Chapter 25
The tent flap lifted, and a middle-aged man in a blue scholar's robe strolled in. His features were ordinary, his bearing gentle and refined, yet his eyes were clear and profound, as though they could see through the human heart. His aura was completely restrained; if Chen Qing's spiritual senses had not been so keen, he would have almost failed to detect the abyssal, sea-like power within him.
This man was anything but simple. His cultivation was likely far above the Meridian Condensing Realm.
"I am Han Wenyuan, from Yujing. Greetings, General Chen." The man in blue clasped his hands in salute, calm and composed, neither servile nor overbearing.
"No need for such courtesy, Mister Han. Please, sit." Chen Qing pointed to a seat nearby, his expression calm. "May I ask what brings you here from so far away?"
Han Wenyuan smiled faintly. His gaze settled on Chen Qing, carrying a trace of barely perceptible scrutiny. "General Chen is a young hero. You slew the enemy chieftain amid ten thousand troops and turned the tide. Now, the name 'Baleful Tiger' has spread throughout the Northern Frontier; even the Imperial Capital has heard of it. I have come for two reasons. First, on behalf of the court, to reward a meritorious official."
As he spoke, he took out a scroll of bright yellow silk and presented it with both hands. "This is a commendation jointly issued by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel. General Chen is promoted to General Yangwei—a miscellaneous general, ranked above a Camp Commander—and awarded one thousand taels of gold and one hundred spirit jades. You are also specially permitted to recruit five hundred personal guards. Their provisions, salaries, armor, and weapons will all be supplied by the court."
General Yangwei! The authority to recruit five hundred men himself!
This reward could not have been more generous! Though a miscellaneous general held no actual power, the position was honored; before officials, he stood a rank higher. The right to recruit troops independently was even greater autonomy, meaning he could forge a core force that answered to him alone.
Chen Qing accepted the silk scroll, glanced over it, and casually set it aside. There was little joy on his face. "My thanks to the court for its generous reward. What is Mister Han's second matter?"
Han Wenyuan did not seem surprised by his reaction. His smile remained unchanged, but his tone grew more solemn. "This second matter concerns the general himself. Do you know that you are now standing at the eye of the storm?"
Chen Qing raised his eyes to look at him, silently waiting for him to continue.
"Northern Mang has offered ten thousand gold for your head. That is the first matter," Han Wenyuan said slowly. "The second is that the martial art you cultivate radiates Killing Intent to the heavens and differs greatly from the ordinary. It has already drawn the attention of certain influential figures at court. Some say you are a pillar of the nation; others insinuate that you cultivate an evil art and may become a future calamity."
He paused, and his gaze sharpened. "In particular, the Black Tiger Fist and Black Tiger Saber Technique you use seem to be connected to an old matter from several decades ago."
Chen Qing's heart stirred, but his expression did not reveal the slightest change. "An old matter? What old matter?"
Han Wenyuan stared directly into his eyes and said, word by word, "The remnants of the previous dynasty—the Black Tiger Sect."
The atmosphere inside the tent instantly froze solid.
Chen Qing's gaze turned faintly cold. "What do you mean by that, Mister Han? Chen's martial arts have been passed down through his family. They are nothing more than crude forms—how could they possibly be linked to remnants of the previous dynasty?"
"General Chen need not be nervous." Han Wenyuan smiled, softening his tone. "The Black Tiger Sect has long since vanished like smoke and scattered clouds, and the court has no intention of pursuing old matters. It is simply that the general possesses extraordinary talent. To train these two crude martial arts to such a level, while bearing such fierce Killing Intent, is truly astonishing. May I ask where your ancestors came from?"
At last, he had asked about his roots.
Chen Qing's thoughts raced. He knew that blindly denying it would only make him seem guilty, so following the vague memories left by this body's original owner, he said in a deep voice, "Our ancestral home seems to have been... Blackwater City, Qingzhou. The family fell into decline long ago. No one knows anything now."
"Blackwater City, Qingzhou..." A thoughtful glimmer flashed through Han Wenyuan's eyes before he smiled. "So that is how it is. Perhaps I was overthinking it. The general is a bulwark of the nation. So long as you serve the country with loyalty, a few rumors and whispers will naturally be blocked for you by noble patrons."
There was meaning hidden within his words. The so-called "noble patrons" needed no explanation.
Chen Qing neither agreed nor disagreed. "Chen knows only how to kill enemies and serve the nation. He has no mind to concern himself with other matters."
"The general's sincerity is admirable." Han Wenyuan rose and clasped his hands again. "The commendation and rewards will be delivered shortly. My mission is complete, so I should not stay long. Farewell."
"Take care, Mister Han."
After seeing Han Wenyuan off, Chen Qing returned to his seat. His fingers lightly tapped against the table, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
A guest from the Imperial Capital—ostensibly here to grant rewards, but truly here to probe him. The Black Tiger Sect? Remnants of the previous dynasty? It seemed this body's original owner had not come from a simple family either. And those so-called "noble patrons"—was that a hint of recruitment?
He picked up the commendation scroll, and a cold curve rose at the corner of his lips.
General Yangwei? The right to recruit troops himself?
Perfect.
He had been worrying that the forces under his command were insufficient, making it difficult to obtain enough "resources" in the larger wars to come. This status and authority had arrived at exactly the right time.
As for the hidden threats and attempted recruitment...
Before absolute power, everything was an illusion.
What he needed now was time—more battles—to absorb the gains from this breakthrough and further strengthen himself.
The Meridian Condensing Realm was only the beginning. The Fierce Tiger Domain, Black Tiger True Intent, and that distant, unreachable "Shattering Void"... his road was still very long.
He summoned a personal guard. "Pass down the order: from today onward, recruit fierce and valiant soldiers under the name of the Black Tiger Camp. Offer generous treatment. There is only one standard—dare to fight, and be able to fight!"
"Yes, General!"
The personal guard accepted the order and departed, excitement gleaming in his eyes. Following a general whose fearsome name had spread far and wide, and whose future was boundless, their own future would surely be filled with bloodshed and glory.
Chen Qing stepped outside the tent and looked north, toward the still unbroken stretch of Northern Mang campfires. He felt the grim killing air and Killing Intent that filled the air.
The storm was far from over.
And within this storm, he would temper his claws and fangs until... the tiger's roar shook the nine heavens!
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