Ready for Battle
Guan Yu suddenly opened his eyes, nodded heavily, then got out of bed, opened the door, walked to the stone platform on the parade ground, and looked up at the black flag fluttering on the flagpole, embroidered with the three large golden characters "Black Society." He felt a surge of excitement, even though he didn't know what "Black Society" meant. He thought to himself, "This is the first time the boss has given an order. It seems it's time to test this team's combat capabilities." He took out a golden horn from his Storage Bag, put it to his lips, and blew it loudly...
"Senior brother, you go back first! We still have some private matters to discuss," Yue Qianchou said expressionlessly.
Xiong Hui was taken aback. He looked at the others and realized that their expressions were not quite right, obviously something had just happened. He nodded and said, "It's okay, you guys talk, you guys talk, I'll go back first." After saying that, he quickly left.
After a moment of silence, Bi Zicong frowned and asked, "Brother Yue, what exactly is going on? How could a female disciple of the Qingguang Sect be your woman?"
"Do you really want to know?" Yue Qianchou's words were devoid of any emotion.
After a moment's thought, Bi Zicong said, "If Brother Yue truly considers us brothers, why not tell us? Perhaps there's something the four of us can do to help."
Yue Qianchou closed his eyes and pondered. Thinking of Qu Ping'er, who was now someone else's wife, he felt a pang of heartache. All his efforts over the years had been intertwined with his feelings for her. He had been hurt, suffered, and even knelt down, but he had never forgotten the promise he made back then. Why did they act like strangers when they met again?
The scenes of these past years flashed through his mind one by one. He never imagined that what he had been so determined to uphold would be trampled on so cruelly. His heart ached terribly. Yue Qianchou nodded slightly, and when he opened his eyes again, he was facing the mountains and exhaled a long breath, saying, "Before I entered Fu Xian Island, I was a disciple of the Qingguang Sect."
"Ah..." The four were shocked and looked at each other in dismay. This was a major taboo in the Cultivation World. Jing Zuo looked at him and said, "Brother Yue, were you expelled from the Qingguang Sect?" According to the four, since he could say it, he must have been expelled from the Qingguang Sect before joining Fu Xian Island. Otherwise, he would have really committed a major taboo.
"No." Yue Qianchou shook his head, gazing into the distance and saying slowly, "When I first entered the Cultivation World, the sect I joined was the Qingguang Sect. I met a master who treated me very well, and that's when I met Qu Ping'er. Later, my master was killed while he was out preparing me for Foundation Establishment. You haven't been to the Qingguang Sect, so you don't know how difficult it is for a junior disciple without a master's protection to survive. Not long after, because I got a little too close to Qu Ping'er, I offended Liu Zhengguang and was sent to the Spirit Stone mine to do hard labor. You can't imagine how difficult life was there. Just then, the people from the Illusion Demon Palace attacked the Spirit Stone mine. And Lu Wanqian, the dignified elder of the Qingguang Sect, actually used his disciples as shields to escape, and I was one of them. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me out."
Yue Qianchou paused, turned around and looked at the group, then continued, "Luckily, I was lucky and didn't die. At the time, I thought that since my life was so worthless in the Qingguang Sect, I might as well run away, so I took this opportunity to escape. Later, I met Qu Ping'er again at the Hundred Flower Inn in Hundred Flowers Hundred Flower Valley. We secretly pledged our lives to each other and promised to meet again in a few years. It was at this time that I personally castrated Liu Zhengguang."
"Ah!" The four were stunned for a moment. Tan Fei asked in astonishment, "You castrated Liu Zhengguang?"
Yue Qianchou nodded and said, "That's right. Since I consider the four of you as brothers, there's no need for me to hide it from you. I can swear to God that I haven't mentioned this matter to anyone other than the four of you."
His account of his experiences was half-truths and half-embellishments. Yet, it somehow managed to subtly excite the four men. For Yue Qianchou to reveal such secrets and even swear an oath, it was clearly true. Bi Zicong sighed and said, "I see. And then what happened?"
"Later, perhaps my luck turned! On the same day, I was introduced to Fu Xian Island and was fortunate enough to be accepted as the only personal disciple by the head elder of the Fu Xian Island Alchemy Pavilion. So I devoted myself to cultivation. When I stepped into Hundred Flower Valley again, it was now. I happened to meet you all again. You know what happened after that."
"The head elder of the Alchemy Pavilion on Fu Xian Island? Could it be Senior Guan, who is known as the 'Alchemy Fanatic' in the Cultivation World?" Wu Licheng asked.
Yue Qianchou cupped his hands towards Fu Xian Island and said, "It is indeed my master." Jing Zuo nodded and said, "That's good. I was wondering how Brother Yue was able to cultivate to the Core Formation stage in less than ten years. It turns out that it was the old senior's pills that were supporting him."
The Four Great Families naturally knew the Guan family's status on Fu Xian Island. No wonder Yue Qianchou dared to beat someone in public and was so wealthy; it turned out he was a direct descendant of the Guan family. The four secretly thought that they had made the right friend, and that he might even help them smoothly inherit the position of family head.
Bi Zicong sighed, "No wonder Brother Yue was so excited to see Qu Ping'er. In that case, she has wronged you. But how could she become a dao companion with a eunuch? There must be some unavoidable reason. I think Brother Yue shouldn't be too hasty. Let's investigate this matter thoroughly first. There's something we won't hide from you either. The four of us are the first heirs of the Four Great Families. Let us use the power of the Four Great Families to help you find out the truth." The other three nodded in agreement.
This is returning the favor. I had long guessed that the four of you held considerable influence in the Four Great Families. Otherwise, how could ordinary descendants live such a leisurely life in Hundred Flower Valley? And I wouldn't be able to spend all my time playing with you. Yue Qianchou shook his head and said, "No need. I want to ask you about this myself. There is something I need to trouble you four brothers with."
The four men exchanged glances, Bi Zicong nodded, saying, "Brother Yue, you don't need to be so polite. From today onwards, we are brothers. Just let us know if you can help us."
Yue Qianchou didn't stand on ceremony. He took out a small porcelain bottle, forced an Essence Blood into it with his middle finger, and then pretended to cast a Method Formula. After capping it, he handed it to Bi Zicong and said, "Isn't the Qingguang Sect going to take Liu Zhengguang back? I believe it's not just one or two people. I need to go back and allocate some resources to prevent any accidents from happening. I'll trouble the four brothers to keep an eye on him for me. After leaving Hundred Flower Valley, Brother Bi, you can open this bottle, and I'll know where you are."
Bi Zicong took the bottle and nodded readily, saying, "We'll go keep watch at the city gate now, don't worry." With that, the four of them left together. Yue Qianchou returned to the Cultivation Alliance with a sullen face, closed the door to his room, and vanished without a trace.
Inside the Utopia military camp, three companies of men, dressed in black and masked, were fully prepared for battle. Suddenly, Yue Qianchou appeared on the stone platform, and Guan Yu shouted, "Salute!"
With a "whoosh!" Hundreds of people below the stage simultaneously clenched their right fists and placed them against their left chests, bowing their heads slightly in perfect unison. Yue Qianchou's gaze swept over a small silver tag on each person's chest. It bore a number, and a small amount of his own Essence Blood had been added during its creation, allowing him to easily pinpoint each person's location.
A moment later, Yue Qianchou nodded, and Guan Yu shouted again, "The ceremony is over!" Everyone immediately returned to their original positions with a "whoosh," and no one spoke; they just stood there silently, waiting for orders.
Yue Qianchou remained silent, standing quietly on the stone platform with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. Guan Yu glanced at him in surprise, his lips moving as if he wanted to ask what was going on, but his gaze swept over his silent subordinates below, and he held back. Thus, everyone stood silently, creating an extremely strange scene.
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