The second floor was laid with wooden flooring, its partitions and pillars carved with tales of immortals. Everything gleamed smoothly, clearly coated in oil. The third floor was likely even more lavish, but two Prince's Residence guards stood at the spotless stairs, clearly barring anyone from approaching.
Great Zheng followed the Wei system: nobles were permitted a small number of household soldiers. Generally, a baron had one squad, a viscount ten men, an earl twenty men, a marquis one unit, a duke two units, a commandery prince three units, and an imperial prince five units, responsible for escort and night guard duty.
"..." Though there were only two guards, even Zhou Xuan could sense their chilly aura. He turned and asked in a low voice, "The Prince's Residence guards are quite formidable, aren't they?"
"My lord, they truly are." Understanding his meaning, Xu Ling explained softly, "I heard that one standard for armored soldiers is that a thrust from their spears must be able to pierce a stone wall. Their arm strength is truly hair-raising."
"More than ten years ago, Feiyun, the abbot of Profound Spirit Temple, was an alchemist who refused to hand over his alchemical scriptures. The imperial envoy temporarily borrowed a unit of Prince Zhong's guards, killed True Person Feiyun, confiscated all his Daoist books, and presented them to the Emperor."
There was fear in those words. Zhou Xuan smiled. "Things may be different in the future."
In the past, even a Monster could be slain by a unit of armored soldiers. But beginning last year—or perhaps after the Dragon Palace opened—the whole world had changed.
"When great fortune rises, there will surely be those who answer its call."
"This fortune is not predetermined. Whoever seizes it owns it. I cannot give up." Zhou Xuan gazed into