Tie Niu

On the other side, Lu Feng followed the centurion toward the barracks.

"What's your name?" Lu Feng asked, seeing that he was only at the Mid Nei Jin Strength cultivation, which gave him an idea of the current strength of the entire Northwest Army Camp.

"Your subordinate is Wu Yong." After answering, Wu Yong stopped talking and simply led the way.

"Is the barracks over there?" After walking a short distance, Lu Feng pointed to the tents ahead and asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, you go ahead and get busy, I'll go by myself."

Wu Yong shook his head. "No. The general ordered me to take you to the barracks; I cannot leave halfway."

"I won't get lost."

"That's the military order." Wu Yong sternly, not backing down an inch.

Seeing that this man was stubborn, Lu Feng said no more and headed towards the barracks.

Lu Feng first had Wu Yong take him to change into a soldier's uniform.

Wu Yong didn't know what Lord Lu was going to do, so he opened his mouth but didn't ask and did as he was told.

The two then arrived at the barracks and heard a commotion from afar, with many soldiers gathered in a group. Seeing Lu Feng walk straight toward the crowd, Wu Yong was about to speak when Lu Feng raised his hand to stop him.

"You stay here, don't follow me. I want to talk to them myself."

Wu Yong hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The general had only ordered him to bring Lu Feng to the barracks, and now that he had brought him there, the military order was considered fulfilled.

Lu Feng squeezed into the crowd and saw two young soldiers arm wrestling, surrounded by a dense crowd.

"Go, Little Wu!"

"Little Wang, hold on!"

There were many people on both sides chiming in, and the shouts grew louder and louder.

Both were at the Early Ming Jin cultivation, but at this moment they were not using any strength at all, relying solely on their physical bodies to fight, and their faces were flushed red, with veins bulging.

After a brief standoff, Little Wang's arm finally gave way, and he was slammed heavily onto the table.

"Haha! I told you Little Wu would win, didn't I?" someone in the crowd shouted triumphantly.

Both men were panting heavily, but Little Wu, not caring about catching his breath, reached out for a prize. "Hehe, Brother Wang, I won. You have to lend me your longsword for three days!"

"Here you go!" Little Wang readily agreed, unfastening the long sword from his waist and handing it over.

Little Wu took the knife, grinned, and said, "Thank you, Brother Wang! You guys continue, I'm going to practice my knife skills!" With that, he picked up the knife and went to an open space to practice.

At this moment, a burly young man stepped forward, standing in the center of the field, half a head taller than the others.

Anyone want to have a match with me? If you lose, it's up to you; if you win, I don't want anything!

These words were spoken with great bravado, but suddenly everyone fell silent, and not a single person stood up.

"Tie Niu, with your brute strength, who can beat you? Trying to compete with you is just asking for trouble!"

"Exactly! If you want to compete, you should challenge the centurions and chiliarchs!"

The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, but no one actually moved.

"Alright, all of you, stop egging Tie Niu," an old soldier said. "He beat the centurion last time, have you all forgotten how things have been since then?"

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Just then, a voice rang out. "May I try?"

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young soldier they didn't recognize.

"Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before," someone asked.

"My name is Lu Feng, and I haven't been at the Northwest Army Camp for long."

"No wonder." A man next to him leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Kid, let me warn you, this Tie Niu is incredibly strong. In terms of sheer strength, even a centurion wouldn't be a match for him!"

"Thank you." Lu Feng smiled and then went to the center of the arena.

Tie Niu sized him up. "You really want to compete with me? Tell me, what do you want if you win?"

Lu Feng took out one tael of gold from his storage bag and spread it in his palm.

"It's gold!"

Wow, he's got money to burn!

The people around immediately stirred. Their monthly military pay was only ten taels of silver, and this one tael of gold was almost equivalent to a year's worth of military pay.

Tie Niu waved his hand, "We don't gamble with money here! You can ask them if you don't believe me!"

"There is indeed such a rule in the military." Many people in the crowd testified.

"Alright then." Lu Feng accepted the gold. "Here's the deal: if I win, you answer a few questions for me. If you win, I'll grant you one request, how about it?"

Everyone was somewhat surprised, but Tie Niu's eyes lit up. "You said it yourself, you can't go back on your word!"

Seeing Lu Feng nod, he said happily, "Great! If I win, I want you to spar with me every day... no, every three days is fine!"

"Bring it on."

The two sat down at the table, each extending their right hand. Tie Niu's arm was a full size thicker than Lu Feng's, and when their hands clasped together, the difference in size was quite striking.

"Relying solely on physical strength, without using any external force, will result in immediate defeat!" A soldier, acting as referee, shouted, "Begin!"

"Go, Tie Niu!"

"Go Lu Feng!"

Most people in the arena were cheering for Tie Niu, while a few cheered for Lu Feng.

Tie Niu went all out from the start, showing no mercy despite being a stranger to his opponent.

He started off relaxed, but gradually his smile faded, veins bulged on his forehead, muscles bulged on his arms, and he exerted force wave after wave.

Lu Feng's hand remained completely still.

"Huh? This kid actually held his own against Tie Niu!"

The soldiers who were watching gathered closer and closer, and the noise gradually subsided.

Tie Niu held his breath, his face turning purplish-red, but his thick arm could no longer push forward even an inch. He stared at his hand for a couple of moments, then suddenly gave up and blurted out, "I lost!"

Everyone could clearly see that Tie Niu had used all his strength, while Lu Feng hadn't even exerted his full power yet.

"Don't be discouraged." Lu Feng stopped. "I've cultivated my physical body, so I'm stronger."

Everyone then realized what was going on.

"A bet's a bet." Tie Niu rubbed his wrist, not annoyed at all. "Speak, what do you want to ask?"

Have you heard about the attack by the Great Chu on our Great Qian?

"Of course! Such a big matter, how could we not know about it when we're only two hundred li away from Wild Goose Return Pass!" Before Tie Niu could answer, someone else spoke up first.

"So what is your biggest wish?" Lu Feng continued to ask.

"Then of course, we'll go to the battlefield!" one person replied, his voice immediately lowering. "Unfortunately, I heard that the Crown Prince and the other princes have chosen other camps. I'm afraid no one will choose this one. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the Northwest Army Camp is full of the old, weak, sick, and disabled."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed a hint of sadness.

"Perhaps it won't be long before we can head to Wild Goose Return Pass," Lu Feng said.

"I hope so." Everyone took it as a consolation, smiled, and remained silent.

As soon as he entered the barracks, Lu Feng scanned the soldiers with his divine sense and found that they all had some kind of hidden injury.

"How did you get this injury?" he asked, pointing to one of the soldiers.

"You have a very keen eye." The soldier looked down at his arm. "This injury... it seems to be from a battle seven years ago. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it!"

"Old Qian! You've forgotten that?" someone immediately shouted from the side, "Seven years ago, when the monsters invaded, you were headbutted by a first-tier bull demon, and I was the one who dragged you back! You've forgotten?"

"All these wounds we've suffered, weren't they from that battle?"

Once the conversation started, everyone rolled up their sleeves and pulled down their collars, revealing their scars. They talked animatedly, their faces beaming with pride.

Lu Feng chatted with the group of soldiers for a long time before getting up to leave.