Underfoot

After Liu Dingchun left with his men.

Chen Xian turned to Ding Chen, Wang Yan, and the others. "They're trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Ding Chen nodded. "I saw that!"

Wang Yan's eyes flickered. "Actually, I think it's a good thing. Whether they're sowing discord or not, they're giving us cultivation resources, warhorses, armor, and even expanding the Cook Soldiers. It can only benefit us."

Qin Fei also said, "That's right. We can even play along and make them think we're at odds. Maybe each of us will get a few more troops."

Ding Chen shook his head. "You're overthinking it. They're expanding our forces so we can serve them better. What I'm worried about is that we won't get a scrap of credit, while they take it all for themselves."

Chen Xian's expression remained calm. "We're the weaker side right now. Thinking too much is useless. If we don't want to be used, then we'll have to carve out a bloody path with our fists."

"Besides, if they can use us, can't we use them too?"

Ding Chen and the others nodded. Chen Xian had a point.

In their current situation, they truly could use Li Sheng, Liu Dingchun, and the others to rise step by step.

As for merit, one day the truth would come to light. There was no need to care about it now.

Ding Chen laughed. "Xianzi, give the orders. From today onward, we'll all listen to you!"

Wang Yan, Qin Fei, and the others also laughed. They had no objection whatsoever to Chen Xian becoming the Cook Soldiers' camp lieutenant.

"It does feel a little strange," Chen Xian said, the corner of his mouth lifting.

His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on the two hundred newly arrived Cook Soldiers. They really were much stronger than the original hundred.

"Brother Ding will remain a junior lieutenant and command the original hundred men."

"Wang Yan, receive your orders."

"This subordinate is here."

"You are promoted to junior lieutenant of the Cook Soldiers and will command one hundred Cook Soldiers."

"Qin Fei, receive your orders."

"This subordinate is here."

"You are promoted to junior lieutenant of the Cook Soldiers and will command one hundred Cook Soldiers."

After receiving their orders, Wang Yan and Qin Fei happily went to assemble their respective troops.

Chen Xian then distributed the cultivation resources: Qi and Blood Pills, Origin Condensing Pills, warhorses that were no longer old nags, and armor and spears of far better quality than before.

Chen Xian had Ding Chen, Qin Fei, and Wang Yan each take one hundred sets to distribute.

After dinner, they began drilling.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Head Chef Army camp, Central Army Tent.

Pei Menglong personally sought out Liu Dingchun to ask about transferring Chen Xian away, but Liu Dingchun refused him outright.

"General Sun won't allow it?"

Pei Menglong's face darkened. Would General Sun really refuse to grant him someone he wanted?

Besides, it was only a lowly Cook Soldier being transferred to his Pei Battalion.

"Cough, cough, Brother Pei, don't get worked up. General Sun said that serving anywhere is serving the court. Besides, the Head Chef Army also needs battlefield tempering. Chen Xian is already a lieutenant of the Cook Soldiers, part of the Head Chef Army's vanguard."

"Brother Pei, please don't make things difficult for me!"

Liu Dingchun said with a placating smile.

Upon hearing this, Pei Menglong's face turned icy. "The Head Chef Army's vanguard? More like cannon fodder sent to the battlefield to sell their lives for you and earn merit for you."

Liu Dingchun smiled. "Brother Pei, you're mistaken. They're serving the court. How is that selling their lives for us? Besides, the merit belongs to them, doesn't it?"

"I hope so!"

Pei Menglong snorted coldly and did not press the matter further.

The Cook Soldiers were also Demon Suppression Army soldiers stationed before the pass; it was merely a matter of classification and title.

Since Chen Xian had been promoted to lieutenant of the Cook Soldiers, forcibly poaching him would indeed be hard to justify.

"Hmph!"

Watching Pei Menglong's retreating back, Liu Dingchun snorted coldly inwardly.

Even if Chen Xian died on the battlefield, he would never hand him over to Pei Menglong for cultivation.

"Men!"

"General, your orders!"

A Head Chef Army soldier swiftly appeared before Liu Dingchun.

Liu Dingchun frowned. "Send orders to Chen Xian. After dinner, he is to lead three hundred men to the west of Blood River Forest to replace Commandant Chen Quanwu. They are to hold the position for two days without fail!"

"Yes, General!" The Head Chef Army soldier swiftly departed.

Before long, Chen Xian received the order.

After dinner, he led three hundred men out of the Ninth Camp at once.

Everywhere they passed, whether it was the Cooks' Camp or the vanguard, people were astonished. The Cook Soldiers' camp had truly grown!

"Heh, sending them over there now is probably sending them to their deaths!"

"Yeah. After General Pei killed the Young Wolf King, the Black Tiger King came charging over with five Lesser Demon Kings. Aside from General Sun, General Pei, and a few others, no one can stop the Black Tiger King."

At the camp gates, Demon Suppression Army soldiers whispered among themselves. Chen Xian heard every word clearly.

The Black Tiger King, and five Lesser Demon Kings?

He did not care much about Lesser Demon Kings, but the Black Tiger King should be at the level of a Great Demon King, likely possessing strength above the Soaring Realm.

Across the entire Ninth Camp, there were probably not even enough people who could contend with a Great Demon King to fill one hand.

Chen Xian thought to himself, but did not dwell on it.

If the Black Tiger King came, experts of the Soaring Realm would naturally go to stop him.

Over the past three days, aside from drilling his three hundred men, Chen Xian had spent all his spare time studying the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art. It had indeed been difficult to understand at first, but little by little, he was beginning to make sense of it.

As for his Experience Points, he had not touched them. There was no rush to improve his cultivation art.

Before darkness descended.

Chen Xian led Ding Chen and the three hundred men to the western side of Blood River Forest. Of Chen Quanwu's thousand-man Demon Suppression Army, some were dead and some wounded; only around six hundred could still fight. The battle's savagery was plain to see.

Even a thousand men could not hold the line. His three hundred were in grave danger!

"Chen Xian!"

Seeing that the arrivals were Cook Soldiers, Chen Quanwu roared and rode forward. "Why the hell are you only getting here now?"

Chen Xian frowned. "When was this subordinate supposed to arrive?"

"Damn it, you were told to take over at dusk. Why are you half an hour late?" Chen Quanwu's face twisted savagely. Chen Xian had defied him last time, earning him a reprimand from Pei Menglong, and he had held a grudge ever since.

He charged forward, grabbed Chen Xian's horse by the head, and hurled the fiery steed to the ground.

Bang!

Chen Xian had no intention of yielding to Chen Quanwu. He stepped forward and sent him flying more than ten meters with a single punch.

Then he sprang after him and planted one foot on Chen Quanwu's chest, worsening his injuries until blood spurted from his mouth.

"Trash. Dare swagger in front of me again, and I'll stomp you to death!"

"Chen Xian, you...!"

"Get lost!"

Chen Xian kicked Chen Quanwu flying sideways. He crashed into several Demon Suppression Army soldiers and sprawled on the ground, unable to rise.

"Commandant!"

A crowd of Demon Suppression Army soldiers rushed to help Chen Quanwu up.

Chen Quanwu roared repeatedly. "Chen Xian, you dog bastard! When I was bleeding and sweating for the court, you were still running around with an open-crotch in your pants! You little mongrel, how dare you strike this commandant! If I weren't badly wounded, I'd kill you..."

Chen Xian stood tall and straight, his imposing aura awe-inspiring.

He stared coldly at Chen Quanwu, frightening him into silence.

That brief exchange had already shown Chen Quanwu that he was no match for Chen Xian. No wonder Pei Menglong regarded him so highly.

"Commandant, hurry and leave!"

Two Demon Slayer Lieutenants supported Chen Quanwu and hurried away.

The Demon Suppression Army soldiers departed one after another, some dragging demon corpses and others carrying the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Chen Xian began issuing orders for Wang Yan and Qin Fei to each lead one hundred men, one group guarding inside Blood River Forest and the other guarding the southwestern side outside the forest, in the direction of Black Abyss.

He had Ding Chen's hundred men remain to the rear, ready at any time to reinforce either force.

Once he had made the arrangements, Chen Xian gave Ding Chen a few instructions, then rode alone into Blood River Forest.