Roadblock

In the Governor-General's Office of Luoyang Province, Tianzhong Province.

A middle-aged man sat in the main hall. His features were upright and imposing, with thick eyebrows slanting toward his temples, exuding an innate authority. His eyes were deep yet clear.

His posture was straight, his frame broad-shouldered and sturdy. He wore a crimson round-collared robe and a black gauze cap.

One could sense the righteous spirit emanating from him just by looking at his appearance; this man was none other than Commander-in-Chief Li, Li Baisheng.

Though he held a second-rank official position, he was quite young, being only thirty-six years old this year.

"What? Meng Zijiu is dead?" Li Baisheng felt it was inconceivable upon hearing the news.

"By the time I arrived, Meng Zijiu's corpse was mutilated. There wasn't a single living soul in the vicinity, nor could I find any trace of Zhao Chengde."

For Zhao Chengde, who had only half a foot stepped into the Martial Saint realm, to kill an old Martial Saint like Meng Zijiu while severely wounded—it seemed impossible no matter how one looked at it.

"There are still experts among the Righteous Army!" Li Baisheng sighed. He had originally thought that by crushing the roving bandits and surrounding Zhao Chengde, this massive rebellion would be over. He had not expected that the opponent would not only survive but also kill a Martial Saint of the Imperial Court.

"Commander-in-Chief, should we continue the search?"

Li Baisheng shook his head. Since the opponent could kill one Martial Saint, they could kill a second. Currently, only he and Commander-in-Chief Hong were Martial Saints in this area; it was too dangerous for one person to go alone. If both of them left, there would be no one to hold the fort, and the remaining hidden bandits might cause destruction.

Moreover, Martial Saints were not easily cultivated; every death was a loss that could not be immediately replaced.

"Hold off for now. I must report to the Imperial Court and request reinforcements. You may leave; I still have official business to attend to."

For the sake of prudence, it was better not to act rashly.

If three more Martial Saints were sent over, they could surely annihilate Zhao Chengde with certainty.

"This subordinate takes his leave."

Li Baisheng flipped through a stack of reports and detailed documents. There had been too much official business lately; suppressing bandits and pacifying the populace—everything required his attention, and it was giving him a headache.

Just then, he flipped to a report from the Commander of the Wuqu Guard.

"Report from the Commander of the Wuqu Guard:

Having discovered that a minor Flag Commander under my command possesses peerless martial talent, I hereby report the facts and humbly request an investigation..."

After reading the article, Li Baisheng's eyes lit up. The text mentioned a heroic youth named Lin Xuan, nearly sixteen years old, with exceptional martial talent, capable of contending with Hundred-Household Commanders and Thousand-Household Commanders in feats of strength.

Such talent... why did it sound so much like himself back in the day?

"The Great Jin has produced another martial prodigy; it is truly a blessing for the nation."

Roving bandits had always been viewed by Emperor Chongyan as a mere skin disease, while he considered the foreign Qiangqu People to be the true heart-deep threat. This was precisely because the Great Jin lacked Martial Saints, while the Qiangqu People... had more than the Great Jin, which was why the Great Jin was at a disadvantage.

Coming from such a backwater, they shouldn't have more than the Great Jin. Li Baisheng had always been curious about how the Qiangqu People managed to raise so many Martial Saints.

The Great Jin was in dire need of talent now, especially martial prodigies. Every one more meant an extra shred of hope in the war against the Qiangqu People.

Although Martial Saints were strong, they could still be killed. If a thousand Bone Binding and Breath-Connecting warriors formed a military formation, they could trap a Martial Saint to death regardless of casualties, though the formation would likely suffer more than fifty percent losses.

He picked up his brush and replied:

"Regarding the report from the Commander of the Wuqu Guard: The department has noted the contents regarding the youth Flag Commander under your command, whose talent is exceptional and whose martial aptitude far exceeds that of ordinary soldiers, making him a rare prodigy in the military.

I command the Commander to make immediate preparations and bring this young Flag Commander to the Governor-General's Office for this department to personally verify his martial foundation..."

Two days after departing, Lin Xuan finally arrived in Wuqu Province, riding in the box-carriage belonging to Thousand-Household Commander Su.

The walls of Wuqu City were ten miles in circumference, ten zhang high, and ten zhang thick, presenting an astonishing scale.

They were much taller and thicker than the ancient cities of his previous life. After all, this was a martial world; if it were the thin walls and low cities of his past life, they would have been utterly unable to withstand the impact of martial artists.

Wuqu City was the hub of the Northern and Southern Zhili provinces and a vital military stronghold. Its grandeur far exceeded that of Liang City, reaching the scale of a provincial capital.

"Flag Commander Lin, this is Wuqu City. It is getting late, so let us enter the city early," said Zhang Xiu, the personal guard of Thousand-Household Commander Su who was driving the carriage, as he introduced the place to Lin Xuan.

He took out the travel permit and handed it to the archers at the gate.

When Thousand-Household Commander Su had his carriage prepared, he also had someone help him obtain a travel permit from the magistrate. Ordinary merchants and commoners usually had to pay bribes or "tributes" to obtain such a permit.

In fact, it had reached the point where it was nearly impossible to obtain a permit without paying.

This had led to a market for "fake permits," where local officials and clerks would use official blank permit paper, leave it unregistered and unfiled, fill in names and reasons privately, stamp them with real seals, and secretly sell them at high prices to merchants, private salt smugglers, and fugitives.

Although the price was high, compared to a "real permit," it was definitely considered cheap and good.

However, the permit Lin Xuan applied for had the personal endorsement of Thousand-Household Commander Su, so he could obtain it rapidly without paying any price.

After all, officials come and go, but the powerful clans remain.

Furthermore, Thousand-Household Commander Su was not an ordinary powerful clan member; he was a powerful figure who controlled the apparatus of violence. No matter what, the magistrate had to give him some face.

With the travel permit documents, the archers did not make things difficult and let Lin Xuan pass directly.

Just after entering the city, Lin Xuan saw many beggars along the street, begging for alms.

Seeing Lin Xuan's carriage, they hurried over, but they were met with a lash of a whip from Zhang Xiu the moment they approached.

Zhang Xiu roared, "Get lost, you blind things!"

The beggars shrieked in agony as they were struck.

"There's no need for that. After all, they are just poor folk trying to scrape together a living," Lin Xuan said, hearing the commotion and attempting to dissuade Zhang Xiu.

Once these words were spoken, the beggars lost their fear, and some even took a step closer.

Zhang Xiu's tone softened: "Flag Commander Lin, you are unaware. These beggars belong to the Beggar Sect. Looking at how sturdy and strong they are, it is highly likely they aren't beggars who can't afford a meal, but rather the vicious thugs of the Beggar Sect."

"They band together to seize crowded areas like markets and docks, monopolizing begging territories and beating outsiders."

"They even bully weak merchants and commoners, forcibly demanding food and goods."

Hearing the title "Flag Commander" in Zhang Xiu's words, the beggars who had intended to swarm forward retreated several paces. After all, he was a minor military officer; crippling or killing them would be effortless, so it was best not to provoke him.

Lin Xuan was surprised to hear this: "Oh? Is that really the case?"

Zhang Xiu was quite confident in his judgment: "Of course it is."

Lin Xuan said with a hint of apology: "My apologies, I blamed you wrongly. You hit them too lightly; next time, use this."

As he spoke, he produced his own military staff.

This was a weapon Thousand-Household Commander Su had given him for self-defense. It was half a zhang long, forged from wrought iron, with protrusions at both ends. Striking someone with it was no less punishing than a hammer.

The beggars who had originally intended to swarm them for handouts were so terrified by Lin Xuan urging Zhang Xiu to use such a thick metal staff that they scattered like birds and beasts.