(Sorry for the trouble—I set the time wrong and scheduled it for 10 a.m. tomorrow.)
Watching Zhang Quan suddenly change his moves, Lin Xuan didn't try to meet him head-on again. Instead, he retreated several steps, waiting for Zhang Quan to expose an opening.
He had watched and memorized every one of Zhang Quan's movements just now. Given time to work through them, he could imitate them perfectly.
Sharp Eyes let him catch movements, Eidetic Memory let him remember techniques, and Martial Prodigy let him analyze and break them down. Combined, these talents were worth far more than the sum of their parts.
He's changed his moves... If I don't change mine, he'll probably defeat me. But I don't need to get tangled up with him.
Seeing Lin Xuan start to dodge instead of exchanging blows, Zhang Quan showed no sign of stopping.
He continued his assault on Lin Xuan.
Just then, a courier came sprinting into the garrison, shouting as he ran:
"Xihuai City and Linshui County have fallen to the Roaming Bandits! The county office was burned, the gentry slaughtered, and tens of thousands of displaced people and defeated troops are fleeing east! By order of the Commander of the Wuqu Guard, the Liang City Thousand-Household Office is to stand on alert and prepare to hold the city! You must hold out until the Wuqu Guard and the relief army under Commander-in-Chief Li arrive!"
At those words, panic swept through the ranks.
Lin Xuan and Zhang Quan were shaken too. Standing at opposite ends of the platform, they kept their eyes on each other, wary that the other might seize the moment to attack.
Those two cities were only two hundred li from here. Though one or two cities still lay between them and Liang City, the danger was nonetheless imminent.
If the Roaming Bandits had taken those two cities, they could certainly take this one too. The only question was how long it would take.
"What?" Hearing the news, Thousand-Household Commander Su's eyes widened, and his heart began to race.
Though Xihuai City and Linshui County had smaller garrisons than Liang City, they were still formidable. And they had fallen just like that?
The terrible news spread panic through the military households, making them question whether they could hold the city at all.
"How are we supposed to defend it? Two Thousand-Household Offices have already fallen. What makes us think we can hold out?"
"Exactly! If we stay and fight, aren't we just being sent to our deaths? They haven't even said how many Roaming Bandits there are. What if it's ten thousand? How could we possibly hold them off?"
Just hearing about the Roaming Bandits had already robbed these garrison soldiers of their will to fight. It was plain to see how backward this military system was.
"Shut the hell up! Anyone who says another word to shake the troops' morale will be the first one I cut down!"
Thousand-Household Commander Su looked toward Lin Xuan and Zhang Quan and said solemnly:
"The Roaming Bandits have taken Xihuai and Linshui. The calamity of war is at our doorstep, so there's no need to compete for rank in the Winter Hunt Martial Trial!
"Your strength, archery, and skill on the platform are all peerless among your peers, far surpassing those of the old Squad Leaders.
"I'm promoting you both out of turn in this time of crisis. You're now Flag Commanders!"
The Drill Ground fell silent.
Everyone knew that wartime called for breaking with convention. And with the two men's strength plain to see, no one dared object.
The old Squad Leaders envied them, but knew they were no match for them, and could only accept it.
Zhang Quan called out, "Lin Xuan, competing with you has been a blast. Since the Martial Trial's been halted, we can't settle who's better. So let's settle it on the battlefield instead and see who kills more Roaming Bandits!"
Then Zhang Quan thought to himself, Your talent is terrifying. Maybe I won't be able to beat you in the future, but this time, I'm going to win!
His strength and command of technique were both superior to Lin Xuan's. Their match had only remained even because of Lin Xuan's astonishing endurance.
But Lin Xuan's ability to learn was practically heaven-defying. Perhaps the next time they met on the platform, Zhang Quan wouldn't stand a chance. The thought left him more than a little dissatisfied.
After all, his family had kept him hidden away for a while before finally letting him out. And now, just as he was making his debut, he'd run into a setback. It didn't sit well with him.
"We'll see," Lin Xuan said, surprised by Zhang Quan's reaction. The boy didn't seem as full of schemes as his father.
He was also vaguely worried about his own situation. Bone Binding was still a long way from Breath-Connecting, and this battle was bound to be risky.
Besides, being promoted in the middle of a crisis wasn't a good sign.
Thousand-Household Commander Su had promoted them both to Flag Commander without hesitation because he expected men to die in the coming defense—and quite a few of them.
But the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Now that he held the rank of Flag Commander, if he killed enough bandits, he might rise through the ranks at lightning speed and try for the Deputy Hundred-Household Commander position.
And even if he didn't kill that many, plenty of people would die in the battle to defend the city. The Book of Fate was bound to react, and he should be able to gain quite a bit. But all of that depended on him staying alive.
Thousand-Household Commander Su gave another order: "Expand each Squad to six men, then split them into two groups, with Lin Xuan and Zhang Quan leading one each. Move all the officers' wives, children, and relatives into the garrison!"
Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. If his family could all move into the garrison, he'd have nothing left to worry about.
There were two accounts of the Roaming Bandits in the west. One said they had strict military discipline and treated the common people well, unlike the government troops. The other said they were habitual killers who regularly raped and pillaged.
The first might be true, and the second might be a lie spread by Great Jin to calm the people. Which was it? Seeing was believing; he'd have to see how the people on the front lines were faring before he could know for sure.
Lin Xuan didn't dare gamble on it. He'd move everyone into the garrison.
He'd just have to stay alert in case some Thousand-Household Commander ordered everyone to hold the city, then fled on his own.
Then he gave another order: "Give each of them two doses of Body-Strengthening Decoction."
Qin Sheng was actually a little excited. He was desperate to advance. He was already strong enough to spar with a Thousand-Household Commander, but he still only held the rank of Flag Commander. To reach Probationary Hundred-Household Commander or Hundred-Household Commander, he needed military merit—or to inherit his father's position.
Qin Lie was still young, barely past forty. For a martial artist who had mastered his art, living past eighty was perfectly normal, so inheriting his father's Hundred-Household Commander position was out of the question.
So, the Roaming Bandits reaching this area might just be a chance for him to earn military merit.
Lin Xuan accepted the decoction and asked the officer, "Is there anything I need to watch out for when taking this medicine?"
The officer shook his head. "Take it home and boil it over high heat for an hour, then add these few herbs and simmer it over low heat for half an hour. Only then can you drink it.
"This medicine is potent. It takes time for your body to digest it. If it stays undigested for too long, the true qi in your body will become chaotic, damaging your martial arts prospects.
"Take it only once every three days. Don't get impatient and take it all at once."
Lin Xuan nodded and committed every word to memory.
Then he ran home as fast as he could and told his mother and Lin An the news.
"Mother, let's pack now and get ready to move into the garrison. We can't afford to delay even a moment." Lin An quickly made up her mind.
Before you continue