Return

The tattered half-scroll of the dragon flag fluttered in the night wind.

Wounded soldiers were bandaging their wounds and taking healing pills.

Uninjured soldiers began to build fires to cook meat.

After entering Great Wei territory, the situation was no longer as perilous as on the grasslands, where they had to constantly be wary of the Xiongnu army.

Here in these desolate mountains and forests, even if the Xiongnu cavalry army pursued them, they wouldn't be afraid. It wasn't open plains, so the cavalry couldn't maneuver effectively, making them much easier to deal with.

Despite this, Sheng Huai'an still arranged for scouts and sentries to prevent the Xiongnu army from relentlessly pursuing them for a surprise attack.

"Here, Brother Huai'an, have a sheep testicle. It'll boost your kidneys," Wang Wu scooped a cooked sheep testicle for Sheng Huai'an.

Sheng Huai'an stared at Wang Wu with a dark expression. He was only seventeen, in the prime of his youth. With his cultivation at the Houtian limit, his Blood Qi was like smoke, and his loins were as strong as steel. Did he really need boosting?

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't need it. You, Old Brother Wang Wu, should focus on boosting yourself. Otherwise, in a few more years, you won't be able to use them anymore," Sheng Huai'an immediately returned the sheep testicle.

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha..."

Guo Xiaoping, Hu Bing, Tang Yunshan, and the others burst into laughter.

Their laughter dispelled some of the somber atmosphere.

"Speaking of which, Miss Hua Ruyue from Yichun Tower, her singing is truly beautiful, and she's gorgeous too, like a lark."

"Too bad she's too expensive; I can't afford to sleep with her."

"When we drive back the Xiongnu, I'll treat everyone to a night at Yichun Tower," Guo Xiaoping declared loudly.

Their trip to the grasslands had yielded many spoils, and they would each receive a considerable sum of money.

"Alright!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers cheered, excited about the prospect of a night of indulgence at Yichun Tower.

Clearly, everyone was eager to go.

"When that time comes, I'm going to order ten girls," Tang Yunshan announced loudly.

"Ten? Can you handle that?" The others looked at Tang Yunshan with scrutinizing gazes.

Faced with their scrutiny, Tang Yunshan felt his pride wounded.

"What do you mean, what kind of looks are those? Back in the day, I could do ten rounds in one night."

"Yikes..."

A chorus of gasps went through the crowd.

"A brave man doesn't boast about past glories. Can you still make a straight stream these days?"

"Damn it, I'm only in my thirties, not my sixties..."

The soldiers ate meat and soup, chatting and joking, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

Late into the night, except for the soldiers on guard duty, everyone else had retired to their tents to rest.

Sheng Huai'an was not asleep. He was quietly observing the golden light screen.

Name: Sheng Huai'an
Race: Human
Realm: Houtian Limit (+)
Cultivation Techniques: [Great Sun Heart Sutra (Beginner)] (+) [Ferocious Ox Strength (Minor Accomplishment)] (+) [Blood Fiend Saber Technique (Great Accomplishment)] (Deduction) [Overlord Spear Technique (Minor Accomplishment)]
Strength: 35,000 Jin
Talent: Sharpshooter
Slaughter Value: 6127

His Slaughter Value had reached 6,127, a new historical high.

In the battle earlier that day, he alone had killed over a thousand Xiongnu soldiers and three Martial Practitioner Great Perfection experts. Combined with his previous Slaughter Value, he had reaped immense rewards.

If he were defending a city, his Slaughter Value wouldn't have increased this quickly.

With so much Slaughter Value, he could have completely advanced his cultivation to Xiantian.

However, Sheng Huai'an did not do so. His cultivation growth rate was already fast enough.

The world was deep, filled with many prodigies and people harboring secrets.

But being too conspicuous and not knowing how to conceal his strength was not a good thing.

Instead of increasing his cultivation, Sheng Huai'an chose to improve the proficiency of the Great Sun Heart Sutra.

With a single click, he instantly consumed two thousand Slaughter Value. Insights and experiences regarding the cultivation of the Great Sun Heart Sutra flooded his mind.

After a while, Sheng Huai'an slowly opened his eyes, a hint of weariness in them.

Having absorbed so much cultivation experience felt like living through a hundred years.

The Great Sun Heart Sutra's minor success saved him a great deal of time in contemplation and cultivation. The speed at which he circulated his energy to cultivate was nearly ten times faster than before.

The endless Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth was refined, transformed into True Essence, and used to temper his physique and flesh.

He himself was like a blazing sun, his entire body radiant.

He truly didn't know what stroke of luck the old soldier had to be able to buy such a heaven-defying cultivation technique from a beggar.

After cultivating for a night, his Blood Qi and True Essence had increased again, and his physique continued to grow stronger.

Even with a cheat system to boost his cultivation, Sheng Huai'an did not abandon self-cultivation.

He continued to cultivate diligently, then quietly astonished everyone.

He wanted to see the scenery from the peak; in this life, he refused to be a nobody.

After cultivating all night, as the sun began to rise, a ray of golden light was absorbed into his body, and Sheng Huai'an slowly woke up.

After breakfast in the morning, the troop continued their march towards Anning Pass.

They arrived at the south gate of Anning Pass in the afternoon.

The guards at the south gate were startled by the sight of so many warhorses, thinking the Xiongnu Cavalry had bypassed the pass and attacked from the rear. They immediately imposed martial law and mobilized troops to defend the city walls.

As the troop outside the city approached, the guards on the wall finally saw a tattered Great Wei dragon flag.

Colonel Lin of the Fifth Battalion squinted and recognized the person leading the group as Sheng Huai'an.

"This kid is back alive! Quickly, send someone to report to General Yang Ye that Sheng Huai'an's unit has returned," Colonel Lin immediately ordered.

Gazing at the imposing fortress ahead from a distance, he knew it was one of the passes that guarded against the Xiongnu to the north!

Without this pass, the regions of Yongzhou and Dingzhou to the south would have been perpetually under the iron hooves of the Xiongnu.

As Sheng Huai'an and his men neared the city gate, it opened, and Colonel Lin, accompanied by a small detachment of soldiers, rode out to meet them.

"Brother Sheng, you've finally returned," Colonel Lin said with joy.

"Colonel Lin!" Sheng Huai'an greeted him with clasped fists.

Seeing only a little over three hundred men behind Sheng Huai'an, Colonel Lin's expression grew solemn. It seemed Sheng Huai'an's unit had also endured many fierce battles.

More than a thousand men had set out, and only a little over three hundred had returned.

More than seven hundred men would never return.

The three to four days of truce at Anning Pass, which allowed the Anning Pass defenders to rest, were entirely thanks to the efforts of Sheng Huai'an's unit.

Soon, General Yang Ye arrived. The Xiongnu army that had attacked today had already retreated, allowing him to come from the north city tower.

The moment he saw General Yang Ye, Sheng Huai'an dismounted from his warhorse, his voice choked with emotion.

"General, I couldn't bring them all back."

Seeing only about three hundred men return, many of whom were wounded, Yang Ye sighed inwardly.

He walked up to Sheng Huai'an and patted his shoulder.

"You've done very well, there's no need to blame yourself."

To have three hundred cavalry return was already a great fortune; he had feared Sheng Huai'an's unit would be annihilated on the grasslands.

Looking at this still somewhat youthful boy, who was only seventeen, yet dared to resolutely lead a thousand cavalry into the grasslands, he wondered how much courage that required.

Fighting the enemy on this frontier, Sheng Huai'an's ferocity had made everyone overlook the fact that he was only seventeen.

"You completed your mission exceptionally well. You bought Anning Pass three to four days of respite, which is crucial for Anning Pass. Their sacrifices will be remembered by me, and by all of Anning Pass," Yang Ye said with a gratified expression, looking at the young man before him.

"My unit destroyed countless Xiongnu grain supplies, successively annihilated dozens of Xiongnu supply convoys, then destroyed over a hundred small Xiongnu tribes, killing more than eight thousand Xiongnu cavalry. Returning today, I failed to complete the General's mission..." Sheng Huai'an began to report their achievements.

The soldiers behind him straightened their chests. They had returned, and over seven hundred of their comrades remained on the grasslands. They had to stand tall, for their brothers were watching them.

"Well done! They are all good sons of Great Wei. Your contributions are immense, you are the pride of our Anning Army, and I am proud of you," Yang Ye said loudly, looking at the soldiers.

"Wind!"

"Great Wind!"

"Great Wind!"

The soldiers behind Sheng Huai'an shouted. A mere three hundred men, yet their momentum was like that of a thousand strong, causing the soldiers behind Colonel Lin to change their expressions.

Colonel Lin also looked at those soldiers. This aura, this was clearly an elite force forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

With such presence, these three hundred men truly deserved to be called elites. Yang Ye's eyes shone with admiration.

"Welcome the heroes home!"

Yang Ye declared loudly, looking at the army.

"Welcome the heroes home!"

Behind Yang Ye, Colonel Lin and the others shouted.

Sheng Huai'an's unit, having sacrificed seven hundred men, had bought Anning Pass three to four days of respite. For Anning Pass, they were heroes.

Sheng Huai'an and the others led their horses and began to enter the city. Every soldier under his command stood tall, filled with immense pride.

Over three hundred men, clad in armor and wielding weapons, leading more than three thousand warhorses, it was a magnificent sight.

These were their spoils of war, the testament to their glory.