"Did you bring the things in?"
After returning to the military camp, Jiang Che immediately sought out Geng Dabiao. The man was honest enough, and Jiang Che had no intention of cheating him. He was prepared to hand over the remaining silver.
"Mm."
Jiang Che nodded. He had already checked the contents of the bundle, and there were indeed no problems.
Hearing Jiang Che's assured reply, Geng Dabiao finally cast aside the last shred of doubt in his heart and believed the explanation Jiang Che had given before.
He could send word out, but he had no way of bringing things into the camp. Since Jiang Che could do it, that proved he truly had connections and capability.
"Here's the remaining silver."
Jiang Che placed a handful of broken silver into Geng Dabiao's hand.
But Geng Dabiao did not accept it right away. He lowered his head in thought. In the end, he did not take it, instead handing it back to Jiang Che.
"What do you mean by this?"
Jiang Che fixed his gaze on him.
"Only now do I believe you really have the ability to transfer me out of the Auxiliary Barracks. I know it won't be easy. Consider this silver money for greasing the wheels. I only ask that you truly get me out of military service."
Clearly, Geng Dabiao had a little wisdom of his own.
As long as he could leave the Auxiliary Barracks and avoid heading to the border to die, this silver would be worth it.
Jiang Che rubbed the broken silver between his fingertips before ultimately accepting it. Before, he had merely been stringing Geng Dabiao along, but now... he truly had such thoughts.
This fellow was an honest man. Taking him under his command... might prove useful.
Of course, that was on the condition that he truly mastered Savage Bull Strength within the allotted time.
Only then would he have value worthy of Liu Zhi's attention.
"I'll do my best with this matter."
"I believe you."
"Take Savage Bull Strength with you first. Return it to me tomorrow. No problem, right?"
"I've studied before and can read. One night is enough to memorize it."
After speaking with Geng Dabiao, Jiang Che returned to the tent with an unchanged expression. His bedding had already been laid out for him, and several auxiliary soldiers came over with flattering smiles.
The auxiliary soldiers would soon break camp, and given Jiang Che's connections and performance, he might be in charge of them someday. If they currried favor with him now, they might suffer less later and gain another sliver of hope for survival.
But their plans were ultimately doomed to come to nothing.
Because Jiang Che had never intended to go to the border and die.
After casually humoring them for a few words, Jiang Che claimed he was tired, took off his shoes, and prepared to sleep. But the moment he climbed onto the kang bed, Xu San'er sidled over, looking as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.
"Brother Xu, is something the matter?"
Jiang Che noticed his odd behavior and asked directly.
"Well... well, I think there's something I ought to tell you." Xu San'er rubbed his hands together.
"Brother Xu, speak plainly."
Jiang Che sat upright.
Xu San'er glanced at the other auxiliary soldiers nearby and lowered his voice.
"These past few days, I've seen you interacting with Geng Dabiao, Wu Changfeng, Li Erxian, and the others, so I couldn't help keeping an eye on things too. Just now, when I went out to take a piss, I saw Wu Changfeng whispering with someone. I couldn't tell what they were talking about.
"Oh, right. That person looked like one of the men who came with Scarface to cause you trouble a few days ago. So I thought I should give you a warning."
Jiang Che's expression did not change. Those dog bastards from Gou Buyi's bunch really are keeping a close eye on me. Still, he had been mentally prepared for it, and he thanked Xu San'er nonetheless.
"This really is important. Thanks for the warning, Brother Xu."
"Ah, what's there to thank me for? We're fellow townsmen, after all. Hehe." Xu San'er scratched the back of his head, his face breaking into a smile. Those guys only know how to suck up to Jiang Che.
Do they even have what it takes to make Jiang Che care about them?
I'm the truly clever one.
The dim night gradually deepened, and snores rose and fell throughout the tent. Yet Jiang Che, sleeping in the middle, slowly opened his eyes, his pupils exceptionally bright.
Even if Gou Buyi's group made trouble because of this, as long as he could earn Liu Zhi's regard, none of it would matter!
Silently leaving the tent, Jiang Che headed straight for the stables against the cold wind. After confirming there was no one around, he covered his nose and climbed inside. Once he had soothed the warhorses, he sat cross-legged on the hay and slowly closed his eyes.
Sacrifice target: Accelerate Savage Bull Strength cultivation.
Sacrifice cost: Two taels of ox sinew, ten jin of ox bones, twenty jin of ox blood, thirty jin of beef. Deduct half a year of lifespan. Sacrifice?
The small words carved upon the Sacrifice Heavenly Stele remained the same as before, but unlike last time, a collection of offerings he had prepared now lay before the stele.
With his previous experience, Jiang Che did not hesitate in the slightest.
With a thought.
Just like last time, the blood-red patterns on the Sacrifice Heavenly Stele swiftly lit up. Then, a thread of gray light emerged from the stele and enveloped the offerings of ox blood, ox bones, and the rest. In the next instant, all the offerings vanished without a trace.
At that very moment, Jiang Che abruptly felt as though something had been taken from him, leaving him with a hollow sensation. But he quickly understood. That was the half-year of lifespan among the sacrifice costs.
The instant the offerings disappeared, a red and a green radiance emerged from the stele and circled Jiang Che's body.
The green radiance moved first, drilling into Jiang Che's spiritual platform.
A strange yet familiar memory merged with his own.
In the depths of his mind, he seemed to see a blurry figure demonstrating, again and again, the twenty-eight stance forms of Savage Bull Strength, as well as a matching set of Savage Bull Fist techniques.
As the memory changed from unfamiliar to completely integrated, Jiang Che's waist and back straightened instinctively.
A moment later, the red radiance circling around Jiang Che also moved, pouring straight into his chest. A warm current spread onward through his limbs and bones.
His lean body seemed to grow stronger by a fraction. At that moment, his entire being appeared to be shedding its mortal shell and exchanging bones. His qi and blood boiled, flushing his body red as wisps of heat rose from the top of his head.
It was as though he were being steamed alive in boiling water.
Whoosh!
Jiang Che suddenly opened his eyes, unconsciously releasing a fierce aura. Clenching his fists, he could feel strength far beyond what he possessed before. Veins bulged beneath his skin, brimming with the beauty of power.
Hah!
Hah!
Hah!
One move after another of Savage Bull Fist was unleashed by Jiang Che with tiger-like force and roaring wind. His legs tensed, his stance solid as a mountain. It was as if he had cultivated for many years, while the memories in his mind were gradually absorbed and integrated into his body.
After a while, Jiang Che withdrew his technique. With both palms pressed to his chest and facing upward, he turned them down and exhaled a stream of white vapor, a smile curling his lips.
If he had possessed such strength during their sparring match, not to mention one Wu Da Bala, even if those veteran soldiers who pulled them apart had charged together, he would have had the ability to knock them all down.
At his current level, he had far surpassed the entry level Liu Zhi had set.
With a single sacrifice, Savage Bull Strength had immediately reached minor mastery.
Tomorrow, he would raise the stakes again and give Liu Zhi a surprise.
If Liu Zhi still did not protect such a martial cultivation genius, then he must be blind!