
"Huang Tian, not bad, not bad at all. Sit and talk."
Compared to his cold detachment during their previous meeting, Xia Hong was exceptionally warm and cordial this time. "I summoned you today first to see how you're doing. You were brought into the Guard Academy by my hand, so there is naturally an affinity between us. As your sponsor, I couldn't simply neglect you."
His words were brimming with goodwill.
"Second, I heard you've entered the ranks?"
Huang Tian nodded.
"Mm, wonderful. Entering the ranks in ten days—even within our vast Martial Restraint Guard, that makes you an absolute genius."
Xia Hong smiled. "With your exceptional talent, it brings honor to my face as well. Speak up: is there anything you lack during your daily cultivation?"
The underlying meaning was clear: he was prepared to bestow some martial resources.
Huang Tian had no intention of turning down Xia Hong's "investment." After pondering for a moment, he said, "The medicinal soup at the academy is certainly potent, but it can hardly keep up with my cultivation pace. Ordinary people drink three bowls a day, whereas I consume more than double that. So..."
"I can give you some Blood Condensation Pills for condensing qi and blood. A single pill suffices for five days of an ordinary person's cultivation."
Without hesitation, Xia Hong retrieved a small wooden box from a drawer. Inside lay three porcelain bottles, each containing six Blood Condensation Pills. Even if Huang Tian took one a day, it would last him eighteen days.
In truth, Huang Tian believed that if he maintained his current rate of condensing qi and blood, he would only need fifteen days to break through. With the Blood Condensation Pills, it would be even faster—possibly compressed to under ten days!
Breaking through another realm in ten days!
By then, he would never have to worry about subsequent resources. Anyone with half a brain in the Martial Restraint Guard would invest fiercely in him, and even wealthy clans and prominent merchants outside the guard would rush to send all kinds of medicinal pills, gold, and silver.
When that time came, his headache would be how to reject people...
"Is there anything else you require?" Xia Hong asked with immense generosity.
Huang Tian did not act bashful at all and stated plainly, "I would like to visit the Martial Restraint Guard's Book Pavilion."
"You wish to learn martial arts?"
Xia Hong flicked a silver token out from his sleeve. "With this, you may ascend to the second floor of the Book Pavilion. However, you are limited to taking only two martial arts from there. Mmh, you may browse the martial arts kept on the first floor as you please, but do not lose yourself in martial techniques. Your realm is the true foundation."
The Martial Restraint Guard's Book Pavilion was divided into three floors. The first floor held miscellaneous martial records, historical texts, and crude, ordinary martial arts. The second floor housed numerous exquisite martial techniques, while the third floor preserved cultivation journals and handbooks left behind by martial experts.
Accepting the silver token, Huang Tian felt a flicker of delight in his heart. "Thank you, Battalion Commander."
"Haha, minor matters, don't take it to heart. If you run into any trouble in the academy hereafter, tell Liu Kuo. He will report it to me, and I'll handle it for you," Xia Hong said, laughing heartily.
Liu Kuo nodded to Huang Tian in acknowledgment.
Huang Tian said solemnly, "I will never forget your kind patronage."
At these words, the smiles on Xia Hong's and Liu Kuo's faces grew even more sincere.
Chapter 60