" Feihu, over here, over here!"
Elder Yun, covered in dust, waved to Yuchi Feihu from afar. Upon seeing this, Yuchi Feihu grinned and led the soldiers behind him to sit down. The group of people gathered in small groups around the temporary stronghold on the mountaintop.
By this time, Di Yun had already prepared firewood and set up many shelves. The soldiers rubbed their hands together and skillfully took out the prepared dried meatworms and rice from their bundles, putting them into the large iron pot on the fire to cook. Soon, the fragrant aroma of meat porridge wafted over, making the soldiers, who had been hungry for a long time, excitedly rub their hands together.
The refugees who followed along looked expectant, yet also somewhat afraid to approach, feeling that such a thick and fragrant meat porridge was unlikely to be given to them; they expected to be lucky to receive some leftover dry rations.
Unexpectedly, after the meat porridge was cooked, these imposing soldiers waved to them. "Line up! One bowl per person, everyone gets one, women and children first. No pushing or cutting in line! Anyone who cuts in line will be kicked out!"
The soldiers' faces were fierce, and their warnings were even fiercer, but to the refugees, they sounded like heavenly music. They stood there in disbelief for several seconds before reacting. One of the leaders, still incredulous, asked, "Sir, are we... lining up for this meat porridge?"
"Then what are you going to receive?" The soldier frowned. "What? You're looking down on it?"
"No, no, no!" Everyone shook their heads like rattles. They were joking; how could they complain? Even in peaceful, bountiful years, they rarely ate such thick meat porridge. Now that they were in dire straits, they were lucky to have any thin porridge to survive, let alone meat.
"Then hurry up and line up!"
Seeing this from a distance Yuchi Feihu shook his head with amusement. "Boss, why do the brothers have to be so fierce? They're clearly doing something that will make those refugees grateful!"
"We have to be tough," Di Yun shook his head. "Don't assume that all the survivors are law-abiding citizens. In fact, in this kind of chaotic world, most ruffians and scoundrels have a higher chance of surviving. There are quite a few who will take advantage of you. If we're not tough on them from the start, they'll be even harder to manage later."
"I see," Yuchi Feihu nodded, glanced around, and then sneakily leaned over. "Boss, is there any more wine?"
"Tsk!" Di Yun glared at the other person. "All you ever think about is that one drink. How can you drink it in broad daylight in public?" Then he lowered his voice and said, "Come tonight."
"Hehe, okay!" Yuchi Feihu rubbed his hands together and laughed.
"Take it easy!" Di Yun gave him a helpless look. "You've almost drained us of our savings."
A few burly men nearby whispered among themselves, "The boss really spoils this new kid."
"How could I not spoil him?" the burly man beside him laughed. "He's already reached level four warrior in just over ten days. That's faster than even the boss did back then. He might be leading a group on his own soon. He has a bright future ahead of him."
"He's a capable young man. He's been fighting hard on the battlefield these past few days, earning a lot of military merits for the boss's group. He's doing what several of us combined are doing. Wow, the Yangtze River is truly surpassing the older one!"
"Come on, you've only been doing this for a short time, and you dare to call yourself a veteran!"
"Ha ha!"
The sound from the other end was quite loud, clearly not being concealed much. Di Yun heard it, shook his head with a wry smile, and turned to say, "The brothers mean no harm, don't mind it."
"No, I think it's great!" Yuchi Feihu said with a sincere smile.
He liked this straightforwardness; even when evaluating others, he would do so to their faces. Compared to his previous two-faced playboy friends, these men were much more interesting to associate with.
"Boss, at this rate, we should be able to completely retake Luchuan County in Yunzhou in about half a month, right?"
"Hmm," Di Yun nodded, patting the other man on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, brother, otherwise our group's efficiency probably wouldn't have been so fast. Now that the county town has been recaptured, I plan to settle it first and consolidate my Fighter Army. What about you, brother? Have you planned to lead a team and go it alone?"
"Huh?" Yuchi Feihu was taken aback. He had thought about it too. After all, he was capable enough to work on his own. Because of his talent and positive performance, he had received a lot of Power of Blessing from the Battle God. His breakthrough to the dantian was also going smoothly. He could generate more and more Power of Fighters on weekdays. Although the total amount was not as good as Di Yun's, the efficiency had actually surpassed it.
One-third of the new fighters in Luchuan County today were brought up by their own Power of Blessing.
However, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. After all, with his excellent efficiency, a normal superior wouldn't be so willing to release people so easily.
"What are you standing there for, kid?" Di Yun chuckled and slapped the other person on the shoulder. "Don't want to?"
"I..." Yuchi Feihu hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I want to give it a try, but I'm afraid that if I leave, you won't be able to handle everything here."
"Haha, go if you want to, why think so much?" Di Yun glared at him. "Do you think all these brothers I have are fake? You've helped me enough these past few days, how could I keep holding you back?"
"Boss."
"Stop being so indecisive!" Di Yun chuckled and patted the other person again. "Work hard! You're more talented than me, and your future is definitely brighter. It's a rare opportunity, you can't miss it. For ordinary people like us, decent opportunities are actually quite rare!"
Yuchi Feihu opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
I am not an ordinary person.
He's actually been struggling with this issue lately.
Everyone, including Di Yun, thought he was just an ordinary person with a good foundation. The abilities he used in his daily life were all manifested through the Power of Fighters, so he was well recognized and respected by those around him.
But his true identity is not ordinary.
What would happen if I were exposed one day?
He really enjoys life here, the days of earning recognition through his own hard work, which is so much better than the path his family has laid out for him.
Even in terms of future prospects, he felt that he wouldn't be much weaker than those from his family, and might even be better off.
In just over ten days, he felt that his strength as a fighter had caught up with that of Fifth Rank martial artist. Without opening his bloodline, he was even confident that he could defeat many Fourth Rank bloodline martial artists.
Moreover, this improvement was growing rapidly, and he truly felt that if he stayed here, he would one day have a chance to catch up with his two older brothers, who were originally unattainable.
That was the first time he felt there was hope.
But can I stay there until then?
Yuchi Feihu became somewhat confused.
How long can he keep this a secret?
One year?
Two years?
What happens next? Will all my hard work be wasted because of the exposure?
Will the respect I've built up here vanish in an instant?
What should I do?
"What are you thinking about?" Di Yun looked at the other person amusedly. "I told you not to think so much, just do your job well. There aren't so many tricks around here. Leave me some troops when you leave. Hmm, I am indeed short of people in the early stages. You take five hundred men. If you need more later, just let me know and I'll allocate more!"
"We don't need five hundred men!" Yuchi Feihu shook his head. "Three hundred men will suffice!"
"Five hundred!" Di Yun insisted, "Too few men will hinder our operations. There aren't many good counties near our Luchuan County, and we can't seize good locations without sufficient troops. Don't force it!"
"Okay," Yuchi Feihu was not one to mince words, and nodded in agreement, keeping the favor in his heart.
The two chatted for a while longer. Yuchi Feihu looked at the other person, hesitated for a moment, and had some questions he wanted to ask but didn't know how to start.
"What's wrong with you today? You're acting like a nagging old woman, asking me whatever's wrong."
"Um..." After hesitating for a moment, Yuchi Feihu decided to ask anyway, "I heard from some veterans that you used to be a centurion in the Black Dragon Guard, right?"
Upon hearing this, Di Yun's hand froze, then he nodded. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I'm just curious," Yuchi Feihu mustered his courage and asked, "Boss, won't the court investigate?"
"I applied for it on behalf of my superior," Di Yun said with a smile. "They came to Liuzhou to gather military intelligence. There are quite a few Black Dragon Guard in our Liuzhou troops, and even many officers of their bloodline have infiltrated. They all came under this pretext."
"Uh..." Yuchi Feihu was taken aback. "This is also possible? Then... doesn't that lord from Liuzhou mind?"
"To be honest, I was worried about this at first too," Di Yun said with a complicated expression. "But neither the God of Battle God nor that lord from Liuzhou seemed to mind at all. They accepted everyone, including many of their bloodline disciples, regardless of their purpose in coming."
"Is that so?" Yuchi Feihu was stunned for a long time before finally saying, "Then... then..."
"What?!" Di Yun glared and said, "Just say it!"
"Then," Yuchi Feihu said in a low voice, "Has your intelligence report been submitted?"
"You reported it?" Di Yun laughed. "But what's the use of reporting it? Those officials still can't get out, can they?"
Yuchi Feihu: "."
"And besides," Di Yun whispered, "I heard that one from the Hong Household, "Seems to want to come in and try his luck too."
"Really?" Yuchi Feihu was stunned.
After arriving here, he learned that the member of the Hong Household was still alive and well in Liuzhou; he had previously thought he had been killed.
"Of course it's true. It's said that our Prefect of Liuzhou has a life-or-death friendship with him."
Is that so?
Yuchi Feihu's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't particularly perceptive, but he noticed the other person's tone; the other person was referring to "our Prefect!"
It's obvious which side the other party is on!
"If... I mean, if," Yuchi Feihu finally asked, "The imperial court says Liuzhou is a threat and wants your assistance in a rebellion, what will you do?"
"How do we do it?" Di Yun burst into laughter, and those around him who heard this also laughed heartily.
Yuchi Feihu frowned. What was so funny about such a serious topic?
"Don't be afraid, brother." Di Yun patted the other man's shoulder and laughed, "You're not the only one who's asked this question; many people have asked it too."
"Forehead?"
"But we all have the same answer!" Di Yun's expression turned serious, and his smile became somewhat ferocious, "If the imperial court really issues such an order, then we will fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death?" Yuchi Feihu looked up, about to ask who they were fighting to the death with, but he immediately understood when he saw everyone's expressions.
It's definitely not going to Liuzhou.
This is understandable, after all, this is probably the only place in the whole world that can give hope to non-bloodline descendants or even those with low-level bloodlines. Anyone would fight to the death in this situation!
And what about myself?
What should I do when that day comes?