Zhang Xutuo...
Oh!
Zhang Xutuo!
Shen Le jolted awake.
When they had mentioned some commandery deputy or other earlier, he had had no idea what it meant and no way of figuring out who the man was. But Zhang Xutuo? Now he was wide awake!
This was a famed general from the late Sui Dynasty!
Although he had stood with the imperial court, and although he had suppressed the peasant uprisings of the time, that did not diminish his achievements. Nor could anyone deny that he was a renowned general whom even the heroes of his age had no choice but to fear and respect!
Shen Le took a deep breath and carefully examined the man before him. If he had not known the official title of "commandery deputy," he would certainly have taken him for a thoroughbred military man and never considered him a civil official at all.
He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, standing around six feet tall and weighing at least two hundred pounds—
And judging by how steadily he wore that suit of iron armor, how fluidly he moved when clasping his hands in salute, and how robust his voice was, there had to be solid muscle beneath that armor. It could not possibly all be fat.
His beard and hair were thick and black, his gaze sharp. He looked to be around forty, perhaps older. Shen Le could not be sure. Maybe the burdens of military affairs had worn him down and made him look haggard?
"I have long admired your name, General." Shen Le returned his salute with a Daoist gesture.
"This humble Daoist is Mingde of Mystic Truth Temple. I was paying homage to Lord of Mount Tai and happened to travel here. May I ask, General, what is this..."
He gestured toward the