Chapter 40: Nineteen Years Old

"Forget it!"

Before Qin Sang could respond, Princess Dongyang shook her head and said coldly, "Do you have any idea? Because of your reckless behavior, there is an uproar in the imperial court. The Heir Apparent was furious in the commandery city, issuing three consecutive secret decrees in a single day, vowing to execute Zhou Mingguang and ordering Inspector General Mu to personally go to Xuanji Temple to carry a bundle of thorns on his back to apologize and return the looted treasures."

The commandery city referred to the capital of Yingshui Commandery.

After Prince Dongyang raised his army, he established a small court in Chuncheng. The Prince personally took to the battlefield, while the Heir Apparent managed the central command. After conquering Yingshui Commandery, the grain and supplies for both army routes had to pass through Yingshui, so the Heir Apparent went to the commandery city to oversee operations.

However, before the Heir Apparent arrived in Yingshui, the Princess had already sorted out the various factions, so he had essentially reaped a great windfall.

It had only been two days since Qin Sang had led his troops to steal treasures from Xuanji Temple the day before yesterday. Not only did the Heir Apparent, who was far away in Yingshui, stand up for the temple, but the Princess had also rushed over from Jiangzhou City overnight.

Qin Sang lowered his head in confession. "The Princess is wise to see through this. The Prince's mandate was forged by this subordinate. The Inspector General and General Zhou were both deceived by me; if someone must be executed, it should be me."

"Is your head any harder than Zhou Mingguang's? If it weren't for the fact that you once saved my life, I would have executed you by now!"

Princess Dongyang barked angrily, her voice filled with indignation. "Elder Yue has already gone to see the Black Crane Immortal and has proactively surrendered his authority over the Military Hall. Give me a list of your men. When you eventually become a great general or a high official, which path do you intend to take?"

Qin Sang replied without hesitation, "Leading troops in battle to earn merit is faster."

Princess Dongyang gave Qin Sang a long, deep look. "Very well. Pack your belongings immediately and head to the Xuanwei Camp in Huzhou. I will report to my father; based on your previous merits, being appointed as a Major is more than enough."

Qin Sang's expression turned bitter. "Can this subordinate go to the Xiaoyong Camp instead?"

The position of Major was not low; in the Xuanwei Camp, it was second only to the Left and Right Inspectors General and the Left and Right Deputy Generals. However, the current Inspector General of the Xuanwei Camp was that kid Wang Liu. Qin Sang had just offended him completely in Hexing County, and now he was being sent to work under him.

Wasn't this just delivering himself to the enemy's doorstep?

"No!"

Princess Dongyang shot him a fierce, commanding glare with her phoenix eyes, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Zhou Mingguang, follow me up the mountain to apologize to the Abbot."

Qin Sang hurriedly followed. "The mess was made by me; if someone is to carry thorns to apologize, it should be me. How can I let your Highness, a lady of noble birth, bow her head to those bald donkeys! General Zhou, Brother Bai, quickly bring a squad of soldiers and pull this silver along..."

Before he could finish, Princess Dongyang snapped, "What silver? The Buddhist sect lives a life of austerity, and the monks of Xuanji Temple are all virtuous and high-minded. How could they engage in the disgraceful act of accumulating wealth? Do not slander them!"

Qin Sang gave a cheeky grin.

Princess Dongyang, looking slightly angered, turned and swept away. As if remembering something, she hesitated, turned back, and asked, "What did you use to forge my father's imperial seal?"

"Radish."

...

Qin Sang did not know how the Princess appeased the monks of Xuanji Temple, but that very day, he took Shui Houzi and the others, each with a horse, and rushed toward Huzhou.

After Qin Sang was appointed Major, his Eighth Battalion was originally tasked with finishing up and cleaning up the battlefield. However, Wang Liu petitioned the Inspector General, citing Qin Sang's history of penetrating enemy lines and commanding the battlefield, to allow Qin Sang—as a dignified Battalion Major—to serve as the leader of the Night Patrol.

Unbeknownst to them, this move aligned perfectly with Qin Sang's intentions. From then on, Qin Sang led his troops in the field and had very little contact with Wang Liu. With General Feng, the Left Deputy General, acting as a mediator, and Wang Liu being only the Right Inspector General, even if he couldn't stand Qin Sang, he had no choice but to endure it.

The battle of Duling County had completely broken the backbone of the Pingshan Commandery government forces. Huzhou and Beiping Province collapsed in a rout with almost no resistance.

In less than six months, the Xuanwei and Xiaoyong Camps had completely taken over Pingshan Commandery, moving even faster than Prince Dongyang's forces.

After Prince Dongyang conquered Zhaoyang Commandery, he did not rush to seek the three commanderies of the Imperial Capital, but instead turned west toward Xitai Commandery. However, Qin Sang and the others had to gnaw through the toughest bone of all: the three commanderies of the Imperial Capital.

No one expected that after only two years of rebellion, Prince Dongyang would achieve such glorious military results. The pretender emperor could only huddle within the three commanderies of the Imperial Capital, Jiuwei, and Guize. Any observant person could see where the future trend lay.

...

Another early spring arrived.

The killing frost of winter had not yet dissipated, and the spring rain failed to bring life to this land.

Qin Sang wrapped his straw raincoat tightly around him, trudging through the mountain forests with uneven steps.

Unconsciously, he had been in this world for three and a half years. Based on Qin Sanwa's age, he was now nineteen.

The rain grew heavier. Qin Sang found a place to take shelter and gazed at the hazy distant mountains through the curtain of rain, his thoughts drifting.

Over the past year, he had focused entirely on cultivating and organizing his cultivation base. He had only dealt with military affairs perfunctorily, and his position as Major had not moved an inch for a year.

He had been experimenting bit by bit. The holes in the Yama Banner had all been repaired, and the Yama King's strength had returned to its former peak, yet he still obeyed Qin Sang's every command.

This made Qin Sang realize that the Jade Buddha, which had followed him here, seemed to possess an unimaginably powerful and unfathomable ability.

But whether he used spiritual power or divine sense to probe it, the Jade Buddha remained unmoved.

The same went for the Ebony Sword, the sheepskin, and the seven-colored silk pouch; they remained unchanged, and Qin Sang could do nothing about them.

Speaking of divine sense, after a period of exploration, Qin Sang could now use it proficiently. By expanding his divine sense, he could clearly perceive anything approaching his surroundings without needing to see or hear it, which left him marveling.

Qin Sang speculated that as his cultivation and realm increased, the range of his divine sense would grow larger, and eventually, no movement around him could escape his notice.

He would have to wait until he broke through to the fourth level of the *Nether Scripture* to verify this.

He was almost at the peak of the third level, but Qin Sang was afraid that during the breakthrough, he would encounter a bottleneck like last time. That feeling of being unable to advance an inch and having no clue how to proceed was enough to drive one mad, and it could potentially cause long delays.

He was anxious to break through, not just to obtain a more powerful divine sense, but also because of the Purple Soul Bell.

Currently, Qin Sang could manipulate the Purple Soul Bell as easily as his own limbs. Its power was indeed terrifying; Qin Sang had tried it several times, and the targets had no power to resist, facing the inevitable fate of having their souls scattered.

However, every time he used the Purple Soul Bell, the spiritual power in his body was almost entirely exhausted. He had to recover his spiritual power before he could use it again.

Qin Sang did not know if other cultivators had ways to rapidly recover spiritual power; he could only circulate his cultivation technique to recover bit by bit, which was very slow. If his opponent were powerful or the situation complex, he wouldn't have the luxury of doing so.

Additionally, the Purple Soul Bell could only focus on one enemy at a time. If he tried to deal with two people simultaneously, Qin Sang would suffer from a splitting headache and be unable to persist.

This made him impatient to break through to a higher realm.

It looked like the rain would continue for a long time. Just as Qin Sang was about to sit down and cultivate, he suddenly saw the treetops at the foot of the mountain swaying. A figure was racing through the woods—it was Shui Houzi, likely carrying urgent news.