Chapter 24: Master Tao, Divine Physician Hu, and the Boundlessly Loyal Zhang Erhe

Five years.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed since the Battle of Fengtian County. For five years, no hostilities had broken out between Qin and Yan, and both sides had lived in peace.

In his previous life, he had not cultivated and was born in Luzhou.

For the people of Luyang Prefecture, having five years free from the suffering of war was already a rare period of tranquility.

This was especially true since three years ago, when Ouyang Shu, the Marquis of Zhenxi of the Yan Kingdom, designated the Yan-occupied Fengtian County as a trading ground between the two nations and withdrew the Yan troops stationed there.

Over the past three years, due to the easing of relations between the two countries, merchant caravans had been constantly shuttling to and from Fengtian County, and Luyang Prefecture had become increasingly prosperous.

Luyang Prefecture, Martial Guard Office.

Dozens of Martial Guards dressed in black robes were moving slowly forward in a bustling queue.

Today was the day the office distributed wages.

A ninth-rank black-robed Martial Guard received one tael and five mace of silver per month, while an eighth-rank guard received two taels of silver per month.

As for seventh-rank Martial Guard leaders, their wages were no longer distributed by the Martial Guard Office.

The black-robed guards of Luyang Prefecture fell under the jurisdiction of the Prefectural Government, reporting directly to the Luyang Prefectural Military Clerk; they did not belong to the same hierarchy as the government bailiffs.

In truth, the predecessors of the Great Qin black-robed Martial Guards could be traced back tens of thousands of years to the Great Qin Martial Guard Black Ice Platform.

It was said that the Black Ice Platform of those years was the strongest intelligence agency in Great Qin, a direct assassination and surveillance organ controlled by the Emperor.

The Black Armor of Great Qin killed enemies on the outside and purged traitors on the inside; wherever the Black Cavalry rode, people trembled in fear.

However, later, as immortals and demons encroached, the experts of the Black Ice Platform fought against these forces, and the Black Cavalry suffered heavy casualties until they were nearly wiped out. The lineage gradually withered, and the power of the Black Ice Platform collapsed.

Without a powerful legacy, the ordinary Black Ice Platform guards lacked sufficient combat strength and gradually transformed into local garrison soldiers, losing the invincible Black Armor of the past.

As the queue moved forward, several guards who had received their silver were beaming with joy, walking out with their arms around each other's shoulders.

The young man at the front was in his early twenties. Clutching his money pouch, he shouted loudly, "Guihua Pavilion! If you don't make me spend all my money today, you're my grandsons!"

His words brought looks of eager anticipation to the faces of the other guards.

"Young Master Feng is so generous!"

"Then I won't be polite tonight. With the Osmanthus Brew and the Moon Soup served in jade hands at the Guihua Pavilion, I'm afraid your wages won't be enough, Young Master Feng!"

Luyang Prefecture was ultimately a frontier region, so the cost of living was not high; one tael of silver could strictly suffice for a family of four or five for two months.

However, if one truly intended to spend lavishly, there were always those who treated silver as if it were nothing.

The young man they called "Young Master Feng" was named Feng Cheng, one of the newly recruited black-robed guards in the office this year.

Because of the recent influx of merchant caravans and the growing prosperity of Luyang Prefecture, the Martial Guard Office had expanded its recruitment several times. The number of black-robed guards had grown from fewer than sixty five years ago to over three hundred and twenty today.

The newly recruited guards were mostly young, and many came with certain backgrounds.

For instance, Feng Cheng was a descendant of the Feng family in the city.

The Feng family was not a massive clan in Luyang Prefecture, but they possessed large estates, several shops, and were said to have their own merchant caravans.

Local families inserted their descendants into the Martial Guard Office and the garrison camps outside the city for two reasons: first, to seek a path of promotion for their kin, and second, to create more channels for the family to control official information.

In the three months since Feng Cheng joined the Martial Guard Office, he had spent his monthly wages on socializing to build connections.

Not only that, but his family also provided significant financial support.

By spending money freely, Feng Cheng was able to gather colleagues, making his life in the Martial Guard Office increasingly carefree, while allowing him to send useful information back to his family.

As Feng Cheng was about to exit the office, he spotted a sturdy-looking young man at the back of the queue. A smile spread across his face as he called out loudly.

"Brother Chen Wu! Now that you've got your wages, I'm treating the brothers to drinks. You must come!"

The tall young man named Chen Wu stood with his arms crossed, looking straight ahead with an expressionless face. "No time."

Such a blunt response caused Feng Cheng's face to stiffen.

However, he seemed used to it, maintaining his smile. "No matter, no matter. Brother Chen Wu must be on duty. I'll host the next time you're free—"

Before he could finish, a voice rang out from outside the office: "Why does Chen Wu have no time?"

The guards queuing in the courtyard all turned around. Chen Wu's face lit up with excitement as he bowed with his hands clasped. "Brother Yuan."

At the entrance, a lean young man wearing a faded, washed-out black robe strode in.

He wore the same black-robed guard uniform, but he had two blades at his waist and carried a five-foot baton in his hand.

Zhang Yuan.

In five years, compared to his time on the battlefields of Fengtian County, Zhang Yuan had become more easygoing and less sharp.

His gaze was gentle, no longer possessing that blood-soaked look of a man wielding a blade to kill.

"Brother Yuan."

"Brother Yuan!"

The guards queuing in the courtyard all turned and bowed to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan nodded with a slight smile. He walked up to Chen Wu, reached out, and pulled his arm to straighten his posture.

"Young Master Feng is treating us. Why won't you go?"

"I'll help you ask for leave from the academy."

Having said that, he turned to look at Feng Cheng.

"Young Master Feng."

Feng Cheng hurriedly smiled and bowed deeply. "Brother Yuan, you can just call me Xiao Cheng."

Zhang Yuan waved him off, moved closer to Feng Cheng, put an arm around his shoulder, and lowered his voice. "This kid Chen Wu is getting on in years and still isn't married. As his comrade, you should think of something."

"I heard the girls in the Guihua Pavilion are quite good. Help me keep an eye out. If it works out, I'll treat you to drinks."

Though he lowered his voice, everyone nearby could hear him.

Many people smiled, looking toward the blushing Chen Wu.

Feng Cheng's eyes flickered. Seeing that Zhang Yuan's expression was serious despite his smile, he nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Brother Yuan. I will definitely help Brother Chen Wu arrange something."

Zhang Yuan patted his shoulder with a laugh. As he walked beside Chen Wu, he said, "Did you hear that? Go."

Chen Wu nodded.

As Zhang Yuan walked forward, the other guards smilingly made way for him.

"Is Brother Yuan back from a mission?"

"Brother Yuan, after you."

"We haven't seen Brother Yuan much lately. Were you in the county again?"

Standing in place, Chen Wu took a deep breath and looked up at Feng Cheng. "I'll go. Once I get my wages and change my clothes, I'll be there."

Overjoyed, Feng Cheng repeatedly said, "Good, good," as he led several other young guards to wait outside the gate.

Once outside, a guard who looked not yet twenty whispered, "Young Master Feng, that guy Chen Wu relies on being in the office longer to look down on us. Why bother..."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Feng Cheng glaring at him.

"Only joined earlier than us?" Feng Cheng's face tightened, his voice low. "A mid-stage Post-Natal realm expert at twenty years old... in the entire younger generation of Luyang Prefecture, there are fewer than ten people stronger than him."

"I saw him with my own eyes, wielding a blade and driving back an entire band of mountain bandits single-handedly."

His words were laced with both admiration and trepidation, as if the scene were playing out before his eyes.

The other guards' eyes widened.

Great Qin valued martial arts; cultivation was the foundation of one's existence.

Because of this, they understood exactly what a twenty-year-old at the mid-stage of the Post-Natal realm meant.

Post-Natal, Pre-Natal, Grandmaster—the three realms and nine stages sounded simple, but the Post-Natal realm alone blocked countless people.

Among the three hundred or so people in the Martial Guard Office, those in the mid-stage Post-Natal realm with a blood-qi strength of over eight hundred catties were likely only eleven or twelve people, all of whom were over thirty years old, with their paths to further advancement severed.

Luyang Prefecture governed nine counties and thirteen towns, and there were only seven or eight Pre-Natal realm experts in total—either military commanders, leaders of martial sects, or honored protectors of great clans.

Though Chen Wu seemed unapproachable in the office, one would never have guessed he was such a formidable figure.

A mid-stage Post-Natal realm expert at twenty... didn't that mean he had a chance to step into the Pre-Natal realm?

"So powerful..."

"No wonder you want to befriend him, Young Master Feng."

The men all nodded, feeling excited at the prospect of being able to join Chen Wu today.

"By the way, Young Master Feng, what is the background of that Brother Yuan? Even Chen Wu is so respectful to him. I've been in the office for half a month and haven't seen him at all."

The two new guards looked toward Zhang Yuan, who was walking at the front of the queue in the courtyard, their faces full of confusion.

It wasn't just Chen Wu's respect; even everyone else was enthusiastically making way for him.

Feng Cheng shook his head, his expression solemn.

"Five years ago, Chen Wu's father, Chen Youde, died in battle at Fengtian County. Chen Wu was too young to take over his position, so it was Brother Yuan who arranged for him to enter the Martial Guard Office."

"In our office, we call him Brother Yuan, but to outsiders—"

Feng Cheng glanced at the new recruits, then turned his gaze toward Zhang Yuan, who was walking toward the long desk in the courtyard, his eyes filled with reverence.

"Master Tao, Divine Physician Hu, and the righteous Zhang Erhe."

"To outsiders, he is the Second Master Zhang of Luyang."