Close Friends

Close Friends

Qin Mo had never slacked in his cultivation. He entered the Mysterious Realm at fifteen, and though Qin Lan had certainly aided him from the sidelines, his talent was beyond dispute. Yet ever since reaching the Mysterious Realm, his Black Flame had flared more violently and more frequently. All the yuan energy liquid he cultivated had been drained dry, leaving him without even enough surplus yuan energy to mend the hidden injuries within his body.

On the path of cultivation, failing to advance meant falling behind. Since stepping into the Mysterious Realm, Qin Mo's cultivation had not progressed an inch. Although his Guixin Scripture had reached great completion and he could temper his yuan energy liquid to incomparable purity, his dantian was always parched, without a trace of yuan energy liquid left behind. It had all been devoured by his Nirvana Flame Physique.

Thus, his yuan energy was always insufficient, while the fire of Nirvana Flame left his body riddled with hidden wounds. Furthermore, he had focused entirely on cultivating his mental arts and had no time to hone his combat techniques. Though he possessed the realm and cultivation, his battle prowess was pitifully low.

Three years ago, Qin Mo had gotten into a conflict with someone in the Imperial Capital. In a moment of youthful impulsiveness, he arranged a duel and was defeated by a Yellow Realm cultivator, earning himself the title of "the weakest Mysterious Realm cultivator in history." Though Qin Yumu and several close friends beat that fellow half to death, the blow dealt to Qin Mo was beyond remedy.

Seeing Qin Mo so disheartened he seemed dead inside, Qin Yumu and the others dragged him off to a brothel. They had meant for him to forget the matter amid the flowers, but Qin Lan found him again and gave him a beating, heaping frost upon the snow of Qin Mo's young heart.

All those humiliations had stemmed from his defeat at the hands of a Yellow Realm cultivator. Now Qin Yumu was flaunting his Yellow Realm Peak cultivation before him again. How could Qin Mo not be angry? Why would he praise this hulking idiot?

Qin Mo immediately gathered his breath and strength, ready to teach this fellow with the sly grin a lesson.

"Qin Mo, when did you arrive in the Imperial Capital? Why didn't you come find me? I just bought two Persian dancing girls and haven't used them yet. I'll give you one later." A gentle voice put an end to Qin Mo's impending violence. A young man clad in pale yellow formal robes approached. The smile on his face was sincere and brilliant, like March sunlight melting away the gloom in Qin Mo's heart.

"Yuanze, long time no see!" A rare smile bloomed at the corner of Qin Mo's lips. During his brief stay in the Imperial Capital three years ago, he had met three close friends. To see two of them today was quite a blessing.

"Mozi, you've grown thinner. Luckily, your spirits are better than before. I'm heading north this time as well, so we'll have each other to rely on." The magnificently dressed young man chatted warmly with Qin Mo, directly ignoring Qin Yumu beside him as though he did not exist.

"Qin Yuanze, you see your uncle and still refuse to pay your respects? So lacking in manners—when did our Imperial Clan become so unruly?" Qin Yumu's voice seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth. His vicious expression made him look like a great bear ready to choose someone to devour.

"Oh! Isn't this the heir of Marquis Kaiyang? What brings Your Excellency here? Qingqing, hurry and bring His Highness the heir a seat." Qin Yuanze acted as though he had only just noticed Qin Yumu, his expression as vivid as could be.

A beautiful woman in green actually carried over a finely carved chair, set it down properly, and even laid a cushion over it. Judging by the lovely patterns on the cushion, it was clearly no cheap item grabbed at random.

Qin Yumu's face began to twist, and killing intent spread around him. Now he could neither sit nor refuse to sit. If he sat, what would that make Qin Mo, who was standing? Qin Mo was the heir of a first-rank prince, a rank higher even than ordinary princely heirs. Qin Yumu, meanwhile, was merely the son of a marquis, only barely qualified to call himself an heir. He knew that if he sat down, Qin Yuanze would certainly accuse him of failing to distinguish rank from status.

Qin Mo watched Qin Yumu's heroic face turn purple, while faint gleams of light seeped from his body. This was a sign that yuan energy had been activated and spread throughout the body. It seemed Qin Yumu truly had reached Yellow Realm Peak. Skin that emitted light was the mark of the Mysterious Realm, and he had already begun to display some traces of it.

"The three of us haven't met in a long time. Don't start competing the moment we see each other. If neither of you is convinced, then after today's assembly, find a place and compete in drinking. That way, we won't make a spectacle of ourselves." Qin Mo found it amusing, but did not truly laugh. If he laughed, there was no telling what Qin Yumu might do in a fit of embarrassed rage.

"That suits me perfectly. Does General Qin Yumu dare accept the challenge?" Qin Yuanze produced a folding fan and waved it with carefree elegance, looking so refined and dashing that he pleased the eye.

"Who wouldn't dare? Nephew, when the time comes, don't blame your uncle for bullying you in a drinking contest." Qin Yumu changed faces quickly enough, instantly recovering his trademark lecherous grin.

Qin Yuanze was briefly left speechless. By seniority, he was indeed a generation below Qin Yumu and Qin Mo. But the Great Xia Imperial Clan now numbered eight thousand if not ten thousand members, and no one even knew how many branches apart they were. Normally, no one cared about such things. Yet whenever he had the chance, Qin Yumu would bring it up just to disgust him, never seeming to tire of it.

"Yuanze, how many troops did you bring this time?" Qin Mo finally stepped in to smooth things over.

"I brought six thousand. That is already the minimum number required by the Central Military Office. Qin Mo, what about you?"

"I brought ten thousand. I thought only Dayuan was being treated unfairly. Turns out you are as well."

"Both your families belong to princes, with vast fiefs. We at Marquis Kaiyang's estate are only county marquises, yet we still have to provide five thousand men. We can barely afford to eat anymore! Keep this up for another two years, and won't we be drinking gruel every meal?" Seeing the two of them chatting so animatedly, Qin Yumu could not bear being left out and joined in.

"What exactly is going on? I have spent too long overseas and do not know the changes in court over the past two years. Why has it come to this?"

Qin Yuanze simply had his attendants bring over two chairs and invited the pair to set up a full-blown discussion right outside the Central Military Office. Tea and pastries were all provided, along with four young and beautiful maidservants waiting on them. Qin Mo was left thoroughly dumbfounded. He had thought himself corrupt enough already, with dedicated cooks, tailors, and even specialized jewelry craftsmen. Yet compared to Qin Yuanze's display, he was nothing but a country bumpkin.

"Ever since His Majesty was still Crown Prince, he held a particular hatred for the Orc Tribe. After ascending the throne, he changed the stable strategy that had endured for centuries. In the second year of the Zhaowu Era, the third year of the Zhaowu Era, and this spring, Great Xia launched three consecutive campaigns into Orc Tribe territory, each with brilliant results." Qin Yuanze was clearly well versed in state affairs and spoke to the two of them with confidence.

"Everyone knows that. Tell us why this year's conscription order demands so many troops." But the brute bear beside him gave him no chance to show off, bluntly ruining the mood.

"...I heard that this spring, Great Xia's army captured several more cities in Orc Tribe territory in succession, shaking both court and countryside. The Ministry of War plans a major operation next year, so not only us, but all nobles have been ordered to provide additional troops. This northern expedition will likely reach an unprecedented scale." Seeing that Qin Mo was also eager to learn why the levies had increased, Qin Yuanze cut a long story short and revealed the truth.

"So all nobles must raise several times as many troops. Where are all those soldiers supposed to come from? Has the Ministry of War considered that?" Qin Mo still could not understand. An empire could not possibly lack clear-sighted people, nor could it lack veteran generals who understood warfare. How could they do something as shortsighted as draining the pond to catch the fish?

"Where will soldiers come from? Mozi, go outside Chongwen Gate and take a look. So long as you offer a mouthful of food, you can have as many soldiers as you want. Which household isn't using refugees to fill its quotas? Our Marquis Kaiyang Manor can be considered rich in troops and commanders, yet even we cannot pull out five thousand battle-hardened elite soldiers in one go."

"Our Prince of Hejian Manor is somewhat better off. During past idle periods, we trained a group of strong young men. Though they have never seen blood, they are still better than refugees. What about you, Mozi? Dayuan is thousands of li from the Imperial Capital. How many true soldiers did you bring?" At this point, Qin Yuanze looked at Qin Mo with concern. Dayuan no longer had anyone to hold up the roof beam. If someone with ulterior motives sought trouble, it would not be a small matter.

"Don't worry. I brought a full ten thousand men, and most of them are soldiers who have seen blood." Qin Mo casually explained how he had recruited people from Fusang, as though he had merely bought a vegetable in the market.

"Mozi, that's not brotherly of you! Why didn't you bring us along when you found a way to get rich?" Instead of the praise and admiration he had expected, Qin Mo was met by the two men's united roar of angry questioning, ringing through the entire Central Military Office.