A Great Accomplishment

Chapter 36: A Great Achievement

"Reporting, sir, the Battalion Commander requests your presence."

Bai Yan arrived at the Company Commander's office, and Li Kaiyao quickly stepped forward to report.

"Alright, I understand."

Bai Yan nodded and strode towards the Battalion Commander's office.

Upon entering the main hall of the Battalion Commander's office, just as he reached the doorway, he heard Battalion Commander Zheng Haihan's hearty laughter and the irrepressible smile on his face.

"Your subordinate Bai Yan greets the Battalion Commander."

"No need, no need, get up quickly."

Zheng Haihan smiled as he helped Bai Yan up, patting his shoulder with his hand, his tone full of praise:

"Bai Yan, you did exceptionally well this time!"

"You performed a great service during your mission yesterday."

Zheng Haihan then asked:

"Do you know the background of the rebel you captured yesterday?"

Bai Yan shook his head:

"Your subordinate does not know."

Zheng Haihan's smile widened:

"That was a rebel from the Azure Lotus Sect."

"Someone from the Demonic Cult?!"

Bai Yan was slightly startled. He hadn't forgotten that he had already made an enemy of the Demonic Cult.

He still had the treasure map and the jade fragment that the Demonic Cult desired hidden at home.

"That's right, a rebel from the Demonic Cult."

Zheng Haihan's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:

"From the female rebel, we interrogated and learned that the Demonic Cult intended to use the Bozeguo delegation's visit to Yongtang as an opportunity to plant spies in the Imperial Palace."

"On one hand, it was to facilitate the gathering of intelligence from within the palace, and on the other hand, it was to assassinate His Majesty."

"It's all thanks to you that their scheme was thwarted in time, which is equivalent to saving His Majesty's life. Do you think your contribution was significant?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yan immediately rubbed his hands with a smile:

"Since this subordinate has made such a great contribution, I wonder what rewards His Majesty has prepared?"

One should be straightforward; that's how superiors will like you.

No matter what kind of leader it is, they won't like subordinates who overthink things.

His doing so would instead make Zheng Haihan look upon him more favorably.

"Don't worry, would I mistreat you?"

Zheng Haihan chuckled:

"Your escorting of the delegation and your uncovering of the Demonic Cult's plot are meritorious deeds. Your contributions are enough to qualify you for the position of Deputy Battalion Commander."

"However, your qualifications are too shallow, and you were only recently promoted to Company Commander, so we cannot promote you further this time."

"But His Majesty's rewards for you are considerable. Guards!"

Zheng Haihan gave an order, and an Imperial Guard Enforcer entered from outside the door.

The Enforcer held a golden lacquered tray, on which lay a stack of banknotes, a jade bottle, and an inner lining that looked quite extraordinary.

"These are thirty thousand taels of banknotes, a Heart-Protecting Elixir, and a Golden Silk Armor, bestowed upon you by His Majesty."

"While the banknotes aren't much, the latter two are excellent items that money can't buy."

Zheng Haihan pointed to the jade bottle and explained to Bai Yan:

"The Heart-Protecting Elixir is also known as the Three-Dynasty Yang-Return Elixir. It is a precious seventh-grade elixir."

"No matter how severe the injury, as long as the person is not dead at the moment, taking the Heart-Protecting Elixir can sustain them for three days, providing enough time to seek treatment. That's why it's called the Three-Dynasty Yang-Return Elixir."

"Just this one elixir can fetch twenty thousand taels of silver on the black market, and even then, it's more about availability than price."

After speaking, Zheng Haihan pointed to the precious armor:

"As for this Golden Silk Armor, it's an even better item. It's woven from the silk of five types of silkworms: golden silkworms, ice silkworms, jade silkworms, blood silkworms, and stone silkworms. It was also steeped in the medicinal liquid of hundreds of spiritual herbs for forty-nine days."

"Wearing it not only makes you invulnerable to blades and impervious to water and fire, but it also nourishes the body, accelerates the circulation of true qi, and expels all illnesses."

"An item like this Golden Silk Armor can't be bought even with a thousand taels of gold, and there are only a few such items even within the Imperial Palace. This shows His Majesty's favor towards you."

Bai Yan happily stepped forward to receive the tray and then bowed respectfully in the direction of the Imperial Palace:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gracious reward! May my Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"

Zheng Haihan was right; the items bestowed by the old emperor this time were indeed excellent.

The Three-Dynasty Yang-Return Elixir is a life-saving spiritual medicine, and the Golden Silk Armor is a miraculous treasure for protection.

Bai Yan is a Grandmaster-level expert, protected by a three-foot aura wall, making his defense far stronger than the Golden Silk Armor. This item wouldn't be of much use to him.

However, since he doesn't need it, he can give it to Ye Lingdang.

Ye Lingdang is a frail woman, completely lacking in strength. With the Golden Silk Armor protecting her, Bai Yan can feel a bit more at ease.

His marriage to Ye Lingdang has already been decided, and the wedding date has been chosen.

Bai Yan certainly can't be stingy with Ye Lingdang, who will soon be his wife.

Her wealthy father didn't ask for a betrothal gift from Bai Yan; instead, he gave a substantial dowry.

Bai Yan also wants to offer a decent betrothal gift. This Golden Silk Armor couldn't have come at a better time.

This is the first time he's getting married in his life, so the betrothal gift must be valuable enough to save face.

"Alright, put it all away now."

Seeing Bai Yan's overjoyed expression, Zheng Haihan couldn't help but speak up.

"You've accomplished a great deed this time, which is good in itself, but it has also made some people target you."

"Targeted? I didn't do anything?"

Bai Yan blinked, feigning innocence.

Zheng Haihan rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat helpless.

He knew Bai Yan was playing dumb, but unfortunately, he had no way to deal with him.

Zheng Haihan patiently explained:

"This mission was originally assigned to Zhao Gaozhong, the Company Commander under Battalion Commander Wang Zheng."

"If he accomplished this great deed, the Wang clan would have received even more favor from His Majesty the Emperor."

"And you beat up Zhao Gaozhong and snatched this mission, essentially taking food from Wang Zheng's mouth. Do you think Wang Zheng would let you off?"

"If it were just a routine mission, it would be fine, but this time, you uncovered the Demonic Cult's tracks, and His Majesty was overjoyed."

"Tell me, will Wang Zheng hold a grudge against you?"

Bai Yan pouted:

"If Zhao Gaozhong had been sent to escort the envoy, with his abilities, let alone capturing the Demonic Cult rebels, he probably would have failed even the escort mission."

"In the end, it would have been a fruitless effort, and there would have been no merit. What credit would he have gotten?"

Zheng Haihan nodded:

"That's true, I understand that logic, Wang Qingquan understands it, and Wang Zheng understands it too."

"But understanding is understanding, and grudges are grudges."

"People are like that; they always feel that if others can do something, they can too."

"After all, no one wants to admit they are inferior to others."

Bai Yan nodded in agreement.

"That's right, envy and jealousy don't need any reason."

"As long as they want to cause trouble, they'll find a reason even if there isn't one."

"But it's alright. If they want to target me, let them. I'm an Imperial Guard Company Commander, after all. They shouldn't be so arrogant as to openly make a move against me."

Seeing that Bai Yan seemed completely unconcerned, Zheng Haihan's admiration for his courage grew.

One must know that the Wang clan had deep roots and wielded considerable influence in the imperial court. Anyone who incurred their wrath would likely suffer sleepless nights.

There were probably only a handful of people in the entire court who could remain as composed as Bai Yan.

"As long as you're aware of the situation, just be careful in your actions for the next while,"

Zheng Haihan cautioned again.

"Don't worry, Battalion Commander. If anyone dares to trip me up, I'll send them to keep Zhao Gaozhong company."

"He must be quite lonely lying in bed by himself. Sending a few people to chat with him would be a good deed."

Bai Yan chuckled sinisterly.

"You rascal..."