Li Qiang is a very easygoing person. He won't bully others unless they provoke him. Moreover, Li Qiang is very good at making friends. So much so that in this small military camp, everyone from the commander to the cooks and grooms has become his friend. He has also basically learned the local language.
The people here have very strange names. Following his own habits, Li Qiang gave them all homophone-based names, such as Jipi. Jipi's name is very strange; he should be called Jipiladudu. For convenience, Li Qiang simply called him Jipi, which is both easy to remember and descriptive.
As for the commander of this camp, his name was even stranger: Wudu Jipo. Li Qiang called him General Jipo. He called everyone he knew that.
After Li Qiang showed off his skills upon entering the military camp, many soldiers and officers knew how formidable he was, and few dared to challenge him. General Jipo initially thought he was a hunting expert from the Chelie Kingdom, but later discovered that he was not, but a hidden master who often sat alone in his tent for an entire day without eating or drinking, and no one knew what he was doing.
However, what pleased General Jipo the most was that Li Qiang was actually a master weapon maker. No matter what kind of weapon it was, once he had it repaired, both its shape and quality were much better than the original, and it could almost rival the weapons made by famous craftsmen in the capital.
Therefore, Li Qiang also had another identity in the military camp: the captain of the weapons repair team, and he was also General Jipo's bodyguard.
Li Qiang felt a sense of familiarity with this place; there were many animals and plants here just like on Earth. He wondered how the battle Dainan Fengyu and Qian Shanyong was going, as he hadn't seen the domineering fairy appear yet.
What he didn't know was that Star Radiance's teleportation could take a whole year, and for immortals, time was an endless waste.
This military camp was responsible for a small pass leading to the plains, called Coyote Pass, which was the most remote pass in the Mengzhan Kingdom.
There weren't many soldiers in the camp, about two thousand in total, divided into three battalions. Each battalion had three companies, and each company had three platoons. Each battalion should have about a thousand men, but there were only six or seven hundred at the moment, because it wasn't the time for the major war that happened once every ten years, and there were quite a few vacancies in the number of soldiers.
Gold and silver are used as currency here. Li Qiang's income here is equivalent to that of a squad leader, with five taels of loose silver a month. However, even with silver, it is difficult to spend. The nearest town is a whole day's journey on horseback. Only at the beginning of each month, there is a market next to the military camp. Many merchants bring various goods to the market, and there are even prostitutes who come specifically to do business with the military camp. This is when the soldiers go shopping and have fun.
The Battle Circle Continent has only two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. The rainy season usually lasts three to four months, while the dry season lasts seven to eight months. Li Qiang is used to keeping track of time according to his own sense of time. In one year, he learned the local language, and most importantly, he was finally able to settle down and cultivate.
Dainan Fengyu underestimated Li Qiang; the wonders of the Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation were beyond her imagination.
In less than half a year, Li Qiang successfully expelled the Fixed Listening Pearl from his forehead. He used Buddha Sect techniques to Fixed Listening Pearl, so even if Dainan Fengyu rushed back to Goulan Planet immediately, it would probably be difficult for him to find Li Qiang quickly.
After a year of cultivation, Li Qiang finally broke through the three realms of the First Brahma Heaven and entered the initial stage of the Second Divine Heaven— the Second Desire Heaven.
Since the Fixed Listening Pearl was removed, he has been able to teleport, but having only had experience teleporting in space, he still doesn't dare to act recklessly, for fear of getting lost in space.
Through a year of observation, Li Qiang has concluded that the Battle Circle Continent was formed by Law Technique, and that its people, countries, terrain, and monsters are not things that should exist on this planet.
He had secretly gone to the plains to investigate, where there were many unknown monsters. One of them was very familiar to him: the Saber-Toothed Hao, which he had seen on the Western Continent of Tanbang Star.
Although he still couldn't know who was behind all this—perhaps an immortal, perhaps a god—he knew there must be something to discover here, and maybe even a way back to the Cultivation Realm.
Since most of his original Law Treasure were no longer usable after he cultivated to godhood, only the Star-Absorbing Sword and a few Buddhist treasures and magical artifacts were still usable. However, they were too weak to deal with immortals. Therefore, he could only desperately cultivate the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, which was the only immortal artifact that could contend with immortals.
In fact, he himself understood that the reason why Dainan Fengyu did not snatch the Supreme Radiance Shuttle was probably because the power of this immortal artifact was too weak, and she simply did not care about it and disdained to snatch it.
The rainy season had just ended, and although the entire camp was built on high ground, months of torrential rain had washed the camp into a ravine-filled landscape. The soldiers were organized to dig and level the camp.
Most of the leather tents were moldy. General Jipo rank and above discussed countermeasures in the main tent. When the dry season arrived, it was time for the army to train and earn extra money. Every year during the dry season, the army would organize its brave soldiers to hunt on the plains and train their troops at the same time.
This rainy season lasted a little longer than usual, and countless cowhide tents used by the soldiers were damaged. Because it was not during wartime, the country did not pay much attention to these troops guarding remote borders, and they received very little in terms of supplies, having to procure most of it themselves.
The custom here is for the troops to go hunting on the plains and exchange the animal hides, bones, and horns they hunt for silver to subsidize the expenses of the troops guarding the pass. Some extremely valuable animal hides are also offered to the military headquarters to bribe high-ranking officials and nobles.
When this season arrives, the soldiers begin to tense up. Countless monsters roam the plains; if you're unlucky enough to encounter a powerful one, you won't even have time to run away. No one cares if one or two people die here.
If they were lucky enough to kill a monster, every soldier who participated would receive a reward: monster meat to eat back at camp. The more monsters they killed, the higher they could be promoted to squad leader or something similar. Therefore, soldiers both feared and loved the dry season.
Li Qiang has been very busy these past few days. He's been leading a group of craftsmen from the military camp to repair the weapons that have been delivered to them. He usually doesn't do the work himself; he just supervises the craftsmen.
" Big Brother Li! Big Brother Li!" A burly man ran into the repair shop.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Brother Bianchongya, what's the rush?"
Bianchongya was the squad leader who had captured Li Qiang when he first arrived, and now Li Qiang were very close. He said, " Big Brother Li, the general wants to see you about the hunt. Hurry up and go."
Li Qiang gave a shout to everyone to get back to work. He washed his hands and then followed Bianchongya to the main tent. As they walked, he asked, "Brother, is your team just for scouting? Do you also participate in the hunt?"
Bianchongya said proudly, "Our squad is always there on every hunt. We're the Falcon Squad, the General's most capable patrol squad."
Along the way, soldiers kept greeting Li Qiang. Bianchongya Lala tugged at his leather armor and chuckled, "I really don't know how you do it. I've been in the army for five or six years, and I don't know as many people as you. It seems like there's no one here you don't know, haha."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "I'm fine. I just wander around the camp all day, chatting with people, so we naturally got to know each other. By the way, is your wife's illness better? Any news?"
Bianchongya said happily, " Big Brother Li, I really have to thank you. A few days ago, someone brought a message that my wife is much better now, thanks to the medicine you gave her. I really don't know how to thank you enough..."
Li Qiang interrupted him, "Brother, don't be so polite, we're family, haha. I heard from General Jipo that you might be getting a promotion, you know?"
Bianchongya waved his hand, his face full of excitement, and said, "I know, several brothers have already said so... We've arrived. Big Brother Li, you can go in by yourself. I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first." He bowed and took his leave.
The guard at the entrance of the main tent smiled and said, "Brother, come in quickly, the general is waiting."
There were more than a dozen people sitting in the large tent, all of them officers from the military camp. Li Qiang walked in, and all the officers greeted Li Qiang.
General Jipo laughed heartily, "Brother, damn it! I've been waiting for you for ages, come sit next to me." Everyone was used to it; General Jipo and Li Qiang had been sworn brothers for a long time. No one knew what method Li Qiang had used to gain such high regard from this often sleepy general.
A burly man in armor said, "Let's send the Swift Battalion again this time. This rainy season has been driving me crazy; we need to get rid of this bad luck on the plains. Damn it! It's been so long since I've killed a monster; my hands are itching."
He was the most notorious scoundrel here—the captain of the second battalion of the guard troops, always exuding a murderous aura. Li Qiang called him the Tufu. This guy only Qi Ingestion two people in the military camp: one was the General Jipo, and the other was Li Qiang.
Once, he provoked Li Qiang and was given a cold look by Li Qiang. The guy trembled all day long and from then on, he called Li Qiang "Big Brother" whenever he saw him.
General Jipo said, "The pass must have a large battalion of soldiers and another large battalion of reserves, so this time we can only use a large battalion of soldiers to hunt. You all know that we are short-handed now. A large battalion of soldiers is only two-thirds of the original strength... Damn the military headquarters! All they do is embezzle funds and not provide any supplies. I have to do everything myself. They will kill me one day!" As he spoke, he started cursing.
Everyone knows that General Jipo gets furious whenever the military is mentioned.
The officers in the military camp spoke in a mix of crude and vulgar language, which Li Qiang was used to. He rarely spoke in such situations, as he didn't want to get involved; the military camp was just a temporary stop for him.
General Jipo said, "Fine, Tufu, your whole brigade can go. But let me make this clear: you can draw some good men from other units, but that's all the men we have. We can't add any more. Also, don't you dare go into the middle of the plains. I don't have that many men to lose. Just wander around the pass area, understand? You're allowed to lose up to a hundred soldiers, but any more than that. We haven't received any reinforcements for four rainy seasons already, damn the military..." He launched into another tirade of curses.
Li Qiang was shocked. Losing a hundred soldiers meant losing a hundred lives. These soldiers were truly pitiful. If there were enough men, General Jipo probably wouldn't have even brought up this issue. As he sighed inwardly, he heard the Tufu chuckle and say, "Don't worry, General, but I'd like to ask you for one person, is that alright?"
General Jipo waved his hand and said, "Didn't I already say you can choose any good men you want? Why are you asking me?"
The Tufu said, "I want him!" He pointed at Li Qiang.
General Jipo laughed and cursed, "You have a good idea, you bastard! I can't decide that. He's my brother, whether he goes or not is up to him."
Li Qiang sighed and said, "I'll go." He thought that if he went, at least fewer soldiers would die. He had experienced the monster's attack before and knew how powerful it was, so he had some combat experience.
The Tufu exclaimed happily, "Haha, I'm relieved to have you there, brother." He had always wanted to know just how powerful Li Qiang was. He had never seen Li Qiang fight, but he had heard from others that Li Qiang had taken down dozens of soldiers when he first arrived. He knew he wasn't that powerful.
A guard reported that a group of men from the military headquarters had arrived at the camp gate.
General Jipo usually launched into a tirade of curses whenever the military was mentioned, but this time, when someone from the military actually arrived, he jumped up and said, "You bastards! Why didn't you report this sooner! Everyone, get up and come with me to greet our distinguished guest."
He winked at Li Qiang and whispered, "If I neglect those bastards in the military, I'm in big trouble." Then he shouted, "Have the soldiers line up to welcome the military's... uh, distinguished guests, hurry up!"
Li Qiang couldn't help but chuckle. This guy was a tyrant in the military camp. He treated his subordinates fairly well, especially the capable ones. However, he was always swearing and had the air of a seasoned veteran.
General Jipo changed into his armor, which was adorned with a gold ring—the insignia of a general. Li Qiang knew that the more gold rings a general had, the higher his rank. The Tufu's armor had four silver rings.
Li Qiang also wore the armor here, but it was soft armor made of cowhide, with two silver rings on his chest and back. He had long since put all the other things on his body into his bracelet.
A group of people walked out of the main tent and came to the military camp's drill ground, where the soldiers were already lined up.
General Jipo glanced around, smiled with satisfaction, and waved his hand. "Let's go ahead and greet them."
More than twenty horse-drawn carriages slowly approached, followed by a sparse procession of over a thousand people, all dressed in commoners' clothing. At the head of the procession were more than fifty mounted guards, clad in bright armor and wielding spears over two meters long. In the center sat a tall, black horse, upon which sat an elderly man dressed in magnificent, loose-fitting robes, with two gold rings embroidered on his chest.
Upon seeing him, General Jipo beamed and exclaimed, "Haha, Brother Shaya, am I seeing things? How did you end up in this godforsaken place?"
Li Qiang almost burst out laughing, thinking, "Great, this name is easy to change, let's call him General Shaya, haha."
General Shaya jumped off his horse and greeted General Jipo warmly; it seemed they were old friends.
The General Shaya resembled a civil official from the military, with a lean face, a long beard, and a somewhat otherworldly air. He chuckled, "Brother, I went to great lengths to replenish your soldiers and supplies this time, and also came to visit an old friend."
General Jipo laughed excitedly and said, "Please come in! Please come in! Let's go to the main tent and sit down." Then he turned and ordered, "Immediately send someone to receive the new recruits. Also, arrange for these guards to rest and eat."
As they passed the camp's parade ground, the soldiers, under the command of their officers, saluted General Shaya in unison, creating a lively scene. General Shaya chuckled and said, "Brother, these soldiers are well-trained." After praising them a few times, he added, "The dry season is here, brothers, you'll have to work hard again."
Li Qiang chuckled inwardly, "This 'General Shaya' is quite the hinter; it seems monster hides are still quite valuable on the plains, otherwise he wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place."
Sure enough, General Jipo understood immediately and laughed, "Yes, the dry season is a good time for hunting. Brother, stay here a few more days and see if we can catch something rare this time."
The group entered the main tent. General Jipo first introduced the officers of his camp, while General Shaya gave a perfunctory reply. General Jipo then pointed at Li Qiang and said, "My brother here is an expert at repairing weapons. No matter how bad a weapon is, once he repairs it, hehe, it's many times better than those so-called famous weapons in the capital."
General Shaya was intrigued. "Really? You know I love collecting good weapons. Your sister-in-law has argued with me about it countless times, haha, all my money goes to collecting weapons. Hey, don't just talk, show me a weapon... I know a lot about good and bad weapons!"
General Jipo pulled his weapon from the Tufu's hard leather purse and handed it to General Shaya: "Brother, take a look at this short-handled, thin axe." This short-handled, thin axe was modified by Li Qiang at the Tufu's insistence. He used it very well and cherished it like his own life. Seeing General Jipo take it away, he was so anxious that his face changed color.
The General Shaya reached out to take it, but his hand suddenly sank as he caught the axe.
The Tufu said, "This axe is heavy. The original axe weighed twenty-five pounds, but after repairs, it weighs thirty-four pounds, which is just right for me." He swallowed hard, feeling a little uneasy.
General Shaya squinted and examined it closely. The short-handled, thin axe was exquisitely crafted, made entirely of metal. The black handle was inlaid with silver patterns of unimaginable fineness. The axe head was a slanted crescent shape, extending from the front of the handle, gleaming with a cold light.
He sighed, "Ah! What a beautiful battle axe! It's truly a fine weapon, a top-quality one! Excellent!" He stroked it lovingly.
General Jipo laughed loudly, "Since you like it, brother, I'll give it to you. I also have a few good weapons here; I'll give them all to you as well."
The Tufu turned pale upon hearing this and was about to speak when Li Qiang quietly tugged at his arm. He knew how important this "General Shaya" was to the General Jipo."
Just then, General Jipo looked over and nodded slightly in acknowledgment. The Tufu plopped down, head down, panting heavily, seething with anger.
Li Qiang whispered, "The repair team has one more; come with me to get it later."
General Shaya laughed and said, "Haha, you know me best. Then I won't refuse." He beckoned to a guard, handed him the thin axe, whispered a few instructions, and then said, "Everyone, sit down. Sit down and let's talk. Young brother, come sit here with me."
Li Qiang smiled slightly and sat down.
General Jipo said, "Send a small squad to hunt a large wild beast, preferably a flying antelope... Hehe, brother, you can't get fresh roasted flying antelope meat in the capital, can you?" Immediately, a guard went out to relay the order.
The General Shaya said, "What we eat doesn't matter. I'm here on a mission, you know? The king's fiftieth birthday is coming up, and the military has ordered that gifts be prepared. This time, every general in the capital must send a gift..."
General Jipo stood up and said respectfully, "Yes! Your humble servant obeys!"
The Tufu captain was seething with anger. His beloved axe had been given away by his superior. He couldn't bear to sit in his tent any longer. He stood up and said, "General, I'll go prepare! Could we give more soldiers? Just wandering around the pass won't get us anything better. The powerful monsters are all in the heart of the plains, but that would result in much heavier casualties..."
General Shaya said, "Brother, if we can get some good stuff this time, I'll find a way to transfer you to the Great Pass."
Li Qiang felt truly resentful. Trading soldiers' lives for rare and exotic beasts was utterly despicable.
General Jipo was overjoyed and repeatedly told the Tufu, "Go and gather men, I'll give you 1,200 soldiers. Remember! Bring back plenty of good stuff, or don't come back!"
He had been stuck at the small pass of Coyote Pass for almost ten years, and no one knew how many gifts he had given, but he had never been promoted. Watching his former colleagues rise to prominence, he was extremely annoyed. This opportunity was too good to pass up.
Li Qiang also stood up to take his leave. "Generals, I'll go prepare their weapons, and the equipment for the entire hunting party..."
Before he could finish speaking, General Jipo interrupted, "Alright! Alright! You two be careful. Go on, I'll be waiting for good news."
The Tufu captain and Li Qiang hadn't gone far from the main tent when the Tufu couldn't help but burst into a tirade. "What the hell is this? Damn it, weapons are for fighting, what the hell are you collecting? You actually have this kind of crap..." A string of curses poured out of his mouth, and he didn't stop until he reached the repair team's tent.
Li Qiang laughed, "Oh my, Tufu! I only knew you were good at fighting, but I never knew you were so good at cursing! Haha!"
The Tufu said, "Brother, if you hadn't said you had another thin axe, I would have really lost my temper. I've never seen such a shameless general. Doesn't he know how important a good weapon is to me? Damn it!" The passing soldiers, seeing his angry appearance, were so frightened that they kept their distance.
Li Qiang said, "If I say I have it, I definitely have it. What's the rush? This thin axe is even better than the old one. Just make sure he doesn't see it next time, or it'll be gone again."
Li Qiang walked into the shed set up by the repair team, pulled out an axe from a pile of weapons, and burned the Heavenly Fire in his arm into the axe. He was now able to completely control the Heavenly Fire.
He took some more material from the bracelet and melted it into the axe. He finished in less than three minutes, and no one else knew what he was doing.
Li Qiang slightly shook the axe handle in his hand, and the axe instantly changed its shape, revealing a brand-new, thin axe. He was very proud of himself; this was the first time he had ever forged a weapon so quickly.
Turning and walking out of the shed, Li Qiang handed the axe to the Tufu: "Here you go, be careful, it's very sharp."
The Tufu took it casually, and with a "whoosh," a wisp of smoke rose up, and the aroma of meat filled the air.
The Tufu let out a bloodcurdling scream, "It's scalding me! It's scalding me!"
Li Qiang hurriedly snatched the thin axe, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had forgotten that the Tufu was a mortal, so how could he take an object that had just Instrument Refining with Heavenly Fire?
There was a water vat nearby. Li Qiang put the thin axe into the water, and "hiss..." a large amount of water vapor rose up. In less than ten seconds, the water in the vat actually boiled.
Li Qiang shook his head. He hadn't expected it to be so hot. He turned around, carrying his thin axe, and saw the Tufu still jumping on the ground with his hands raised, yelling, "I'm having such a Tianzhen... Ouch!"
Li Qiang suppressed a laugh, took out a healing pill, and said, "Don't move, I'll heal you!"
The Tufu pitifully stretched out his hand, the skin and flesh of which were scalded and the white bones were exposed.
Li Qiang crushed the elixir and sprinkled it on the butcher's hand. The Tufu felt a cool sensation, and the pain immediately stopped. His hand began to heal.
The Tufu was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Brother, this medicine is amazing! Give me some, it's incredibly effective!" He had never seen such a potent medicine before; it was crucial for the soldiers.
Li Qiang gave him a few pills, saying, "You can take them both externally and internally. Here's the axe; I'm sorry, it was my carelessness."
The Tufu grabbed Li Qiang's hand and asked in surprise, "Damn it! How come your hand is alright?" He shoved the thin axe into the hard leather pouch on his back, unsure where to put the elixir in his hand.
Li Qiang smiled and handed him a small glass bottle, saying, "Just put it in there."
The Tufu found Li Qiang increasingly mysterious and unpredictable. He said, "How about you be my second-in-command on this hunt? Brother, what exactly do you do? Please tell me."
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Brother, stop asking so many questions, I'm getting Jipi."
Jipi rushed over, shouting from afar, "Big Brother! Something's happened! Come quick!"