Jade Pendant! (Catching Up!)

"No reason. I just want to join the Jade Dragon Army."

Xiangcao's eyes were filled with determination.

"You only just stepped into the Xiantian realm. It wouldn't be too late to join once you reach the late Xiantian stage," Zhou Hao said.

"Didn't you join the Jade Dragon Army right after you reached the Xiantian realm? You've even become a commander now, so why can't I?" Xiangcao retorted.

You want to compare yourself to me?

"I broke through to the Xiantian realm through God-Devil Body Refining. If you had broken through to the Xiantian realm using the Chiming Nine Heavens Map, I certainly wouldn't stop you," Zhou Hao shook his head.

"Besides, the Jade Dragon Army is undergoing a reorganization and re-equipping, and I have a feeling things aren't that simple. If you truly want to join the Jade Dragon Army, let's talk about it after I return from my garrison mission."

For a mortal, a Qi-refiner who has just entered the Xiantian realm is incredibly powerful, but to a Xiantian lifeform, they are merely at the bottom of the hierarchy.

The current situation is unclear, and once she joins the Jade Dragon Army, she will have to obey military orders and carry out missions.

With Iron Ox away, he must be responsible for Xiangcao's safety.

Seeing Xiangcao pouting in silence, Zhou Hao smiled and said, "You've just entered the Xiantian realm through Qi-refining, and you don't even have a Dharma Treasure. Wouldn't you just be bullied by the veterans if you joined the Jade Dragon Army now? Wait until I return from the sea, and I'll prepare a Dharma Treasure for you. I promise I won't stop you then."

"Really?" Xiangcao's eyes lit up.

"Really," Zhou Hao nodded firmly.

He is set to lead the Fifth Squad out to sea the day after tomorrow, and there is no time to make arrangements for Xiangcao in two days, so Zhou Hao decided to use this as a delaying tactic.

Once he returns in a month, if Xiangcao still wants to join the Jade Dragon Army, he will arrange for her to be in his own squad so she can be with Shangguan Yu.

Not only would it be safer with him watching over her, but it would also prevent her from joining the army in secret, and it would save the trouble of reassigning personnel later.

"Come on, let's go eat." Xiangcao beamed with joy. "After we eat, I'll go to the military camp with you. I want to tell Sister Yun that I've reached the Xiantian realm."

"Alright," Zhou Hao nodded.

It was only last night that he learned Xiangcao and Yang Yun had met several years ago.

At that time, Yang Yun had just left the Hu Clan, and Xiantian lifeforms from the Hu Clan were pursuing her, intending to drag her back to the clan.

Yang Yun was a collateral branch member of the Yang Clan and was not valued by her family; it was only after encountering the Second Young Lady of the Liu Clan that she managed to escape.

Later, Yang Yun chose to leave the Liu Clan to seek refuge in the transcendent Jade Dragon City. Along the way, she had a fortuitous encounter, her strength soared to the Xiantian realm, and she was able to join the Xiantian Battalion, eventually becoming the Fourth Commander.

Back then, Xiangcao was still serving the Second Young Lady of the Liu Clan, which is how she met Yang Yun.

All these years, Yang Yun has remembered that kindness. Now that she has met Xiangcao again, she naturally treats her with intimacy, like a sister.

Time flowed by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep in the night.

Zhou Hao watched as Iron Pillar, Shitou, and the other four children sat cross-legged in meditation. Their breathing was steady, and they had already entered a state of focus, causing him to nod to himself.

The <Supreme Clarity Moral Heavenly Venerable Visualization Method> he practices has high requirements for the practitioner; one must at least be able to understand the hundred meridians of the body and be familiar with the various gods of the Daoist gate before one can manifest the holy countenance of the Supreme Clarity Moral Heavenly Venerable.

To have six or seven-year-old children practice this without years of cultivation and guidance would make it impossible for them to even get started.

Therefore, what he passed on to the six children was a simple introductory visualization method from the Daoist gate called the Starlight Visualization Method.

As the name suggests, it involves visualizing the radiance of the stars filling the heavens pouring down to nourish the soul through the power of imagined stars.

Although simple, its advantage lies in how easy it is to start.

After all, they have never seen the gods of the heavens, but they can see the starry sky the moment they look up at night.

As long as the practitioner has no distracting thoughts and can steady their mind, it is very easy to enter the state.

What distracting thoughts could six or seven-year-old children possibly have?

An hour later.

"Wake up," Zhou Hao called out softly.

His voice was gentle, yet he imbued it with his divine sense, sending it directly into the minds and souls of the six children.

"So comfortable."

"It felt like I just had a nap."

Iron Pillar and the other children woke up one after another, their eyes bright.

"Remember how this feels today. From now on, besides standing in a horse stance for an hour every morning and evening, use this visualization method to rest before you go to sleep," Zhou Hao instructed. "Go on. Don't practice the visualization when you sleep tonight; avoid being greedy for quick success."

"Yay, time to sleep!"

"Don't run, I'm first!"

Watching the six children scramble away, Zhou Hao couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

"Are you heading out to sea tomorrow morning?" Xiangcao walked out from the room.

"Yes," Zhou Hao said with a smile. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I heard from Sister Yun that there are many pirates in the East Sea, and the powerful ones don't even care much about the Green Flood Dragon Army of Jade Dragon City," Xiangcao said with some worry.

"That's only because they haven't run into me yet," Zhou Hao laughed.

"It's not as if we're heading into the depths of the East Sea. Crouching Ox Island, where we're stationed this time, is only thirty thousand miles from Jade Dragon City. There's no need to worry."

The vast East Sea covers an area comparable to hundreds of inland commanderies.

With such a massive territory, scattered islands, and a mix of immortals and demons, even the powerful Great Xia Dynasty has limited control over the East Sea.

Islands closer to the mainland might still have some semblance of order, but once you reach the deep sea, it is the law of the jungle—the strong rule supreme.

Immortal and demonic rogue cultivators, spirits and great demons, along with fugitives wanted by the Great Xia Dynasty or those who offended top-tier factions and fled into the deep sea... all of this makes the East Sea a chaotic place, rife with danger.

However, Jade Dragon City is backed by the Jade Dragon Sect and possesses the deterrent force of the Green Flood Dragon Army and the Jade Dragon Army. At the very least, within the hundred-thousand-mile radius around Jade Dragon City, there is sufficient deterrence.

"This is for you."

Xiangcao seemed to have finally made up her mind. She walked over, took Zhou Hao's hand, and placed the object she had been clutching into his palm.

"What is this?"

Zhou Hao felt a gentle warmth in his palm and looked down.

"Isn't this the jade pendant you always carry? Why give it to me?"

He shouldn't have said that; the moment he did, Xiangcao's cheeks turned bright red, as if they were burning.

After all, that pendant had always been her personal accessory.

"The Second Young Lady gave it to me when I left the Liu Clan. It's a protective Dharma Treasure," Xiangcao said, forcing herself to remain calm. "The Second Young Lady said that carrying it can block even a Purple Mansion Cultivator for a moment. You... you should wear it."

"If it was given to you by that Second Young Lady, how could I possibly take it?" Zhou Hao said, moving to return it to Xiangcao.

Though he didn't fully understand the complexities of romance, he wasn't completely oblivious.

Before he had even figured out his own feelings for Xiangcao, accepting her belongings—especially something she wore so close to her person—didn't seem right at all.

"You've already touched it, so how could I wear it again? If you don't want it, just throw it away."

Having said that, she didn't wait for Zhou Hao to respond and turned, running back to her room.

The room went dark as she extinguished the lamp.

"Hey?"

...Forget it.

I'll just return it to her tomorrow morning.

Zhou Hao looked at the jade pendant in his hand and gave a wry smile.

The pendant was emerald green, emitting a lustrous glow even in the darkness.

One side of the pendant was carved with countless tiny, secret patterns, and one could faintly sense a deeply hidden ripple of magical power. The other side bore only a single character: "Shadow."

"Shadow? Does it have some special meaning?"

"I heard that the Second Young Lady's given name contains the character 'Shadow'."

Zhou Hao shook his head. Regardless of what it meant, it wasn't appropriate for him to keep it.

Early the next morning, the small courtyard began to bustle with activity.

Everyone knew Zhou Hao was leaving Jade Dragon City today. Sister-in-law Zhamu and Sister-in-law Qingshi were up early preparing food, and the six little ones were also up early, saying they wanted to see off Uncle Zhou Hao.

But no matter how long Zhou Hao waited, he didn't see Xiangcao. He went to knock on her door, but no one answered.

Thinking of the meaningful smiles the two sisters-in-law gave whenever they saw him with Xiangcao, Zhou Hao ultimately abandoned the idea of asking someone else to return it.

It would be impossible to explain, and if everyone found out about the pendant, he feared that within two days, even Iron Ox and the others far away at the camp would know.

Until the moment Zhou Hao left the residence for the military camp, Xiangcao never appeared.

Seeing this, Zhou Hao could only sigh and let it be for the time being.

He did not know that as he walked toward the North City Gate, Xiangcao was standing on the roof of the courtyard.

She stood there until his figure vanished, until a towering, wide warship flew out from the inner city, and until there was no shadow left on the horizon.

"You must come back," Xiangcao whispered. "I'll be waiting for you!"

On a stretch of sea about twenty thousand miles outside Jade Dragon City.

A merchant ship was cutting through the waves, heading toward the city.

"Brothers, put your backs into it! We're about to enter the territory of Jade Dragon City; we can drop anchor and rest once we get there."

A burly man with sun-reddened skin and a full beard roared, his rough voice echoing over the merchant ship, drowning out the howling sea wind.

"Don't worry, Boss Hai!"

"This little bit of wind and wave is nothing."

Dozens of sturdy men stood on both sides of the deck, each gripping a massive oar with both hands.

Oars over ten zhang long protruded from holes on both sides of the hull, extending deep into the sea.

As these sturdy men rowed in unison, the merchant ship moved against the wind like a shot arrow, churning up sheets of white foam.

On the second deck of the merchant ship, a dozen or so sea merchants who traveled between the various islands of the East Sea were crowded into a narrow cabin.

Just as there were traveling merchants on land, there were naturally sea merchants on the ocean.

Great sea merchants possessed their own fleets and dealt in full-ship wholesale, while those small-time merchants with limited capital could only join forces to rent a single merchant ship and travel together, just like this.

"Young Master." A middle-aged man walked into the cabin from outside, stooped over to reach the side of a youth curled up in the corner, and whispered to him, "We are about to enter the territorial waters of Jade Dragon City."

"Uncle Mo Er, once we reach Jade Dragon City, will the people from the Shang Clan of Shangma Island no longer dare to kill us?" the youth asked.

"Jade Dragon City is the territory of the Green Flood Dragon Army. Their Xiantian Battalion alone has five hundred Xiantian Lifeforms, not to mention the lieutenants at the Purple Mansion realm and generals at the Myriad Phenomena realm." The middle-aged man said with certainty, "As long as we reach Jade Dragon City, you will be safe, Young Master."

"Uncle Mo Er, just call me Xia Jie. The Xia Clan is gone; there are no more young masters from now on." The youth's voice was somewhat hoarse, and he fell silent after saying this.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man heaved a deep sigh.

Having witnessed his own clan wiped out overnight, falling from a direct descendant of a great clan that occupied an entire island to a destitute youth forced to flee for his life—anyone would suffer a severe psychological blow, let alone a thirteen-year-old boy.

I hope the retreat the old clan leader left in Jade Dragon City will allow the young master to grow up in peace, the middle-aged man thought to himself.

As for revenge, he didn't even dare to think about it.

Even the Xia Clan of Xiama Island, which possessed six Purple Mansion Cultivators, had been exterminated in a single night. For the young master, who wasn't even a Xiantian Lifeform, wanting revenge was far too difficult.

Just as the middle-aged man was sighing with emotion:

"Hahaha... Boss Hai, you're sailing against the wind and still haven't dropped anchor? In such a hurry?" A hearty, booming laugh echoed over the sea outside the merchant ship.

"So it's Boss Dulong." Boss Hai's rough voice rang out from the merchant ship. "I've changed professions to run ships, brother; I'm earning hard-earned money, not as free and easy as you, Boss Dulong."

"Boss Dulong, you've intercepted me—are you looking to take this shipment? My ship is full of small-time merchants; there's no profit to be made here. Could you give me, Old Hai, some face, take this bit of drinking money, and let us pass?"

"Rest assured, I will certainly give you face, Boss Hai." Boss Dulong laughed. "However, I'm not here for money this time; I'm just here to ask you for someone. You only need to hand over the person I want, and I will turn around and leave immediately without another word."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face changed drastically.

It's over. They're coming for the young master!