The tent flap was lifted, and a middle-aged man in cloth armor walked in. He was slightly taller than Gou Buyi, with narrow, elongated eyes and a hooked eagle nose. At first glance, he bore a three-part resemblance to Gou Buyi.
The moment he entered, he drew the attention of Jiang Che and Liu Zhi.
No introduction was needed; the man's identity was already plain as day.
"Brother."
Gou Buyi called softly and stepped aside.
Gou Buren's gaze swept over Jiang Che without much interest before turning toward Liu Zhi at the head of the tent. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said mildly:
"Deputy Commander Liu certainly cuts an imposing figure. Someone who didn't know better might think you were the commanding captain of our Wind Camp."
He had arrived at the entrance just in time to hear Liu Zhi's remarks. He had initially intended to soften his tone so both sides could save face, but now, it seemed unnecessary.
"Compared to Commander Gou, Liu is naturally inferior. At the very least, I could never do something like barging into another's tent. Why does Commander Gou regard our Auxiliary Barracks as though it were empty air?"
Liu Zhi's tone was equally unyielding, with a faint scent of gunpowder hanging between them.
"Hmph." Gou Buren snorted softly, looked at Gou Buyi beside him, then pointed at Jiang Che. "This is the boy you mentioned?"
"Yes, it's him."
Gou Buren nodded.
"If this commander insists on taking this boy away, what will Deputy Commander Liu do?" With his hands still behind his back, Gou Buren lifted his chin.
"If you insist on taking Jiang Che away, then Liu can only test whether Commander Gou's hands are as hard as his mouth. Furthermore, I will report this matter to Captain Zhu and see when the Wind Camp started bearing the surname Gou."
Liu Zhi abruptly rose to his feet. His previously restrained aura instantly condensed, far exceeding what Jiang Che had sensed during the martial demonstration.
Gou Buren narrowed his eyes, his gaze equally dangerous.
Among the Wind Camp's six commanders, his strength ranked second. The other commanders mostly feared him as one would fear a tiger, and it had been a long time since anyone had dared speak to him this way.
Especially when Liu Zhi was merely a deputy commander.
The atmosphere turned stifling. Jiang Che also rose to his feet, his hands clenched tightly beneath his sleeves.
"Brother, since Deputy Commander Liu insists, then we need not forcibly transfer this man." Suddenly, Gou Buyi, who had remained silent all this time, broke the deadlock.
Jiang Che had already realized what he was about to say next.
But he had not yet had time to report this matter to Liu Zhi.
"Hmm?"
A trace of suspicion appeared in Gou Buren's eyes. Knowing his younger brother's temperament, he knew Gou Buyi had never been one to let matters rest.
Sure enough, Gou Buyi continued:
"However... the matter of defying military regulations and privately passing on cultivation methods must be properly dealt with."
"Speak plainly."
"I have already investigated. Jiang Che not only secretly learned a cultivation method, but also privately spread it through the Auxiliary Barracks and collected silver. Such crimes warrant execution."
Gou Buyi spoke in a deep voice.
"Do you have evidence?"
Gou Buren and Gou Buyi played off each other like a duet.
"Not only is there evidence, there are witnesses as well."
"What?"
Liu Zhi's pupils contracted as his gaze snapped toward Jiang Che. His eyes seemed to ask:
"Is this true?"
Jiang Che knew he could not conceal this matter, so he nodded, then shook his head.
"Liu Zhi, this boy violated military regulations and should be executed according to the law. I intend to take him away now. Do you have any objection?"
"Take him away? Since when did you, Gou Buren, become a military adjutant, meddling in military law? The cultivation method Jiang Che learned was personally taught by me. He did not secretly learn it."
Recalling what Captain Zhu had implied before, Liu Zhi still refused to give ground.
"Then are you saying that his privately passing on the cultivation method and accepting silver were also at your instruction?"
Gou Buren pressed step by step, seeking to dig a pit for Liu Zhi.
"What a joke. Savage Bull Strength is originally a military Body Tempering Method. Any soldier who earns merit may cultivate it. Besides, since when did the affairs of our Auxiliary Barracks become yours to manage?"
"Fine. Since you say I cannot manage it, then let Captain Zhu manage it."
Gou Buren gave a cold snort.
The matter ultimately escalated. Gou Buren sent someone to inform Captain Zhu, and Zhu Sheng then dispatched someone to order them to proceed at once to the central army's main tent, without delay.
"How did the cultivation method get passed on to others?"
On the way there, Liu Zhi asked quietly.
"My lord, while this subordinate was cultivating the method, those men saw me and secretly learned several stances. Later, they brought silver and begged to learn martial arts. This subordinate thought the method did not seem to be forbidden, so... I passed it on to them. This was this subordinate's oversight."
There was no room for sophistry. Jiang Che admitted it outright.
At the time, he truly had no other choice. Other than selling the cultivation method to obtain silver, he had no way to gather enough money to buy sacrificial offerings.
"Don't worry. As long as I sincerely intend to protect you, such a small mistake amounts to nothing. But you must tell me... the names of those auxiliary soldiers who cultivated the Body Tempering Method." Liu Zhi patted Jiang Che's shoulder, signaling him not to worry.
If Jiang Che had merely been an ordinary auxiliary soldier, then today he would undoubtedly have been doomed.
But he was not.
Within seven days, he had cultivated Savage Bull Strength to minor attainment.
Such a martial genius was worth Liu Zhi stepping forward to protect.
Even Captain Zhu Sheng would not be angered over this. Instead, he would praise Liu Zhi for discovering a promising talent.
And this was precisely what Jiang Che had relied upon when he sold the cultivation method at all costs.
Geniuses always possessed certain privileges.
"They are Geng Dabiao, Zhao..."
This was Jiang Che's first time entering the Wind Camp captain's main tent. Compared to Liu Zhi's tent, Captain Zhu Sheng's main tent was vastly more spacious. When they arrived, the Gou Buren brothers and Wu Changfeng were already inside.
Upon seeing Jiang Che arrive, the three men each reacted differently.
Gou Buren remained calm, Gou Buyi curled his lips in a mocking smile, while Wu Changfeng's gaze darted about as he did not dare look at Jiang Che.
At the central seat of honor sat a man clad in black armor.
His gaze blazed like torches, his face was square, and short whiskers grew beneath his chin. He sat upright, carrying the air of a mountain that did not move. He was none other than Zhu Sheng, commanding captain of the Wind Camp!
"This subordinate pays respects to Captain."
"This lowly one, Jiang Che, pays respects to Captain."
The two saluted together.
Zhu Sheng's gaze swept over Jiang Che, carrying an invisible pressure as he said in a deep voice:
"Commander Gou has lodged a complaint with this captain, claiming that you, Liu Zhi, privately passed on a cultivation method, and that the auxiliary soldier under your command, Jiang Che, even profited from it by earning silver. Is this true?"
Liu Zhi stood ahead of Jiang Che. Hearing Zhu Sheng's question, he bowed and said:
"Reporting to Captain, everything Gou Buren said is slander."
"Slander? Did you not teach him Savage Bull Strength?" Gou Buren demanded.
"I did."
Liu Zhi raised his head.
"Then how can you still call it slander?"
"The reason I taught him Savage Bull Strength was because, during the previous auxiliary soldier sparring match, Captain said that the victor might be transferred into the main camp. Jiang Che performed outstandingly. As an auxiliary soldier, he defeated Wu Chengdong, making him a prime example.
"Such a man was soon to leave the Auxiliary Barracks. I taught him the Body Tempering Method in advance so he could adapt to the Wind Camp. What was wrong with that?"
"Oh, this is the auxiliary soldier who knocked over that veteran soldier?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Sheng's gaze toward Jiang Che finally changed somewhat.