When Yang Yuncong heard Qin Shuang's voice, he lifted his head with a hearty laugh and gave him a careful look. "Xiao Shuang, you're here! You look spirited. Your skills must have improved again!"
"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Yang. You know what my mother's like—she's incredibly strict. If I don't train hard enough, she'll come at me with her Asura Blade."
Yang Yuncong glanced behind Qin Shuang. Only after confirming that Qin Hongmian hadn't come along did he reply, "Of course I know. If it weren't for that foul temper of hers, with her abilities, how could she still be only a Garrison General?"
"Uncle Yang, I'm here to receive the assessment mission for promotion to Squad Leader." Qin Shuang casually picked up the teapot on the desk, poured himself a cup, and spoke while drinking.
The Dragon Guard's promotion missions were another benefit granted by the Great Shang Dynasty to the two hundred and sixteen hereditary clans. They were a special path established for the heirs of those clans to rise through the ranks. After two years of service, one could apply for promotion to Squad Leader; after five years, one could apply for promotion to Garrison General. The assessment missions were relatively simple as well. After becoming a Garrison General, however, further promotions required one to take the normal assessments like the other members of the Dragon Guard, or to earn exceptional merit.
"I prepared it for you ages ago." Yang Yuncong pulled a dossier from the pile on the desk. "A group of bandits has gathered on Mount Dawen in Jiashan County, Hongnong Commandery. They've colluded with the local authorities and brought disaster upon the common people. Go investigate, gather the relevant evidence, and arrest every one of those officials who've betrayed their duties and throw them in prison."
"Good!" Qin Shuang agreed without hesitation.
"There are quite a few bandits in that group, so be careful. Remember, you must complete the mission alone. No falsifying the results!" Yang Yuncong warned.
"I understand, Uncle Yang!"
"Go on!" Yang Yuncong waved his hand.
Qin Shuang went back and changed into his own clothes, took his sabers Yong'an and Changning, picked a fine horse, and immediately set off.
Another major feature of the Dragon Guard was its standard-issue weapons: a pair of sabers, one long and one short.
That wasn't to say the Dragon Guard could only use twin sabers. Yang Yuncong, for example, was famous for his swordsmanship, while the commander of the Yu Unit was renowned for his palm techniques. Many of the people recruited from elsewhere had their own specialties and unique skills.
But those skills had all been learned elsewhere. The inherited martial art of the Dragon Guard was precisely a twin-saber technique known as the Dream Slaying Saber Technique!
The martial cultivation of this world was divided into nine major realms: the Third-rate Warrior, who had only begun to grasp the basics; the Second-rate Warrior, who had achieved a small measure of success; the First-rate Warrior, who had mastered the fundamentals; the Postnatal Peak, whose skills had become fully integrated; the Innate Realm, which was divided into early, middle, late, and perfected stages; the Grandmaster Realm, also divided into early, middle, late, and perfected stages; the Great Grandmaster Realm, likewise divided into early, middle, late, and perfected stages; the Origin Return Realm, in which one returned to simplicity; and the Heavenly Human Realm, in which one acted entirely as the heart desired.
From the age of seven, Qin Shuang had studied under Old Man of Three Absolutes for a full nine years. He had learned one of the old man's Three Absolutes, the Heavenly Frost Fist, along with its corresponding footwork, Frost Steps on Thin Ice, and the internal art, Heavenly Frost Qi.
After returning to Chaoge City and joining the Dragon Guard, he had also trained day and night in the Dream Slaying Saber Technique. By a stroke of fate, he had even been chosen by a mysterious masked man, who secretly taught him martial arts.
Qin Shuang had kept that ability as a trump card and had never displayed it in public, so he had no idea how powerful it was.
At present, Qin Shuang's cultivation lay somewhere between the First-rate Warrior and the Postnatal Peak. Along the way, he had constantly been considering one question: just how far had his martial skills actually reached?
During these two years in Chaoge City, it wasn't as if Qin Shuang had never fought anyone. He had participated in dozens of missions, large and small. However, dressed in the Dragon Guard's uniform, he had never encountered much resistance, so he had never formed a direct understanding of his own martial prowess.
This solo investigation and bandit-suppression mission was a perfect chance to test his strength.
Hongnong Commandery and the imperial capital, Chaoge City, were both located within Si Province. Mount Dawen, in Jiashan County of Hongnong Commandery, was a fast seven or eight days away on horseback.
On the evening of the seventh day, Qin Shuang arrived at Shanjin Town, below Mount Dawen. Seeing the sunset fading in the distance, he realized that finding the bandits' exact hideout in the vast mountains would be difficult. He also had no idea which level of government was involved in the alleged collusion between officials and bandits. With no way to begin, he decided to find an inn first, stay the night, make some inquiries, and then take action.
"Lion King's Pride?" When Qin Shuang saw the unusual name for the first time, his heart inexplicably stirred. Though he didn't know why, he still chose the inn without hesitation.
"Welcome, honored guest! Are you here for a meal or a room?" As soon as Qin Shuang reached the entrance, a waiter hurried over to greet him.
"I'll eat first, then get a room!" As he spoke, Qin Shuang handed the waiter a small ingot of silver. "Bring out your best wine and dishes!"
"Right away, honored guest! This way, please!" The waiter accepted the silver ingot and smoothly took the reins, leading the horse to the stable first.
Immediately inside the inn was a long table that could seat ten people. The counter stood behind it, with stairs leading to the second floor beside it. Four square tables had been placed on either side of the main hall. In a town like this, the inn wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either.
There were already three tables of guests eating inside. One was occupied by four young men dressed like constables, drinking and chatting noisily. The other two tables held middle-aged men with travel-worn faces. Judging by their clothing, they appeared to be traveling merchants and their guards.
Qin Shuang appeared to choose a seat against the wall at random. He happened to be facing the entrance, allowing him to see everyone's movements in the main hall without turning around. His twin sabers had been wrapped in canvas and placed beside the leg of his stool.
There was no helping it. The Dragon Guard's twin sabers were far too conspicuous and could easily expose his identity.
"Brother Zhu, let's finish eating and get some rest. We'll set out at Yin hour and leave Jiashan County before dawn," one of the merchants said in a lowered voice.
"That early? Pinghu County isn't far away anymore!"
"You don't know? A bandit gang has appeared on Mount Dawen recently. We should leave as soon as possible and avoid inviting unnecessary trouble."
"Fine, fine. We'll do as you say, Brother Cheng."
Their voices weren't loud, but how could they possibly escape Qin Shuang's ears?
Qin Chao's thoughts stirred, and a plan immediately came to mind.
At Yin hour the next day, heaven and earth were cloaked in darkness. A strange crescent moon hung in the night sky, casting a feeble, ghostly light.
Several people drove four supply carts through the darkness. They were the merchants who had stayed at the Lion King's Pride inn the previous night.
The convoy had left Shanjin Town and traveled only a few miles when dozens of torches suddenly blazed along the roadside. Thirty or forty bandits dressed in a motley assortment of clothes, all with black cloths covering their faces, surged out wielding various weapons. They surrounded the convoy.
The leader had a black cloth wrapped around his head and wore hemp clothing. His eyes were sunken, murky, and lifeless. Baring a mouthful of yellow teeth, he pointed his saber straight at the convoy. "Leave the carts, and you can go. But if you dare resist, Third Master Zhu's saber isn't for show!"
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