Process (Combined)

The promotion ceremony was held at noon in the Third Battalion.

Zhou Kui personally handed the token of a Decurion to Li Jinshui. The wooden plaque was significantly heavier than that of a Pentalon, with the words "Decurion Li Jinshui" carved into it and thin iron plating wrapped around the edges.

"Decurion, monthly stipend of 50 taels, eighty catties of meat, and three Blood-Qi Pills." Zhou Kui looked at him, the scar on his face gleaming slightly under the sunlight. "From now on, you aren't leading five men, but ten. Lead them well."

Li Jinshui took the token and cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you, Battalion Commander."

Zhou Kui nodded, turned, and walked away.

Li Jinshui stood where he was, turning the token over twice before tucking it into the pocket closest to his heart—the same spot where he had hidden those ten taels of silver three months ago.

Three months ago, he was still hauling corpses for thirty coppers apiece.

Three months later, he was a Decurion with a monthly stipend of fifty taels.

He raised his head and looked toward the camp gates.

The silhouette of North-Rejecting City loomed in the distance.

Once a Decurion, one could enter and leave the camp freely and enter the city.

There were some people he needed to see.

"Decurion Li!"

A boisterous voice came from behind him.

Li Jinshui turned to see seven or eight men walking toward him. The one in the lead, with a burly build, a square face, and thick brows, was none other than Qin Lie, who had lost to him in the ring yesterday.

Behind Qin Lie followed Zhao Tieniu, the dual-blade wielder Zhou Tai, and several unfamiliar faces, all of whom were at the ninth level of Body Tempering.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Qin Lie strode over and slapped him on the shoulder with enough force to make him stagger. "Yesterday I was thinking this Decurion spot was definitely mine; I never expected you to come out of nowhere. But I lose with conviction—that final strike of yours was absolute!"

Zhao Tieniu crowded in as well, grinning. "Toppling a bunch of us at the ninth level while you're only at the eighth—Decurion Li, your skills are the best in the Third Battalion!"

Zhou Tai nodded from the side, a rare smile appearing on his gaunt face. "I've practiced dual blades for ten years, and this is the first time I've been forced into a corner where I couldn't even land a strike. Decurion Li, I look forward to your guidance in the future."

Li Jinshui looked at them, momentarily at a loss for words.

These men had been his opponents yesterday, yet today they were his colleagues.

Moreover, there was no hostility or resentment in their eyes—only admiration.

And perhaps even a hint of... closeness?

Qin Lie noticed his hesitation and laughed heartily. "Don't just stand there! Come on, let's go! We're throwing you a welcome party! The best restaurant in North-Rejecting City, my treat!"

"Right! Let's go drink!" Zhao Tieniu rubbed his hands together. "I heard that restaurant has a new dancer who looks absolutely stunning..."

Zhou Tai kicked him. "You talk too much!"

The group laughed and cursed, pushing and shoving as they headed toward the camp gate.

Li Jinshui was swept up in the crowd, following them forward.

After walking a dozen paces, he suddenly looked back.

In the barracks, Er Gou was standing at the doorway, watching him with longing eyes.

Li Jinshui nodded at him, then turned back and continued walking.

North-Rejecting City.

He had arrived.

By the time they entered the city, the sky had already turned dark.

The guards at the city gate originally intended to stop them, but upon seeing the word "Decurion" on their tokens, they immediately offered fawning smiles and cleared the way.

Qin Lie swaggered through the gate, looked back, and winked at Li Jinshui. "See that? In this city, we are the masters."

Li Jinshui didn't speak, merely etching the scene into his memory.

The night in North-Rejecting City was livelier than he had imagined.

The streets were lined with shops, and lanterns hung everywhere, illuminating the entire street as if it were broad daylight.

Food stalls billowed with steam, general stores displayed a dazzling array of goods, and there were singers, storytellers, and street performers; people of all kinds crowded together, as bustling as a market fair.

"How about it?" Qin Lie walked beside him, looking smug. "Much better than our crappy barracks, right?"

Li Jinshui nodded.

It was indeed better.

But his gaze fell upon the pedestrians.

When those people saw their military uniforms and the tokens at their waists, they all automatically cleared a path, lowering their heads and hugging the walls as if avoiding a plague.

An old man selling candied haws was too slow to move and was bumped by Zhao Tieniu, nearly sending his straw display flying. Zhao Tieniu glared at him, and the old man was so terrified he dropped to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly.

Zhao Tieniu ignored him and kept walking.

Li Jinshui paused for a moment, then followed.

"You'll get used to it." Qin Lie lowered his voice. "In this city, we are the masters. Those commoners have to get out of our way when they see us. Otherwise, if something happens, there's nowhere for them to seek justice."

Li Jinshui looked at him: "No one keeps them in check?"

"Check?" Qin Lie laughed. "Who would? The prefect? He might want to, but he's only at the late stage of the Inner Strength Realm—does he dare provoke our Governor? The Governor is at the Pulse Circulation Realm; who in this North-Rejecting City can beat him?"

He paused, then continued: "Besides, the Governor is fiercely protective of his own. Once, a battalion commander killed someone in the city, and the prefect sent men to arrest him. Guess what happened? The Governor kicked those bailiffs out and declared that whoever dared to touch his men would lose their head."

Zhao Tieniu chimed in: "And then?"

"Then? Nothing happened to that battalion commander; he kept his post. As for the family of the man who was killed, the matter just faded away."

"However, the Governor did decree that from then on, only those with the rank of centurion or those at the ninth layer of Body Tempering could enter the city."

Qin Lie patted Li Jinshui's shoulder: "So, in North-Rejecting City, we are the masters. Eat what you want, drink what you want, play how you want—as long as you don't kill anyone, nothing will happen."

Li Jinshui nodded and said nothing more.

He remembered three months ago, when two soldiers dragged him out of his home like a dead dog and threw him onto that broken carriage.

Back then, he was just one of those commoners.

At the mercy of others, with nowhere to seek justice.

Now—

He lowered his head and glanced at the token at his waist.

Now, he was a "master" too.

This feeling, it was damn good.

The best restaurant was called the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. It was three stories high, with carved beams and painted rafters, and two rows of bright red lanterns hanging at the entrance, illuminating the entire street.

Before they even entered, the aroma of wine and meat wafted out, making one's mouth water.

"Centurion Li, please!" Qin Lie gestured, ushering him inside.

The first-floor hall was packed with people, glasses clinking and voices roaring in a lively scene. The waiter's expression shifted slightly when he saw them, but he immediately put on a fawning smile and hurried over: "My lords, please, head upstairs! We have private rooms on the upper floor!"

The group followed the waiter to the third floor and entered a spacious private room.

Inside, an Eight Immortals table was already laden with cold dishes and hot entrees. In the center sat a roasted lamb, golden and glistening with fat, its fragrance intoxicating. Against the wall was a row of soft couches where several songstresses holding lutes sat; seeing them enter, they all stood up to bow.

"Sit, sit, sit!" Qin Lie greeted. "Eat your fill and drink your fill today, it's on me!"

Everyone took their seats, the wine cups were filled, and after three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew warm and boisterous.

Li Jinshui sat there, not saying much, just silently eating.

He hadn't tasted food like this in three months.

No, even in his past life, he had never eaten anything this good.

He picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth; it was fatty but not greasy, melting the moment it touched his tongue.

It was damn delicious.

"Centurion Li!" Zhao Tieniu leaned over with his wine cup. "Come, I'll toast you! I still remember those three strikes of yours on the arena stage yesterday. They were so fast I couldn't even see them before Zhou Tai lost!"

Zhou Tai rolled his eyes from the side: "If you want to praise him, just praise him, why bring me up?"

The group burst into laughter.

Li Jinshui picked up his cup, clinked it against his, and downed it in one gulp.

The wine went down his throat, spicy and scalding.

"Centurion Li, how old are you this year?" Qin Lie asked.

"Seventeen."

The group was stunned for a moment.

"Seventeen years old, eighth layer of Body Tempering, Great Mastery in blade technique, Great Mastery in footwork." Qin Lie counted on his fingers. "With your talent, you're much better than us. Train for a few more years, and the Inner Strength Realm is a certainty. By then, you might even become a battalion commander, or even..."

He lowered his voice: "You might even get into the Governor's personal guard battalion."

Li Jinshui looked at him: "The Governor's personal guard battalion?"

"Right," Qin Lie nodded. "The Governor's personal guards are all at least at the Inner Strength Realm. The pay is ten times better than ours, and you don't have to go up to the city walls to die every day. If you can get in there, your life will be set."

Li Jinshui didn't speak, just picked up another mouthful of food.

Inner Strength Realm.

He was currently at the eighth layer of Body Tempering, one layer away from Inner Strength.

Soon.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses, Qin Lie suddenly clapped his hands: "Come, bring in our dancers and let Centurion Li feast his eyes!"

The waiter acknowledged and went out. A moment later, the door curtain was lifted, and a woman walked in.

The woman was in her early twenties, wearing a pale green long dress with a silver silk sash tied around her waist, moving with graceful, swaying steps. She held a lute in her arms, her eyes cast downward as she bowed to the group.

Qin Lie said loudly: "Play your best piece!"

The woman nodded, sat on a stool in the corner, and plucked the strings with slender fingers, the sound of the lute filling the room.

The voice was crisp and melodious, like a clear spring in the mountains or birdsong in the woods. She played and sang, performing an unknown tune with a voice as soft as a spring breeze in March.

The private room gradually fell silent.

Li Jinshui held his wine cup, watching the woman.

She was truly beautiful, with brows and eyes like a painting and skin as white as a peeled egg. Her waist was slender, swaying gently with the sound of the pipa like a willow branch in the wind.

As the song ended, everyone burst into applause.

Qin Lie stood up, walked over, and wrapped an arm around the woman's waist. "Squad Leader Li, what do you think? If you like her, shall I have her accompany you tonight?"

Li Jinshui looked at her, his gaze sliding slowly from her face to her waist, then back again.

Then he smiled.

"Sure."

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "Good! You've got an eye for quality! Then she's the one!"

The woman lowered her head, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, whether from nervousness or something else.

Li Jinshui raised his wine cup and took another sip.

The wine was good, the food was good, and the woman was good.

This life, it was damn good.

"No need," Li Jinshui laughed. "She sells her art, not her body."

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "Fine! Then let's change venues! The wine at Drunken Immortal Restaurant is finished, it's time to head to Gentle Haven!"

Gentle Haven was the largest brothel in North-Rejecting City.

The group stumbled out of Drunken Immortal Restaurant, drunk and rowdy, walking east along the street. When people on the street saw them, they dodged away from afar, as if avoiding a flood or a wild beast.

Li Jinshui walked among the crowd. As the night wind blew, the intoxication faded slightly, yet he still felt a warm glow throughout his body. He looked up at the sky; the moon was large and round, illuminating the entire street.

"Squad Leader Li, you have to enjoy yourself tonight!" Zhao Tieniu leaned in, his face full of a lewd grin. "The girls at Gentle Haven are the best in the whole city! The one I picked last time, that little waist, those skills..."

"Enough, enough!" Zhou Tai slapped the back of his head. "Stop embarrassing yourself, damn it!"

The group erupted into laughter and banter again.

Li Jinshui laughed along with them.

He found that he quite liked this feeling.

No need to think about the killing, no need to think about the dead, no need to think about the hatred.

Just drink, eat meat, and look at women.

Just live like a king for a month.

They arrived at Gentle Haven.

It was a three-story embroidered building with red lanterns hanging all over the entrance, each painted with various suggestive patterns. Several heavily made-up women stood at the door, and upon seeing them, they immediately smiled and greeted them.

"Officers, please come in!"

"Oh, isn't this Master Qin? It's been a long time!"

"This officer looks unfamiliar, are you new? Come, come, let this humble one serve you well..."

A woman in a red dress reached out to pull Li Jinshui, and he took her hand, feeling it soft and smooth.

He looked down at the woman; she was quite pretty, with curved brows and a lovely smile.

"Let's go," he said.

The woman's eyes lit up, and she pressed herself against him.

Once inside, it was even livelier. The hall was filled with over a dozen tables, packed with men drinking, each accompanied by heavily made-up women. From upstairs came the faint sounds of flirting and the trilling of songs.

"Let's go, upstairs!" Qin Lie waved his hand. "The best private room!"

The group was ushered to the third floor and entered a large private room. The room was covered in thick carpets, and against the wall was a row of soft couches where seven or eight women were already sitting, chirping like orioles and smelling of heavy perfume.

"Squad Leader Li, sit here!" Qin Lie pressed him onto the center couch and then waved at the women. "Serve him well! This is the new rising star of our Third Battalion; he took down our whole group by himself yesterday!"

The women's eyes lit up, and they immediately swarmed him—some pouring wine, some feeding him, others leaning against him.

Li Jinshui sat there, surrounded by beauty, the smile on his lips never fading.

A woman in a pink dress leaned over, her soft body pressing against his arm, and she said coquettishly, "Officer, you are so young. To be a squad leader at such a young age, you're truly impressive..."

Li Jinshui turned to look at her.

Her face was lightly made up, her features were decent, and her skin was fair with a rosy tint. He reached out and pinched her cheek; it was soft and smooth.

"What's your name?"

"This humble one is called Yun Niang," the woman's eyes curved into two crescent moons. "Will you remember me, Officer?"

Li Jinshui nodded and raised his wine cup to take a sip.

Yun Niang immediately refilled it and brought a piece of food to his lips with her chopsticks.

Li Jinshui opened his mouth and ate it.

Delicious.

Refreshing.

So enjoyable.

Over there, Qin Lie was already making a scene, arms around two girls, playing finger-guessing games and drinking, his voice loud enough to blow the roof off. Zhao Tieniu was even more exaggerated, lying directly on a girl's lap and letting her feed him grapes.

Li Jinshui looked at them, then looked at Yun Niang beside him, and suddenly felt—

It is good to be alive.

He remembered three months ago, curled up in the corner of that broken carriage, cold and hungry, with only one thought in his mind: survive.

Now, he was alive.

Not only alive, but sitting in the best brothel in North-Rejecting City, surrounded by beautiful girls, drinking the finest wine, and eating the best food.

He raised his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

"What a drinker, soldier!" Yun Niang clapped and laughed.

Li Jinshui turned to look at her and suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

Yun Niang was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "This slave is nineteen."

Nineteen.

Two years older than him.

Yet she had already been in this brothel for who knows how many years.

Li Jinshui looked at her, and something flashed through her eyes, only to be quickly hidden away.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Pour the wine."

Yun Niang obediently filled his cup.

Three rounds of drinks passed, and the night grew deeper.

The people in the private room gradually thinned out; some had taken girls to the rooms next door, while others had simply collapsed on the couches, snoring loudly.

Qin Lie walked over and patted Li Jinshui on the shoulder, "Squad Leader Li, staying here for the night? I've already arranged it for you; Yun Niang will accompany you."

Li Jinshui looked up at him, then back at Yun Niang beside him.

Yun Niang lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.

He smiled.

"Fine."

Qin Lie laughed heartily and turned to leave.

Only Li Jinshui and Yun Niang remained in the private room.

The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows against the wall.

Yun Niang stood up and whispered, "Soldier, shall I take you to your room?"

Li Jinshui looked at her, then suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace.

Yun Niang let out a soft cry but did not struggle.

Li Jinshui lowered his head and whispered into her ear, "Tonight, serve me well."

Yun Niang's face turned bright red, and she nodded gently.

The night deepened.

In a room on the third floor of Gentle Haven, the candles had been extinguished, and only the moonlight filtered through the lattice windows, spreading a layer of silver frost across the floor.

Li Jinshui lay on the bed with Yun Niang sleeping soundly beside him. She was curled up in his arms, breathing evenly, fast asleep.

He was not asleep.

He kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

The joy, the indulgence, and the abandon from earlier had slowly settled, like a beach after the tide had receded.

He reached out and gently stroked Yun Niang's face.

Her skin was smooth, her features soft; she looked like a child when she slept.

He remembered how she looked beneath him earlier—there was pleasure in her eyes, a hazy blur, and something else he couldn't quite understand.

Perhaps it was resignation.

Perhaps it was nothing at all.

He didn't know.

And he didn't need to know.

He only knew that tonight was happy.

That was enough.

He withdrew his hand and continued to stare at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, he would go to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant to eat, come to the Gentle Haven to drink, and hold Yun Niang in his arms as he slept.

He would enjoy every bit of it.

He would enjoy the feeling of being a master, the feeling of being served, and the feeling of doing whatever he pleased.

Because he deserved it.

He had traded his life for it.

Three hundred Di People, one hundred and forty-two fallen comrades, and all those who had died beneath his blade—their blood had carried him to this place.

If he didn't enjoy it, who would?

Yet, he would not lose himself in it.

Because he knew that all of this was only temporary.

Outside the city walls remained the Di People, inside the city remained his enemies, and ahead lay the Inner Strength Realm, the Meridian Opening Realm, the Origin Opening Realm, the Profound Connection Realm...

The path he had to walk was still very long.

He lowered his head and took a glance at Yun Niang, who was fast asleep in his arms.

Then, he closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, he would continue to enjoy it.

The day after, he would continue to enjoy it.