An Eye for Beauty

An Eye for Beauty

Clang... clang... clang... At the sound of the gong, the Wang Family Private Army seemed to have been granted a pardon. Covering one another in turns, they swiftly withdrew. Only during this retreat did they reveal themselves as an elite, powerful force—defeated, yet not thrown into chaos. It stood in stark contrast to the disorderly melee from before.

Looking at the Fusang Army, many had been killed or wounded, and quite a few could no longer stand steadily. Yet their formation remained intact and their morale soared. Judging by casualties alone, the two sides might not have differed greatly, but from the overall situation, everyone knew that Qin Mo's Fusang Army had won.

Seeing the enemy retreat, the Fusang Mercenaries all howled loudly. This was their first powerful showing before their new master. Though the enemy had been exceptionally fierce and inflicted heavy casualties upon them, they had finally forced their opponents back and shown their new master their worth.

The Wang Family Private Army, meanwhile, returned to Wang Renbi's side with their heads hanging low, awaiting their master's punishment. They knew Wang Renbi's temperament all too well.

Sure enough, Wang Renbi seized his riding whip and lashed it wildly at the commanding officer. Every strike seemed to land upon the hearts of all the soldiers. Only after he had whipped himself tired did he leave in a rage.

"Remember to send the silver to my camp. Don't disgrace the Longxi Wang Clan," Qin Mo added casually, nearly driving Wang Renbi into a frenzy on the spot.

After Wang Renbi left, the nobles all came forward to congratulate Qin Mo on his victory. They babbled on and on in praise of the Fusang Army, though no amount of words could conceal the sourness in their voices. Qin Mo laughed and chatted nonsense with them for a while, rambling along with them.

Qin Mo soon shook off the crowd surrounding him and hurried back to the military camp. After all, several men had died, and even more had been wounded. The Longxi Wang Family's soldiers were no soft persimmons. Even clad in iron armor, they could not withstand repeated slashes from skilled fighters.

When he arrived at the wounded soldiers' camp, Qin Mo saw a group of Fusang female nurses practicing their craft on the injured men. Their stitches were fine and dense, as though they were making clothes for their own relatives. The wounded soldiers were equally tough, loudly joking with one another as if the gaping wounds on their bodies did not exist.

"Give each of them one bolt of Songjiang Cloth, and double their compensation. Their families may collect it in Fusang." Since they had sold him their lives, he naturally had to pay them the price of those lives. Once Qin Mo announced the rewards, thunderous cheers erupted throughout the camp. Allowing their families to collect their monthly pay directly in Fusang had been Qin Mo's plan from the beginning. Who knew how many Fusang warriors had been moved by this recruitment condition with delivery included.

Qin Mo looked at Kaihime again. "As for you, your reward will be three bolts of silk. If you want to command troops, start by leading a battalion and see how you do." Promoting her directly to battalion commander would not have been excessive. After all, Kaihime's performance today had truly deserved the word "outstanding."

"Your Highness, this subordinate wants no reward... I only ask to... study under General Xu... and learn the Dao arts..." Kaihime bit her lip and stated her request with difficulty.

"Which General Xu?" Qin Mo understood at once. This was the real reason Kaihime had come to Great Xia. A noble lady had risked life and death to join a mercenary army—if it had merely been for a little money, no one would have believed it.

"Reporting to Your Highness, it is General Xu Liyan in the wounded soldiers' camp."

"You wish to take him as your master? Then you should ask General Xu. Why ask this heir?"

"General Xu said... that he is your retainer... and Your Highness has the final say. This subordinate only needs the mnemonic verses, not the medicine or rubbings. I beg Your Highness to grant this."

Qin Mo carefully considered Kaihime's words. It seemed Old Xu intended to teach her cultivation, but Great Xia controlled cultivation methods with extreme strictness. Prince Heng's Residence possessed only a few Po Lu rubbings and Vital Essence medicines, all reserved for the descendants of its old generals. Without the rubbings and medicine, Kaihime's chances of cultivating successfully would be nearly zero.

"Young Master, seeing her sincerity, this subordinate intended to teach her martial arts. As for what she may achieve, that will depend entirely on her own fortune." Xu Liyan had been in the wounded soldiers' camp all along and quickly hurried over to answer Qin Mo.

"Well... Old Xu, if she were your family, then however you chose to teach her would not be inappropriate..." Qin Mo gave Xu Liyan a look that any man would understand. Old Xu had once been his father's personal guard and held considerable status. He was one of Dayuan's few Xuan Rank experts, and he was still a bachelor. Looking at them now, he and Kaihime did seem rather well matched.

"Young Master, this subordinate is willing to acknowledge her as his adopted daughter." Xu Liyan's words left Qin Mo somewhat dumbfounded. Why was this old fellow so hopelessly clueless?

"In that case, Kaihime, you may cultivate under General Xu!"

"This subordinate thanks Your Highness for your generous gift. I will never forget this kindness." Kaihime bowed heavily, and two streams of hot tears could not help flowing down her face. The path of cultivation she had long yearned for had finally opened its gates before her. As for her future accomplishments, they were now grasped in her own hands, rather than depending on her father or anyone else.

Zuixiang Tower was a famous restaurant in the Great Xia Imperial Capital. Located in a bustling district, its wine and dishes were among the finest in the Imperial Capital. Every night, finding a seat was as difficult as climbing to the heavens. The private rooms upstairs were not open to ordinary people. Some had once caused trouble because they could not get a table, but over the years, everyone who made trouble there, noble or commoner, had been thrown into the authorities' custody. Gradually, everyone came to understand that Zuixiang Tower had deep roots.

Qin Mo and his two close companions were drinking together in a private room facing the street. That morning, the performance of Qin Mo's Fusang Army had left the onlookers' jaws on the floor, and it made the two of them even happier for Qin Mo. After all, they had gained fifty thousand taels and could squander it for quite some time.

"Mozi, which pleasure house should we visit later?" Qin Yumu wore a lecherous grin. Now that Qin Mo was Dayuan's boss, surely no one could drag him out of a brothel.

"...Not going. I want to take a look around Xizhou Street and buy some weapons and equipment." No matter how Qin Mo looked at him, Qin Yumu appeared utterly sleazy. Clearly a tall and handsome man, he somehow carried the uniquely shameless air of a brothel pimp.

"Qin Mo, you've offended Wang Renbi to the bitter end this time. There was already bad blood between your two families, and now it has piled grievance upon grievance. You must guard against them from now on." Qin Yuanze was several years older than Qin Mo, so naturally he needed to help him sort through the situation.

"Our two families had bad blood before? Why don't I remember that?" Qin Mo found it strange. Among the important memories he had absorbed from this body, there was not the slightest information about the Wang Family.

"...Well... forget it. You're right, they were all matters unfit for the table anyway. Come, to your victory in the martial contest, and to the fifty thousand taels of silver—bottoms up."

Qin Mo looked at the cup in his hand. Damn, it could hold a whole catty of wine. This was practically a wine bowl!

The three had not met in a long time, and the more they drank, the more exhilarated they became. Only when they were all pleasantly drunk did they step out of Zuixiang Tower, swaying as they wandered leisurely toward Xizhou Street.

Great Xia had stood for more than a thousand years. Its cities and markets flourished, and the Imperial Capital was the greatest city in the world, with a population exceeding one million. Though it was night, the streets were packed with people, and countless men and women freely squandered their money and youth.

Because of the continual conflict with the Orc Tribe, Great Xia's people were fierce by nature and its customs fairly open. Many refined young ladies wandered the streets, and it was said that many newlywed couples had encountered their true love by chance rather than silently waiting for their parents' orders and a matchmaker's words.

"Mozi, look over there—the girl in yellow. Skin whiter than snow, brows lovely as willow leaves." Qin Yumu flirted as he walked, pointing out women on the street together with Qin Mo. Naturally, every woman he singled out was a beauty selected from a hundred.

"Her eyes are too small. Not pretty." Qin Mo gave her one glance and looked away. He had already lost count of how many times he had scorned these two fellows' taste in women.

"Qin Mo, what do you think of that woman? The one in red—willowy figure, eyes bright as the moon." Qin Yuanze picked out a target for Qin Mo.

"She's too short. Her legs aren't straight."

"Look at that woman in black. Straight legs, big eyes. If you're interested, shall I go strike up a conversation for you?"

"Her waist is so thick. You two can enjoy her yourselves..."

"Alas..." The two sighed in unison, each thinking the same thing. This Qin Mo truly had an eye for beauty unlike any other.