Xiu Battalion

Inside Valen City's finest—and most expensive—Tianmeng Restaurant, the three newly promoted Banner Captains, Roger, Shirakawa, and Changchuan, jointly hosted a farewell banquet for their superior, Deputy Commander Xiuchuan, who was being transferred to the imperial capital.

Shirakawa glanced at the menu and was somewhat stunned. It was so expensive!

She whispered to Roger, "Are you sure we brought enough money?"

Roger grimaced and whispered, "Worst comes to worst, we'll leave you here as collateral. Why did Lord Xiuchuan have to pick a place like this? One meal tonight will cost me half a year's salary—and that's with the three of us splitting it."

Shirakawa whispered, "I suspect that idiot is deliberately making things difficult for us. Look at what he ordered—golden roast suckling pig, golden grilled lobster, golden roast chicken, golden roast duck, golden fruit pie, golden candied vegetables, golden brandy. Eating that much gold, he'd better die of constipation!"

Roger whispered, "Shh! Keep it down! I think he just glanced at you strangely. I suspect he heard you—ah, damn it, he's ordering more food again. It's... the deluxe golden imperial eight treasures! We're finished. Even next year's salary is going into this!"

Zichuan Xiu was chatting merrily with Changchuan when he suddenly turned around and asked, "Shirakawa, Roger, what are you two whispering about?"

Shirakawa said, "My lord, you're being transferred away and won't be our superior anymore—we simply can't bear to part with you. We're so heartbroken."

Zichuan Xiu said, "Oh my, hearing you say that makes me sad too—but looking at your expressions... why don't you seem sad at all? You look more like... prisoners who have just been released."

Shirakawa said, "Oh, we're smiling on the outside while crying inside!"

Roger and Changchuan both hurriedly expressed their agreement. Their hearts were crying—for their wallets, silently...

Zichuan Xiu rubbed his eyes, looking deeply moved as well. "Having subordinates like you is truly my good fortune! I almost don't want to leave..."

"Please don't!"

Changchuan, Roger, and Shirakawa all screamed at once!

"My lord, we couldn't bear to delay your bright future!" Go, go! Go plague the people in the imperial capital!

"Yes, my lord. Just come back to visit us when you have time!" Better if you never come back!

"We're only afraid that after Your Lordship rises high in rank, you won't recognize little people like us..." Whether you recognize me or not, I certainly won't recognize you again.

Seeing Zichuan Xiu looking so moved he was nearly in tears, they heard him sniffle and say, "We have faced life and death together, shared hardship together—how could true friends ever forget each other? Come, drink deeply to our friendship! Oh, miss, open another five bottles of royal brandy, and add a whole golden roast lamb!"...

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they rested while contentedly—or pretended to contentedly—rubbing their stomachs.

Zichuan Xiu suddenly remembered something. "Look at my memory! There's official business—I forgot to tell you."

He pulled an official document from his pocket. "Issued by Deputy Commander Luobo. It contains the three of your new assignments. Roger, take it and read it yourselves."

A sense of foreboding rose in Shirakawa, but she quickly reassured herself. No matter how bad it was, it couldn't possibly be worse than their current situation, could it?

Roger took it, opened it, and glanced at it once—this fearless warrior, who had faced tens of thousands of Demon Race soldiers without fear, fainted on the spot.

Changchuan snatched it away. "What a useless coward! At worst, they're sending us to attack Great Demon God Fortress. Is that enough to scare you unconscious? Pathetic!"

After saying that, he took one look—and fainted as well.

Shirakawa tremblingly picked up the appointment document from the floor. Zichuan Xiu was looking at her with great sympathy as he suggested, "Would you like some wine to calm yourself down?"

Shirakawa opened it in one breath. The order was simple, only one sentence:

"Roger, Changchuan, and Shirakawa, Banner Captains, are hereby reassigned to serve under Deputy Commander Zichuan Xiu, accompanying him back to the imperial capital on official duty. Far East Army Chief of General Staff Luo Bo, Imperial Year 778."

Shirakawa, too, felt a flash of white light before her eyes... but she held firm.

Her first instinct was to draw her blade and cut someone down—but she had not brought a weapon today.

She wanted to throw herself at him and fight to the death—but she was unarmed.

She wanted to curse him furiously—but seeing Zichuan Xiu's very "sincere" smile, she knew it would be pointless.

At last, she thought of the most deadly and effective move.

Zichuan Xiu was astonished to see Shirakawa calm down. He could not help clicking his tongue in admiration. No wonder they said women were tougher than men at critical moments!

Zichuan Xiu said, "Oh, Shirakawa, look, this is wonderful! We can be together again. No wonder Roger and Changchuan were so happy they fainted..."

"Hm? Why aren't you saying anything? Shirakawa, why are you feeling around Roger's clothes... Why are you taking his wallet? And Changchuan's wallet too..."

"Could it be that you share my hobby—getting friends drunk and then stealing their wallets? That's not good. I'm still sober—unless you split it with me."

"Why are you opening the window? We aren't hot..."

Standing by the window, Shirakawa gathered all the breath in her abdomen and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Someone's trying to skip out on the bill! Catch him!" With that, she jumped out the window.

A clamor rose from Tianmeng Restaurant behind her:

"Who's skipping out on the bill? Catch him!"

"Catch that brat who's skipping out on the bill! It's him, that fool standing by the window!"

"Trying to run? Wearing a Deputy Commander's uniform and pretending to be an officer to scam food and drink!"

"I knew there was something wrong with him—what kind of Deputy Commander is that young?!"

"Everyone, beat him up first, then hand him over to the police!"

The family chronicles recorded: On July 29th, Imperial Year 778, with the approval of Far East Army Chief of General Staff Luo Bo, Zichuan Xiu, then serving as a reserve Deputy Commander, established the Xiu Battalion, which would later shake the world and become the continent's strongest army, feared even by the formidable Demon Race forces. The founding of the Xiu Battalion held immense significance in the family's history. It could be said that this elite new force was crucial to the new Family Chief's smooth ascension, suppression of internal rebellion, resistance against foreign enemies, sweeping defeat of Flowing Wind, and destruction of Great Demon God Fortress. It shaped the course of the family's history for a hundred years!

The first officers to join the Xiu Battalion were the three Banner Captains: Roger, Shirakawa, and Changchuan. On that very day, at Tianmeng Restaurant in Valen City, they secretly swore loyalty to Zichuan Xiu. Admirably, no matter how difficult their circumstances became in the future, the three Banner Captains always upheld that oath. They remained utterly loyal to Zichuan Xiu for the rest of their lives. Zichuan Xiu thus took his first step toward becoming known in later years as the King of Light...