Best Friends

Qin Mo had never slacked off in his cultivation. He entered the Mysterious Realm at fifteen, and though Qin Lan had certainly helped him along the way, he was undeniably a true talent. But ever since reaching the Mysterious Realm, the Black Flame had flared up with ever-increasing ferocity and frequency. All the Vital Essence "liquid" he cultivated had been completely consumed, leaving him without even enough spare Vital Essence to heal the hidden injuries within his body.

On the path of cultivation, those who did not advance would fall behind. Since stepping into the Mysterious Realm, Qin Mo's cultivation had not progressed a single inch. Although his Guixin Scripture had reached great completion, and he could temper his Vital Essence "liquid" until it was incomparably pure, his Dantian was always dry, without a single drop of Vital Essence "liquid" left behind. It had all been devoured by the Nirvana Flame Physique.

Thus, his Vital Essence was always insufficient, while his body had been ravaged by the Nirvana Flame until hidden wounds covered it everywhere. On top of that, he had focused entirely on cultivating his mental art, with no time to hone his combat techniques. Though he possessed the realm and cultivation, his fighting strength was pitifully low.

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

Seeing Qin Mo so disheartened he seemed dead inside, Qin Yumu and the others hauled him off to a brothel. They had meant for him to forget the matter amid the flowers, but Qin Lan found him there and gave him a beating instead, rubbing salt into Qin Mo's young heart.

And all of those humiliations had begun with his defeat at the hands of a Yellow Realm cultivator. Now Qin Yumu was flaunting his Yellow Realm Peak cultivation right in front of him. How could Qin Mo not be angry? How could he praise this hulking idiot?

Qin Mo immediately drew in his breath and gathered his strength, ready to teach the fellow with that 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 dressed in a pale yellow ceremonial robe walked over. The smile on his face was sincere and radiant, like the sunlight of March, 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 made three close friends. Seeing two of them today was already a fortunate thing.

"Mozi, you've lost weight. Fortunately, your spirits are better than before. I'm heading north this time too, so we can look after one another." The richly dressed young man chatted warmly with Qin Mo, directly ignoring Qin Yumu at his side as though he did not exist.

"Qin Yuanze, you see your uncle and still refuse to pay your respects? No sense of seniority or propriety—since when did our Imperial Clan become so unruly?" Qin Yumu's voice seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth. He looked like a great bear ready to choose someone to devour.

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

A beautiful woman in green actually carried over an exquisitely carved chair, set it down neatly, and even spread a cushion over it. Judging from the lovely patterns on that cushion, it was clearly no cheap item grabbed at random to make do.

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

Qin Mo watched Qin Yumu's heroic face turn a purplish red, while faint glimmers of light seeped from his body. This was the sign of circulating Vital Essence throughout the body. It seemed Qin Yumu truly had reached Yellow Realm Peak. Skin that glowed with light was the mark of the Mysterious Realm, and he had already begun to show traces of it.

"The three of us haven't met for a long time. Don't start competing the moment we meet. If you refuse to accept one another, 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 he did not actually laugh. If he did, there was no telling what Qin Yumu might do once anger turned into shame.

"Exactly my thoughts. I wonder if General Qin Yumu dares accept the challenge?" Qin Yuanze produced a folding fan and waved it with elegant ease, a dashing sight pleasing to 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 returning to that signature lecherous grin.

Qin Yuanze was momentarily speechless. By seniority, he was indeed a generation below both Qin Yumu and Qin Mo. Yet the Great Xia Imperial Clan had at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, members by now. They were so distantly related that no one normally cared. But whenever Qin Yumu found an opportunity, he would drag it out 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's already the minimum number stipulated 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're in the same boat."

"Both your families are princes with vast fiefs. Our Marquis Kaiyang Manor is only a county marquisate, yet we still have to provide five thousand men. Our family can barely afford to eat anymore! If this keeps up for another two years, won't we be drinking gruel every meal?" Qin Yumu could not bear the loneliness when he saw the two talking so animatedly, and he came over to join in.

"What exactly is going on? I've been overseas for a long time and don't know about the changes in court these past two years. Why has it come to this?"

Qin Yuanze simply had his attendant maids bring over two more chairs, then invited the pair to set up a full discussion right outside the Central Military Office. Tea and pastries were all laid out, with four young and lovely maids waiting on them from either side. Qin Mo was left utterly dumbfounded. He had thought himself corrupt enough already, with a dedicated cook, a dedicated tailor, and even a dedicated jewelry craftsman. But compared to Qin Yuanze's display, he was nothing but a country bumpkin.

"Ever since His Majesty was Crown Prince, he has held a particular hatred for the Orc Tribe. After ascending the throne, he changed the stable strategy that had been upheld for centuries. In the second and third years of the Zhaowu Era, as well as this spring, armies were dispatched against Orc Tribe territory three times in succession, with brilliant results." Qin Yuanze was clearly well acquainted with government affairs and spoke to the two at length.

"Everyone knows that. Tell us why this year's conscription order demands so many troops." But the brutish bear beside him gave him no chance to show off and ruined the mood outright.

"...I heard that this spring, Great Xia's army conquered several more cities in Orc Tribe territory in succession, shaking both court and commoners. The Ministry of War is planning a major operation next year, so not only us, but all noble families have been ordered to increase their troop contingents. The scale of this northern campaign may be unprecedented." Seeing that Qin Mo was also eager to know why the additional troops had been demanded, Qin Yuanze cut a long story short and revealed the truth.

"So all noble families must organize several times as many troops. Where will so many soldiers come from? Has the Ministry of War considered that?" Qin Mo still could not understand. An empire could not possibly lack clear-eyed people, much less veteran generals who understood warfare. How could they do something as foolish as draining the pond to catch the fish?

"Where will the soldiers come from? Mozi, go outside Chongwen Gate and take a look. For one mouthful of food, you can get as many soldiers as you want. Which family isn't using refugees to fill their quotas? Our Marquis Kaiyang Manor can be considered rich in troops and talented commanders, yet even we can't produce five thousand battle-hardened elites in one go."

"Our Prince of Hejian Manor is doing somewhat better. In our spare time before, we trained a group of sturdy young men. Though they have never seen blood, they are still better than refugees. What about you, Mozi? Dayuan is thousands of miles from the Imperial Capital. How many battle troops did you bring?" As Qin Yuanze said this, he looked at Qin Mo with concern. Dayuan no longer had a pillar holding it up. If someone with ill intentions came looking for trouble, that would be no small matter.

"Don't worry. I brought a full ten thousand men, and nearly all of them are battle troops who have seen blood." Qin Mo calmly explained how he had recruited people from Fusang, as though he had merely bought a vegetable in the marketplace.

"Mozi, that's not brotherly of you! Why didn't you bring us along when you found a path to fortune?" Instead of the praise and admiration Qin Mo had expected, the two roared their furious questions in unison, their voices echoing through the entire Central Military Office.