Heavenly Jewel Change Chapter 121-130

Chapter 121 Midriff-baring Attire!

The beginner’s competition fights continued. There were countless of fights here everyday, and though Zhou Weiqing’s fight against Green Wolf was indeed exciting, it was not enough to draw everybody’s attention for a long time. The cacophony of fighting sounds and cheers continued all around the building.

Shangguan Fei’er was standing beside Zhou Weiqing, and she gave him a pinch around the waist, saying softly: “Why must you act like that? Why don’t you just reveal your power? Haven’t you been emphasizing your lack of time?”

Zhou Weiqing felt the sudden pain and had a bitter look on his  face  as  he  said:  “We  have  just  reached  and  are  very unfamiliar with this place and its situation. It’s better to take things a step at a time, to learn more before I can advance my plan. Sometimes, if you are standing at too high a position, you’re unable to learn many things. For example, that Ruffian Battalion that Green Wolf is from… what kind of place or formation is that? Is that even something that should exist in the army?”

Shangguan Fei’er said: “How would I know? Anyway, I’m itching to fight. Since you didn’t let me fight here, tonight you are mine.”

Now, if any ordinary man heard Shangguan Fei’er tell him those latter words, it would definitely set his heart aflame. Alas, when poor Zhou Weiqing heard those words, his first reaction was to take an involuntary step back, pleading sorrowfully: “Heroine, please let me off.”

Shangguan Fei’er said smugly: “I’ll leave it up to you, in any case, if I’m not satisfied here, tonight I will be teaching you personally more about close combat.”

Zhou Weiqing gave a humph and said: “If you dare, let’s not use Consolidated Equipment, only Elemental Jewels.”

Shangguan Fei’er’s greatest strength was her terrifying close combat skills along with her four unique Legendary Set Consolidated Equipment, while Zhou Weiqing’s greatest strength was his many powerful skills and unending changes and variety he could use them in. If Shangguan Fei’er did not use her Consolidated Equipment, he might actually stand a chance against her.

Alas, it was not so easy to trick her, and she just lifted her head and ignored his words. The fights continued, and the atmosphere in the Duelling Center remained as lifely as before. After some time, Zhou Weiqing finally spotted someone walking up to the empty middle platform. It was one of the Company Leaders from earlier.

“All brothers of the Sixteenth Regiment, listen up! When this round of fights ends, the beginner competition fights will stop for  a  while.”   His  voice  had  clearly  been  enhanced  by  his Heavenly Energy, and it travelled out far and wide to all corners, suppressing the loud noise in the building, allowing even the furthest audience to hear him.

The original lively building quietened down instantly, and everyone turned to look at the Company Leader in the middle platform curiously.

The Company Leader smiled faintly and said: “Very soon, there will be an unbelievably exciting fight here in the Intermediate Challenge stage. Our challenger is a fresh recruit, a young brother who has just joined our Sixteenth Regiment. His name is Zhou Little Fatty. His opponent has been chosen via drawing of lots, and is our very own Tyrannical Bear. All of you should know Tyrannical Bear; like me, he is a Company Leader, and I’ve heard rumours that this fellow once tore a Polar Bear apart with his bare hands, thus earning this nickname. Furthermore, Tyrannical Bear is a Six-Jeweled Physical Jewel Master with the Strength and Speed boosts. Amongst our Sixteenth Regiment twenty Intermediate ringmasters, he is considered one of the top five. Let us await this exciting spectacle and enjoy ourselves!”

His words had barely ended when a massive uproar of cheers shook the entire building. An intermediate challenge was definitely far more exciting than any beginner’s competition, especially since Tyrannical Bear was extremely popular in the Sixteenth Regiment; in the war against the WanShou Empire, he had killed more than fifty enemy powerhouses, and he was one of the few who had slowly raised through the ranks through his own military exploits. If not for the fact that his leadership skills were not up to speed, with his military exploits and rank in the Duelling Corner, he could perhaps be at the Battalion Commander level.

After the proclamation of the upcoming match, the other Company Leader who had left at the same time returned back to Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er.

“Little  Bro,  your  luck  isn’t  very  good!  There  were  seven Intermediate ringmasters here today, but you actually got Tyrannical Bear. That fellow isn’t any kind soul, and he’s renowned for his Physical Strength as well. According to him, he has some bear bloodlines within him. Later on, you better be careful. If you feel like you cannot take it anymore, just surrender, do not force yourself.”

“Thank you Company Leader Big Bro for your advice.” Zhou Weiqing gave him a heartfelt thanks before saying: “So, does this mean the fight is starting?”

The Company Leader looked hard at Zhou Weiqing, but could only see that innocent, honest face. Finally, he nodded and said: “When all the current beginner competition fights end, then your Intermediate fight with Tyrannical Bear will begin. For the Intermediate Fights, every victory has a reward of a gold coin. If you are able to defeat Tyrannical Bear, and challenge successfully another few more times consecutively, you can even become a Company Leader.”

Perhaps because of the upcoming Intermediate fight, the remaining beginner’s competition fights all ended quickly. Led by the Company Leader beside him, Zhou Weiqing quickly ascended the central stage.

As compared to the Heavenly Jewel Tournament’s stage, this place was much smaller and simpler, rougher. However, as soon as he entered the stage, that feeling of being watched by thousands of audiences, of being the center of attention returned. Hearing the cheers from all directions, the excitement was sparked within Zhou Weiqing. Stretching his body, he felt as if he was imbued with an endless supply of energy.

The Company Leader which had ascended the central stage earlier to give out the proclamation was now taking on the role of the judge, and he shouted out loud: “Alright everyone, the Intermediate Competition Fight is now beginning. Let me first do a quick introduction. This young man here is the one I spoke about earlier, our new recruit Zhou Little Fatty. Do not underestimate him just because he is a fresh recruit; earlier he has just fought three in three beginner competition fights, and defeated all his opponents in an instant. One of those three opponents was even Green Wolf from the Ruffian Battalion. It was because of those victories that he was given the opportunity to fight in the intermediate ring. Zhou Little Fatty’s strength is also his speciality, so it is time for us to see whose strength is ultimately greater, him or Tyrannical Bear! Alright, next is our honoured Intermediate Ringmaster, Tyrannical Bear!”

*Swoosh* Before his words had ended, a huge figure jumped onto the stage, landing with a loud clash. Tyrannical Bear’s figure was actually not as huge and overstated as Green Wolf earlier, standing around 1.8metres tall, even slightly shorter than Zhou Weiqing. However, his shoulders were extremely broad and muscled. The thing that attracted the most attention were actually his arms; his army
uniform was sleeveless, revealing his two powerful arms that were as thick as most thighs, covered with black hair. His yellow eyes stared fixedly at Zhou Weiqing, filled with a bloodthirsty aura as he licked his lips. “Zhou Little Fatty right? Be careful, or Your Father, I, will break your nuts. Heh heh heh.” Tyrannical Bear said to Zhou Weiqing as he brandished his powerful arms.

Seeing Tyrannical Bear, Zhou Weiqing immediately remembered back to the time when he had just joined the Heavenly Bow Empire army, and they had ran across a Kalise Empire ambush on Shangguan Bing’er. At that time, the Kalise Empire’s Jewel Masters had been the attackers, and amongst them was a five-Jeweled Physical Jewel Master who had been using two warhammers, and his figure was extremely similar to this Tyrannical Bear. Of course, it was without doubt that this Tyrannical Bear was much more powerful, at the six- Jeweled level. However, at this point, Zhou Weiqing was no longer that weak, one-Jeweled Zhou Little Fatty.

Facing his opponent’s mocking provocation, Zhou Weiqing only smiled faintly and said: “Big Bro, those big arms of yours look really good, if we pull out all the fur and skin it, and barbeque it with salt and spices, I’m sure it’ll taste very good. I wonder how it compares to Bear Paws?”

Standing at the side, the Company Leader who was the judge was totally stunned by those words. In his eyes, Zhou Little Fatty was an innocent, honest young man, but his current words were nothing like that at all; not only arrogant but extremely provoking.

When Tyrannical Bear had heard that Zhou Weiqing had defeated Green Wolf so easily, he had been extremely wary. Despite his looks, he was not a careless or brash person. He had to admit to himself that he would not be able to defeat Green Wolf without using any Heavenly Energy, and before he ascended the stage, he had still been hoping that the little fellow on top was not a Jewel Master. The provoking words he had spoken were actually to sound out Zhou Weiqing, but who knows that he had not successfully angered Zhou Weiqing, and was instead the one angered.

With an enraged howl, Tyrannical Bear charged forward towards Zhou Weiqing. However, despite his anger, he did not lose his reason, releasing his Physical Jewels at first chance. From a single glance, Zhou Weiqing was able to tell that this Tyrannical Bear’s Physical Jewel was considered quite a good boost in the ordinary Jewel Master world, with seventy percent boost in strength and thirty percent on speed. His six Physical Jewels glowed brilliantly, and in a flash, he was right in front of Zhou Weiqing, his large arms hammering down onto Zhou Weiqing’s head.

Zhou Weiqing’s own physical strength was extremely terrifying, one of the many strongest benefits that the Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline had granted him. Furthermore, he had gone through two evolving, causing his already considerable strength to grow even further. Along with that Demonic Right Leg of his, he could take on ordinary Jewel Masters without problem even without unleashing his Heavenly Jewels. Even so, he did not dare to face a six-Jeweled Physical Jewel Master of Tyrannical Bear’s calibre with just his own physique alone.

A Jewel Master’s power grew exponentially every Jewel he had, and just facing the Four-Jeweled Green Wolf earlier with his physique alone, Zhou Weiqing had already felt it was extremely difficult. If he underestimated Tyrannical Bear and attempted to use only his physique, he would undoubtedly have no chance. In a midst of swirling mist, four pure Icy Jade Physical Jewels appeared around Zhou Weiqing’s right wrist, and around his left wrist, four red Emperor Tourmaline Jewels showed, showing the Strength and Wind Attributes of a Heavenly Jewel Master respectively. Without question, that
was the effect of Zhou Weiqing’s Ring of Concealment.

After some consideration, Zhou Weiqing had decided to reveal his Elemental Jewel as the Wind Attribute. Amongst all his six Attributes, the Wind Attribute was probably the most ‘normal’ of them all. Furthermore, his four Wind Attribute Skills were very good, and more importantly, the most all- encompassing. It could be said that no matter Support, Control, Offense, his Wind Attribute Skills had them all, and with those, he could handle most situations.

With his Heavenly Jewels unleashed, Zhou Weiqing’s strength multiplied. However, when Tyrannical Bear saw the four pure Icy Jade Physical Jewels around his wrist, his heart sank.

Considered a delicacy in ancient China. At time, bear paws were ranked in a class of rare foods called the Eight Rarities and were only served by the wealthy at banquets. Of course, now bears are considered endangered so this is no longer allowed Every Jewel that a Jewel Master raised required a certain amount of Heavenly Energy, and for Heavenly Jewel Masters, the requirement was four levels of Heavenly Energy as compared to the three for ordinary Jewel Masters. As such, even though Tyrannical Bear was at the six Jeweled Stage, his Heavenly Energy was only at the eighteenth level. In comparison, Zhou Weiqing was a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, and his Heavenly Energy was at least at the sixteenth level, the fourth level of the Heavenly Shen Energy stage. In addition, his boost was all purely strength, and at a greater percentage. As such, in terms of just his Physical Jewel boost, he already held the advantage over Tyrannical Bear.

Zhou Weiqing raised both his hands, blocking Tyrannical Bear’s fists as they smashed down. In that moment of impact, the entire stage shuddered along with the massive crash.

Zhou Weiqing stood there, unmoving, while Tyrannical Bear staggered back four steps before finally regaining his balance. His face changed as he exclaimed: “Heavenly Jewel Master!”

In truth, Tyrannical Bear’s cultivation level and power were pretty decent, coupled with his inborn superhuman strength, it was no exaggeration that he claimed to have the bloodline of bears. As a six Jeweled Physical Jewel Master, he was already considered one of the top dogs in the army. However, comparing strength with Zhou Weiqing would definitely put him at a disadvantage.

Seeing Zhou Weiqing’s Four Heavenly Jewels, Tyrannical Bear was not the only shocked one, as everyone stared with their eyes wide open and jaw agape. Even in the ZhongTian army, Physical Jewel Masters and Elemental Jewel Masters were relatively common, but Heavenly Jewel Masters were not common at all. Furthermore, Zhou Weiqing was still a Four Jeweled, Lower Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master. Facing the six Jewels of Tyrannical Bear, the audience which original did not have much hopes for him had their expectations totally overturned.

The two company Leaders from earlier were perhaps the most shocked. In truth, as a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, Zhou Weiqing could at least be at the Company Leader level once he joined the army. Furthermore, as long as he displayed any hint of leadership qualities and military capabilities, his promotion speed would be extremely quick. More importantly, Zhou Weiqing looked so young, at most slightly over twenty years of age. Such a young Heavenly Jewel Master… what sort of potential did he have in the future? No one could know for sure how strong his cultivation level and power would grow to! In the army, personal power and strength was one of the key factors for promotion.

Zhou Weiqing looked at Tyrannical Bear with a faint smile and said: “Are we still continuing?”

Tyrannical Bear did not reply Zhou Weiqing, instead charging towards him once more. One could lose a fight, but face could not be thrown so easily. If he stepped down just like that, he would be looked down upon and no longer have any face in the army.

Tyrannical Bear’s two thick arms were like two huge poles, smashing down towards Zhou Weiqing once more. If one likened his previous strike to a testing blow, then this was definitely him going all out.

Without question, Tyrannical Bear knew that with his power, he had no chance against a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master. Even so, he did not want to surrender just like that, and if he could hold on against such an opponent for some time, that would be of great satisfaction to himself.

Alas, Zhou Weiqing did not plan on tangling with him for too long. Today, his purpose of coming to this Duelling Corner was not just for a simple Intermediate Competition victory. Since the Duelling Corner was a chance for him to gain rank quickly, he would definitely seize this opportunity and not let it slip from his fingers, as he needed to gain rank within the ZhongTian Army as quickly as possible; only then would he be able to carry out his plan.

*PENG* Once more, without any flourishes or extra actions. This time, Tyrannical Bear staggered back even further, more than an entire metre, along with a massive clash. This time, Zhou Weiqing followed along with a quick step forward, his right palm striking out onto Tyrannical Bear’s chest, causing him to fly all the way to land outside the stage.

This Stage was after all for competition purposes, not life and death fights, and they were not allowed to use weapons, let alone Consolidated Equipment. Undoubtedly, that greatly restricted Tyrannical Bear’s power as well, otherwise if Zhou Weiqing was hiding his own Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills, it would take him some time and effort to defeat Tyrannical Bear at his full power.

Tyrannical Bear had just lost like that, and more so, losing in a fight of Strength, what he had always been famous for. In truth, for Tyrannical Bear to be defeated by Zhou Weiqing was not something to be surprised about. After all, even though he was born with a supernatural strength, compared with Crow from the Gold Crow Tribe, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. Even Crow could not match Zhou Weiqing in pure physical strength, let alone Tyrannical Bear.

With great difficulty, the Company Leader judge recovered his poise and proclaimed: “Zhou Little Fatty, Victory.”

Zhou Weiqing said: “If possible, I would like to continue. Didn’t you say that if I get five consecutive victories in the Intermediate Competition, I can be promoted to the Company Leader level? I would like to try my hand at it. I don’t think we need to draw lots, isn’t there six more Intermediate Ringmasters? Let them come one by one, I don’t need to rest.”

In the first place, he had not used any Stored Skills or Consolidated Equipment, and the usage of Heavenly Energy was very minimal. Even if he had used more, with the recovery rate of the Immortal Deity Technique, it would be easy for Zhou Weiqing to continue fighting quickly. This was of course not even counting the Devour Skill.

Zhou Weiqing’s voice was not very loud, but with some Heavenly Energy, his words spread throughout the entire building. In order to gain rank quickly, he did not care too much about offending others anymore. Furthermore, having been in the Heavenly Bow Empire army before, he knew that in the army, it was not wrong to be arrogant, as long as you had the strength to back that arrogance up. Zhou Weiqing did not know if their rules allowed him to fight five Intermediate Challenges in one day, so he decided he might as well use some arrogance to provoke the other Intermediate Ringleaders,
allowing him to get his five fights.

“Allow  me.”   A  delicate  voice  rang  out,  and  in  the  next instant, a figure appeared onto the center stage.

When he first heard that voice, because it was a female one, Zhou Weiqing was given a fright. His first reaction was that it was Shangguan Fei’er going crazy. However, when he saw the lady on the stage, he let loose a hidden sigh of relief. It was not Shangguan Fei’er after all.

The young lady on the stage was not dressed in the ZhongTian army uniform, instead wearing a tight fitting attire. With a head of pale green, short hair, she was a picture of beautiful, spirited valiance. She looked to be in her mid twenties, slim and athletic figure, with her skin a wheat colour with a healthy glow that showed she spent much time in the sun. The sleeves of her clothes were rolled up currently, revealing her shapely arms, though her hands were gripped in fists at the moment, a she looked coldly at Zhou Weiqing, like an angry lioness.

“Zhou Little Fatty right… you will regret humiliating Tyrannical Bear like that. I am his Battalion Leader, and I will personally wash away the insult that you have awarded our Battalion. Come on then, I am the top Intermediate Ringmaster in the entire Sixteenth Regiment; if you can defeat me, you have no need to continue fighting in the Intermediate Competition, and I can make the decision to reward you with twenty gold coins and give you a direct promotion to Company Leader.”   As  she  said  that,  a  shimmering  faint  white  light appeared around her.

Four Sets of Heavenly Jewels appeared around her wrists, with the Agility Dragonstone Jade and the Fire Attribute Star Rubies, a rather classic fire and agility combination.

For a Battalion Commander to already be that of a Four Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, that was something almost unimaginable in other smaller Empires, especially since this Battalion Commander was a young lady.

Looking at her, Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but think of Shangguan Bing’er. At that time, wasn’t she also his Battalion Commander?

“Bro Zhou, shall we begin the fight then?”  The Company Leader that was the temporary judge asked Zhou Weiqing.

Hearing his words, only then did Zhou Weiqing recover from his stupor. Looking towards the valiant young lady Battalion Commander,  he  smiled  faintly  and  said:  “May  I  ask,  this beautiful lady Battalion Commander, what is your name?”
She replied with a cold humph: “My name is Shen Yi.” “Shen  Yi?  (Godly  Doctor)” Zhou  Weiqing  repeated  in
surprise.

“Hmph! It is 依依不舍 (Yi Yi Bu She)‘s 依 Yi. Aren’t you very arrogant? Stop wasting time, do you want to fight or not?” Without asking, Shen Yi already knew from that surprised tone that Zhou Weiqing used that he had misunderstood her name. He was not the first, and would definitely not be the last to do so, as such, she quickly corrected him.

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “Alright, let’s go then!” As the judge announced the start of the fight once more, Zhou Weiqing’s fifth fight in the Duelling Corner started.

Facing Shen Yi, Zhou Weiqing knew that he could no longer fight as casually and do as he pleased so easily. After all, she was a Heavenly Jewel master; even though he was confident in fighting a Heavenly Jewel Master of the same cultivation level, since she was also at the Four-Jeweled Stage. However, he would not be careless; after all, a Heavenly Jewel Master was very different from ordinary Jewel Masters; who knew if she had any secret skills like himself? He had seen too many Heavenly Jewel Masters lose due to underestimating their opponent; just in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament alone, hadn’t so many lost to him and his teammates due to underestimation? As such, Zhou Weiqing would never make the same mistake.

Striking the ground with the tip of her feet, Shen Yi’s slim figure flew towards Zhou Weiqing, both her hands blazing with red flame as she struck out towards him.

This was the superiority of a Heavenly Jewel Master, with their bodies boosted by the Physical Jewel, while still able to use their Elemental Attributes against their enemies. Facing such a strong, powerful fire attack, even if Zhou Weiqing’s strength was much greater than his opponent’s, he would not receive the blow directly so easily. After all, he was not invulnerable, and would be injured by such powerful flames.

Since he had chosen to reveal his Wind Attribute, he would need to act like a proper Wind Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master. Facing Shen Yi’s attack, Zhou Weiqing suddenly retreated in a burst of speed; with the boost of the Wind Attribute, his speed was as fast as Shen Yi’s. At the same time, two green lights lit up around his arms, and they formed an indistinct-looking, sharp green blade of light along each arm.

Shen Yi’s first attack did not successfully strike Zhou Weiqing, but that was not the end of her attack. With a jerk of her hands, the two balls of fire left her hands and flew towards Zhou Weiqing, right at the same time as the green light consolidated into the blades.

Facing these two orange-red fireballs that were clearly far beyond the ordinary low rated Fireball Skill, Zhou Weiqing remained calm. A simple wave of his arms in midair, and the two green blades of light crisscrossed. A strange sight happened next, as the two fireballs seemed to split apart like tomatoes, sliced neatly into four, dissipating into the air.

“What Skill is that?!” Seeing her powerful fireballs destroyed so easily, Shen Yi was left stunned. Her name is 神依 vs 神医 (godly doctor)

Can’t exactly translate that. Basically she is correcting him. 依依不舍 (Yi Yi Bu She) is a chinese idiom that means having sense of reluctance to part from somebody. She had never seen any Wind Attribute Skills do such a thing, as the usual effect of Wind against Fire would be an explosion, not such a cutting effect. Even for Spatial Attribute Skills, it was rare to have such a cutting effect.

In truth, she could not be blamed for being so surprised and shocked. After all, the Skill that Zhou Weiqing had used was the Silver Emperor Wing Slash that he had Stored a long time ago from the first Silver Emperor he met; with his two arms like wings, it was a Ten Star Rated powerful Wind Attribute Skills. Normally, a Heavenly Jewel Master who had such a Skill would be at least at the Upper Level Zong Stage, how could Shen Yi have possibly seen such a thing.

Zhou Weiqing did not really care why his opponent was so stunned and not reacting, and after his Silver Emperor Wing Slash had split apart Shen Yi’s attack, his right leg immediately exerted, and he flew like a cannonball towards her. Although he did not use any additional Skills, just the power of the Demonic Right Leg and his Wind Attribute boost allowed him to charge at an insane rate.

Seeing Zhou Weiqing charge at her, Shen Yi quickly shook herself out of her shock, putting her arms before her, and it could clearly be seen that the third Star Ruby Elemental Jewel around her left wrist light up, and a huge swirling shield of fire appeared in front of her to block Zhou Weiqing. Almost at the same time, her second Elemental Jewel also lit up, and two green flames consolidated into a three-chi long knife respectively extending from her arms. It was clear that she was going all out now.

However, the Silver Emperor Wing Slash was not so easily blocked. As he reached the fire shield, Zhou Weiqing slashed across with his right hand, and with a ear-piercing scraping sound, that Fire Shield which was at least rated Six Stars was split apart by the Silver Emperor Wing Slash. At the same time, Zhou Weiqing somersaulted into the air, the green blade of his left arm striking down towards Shen Yi from above, whistling as it cut through the air.

Shen Yi’s expression changed in fright. Originally, she had planned to use the Swirling Fire Shield to block Zhou Weiqing’s attack, before using her Fire Knives to retaliate. Alas, she had not expected that Zhou Weiqing’s Skill was so powerful that her shield could not even withstand a single blow. In a panic, she could only sweep her hands up, using her Fire Knives to block the Silver Emperor Wing Slash. The Rating System of Elemental Jewel Stored Skills was extremely strict, and one of their requirements for ranking was that under the same amount of Heavenly Energy used, a higher Star Rated Skill would have an absolute suppressing effect on lower Star Rated Skills.

Most of all of Zhou Weiqing’s previous opponents and enemies had been with cultivation levels far above his, and thus he had never ever been able to suppress his opponents with just his highly rated Skills. However, this Shen Yi was just at the same cultivation level as himself, at the four-Jeweled stage. If this were a fight to the death, perhaps she would not have even survived his first blow. After all, just not too long ago, Zhou Weiqing had slaughtered a bunch of six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters!

Shen Yi’s Fire Knives were not even as highly rated as that previous swirling shield of fire she had summoned, and was only Five Star Rated. Facing Zhou Weiqing’s Ten Star Rated Silver Emperor Wing Slash, even with some of its energy dissipated, how could she possibly block it. Once again, the Fire Knives shattered and dissipated, and the green light on Zhou Weiqing’s arms sliced pass like lightning without even slowing down, as his Silver Emperor Wing Slash struck down towards Shen Yi’s body. “Have  mercy!”  Another  feminine  voice  shouted  out  from below the stage.

Zhou Weiqing was never a bloodthirsty person who killed easily, especially since the one he was facing was a beautiful lady. In a flash of green, Zhou Weiqing wriggled his fingers slightly, before his entire person passed by Shen Yi’s body, barely missing her.

As Zhou Weiqing stopped about three yards behind her, Shen Yi was still standing there dazed, her arms still in the futile blocking position.

In the next moment, another lady clad in skintight purple gear appeared in a flash from below the stage, appearing right next to Shen Yi, asking urgently: “Yi Yi, are you alright?”

This young lady clad in purple looked to be slightly older than Shen Yi, about twenty six or twenty seven years old. She too had a head of short, pale green hair, slightly taller, with similar facial features as Shen Yi. It was clear that the two were sisters.

Shen Yi started momentarily, looking at her sister. The next moment, she felt a sudden cold sensation on her body, and her sleeves flew into tiny pieces, floating away and revealing her arms. At the same time, the cloth around her waist was also cut, revealing a slim and attractive little waist.

“Ahh!”  Shen  Yi  exclaimed  in  shock,  quickly  covering  her waist with her hands, her face turning beet red as she turned to glare at Zhou Weiqing angrily.

Of course, she knew that Zhou Weiqing had already taken mercy, otherwise a blow that could slice her clothes like that could have easily killed her several times over. However, in her eyes, this was tantamount to killing her; having her clothes sliced into such a midriff-baring attire, it was just such a loss of face.

The purple clad young lady flicked her wrist, and a robe appeared in her hands, and she quickly covered Shen Yi with it before glaring at Zhou Weiqing as well. “You Scoundrel! How can you cut a girl’s clothes like that?!”

Zhou Weiqing looked at the two sisters innocently, saying: “I did not want to harm her, and I wanted to win this fight, what else could I do? I had to prove that I won the fight, and furthermore it can let all these brothers here have a short feast of their eyes. In any case, I made sure not to reveal any important positions right?” As he said that, he chuckled to himself. However, he soon realised that the atmosphere in the entire Duelling Corner was extremely strange, and not a single person laughed along with him. Zhou Weiqing thought to himself puzzledly: Could it be these soldiers all do not love to cause a scene?

“You…” Shen Yi, freshly covered in the new robes, glared angrily at Zhou Weiqing with her face still totally red, as if blood was about to squeeze out of her pink cheeks. Furiously, she exclaimed: “You rotten egg, I’m going to kill you! Sis, help me kill this bastard! I… I…” As she said that, she could not stay here any longer, covering her face as she fled out. No matter how strong she was, no matter how high a rank she got to, she was still a woman at such times.

Zhou Weiqing ignored the purple clad lady on the stage, instead turning to the temporary judge Company Leader, saying: “Hey, Big bro, isn’t it time to proclaim my victory? Look, my opponent already left the stage on her own accord.”

“Uhhh…” The Company Leader glanced at the purple clad lady, swallowing hard as he said haltingly with great difficulty: “You… You have won.”

Zhou Weiqing said: “Just now, that Shen Yi said that she could make the decision, as long as I defeated her, that I would be counted as being victorious through all the Intermediate fights and become a Company Leader directly, as well as a reward of twenty gold coins, if I remember correctly.”

The Company Leader judge glanced once again at the purple clad young lady, and he saw that she had an ugly expression on her face, but did not say anything. As such, he could only put on a brave front and nod his head, saying: “Yes, you are indeed already a Company Leader, you just need to report to get your promotion. Come on little bro, you just follow me and we’ll get that handled.”

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “Wait wait! Isn’t there still the Advanced Competition? I heard that if one defeats the main ringmaster, I can directly become a Battalion Commander. Big bro, you have also seen for yourself, I have just angered a Battalion Commander, if I do not advance to the same position, won’t I be bullied in the future? Where is our main ringmaster of our Sixteenth Regiment? Please ask him to come, I would like to try.”

To Zhou Weiqing, since the strongest Intermediate Ringmaster was a Four Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, it was likely that the main Advanced Ringmaster would be at the Five Jeweled stage. Although he was only able to use his Wind Attribute, as long as he was careful, he was confident of winning. Of course, he had some hidden techniques that he could use secretly if necessary.

The Company Leader judged sighed inwardly, thinking to himself: If disasters come from nature, it is still possible to do something  to  counter  them;  but  if  they  are  of  one’s  own making,one is done for.

Before the judge could open his mouth, the purple clad lady who hadn’t descended the stage suddenly said: “I am the main Advanced Ringmaster that you want to challenge. Don’t you want to fight? Very well then, we don’t need any complicated procedure, we can just start whenever. Since you have already fought previously, I won’t take advantage of you, and you can rest for an hour first.”

“Ahh?” Zhou Weiqing had not expected that this elder sister of Shen Yi would actually be the main Ringmaster of the entire Duelling Corner. No wonder none of the soldiers had joined in a ruckus, as she would definitely be more powerful than Shen Yi. Who would dare to offend her? Only at this point did he shift his gaze to her face.

This purple clad young lady had very similar features to Shen Yi, but with an additional resolute, firmness to her. The lines of her face were clear, valiant looking. She was taller than Shen Yi, at least 1.8metres; although she was not as exaggerated as Crow, standing there she still had an impressive aura and pride. It was clear that she was more stable and powerful than Shen Yi.

Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but sigh happily inwardly, it seemed like his luck was pretty decent today, and it was all going pretty well. It was only his sixth fight, and if he actually won this one, he would already directly become a Battalion Commander of the Sixteenth Regiment, leading a thousand men. This would allow him to carry out his plan and grow his strength at a much faster rate than expected.

“I do not need to rest, I did not use much Heavenly Energy anyway. Let’s start then.”  Zhou Weiqing said with a hint of excitement. In truth, the Silver Emperor Wing Slash did have quite a large expenditure of Heavenly Energy, but with his Immortal Deity Technique, he had pretty much recovered to his maximum.

The purple clad lady said passively: “That is your choice then, I hope you do not regret it.”

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “There is nothing to regret about. The little sister has lost, and the elder sister is here now. I wonder, do you have yet another elder sister?” A flash of anger crossed her eyes, and she said: “Zhou Little Fatty right… You will pay for all you have done. A man who insults others will be insulted himself eventually.”

Zhou Weiqing blinked and said: “That is true indeed. However, I hope you do not get your clothes ripped like your sister later on. By the way, beautiful lady, how may I address you?”

Chapter 122 Oops! I beat up the Regiment Commander!

The purple clad lady gave an angry humph and said: “My name is Shen Bu. Since you are ready, let’s finish with the pleasantries and fight.” As she said that, she shot a fierce gaze at the Company Leader, who was once again taking the role of judge.

“… … Begin. The fight begins now.” The poor Company Leader who had to play the role of judge once more couldn’t help but scream bitterly in his heart. However, seeing Shen Bu’s gaze rest on himself, he just stammered out that the fight had begun before retreating to the side of the stage.

The atmosphere of the entire Duelling Corner was extremely quiet and strange. As soon as Shen Bu had ascended the stage, the entire Duelling Corner had been silenced. Besides the sounds of breathing, no other sound was heard.

Almost as soon as the Company Leader’s words were heard, a fierce aura exploded out from Shen Bu’s body, invading towards Zhou Weiqing. A violent killing intent filled with intense pressure, shoving down at Zhou Weiqing’s spirit like a falling mountain.

Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise on his face. He had faced many powerful opponents in his young life, including Shangguan Fei’er, Zhan LingTian, Shen Little Demon, these young elites from the Great Saint Lands. However, this young lady in front of him called Shen Bu actually gave him the strongest feeling.

It was not to say that Shen Bu was more powerful than the other young powerhouses, but rather her presence, that imposing aura; something that none of the other young powerhouses had. Without question, this was due to her vast experience on the battlefield.

Only one who has been forged through the blood and fires of the battlefield could have such a presence and aura about them, and without question, with such an imposing pressure,it would be very difficult for any opponent to use their full power, while she could bring her ‘A game’.

Both sides had not yet clashed, but Zhou Weiqing had already restrained his emotions, looking at Shen Bu warily. Due to his own Demonic Change ability, he was not too afraid of Shen Bu’s intense presence, but in self-examination, he was clear that without the Demonic Change State, he was unable to give out such a killer intent and pressure like her. In comparison, Shen Yi was definitely no match for Shen Bu. Coming to this Duelling Corner, Zhou Weiqing felt excited that he had finally met an opponent here that could really threaten him.

Along with her overpowering aura, six sets of Heavenly Jewels appeared around Shen Bu’s wrists; almost exactly the same as Shen Yi, with the Agility DragonStone Physical Jewels and Star Ruby Fire Attribute Elemental Jewels.

A Six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master. Zhou Weiqing’s pupils narrowed. With his Four-Jeweled cultivation level, without being able to use his Demonic Change State, his God Tier Consolidated Equipment and other Attributes, could he really defeat this Upper Level Zun Stage before him? In his heart, he knew the answer was: Very Difficult.

However, very difficult did not mean it was impossible, and he would never know for sure unless he tried! Zhou Weiqing’s character was often one who would resist harder the more he was pushed, striking back harder the harder he was struck, especially in such a fight where there was no danger of death. In the worst case scenario, he could just surrender and stay a Company Leader. As such, he would not easily reveal his many secrets, no matter his other Attributes or Consolidated Equipment, as that was just too attention drawing, and would definitely draw too much suspicion, which would be detrimental to his plan. As such, after a simple comparison of both their strengths, Zhou Weiqing resolved to just fight with his Wind Attribute powers.

At that moment, Shen Bu burst into action. Without seeing her movements clearly, her entire body slid across, close to the ground, and in a blink of an eye, she was in front of Zhou Weiqing, her palm striking down towards his head.

Zhou Weiqing was clear on how she had moved, though he had not seen it clearly. In order to move at such speed in such a stable fashion, she had to have some movement skills along with powerful leg muscles and control.

Although Shen Bu did not use any Skills, her palm gave Zhou Weiqing the impression like a massive axe was smashing down at him. Furthermore, he could clearly sense that her aura had suddenly changed from the violent intensity to a drifting one that he could not catch easily. Without question, this palm was just a test. On the surface, Shen Bu looked like she was enraged, but when she took action, she was careful. This young lady’s willpower had been forged in the fires of the battlefield, and was tough and tenacious indeed. *PENG* Zhou Weiqing blocked the blow with both hands, and along with a muffled thud, he staggered back four steps before regaining his balance. This was not an act, as both their cultivation levels were almost eight stages apart, and that was not a gap that could be bridged just by pure physical strength
alone. After all, as a Heavenly Jewel Master’s cultivation level grew, the difference between each stage was larger as well. For Zhou Weiqing to be able to block her blow with his Four- Jeweled cultivation level, it was already considered very impressive.l

Shen Bu gave a cold humph, not giving Zhou Weiqing a chance to recover, and struck out once more with her palm.

A look of surprise and fright flickered on Zhou Weiqing’s face. The stage was not very large, and if he moved back any further, he would fall off. In such a state of panic, he directly somersaulted to the side, pushing himself up with his hands, agilely dodging Shen Bu’s next attack. At the same time, the Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce that had worked so well against Shen Yi was once more unleashed, and with the green blades around his arms, he struck towards Shen Bu’s legs.

Shen Bu gave a cold laugh, thinking inwardly: You just used this to defeat my sister, do you really think it will work against me as well? No matter how strong a Skill was, one would be able to find a weak point once seen enough. In that instant, she made a judgement. This Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce was clearly Zhou Weiqing’s strongest Skill, though she did not know exactly what Skill it was.

Shen Bu did not even attempt to dodge, instead her entire body went down in a half-crouch, and her hands struck out towards Zhou Weiqing’s palms. At the same time, the air turned red hot as two long four-chi blue knives of flames appeared, smashing towards Zhou Weiqing’s Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce.

Similar Knives of Flame. It was clear that both Shen Yi and Shen Bu had Stored the same Skill. However, obviously Shen Bu’s knives, at the six-Jeweled cultivation level, were already at an unbelievable strength, far beyond the green knives of flame that Shen Yi had.

In the ensuing massive explosion, Zhou Weiqing’s body was sent flying back in flips, the shockwave sending him far back. A surprised look crossed Shen Bu’s face, but she did not chase after him. It was not that she did not want to follow up with another attack, but in truth, the strength of Zhou Weiqing’s return blow was far beyond her expectation, the Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce truly living up to its rating and catching her by surprise. Although she had still knocked Zhou Weiqing back, it was only because of the sheer cultivation difference and Heavenly Energy advantage. Yet, at the same time, the Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce had broken her Flame Knives, and in order not to be injured by the strike, she was unable to pursue at this opportune moment.

Even so, Shen Bu still charged forward after a short pause. Looking at Zhou Weiqing, her gaze was filled with disdain. With just a single powerful skill, you dare to go up against me? You’re talented, but for a Low Level Zun Stage to challenge a High Level Zun Stage? Hmph!

Below the stage, in the midst of the mass audience, the tall soldier who had brought Shangguan Fei’er and Zhou Weiqing into the Duelling Corner stood there, his jaw agape. He had been standing there in shock for the past few minutes, his eyes filled with disbelief. He still remembered clearly how he had mocked Zhou Weiqing earlier about thinking about challenging the advanced ringmaster. Yet… at this very moment… wasn’t that exact scene just playing out right before his eyes?!

“Ugh!  Oh  crap,  I  forgot  to  tell  him  that  to  challenge  the advanced ringmaster, he only needs to last for half the time for an incense joss stick to burn, then it is considered his victory and he can be promoted to the Battalion Commander position. After all, the advanced ringmaster is…”

Of course, Zhou Weiqing could not hear the mutterings of the tall soldier below the stage, otherwise he would have definitely changed his strategy, and not reveal too much of his hand. However, at this moment, he was fully focused on the fight, fully focused on Shen Bu. When he saw Shen Bu charge towards him with the cold smile on her lips, he grinned inwardly. It worked!

After avoiding the remnants of Zhou Weiqing’s Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce, Shen Bu had charged forth at full speed. This time, she did not hold back at all, and her speed shot to more than twice her previous charge. She was clear that although Zhou Weiqing’s Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce was extremely powerful, he would not be able to reuse it so soon after he had just used it. As such, she had to seize this opportunity while it was in a cooldown. She had fought in wars for more than ten years, and had faced countless different foes, and she had confidence that she was able to judge an opponent’s strength well. This Zhou Little Fatty in front of her should not have any other skills to threaten her besides that strange Skill. As Shen Bu’s body charged along the ground, this time not only did she summon her Flame Knives, a pair of large wings made out of flame also spread out across her back, the brilliant wings almost four feet in length, lighting the entire Duelling Corner in a radiant red.

Besides that, on Shen Bu’s body, a unique aura burst forth along with those huge wings, and a deep blue fireball started burning in her palms.

Damn! Is she trying to really kill me?! Zhou Weiqing turned pale in fright for real this time. He could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within that blue fireball. It was far beyond an ordinary six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master’s power; without question the wings behind Shen Bu’s back was able to boost her offense temporarily. Since she already thought he was no match for her, why use such a powerful attack?!

As Zhou Weiqing scolded her inwardly, he already started reacting. He definitely couldn’t let Shen Bu complete that Skill and allow it to explode in front of him. If that happened, even if he wanted to use his other Attribute Skills, it would be too late for him, and probably only the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura.coudl save him then. Stomping his right foot on the ground savagely, a green light sprang out around Zhou Weiqing’s body at the same time, causing his speed to double instantly. It was the Tornado Strike Skill.

The Tornado Strike Skill only worked in a straight line acceleration, though it would also greatly increase the strength of attack by at least twice. The benefits of the Skill was clear, but its drawbacks were also clear to those who knew it; as its attacking path was only in a straight line, without any way to stop, needing to charge at least ten yards before unleashing the attack.

Seeing Zhou Weiqing use the Tornado Strike Skill, Shen Bu started. In truth, she did not plan to actually use that powerful Skill in her hands to really strike Zhou Weiqing. After all, what was her rank and status? How could she possibly attack a fresh recruit like that?

Kind of a semi pun. Her sister’s name is literally God Clothes, and hers is God Cloth Although Zhou Weiqing had indeed angered her by humiliating Shen Yi, she still held his talents and strength in high regard. With Zhou Weiqing’s cultivation level and power, it was more than sufficient for him to be a Battalion Commander or Vice Battalion Commander. The only reason she had summoned this powerful Skill of hers was actually to threaten and scare Zhou Weiqing, to allow him to surrender without continuing the fight. In that way, she did not need to actually fight with a fresh recruit, and still have him surrender.

Alas, she had never expected that under her intense aura and facing such a powerful skill, this Zhou Little Fatty would actually charge towards her instead. Was he trying to commit suicide!?

In that moment where Shen Bu started, Zhou Weiqing had chained his attacks. Indeed, to ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters, the Tornado Strike Skill could only activate after ten yards, but Zhou Weiqing was different. He had the Time Interrupt Skill, and using that secretly, he could disrupt his own Skill at any point of his charge, allowing him to still make use of the speed and offensive increase at will. It was indeed true that he could not use the Silver Emperor Wing Slash at this point, but Zhou Weiqing had four powerful Wind Attribute Skills!

As his body charged forward towards Shen Bu, the piercing green light around Zhou Weiqing was speckled with small silver lights. His speed, already extremely fast due to the Tornado Strike Skill, suddenly tripled in that moment, and in a flash, he was right in front of Shen Bu.

Shen Bu had not imagined that Zhou Weiqing would have yet another Skill that could raise his speed to such a degree. In that critical moment of danger to save herself, though she did not want to injure Zhou Weiqing, the battle hardened senses she had cultivated over years spent in the battlefield caused her to move the blue fireball to where Zhou Weiqing’s attack would land.

However, right at that point, Shen Bu was shocked to suddenly realise that she could no longer move, and her hands stayed absolutely still. Though it was just for that single instant, to Zhou Weiqing who was using the Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce, that instant was more than enough.

Of course, Zhou Weiqing was not going to pierce through her body with the attack, instead raising his right hand slightly to send the blue fireball flying into the air harmlessly. At the same time, his shoulder dipped down as he lunged right into Shen Bu’s shoulder, and in mid air, his legs twisted around to grip Shen Bu’s waist, and in a flip, threw her down to the ground.

A massive explosion, and Shen Bu landed hard on the floor of the stage, on her back. Although the Fetters of Wind was not able to hold her for long, Shen Bu’s cultivation level was not sufficient for her to totally resist this powerful Control Skill of Zhou Weiqing’s. By the time she had recovered control of her body, she had already been slammed down onto the ground, disrupting any possibility of unleashing any Skill she might have wanted to.

The next moment, Shen Bu felt a massive weight press down on her body. Zhou Weiqing, the rascal, had descended down from above, sitting right down on her stomach, his right hand gripping her neck. Only then did he stand up slowly, holding onto her like that as he picked her up from the ground.

Facing such a powerful Six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, Zhou Weiqing did not dare to be careless, especially since he could not use many of his Skills and Consolidated Equipment. Just in a direct clash without those, Zhou Weiqing knew he could not defeat her, and now that he had actually gotten the upper hand through surprise, he would not allow her to easily reverse the situation.

Originally, Shen Bu had her own Heavenly Energy protecting her, but being thrown down hard by Zhou Weiqing like that, and furthermore with her having used such a powerful Skill earlier, she was still in a daze. When Zhou Weiqing’s hand gripped her neck hard, she felt a shudder go through her entire body, and a suffocating feeling spread through her. By this time, it was too late for her to resist. Even though her cultivation level was higher than Zhou Weiqing’s, with her vulnerable neck in his powerful grasp, it would be futile to resist.

Zhou Weiqing secretly broke into cold sweat. If not for this Shen Bu severely underestimating him and being caught by surprise, perhaps just now when that blue fireball struck down at him, he would have to reveal his actual strength to get out of that situation.

“I’ve won already. Hurry up and proclaim it, otherwise she might be choked to death.”

Zhou Weiqing reminded the judge at the side of the stage, who was standing there, jaw agape. At the same time, he thought to himself. Strange…  I have finally won, why isn’t there a single cheer at all? After all, I did beat the advanced ringmaster right…

Indeed, the entire Duelling Corner was dead silent, as if all the watching soldiers also had their necks gripped, causing the entire building to lapse into an eerie silence.

“You’ve won, you’ve won. Hurry up, put down our Regiment Commander!”  After a short moment of shock, the Company Leader finally broke out of his reverie, charging forward with a look of panic on his face as he grabbed onto Zhou Weiqing’s arm, motioning him to put down Shen Bu.

Wha…? Regiment Commander? It was Zhou Weiqing’s turn to be shocked, and his gripped loosened. Shen Bu, her face red from lack of air, slid down and fell onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Originally, Zhou Weiqing had thought that his luck had been extremely good, as it seemed like it wouldn’t take long for him to ascend to a Battalion Commander position. However, he had never in his wildest dreams thought that the advanced ringmaster would actually be the Regiment Commander. Without question, this Shen Bu was a veteran of the Sixteenth Regiment, and fully in charge… even if he became a Battalion Commander, he would still be under her charge… that bode ill indeed…. Am I really that unlucky?!

The facts indeed proved that Zhou Weiqing was truly THAT unlucky, and apparently, his bad luck was not over yet.

All of a sudden, he felt a strong breeze behind his back, with a strong killing intent headed straight for the center of his back. Zhou Weiqing was also an experienced fighter, and though he was still in shock, his basic animal instincts were still working. In reflex, his right leg lashed out backwards, blocking his enemy’s attack. Alas, Zhou Weiqing suddenly felt his right leg kick onto something soft, and though he tried his best to draw back, it was after all his terrifyingly powerful Demonic Right Leg, and that enemy was kicked down off the stage.

Turning back to look, he saw Shen Yi. It was clear that she had seen her sister suffer and had leaped to the attack. Currently, perhaps from the kick, or from embarrassment, she was now unconscious on the ground.

“Yi Yi!”  Shen Bu, who had just clambered to her feet, saw Zhou Weiqing kick her sister down the stage, and she quickly flew down and held Shen Yi in her arms. Looking back at Zhou Weiqing, her gaze looked like she wanted to tear him apart. Zhou Weiqing spread his hands innocently, saying: “My Great Regiment Commander, I did not mean to do so! It was a reflex action… I subconsciously kicked out when she attacked me. I… didn’t know that you were the Regiment Commander, otherwise I wouldn’t have dared to fight against you! It was just
luck just now…”

At this point, he could only offer some feeble explanations. Alas, even to himself, those explanations were rather useless. Still, he had confidence that everything would be all right. After all, he had not actually broken any rules, as this was all part of the Duelling Corner process. Not recognizing the Regiment Commander wasn’t a crime right? Although he had indeed caused her to lose face, but he had not actually done anything wrong…

The more he thought about it, the more vexed Zhou Weiqing was, and he glared angrily down the stage. No wonder those fellows were so quiet… this Shen Bu was actually the Regiment Commander. Well, true enough, a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master definitely had the power to become one. Sigh… why didn’t I think of that earlier? Hindsight…

Shen Bu took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. Finally, she pointed to Zhou Weiqing and said: “Men, take him to the Regiment Headquarters. Today’s match, Zhou Little Fatty has won. I will personally award him with his new rank.”

Just like what Zhou Weiqing had thought, in front of all these soldiers, Shen Bu would never break the rules, otherwise her own dignity as a Regiment Commander would be lost.

As they exited the Duelling Corner, the sun was already low in the sky, and in the rays of the setting sun, Zhou Weiqing could clearly see Shen Bu’s angry eyes. He couldn’t help but feel nervous in his heart. How was she going to deal with them? Zhou Weiqing was not sure at all. Luckily, it was a Battalion Commander rank, she shouldn’t be able to make him an army cook or the likes right? Such a post would not have such a high rank… At such a moment, he could only pray and hope for the best. Of course, he would have to hope that her moral character was good, the best case scenario would be that she did not care about that loss of face and give him a good position. Alas, looking at her eyes, even Zhou Weiqing could not believe his hopes would come true.

Under the ‘escort’ of the ten Regiment Commander guards, Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er were brought to the Sixteenth Regiment camp site. Within the camp, it was clearly dinner preparation time, and wisps of smoke rose out everywhere, and they could faintly smell the delicious scent of cooking food. Zhou Weiqing had not eaten for almost a day, and his appetite was instantly stoked, wondering if he could get any food soon.

“Zhou Little Fatty, your luck is not bad! The moment you entered the army, you already beat up a Regiment Commander, you truly are talented indeed.” Shangguan Fei’er moved next to Zhou Weiqing and laughed at him softly.

Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: “Don’t forget that you’re joined with me now. If I get into trouble, you won’t be any better.”

Hearing the words ‘joined with me now’, Shangguan Fei’er blushed  and  muttered:  “Who’s  joined  with  you?”  However, after muttering, she did not continue teasing him.

The two were brought directly to the Sixteenth Regiment headquarters, and the ten personal guards stood at the doorway, clearly without the intention of letting them leave.

Zhou Weiqing stood right in the middle of the tent headquarters, examining the inside of the massive tent. The headquarters tent at the Regimental level were totally crafted out of cowskin leather, with the inner keel framework made out of a strong metal alloy, soft and sturdy. It was held in place all around by one-chi long metal pegs. The entire tent was about two hundred square metres large, a considerable size indeed. Right within, there was a large seat, layered with a white animal fair, seemingly bearskin or the sort.

Shangguan Fei’er nudged him and said: “What do we do now? That Regiment Commander will definitely not have a favourable impression of you. What do you think she will do to us?” Zhou Weiqing shook his head, saying: “I do not know as well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Alas, as the saying goes, only small-minded men and women are hard to deal with. If she happens to be of a petty character, let alone the Battalion Commander position, we might even be suppressed here. However, that isn’t a big problem… If we really cannot stay here… the entire north border is massive, we can just move on and join from another spot.”

Shangguan Fei’er giggled and said: “At least you are able to look on the bright side. Well, who asked you to overdo it just now. When we first came you were still talking about keeping a low profile, and the minute you stepped onto the stage, you totally forgot about what you said. If you just stayed as a Company Leader first, would you be in so much trouble? This is the result of being too anxious to get results.”

Zhou Weiqing scratched his head, looking at Shangguan Fei’er as he chuckled, saying: “This is the first time your words make so much sense.”

Shangguan Fei’er said angrily: “What do you mean?! Are you itching to be taught a lesson again? Don’t forget, you still owe me a fight!”

Zhou Weiqing gave a humph and said: “You don’t forget as well, you still owe me twenty strikes on the buttocks!”

“You…” Shangguan Fei’er was so angry that she started breathing heavily. All of a sudden, she turned around and said: “Hmph, hit me then, hit me then, lest you keep nagging about it.”

Looking at that pert little buttocks, Zhou Weiqing felt a rush of hot air fill his brain, and he said tentatively: “Then I’ll really hit?”

Shangguan Fei’er did not say anything, looking away in a huff.

Zhou Weiqing raised his hand, striking down with it towards Shangguan Fei’er’s buttocks as the wind whistled. He could sense her tensing tightly as soon as he did so.

*Pak* Despite the sound and speed his palm had been moving, the final hit was soft. When Zhou Weiqing’s hand landed on her buttocks, there was no pain, as if more a caress than a hit.

There was no pain like she expected, and Shangguan Fei’er relaxed her body, thinking to herself: At least this rascal has some conscience in him after all, he did not bear to really hit me.

For her, relaxing her body was one thing, but to Zhou Weiqing, it was a whole different experience. As his hand landed on Shangguan Fei’er’s shapely bottom, he could clearly feel that soft, smooth satiny velvet skin, blocked only by a few layers of clothing. The miraculous thing was that taut buttocks slowly relaxed, allowing him to feel the roundness, softness… Such a feeling, was like having a hand scratch an itch in his heart. Originally, the hand that should have lifted up could not bear to do so, and instead pinched down instead…

Shangguan Fei’er shuddered, staggering a step forward to escape those devil palms. “You…” Turning around abruptly, she stared at Zhou Weiqing. However, from her large watery eyes, Zhou Weiqing did not see any anger within.

“I only hit you once…” Zhou Weiqing quickly calmed himself down, hiding his embarrassment. After all, Shangguan Fei’er was his sister in law, how could he just touch her like that; he berated himself inwardly.

“You  terrible  scoundrel!”   Shangguan  Fei’er  finally  grew angry, charging forward and grabbing Zhou Weiqing’s right arm.

Zhou Weiqing did not resist; after all he was the one in the wrong; with his physique, he could let her assuage her anger by throwing him around a little.

However, the next instant, he did not sense himself flying about like usual. Instead, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand, and Shangguan Fei’er had actually bit down on his hand instead!

“Eerr… Are you a dog?!” Zhou Weiqing said in pain.

“Hmph! I wanted to bite you, so what!”  Shangguan Fei’er’s voice was forced out through gritted teeth.

Zhou  Weiqing  suddenly  laughed  out  loud.  “Fine,  bite  me then, bite me then. You can bite me even longer.” It was Shangguan Fei’er’s turn to start in surprise. Could it be that her bite was not painful? What kind of reaction was that? But… he was clearly in pain just now! Yet, why did he suddenly seem to happy instead.

Just as she was puzzling over the matter, she suddenly heard Zhou Weiqing say: “The word ‘bite’ has a lot of meaning to it. When it is together, it is bite, but if you split the word apart, from left to right, what is it?”

“Split apart left and right? Bite… split apart into two…”

Shangguan Fei’er immediately opened her mouth, releasing his hand. After a moment of dazed shock, her hidden beautiful face below her disguise flushed a deep red, though no one could witness it.

“Zhou Little Fatty… you bastard!”

*PENG*

As the saying goes, the suffering we bring on ourselves is the hardest to bear. As such, the one who ran off his mouth without thinking once again had an intimate contact with the cold hard floor.

“Heroine, please forgive me! I was just kindly reminding you of the power of words…”

“Softer  please…   my  arm  is  breaking…   I’m  wrong…   I’m wrong… please…”

After about fifteen minutes of torture, Shangguan Fei’er finally released Zhou Weiqing, turning her head around huffily and ignoring him, still flushing in a mix of anger and embarrassment. Whenever she thought about how that rascal said ‘bite me then, bite me then. You can bite me even longer’, she couldn’t help but feel an urge to kill him.

They had already been in the headquarters tent for quite a while, but the Regiment Commander Shen Bu still had not come yet, as if she had forgotten about them.

Zhou Weiqing’s stomach was growling in hunger, and he had no choice but to take out some dry rations and eat first to tide himself over. “Hey,  give  me  some,  how  can  you  just  by  yourself.” Shangguan Fei’er turned around to see Zhou Weiqing munching on his dry rations with gusto, and she couldn’t help but ask for some as well. After all, she had also not eaten for the whole day, and she did not have the habit of bringing food around with her, and all along she had gotten food from Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing gave a humph and said: “Weren’t you just too angry a while ago? Anger makes one full, why do you still need to eat?!” He had just been beaten up by Shangguan Fei’er, and his body was still aching; the ‘romantic feeling’ from his previous actions had long disappeared.

“Enough nonsense, are you giving me or not?”  Shangguan Fei’er glared at him angrily.

A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him. Without hesitation, Zhou Weiqing agreed, passing her some rations.

Even after the two of them had finished their simple meal, Shen Bu still had not arrived, causing them to wonder if she had actually really forgotten about them. “Still no one… what do we do?” Shangguan Fei’er asked Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing glanced at her and said: “Since we are already here,we might as well make the best of the situation. I’m going to cultivate; anyway we have a tent above our heads to block us from wind and rain, does it matter where we cultivate?”

As he said that, he sat right down in a cross-legged fashion, once again starting to cultivate that miraculous yet tragic Immortal Deity Technique. At the same time, he also started to think back on the fight between himself and Shen Bu.

Although he had won that fight, it had been a very close shave, and more so because of Shen Bu’s underestimation of him. Zhou Weiqing affirmed his resolve to spend some to continue training his various Skills once he had stabilized his position in the army, making full use of the three-thousand tempering training method. At least, he wanted to fully grasp the use of all his Skills. No matter how powerful a Skill was, if he was not able to use them well, he would never be able to maximise their potential. The Skills that he had used the three-thousand tempering method to train in were obviously much better in actual combat. As he thought about that, he slowly entered a meditation state, and the surrounding atmospheric Heavenly Energy started pouring into the sixteen energy whirlpools at an increased rate, slowly merging with his internal Heavenly Energy and strengthening his cultivation level.

After months of cultivating and experimenting, Zhou Weiqing had discovered that the Heavenly Energy Devoured from others, while much faster, was not too good for a stable foundation. Although in the process of Devouring, he would already cleanse and meld the Heavenly Energy, it was still clearly not a thick and stable as those he had cultivated by himself. As such, he decided that he would try to refrain from using the Devour Skill too much, and in between every time he used it, he would have to use the most basic cultivation to stabilize his own Heavenly Energy and build a proper foundation. Although his current cultivation level was only at the Four-Jeweled stage, he did not want to rush, especially at the expense of his future. He already had many Skills, sufficient for his usage, and the Immortal Deity Technique and Devour Skill to help in sustainability.

After all, he was not even eighteen years old yet, and he had so much time ahead of him. The most important thing for him was to take things step by step, to build a proper foundation for his future cultivation. Everything else aside, that Immortal Deity Technique of his would absolutely require him to have a strong, stable foundation… Zhou Weiqing did not want to die before his time due to an accidental implosion from that cultivation technique.

Having gone through the trials and tribulations of the entire Heavenly Jewel Tournament, as well as the tempering of his mind and soul due to what had happened to the Heavenly Bow Empire, Zhou Weiqing was much more mature now. He had raged, had been urgent, and cultivated in a frenzy… all of that had forced him to grow up.

Seeing Zhou Weiqing sit down cross legged, a quiet, peaceful look of concentration on his face, Shangguan Fei’er couldn’t help but stare blankly at him. This fellow, he was sometimes so hateful, yet he always had some interesting and extraordinary thoughts, different from everyone else… was Bing’er attracted to him because of this? Being alongside him, although his actions often made one angry, in truth she had never really been that offended deep in her heart. Every day spent on the road seemed much more substantial because of him. Bing’er… perhaps I am starting to feel envious of you… but just now… that scoundrel… actually dared stroke my buttocks… Hmph!

As such, the time passed… It was almost four hours from the time Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er had entered the headquarter tent that footsteps finally sounded from outside. Both of them had extraordinary senses, and they simultaneously broke out of their meditative state and opened their eyes, standing up.

Shen Bu entered the tent, her face in a cold mask. She was followed by a dozen of her personal guards, but she paused at the entrance of the tent, waved her hands for the guards to stay outside.

A Regiment Commander was in charge of a troop of ten thousand men, and if they were in the Heavenly Bow Empire, she would be considered one of the highest ranking in the entire army. Zhou Weiqing was subtly reminded of his own homeland, and couldn’t help but feel a sudden ache in his heart.

“You, go out.” Shen Bu pointed at Shangguan Fei’er.

Shangguan Fei’er had never been talked down to and commanded in such a way before, and she almost lost her temper then. Zhou Weiqing quickly pulled at her from behind, stopping her in her tracks, and he gave a soft slap on her pert buttocks once more. Shangguan Fei’er’s entire body weakened, the anger that had just rose up within her dissipated. Glaring at Zhou Weiqing, she turned to walk out, leaving Shen Bu and Zhou Weiqing alone in the huge tent.

Shen Bu walked to the seat at the center of the tent and sat down. At this moment, she had changed to a brilliant silver coloured ring mail, and her helmet was tipped with the yellow feather of a Regiment Commander.

In the ZhongTian Empire Army, a Company Leader’s helmet feather was red, while a Battalion Commander’s was orange, a Regiment Commander’s yellow, and a Legion Commander’s green. The force commander’s would be cyan, while the field marshal or overall commanding officer’s blue. The supreme commander of the Empire’s one would be purple in colour.

Just seated there, Shen Bu stared at Zhou Weiqing unerringly without speaking, but the cold in her gaze caused his entire body to feel the chills deep within.

This is a joke that only works for chinese characters naturally. Bite (咬 yao) when split into the two words forming it is ⼝交 (kou jiao), which is also slang for oral sex).

Chapter 123 Groom or Doom!

“Zhou Little Fatty, where are you from?” Shen Bu’s cold voice rang out.

Zhou Weiqing lowered his head, looking the part of an honest youth filled with a mix of profound respect, humility and trepidation. “I am from the ZhongTian City.” Of the entire ZhongTian Empire, he had after all only ever been to the ZhongTian City, and was relatively familiar with it. Since he had to pass off as a ZhongTian Empire citizen, he could only do so.

Shen Bu pursed her lips, saying: “So you’re from the capital! As a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, why did you come to the Duelling Corner to fight. Did you come to our Sixteenth Regiment to cause trouble?”  As she said that, she slammed down hard on the table beside her.

If not for the fact that both her and her sister had been bullied by this scoundrel, perhaps Shen Bu might have been fooled by that honest, pitiful look that Zhou Weiqing had on. Thinking about how this scoundrel had torn her sister’s clothing, and even sat down on herself, grabbing her throat in front of everyone, another wave of anger rose up within her. In the past few hours, she had been comforting her little sister.

Shen Bu and Shen Yi’s parents had passed away when they were extremely young, and they had been adopted by a powerful Heavenly Jewel Master who had brought them onto the road of cultivation. The two sisters were very close, as the only kin each other had, and they depended on each other. After finally successfully comforting her sister, Shen Bu had thought for a long time about this Zhou Little Fatty before coming to this tent. Of course, she was also taking a minor revenge on him by making him wait so long.

“Ahh, I’ve been wronged! Lord Commander, how could I possibly be here to cause trouble?! I want to join the army, to fight and kill our enemies!” Zhou Weiqing had a wronged look on his face. “When I passed through the Tian Bei City, I heard from the soldiers stationed there that we had this Duelling Corner in our army, and if I won there, I could become an officer. My family is an old noble family that has fallen terribly in bad times… After so much effort, I have finally cultivated to some results, and I am hoping to become an officer, to bring back honour to my family name. How could I go around causing trouble?” “I am totally not familiar with the Duelling Corner, and I only just followed and fought according to their arrangements. I also didn’t know you were the Regiment Commander! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have challenged you! I have never seen a Regiment Commander so beautiful like you… this was
definitely a misunderstanding. Furthermore, even though I won, that was through trickery and luck!”

Zhou Weiqing could be said to to have used all of his considerable talking skills to ingratiate himself with Shen Bu. He had no choice; after all he needed to spend the next few years under her command. Although he had said they could leave this place to join up with the army in any place, that was an option of the last resort. In any case, he had pride in his acting skills, and hopefully he would be able to get through this without any issues.

Sure enough, Zhou Weiqing’s had some effect, and Shen Bu’s expression eased up slightly, and she said passively: “Zhou Little Fatty, how old are you this year?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “Seventeen years old.”

“What!? You’re only seventeen years old?!”  Shen Bu looked at him in surprise, a flash of incredulity sparked in her eyes. Zhou Weiqing rubbed his face sheepishly and said: “I matured early, so I look older than I really am.”

Looking at him bemoaning his fate, Shen Bu almost burst out laughing, but she restrained herself, saying: “Are you really only seventeen years old?!”  No matter from appearance and figure, Zhou Weiqing looked about twenty three or twenty four years old. More importantly, a seventeen year old Low Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master was considered an absolute genius talent. Shen Bu was currently twenty eight years old, and with her six-Jeweled cultivation level, she was considered one of the top echelons of the younger generation in the army.

Zhou Weiqing nodded repeatedly, saying: “I’m really only seventeen! There’s no point in lying about my age right.”

Shen Bu reclined back on her chair, looking at him with interest as she said: “Just now, you said that I am very beautiful right?”

Zhou Weiqing quickly nodded, saying: “Of course, Lord Commander! Your dazzling beauty would make wild geese fly away and fish dive down for shame, even the flowers would wilt in shame and your very face outshines the moon. Even more so, as compared to those frail young beauties, you have valiant heroic air about you, every the part of the soldier yet in no way taking away from your beauty. Truly a phoenix in the human world!”

Shen Bu gave a humph and said: “Enough, enough. Stop with the incessant flattery, I can’t stand that. Alright, since you say I am so beautiful… what do you think about my sister? She is even more beautiful than I am right?”

In that point, Shen Bu was indeed not exaggerating. Although the two sisters looked very similar, Shen Yi looked gentler, younger and in the peak of her beauty.

“Your  sister  is  very  beautiful  as  well.”   This  time,  Zhou Weiqing showed some restraint in his words, as he was not sure what Shen Bu was trying to follow up to.

Shen Bu nodded and said: “Very good. In that case, I shall not beat around the bush. Your power is indeed very impressive; not only are you already a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master at your age, and your various Wind Attribute Skills are also pretty highly rated. I only recognize that Tornado Strike Skill and Fetters of Wind, and the other two are ones that I have not even heard of. Today, your performance in the Duelling Corner can be said to be perfect. According to the rules, you will definitely be awarded with the position of Battalion Commander. Even if I am a Regiment Commander, I cannot write that off just like that.”

Zhou Weiqing went along with it, revealing a look of happiness on his face. However, in his heart he sighing to himself, thinking: It looks like there will be a ‘But…” after this.

His expectations were indeed met.

“But… although your performance today was indeed dazzling, but it was at the cost of trampling over us two sisters, making us lose much face. More importantly, you actually purposely tore my sister’s clothing, ruining her honour and reputation. She is twenty three years old, and though she is already a Battalion Commander, she is still a naive young woman. Just now, the reason I was late is because I was stopping her from committing suicide. Losing face, that I can ignore, but I cannot ignore what you did to my sister, and you must give an accounting for that. There are only the two of us here, and I’m not afraid to tell you; in this Sixteenth Regiment, even if you are at the Battalion Commander level, it will not be tough for me to take care of you.”

Shen Bu’s words were threatening, and the cold light in her eyes grew stronger, the intense pressure from the stage once again appearing. Zhou Weiqing furrowed his brow, but he stopped the humble, abasing act. “So… Regiment Commander, what do you want then?”

Shen Bu held out two fingers, saying: “You have two choices: First one is, I can send you to the Ruffian Battalion to be their Battalion Commander, and you will never be able to return to the ordinary army formation, to grow old and die there. Hmm, it is likely you can’t even retire there. My teacher is the overall in charge of the northern armies, and as long as I tell you that you bullied Shen Yi, you can stay in the Ruffian Battalion forever.”

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily, thinking back to Green Wolf who he had fought earlier. Puzzled, he asked curiously: “Regiment Commander, what is this Ruffian Battalion?”

Shen Bu gave a cold smile as she said: “The Ruffian Battalion, as the name suggests, are a bunch of ruffians and scoundrels in the army. They are the worst dredges from various Regiments in the north, all the troublemakers, the filthy, and the useless scoundrels. The Ruffian Battalion I speak of is made up of those from within the northwest armies, besides us, the Fourth, Seventh and Eighth Regiments as well, about a thousand in total forming the Battalion. They are stationed closest to the border, with the three Legions behind them as a secondary guard. Once our enemies attack, the Ruffian Battalion is usually the first to meet the enemy. Usually, only those who have committed grievous faults or felonies will be sent there. They do not have sufficient weapons, with the worst tents and food, but facing the fiercest enemies. If you
really want to become the Battalion Commander there, I will not stop you.”

Zhou Weiqing asked tentatively, trying to sound things out: “These men of the Ruffian Battalion…  can they move about freely in the army camp?”

Shen Bu replied: “During times where there is no actual combat, ordinary soldiers are given a day off every week. However, the soldiers of the Ruffian Battalion are only given one day off every month, and they are also not allowed to leave the confines of the camp, otherwise they will be considered deserters and killed.”

Zhou Weiqing stared at her in shock and bewilderment. “That’s too ruthless! Ruffians are also human! Scoundrels also have human rights!”

Shen Bu gave a cold laugh: “Of course they do, but you’ll also have to see what crimes they have committed. You have also seen for yourself, our ZhongTian Empire Army does not restrict women from joining. Some of these bastards have committed serious indecent acts against other female soldiers; shouldn’t they be punished? Thieving, shirking, deserters, cheating about their achievements… These are some who are sent to the Ruffian Battalion. In truth, it is already a mercy for some of those to not be executed. In any case, my point is that the Ruffian Battalion is the filthiest, worst place in the entire army. The combined Legions have sent eleven Battalion Commanders in total there, and not a single one managed to stay for more than a month. Of them, many were powerhouses, yet in the end, six sustained heavy injuries, four light injuries.”

Zhou Weiqing asked: “What about the last one?”

The cold in Shen Bu’s eyes intensified. “The last one was said to have died from falling off his horse. However, that Battalion Commander was just like you, a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, so you can think about that. In any case, after that, the Ruffian Battalion has been without a Battalion Commander for years, even the Company Leaders within are all chosen from amongst them. There is another nickname for their Battalion, ‘The Battalion of Devils.’”

Zhou Weiqing thought about it for a moment, then said: “For those in the Ruffian Battalion, are they stuck there forever?” Shen Bu said passively: “If they can live to the retirement age of the army, the age of sixty, they will be allowed to retire and leave of course. Otherwise, they can only stay in the Ruffian Battalion. In fact, almost every few months, there will be a batch of soldiers sent to the Ruffian Battalion from the Legions, of those who have committed crimes. However, all these years, the Ruffian Battalion’s strength is almost always maintained around at a thousand men or so. The death rate in the Ruffian Battalion is definitely one of the highest in the entire north.”

Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but say: “Being treated like that, wouldn’t they just run away? Or even worse… defect to the enemy?”

Shen Bu laughed, looking at Zhou Weiqing like he had said something very stupid. “Where can they run off to? Between the two armies, there is almost a square kilometre of deserted land separating us. Besides some sparse grass, there is no vegetation or food. The Ruffian Battalion is only sent a sparing amount of food and water daily, only sufficient for their needs, so how could they possibly run? As for surrendering to the enemy, I can tell that you did not research much into our enemies. The WanShou Empire army does not take prisoners, because they do not need them! To the WanShou Empire, they lack food supplies severely, and that is the main reason they fight. Any food supplies will go to their people; they will never waste food on an enemy. In such a circumstance, I ask you, how could the members of the Ruffian Battalion run?” Zhou Weiqing revealed a look of panic on his face. Of course, he would not allow Shen Bu to know his innermost thoughts for real, and he said softly: “What is my second option then?”

Shen Bu was very satisfied with the look on Zhou Weiqing’s face. She believed that no one would be willing to go to a place like the Ruffian Battalion through their own choice. Even with her own six-Jeweled cultivation level, she did not think that she would be able to properly commandeer those ruffians within the Ruffian Battalion if she were the one in charge. “The second option is much simpler, and there is only gain for you without losses. Today, you have humiliated my sister, and the only way for me to keep her reputation is for you to marry her.”

“What?!”  Zhou Weiqing had guessed that she was going to force him to do something, but he had definitely not expected that this would be her request. From a certain perspective, that request was of benefit to him, and no loss… however, for Zhou Weiqing, could he really accept it?

Seeing Zhou Weiqing’s shocked, slightly troubled look, Shen Bu got angry. “Zhou Little Fatty! Do you think my sister isn’t good enough for you?! I have already stooped so low to compromise with you; with your looks do you think you are worthy of my sister? If not for the fact that you humiliated her, and your ability is decent, would I bring up marriage just like that? Don’t think it is that easy to marry her, this is just an engagement, I still need to observe you and make sure that you
have no problems before you can marry her.”

Seeing Shen Bu’s expression, a mix of anger and the superiority like she was giving out charity, Zhou Weiqing’s expression suddenly calmed down, his customary honest smile appearing on his face. “Regiment Commander, there is no need to go through so much trouble. I will not marry your sister, I already have my beloved. Since you have presented me with two options, I will chose the first one.”

“What did you say?!” Shen Bu exclaimed with a look of shock on her face. She could not understand how could Zhou Weiqing possibly chose such an option. She had already explained the Ruffian Battalion and its conditions to him, yet he would rather go to such a place than to marry her sister. Shen Bu’s expression turned ugly, overcast.

“Zhou Little Fatty, do you think that I was exaggerating about the conditions of the Ruffian Battalion? Let me tell you, I had actually already held back in my words. In that place, anything can happen, the most filthy acts imaginable. Yet, you are willing to go there instead of being with my sister?”

Zhou Weiqing sighed and said: “It’s not that I am not willing, but I am unable to marry her. I already have a beloved wife at home,  how  can  I  betray  her.”  These  words  were  said  very peacefully, expressionless, but Shen Bu could see the resolution in his eyes.

“You are only seventeen years old, and you are already married? Are you trying to brush me off with some excuse?” Shen Bu cried out angrily.

Zhou  Weiqing  shook  his  head  and  said:  “When  I  was thirteen, I met her. It was her who taught me how to cultivate, who brought me into the world of Heavenly Jewel Masters. It was her, who used her body to Awaken the power within me. It was her who let me learn what is the meaning of emotions, of love. I treasure every minute, every hour, every day that I spend with her, and she used her gentle affection to let me learn what it is like to be a real man.”

Shen Bu furrowed her brow and said: “Then why aren’t you with her now?” Zhou Weiqing said: “Yes, I am not with her now…  because she is from much higher, noble birth, and I am just from a broken noble family. How can I have the qualification to marry her? That is the reason why I have come to the north; I want to forge a name for myself, to prove to everyone that I have the power and right to marry her.”

Shen Bu looked at him coldly before saying: “You can continue making things up, do you think I’ll believe you? You’re sometimes so humble and abasing, sometimes so righteous and forthright; you must think that your acting skills are so great? Alas, that is useless in front of me. Fine, since you have chosen the Ruffian Battalion, I will do as you request. You can report there and try to survive there. Hmph, the humiliation that you have given to us sisters, if I do not retaliate, then I am not worthy of being the Regiment Commander of the Sixteenth Regiment. Even if you regret your decision, it is too late now… Guards!”

A few ferocious looking personal guards charged into the tent instantly. “Lord Commander?”

Shen Bu said solemnly: “Bring Zhou Little Fatty and his little follower to a tent to rest. Tomorrow morning, the transfer order will come to send them to the Ruffian Battalion.” Zhou Weiqing did not attempt to argue, turning to follow the guards out. In truth, as soon as he heard Shen Bu introduce that Ruffian Battalion, he immediately thought that perhaps that was the place that was most suitable for himself. Ruffians? Scoundrels? Wasn’t he one himself? He was extremely confident in his own power and abilities.

As Zhou Weiqing was pondering what he could do when he was sent to the Ruffian Battalion, both he and Shangguan Fei’er were sent to their temporary tent. It was a solo tent; of course that ‘solo’ referred to both of them together.

The tent was quite small, and they could not even stand up straight inside. Especially with Zhou Weiqing’s height and size, even seated down was almost a problem, and they could barely lie down side by side next to each other.

When Shangguan Fei’er saw the tent, she flushed deeply. Of course, since she was wearing a mask, no one could see her red face.

“What? We have to stay here? Isn’t there any other place to stay?”  Shangguan Fei’er asked the guards who had led them here urgently. One of the personal guards pursed his lips and said: “After offending the Regiment Commander, it is already great to have a place to sleep. Anyway, you both will be heading to the Ruffian Battalion tomorrow, having a nice peaceful sleep tonight is likely your last chance for a while, so you better appreciate it. Oh right, I must inform you that the Regiment Commander has given instruction that you two will not have dinner.”

After saying that, the guards turned to leave. Shangguan Fei’er was rather angry, but she had nowhere to vent it. Turning to look at Zhou Weiqing, she realised that he was just standing there in deep thought, as if not caring about what was in front of them, or perhaps not even seeing it.

“Oei, Earth to Zhou Little Fatty! We only have this tliny little tent, how are we going to sleep?” Shangguan Fei’er lifted her leg and gave him a soft kick to rouse him.

Only then did Zhou Weiqing rouse from his reverie, and as he spotted the small, short tent in front of them, he was speechless. Muttering to himself, he said: “Isn’t this forcing me to commit a mistake?”

“What  did  you  say?!”   Shangguan  Fei’er  glared  at  him furiously. Zhou Weiqing hastily changed his words, saying: “I mean… You sleep inside tonight, and I’ll stay outside for the night and stand guard.”

Shangguan Fei’er heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. If Zhou Weiqing had insisted on staying together with her that night, she did not know whether or not she would agree. Even if nothing happened, as a girl, sleeping together with a man in such a small tent… how could that be?

“That’s more like it. In that case, I’m heading in to rest.” Shangguan Fei’er pulled on the tent flap, preparing to hide inside. As she did so, she did not forget to threaten Zhou Weiqing: “My senses are extremely acute, if you dare attempt to come into the tent at night… Hmph hmph, be careful I’ll cut it off!”

After saying that, she turned to walk into the tent.

“Wait a while!” Zhou Weiqing grabbed onto her.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Because of her own wild thoughts, Shangguan Fei’er was not in a great state, thinking too much. Being grabbed by Zhou Weiqing suddenly, it was as if she was a startled little bird, and she quickly broke free, jumping a few yards away as she glared at Zhou Weiqing warily.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head helplessly before stretching into the tent. Loud rustling sounds came from within, and a bunch of stinking blankets had been grabbed by him and thrown out to the side. After that, he hitched up the tent flap, extending his hands within and circulated out a stream of Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy, forcing the air to rush around, bringing out the stench from within the tent. Before long, the stale, smelly air within had cleared.

Only then did Zhou Weiqing squat down and squirm inside the tent. From within his Spatial Ring, he took out a fresh set of blankets, lining a bedding within the tent. He only arranged one set, and after doing so, he came out once more, giving Shangguan Fei’er an inviting gesture to go in.

As Zhou Weiqing did all of that, Shangguan Fei’er stood at the side, watching him. As she saw all that he had done, a warmth entered her heart.

Since before the three sisters could remember anything, Tang Xian had brought Shangguan Bing’er and left. Shangguan Fei’er and Shangguan Xue’er had grown up without knowing a mother’s love. As for their father Shangguan Tianyue, even though he loved them, as the Second Palace Master of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, not only did he have to focus on his cultivation level, he also had to deal with matters of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace. As such, the two sisters were pretty much brought up by servants.

How could the feeling of being brought up by servants be compared to being brought up by one’s parents?! That was definitely no comparison at all. Even though she had spent her life in such a grand setting, the top of the Great Saint Lands, the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, Shangguan Fei’er had never felt such warmth in her heart as today.

Shangguan Xue’er and Shangguan Fei’er were so dissimilar; one cold, one mischievous. However, their hearts were both filled with cold from a childhood without the love of their mother.

To any outsiders, what Zhou Weiqing had just done was something simple, even normal. However, that simple, honest show of concern was of a great impact to Shangguan Fei’er, causing her eyes to redden.

“Set up another bedroll.” Shangguan Fei’er said softly. “Ahh?” Zhou Weiqing lifted his head to look at her, rather stunned.

Shangguan Fei’er turned her head around. Luckily, her face was covered by the mask, otherwise Zhou Weiqing could have seen the deep red of her face.

“The weather in the north is extremely cold, and there is a strong wind this night. I don’t want you to be frozen to death, otherwise how am I going to answer to Bing’er when I get back? Anyway, we are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, we can just cultivate through the night. Although the tent isn’t big, it is sufficient for both of us to sit there to cultivate.”

Alas for Zhou Weiqing, his mind was currently full of the Ruffian Battalion and his future plans when he entered it. At that moment, he did not notice Shangguan Fei’er’s expressions or her uncharacteristic feminine actions. Making a sound of agreement, he set up another bedroll in the tent, before taking off his shoes and heading in to sit in a stately fashion, without any hesitation at all. Shangguan Fei’er flushed slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, she bit her lip and entered the tent as well. Sitting down opposite of Zhou Weiqing cross legged, she started cultivating; but making sure she kept as far as possible.

The inside of the tent had been cleaned and aired by Zhou Weiqing, and though it was small, it was relatively clean and comfortable. However, with just the two of them in such a small area, they could even hear each other’s heartbeats. Shangguan Fei’er felt a light burning sensation on her face.

Carefully peeling off the mask, starting from the neck area, Shangguan Fei’er finally revealed her own original face, showing the slightly blushing beauty below.

Alas, the current Zhou Weiqing did not manage to witness that beautiful sight. He was seated cross-legged in a meditation state, cultivating his Immortal Deity Technique while pondering about the Ruffian Battalion.

From Shen Bu’s description, the Ruffian Battalion was undoubtedly the best place for him to start. That was because it was very separate from the normal command structure, and would not be given much orders, perhaps not even considered part of the army in the others’ eyes. Furthermore, for those soldiers to be sent to the Ruffian Battalion, they should definitely have some power. After all, it was not easy to survive as a ruffian or scoundrel.

Of course, just like what Shen Bu had said, this Ruffian Battalion was not so easily controlled, and he had to plan for the worst.

Mu En had once taught Zhou Weiqing that no matter what happened, he had to think of all the worst case scenarios. If he felt that the first case scenario was barely acceptable, or survivable, then he should go ahead with it daringly. If not, he would have to consider again.

Entering the Ruffian Battalion, the worst case scenario for him should be being chased out. Zhou Weiqing dismissed the possibility of being killed there; besides his confidence in his own power, he also had the two Icy Soul Heavenly Bears with him and the Silver Emperor Little Red Bean with him. That was not even counting Shangguan Fei’er together with him. Zhou Weiqing was confident that protecting themselves would not be an issue at all.

Shangguan Fei’er looked at Zhou Weiqing quietly. That rascal actually started cultivating without looking at her. Was he shy or something? Hmph! If that rascal could be shy, there would not  be  any  shy  people  in  the  entire  world!  “Hmph!  That scoundrel!” She muttered to herself softly.

Before entering the tent, she was still worried that Zhou Weiqing might try to do something untoward to her. However, seeing him so well behaved, she suddenly felt a slight sense of disappointment. This was truly the paradox of a woman, under some unique circumstances, they would have such a strange feeling.

This night would prove to be a very well behaved night for Zhou Weiqing, and he cultivated through the whole night, until the sun had come up outside.

The tent’s ‘protection’ against the sun rays were nothing to brag about. As soon as the morning came, the tent was bright and hot as well.

The instant that Zhou Weiqing opened his eyes, he felt himself fall into a dazed trance. Just right in front of him was that unbelievably familiar face that he had longed for so much, causing his eyes to freeze on them. The light passing through the tent landed on her face, a gentle glow that accentuated that familiar countenance! Zhou Weiqing’s heart heated up, and he subconsciously leaned forward closing in on those beautiful lips.

The closed eyes suddenly opened wide, blurry with sleep. However, when she saw that large face right in front of her, she instantly exclaimed in surprise, her body moving back and legs sweeping forth subconsciously.

The leg struck out at Zhou Weiqing’s chest, and lost in the midst of his tender feelings, how could he have any preparation. With a tearing sound, he was sent flying out of the tent, breaking through the thin tent.

*Swoosh* Shangguan Fei’er charged out after him. That earlier kick had not been a soft blow, but it did not have any Heavenly Energy imbued.

“Zhou Little Fatty! What were you trying to do!?” Shangguan Fei’er glared at him angrily, as he clambered up from the ground, rubbing his chest.

Zhou Weiqing smiled bitterly and said: “Uhhh… mistaken identity… I did not mean it.” Mistaken identity? Originally, Shangguan Fei’er was not that angry; after all she had not yet been kissed by him. Even if he actually did… well… it was not like it was the first time already… Alas, when Zhou Weiqing said the words ‘mistaken identity’, it was like igniting a barrel of gunpowder.

Like a riled up little female tiger, Shangguan Fei’er pounced at him ferociously. “Scoundrel! Bastard! I’ll mistaken identity you…!”

The sounds of our dear Little Fatty meeting the ground rang out, yet he did not dare cry out loud. At this moment, Shangguan Fei’er was not in disguise, and he did not want to draw attention; if anyone saw them like this, their entire act would be ruined.

However, after persevering for a while, Zhou Weiqing could not take it anymore. Although Shangguan Fei’er did not use Heavenly Energy, in her anger, she was still quite savage, throwing him around until he was dazed.

“Enough! Are you mad?! It’s just a mistake, I already said it was mistaken identity!”

*PENG* “I’ll let you continue mistaking the wrong person!” “Heroine… have mercy… enough already!”

*PENG*

*PENG**PENG*

“Hmph! If a tiger doesn’t show his power, you’ll think I’m a mere sick cat!”  Zhou Weiqing couldn’t take it anymore and yelled out.

Absolute Delay, Fetters of Wind, Touch of Darkness and the Lightning Suffering Skills. All four landed almost simultaneously on Shangguan Fei’er.

In her anger, Shangguan Fei’er had totally forgotten that this was not the usual practice fight between her and Zhou Weiqing, where both were not allowed to use their Stored Skills. Although her cultivation level and power was much higher than Zhou Weiqing, caught by surprise, she was struck full on by Zhou Weiqing’s four powerful Skills, and her body froze in place.

Seizing the chance, Zhou Weiqing grabbed hold of her, his left hand pushing down on the back of her neck, locking her in place. He then pushed her down to his legs, striking down with a palm to her pert buttocks.

“Hmph! I’ll show you, hitting me for no reason, this is what you owe me, I’ll collect my debt right now myself!”

At first, Shangguan Fei’er attempted to struggle. However, the vertebrae was main control center of the body, and once restricted, she was not able to use any strength. After a few slaps, she stopped struggling, lying down across Zhou Weiqing’s lap

Actually, only Zhou Weiqing’s first three blows actually used some strength, and as the blows continued, they grew softer and softer. Towards beautiful ladies, his ‘resistance’ had always been extremely low, let alone this being Shangguan Fei’er, how could he possibly strike her hard for real.

After about a dozen slaps, Shangguan Fei’er’s body was trembling slightly. Zhou Weiqing started, his hand frozen in the air, as he heard her sobbing cries.

“Uhhm… why are you crying like this. You threw me around and punched me, I still didn’t cry…” Zhou Weiqing looked embarrassedly at Shangguan Fei’er, at a loss at what to do. He quickly released the hand on her vertebra holding her down.

“Bastard…  you bastard.”  Shangguan Fei’er got up abruptly, kicking him down before running back into the tent.

Zhou Weiqing scratched his head, muttering to himself: “Wasn’t I the one who got beaten up more?! This Heaven’s Expanse Palace Little Demon Girl truly lives up to her name. What was that about?”

Just as Zhou Weiqing was about to return to the tent as well, a troop of soldiers walked over. They were Shen Bu’s personal guards.

The one right in the front was holding a set of armour, with the helmet on top with a red feather. The guard behind him was holding several sets of army uniforms as well as commander’s seals, plaques and the like.

Seeing them, Zhou Weiqing did not return to the tent, instead standing there awaiting their arrival. The leading guard yesterday, who he had already seen yesterday, handed the armour to Zhou Weiqing before saying with  a  slight  mocking  lilt  in  his  voice:  “Congratulations, Battalion Commander Zhou. Today, you have been assigned as the Battalion Commander for the Ruffian Battalion. This are the uniforms for you and your follower, as well as the equipment for Battalion Commanders. Please change now, and we will escort you to the Ruffian Battalion.”

What escort… this was clearly monitoring and supervising… to ensure he was sent to the Ruffian Battalion.

Still, Zhou Weiqing did not burst their bubble. Smiling faintly, he picked up a few sets of army uniforms, throwing one into the tent for Shangguan Fei’er. As for himself, he just changed into a set out in the open, before wearing his armour. His stature was massive, and wearing that armour with the red feather in his helmet, he looked valiant and inspiring indeed.

Besides the armour, there was a longsword and a plaque made out of an unknown metal. On the plaque were the words ‘Unique Battalion 1’, this was likely the actual formation name of the Ruffian Battalion.

Zhou Weiqing took the Commander’s Plaque and sheathed his sword. In his heart, he felt a twinge, a strange feeling. Battalion Commander. How things had changed so quickly. He was actually a Battalion Commander now, in charge of a thousand men!

Shangguan Fei’er came out of the tent, once again masked and disguised. Her figure was much more slender than Zhou Weiqing’s, and her equipment was much simpler as well. An army uniform over a light leather armor, and a plain knife.

There were twenty of those personal guards in total, and they moved out very naturally in a formation around the two of them. The leader of the guards said: “Battalion Commander Zhou, the horses have already been prepared outside the main gates. Please, let’s head out.”

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “At least let us have breakfast before leaving right?”

The guard said: “I’m sorry, as Battalion Commander is no longer part of our Sixteenth Regiment, we did not prepare your breakfasts.”

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “Very well, let’s go then.” He pulled Shangguan Fei’er away, who was clearly about to lose her temper. Under the ‘escort’ of the twenty guards, they moved out.

Right outside the Sixteenth Regiment, twenty two fine horses had already been prepared. After all, it was quite some distance between here to the Ruffian Battalion on the front lines.

Mounting the horses, the entire party started moving out in a cloud of dust, and before long they were galloping towards the north.

The two sisters, Shen Bu and Shen Yi, were already dressed in their formal armour, standing at the main gates, watching Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er leave. Shen Yi’s brow was slightly furrowed, and she said softly: “Sis, are we going too far in doing this? After all, that Zhou Little Fatty is really strong, a talent indeed!”

Shen Bu gave a cold humph and said: “So what if he is a talent? A talent who cannot listen to orders, what use is he in the army? Let him stew in the Ruffian Battalion for a short while; it shouldn’t take long for him to run back to beg me. At that time, hmph hmph.” Thinking about that Zhou Little Fatty’s hateful actions yesterday, she couldn’t help but feel the anger rise up in her again.

Chapter 124 Ruffian Battalion, Battalion Commander!

Riding upon a huge horse, dressed in full armour, Zhou Weiqing had a peaceful look on his face as they galloped along. He even took out a dry biscuit from his Spatial Ring and started eating, but when he tried to give one to Shangguan Fei’er, she rejected it huffily. However, it wasn’t because she was still angry at him earlier, but because Shangguan Fei’er felt he was being too soft. These guards were treating him like that, mockingly, and he was still able to endure it. That was not something she liked.

These personal guards of Shen Bu were all hand picked from the regiment, truly the elite of them all. Although they weren’t all Heavenly Jewel Masters, they were mostly Physical Jewel Masters, just that their cultivation levels weren’t too high. If this was the Heavenly Bow Empire, they would absolutely be high ranking officers.

Twenty two fine horses galloping along, and it still took more than two hours before the camp entered their sight.

Doing a quick calculation inwardly, Zhou Weiqing estimated that they had traveled at least three hundred li. If this army camp in front of them was indeed the Ruffian Battalion, they were truly isolated.

However, the Ruffian Battalion was at least not situated on the open plains; after all not far north from here would already be the exact border of the ZhongTian and WanShou Empire. The surrounding were all rolling hills and peaks, not exactly the tallest ones, but enough to make the terrain rather complicated.

Zhou Weiqing could clearly see that the entire camp of the Ruffian Battalion was mostly along one of the hills, thus being very visible even from a far distance. The tents were messy and haphazardly placed, mostly dirty, tattered and torn, and there wasn’t even a single army flag in sight. Although the little hill was still relatively full of grass and vegetation, no matter how one looked at it, the camp made the entire place look bleak and chilly, almost desolate.

“HALT!” Just as they were closing in on the camp, about five hundred metres from it, a sudden shout broke the still silence. The next instant, about a dozen men jumped out from beyond some rocks, blocking the party’s road.

Are these really soldiers?! On first sight of them, Zhou Weiqing started. None of these soldiers were properly dressed, or even clean, with their army uniforms in shambles, some not even complete. In fact, most of their uniforms were tattered and torn in places, and the few that were uglily patched up were actually considered the best of the lot. As for leather armour, chainmail or ringmail, none of them even had the slightest hint of protective gear. In fact, the only proper equipment between the dozen were the three weapons that three of them had, all long spears. As for the rest, they only had some wooden poles.

However, in comparison to their terrible equipment, they all looked strong and ferocious indeed, aged between twenty five to thirty five, all tall large and stout. Due to their tattered clothing, their bronzed tough muscles were on display, and coupled with the harsh and intractable looks on their faces, it would be more accurate to describe them as brigands than soldiers, or even violent bandits.

The leader of the guards lashed out with his whip in mid air, a loud cracking sound breaking the silence. “What halt?! You scoundrels and ruffians, look at yourselves, you look like beggars! Having been sent to this place, you still haven’t learned to be more honest? We are the personal guards of the Sixteenth Regiment Regiment Commander Shen Bu, and we are here to escort your new Battalion Commander to you. Here, this is Battalion Commander Zhou. Hurry up and greet him.” Seated upon his tall, magnificent steed, this leader of the guards looked down upon the Ruffian Battalion soldiers with a lofty, superior feeling. All of the personal guards were dressed in fine armour, with critical areas lined with titanium alloy, well geared with long sabres, longbows and various weaponry. Even their steeds were protected with in critical positions with leather armour. They could be said to be truly armed to the teeth, and it showed in stark contrast to these Ruffian Battalion soldiers, one heaven, one earth.

Zhou Weiqing did not make any sound, silently watching the Ruffian Battalion soldiers to see what they would do.

The leader of the dozen or so Ruffian Battalion soldiers gave a loud shout, and before long, head after head popped out of nowhere. In a matter of moments, almost a hundred men had appeared, equally terribly equipped, but also with the ferocious well built look that they all shared, with a hint of a bloodthirsty aura. However, just the look of them struck fear in the hearts of the twenty guards. After all, to be sent here, these ruffian soldiers were not good or kind hearted people!

“Coming to our Ruffian Battalion to show off? That’s a mistake! What bullshit Battalion Commander, bring him back to where you found him. We are a bunch of short lived people who have long since been abandoned, we don’t need anyone to lead us. I’ll give you all a minute, if you do not get lost, I don’t mind letting you all have an ‘accident’.”

The one who spoke was a huge, muscled man whose skin was baked almost black by the sun. He stood high atop the hill, his top bare. Under the heavy rays of the sun, his terrifying muscles gleamed, almost drawing attention from the massive spiked club in his right hand, almost eight chi in length. His eyes had a hint of bloodshot in them, glittering with a ferocious cruelty like that of a wolf.

Although they only numbered twenty, these personal guards were skilled and well geared. If they were to face any hundred ordinary soldiers without proper gear, they would have been charged forth scornfully and without fear to teach them a lesson. However, they did not know exactly why, but these hundred or so men in front of them had a blood tinged aura that gave them pause, stopping them from any arrogant actions.

The leader of the personal guard said solemnly: “Escorting your new Battalion Commander here is under the order of the entire northern command, and we are just following orders. We have already escorted him here, and what you all do is none of our business anymore. We will take our leave now.” After saying that, he turned his horse around, about to lead his men away. Facing these Ruffian Battalion soldiers who clearly had nothing left to lose, he did not want to stay a second longer.

“I’m afraid that leaving like that is not going to be possible.” Right at that moment, a lazy voice rang out, drawing attention from everyone.

The one who had just spoke was naturally Zhou Weiqing, mounted high on his horse and dressed in his Battalion Commander armour.

“Is there anything, Battalion Commander Zhou? I’m afraid it is already too late, you should just stay here honestly.”  The leader of the personal guard thought that Zhou Weiqing was afraid, and he said with a look of disdain on his face. Naturally, without any orders, he would not bring Zhou Weiqing back.

Zhou Weiqing blinked and said: “Afraid? What do I have to be afraid of? What I meant was… you all are a nice greeting present that I have brought to my fellow Battalion comrades and brothers! If you just leave like that, that would not be good at all! Look at all the nice, gleaming gear that you all are wearing, and look at what my brothers are wearing? Heh… whatever you can leave behind, just leave it behind now.” As he said that, he launched himself right from the back of his horse, flying towards the leader of the personal guard.

In shock, the leader cried out: “Battalion Commander Zhou, what are you doing?!”

Zhou Weiqing grinned widely, revealing a row of gleaming white  teeth.  “When  you  return  to  camp,  remember  to  tell Regiment Commander Shen Bu… Your Father, I, have never been a good person… I am originally also a ruffian!” As he said that, his hand struck down on the leader of the guards.

For this man to become the leader of Shen Bu’s personal guards, he naturally had his own power and talents. Instantly, a thick Heavenly Energy burst forth from him, and he actually released out Four Heavenly Jewels. He too was a Heavenly Jewel Master!

Alas, the one who attacked him was Zhou Weiqing, who was pretty much invincible amongst those of equal level. Zhou Weiqing did not even look at what his Attributes were, and in a green flash, the Fetters of Wind had already landed upon him, restricting his movements. Although this leader of the personal guard was also at the Four Jeweled cultivation level, he had to face the same problem as most other Heavenly Jewel Masters did. Consolidating Equipment, Skill Storing… that was of immense difficulty. Although he had actually already Stored Skills and
Consolidated Equipment, how could he possible compare with Zhou Weiqing? Facing the highly rated Fetters of Wind, he did not even have time to react, and Zhou Weiqing’s palm had already slapped down savagely on his face. With Zhou Weiqing’s strength, he was sent flying off the horse, knocked unconscious by the single blow.

“Hmph, Your Father, I, have been aching to teach you a lesson since the beginning. If not for the fact I needed to bring all your equipment over, do you think I’d have tolerated you for so long?! Tcheh!” Zhou Weiqing spat down scornfully.

Such an abrupt turn of events caused all the guards to stare in shock. They had never expected that Zhou Weiqing would actually dare to take action against them.

“Zhou Little Fatty, aren’t you afraid of being court martialled?”

“Court martial your head! Your Father, I, have already been sent here, who gives a damn about the army law! Fei’er, what are you waiting for, take action!”

As he said that, Zhou Weiqing leaped up, like a bolt of lightning. Even if he only used his Wind Attribute Skills, these guards were totally no match for him. The speed of the Silver Emperor Lightning Pierce, and the sheer destructive might of the Silver Emperor Wing Slash was too much for these ordinary guards. Add to that Shangguan Fei’er, who was like a literal ghost slicing through the battlefield, it was moments before all twenty guards were down on the ground.

Luckily, the two of them were not bloodthirsty, and they only knocked the guards unconscious, and not killing them. Of course, some injuries sustained was inevitable.

Dusting his hands against each other, as if he had done something insignificant, Zhou Weiqing landed back down on the ground.

The surrounding was dead silent. From the time that they had taken action, the Ruffian Battalion soldiers had not moved at all, standing there watching them coldly, without a hint of wanting to join in. Looking at the ferocious, blood tinged soldiers, Zhou Weiqing nodded his head in satisfaction, saying: “Not bad at all, looks like I have come to the right place.” As he said that, he reached into his clothes and pulled out the plaque that he had received in the morning.

“Everyone,  look  clearly,  this  is  my  Battalion  Commander Plaque. I have been sent by the northern command. From today onwards, I am the Battalion Commander of the Unique Battalion One, your commander. My name is Zhou Little Fatty, and you can address me as you wish. Well, what are you all waiting for?! These twenty two horses are ours from now on. En… their armour, clothes, helmet, weapons, don’t waste anything. Hurry up. Oh wait, although we are the Ruffian Battalion, we still need to give the Sixteenth Regiment a bit of face. Leave them with their underpants…” Hearing Zhou Weiqing’s words, all the Ruffian Battalion soldiers were stunned. All these years, the Ruffian Battalion had gone through many Battalion Commanders, but none of them had actually managed to stay. In fact, like what Shen Bu had said, one had even lost his life here. Yet, out of all of those Commanders, not a single one had even come close to being like Zhou Weiqing.

Although these Ruffian Battalion soldiers were arrogant ruffians, none of them had ever dared to actually attack fellow soldiers on duty. After all, the entire northern army was the elite of the Empire. As part of the Ruffian Battalion, they were already considered criminals. If they further angered the army head, it might actually bring death to them. After all, before being sent to the Ruffian Battalion, their names were already removed from the roster of the normal army.

That massive brawny soldier who was built like a black tower jumped down from the perch he was on, shouldering his spiked club as he walked towards Zhou Weiqing. “Zhou Little Fatty right? Don’t you know that by doing what you just did, you are just going to get us all killed? Since these personal guards are from the Sixteenth Regiment, even if we mugged them for all their gear, do you think that the Sixteenth Regiment won’t sent more to get them back? We are isolated here, and even if we were all killed off, no one would know… or care.”

The rest of the Ruffian Battalion soldiers also came closer behind the brawny soldier, surrounding Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er in a tight circle.

Zhou Weiqing swept his gaze across all of them, a disdainful look in his eyes. “No wonder all these years you all can only stay here, living a life without proper shelter, clothes and food. Hmph, and you still call yourself the Ruffian Battalion… with such a pathetic courage, how can you call yourself ruffians?”

“Little  brat,  are  you  asking  to  die?!”   The  black  brawny soldier yelled angrily, grabbing the spiked club and lifting it up.

Right at that moment, the Ruffian Battalion soldiers were greatly surprised by what happened next.

Zhou Weiqing shrugged his body in a single motion, and stripped the armour off his body, throwing his helmet to the side, along with bracers and greaves. Soon after, his army uniform top followed, and Zhou Weiqing was soon in the same state as the black brawny fellow, with his top naked.

In terms of size, even Zhou Weiqing was smaller than the massive soldier, but his muscles were well defined and well lined in their own right.

Shangguan Fei’er gave a light humph, turning around, though her face hidden behind the mask was blushing slightly.

“What are you doing? Are you trying to sell your body? Although we are all exiled here, we do not have any interest in men.” The black brawny fellow said coldly.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head, saying: “From your words earlier, you all should be afraid of death right? That’s fine, as long as we are human, we would all be afraid of death. I’m no different, I’m especially afraid of dying. However, the way I see it is that there is no point to talking to you all, no words can compare to action. Since you are afraid of revenge from the Sixteenth Regiment, let me tell you now, from this moment on, if you do not obey my commands, just myself alone, I can make the entire Ruffian Battalion vanish from this world.” “Hahahahaha.” The black brawny fellow burst out laughing heartily. “Do you really think that just because you knocked out twenty guards, that you can act like that in our Ruffian Battalion? Make us vanish from this world? Aren’t you afraid of spraining your tongue by bragging too much? Hahaha.”

The black brawny fellow’s powerful voice suddenly stopped, as he was shocked to see Zhou Weiqing’s eyes abruptly turn red. Fresh Blood. Blood Red.

An incomparable violent aura burst forth from Zhou Weiqing, and his muscles expanded abruptly as the black tiger tattoos appeared like flowing water around his body. If one were to liken the aura of the Ruffian Battalion soldiers to be violent, then Zhou Weiqing’s current aura was bloodthirsty, full of killing intent.

*Swoosh* Without warning, Zhou Weiqing’s right leg lifted up in a sudden motion, and everyone could see the changes in his leg. The next moment, his right leg smashed down like an axe, striking the ground savagely.

Shangguan Fei’er understood Zhou Weiqing’s strength, and she quickly jumped back a metre. *BOOOOM*

It was as if the earth was struck by a ten thousand jin heavy hammer, and an earsplitting explosion ensued. Those closest to Zhou Weiqing felt as if their heads were dazed as an immense shockwave reverberated out from the ground, spreading out.

A hundred men. All of them fell, just like a flower blooming in the summer as its petals spread, as they were knocked down by the shockwave. On the ground, crack after crack appeared, spreading outwards in a pattern like that of a turtle shell, reaching almost a hundred metres far and wide.

The echo from the explosion continued for a while, as Zhou Weiqing’s large hand moved forward like a huge tiger’s paw. No one had seen him move clearly, and the black brawny fellow’s spiked club was already in Zhou Weiqing’s hand.

Just like that, Zhou Weiqing raised the spiked club and smashed it downward on his own body. A screeching sound of metal clashing sounded out, and they were all shocked to see that the spike on his massive club actually broke off and almost disintegrated.
 Casually tossing the club downwards, there was a sickly thud, and the huge club actually vanished, leaving only a black hole in the ground.

Let alone the Ruffian Battalion soldiers, even the twenty two warhorses were toppled off their feet by Zhou Weiqing’s blow on the ground, lying down on the ground shivering. Just that leg alone caused all of them to have looks of shock and disbelief on their faces.

The evil looking blood orbs swept across all of them, finally resting again on the black soldier. “What is your name?”

The black soldier swallowed hard. “Are you really human?”

A flash before their eyes, and the next moment, his entire body had been lifted up by Zhou Weiqing above the ground. “I am the one asking the questions. What is your name?”

“Everyone calls me Black Bear or Big Bear. My real name is Xiong Guangming.” Being a ruffian did not mean they were suicidal, and all of them were afraid of death as well, especially dying for no reason. More so when facing Zhou Weiqing in his Demonic Change State, which gave them all an overwhelming feeling like they could not resist against him. Under such a circumstance, it would be asking for death to be defiant.

Zhou Weiqing nodded and placed him back on the ground, saying: “Very good. Alright, no matter what you all plan to do against me, I’ll accept all challenges and comers. For now, obey my orders. Collect our spoils and lead me back to camp.”

“All of you get up, are you all going to continue playing dead? Hurry up and listen to our Battalion Commander’s words.” Without hesitation, Big Bear gave the order, the look on his face had turned respectful. Going up against absolute strength for no reason was just being foolish, and he did not want to die. As for how much of that respect was real, that was not part of Zhou Weiqing’s consideration. What he needed to do now was to solidify his position as their Battalion Commander first. As for how he would eventually bring the entire Battalion under control, he had many options to do so. After all, he had been taught by the God Eye Scoundrel! Ordinary army officers might not be able to handle the Ruffian Squadron, but he was confident it would not be a problem for him, as his own thinking and actions were often much closer in nature to these ruffians.

In a matter of moments, the twenty personal guards from the Sixteenth Regiment were stripped of everything. Clothes, armour, weapons. Leading the horses by their reins, Big Bear and the hundred Ruffian Battalion soldiers gathered around Zhou Weiqing, and the entire troupe headed towards the camp in a mighty formation.

Zhou Weiqing dismissed the Demonic Change State, but he did not put his clothes back on. Just like that, bare-torsoed, he walked with Shangguan Fei’er to the head of the troupe.

Xiong Guangming said: “Battalion Commander, you can go to my tent to rest first. It has been a long time since we had a Battalion Commander, so we do not have a specialised tent for one.”

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “Alright, I’ll use your tent first. You should be one of the Company Leaders of our Battalion right? Go and gather all the other Company Leaders, and let them know what happened. As for any retaliation from the Sixteenth Regiment, I will deal with it, all of you need not worry. Since I am now the Ruffian Battalion Battalion Commander, I will deal with any problems that come. I have my reasons for daring to do something like that.”

“Yes, yes, Battalion Commander Zhou is wise indeed.” For a man of such stature like Xiong Guangming to have such a deferential and respectful look, it was almost amusing. However, this actually let Zhou Weiqing have a higher opinion of him. The reason was simple, Zhou Weiqing did not particularly like people who had the unbending character, who would rather break than bend. That was because normally such people would not live long. What he needed was an intelligent army, not an army who would only fight to the
death foolishly.

The camp was situated between some of the hills, not too far from where they were currently. At the same time, they could see how shabby the camp was, with many of the tents with holes. This was after all far up in the north, and the temperature was extremely cold. In the day, it wasn’t so bad, especially for those like Zhou Weiqing who had strong Heavenly Energy, and they could dismiss the weather. However, at night, the temperature would be even lower, and how could such tents block out the cold winds. That was probably the reason why they had set up their camp in the small valley of the hills, to help block out some of the biting wind.

Xiong Guangming brought Zhou Weiqing to one of the relatively whole tents, inviting him in. The tent was only about ten square metres large, with about six or seven large patches. Still, in comparison, it was already extremely solid and tight. Even so, after entering the tent, they could still feel the wind entering from all around, though it had the unexpected benefit of having good ventilation and air within.

Zhou Weiqing furrowed his brow, then said to Xiong Guangming: “Go ahead then, gather all the Company Leaders and bring them here.”

Xiong Guangming turned and exited the tent. The moment he did so, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Among the ten Company Leaders of the Ruffian Battalion, he was actually the lowest ranked in terms of power.

Previously, having been beaten and threatened by Zhou Weiqing, he had no choice but to obey him temporarily. However, now that they were back in the Ruffian Battalion… hmph… a mere twenty year old kid wanted to command them? He must be daydreaming.

At last, only Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er were left in the tent, and she looked at him exasperatedly before saying: “I can’t understand what you are doing, why must we come to this desolate and godforsaken place, where even the birds won’t deign to shit in. What can we develop or grow here? If we don’t leave this place, you’ll be stuck here forever as a Battalion Commander.” Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “Although this place is much shabbier and tattered than I had hoped for, it is still not a bad thing. You should understand that what I need and want is not an army that belongs to the ZhongTian Empire, but one that belongs to me alone. So what if it is the Ruffian Battalion? This is the place where I shall rise to power, you just wait and see.”

熊光明 Xiong Guangming literally means Bear Bright Light

That latter part is the literal translation, an idiom meaning a desolate place. Before long, a loud tumultuous clamour was heard outside their tent. The next moment, Xiong Guangming’s loud resonant voice was heard: “Zhou Little Fatty, get out here now! Your ‘Fathers’ have come…”

Zhou Weiqing chuckled and said: “That fellow sure changes face quickly… interesting.”

Shangguan Fei’er’s ears twitched, and she furrowed her brow slightly, saying: “It looks like the entire Ruffian Battalion is gathered outside, you want to face them all alone?”

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily, clapping her shoulder without thought, saying: “There is a saying – No matter facing hundreds of thousands are against me, I will forge on ahead.” As he said that, he stepped out of the tent without hesitation.

When he walked out of the tent, he saw a sea of people gathered outside, almost a thousand of the Ruffian Battalion soldiers, all dressed in simple, torn clothes, and they all stared with hostile intent at Zhou Weiqing. In front of the crowd were ten men, two of whom Zhou Weiqing easily recognized. One was naturally Xiong Guangming, and the other was the one who had lost to him in the Sixteenth Regiment Duelling Corner, Green Wolf.

“It’s you?!” Seeing Zhou Weiqing, Green Wolf started. Sizing him up from top to toe, he said: “You’re the one from the Duelling Corner yesterday?”

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “Yes, it is me.”

A look of surprise flickered across Green Wolf’s eyes, and he leaned over to the middle age man of medium stature next to him, and whispered something softly in his ears.

Zhou Weiqing’s gaze focused on the middle aged man. Green Wolf was after all one of the Company Leaders, and for him to speak like that in such a manner, this middle aged man must be of some importance or status in the Ruffian Battalion… perhaps even the leader amongst the ten Company Leaders.

The middle aged man looked to be around forty years old, only about 1.7metres tall, and he might seem rather inconspicuous next to all the massive Company Leaders he was standing amongst. He was also not wearing any form of army uniform at all, instead with a cloth robe, looking a little scholarly. His gaze was peaceful, and his ordinary features the sort that would not draw attention in a crowd.

Hearing Green Wolf’s words, the middle aged man lifted his head to look at Zhou Weiqing, a faint smile on his face as he said:  “Hello,  Battalion  Commander  Zhou,  let  me  introduce myself. My name is Wei Feng, and I’m the Vice Battalion Commander of the Ruffian Battalion. Of course, this title of Vice Battalion Commander is not official, without any actual rank from above, more of a… self proclaimed one. So, Green Wolf tells me that yesterday, Battalion Commander Zhou only just joined the army?”

Zhou  Weiqing  smiled  faintly  as  well,  replying:  “That’s correct.”

Wei Feng said: “So… that means… yesterday in the Duelling Corner, Battalion Commander Zhou should have won the overall ringmaster of the Sixteenth Regiment. According to the Duelling Corner rules, the overall ringmaster is the Regiment Commander of each Regiment… meaning that Commander Zhou managed to defeat Regiment Commander Shen Bu. If I remember correctly, she is a Six-Jeweled Upper Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master!” From the few simple words that Green Wolf had told him, this middle aged man had already estimated Zhou Weiqing’s power. Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but think that perhaps he had gotten the respect of the others, and the position of Vice Battalion Commander, due to that brain of his.

Wei Feng continued: “However, what I do not understand is… such a talent like Battalion Commander Zhou… how could Regiment Commander Shen Bu actually be willing to send you to our Ruffian Battalion? Could Battalion Commander Zhou have committed some crime?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “Crime? That would depend on whose perspective it is… Regiment Commander Shen Bu wanted me to marry her sister, but I rejected her… so I ended up here, the Battalion Commander of the First Unique Battalion.”

All the listening soldiers were surprised, but Wei Feng remained calm and collected, stable as a rock. “That is to say… Battalion Commander Zhou has been banished here. I heard Black Bear say that just now, just by yourself, Battalion Commander Zhou managed to awe over a hundred of our brothers, and your body also had some changes. How about letting me have a look as well…?”  As he said that, Wei Feng stepped forward from the crowd, heading towards Zhou Weiqing. As he did so, a killing intent and aura even more terrifying than that of Shen Bu’s emanated out from him, the sheer power of it like a sharp blade slicing towards Zhou Weiqing. Nine Jewels. A total of nine Physical Jewels appeared around his right wrist, with the Attributes a mix of Strength and Agility. This Wei Feng was clearly a top notch Physical
Jewel Master. After all, no matter Physical or Elemental Jewel Masters, their maximum level was the Nine Jeweled level. That was to say, his Heavenly Energy was at least over twenty seven stages. Let alone Zhou Weiqing… just in terms of Heavenly Energy cultivation level alone, he was slightly higher than
Shangguan Fei’er.

“Upper Level Zong Stage Physical Jewel Master… Looks like in the First Unique Battalion, might is right. Very well, Vice Commander Wei, if I defeat you, does that mean I will be accepted by all our brothers?”

Wei Feng shook his head at Zhou Weiqing and said: “Of course it isn’t that easy. If we were to liken our Ruffian Battalion to a country, then you are now an invader. If you defeat me, that just gives you a stage, a chance to gain a foothold, a beginning. On the other hand, if you don’t, you will end up just like all the other previous Battalion Commanders.”

Zhou Weiqing laughed and said: “Very good, in that case, I’ll start off with you then.”  The Ruffian Battalion was indeed a prime location for his goals, and now that he was here, in such a place abandoned and isolated from the main army, he no longer needed to hide his power.

Wei Feng moved first. The maximum power of a Physical Jewel Master, Upper Level Zong Stage, the same as the Senior Feng Yu who was with Huyan Aobo so many years ago. For someone to be able to cultivate to such a level already meant his body was at its absolute peak. Furthermore, having nine Jewels also meant that he could have the boost of nine Consolidated Equipment!

Although Zhou Weiqing was a Heavenly Jewel Master, he was still after all only at the Four Jeweled stage. To the current him, perhaps this Nine Jeweled Wei Feng was even more dangerous than any ordinary six Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.

In a flash, Wei Feng appeared in front of Zhou Weiqing, his right hand in a claw striking out towards Zhou Weiqing’s head.

Previously, the moment that Wei Feng had released his Physical Jewels, the four sets of Heavenly Jewels appeared around Zhou Weiqing’s wrists as well. Now, facing Wei Feng’s attack, Zhou Weiqing replied in the same fashion, striking out with his right hand in a parry. *Peng*! A muffled clash rang out, and Wei Yang’s shoulders shook slightly, his body stopped in its tracks by the reverberation of the backlash. At the same time, Zhou Weiqing staggered back three steps. It was clear that in terms of a direct clash of strength, Zhou Weiqing had the slight disadvantage.
However, it was actually Wei Feng who was the most surprised. He had not expected that with all his strength, he was only slightly stronger than Zhou Weiqing. Although every Heavenly Jewel had a greater boost than Physical Jewel Masters, Zhou Weiqing only had four! Furthermore, Wei Feng’s Physical
Jewel’s main Attribute was actually Strength, with a lower
percentage for agility. Under such a circumstance, his strength was still only slightly higher than Zhou Weiqing… that could only mean that in terms of pure physical prowess and body, he lost out by a lot.

Do not think that Wei Feng’s body was not strong. As a Physical Jewel Master, every Physical Jewel was reflected in a boost to his body. Furthermore, all his Heavenly Energy was focused on his Physical Jewels, unlike Heavenly Jewel Masters whose attention had to be divided between the two. Yet, Zhou Weiqing had not even used his Elemental Jewels, and just physique alone, he was clearly the victor. How could Wei Feng not be shocked?

Of course, the shock did not stop or even slow him down, as Wei Feng’s combat experience was just too great. In terms of sheer combat experience, amongst all the people Zhou Weiqing had met, even the two Heaven’s Expanse Palace Palace Masters, no one could compare with this Ruffian Battalion Vice Battalion Commander, a man who had struggled on the fringe of death so many times.

As such, the surprise did not influence him continuing to take action, with just the slightest pause of his body, his entire person launched like a cannonball towards Zhou Weiqing once more. In mid air, all nine of his Physical Jewels glowed brightly, and in a bright flash, nine Consolidated Equipment actually appeared all at once. Twin shoulder pauldrons, chest armour, armoured girdle, leggings, twin greaves, and a pair of gleaming silver gloved knuckle dusters.

Perhaps the only pity was that these nine Consolidated Equipment of Wei Feng’s was not all part of an entire set. Of them, three pieces including the twin shoulder pauldrons and the chest armour were one set. The armoured girdle, leggings, twin greaves were another set, and the two gloved knuckle dusters were also another set. It was a little messy, but for a Physical Jewel Master, that was already extremely impressive.

With all nine Consolidated Equipment released at once, the powerful pressure was enough to cause Zhou Weiqing severe breathing difficulties. The next instant, Wei Feng’s fists struck towards him in a straightforward fashion. He would not make the same type of error like Shen Bu in underestimating an opponent, as he had once learned a bitter lesson in doing so. As such, no matter how weak his opponent was, he would always go all out, let alone against Zhou Weiqing, such a Four Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.

Out of nowhere, a dark gold light flashed out in a barrier, abruptly blocking Wei Feng’s attack. In a massive soundwave, Wei Feng’s attack was immediately slowed down drastically. However, the dark gold light barrier was also shattered.

That was the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura! Yet, it had been shattered so easily! Besides the powerful boosts from Wei Feng’s nine Consolidated Equipment, it was also due to his Heavenly Energy being far more than twelve stages above Zhou Weiqing’s, and the previously invincible seeming Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura had been shattered so quickly.

However, at the same time, it had done its job. Wei Feng’s attack did not manage to land on Zhou Weiqing finally. Slowed by the first barrier, another dark gold light shone forth in the next instant. Although Wei Feng’s attack was extremely powerful, it was not to the extent as to break through two Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura barriers, and his fists bounced off the second one.

“This…  this is the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura?!”  At last, the calm in Wei Feng’s eyes was wiped away, replaced with shock and disbelief.

No matter Physical Jewel Masters or Heavenly Jewel Masters, it could be said that a God Tier Consolidated Equipment was their ultimate dream. In fact, the thirst that Physical Jewel Masters had for such equipment was perhaps far higher than any Heavenly Jewel Master. That was because for them, they had no other road to power, and God Tier Consolidated Equipments were tantamount to their greatest strength, their greatest goal.

Without Elemental Jewels, Socketed Consolidated Equipment were pretty much useless to Physical Jewel Masters, but God Tier Consolidated Equipment were different. If a Physical Jewel Master could have a few God Tier Consolidated Equipment, he could even take on ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters of the same level.

As such, when Wei Feng saw not just one, but two of the dark gold Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura barriers spring forth from Zhou Weiqing, one could imagine the sheer shock in his heart.

Still glowing a dark gold, Zhou Weiqing’s two God Tier Consolidated Equipment bracers appeared around his thick muscled arms, tipped with the claws, gleaming with deadly light. It was the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palm of his ‘Hate Ground No Handle’ Set.

This is a quote from Meng Zi, an ancient philosopher

Chapter 125 Peerless Battalion!

Seeing the glowing Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms, almost all the Physical Jewel Masters in the Ruffian Battalion showed a conflicted expression in their faces. Greed, Envy, Yearning, Jealousy… If not for the fact that Consolidated Equipment could not be stolen, perhaps they would have all charged forward at once.

After a short moment of shock, Wei Yang managed to calm himself down. Nodding towards Zhou Weiqing, he said: “No wonder you dared to come here to our Ruffian Battalion by yourself. To have two God Tier Consolidated Equipment… and from the looks of it… part of a Set. It seems like your background is not ordinary at all…”

Zhou  Weiqing  smiled  faintly  and  said:  “Vice  Commander Wei, aren’t you interested in knowing the name of my claws? Also… why I am able to have God Tier Consolidated Equipment?”

Wei Yang started momentarily, then said: “You are willing to tell us?”

Zhou Weiqing said in a composed flourish: “You are all my future subordinates, my brothers, what is there to hide? This pair of bracer-claws is called the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms. Besides the obvious use for the claws, not only do they greatly increase my strength, they also increase the power of any Elemental Attribute Skills that I use. You are right indeed, they are part of a set… these two are just two pieces of my entire
Set, called the Legacy of Strength, or ‘Hate Ground No Handle’
Set.”

“‘Hate  Ground  No  Handle’   Set?”   Hearing  Zhou  Weiqing describe his God Tier Consolidated Equipment, due to his own deep interest in the matter, Wei Feng almost forgot what he had been trying to do.

Zhou  Weiqing  laughed  heartily  and  said:  “Vice  Battalion Commander Wei, it looks like you don’t know Sets made out of God Tier Consolidated Equipment; they are called Legendary Sets.”
Without hesitation, Wei Feng asked: “Legendary Sets?!” Zhou  Weiqing  nodded  and  said:  “That’s  right,  Legendary
Sets.”  My  ‘Hate  Ground  No  Handle’  Set  might  not  be  the
strongest Set in the world today, but in terms of strength boost, it is definitely the greatest. The meaning of ‘Hate Ground No Handle’ is saying that if one has the entire Set, as long as the ground has a strong enough handle, one can raise the entire earth. The entire Set has ten pieces, and currently, besides these two pieces, I have one more piece of it.”

Wei Feng quickly calmed his emotions down once more, looking at Zhou Weiqing with a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Why are you telling me all of this? To any Heavenly Jewel Master, that should be a well kept secret right?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “As I said, you are all my brothers, and I do not mind letting you know about this. That is also a nice way of putting it. Another ugly way of putting it… well, since I dare to tell you this, it also means I am confident that all of you combined cannot threaten me. As long as I wish to, given enough time, it is not difficult for me to kill off all of you.”

“Little brat, if you want to die, you can just ask.” A large stout fellow with yellow hair, standing behind Wei Feng, shouted out angrily. In that moment, the entire Ruffian Battalion soldiers’ emotions were riled up. It was clear that as soon as Wei Feng gave the order, they would all charge towards Zhou Weiqing to tear him apart.

“All  of  you,  keep  quiet!”  Wei  Feng  shouted.  He  had  the highest cultivation level and power in the entire Ruffian Battalion, and had long since gained their respect. Instantly, all thousand soldiers quietened down. “You still have not said why you have this Legendary Set.” Wei Feng turned back to Zhou Weiqing and said coolly.

Zhou Weiqing said: “I truly appreciate and admire your calm, no wonder despite all of you being on the frontlines facing the onslaught of the WanShou Empire, you all can still survive. Alright, the reason why I have this Legendary Set is very simple… because I have the legacy of the creator of the Legendary Set. That is to say, I am a Consolidating Equipment Master, and I have inherited the Legacy of the Strength.”

“Consolidating  Equipment  Master?!”  Immediately,  cries  of surprise and exclamations of shock rang out from all around. Zhou Weiqing looked on coldly from the sidelines, and he was slightly surprised to see that the Ruffian Battalion soldiers were even more surprised by this news than previously when they saw his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms.

“You said that you are a Consolidating Equipment Master?” There was an obvious yearning in Wei Feng’s voice.

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “Yes I am. I have no reason to lie to you about that, it is just too easy for such a lie to be uncovered, right?” Wei Feng said: “Then…  if you join our Ruffian Battalion to become our Battalion Commander, are you willing to craft Consolidating Equipment Scrolls for the brothers of our Battalion?”

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “As I said, you all are my brothers. Not only will I create Consolidating Equipment Scrolls for those who need it, I will lead the Ruffian Battalion to become strong… powerful. Who said that we are mere cannon fodder? I want to let those who hope we will die witness our growth, that our future Ruffian Battalion will be a force to be reckoned with, an invincible troop in the battlefield. I will let all of you have uncountable gold, beautiful women throwing themselves at you, enviable power.”

The cold that had originally been deep in Wei Feng’s eyes was obviously much less now that he heard Zhou Weiqing was a Consolidating Equipment Master. “Battalion Commander Zhou, your words are pretty, and you promise a lot, but do you actually know how tough our life is over here?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “I will lead you all past all those difficulties, and all that I promise will also come true. I do not need you to believe me right at this moment, I know that is too much to ask for. However, I hope that you all can give me a chance. Let me be the temporary Battalion Commander for now. Three months, that is all I need. If, within three months, I am unable to turn things around for the Ruffian Battalion, to breathe new life and give you all a brand new outlook, you all won’t even need to chase me away, I will get lost on my own.”

Wei Feng took a deep breath and said: “Battalion Commander Zhou. I have to say, even though you are so young, I must admit that I have been tempted by your words. However, no matter what, our Ruffian Battalion has a rule, that might is right. Only the strongest amongst us can have the power to lead. Once you defeat me, you will be our temporary Battalion Commander. I will lead all our brothers to follow you without any hesitation for three months. first”

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “Very well. As I said, in front of me, none of you will stand a chance.”

As he said that, a noble yet arrogant aura, one that seemed to look on from above, arose from his body, and a five metre tall shimmering illusory figure appeared from behind Zhou Weiqing.

A dim, purple red colour, human body and snake tail. It was the Heavenly Skill Image of the Demonic Dragon Lady. As soon as that five metre tall Heavenly Skill Image appeared, all the surrounding Ruffian Battalion soldiers were left in a state of dazed shock. Not many people could actually recognize the Heavenly Skill Image, and none of them did, even Wei Feng. However, the sheer pressure of the aura it emitted gave them a feeling of being unable to resist.

The killing aura that Wei Feng had was instantly extinguished as soon as the Demonic Dragon Lady appeared, and he couldn’t help but stagger back in shock.

The next instant, Zhou Weiqing’s pointed his right index finger at Wei Feng, and a purple red swirling symbol appeared above his head. A purple red light flashed, and the nine Consolidated Equipment around Wei Feng’s body disappeared like snow melting in the summer.

“What sort of Skill is that?!” This was the first time Wei Feng had felt such terror in a long time. That was because that purple red power was something he had never seen before, or even heard of before, and seemed irresistible. A Physical Jewel Master without his Consolidated Equipment was just like a toothless tiger, not only did he lose the considerable boosts to his physique, the main power of the Consolidated Equipment were all gone. “As I said, in front of me, none of you have any chance. I have the power to slaughter all of you, that was not an exaggeration.”    Zhou   Weiqing’s   voice   rang   out   past   the Heavenly Skill Image of the Demonic Dragon Lady, full of power and majesty.

The next second, he was right in front of Wei Feng. Wei Feng did not have the habit of just giving up and waiting for death, and both his palms struck out defensively, covered with thick white Heavenly Energy, forming a whirlpool in an attempt to shove Zhou Weiqing away.

Alas, in just a split second, he was already defeated.

With an ear-piercing tearing sound, a silver light seemed to tear open the space, appearing right in front of him. The Heavenly Energy around his palms were shaken away and dissipated so easily. Zhou Weiqing took another step forward, standing right in front of him, and in that moment, he realised that he could not move a muscle.

The Giant Yang Spirit Palm landed lightly on Wei Feng’s shoulder. “Remember, it is much better to be my brother than to be my enemy.”  A light push, and Wei Feng was sent back seven yards. He had to caught and stabilized by the other Company Leaders or he would have fallen down. However, everyone knew that in that moment, if Zhou Weiqing had wanted to kill Wei Feng, even ten Wei Fengs would have been slaughtered.

This was the true power of the Dragon Silencing Seal, a Skill that was infinitely close to the Heavenly God Stage. No matter Heavenly Jewel Master, Physical Jewel Master or Elemental Jewel Master, in front of the Dragon Silencing Seal, without an equal Skill of the sort, then they would be greatly stripped of their power. For the current Zhou Weiqing, even if he met with an ordinary Nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, with the Dragon Silencing Seal alone, he would still be able to survive. Let alone just a mere Nine-Jeweled Physical Jewel Master like Wei Feng.

Shangguan Fei’er stood at the side, watching silently. She was all too familiar with Zhou Weiqing’s power, and she knew that even if he did not use the Dragon Silencing Seal, he could still defeat Wei Feng. Of course, if he did so, then he would have to reveal too many of his Skills and power, and would still have to exert much effort in doing so. It would not be as easy, quick and terrifying or awe-inspiring like the Dragon Silencing Seal. Currently, what Zhou Weiqing needed most was to strike awe into the hearts of the Ruffian Battalion soldiers, to gain a mysterious, unparalleled and undefeatable air. Withdrawing his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms, Zhou Weiqing said loudly: “From now on, I am the temporary Battalion Commander of the Ruffian Battalion, for the period of three months. If, within this three months, I am not able to do as I promised, and bring a whole new change to the Ruffian Battalion, I will get lost without hesitation. On the other hand, if I do so, then you will all be my brothers in the future.”

At this point, Wei Feng finally recovered, and after exchanging glances with the fellow Company Leaders beside him, he walked back towards Zhou Weiqing. Clasping his hands together, he bowed slightly and said: “Wei Feng greets Battalion Commander Zhou.”

The other Company Leaders followed suit, a little discontented still, but they cried out together: “We too greet Battalion Commander Zhou.”

Zhou   Weiqing   nodded   and   said:   “Very   good.   Vice Commander Wei, come with me to the tent. The rest of you, dismissed.” The other Company Leaders looked towards Wei Feng. They were clearly still rather wary of Zhou Weiqing, but Wei Feng waved them away. He knew that if Zhou Weiqing wanted to harm in, he could have done so earlier. Furthermore, Wei Feng was extremely confident that he would still be of great use.

Zhou Weiqing, Shangguan Fei’er and Wei Feng returned to Xiong Guangming’s tent.

Zhou Weiqing turned to him and said: “Vice Commander Wei, please inform me, what do you think the three greatest difficulties our Ruffian Battalion is facing now?”

Without  hesitation,  Wei  Feng  said:  “The  first  problem  is food. As you have already seen, Commander Zhou, this is the far north, and very few vegetation can survive in the extreme climate here. Furthermore, this isn’t even the coldest season yet. Those northern army bastards will only send us some of the lowest quality food, and at quantities that aren’t even close to being sufficient. Every day, our brothers have to go hungry, otherwise our combat capabilities would be at least increased by another thirty percent.” “En…  what else?”  Zhou Weiqing said, a thoughtful look on his face.

Wei Feng continued: “The second problem is naturally our equipment. I’m not just talking about weapons and armour, but even some of the simpler tools for survival. We pretty much lack all sorts of resources, equipment, strategic materials and tools, all of which are highly important. In truth, every year we are sent several hundred men to fill our numbers and replace losses, but as you can see, our overall number maintains at around a thousand. We currently have one thousand two hundred men. I have been here for ten years, and I have seen too many brothers die. Not on the battlefield, but from cold, starvation or sickness.”

“The   third   problem   we   have   is   our   Jewel   Masters’ Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills. In terms of overall power, I dare say that our Ruffian Battalion is definitely the strongest Battalion in the entire ZhongTian Empire, as amongst us, we number three hundred and sixty two Physical Jewel Masters and forty nine Elemental Jewel Masters. As for the rest, they all have some form of Heavenly Energy.”

“What  did  you  say?!”  It  was  Zhou  Weiqing’s  turn  to  be shocked. Although he had high expectations of the Ruffian Battalion, he had not even dreamed that they would be so strong, with so much potential.

A bitter look crossed Wei Feng’s face as he said: “That is the law of nature, only the strong survive and the weak perish. So many years have passed, and well, none of the people sent here are any kindhearted souls. Without power, who could survive causing trouble in the army, to actually be sent to the Ruffian Battalion? Furthermore, it is so tough to survive here, and anyone weaker has likely died, and only the strong remain. However, out of so many Jewel Masters, the number who have complete Stored Skills or Consolidated Equipment are few and far between. Of the over three hundred Physical Jewel Masters, all their Consolidated Equipment added together still numbers less than two hundred… a body full of Heavenly Energy but unable to use it to their full potential. That is also the reason why when Commander Zhou said you were a Consolidating equipment Master, everyone’s gaze turned so heated…”

Zhou Weiqing nodded slightly and said: “I understand. Vice Commander Wei, tell me more about the current situation of the Ruffian Battalion then.”

Wei Feng started momentarily, then said: “Didn’t I just say already?! Everyone is just here to pass the time and wait for death. After all, we have nowhere left to go, not even back to the Empire. In front of us are wolves, behind us are tigers… for us to be able to survive, it is already considered a miracle. What sort of current situation is there? We can just barely survive…”

Zhou Weiqing smiled passively and said: “It looks like Vice Commander Wei still does not treat me as one of your own. In truth, there are some things that just cannot be hidden. Let me ask you a question, since our Ruffian Battalion is so close to the north border… When the WanShou Empire army attacks, how can our Ruffian Battalion possibly survive? In terms of strength, I dare say that the WanShou Empire can overrun our Ruffian Battalion in seconds. Furthermore, with just these tents… when the true winter comes and the bitter cold hits, without enough food… even Physical Jewel Masters will not be able to survive, let alone the ordinary soldiers… So… If I have not guessed wrongly, the Ruffian Battalion definitely has some other secrets… perhaps… a hidden base of safety.”

Hearing Zhou Weiqing’s words, Wei Feng’s face changed, and he looked at Zhou Weiqing with a powerful killing intent.

Zhou Weiqing ignored it, as if he could not sense the killing intent. Smiling, he said: “If I can think of it, I’m sure the northern army command can easily think of it too. Yet, why haven’t they done anything about it, allow you all to stay here? From that, I can say that the Ruffian Battalion still has some use to the northern army command. Vice Commander Wei… I haven’t gotten anything wrong yet right…?”

Wei Feng took several deep breaths before finally calming himself down. If not for the fact he knew he was no match to Zhou Weiqing, he would have taken action already.

“All of that… you actually guessed all of it?” Wei Feng said solemnly.

Zhou  Weiqing  looked  at  him  closely,  then  said:  “More accurately, it was my judgement. To be honest, it wasn’t even hard to think of all that… as long as anyone came here to look for themselves, it isn’t a stretch of imagination to guess all of it. After all, no matter the terrible conditions… you all are still alive.”

“One more thing. You must remember, I am not your enemy. Since I have been sent to the Ruffian Battalion, then I will definitely let our Ruffian Battalion grow strong. In truth, this place is not bad, at least no one will be here to order us around or restrict us. Vice Commander Wei, let us be frank and above- board with each other. The three problems that you mentioned, I will definitely solve them in three months.” Wei Feng laughed coldly: “It is hard for me to believe that what you say isn’t just some empty big talk. Those three problems have plagued us for more than ten years, do you think it can be solved just so easily just because you say so? Especially so for the lack of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls… that is at least a thousand Scrolls… even if you are a Consolidating Equipment Master, with just you alone, how can you possibly create a thousand Consolidating Equipment Scrolls in three months?! Let alone, the sheer cost of the materials, that is an insane amount in the first place…”

Zhou Weiqing smiled passively and said: “Since I dare to say it, I will definitely do it. In any case, I am already the temporary Battalion Commander for three months, and if I can’t do as I say, I will get lost. What do you have to lose? In any case, you do not have to tell me all the secrets of the Ruffian Battalion now; if in three months you all think that I am worthy of continuing as Battalion Commander, it is not too late to tell me then. However, I have one thing I must tell you in advance. I am not here just to lead you all, but to command you all. I can give you a great life, a wonderful life, with money, women, power. However, you all must submit to me. In this world, in order to gain something, there is always a price. If in the future you all gain everything from me, and do not wish to pay the cost, then I will wipe you all out from the face of the world.” Wei Feng’s eyes narrowed. “You are threatening me?”

Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: “That is not a threat, just a fact. Alright, earlier, the twenty sets of the personal guard’s equipment, you arrange for them to be given out. As for horses, how much food do we have left in the camp?”

Wei Feng look at Zhou Weiqing deeply before saying: “We still have some rations left, Battalion Commander do you wish to eat?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “It is not only for me. From now on, increase the rations for our brothers. I will deal with the lack of food first.”

Wei Feng said: “It is not only the lack of food, the pressing problem now would be the Sixteenth Regiment. If they come looking for trouble, I’m afraid Battalion Commander Zhou will have to handle it personally. As for the two ‘guesses’ or judgements you mentioned earlier, it is no problem telling you actually. The real reason why we have always been able to survive is because we have burrowed many tunnels across these hills. At the border, there are several of our scouts lining the place, and as soon as the WanShou Empire army shows any sign of movement, we will all move out into the tunnels, to ensure they will not find us. As for the value we hold to the northern army command, that is exactly this information. At first notice, we will send note of any such movement to the northern command as well…”

Zhou Weiqing smiled as he inclined his head in agreement, saying: “Pretty close to what I had guessed. Alright, for the Sixteenth Regiment, I will handle it, you do not need to worry. These few days, make sure everyone is well fed. Also, I need you to choose a hundred of our most elite warriors, including all the Company Leaders. Three days later, I will have a plan of action…”

Wei Feng’s heart gripped tightly involuntarily, and he said: “Battalion Commander Zhou, I need to remind you that our brothers’ lives are the most valuable thing in my eyes.”

Zhou Weiqing looked him in the eye unwaveringly and said: “I’m more afraid of death than any of you. Before we head off, there are two things to do. First of all, I want to change the name of our First Unique Battalion… Ruffian Battalion just sounds so terrible. Secondly, I want to set a few rules for our Battalion. Tomorrow morning, you gather the troops to hear me out.”

Wei Feng said passively: “Commander Zhou, gathering the troops is not such an easy task. You should know that those that are sent here, and remain her, are mostly the unruly sort, old and wily soldiers in their own right. It isn’t so easy to command these fellows.

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “That is simple. You tell everyone, whoever reports on time tomorrow will be given a gold coin. It will be given out there and then, no owing.”

“What? Reporting to a gathering… they will also get money?” Wei Feng started.

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “I will teach you how to be a true scoundrel, a real ruffian or rogue. I am not here to teach you all how to be ‘good’ people, after all, I have never thought of myself as a good person either.”

Wei Feng laughed. “Commander Zhou, I am finding myself more and more interested in you. Very well, we’ll see then. I’ll take my leave now.”

Wei Feng left the tent, and Shangguan Fei’er walked over to Zhou Weiqing, saying curiously. “Isn’t it just a mere gathering, why do you need to give them money? If they don’t listen, just beat them up until they do… I can help you do that, I’ll be happy to do something like that.” Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: “If they are ordinary soldiers, your method is definitely the right one. However, this is the Ruffian Battalion, a bunch of scoundrels and rogues, even if you use your method to force them one time, they will not be willing, or genuinely convinced, and worse yet, will harbour evil thoughts. To such people, luring them with the promise of profit is far superior than any other method. As long as I gather them into a group that is bound together by a large profit, where everyone in the group will gain so much that they cannot resist… only then can they truly be mine.”

Shangguan Fei’er said, confused: “Such an army… can it really fight on the battlefield? If everything depends on profit, if they meet a powerful enemy, wouldn’t they run even before they fought?” Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: “Why must we face stronger enemies though? Furthermore, there is a saying, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. When the possible profit is thirty percent, it is worth a try. If the possible profit is fifty percent, then it is worth some risk and danger in trying. When the profit is hundred percent, then many will be willing to bet with their lives. As for the profit and gain I bring to them, how can it be merely a hundred percent? In truth, a group bound by profit is always a double edged sword, they could become extremely lax and useless, or they could end up being bound much closer together than imaginable. The key is how we handle and regulate things. As I said, just wait and see, I will show you how to control them.”

As he said that, Zhou Weiqing pulled over the only table in the tent, one that was on the verge of breaking down. Taking out a paper and pen, he started writing down his rules for the Ruffian Battalion.

Shangguan Fei’er stood by his side watching, and before long, her jaw dropped as she looked at Zhou Weiqing with an increasingly strange look. To the Ruffian Battalion, gaining an additional Battalion Commander was actually of no change to them. The soldiers within the Ruffian Battalion were all very independent, and mostly very resistant to orders, even scoffing at them at times.

Even for those Company Leaders, they had forged their rank through battle and with true strength, and even then, they hardly ever gave any orders. If the soldiers did not like those orders, they would still disobey them.

Previously, the only reason why all the soldiers had gathered was mainly because they were all curious, interested to know what kind of person would be sent here to be their next Battalion Commander, curious about why the northern command still had not learnt their lesson. As for Zhou Weiqing’s words, they frankly did not care much. After all, their previous Battalion Commanders had also said similar pretty words. The only interesting thing about Zhou Weiqing would perhaps be his strength and power, as he had actually defeated their Vice Battalion Commander Wei Feng so easily. That was something no one had expected, and in their eyes, this had given this young man a mysterious tone.

However, to the Ruffian Battalion, just pure strength alone was of no use. If no one was willing to listen to your orders, what could you do? Just as everyone was still highly indifferent towards this new, young Battalion Commander, Wei Feng passed along a new order which piqued all their interests. ‘Tomorrow morning, as long as they reported on time, everyone would be given a gold coin.’

After all, the Ruffian Battalion were considered out of the actual army, and did not have proper pay. Although they were not able to return to the city to use their gold, they could still go to other camps during their single monthly off day in order to purchase food and clothing. Furthermore, earning this gold coin was just so simple.

As a result, the next morning, as the sun had barely climbed up from the east, these Ruffian Battalion soldiers were surprisingly industrious, all gathered and in perfect formations in the flat ground of the valley, with their respective Company Leaders in front of them.

When Zhou Weiqing walked out of his tent, he couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily. The dawn in the north was just too chilly! More importantly, he hadn’t had a hot meal in a long time.

Shangguan Fei’er followed by his side, though she did not have the same reaction. Her cultivation level was higher than Zhou Weiqing’s, and thus her resistance towards the environmental factors was still stronger than his.

When Zhou Weiqing walked down the hill, Wei Feng walked up to him to report. For the sake of the promised gold coins, he actually reported in a formal fashion: “Reporting to Battalion Commander. First Unique Battalion, one thousand two hundred and forty six men, all present. Your instructions, Sir?”

Zhou  Weiqing  nodded  and  said:  “Vice  Commander  Wei, thank you for your troubles, please return to your position.”

Wei Feng took another glance at Zhou Weiqing, who was acting just like a Battalion Commander. Finally, he shouted in agreement “Yes Sir.” Before striding back to the formation.

Seeing the thousand over soldiers in front of him, dressed in tattered clothing, but still in neat rows, and thinking about the fact that they were all his men, Zhou Weiqing felt a sense of pride rising up from within him.

“Hello everyone, I am sure many brothers here still do not know my name. My name is Zhou Little Fatty, and I am your new Battalion Commander. I know that everyone is gathered here so early in the morning for the sake of the gold coin, especially with such cold weather. I am a man of my word, and I will not give a gold coin less.” As he said that, Zhou Weiqing flung out his right hand, and a big bag of gold coins landed on the ground in a loud *plunk* sound. Some of the coins scattered out of the in a melodious tinkling sound, the morning sun glinting against them.

Instantly, a wolflike greed appeared in all the Ruffian Battalion soldiers.

Zhou  Weiqing  said:  “There  is  more  than  a  thousand  two hundred gold coins there, and as promised, there will be enough for one gold coin per person. Alright, before that, let me speak first. I do not have much to say, but I hope that each and everyone of you will pay close attention to what I have to say, as it has to do with your own personal gain. After listening to what I have to say, you will all take turns according to your formation to each collect a single gold coin. Do you all understand?”

“We understand.”  Only a few lazy voices replied, and some loud mocking laughter could be heard from behind. Most of the soldiers were still looking on at Zhou Weiqing with a rather joking heart. A cold smile crossed Zhou Weiqing’s face, and he said: “I’ll ask one more time, those who do not reply me can leave right now, as you all have given up the gold coin. En… if you all want to try and snatch it, feel free to do so. Of course, you have to be prepared to bet your life on that. Do you all understand what I just said earlier?”

As soon as they heard that Zhou Weiqing would not give out the gold coins, the Ruffian Battalion soldiers immediately perked up. “We understand.”  All one thousand two hundred soldiers chorused in unison.

Shangguan Fei’er stood behind Zhou Weiqing, surprise apparent on her face. Yesterday, when she had heard about Zhou Weiqing giving out a gold coin to everyone, she had been rather disapproving. At this moment, she finally understood his intentions. With just this gold coin, Zhou Weiqing could do so much. In addition to what he had written last night, she could guess what he was about to do.

Seeing that everyone had replied him, Zhou Weiqing nodded in  satisfaction,  saying:  “very  good,  I  am  very  pleased  that everyone can call out in unison. Now, I hear that the other soldiers in the army call us the Ruffian Battalion. So… who can tell me… what is a Ruffian?” As a Company Leader, Green Wolf was standing in the front row, and he laughed out disdainfully and said: “Isn’t it just a scoundrel, rogue, those who do not listen to orders? Can you say  something  fresh?”   As  soon  as  he  said  that,  mocking laughter rang out from all about once more, especially from the men of his Company.

Zhou Weiqing waggled a finger at Green Wolf and said: “What bullshit is that, what do you know? What is a scoundrel? What is a rogue? A true ruffian, rogue, and scoundrel, that refers to a person who will do anything to gain the most, to gain the greatest benefit at the smallest possible cost, no matter what. Today, why have I been able to gather all of you here? The answer is simple…”  He pointed at the gold coins scattered on the floor. “That is because of benefit.”

This time, no one retorted, as what he said was the cold hard truth. The fact that all the soldiers were in formation here so early in the morning was living proof of his words.

Zhou Weiqing said: “I have come here to be your Battalion Commander, but I have never thought of trying to teach you all to be good people, to forge you into an army of steel. What use is that? How many of our men can actually stay alive? What I want to do is to teach you, how to become truly bad, to become real rogues, scoundrels, ruffians… to make our name of the Ruffian Battalion reach its true potential.”

“Look at yourselves, what sorry state are you in, each and everyone of you miserable and wretched. Is that a life of a scoundrel? A ruffian? A true scoundrel should be wearing the best equipment, eating the best food, hugging the best women, drinking the best wine.”

Green Wolf laughed coldly and said: “Enough with that bullshit, who doesn’t know how to say such pretty but empty words?”

Zhou Weiqing ignored him, saying passively: “Next, I will be declaring some new rules for our Ruffian Battalion. Everyone listen closely; later on when you come over to collect your gold coin, if they are able to memorise and repeat these rules to me, they will be able to collect a second gold coin.”

“Before that, I think the name of Ruffian Battalion is just not nice to listen to. I’ll be giving us a new name, called the Peerless Battalion. We will be the one and only group in the entire Boundless Mainland, unrivalled and unmatched throughout the world. Now, let me announce the rules for our Peerless Battalion.” “Rule 1. If we are fighting to the death, we must have at least three times the strength of our enemy before we fight.”

When Zhou Weiqing said that, everyone thought they had heard wrongly.

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “You all did not hear wrongly. No matter what time, or facing which enemy, you all must remember… our lives are the most important resource. Without absolute confidence and certainty, we must not enter the battlefield. We are scoundrels and ruffians; what we want to do is to gain the biggest benefit, not foolishly pitting our lives for nothing.”

“Rule 2. Our Peerless Battalion will not do anything that does not bring benefits.”

“Let  me  explain  more  about  this  rule:  That  is  to  say,  no matter even for the Battalion Commander like myself, if there is no benefit to doing something, you all can ignore my orders. However, if someone does something that harms the collective benefit of us all for your own selfish reasons… well, you don’t need me to explain what will happen.” “Rule 3. There is no absolute ranking, everything depends on power. Might is Right.”

“If any of you think you can defeat me, or bring greater benefit to everyone, then you are free to challenge me. As long as you can prove it, the Peerless Battalion Battalion Commander position is yours. At the same time, all the you listen up, the same goes for your Company and Squad leaders. If you can defeat them, the position is yours. However, the caveat of this is that there must be no serious injuries or death from this, otherwise I will take you on personally.”

“Are you all now thinking that challenging for a rank or officer position is useless? Let me tell you now that such a thing is of the past… being an officer in my Peerless Battalion is definitely worth it. The northern army command might not pay you, but I will. Ordinary soldiers, your monthly pay is 5 gold coins. Squad Leaders, 20 gold coins. Company Leaders, 100 gold coins. Vice Battalion Commander, 500 gold coins. As long as you successfully challenge and win, then the new ranking pay is yours. At the same time, you are also welcome to challenge me. Your Father, I, has nothing but money to spend. If anyone successfully defeats me, I will give him a million gold coins. Do you all understand?” Trying to reason with these ruffian soldiers was useless, and Zhou Weiqing knew that only benefits and money could be used to guide them to where he wanted, to let them truly understand him. The truth was, Zhou Weiqing had succeeded. After listening to his words, all of the Ruffian Battalion soldiers’ eyes lit up, a heretofore unseen gleam within.

Chapter 126 Peerless Brigand Soldiers! 

Sensing that he had successfully roused the spirits and enthusiasm of his Peerless Battalion soldiers, Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly before continuing: “For now, our Battalion rules are as such, just those three above. It shouldn’t be hard to memorise right? Very soon, Your Father, I, will let you bunch of substandard scoundrels and rogues understand, what is a true group, a community of shared interest, shared profit. I’ll show you all what I can bring to you all as a Battalion Commander. Alright, today’s gathering ends here. All of you, come over here according to your formation to collect your pay.”

Zhou Weiqing had not planned to speak for too long for this first morning gathering. His purpose was not for them to approve of him right there and then, as that was likely impossible. What he needed to do was to give them a deep impression. Just words alone was never as effective as actions.

The three simple rules that Zhou Weiqing had announced were rather simple, and besides a rare few, almost all the soldiers managed to collect two gold coins from him. With the gleaming gold coins in their hands, the reality of the situation struck, and Zhou Weiqing’s words suddenly held a greater weight. However, as soon as everyone finished collecting their gold coins, they suddenly spotted a massive dust cloud in the distance along with the loud thunder of hooves, clearly from a speeding group of cavalry heading in their direction.

The Peerless Battalion soldiers all turned to look, and they could see a cavalry unit galloping towards them in the distance. Wei Feng stood beside Zhou Weiqing and said with a furrowed brow: “Commander, I’m afraid that those must be from the Sixteenth Regiment. From the dust they are throwing out, it must be a heavy cavalry unit, at least a whole Company. What do we do?”

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and shouted out loud: “Brothers of the Peerless Battalion, there is a Company of Heavy Cavalry soldiers coming towards us now, most likely from the Sixteenth Regiment, here to look for trouble with us because of what happened yesterday. Let me ask all of you, with our Peerless Battalion’s power, compared to a Company of Heavy Cavalry, is our power at least three times that of theirs?”

A stout soldier who had just gotten his gold coins cried out in a  muffled  voice:  “Those  heavy  cavalry  are  nothing,  Your Father, I, can take on four or five of them by myself!” Wei Feng said: “We have so many Jewel Masters, naturally a hundred Heavy Cavalry is nothing to us! However, if we really take action against them, what if the northern army decides to kill us off?”

Zhou Weiqing smirked coldly and said: “That’s not possible. I dare say that this is a move by the Sixteenth Regiment alone, otherwise it would not be just a single Company. They are even more afraid of being found out by the northern command than we are. Brothers, when they reach us later, wait for my command before taking action. Snatch and rob them all, equipment, horses, clothes; they will belong to whoever successfully snatches it. Anything happens, I will handle it.”

For the ordinary soldiers, they accepted it without problems, but for the Company Leaders, Wei Feng included, they looked at Zhou Weiqing with uncertainty in their eyes.

“Battalion Commander, will that really be okay?” Wei Feng couldn’t help asking.

Zhou Weiqing gave a cold humph. “Why not? We have been exiled here, left to ourselves, to die… what else is there left to be afraid of? If we do not gear ourselves well, we are just waiting for eventual death. Have you all lost your guts and fighting spirit after staying here for too long?” Wei Feng narrowed his eyes and said: “In that case, let’s get them!”

The heavy cavalry were not considered too fast, after all their equipment was just too heavy. However, it could be said that in the entire army, the equipment of the heavy cavalry were considered the best, the most expensive. If it were a long distance military operation, a single heavy cavalry soldier had to be supported by at least four supporting personnel.

The main equipment of a heavy cavalry soldier consisted of their own heavy armour, covering their entire body, as well as the armour of their warhorse. As for their weapons, it included a long lance, long bow and shield.

In the battlefield, just considering ordinary soldiers, they were the most fearsome, terrifying of all the military arms. Once a heavy cavalry unit charges on a flat battlefield terrain, they were almost unstoppable. With their 3.5metres to 4metres long lances, they were like moving, deadly fortresses of doom. Even at long range, they were able to use their bows to slay lightly armoured foes.

Of course, that also meant that training and equipping such a heavy cavalry unit was extremely costly and draining on all sorts of resources. As such, even for a great empire like the ZhongTian Empire, they would not form an entire Legion of heavy cavalry. Ordinarily, each Regiment would have a few Companies of heavy cavalry, while only very specialised cavalry Regiments would have Battalions of heavy cavalry.

The Sixteenth Regiment that Shen Bu commanded was one such Regiment, a cavalry based one totalling fourteen thousand men. Of that, an entire battalion was heavy cavalry, nine battalions light cavalry, and the remaining four thousand the support personnel, mainly in support of the heavy cavalry.

Yesterday, when Shen Bu had seen her personal guard come back late, and only in their under pants, with all their gear stolen from them, she was totally enraged. However, she knew that reporting this above would be useless, only resulting in them being the laughing stock of the army. After all, the Ruffian Battalion were already in such a sorry state, and as long as they still had some use, and did not do anything too untoward, the northern command would not do anything else to them. As such, she could only grit her teeth and endure. Today, she sent a Company of heavy cavalry soldiers to leave the camp stealthily, in order to try and get even somehow. Of course, she did not think that a single Company could take on the entire Ruffian Battalion, but it was more as a show of force, to scare them, and at the same time to get back the stolen equipment. Although Shen Bu’s personal guard were light cavalry, as elite, their equipment was not any less costly than a heavy cavalry soldier’s, mainly because of a mix of titanium alloy and custom crafting. As such, how could she let it go so easily? At the same time, she gnashed her teeth at the thought of Zhou Weiqing.

Very quickly, the hundred well armed cavalry soldiers had reached about five hundred metres from the Ruffian Battalion. They did not continue, instead halting in their tracks.

For best effect when charging, heavy cavalry needed to gain momentum across some distance first, and by stopping at this position, one could tell that the commander of this troop was not bad indeed. All the cavalry soldiers held their long lances in front, their bodies braced forward with their shields held on their left towards their chest, ready to start their charge.

An officer, clearly also a Battalion Commander from the similar silver armour and the orange red feather in helmet, rode forward. However, she was dressed in a light cavalry armour instead. Before long, she neared the Ruffian Battalion. Although she was wearing her helmet, Zhou Weiqing recognized her instantly. It was Shen Yi. “Ohh? Isn’t this Battalion Commander Shen Yi? What wind blows you all the way here to our Ruffian Battalion?

As soon as she saw Zhou Weiqing, Shen Yi felt an anger rising within her; not just because of what he did to her yesterday, but also because he had rejected her in marriage so easily. Drawing her sword from her sheath, she pointed at him and exclaimed angrily: “Zhou Little Fatty, you scoundrel, how dare you steal our Commander’s personal guards’ equipment. Don’t you know what crime you have committed?”

Zhou Weiqing looked at her in surprise, saying: “Battalion Commander Shen Yi, what are you talking about? When accusing someone like that, you need to have evidence… who can prove that I robbed them?”

As he spoke such shameless words, his face was still grave and earnest. If someone did not know the truth about the matter, they would likely think he was being wronged.

The men of the Peerless Battalion gathered behind Zhou Weiqing to watch his act. Towards this Battalion Commander, their sense of identity with him was rapidly growing. “You… you dare to do but dare not admit it, are you a man?!” Shen Yi yelled angrily.

Standing beside Zhou Weiqing, Shangguan Fei’er couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This young lady was in just too terrible a streak of luck. Meeting this scoundrel like Zhou Little Fatty, how could she possibly win in an argument with his glib tongue?

As expected, Zhou Weiqing did not disappoint. Looking at Shen Yi with an astonished face, he said: “Battalion Commander Shen Yi, how could you say that! Be careful I sue you for slander, I have never tried it with you, how do you know that I am not a man?”

Although Shen Yi had been in the army for years, with her own rank, and her sister being the Regiment Commander of the Sixteenth Regiment she was in, who would dare say such shameless words like that to her? In that instant, she did not understand what he was saying.

However, those Ruffian Battalion soldiers instantly understood, and they burst out in raucous laughter. Only then did Shen Yi come to understand. “Bastard, you dare to be so shameless! Zhou Little Fatty, I warn you, you better return what you stole, otherwise I will destroy your Ruffian Battalion.”

Hearing her words, Zhou Weiqing gave a panicked look on his face, tearing aside the chest armour, he patted his own broad chest and exclaimed: “Ah! I’m so frightened! Come then, baby, come bite me! AAHHH!”

Of course, only that final cry of agony was real, that was because Shangguan Fei’er immediately thought of Zhou Weiqing’s theory on the word ‘bite’, and couldn’t help but pinch him hard from behind.

Black Bear burst out laughing heartily from the side and yelled out in merriment: “Come on, beautiful lady, come bite our Battalion Commander! Best if we can watch as you do so!”

These bunch of ruffians and scoundrels had been sent here for quite some time, and upon seeing a woman, their eyes lit up, and their raucous laughter grew more intense. Somehow, in such a time, the Peerless Battalion were as one. “Good, very good. All of you…” Shen Yi was so angry that her entire body was trembling. “If I do not trample down you Ruffian Battalion, I will… I will…” She was so angry that she didn’t even know what threat to make, abruptly turning around and returning to her heavy cavalry unit five hundred metres away.

Wei Feng moved closer to Zhou Weiqing, saying in a low tone: “Battalion Commander, they are likely going to take action soon. This part of the valley is flat, even ground, and if the heavy cavalry makes a proper charge, even if we win, I’m afraid a lot of our brothers will be killed.”

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: “Heh, don’t worry about it, let them charge and you will see.”

As he said that, he turned to the soldiers of the Peerless Battalion and shouted out loudly: “Brothers, let me tell you all… your Battalion Commander is omnipotent. Later, I will show you all. I will stop their charge, and once I do so, all of you go and rob them all, whatever you rob will be yours. Remember though, do not harm the horses, they are extremely valuable to us, even more so than all the heavy armour!”

“YES!” Loud cheers sounded out from all around. After Zhou Weiqing’s words today, along with the thought of their upcoming ‘robbery’, the excitement of these ruffian soldiers were piqued. They were originally a bunch of fearless fellows, and with Zhou Weiqing at the side fanning the flames, how could they stay honest and still in such a state? Shangguan Fei’er muttered in a voice that only Zhou Weiqing could hear. “You truly sound like a bandit head now.”

Zhou Weiqing turned to her and said jauntily: “Not just any bandit, a bandit soldier. The peerless bandit soldiers of the Peerless Battalion!”

At this point, Shen Yi had returned to the Company of heavy cavalry,  crying  out  angrily:  “First  Heavy  Cavalry  Company, prepare to charge!”

The clang of armour sounded out in an almost orderly fashion. For heavy cavalry, their selection and training were the strictest of all army units, and having received their orders, they swiftly made preparation to charge.

“Battalion  Commander  Shen  Yi,  are  we  really  going  to charge?”  The First Heavy Cavalry Company Company Leader quickly nudged his warhorse forward and asked in a low tone.

Shen Yi gritted her teeth and said: “These ruffian bastards not only do not plan on returning the equipment, they actually dared to mock and take liberties with me. If I do not pay them back, my surname is not Shen!”

“But… Regiment Commander asked us here in order to threaten them, not to actually take action. If we charge, it will be difficult to answer to the northern command, especially if we sustain any injuries.”

Shen Yi said angrily: “Are you in charge or am I in charge? If there are any problems or charges, I will bear them.”  As she said that, she drew her sword and pointed towards the ruffian soldiers, shouting out loud: “Charge!!!”

As the Company of heavy cavalry started charging, Zhou Weiqing could see clearly from his vantage position that even despite charging, they were in a neat formation.

Fifty of the heavy cavalry soldiers in a row; a total of two rows. For the first row, each soldier was about six metres apart. The second row was similar, but with each soldier right between two soldiers of the first row. That way, if the first row’s charge was stopped, it would not affect the second row’s charge. These were definitely highly trained powerful soldiers. Five hundred metres was more than enough distance for the cavalry units to build momentum, and though they only numbered a hundred, they thundered along like a wave of steel.

One should never underestimate a Company of heavy cavalry. If they faced infantry soldiers who did not have any preparation, just a hundred of them alone could carve a path through an entire infantry Regiment.

The Ruffian Battalion soldiers were getting nervous at this time. Although they were confident in their own abilities, facing such a wave of steel still caused their faces to change. They were all experienced soldiers, and naturally knew the power of the heavy cavalry charge. Man, steed and equipment, the sheer weight of all that, along with the impetus and momentum from their speed… a charging heavy cavalry soldier at full speed was able to defeat a lower ranked Physical Jewel Master.

Zhou Weiqing casually lifted his right hand, an icy mist appeared in a faint flash of light, along with the Overlord Bow.

Shen Yi chose for the heavy cavalry soldiers to charge instead of shooting their longbow. After all, to ordinary archers, five hundred yards was far beyond their range, and in her eyes, the Ruffian Battalion was merely a motley crew without disciple. In terms of understanding of the Ruffian Battalion, she could not compare to her sister Shen Bu.

Very soon, the heavy cavalry soldiers had reached about three hundred yards from them. That distance was still beyond most ordinary longbow archers.

At that moment, Zhou Weiqing burst into action. Striking the ground with the tip of his feet, his entire body leaped into midair like a sleek hunting cheetah. In the middle of that, the Overlord Bow had already been pulled to a full crescent. This time, he did not use any arrows; instead a thick white light gathered on the bowstring in the shape of an arrow, blue light mixed within, and in a swift motion, it flew out like a bolt of lightning.

As Zhou Weiqing’s power had grown, so too had his archery and the usage of his abilities with the Overlord Bow. In truth, after reaching the Heavenly Shen Energy Stage, he was already able to condense Heavenly Energy into arrows. However, that took quite a toll on Heavenly Energy, and he would not use it often. At this moment, what he wanted was the shock and awe factor; not against his opponents, but to the ruffian soldiers of his own Peerless Battalion. That was the reason why he actually used his Heavenly Energy to condense into arrows. As one might imagine, arrows made out of Heavenly Energy were far more powerful than ordinary arrows, especially with Skills imbued within, allowing the Skills to have a greater effect than normal.

This time, Zhou Weiqing only imbued a single Skill, the Lightning Explosive Palm. It was the Overlord Lightning Explosive Arrow.

The speed of an arrow fired from the Overlord Bow was indeed terrifying, and almost at the same instant that he released the bowstring, the arrow had already reached its target. The Peerless Battalion soldiers could only see the faint blue/purple afterimage left behind in the air, before a violent explosion rocked the entire valley.

The massive explosion did not have much of an effect on the humans, but it had a huge effect on the horses. Although these warhorses were all well trained, they were still animals after all. Along with the explosion, the charging Company slowed noticeably, especially the horses in front which reared up on their hind feet, neighing loudly in panic.

Zhou Weiqing’s arrow had been extremely precise, not hitting any of the heavy cavalry soldiers or their horses, instead striking directly in front of them about ten metres away, causing a huge explosion and a resulting pit.

As soon as he had released that first arrow, Zhou Weiqing had not waited for it to strike and jumped down the hill, releasing his second arrow at the same time. The second arrow was shot directly into the sky, also a blue-purple colour.

Another explosion rang out almost right after the first, not quite as loud as the first, but a huge mass of compact but fine bolts of blue-purple lightning crackled as they descended from the sky. The area of effect was not too overly huge, but still more than enough to cover the hundred heavy cavalry soldiers. It was his Thousand Lightning Strikes Skill.

The Thousand Lightning Strikes Skill did not have much destructive power at all, but it had one of the widest area of effects. Furthermore, the metal of their armour were all electricity conductors, and as soon as the Thousand Lightning Strikes appeared, a strange sight could be seen.

All the charging heavy cavalry soldiers and their warhorses started trembling, their speed slowly considerably at once. Their once-neat formation was scattered, and the intense numb sensation caused the soldiers to drop their heavy lances. Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and shouted out: “Brothers, what are you waiting for?! Go rob them all!”

Although he had only shot two arrows, the result was clear, and all the watching ruffian soldiers were bedazzled. Just two arrows!! He had actually stopped the charge of an entire Company of heavy cavalry soldiers with two arrows, and broke up their formation!

It was time to flog the cur that’s fallen into the water, and such a thing was definitely a speciality of these ruffian soldiers. How could they possibly let go of such an opportunity! Led by Wei Feng and the other Company Leaders, they all charged down the hill like a locust swarm. They still remembered Zhou Weiqing’s words – whatever they robbed would belong to them.

At this moment, Shen Yi was in a mess. As a Low Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master, the Thousand Lightning Strikes did not have much effect on her. However, she had not imagined that Zhou Weiqing would actually have Lightning Attribute Skills, and that their charge would be stopped so easily. Seeing the ruffian battalion soldiers swarm down the  

Chapter 127 Zhou Little Fatty likes men?!

In the end, Shen Yi showed that she was indeed worthy of being a Battalion Commander after all. In such a critical situation, she did not forget to shout out loud: “First Heavy Cavalry Company, Bows!”

The ZhongTian Empire Heavy Cavalry could be said to be the most well equipped army unit in the entire continent, able to fight at all ranges. Three hundred yards was not near by any stretch of the imagination, and for the Peerless Battalion soldiers to charge over would take them some time, and that was sufficient time for these well trained cavalry soldiers to recover from the numbness, keep their lances and draw bow and arrow. Their shields were bound to their left arm, and did not affect their archery.

However, how could Zhou Weiqing possibly let them have such a chance? If his plan was only to fire those two arrows, he did not need to jump down from the hill. After all, what was three hundred yards to the Overlord Bow and someone of his strength and archery Skill?

A deep, powerful howl emitted from Zhou Weiqing’s mouth, filled with a regal aura. At that moment, his eyes turned bloodshot, but strangely, his body did not change. It could be said that he was continuing to improve his control over the Demonic Change State, making use of its aura but not letting himself fully enter the Demonic Change State.

As his cultivation level rose, Zhou Weiqing could currently even allow only part of his body to enter the Demonic Change. Of course, this was also because he had read the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Demonic Manual and trained hard in doing so. Towards his Demonic Attribute, it could be said that the Demonic Manual had given him massive help. Not only did it allow him to gain much better control over the usage of his Demonic Change State, he learnt more about the essence of the Demonic Attribute and how to use all its skills.

This loud tiger’s roar of his seemed to reverberate out like a huge wave, exploding out towards them. Even the Ghost Demon Horses had not been able to withstand the angry howl of the Dark Demon God Tiger previously, let alone these fine warhorses, which though fine and stout, were not even Heavenly Beasts.

All the heavy cavalry soldiers had barely just recovered from their numbed state, and had not even had the time to draw their bows yet. Hearing Zhou Weiqing’s roar, they felt a chill in their hearts as their blood ran cold, and more so, their warhorses below them buckled and fell like wheat being harvested from a field.

Using the Dark Demon God Tiger aura’s to howl out loud had its limit, but to just cover a mere Company of soldiers, it was much more than enough.

With a loud thud, Shen Yi’s horse also crumpled to the ground, and she subconsciously leaped aside in order to not get trapped by the fallen horse. When she looked towards Zhou Weiqing once more, her eyes met his bloodshot ones, and she couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably, the ominous feeling she had raising to a maximum.

The heavy cavalry soldiers definitely looked imposing and grand atop their warhorses, but when their horses were all on the ground, with a large number of the soldiers being trapped under the horses, it was a totally opposite descriptive phrase that would be required. The reason was simple – their equipment was just too heavy, not just the soldiers, but the horses too. When toppled to the ground, it was a sheer feat just to stand up once more… and that time was more than enough for the Peerless Battalion brigand soldiers to reach them.

Zhou Weiqing’s angry roar had indeed given these brigand soldiers a huge scare as well, but the power behind it was after all not directed at them. Seeing the entire Company of heavy cavalry soldiers topple just like that, Zhou Weiqing’s image in their hearts grew yet another notch.

The following sight could be described as ‘too horrible that one could hardly bear to look at it’. The brigand soldiers of the Peerless Battalion had long since been filled with pent up anger after being exiled to this dangerous wasteland for so long. Now that they had a chance to vent their anger, how could they be polite?

If the two sides were to meet on the battleground in a direct clash, the heavy cavalry Company might not be afraid of them. Alas, now that they had lost their greatest advantage, and were all lying on the ground, with so many Physical Jewel Masters on the side of the Peerless Battalion could only spell their upcoming bitter fate.

Even Zhou Weiqing could only stare with his jaw agape, only now did he know what it truly meant to dismember an ox as skillfully as a butcher. These brigand soldiers were truly skilled in the art of robbery, with three to four each handling a single heavy cavalry soldier, swarming up swiftly, and in a matter of four to five breaths, the cavalry soldier would be left with just his underpants. Such speed, such swiftness, such skill. Of course, at the same time, that cavalry soldier would not be spared from a beating.

“Peerless  Battalion  brothers,  listen  up,  do  not  injure  and especially do not kill any of them. That will be adverse to our profit. Without gain, how can we lay hands on our allies right?” Shen Yi, who had just barely recovered, almost stumbled and fell upon hearing that. What ‘how can we lay hands on our allies?’ Isn’t that already laying hands?! If you had more gain, would you kill us all off?

“Zhou Little Fatty, I’ll kill you!”  Sword in hand, Shen Yi charged towards Zhou Weiqing with all her might.

These Peerless Battalion fellows were indeed sly. Seeing the four sets of Heavenly Jewels around Shen Yi’s wrists, when they charged forward, they all veered around this Battalion Commander, giving her a wide berth, very ‘generously’ leaving her for Zhou Weiqing.

“Let me, let me… didn’t you say whatever we snatch belongs to us? This girl’s figure is close to mine.” In the army, the make of armour did not differentiate between male and figure, unlike custom made armours or Consolidated Equipment, where the owners would definitely have some changes depending on their gender. The one who spoke was naturally Shangguan Fei’er. In a flash, she had passed by Zhou Weiqing, facing Shen Yi whose eyes were bloodshot and berserk.

Shen Yi threw the sword in her hands towards Shangguan Fei’er, and the next instant, another sword appeared in her hands, glowing brilliantly with flames, clearly her Consolidated Equipment. Jumping up in the air abruptly with a loud angry howl, she struck down towards Shangguan Fei’er’s head, the flames of her sword extending almost three metres.

Zhou Weiqing did not even bother looking at them, knowing that leaving Shen Yi to Shangguan Fei’er would not be an issue at all, and he did not need to worry about them. At this point, he had already dismissed the Overlord Bow, instead swapping to the Black Dawn Bow, looking around before firing off arrows slowly and steadily towards any stronger heavy cavalry soldiers who put up a fight. Naturally, he would not kill anyone, but with just his archery alone, he could easily take care of the entire battlefield with only a hundred enemies. His only job here was to ensure that there were no casualties on either side.

Facing Shen Yi’s all out attack, Shangguan Fei’er gave a disdainful humph, leaping up to meet her flames directly. Just as it seemed like she was about to be struck down by the flames, Shen Yi felt a blur before her eyes, and Shangguan Fei’er disappeared, only to appear behind her back. Towards a lady, Shangguan Fei’er was much more gentler than towards Zhou Weiqing, and she struck down with her palm on Shen Yi’s neck, knocking her unconscious swiftly and painlessly,
before carrying her down to land safely on the ground.

In terms of power, it could be said that no one in the entire Peerless Battalion to compare with Shangguan Fei’er, perhaps not even Zhou Weiqing. However, in terms of robbing and snatching, Shangguan Fei’er paled far in comparison. By the time she slowly took off Shen Yi’s Battalion Commander armour, the entire fight was over.

Zhou Weiqing stood right there, shouting out loud: “Gather them all together. If any of them dares to resist, beat them up until they stop resisting, just make sure no one dies.”

As he said that, he couldn’t help but marvel at these brigand soldiers of his… in terms of stealing and robbing, they were truly ‘geniuses’ in that art.

In just that short period of time, an entire Heavy Cavalry Company’s worth of equipment was in their hands. Besides the strongest Wei Feng, and the other Company Leaders, who managed to get an entire set of equipment, the rest were either wearing some pieces of armour, a single helmet, leading a horse, or even just the army uniforms. Such a mishmash of equipment, no matter how one looked at it, they looked just like a band of brigands.

The hundred heavy cavalry soldiers dressed only in their underpants and gathered together, battered and bruised. With the bitter cold of the weather up north, and their equipment all lost, how could they dare to continue resisting? As for their Company Leader, Wei Feng had taken care of him personally, knocking him out swiftly in their clash.

Now dressed in a full suit of armour, Wei Feng strode in large steps to the front of Zhou Weiqing, smiling happily as he said: “Battalion Commander, Reporting. One hundred heavy cavalry soldiers, none escape, no casualties. For our side, only a few of our brothers sustained minor injuries. Further instructions?”

After that fight, Wei Feng was finally truly convinced about Zhou Weiqing. If not for him, they would definitely not be able to take down the heavy cavalry Company so easily, especially without any losses. Thinking back to what Zhou Weiqing had said about himself being omnipotent, he suddenly thought that perhaps that was not too huge of an exaggeration. Not only was this new Battalion Commander very similar to them, his abilities were truly inspiring. Zhou  Weiqing  nodded  towards  Wei  Feng  and  said:  “Very good, you all have done well. These spoils are all rewards for everyone. Today, this fight is totally conforming to our rules. Our overall power was far greater than our opponents, and more importantly, we did not have any injuries or death. You all must remember, the most important thing is always to protect ourselves, only then can we earn more in the future. If anyone dares to do anything stupid and look for death, I will personally whip him hard.”

Walking beside Zhou Weiqing was not just Wei Feng, but all the other Company Leaders as well. Hearing Zhou Weiqing’s words, they all burst out laughing heartily.

Black Bear sidled closer to Zhou Weiqing and said in a low voice: “Battalion Commander, that young lady sure is beautiful… shall we… heh heh… if you eat meat, at least let us brothers drink some soup. It’s been a long time…”

Zhou Weiqing glared at him exasperatedly, saying: “You stupid bear, if you want to die, go do so alone and don’t implicate us all. That lady is the sister of the Sixteenth Regiment Commander Shen Bu. Robbing them is one thing, after all they left their camp secretly, and we are just defending ourselves. However, if you dare touch her, I can bet with you that within three days, the entire Sixteenth Regiment will be here to kill us all. Being a brigand also has an art to it… you can only do what is within your means, your power. Err… that… Fei… don’t take off her clothes…”

He was still in the midst of scolding Black Bear when he suddenly saw Shangguan Fei’er had finished stripping Shen Yi of her armour, and was starting to unbutton Shen Yi’s clothes.

Black Bear laughed and said: “Heh heh, this little brother is even more impatient and urgent than I am!”

Shangguan Fei’er held onto Shen Yi’s armour as she stood up, turning to Zhou Weiqing and said: “I’m only taking off her outer clothes, I don’t have any army uniform to change to.” She did not lack clothing to change in her Spatial Ring, but they were all female clothes. How could she possibly wear them in the camp? Zhou Weiqing gave a bitter smile and said: “Don’t strip her outer clothes either… we have to give Shen Bu some face, women are extremely terrifying when they go crazy.”

Shangguan Fei’er said with a discontented tone: “Now then your heart feels tender? When Shen Bu wanted to marry her off to you, why did you reject her then, instead chosing to come here to be a Battalion Commander…” The officers of the Ruffian Battalion stood jaw agape at the side listening to them, staring at Zhou Weiqing in shock. This new Battalion Commander of theirs was truly something different!

Zhou Weiqing looked at her exasperatedly and said: “Alright, enough, wake her up.”

Only then did Shangguan Fei’er suddenly realise that her actions were a little strange… almost as if she was being… jealous. Giving Shen Yi a swift kick, she stood back beside Zhou Weiqing’s side.

Shen Yi’s body shuddered slightly and she opened her eyes slowly, her hand moving subconsciously to her aching neck. All of a sudden, she felt the cold wind on her body, and her heart stilled in fright, her eyes opening wide abruptly, only to see Zhou Weiqing and the rest of the Peerless Battalion staring at her.

“Ahhhh!”   A  shrill  shriek  pierced  the  air,  and  Shen  Yi subconsciously used her hands to cover her chest, protecting her not-too-large bosom.

Zhou Weiqing glanced at her and said grinningly: “Don’t be afraid, I am not interested in yours, as flat as a racecourse as it is.”  After  saying  that,  he  felt  a  sharp  pain  in  his  waist,  as Shangguan Fei’er had given him a savage pinch due to his shameless words.

Zhou Weiqing’s face twitched from the pain, though he tried his best to control himself.

From the viewpoint of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, they could not see Shangguan Fei’er’s actions, but Shen Yi, who was on the floor, could easily see it.

Seeing her own armour in Shangguan Fei’er’s hands, and the closeness that their little actions showed, when Shen Yi looked back at Zhou Weiqing, there was a weird look in her eyes besides the panic.

“No wonder you refused to marry me… no wonder… you actually like him?!” As she said that, Shen Yi’s gaze landed on Shangguan Fei’er. She clearly remembered how this person had subdued her so easily… ‘His’ cultivation level and power was definitely at least as strong as that Zhou Little Fatty, or perhaps even higher, yet he was willing to just be a follower… What else could this be? She had never expected that Zhou Little Fatty would actually like men!

Shangguan Fei’er froze in place, and due to a strange sense of guilt, she lowered her head subconsciously. Alas, in others’ eyes, that was tantamount to admitting it!

The Peerless Battalion officers who were standing beside Zhou Weiqing all took a step back, looking at Zhou Weiqing with a strange look on their faces.

Looking at Shangguan Fei’er, then back at Shen Yi, Zhou Weiqing said helplessly: “Who Your Father, I, likes is none of your business. Gather your men and leave. Go back and tell Shen Bu that I don’t have much interest in the heavy cavalry equipment, let her bring money to exchange. However, the bows, horses and shields are ours now. The heavy armour and horses armour can all be sold back to you; two hundred gold per set. Next time, bring the money to exchange for it.”

Shen Yi clambered back to her feet, looking angrily at Zhou Weiqing as she said: “You just wait, my sister will not let you off so easily.”  After saying that, she turned and left. Without needing Zhou Weiqing to open his mouth, Wei Feng motioned for the Peerless Battalion to move aside.

When Shen Yi saw her heavy cavalry troops all in their underpants, she almost fainted. As a young lady who lived a relatively sheltered life in that regard, seeing a whole horde of men almost fully naked, how could she stand it. Without looking back, she ran off ahead.

Watching the company of soldiers leave in their sorry state, Zhou Weiqing gave the order for the Peerless Battalion to return to camp.

Black Bear sidled over and said: “Battalion Commander, you don’t really like men do you?”

Zhou Weiqing glanced at him, then licked his lips. “That’s right, Your Father, I, loves men, especially such robust and strong men like you. Tonight, you come to my tent all right?” “Ahh? Noooo!” Black Bear yelled out and ran off.

Zhou Weiqing gave a cold humph, turning back to the other Peerless  Battalion  soldiers  and  shouted  an  order:  “Beat  up Black Bear, so much so that his own mother won’t even recognize him. If you do so, I’ll cook some meat for you all to eat tomorrow.”

Hearing that there would be meat to eat, the group of brigand soldiers instantly became a pack of wolves that smelled blood, their eyes lighting up instantly as they charged forward. Before long, Black Bear’s cries of agony rang out. A brave man cannot withstand against a horde of foxes…

“If you dare like men, ‘Your Mother, I’ will chop yours off.” Shangguan Fei’er’s angry voice rang out.

Wei Feng and the others, who had been watching Black Bear get beaten up with an amused look on their faces, instantly turned to look at her with a surprised expression.

“What are you looking at? I’m a woman, what about it?” Shangguan Fei’er yelled with a mix of anger and exasperation. She could not stand Zhou Weiqing being thought of as a homosexual by these subordinates, so she had unthinkingly admitted she was a woman, and she also resumed using her normal voice.

Wei Feng stared at Zhou Weiqing, his jaw agape, before finally saying: “Battalion Commander, you actually brought your wife along to join the army?!”

Zhou Weiqing coughed once embarrassedly, but Shangguan Fei’er jumped to speak before he could. “Little Fatty, look, this Peerless Battalion of ours seems to lack a trainer! In order to let them raise their power as soon as possible, let me be their trainer, okay?”

As she said that, Shangguan Fei’er lifted her hand, stripping off her mask and revealing her face of peerless beauty.

The Peerless Battalion ruffian soldiers had been cooped up here for a long time, and besides using the ‘ten women’ and the ‘left right ultimate skill’ to deal with their physiological problems, there was no other way. Let alone a woman, even a sow would have been a cordial sight to their eyes.

With such an unbelievable beauty appearing right before their eyes, Wei Feng and the others couldn’t help but stare, some with less control even drooling in joy. “Am  I  beautiful”  Shangguan  Fei’er  said  with  a  saccharine sweetness.

Zhou Weiqing palmed his forehead and groaned, quickly turning to leave. When the Heaven’s Expanse Palace Little Demon Girl acted like this, there was nothing good that would come out of it, he had better leave as soon as possible. Before doing so, he specially dragged Wei Feng away as well.

“Battalion Commander, why did you drag me away?” Wei Feng said resentfully, his eyes still fixed greedily upon Shangguan Fei’er as he was forced away.

“If you don’t want to die, you better come with me now.” Zhou Weiqing said softly, forcibly dragging him away.

Wei Feng was angry in his heart, thinking to himself: Even if that is your woman, can’t I even have a look?!

However, it wasn’t long before that anger vanished. After being dragged about twenty metres away, he suddenly saw Green Wolf and the others as if somehow provoked, leaping towards Shangguan Fei’er as a group. This time, Wei Feng was dumbfounded, stricken with fear. He had experienced and seen Zhou Weiqing’s strength, and if his woman were to be attacked just like that, how could Zhou Weiqing let them off like that?

However, to Wei Feng’s surprise, Zhou Weiqing did not even bother looking back, continuing to drag him towards his tent. At that moment, the group of pouncing men were all sent flying back one by one like cannon balls.

A symphony of painful cries rang out in a rhythm, increasingly louder. Wei Feng could see Shangguan Fei’er moving in a flash, barely catching her illusory figure as she jumped around, as if juggling the group of them. Anyone who came within three yards of her would be sent flying savagely.

The scene blackened before him. Zhou Weiqing had successfully dragged him into the tent.

“Battalion Commander… that…” Wei Feng said dully, still in shock.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head helplessly and said: “Now then you know right… Provoking that Little Demon Girl will never end well. Do you think my strength is abnormal, not like a Four Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master?” Wei Feng nodded; after all it was the truth.

Zhou Weiqing continued: “Fei’er is even more abnormal than I am… and more so, her cultivation level is at the six Jewels. You can think for yourself.”

Wei Feng shivered involuntarily. By now, how could he not understand? “Battalion Commander, thank you for saving me!”

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: “Looks like Green WOolf and the others will not be able to join tonight’s operation. Wei Feng, do you have the map of the northern armies, the more detailed the better.”

Wei Feng’s heart skipped a beat and he said: “Battalion Commander, why do you need a map? Are you trying to get revenge on the Sixteenth Regiment?”

Zhou Weiqing gave a disdainful humph and said: “Revenge? What good is that? Didn’t I say before, our Peerless Battalion will not do anything that does not profit us? Didn’t you hear me say that I’ll let our brothers have meat to eat tomorrow, if we don’t go out and get some, how are they going to eat?” Wei Feng’s eyes narrowed. “Battalion Commander… you… aren’t going to rob the grain depot are you?”

Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: “Rob? What rob? We are going to collect. Originally, I was going to do so three days later, but since Shen Bu has given us such a big gift today, we shall take action tonight, collect some supplies and let our brothers have a good meal first.”

Audacious to the extreme; that was Wei Feng’s appraisal of Zhou Weiqing.

Seeing his hesitant eyes, Zhou Weiqing clapped Wei Feng on the shoulder and said: “Don’t worry, it will be fine. Quick, bring me the map to look at first.”

Wei Feng had no choice but to leave quickly to do so, leaving Zhou Weiqing alone in the tent. The cries of agony from outside were still unending, evoking bad memories and sending chills down Zhou Weiqing’s spine. Luckily, he was not the one screaming out right now…

Right at that moment, the tent flapped opened and Shangguan Fei’er entered. “That was boring, what a bunch of weaklings, they can’t even take a beating. Just a few hits and they can’t even get up… Little Fatty, I’m just about having fun now, come on out, let’s spar.”

Zhou Weiqing stared at her, dumbfounded. Currently, due to a large amount of exertions, her beautiful face had a pink flush, looking valiant and healthy. Although she was wearing an ordinary army uniform, her radiant beauty was just too stunning.

“Uhhh… Fei’er, tonight we have a big operation to run, it will be fun. Do you want to come along?”

With an impassive look, Zhou Weiqing swiftly changed the topic. He did not want to end up in the same state as those fellows outside.

As expected, Shangguan Fei’er’s interest was piqued. “Big operation? Doing what? Of course I want to go!” Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: “You don’t have to care what we are doing first, in any case, I will be the commanding officer then. You don’t want to have me bruised and battered and unable to go out… in that case I wouldn’t be able to bring you out to play tonight.”

Shangguan Fei’er thought about it for a moment, then turned to look at Zhou Weiqing. “Alright, I’ll let you off this time. However, if tonight’s operation isn’t fun, you’re dead! Oh right, just now I also helped you proclaim… I am now the overall drillmaster of the Peerless Battalion, in charge of their combat skills. They have also acknowledged my post. In the future, you must call me Drillmaster Shangguan. Not bad, not bad, in the future, I’ll have a lot of targets to practice on.”

Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but think to himself. You’re so violent, how could they dare to not acknowledge it.

At this point, Wei Feng returned as well. Seeing Shangguan Fei’er in the tent, his expression changed as well, and he greeted her with even more respect than towards Zhou Weiqing. “Greetings, Drillmaster Shangguan.” “En.” Shangguan Fei’er nodded at him.

No wonder Wei Feng was so respectful; it was just that he had just seen the sorry state of the few Company Leaders outside that caused it!

Black Bear had been beaten up by a mob, that was bad enough right? However, compared to Green Wolf and the others, he was considered lucky, at least he was still recognizable, still able to walk. Yet, Green Wolf and the others had to be carried back; looking at them, it would be at least a day or two before they could even get back on their feet. At the same time, they had not sustained any heavy or lasting injuries. Thinking back to what Zhou Weiqing had said about how Shangguan Fei’er was even more ‘abnormal’ than he was, how could Wei Feng not be extra respectful?

Opening up the map in front of Zhou Weiqing, Wei Feng said: “This is the situation of the northern army camps, all in fine detail. As you know, we have nothing much else to do here, so every other time we will try and perfect the map, just to see if there is any chance for us to escape somehow.

Zhou Weiqing looked at the map, and saw that it was indeed extremely clear and detailed, with each and every camp shown. “Vice Commander Wei, let me have this map to study for a while, you go and let everyone register what they have managed to gain this time. When Shen Bu sends someone to buy back the heavy cavalry equipment, we can then give out the money accordingly.”

Wei Feng’s brow furrowed and he said worriedly: “Battalion Commander, a heavy cavalry equipment is worth quite a sum. Although the Sixteenth Regiment is a cavalry regiment, they will not be able to withstand such a loss out of combat. What if that Regiment Commander Shen Bu is so enraged that she attacks us, what do we do then?”

Zhou Weiqing smiled passively and said: “Let her come then. Dispatch a few brothers who are extremely fast to keep watch on any movement on the Sixteenth Regiment side. You guys can even avoid the WanShou Empire armies, are you still afraid of a single Regiment? Furthermore, I have seventy percent confidence that Shen Bu will not lead her forces to attack us, unless she wants to be court martialed. In order to muster troop movements over a thousand… it is impossible to keep it hidden from the northern command. With the power that we have displayed today, they know that without at least several Battalion, how could they possibly take us down? No matter how angry Shen Bu is, she will have to tolerate it.” Wei Feng looked at Zhou Weiqing with a hint of surprise in his eyes. On the surface, this young Battalion Commander seemed to be overly audacious, perhaps even arrogant, to even dare rob the heavy cavalry units. However, in truth, he had already thought things through extremely thoroughly. At least, on the surface, what he said was extremely true, as even sending the single Company of heavy cavalry soldiers was actually against the army rules. After all, no matter what, the Ruffian Battalion was still considered part of the ZhongTian
forces…

As long as they were able to balance this well, and without going too far or killing anyone, it was not that easy for Shen Bu to do anything to the Peerless Battalion.

As he thought up to this point, it was as if Wei Feng suddenly saw the light, feeling a sense of cheer he had not had in a long time. His previous pessimistic outlook of tonight’s operation was suddenly dissipated, and he felt more relaxed.


Nightfall. The entire north seemed even more bleak and chilly, a desolate feel during this time. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er were fully dressed in their armour as they walked out of the tent. Both of them were in Battalion Commander gear; of course, Shangguan Fei’er’s one was stolen from Shen Yi.

Down the hill, a hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers were gathered, fully dressed in heavy cavalry equipment and mounted atop the warhorses. This was also why Zhou Weiqing had asked Wei Feng to register who had gotten the equipment, as he needed to borrow them all for this night operation.

As he looked up into the sky, a bolt of silver light shot forth from Zhou Weiqing’s body, disappearing into the tent. It was the Silver Emperor, Little Red Bean.

From Wei Feng, Zhou Weiqing had learned that the WanShou Empire usually launched their attacks around the autumn season, usually after the harvest. At that time, they were facing the prospect of the incoming bitter winter, a time when there would be a severe lack of food. The war would generally last throughout the entire autumn and until the beginning of winter. This years war had already ended, and the winter season was near its close. As such, for some time, the WanShou Empire should not be attacking, at least not with any large forces.

In the last war with the WanShou Empire, the Ruffian Battalion had lost more than three hundred men, not from actual fighting, but starved to death while hiding in the underground tunnels. Otherwise, they would number a thousand five hundred now, not just a thousand two hundred men. In the end, they had been forced to scavenge on the corpses of the beasts that the WanShou Empire armies had left behind in order to barely survive.

For this night’s operation, Zhou Weiqing had asked Wei Feng to gather those who were skilled at riding horses, without the need to focus too much on strength. The Peerless Battalion soldiers all had a unique, ferocious aura about them, and with their large figures, dressed in the heavy cavalry armour, they did look the part at least. Furthermore, with the stolen cotton garb from the heavy cavalry, it also helped them withstand the cold much better.

Zhou Weiqing had left Little Red Bean as well as Da Huang and Er Huang, his two Icy Soul Heavenly Bears, behind. Although there was little chance that the WanShou Empire would attack, he did not want to take any risks. With Little Red Bean there, as long as it wasn’t too huge an enemy force, it was sufficient to scare most enemies away.

“Today’s operation is actually very simple. You only have two tasks; firstly, to do your best to be in proper formation, and no one is allowed to talk. If the operation is successful, every brother who joins today’s operation will be rewarded with five gold coins. Each of you are in charge of each other, anyone who speaks you must report it immediately, and the person who speaks will lose out a gold coin, and the reporter will gain the additional gold coin. Secondly, you are to obey all orders, as
long as it does not influence your gain or to send you to your death, you must obey them all strictly. Otherwise, similarly, you will be fined of your reward. Do you all understand?”

“Understood.”  The hundred replies were not in sync, but definitely loud and full of energy.

Zhou Weiqing did not bring Wei Feng along for this operation, and he now beckoned to him. “Vice Commander Wei Feng, we will be back soon. I’ll leave the camp to you, as well as the coordinating task.”

Wei Feng nodded and said: “Battalion Commander, be careful.”

Nodding, Zhou Weiqing turned around and shouted out loud: “Move out.”

Both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er immediately released their Ghost Demon Horses from their Spatial Realms, and their steeds’ powerful stature immediately drew the attention of the Peerless Battalion soldiers. Zhou Weiqing rode to the front of the party along with Shangguan Fei’er before heading towards the northern command camp with this Company of seemingly heavy cavalry soldiers.

The traveling speed of heavy cavalry was relatively slower compared to most cavalry units, and it was more than two hours before they neared the northern command camp.

On the way, they had met several patrols. However, upon seeing that they were heavy cavalry soldiers, especially with Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er mounted on Ghost Demon horses, they only gave a cursory questioning before letting them on their way. Towards the questions, Zhou Weiqing’s answer was extremely simple, that they were on a secret mission.

Though the camp was in sight, they were still a few kilometres away. Zhou Weiqing ordered them all to stop before opening the map to verify their position. Very quickly, he focused on a particular spot, and he said: “This is our target. Come with me.”

The heavy cavalry soldiers behind him were all silent. That ‘fining’ system of Zhou Weiqing had indeed worked well… no one wanted to be fined, or to give the one beside them any advantage.

“Halt! The granary storage area is a restricted zone. Which Regiment are you all from?” As they were reaching their target area, they were stopped by infantry guards.

This was one of the northern army main granary warehouse zones, situated between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Regiments.

Zhou Weiqing sat atop his single horned Ghost Demon Horse without speaking a word, and Shangguan Fei’er by his side took out the plaque from her bosom. “You, don’t you even recognize us from the Sixteenth Regiment?”  Naturally, that plaque she took out belonged to Shen Yi.

“Ohh, so you are the brothers from the Sixteenth Regiment. It is already so late, what are you here for?” A Company Leader walked out from behind, bowing slightly to them, looking enviously at their Ghost Demon Horses.

Zhou Weiqing said solemnly: “Our Regiment Commander has orders for us to collect some rations and supplies. Where is the quartermaster? Ask him to come see me.” These granary zones were usually to provide for four Regiments, and the quartermaster in charge was usually a Battalion Commander, but compared to a Battalion Commander who actually led troops, their status was a bit lower. Of course, at the same time, this post was an extremely lucrative post one. Seeing the gleaming armour of the troops behind Zhou Weiqing, as well as the impressive horned Ghost Demon Horse under him, the Company Leader did not dare delay them. “Sir, please wait, I’ll send for the lord
quartermaster immediately.”

After saying that, the Company Leader immediately dispatched a soldier to report to the quartermaster.

Zhou Weiqing jumped down from the Ghost Demon Horse lightly, and the Company Leader came up and said softly: “Sir, you are from the Ghost Demon Horse Legion? This Ghost Demon Horse is truly impressive! It must be invincible on the battlefield.”

Zhou Weiqing did not reply, a haughty look on his face.

In a few minutes, the quartermaster, a soldier around forty years of age, came down under the escort of ten soldiers. Originally, he was in quite a bad mood. After all, who wouldn’t be after being awoken from sleep in the middle of the night. Although he was not leading any troops, his status in the army was still relatively important, and ordinary Battalion Commanders did not have his respect.

However, when he saw Zhou Weiqing’s single horned Ghost Demon Horse, the unhappiness on his face disappeared, and he took a quick step forward and extended his hand in greeting. “Ohhh, which Battalion Commander of the Sixteenth Regiment is this, you do not look too familiar!”

Zhou Weiqing lifted his hand to grasp his in return, saying passively: “I have just been transferred over from the Ghost Demon Horse Legion, it is normal that you do not know me.”

As they spoke, their eyes met, and at that moment, the quartermaster saw a pair of purple red eyes. As Zhou Weiqing was much taller than him, all he could only see that purple red.

If at that time Zhou Weiqing’s upper body was naked, then they would all be able to see that the image of the Demonic Dragon Lady appearing.

Chapter 128 Demonic Dragon God Seal! 

This time, the Heavenly Skill Image of the Demonic Dragon Lady did not appear in mid air, but it still appeared on his back, hidden by Zhou Weiqing’s clothes.

The Dragon Silencing Seal had been useful far beyond his expectations, and had been a huge jolt to Zhou Weiqing. Naturally, how could he easily give up continuing to Skill Store the Demonic Dragon Lady? As such, when he had reached the Four Jewel stage, the first thing he thought of was the Demonic Dragon Lady.

Although the Demonic Dragon Lady was only a Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beast, due to its fusion of Demonic and Darkness Attributes, its Skills were already very close to the Heavenly God Stage. That was also why the Demonic Dragon Lady’s Skills could actually summon the Heavenly Skill Image.

A half step to the Heavenly God Stage meant it was already approaching the door to the Heavenly God Stage! For example that Absolute Skill of Dragon Silencing Seal… hadn’t Zhou Weiqing used it earlier to Seal a Heavenly God Stage Dragon? Even Tian’er, from the Heavenly Snow Mountain, could even feel jealous about such a skill, one could imagine how powerful the Demonic Dragon Lady’s Skills were.

What Zhou Weiqing was currently unleashing was the second Skill that he had Stored from the Demonic Dragon Lady, also a Fusion of the Darkness and Demonic Attributes. The name of the Skill was the Demonic Dragon God Seal, and it was also one of the Demonic Dragon Lady’s top Skills.

The Demonic Dragon God Seal’s effect was actually very simple, yet it was rated eleven and a half Stars, and the most important factor in that was because it too was an Absolute Skill.

The Demonic Dragon God Seal was released through both eyes, and just like the Dragon Silencing Seal, it did not take any Heavenly Energy. As long as the person met eyes with the caster, and their Heavenly Energy cultivation level was less than four stages below the caster, then this Skill would take effect.

Demonic Dragon God Seal. What it Sealed was the Spirit. That was to say, a person who had been afflicted with the Demonic Dragon God Seal would have his spirit and soul totally Sealed, becoming like a mindless zombie, totally under the control of the caster… almost to the extent of being like a duplicate body of the caster.

Of course, there was also a simple, though huge, restriction on the Demonic Dragon God Seal. That was to say that only one of it could take effect at any time. If he wanted to control someone else, he would have to give up the control of the first person.

On the surface, the Demonic Dragon God Seal did not seem as terrifying as the Dragon Silencing Seal. However, when Zhou Weiqing saw the introduction to this Skill, he instantly sensed how extraordinary it was.

Without question, the Demonic Dragon God Seal would grow in power along with his cultivation level. If one day Zhou Weiqing’s cultivation level was at the Heavenly God Stage, then he could even control a Heavenly Emperor Stage powerhouse. Of course, the caveat was that he had to be four stages above the one he wanted to control.

Many times, a critical linchpin to matters was not just so easily solved by martial prowess. This Skill could come in surprisingly handy at times. It could be said that with this Skill, it allowed Zhou Weiqing to have a puppet to control. Wasn’t it just a perfect situation right now?

Zhou Weiqing held onto the quartermaster’s hand, infusing his Heavenly Energy into his body. With just a simple check, he easily sensed that though the quartermaster also had Heavenly Energy, it was only at the sixth stage, far below his own. Without hesitation, Zhou Weiqing immediately activated the Demonic Dragon God Seal.

The Demonic Dragon God Seal was definitely a well concealed skill. Besides the user and the puppet, no one else would be able to see the purple-red eyes of his, and even the Heavenly Skill Image was well hidden on Zhou Weiqing’s back.

Amongst everyone present, only Shangguan Fei’er, whose cultivation level was higher than Zhou Weiqing, could faintly sense a hint of Heavenly Energy reverberating in the air. As for the others, they did not sense anything at all.

The quartermaster faltered momentarily, a purple red light flashing faintly in his eyes for a split second before disappearing. After staring slightly dazedly at Zhou Weiqing for a while, he seemed to recover and exclaimed with a sudden realisation. “Ahh, no wonder, so it is you! I remember now, it is truly a great addition for the Sixteenth Regiment to have your presence! You must be here to take charge of the heavy cavalry of the Sixteenth Regiment.”

Zhou Weiqing nodded proudly, lowering his head to the quartermaster’s ear, saying something softly before passing a plaque to him.

The quartermaster lowered his head to take a look at it, before returning it respectfully to Zhou Weiqing, saying in a solemn voice: “I understand. Please rest outside here for now, I will arrange for the supplies to be gathered here for you immediately.”

After saying that, he turned and headed back into the camp. Zhou Weiqing also returned to his Ghost Demon Horse, giving the order for the rest of his company to dismount and rest as well.

The Peerless Battalion soldiers did not know what Zhou Weiqing was up to, and they were all rather curious. Wasn’t their Battalion Commander a fresh recruit to the army? Why was it that he seemed to know this quartermaster? However, despite all the questions in their hearts, they did not dare open their mouth to ask! After all, as soon as they did so, their money would disappear! As such, they could only bottle their questions inside and wait silently.

In truth, Zhou Weiqing’s entire back was covered in cold sweat. This was after all the first time he was using the Demonic Dragon God Seal, and though it seemed like two people were speaking, it was actually him controlling.

Although his spirit energy was considerably high, it was still a massive drain to split his spirit into two like that.

The effect of the Demonic Dragon God Seal was indeed powerful, and even had a range of more than 500 li. Just like the Dragon Silencing Seal, there would only be one more time when it would evolve; that would be when Zhou Weiqing broke through to the Heavenly King Stage.

Of course, who else could guess that everything happening now was everything under Zhou Weiqing’s control! As the quartermaster returned to the camp, the busy sounds from within soon rang out, the bustling noise of movement, wheels and other general din.

In bringing this hundred heavy cavalry soldiers for the operation tonight, it had actually been Zhou Weiqing’s back up plan in case the quartermaster here had a cultivation level higher than the restriction of his Demonic Dragon God Seal. Luckily, it looked like this lesser plan would not be needed now.

He beckoned towards the Company Leader at the gate, who quickly hurried forward.

“Battalion Commander Sir, what instructions do you have?” Having heard that Zhou Weiqing was from the top elite Ghost Demon Horse Legion, his attitude was extremely respectful.

Zhou Weiqing said passively: “Since your quartermaster has already started preparing the supplies, I will not wait here. I am heading back now, later tell your quartermaster to send it to the destination I told him.”

As he said that, he waved to his company, and they moved out swiftly.

Due to the two rules that Zhou Weiqing had set earlier, the Peerless Battalion soldiers were forced to keep silent despite their curiosity, following behind Zhou Weiqing as they headed east for a distance before turning north. At last, Shangguan Fei’er could not hold back any longer. After all, she did not care about the gold coins. “Zhou Little Fatty, What have you got up your sleeve? You know that quartermaster just now?”

Zhou  Weiqing  grinned  and  said:  “Heh  heh,  everything  is settled. You just wait and see.”

Shangguan Fei’er said with a dissatisfied look: “I don’t care whether or not everything is settled. You told me that this operation would be fun. What so fun about this!? I’m just accompanying you to chill in the northern winds?!”

Looking at this Little Demon Girl, Zhou Weiqing felt a sense of helplessness. Trying to put a bluff past her was not that easy.

Left without a choice, he could only say mysteriously: “Fei’er, let me tell you a secret. Actually, I do not know that quartermaster at all, and the plaque that I gave him was merely my Battalion Commander plaque, not any secret orders… and it should have no use… That is truly the fun part of tonight’s operation… why did he listen to me? Can you guess?”

Shangguan Fei’er started momentarily, then lapsed into thoughtful silence. She was an intelligent girl after all, yet she still did not fully understand what Zhou Weiqing had said. Previously, she had thought he recognized that quartermaster somehow, but since he said he did not… what was going on?

Seeing her lapse into deep thought, Zhou Weiqing let loose a relieved breath. Leading the company almost fifty li ahead, he finally stopped at a slightly taller hill.

“Everyone rest right here, conceal yourselves. This operation is almost over, so watch your mouths still, be warned of the fine.” Zhou Weiqing gave the order.

After saying that, he sat down easily and unrestrained just like that, and started cultivating, as if his plan had been to come here all along. Of course, no one else knew that he was currently focusing all his spirit on controlling that quartermaster. Shangguan Fei’er and the others were nearby protecting him, and he could wake himself up at anytime, so he did not feel the need to be afraid of being interrupted.

After almost an hour, a troop of almost five hundred men walked towards them stealthily. The leader was Wei Feng.

When Wei Feng arrived, he was surprised to see that Zhou Weiqing and the others were already waiting for them at this prearranged spot. Halting for a confused second, he quickly moved forward to Zhou Weiqing.

“Battalion Commander, what is the situation?”

Zhou Weiqing opened his eyes and turned to Shangguan Fei’er before saying: “Fei’er, you bring the heavy cavalry troops back first. They are much too obvious. Leave the rest to us.”

At this point, Shangguan Fei’er was still in the midst of contemplating how Zhou Weiqing had accomplished all that. Her mind had run through countless possibilities, which she had thrown out one by one. Hearing Zhou Weiqing’s words, she nodded slightly, mounting her Ghost Demon Horse and leading the heavy cavalry soldiers away, still deep in thought.

After sending Shangguan Fei’er away, Zhou Weiqing turned to  Wei  Feng  and  smiled  faintly,  full  of  confidence.  “Order everyone to conceal themselves as best they can. We just need to sit still and watch the upcoming good show.”

Two hours later, it was already in the wee hours way past midnight. The bitter cold of the night caused the many Peerless Battalion soldiers to shiver incessantly. Although they were all Jewel Masters with good physiques, staying here in the open wilderness was still not a comfortable thing. If not for the fact that Zhou Weiqing had promised them much gain, and he had previously kept his promises, perhaps they would have mutinied by then.

Right at that moment, the sounds of carts could be faintly heard in the distance. On looking, they saw rows of carts being pulled slowly by soldiers, led by the quartermaster mounted on a fine steed, looking extremely valiant. However, if one actually examined his eyes closely, they were currently soulless and empty.

They continued along until they were about five hundred metres from where Zhou Weiqing and the Peerless Battalion were, before the quartermaster raised his hands and they all stopped.

At this point, Wei Feng was staring with his eyes wide open. There were almost two hundred carts full of supplies, with some livestock behind as well; some pigs, cows and sheep. If not for Zhou Weiqing’s hand on his shoulder holding him back, perhaps Wei Feng would have already led the men to rob them all. After all, there were barely five hundred soldiers pulling the carts. In terms of fighting prowess, how could those logistic troops compare to the Peerless Battalion soldiers. At that point, the quartermaster abruptly turned around and shouted out loud. “Alright, our mission is complete. Leave the supplies and head back to camp.”

Instantly, the logistic soldiers quickly left the carts and formed back into a group, jogging back towards the northern camp.

This time, all the Peerless Battalion soldiers were stunned. No one could understand how Zhou Weiqing managed to pull that off.

They sat there watching the retreating backs of the quartermaster and his soldiers, and only when they finally disappeared into the horizon did Zhou Weiqing finally stand up. Laughing heartily, he said: “Brothers, what are you waiting for! All of these are ours now, let’s get them back. Your Father, I, promised that we would all get to eat meat tomorrow, and I have kept my promise. You haven’t sat in this freezing wind for half the night for nothing right?” Cheers erupted from all the Peerless Battalion soldiers. Five hundred of them charged forward, swarming towards the supplies.

Zhou Weiqing grabbed hold of Wei Feng, who had been about to charge forward as well. Pointing towards two unassuming looking carts in the middle of the pack, he gave some instructions in a low tone. Wei Feng nodded and headed down swiftly.

With all those carts in tow, their speed was naturally much slower. It was only dawn of the next morning that Zhou Weiqing and the five hundred men finally returned to the Peerless Battalion camp.

However, even though the five hundred soldiers had laboured and suffered through the entire night, they were all in great condition, high spirited. They did not even feel the cold anymore, each and everyone of them well dressed in cotton winter clothing from the supplies, and even their tattered army uniforms were now all new.

More importantly, the various food supplies that they had brought back this time was more than enough for the entire Peerless Battalion to eat well and drink well for more than three months. When the supplies finally reached the camp, the cheers from all one thousand two hundred men rang out. This time, not a single person even remembered to ask Zhou Weiqing for this night’s operation reward. Zhou Weiqing also returned to his own tent and fell into a deep sleep.

As for the northern command side with the quartermaster, Zhou Weiqing handled the situation with a simple method. After all, the entire granary zone was to support four Regiments, and although the number of supplies they had received seemed like a lot, it was barely a tip of the iceberg to the massive granary. The quartermaster only told his subordinates that the mission that night was absolute top secret, and anyone who spoke anything about it would be executed by martial law. As such, the entire thing was suppressed. At least, before anyone from above did any audit of the supplies, there was no need for worry.

As for clearing up and settling everything in camp, Zhou Weiqing did not handle it himself, just heading to sleep directly. He left that too Wei Feng to settle properly. As a leader, one did not need to do everything himself, otherwise he would have no possible rest.

Zhou Weiqing slept all the way til noon before he finally awoke. As soon as he did so, he could smell the thick fragrance of well cooked meat from outside. He had also not had a good meal in a few days, and he followed the fragrance out of the tent.

In the middle of the camp, several large cauldron had been set up, firewood burning brightly below them, and a stew bubbling within. He could see large chunks of meat in the stew, and the fragrance of it combined with the cold fresh morning air gave this wilderness a unique flavour.

The Peerless Battalion officers’ ability to take a beating was indeed not bad. After having been beaten up so much by Shangguan Fei’er yesterday, these Company Leaders were now all seated outside.

All around on the hill surroundings were the over thousand Peerless Battalion soldiers, but strangely enough, they were all silent, surrounding the cauldrons and watching them. Besides the occasional sound of swallowing saliva, there was only the bubbling sound of the boiling stew. Zhou Weiqing looked closer, and he could see a few tears glistening in many of their eyes.

Shangguan Fei’er also sat beside the Company Leaders that she had beaten up. Currently, she too was extremely silent. All of a sudden, someone spotted Zhou Weiqing’s appearance, and he immediately stood up, looking directly at Zhou Weiqing and calling out sincerely: “Boss.”

The shout instantly broke the silence, and everyone’s gazes focused on Zhou Weiqing instantly. At once, all of them stood up as one.

“Boss… Boss…”

The cries rang out in rise and fall. They did not call Zhou Weiqing Battalion Commander, but the word Boss just seemed so much more sincere and heartfelt.

Green Wolf stood up beside Shanggun Fei’er and shouted out loud: “Boss, as long as we follow you, I believe we will have clothes to wear and food to eat. This brother’s 200 jin body is all yours.”

Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: “Damn it, Your Father, I, has no interest in men. Shoo Shoo.”

“HAHAHAHA—” An explosion of laughter rang throughout the entire camp, rolling across the hills. Wei Feng stood there in a daze. Since the time he had come to the Ruffian Battalion, he had never seen all the brothers with such bright smiles on their faces. Looking at Zhou Weiqing, with a roguish grin on his face, he thought to himself: This young man, will he bring a fresh life to our brothers?

“Alright, everyone sit down. It’s more important to feast on the meat now, it has been a while since I have eaten meat as well. Once we have eaten, I will give out the money for yesterday’s operation; everyone five gold as promised.”

From the back, someone shouted: “Boss, as long as there is meat to eat, we do not need the gold!”

Zhou  Weiqing  pursed  his  lips  and  said:  “Is  that  all  the aspirations you all have? Just some meat and you all are satisfied? Let me tell you all, gold is extremely important for many things. Without gold, what will you use to buy good equipment in the future? Don’t expect Your Father, I, to give it to you for free. Ordinary equipment, food, that is what I, as your brother and Battalion Commander, will do, and should do. However, if you want to grow and enrich yourselves, then you all have to think hard and plan for yourselves. Of course, buying things from me is still much cheaper than normal. For example, a set of ordinary Physical Jewel Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, I will only charge a mere five hundred gold coins. So, earn hard. When I said profit is all important, I was serious, and that is not just for you all. I am not opening a charity… if you want to grow strong and powerful, to earn more, to live a better life, then you will need to work hard.”

If he were to give them everything, it was actually not too tough for Zhou Weiqing to do. However, if that were so, then these men would have nothing to work towards, no propelling force. That was not what Zhou Weiqing wanted for them, hence his speech to them.

Five hundred gold coins per set of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. Such a price could be said to be almost like giving it away, when compared to the market price. However, to these Ruffian Battalion soldiers, five hundred gold coins was no small amount. Their only method of earning gold was also extremely limited; that was to listen to Zhou Weiqing.

In that moment, the more intelligent of the ruffians lapsed into deep thought. Or perhaps, to become a ruffian soldier, to have caused trouble and be sent here instead of being executed… how many of them could be true fools?

Zhou Weiqing walked over to Shangguan Fei’er and pulled her up. Currently, she had reverted back to her female attire. However, no one dared to stare at her beauty.

Zhou Weiqing’s hand encircled Shangguan Fei’er’s shoulders, a scoundrelly look on his face as he looked around at his men, saying: “Let me introduce her officially. This beautiful lady is called Shangguan Fei’er. From now on, she will be the overall drill master in charge of our Peerless Battalion. Whoever wants to learn from her can apply to do so on your own accord, we will not force you to do so. Her training fees are a gold coin per month. As I said, there is no free lunch in this world. Only if you spend the money will you really work hard on your training right? Of course, whether or not you want to learn is your own business. However, there are a few exceptions… the Company Leaders… this month’s training fees I will pay for you. Fei’er, I leave them to you, you are in charge.”

Having Zhou Weiqing’s arms around her like that, Shangguan Fei’er felt her heart skip a beat before racing. She did not even know why she did not just shake his arms away, allowing him to get away with this. However, as the Heaven’s Expanse Palace Little Demon Girl, she quickly transferred her bashfulness into violence. After Zhou Weiqing’s last words, her wicked smile and gaze landed on the ten Company Leaders.

“Boss…  nooo!”  No one knew who was the first to cry out sadly, and the ten Company Leaders look at Zhou Weiqing with pleading looks.

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: “Just now who was the one who cried out first, you will have one more month added. Of course, if you all together can defeat our drill master, then you all do not need to go through training.”

Although they were the Company Leaders, the other ruffian soldiers only looked on happily. Who would help them out as such a time?

“Let’s eat!” Zhou Weiqing shouted out, grabbing a large bowl and filling it full of meat and stew before running to the side to eat.

Instantly, the entire Peerless Battalion erupted into action, bustling with life as the men swarmed towards the cauldrons to snatch their portion of meat.

By the time Zhou Weiqing finished his bowl and wanted to get a second bowl, the cauldrons were all empty.

When he saw the empty metal cauldrons, our dear Battalion Commander Zhou Little Fatty’s voice rang out throughout the entire camp. “You all have no heart!!!”

In truth, under Wei Feng’s instructions, there was actually not much meat cooked for all to eat. After all, these men normally ate some wild plants and wheat or bran to barely fill their stomach. If they ate too much meat, it would actually have an adverse reaction on their bodies. Most of them only had a few small pieces of meat and drinking a bowl of stew.

Even so, by the time afternoon came, almost half of the soldiers had an upset stomach.

However, by that time, Zhou Weiqing was already in the secret tunnels of the Peerless Battalion.

Although he had barely been with them for two days, all of the Peerless Battalion soldiers had seen what he had done for them. He had brought food, clothing, weapons, and his temper was well suited to them. At least for now, he had gained their acceptance.

“Battalion Commander, the food has been stored in our underground storage. There, the temperature fluctuation will not be too great, no matter summer or winter, and there will be less chance of spoilage. If we eat sparingly, this can last us almost half a year.” Wei Feng said excitedly.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: “Why should we eat sparingly? This few days, you help everyone’s stomachs get used to it, increase the amount of porridge of vegetables, and we can slowly increase the amount of meat.”

“When everyone’s stomach has recovered and adapted, we must let everyone eat well everyday. As for supplies, you do not need to worry. Since I can get this once, I can arrange it again. That said… when the WanShou Empire armies come, you all just hide here in these tunnels?” The tunnel in front of him was one of the many that the Ruffian Battalion had dug over all these years, only about a metre tall, and they had to bend in an extremely uncomfortable position to climb in. The entrance was extremely well hidden, very hard to see from outside.

The tunnel extended deep more than over a dozen metres before it reached a larger space carved out, barely able to stand up, but still not considered too spacious. Furthermore, the ventilation was pretty bad.

Wei Feng gave a bitter smile as he said: “These hills are all hard rock, mostly granite. Our brothers barely have enough food to fill themselves… being able to dig to such an extent is already amazing. In any case, this is just enough to barely keep ourselves alive.”

Zhou Weiqing furrowed his brow and said: “This will not do… this is leaving everything up to fate. If you are discovered, there is only death awaiting. Furthermore, what happens if the fight outside lasts for a long time? What do we do? In the end we will just starve to death in here.” Wei Feng looked at Zhou Weiqing and said: “What do you say we do then?”

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment before saying: “Dig deeper holes, accumulate greater stores of food. The hills being granite rock has bad points, but also good points. If we can carve an underground world for ourselves down here, fortifying it well, no matter how many enemies come at us, we do not need to be afraid. We have only just entered spring, so we do not need to rush into this. Let me think about it more and design it better… we need to extend and expand all these original tunnels and join them together. An underground world needs to have sufficient space for us to move around, and also sufficient ventilation, entrances and exits. This is the bare minimum. Vice Commander Wei Feng, how does everyone train and cultivate normally?”

Wei Feng smiled bitterly once more and said: “Living in such a place, in such conditions, who still has the heart and mind to cultivate or train? In truth, there are many here who have very good talents, but they are buried here, only living their lives and waiting for death.”

A wicked light gleamed in Zhou Weiqing’s eyes and he said: “No problem, let everyone get well fed and warm first. When the time comes, I have my ways to let them develop their talents.”

By now, his position as the Peerless Battalion Battalion Commander was stable, but Zhou Weiqing knew that things had to be done step by step, and not rush into things.

If he were to force these men to train now, the effect would not be good at all. After all, they had suffered in the biting cold and starvation for so long, and that had a strong effect, no matter how good their physiques were. The important thing for them now was to let their bodies recover before he took any further steps.

“Vice Commander Wei, tonight I will be going to the TianBei City.  You  take  care  of  the  money.”  As  he  said  that,  Zhou Weiqing pointed to the two carts that he had specially asked Wei Feng to take care of. The contents of the carts were very well sealed, and what was contained within was about two hundred thousand gold coins. It was part of the soldiers’ pay stored in the warehouses, and Zhou Weiqing had gotten the quartermaster to bring some. After all, he did not have much gold on hand, and if he wanted to use profit and gain on these ruffian soldiers, he needed to have gold in hand to do so. Just today, he had already given out several thousand gold for the previous night’s operation reward. This time, he planned to go to the TianBei City for a few reasons. Firstly, he needed to contact Lin TianAo and the others, secondly, to get more gold to use. Of course, there were a few other smaller errands he had to run too. Zhou Weiqing’s plan for the near future was that within the next three months,
he wanted to bring the Peerless Battalion to the right path, to lead them in a benign circle.

Wei Feng nodded and said: “Alright.” He would not ask a silly question like how would Zhou Weiqing get through all the army lines. After the past few days, Zhou Weiqing had already left an imprint in his heart that he could do anything.

“Battalion Commander, Battalion Commander, the Sixteenth Regiment has sent some people.”  All of a sudden, they were interrupted by an urgent call as a Peerless Battalion soldier rushed in.

“Oh? They sure are quick!”  Zhou Weiqing said with some surprise. Exchanging looks with Wei Feng, he walked out quickly.

“Zhou Little Fatty, you come out now.” As soon as Zhou Weiqing reached the hill, he saw Shen Bu immediately. Shen Bu was not dressed in her Regiment Commander attire, just a normal attire. She did not have any of her personal guards with her, with just eight other people just like her, in ordinary attire and without armour.

Although it was just nine of them in total, when Zhou Weiqing saw them, his heart sank. He understood that Shen Bu had found a way to deal with him after all. Sending her troops was definitely not a possibility, so this time, she was depending on personal power to deal with him.

“Regiment  Commander  Shen  Bu,  it’s  been  a  long  time.” Although Zhou Weiqing had already made the judgement in his heart, he still smiled faintly as he spoke, strolling down casually from the hillside.

The Ruffian Battalion soldiers were currently down on morale, half of them with a terrible upset stomach, and the entire hills were still permeated with the stench. The other half were gathered there to just watch the show. After all, Zhou Weiqing had said before that they would not act without profit… furthermore there were only nine opponents.

If looks could kill, Zhou Weiqing would have been dead several times over by the time he walked down from the hillside, as Shen Bu glared at him all the way down. A few days ago, when she had sent Zhou Weiqing to the Ruffian Battalion, she had never in her wildest dreams thought that this Zhou Little Fatty would be so troublesome to deal with, actually daring to rob all her personal guards of everything. Even worse, when she had sent her heavy cavalry
Company the next day, he had still dared to do the same to them, even stripping her little sister of her equipment. That was truly an unprecedented humiliation and galling insult.

When Shen Bu saw her Company of heavy cavalry soldiers pale and shivering in the cold, their lips blue as they trudged back to the Sixteenth Regiment camp in their underpants, she grit her teeth so hard that they almost shattered. One could imagine the hate in her heart. Shen Yi had even told her that Zhou Weiqing had dared ask her to pay gold to redeem back the equipment. Such a bastard, a trash of society!

However, just like Zhou Weiqing had judged, Shen Bu did not dare to amass her entire Regiment to attack the Peerless Battalion. Towards these ruffian soldiers, Shen Bu at least had a basic understanding of their strength. If she wanted to kill them all, she would likely lose more than a Battalion worth of soldiers. Furthermore, in doing so, it was almost definite that the northern command would find out. Although she would likely not be punished for doing so, she did not want to lose face if everyone knew about what happened. After some thought, Shen Bu finally decided to invite some of her closer friends to go forth and take revenge.

“Zhou Little Fatty, I won’t beat around the bush, if you return all the equipment that you stole from us in the last few days, I won’t pursue the matter further. Otherwise, today, I will wipe out your entire Ruffian Battalion.”

Zhou Weiqing looked at her with a look of surprise, saying: “I’m so afraid, Regiment Commander Shen Bu! However, we are all part of the same army… if you do that, you’ll be court martialed. Our Ruffian Battalion might be in exile here, but we are still part of the army, the First Unique Battalion. It is not too good for you come here to cause trouble right?”

With a *Swoosh*, Shen Bu leaped down from her horse in a swift motion, pointing at Zhou Weiqing threateningly as she exclaimed: “Don’t try to sidetrack and waste my time. Do you really think the army command will care so much about you ruffians? I will give you one last chance, otherwise I will let this entire hill flow with a river of blood.”

Zhou   Weiqing   grinned   and   said:   “Don’t!   Regiment Commander, calm down. Like you said, we are just a bunch of ruffians, getting angry with us is pointless right. However, the equipment you mentioned… I cannot just return it like that, you’ll have to pay to get it back. After all, I can’t let my brothers waste all their efforts like that right? What do you say?”

“Bu Bu, why are you still wasting time talking to him?” The other eight that had come along with Shen Bu had also dismounted, standing behind her. The one who had just spoke was a middle aged man who looked about forty years old. His skin was dark from years in the sun, and with a dignified, stately look that suggested he was a high ranking officer, though Zhou Weiqing did not know what rank he was.

“Big brother, if we take action, everyone should be discreet. If possible, try not to kill anyone. After all, they are still part of our army.” Shen Bu was clearly very respectful to this stout, ebony faced man, as she said in a low tone.

“Ahh, you… such a little Ruffian Battalion can cause you so much trouble. If Teacher knows about it, you can expect to be beaten. You are almost about to be promoted to the Vice Legion Commander level already, you need to think through everything you do, understand?”

Shen Bu agreed, feeling rather wronged, and she glared savagely at Zhou Weiqing once more. The man took a large step forward past Shen Bu and looked at Zhou Weiqing coldly before saying: “Zhou Little Fatty right? This time, Shen Bu sent you to this Ruffian Battalion without consideration, and she is wrong in that. If you return the equipment, you can come back with us as well, and I will give you a different post.”

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily. “You can take charge of that?”

At this point, the Ruffian Battalion soldiers which had been watching interestedly were on the edge of their seats, their amused looks turning worried. No matter what, though this Zhou Little Fatty had only been their Battalion Commander for a mere two days, he had given them an unprecedented gain. Hearing that Zhou Weiqing might be posted away, they suddenly felt unwilling to part with him.

The man said passively: “I am the Seventh Legion Legion Commander Shen Ji. Now, do you think I can take charge?”

The Sixteenth Regiment belonged to the Seventh Legion, and hearing his words, Zhou Weiqing’s expression changed. A Legion Commander, that was a general who led an army of a hundred thousand. His own Ruffian Battalion was merely a thousand men. This Shen Ji was far beyond Shen Bu, and if he really wanted to cause trouble for the Ruffian Battalion, he could easily do so.

“So it’s Lord Legion Commander. This subordinate is the First Unique Battalion Battalion Commander, Zhou Little Fatty. Greetings.” Zhou Weiqing quickly saluted Shen Ji.

Shen Ji waved his hands and said: “Hurry up and prepare everything, and head back with us.”

Zhou Weiqing said in an abashed tone: “But… you see… Regiment Commander Shen Bu already has such an attitude towards me. If I were to go back, how can I have any good end?”

“En?” Shen Ji was already considered one of the top few in the command structure of the entire northern army, and even in the entire ZhongTian Empire army, an officer like him commanding an entire Legion of a hundred thousand men was definitely at the upper echelons. He had never had one of his men below him dare to haggle with him like that.

“What do you want then?”  A cold light flashed in Shen Ji’s eyes, and the aura of a high ranked personal burst out, pressuring down on Zhou Weiqing with domineering force.

Chapter 129 Fighting Together!

Facing such a pressure from Shen Ji, Zhou Weiqing spaced out for a second; it was as if he saw his father for a moment. After all, didn’t his father often give forth such pressure on him whenever he made mistakes?

Upon thinking about his father, Sealed and in danger, Zhou Weiqing instantly felt a rush of rage welling up within. The pressure he had been under suddenly seemed to vanish.

“I would like to make a bet with Legion Commander.” Zhou Weiqing said solemnly.

“Bet? Do you think you have the qualification to do so?” Shen Ji’s gaze was like a sword, piercing right into Zhou Weiqing’s heart.

However, Zhou Weiqing did not back down at all. “Legion Commander Shen Ji, if I do not remember wrongly, our Ruffian Battalion is part of the northern armies, but not directly under your Seventh Legion. As for qualification, today you are all here in civilian attire, not your army attire… that means you are here to resolve this in a personal level. In such a case, how can there be any sort of qualification needed?” A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Ji’s eyes. “No wonder Shen Bu was forced into such a tight corner, you little fellow is quite somebody. Alright, speak then, what sort of bet do you want?”

Zhou Weiqing said: “Very simple. I’m sure all of you here today are Heavenly Jewel Master powerhouses right? In that case, send your strongest to fight with me. If you win, I will do as you say, returning everything to you, and you can also deal with me as you please. However, if he or she loses, then we’ll bury this incident. The heavy cavalry soldier and horses equipment I will return, but you will have to pay for it, and the horses and bows I will keep.”

“Alright.” Shen Ji laughed heartily. “It has been a long time since I had a good workout. I’ll play with you today then.”

“Little Fatty, let me.” A flash, and Shangguan Fei’er appeared beside Zhou Weiqing. However, at this time, she had already changed back to her male disguise.Although Shangguan Fei’er had not seen this Shen Ji before, he was still a high ranking officer, and she would not want to be discovered so easily.

“En?” Zhou Weiqing looked curiously at Shangguan Fei’er. For her to intervene at such a time, that could only mean one thing – even she did not think he could defeat this Legion Commander Shen Ji. “How about both of you at once?” Shen Ji beamed.

Zhou Weiqing’’’s eyes lit up. “That’s your own words… Fei’er, let’s go together then.”

Shangguan Fei’’er started at that, pinching him on the waist as she said: “Can you be more shameless? Don’t you have any face?”

Zhou Weiqing did not feel any sense of shame as he said: “What is face worth? I have to think for my over thousand brothers. This is not the time to think about face. Wait until we win then we can think about such things.”

Shen Bu smile coldly: “You two puny fleas, clowns, you dare challenge my senior elder brother, humph, you are asking for your own death. My senior elder brother is a eight Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, a Mid Level Zong Stage Master, not someone you can strike so easily.”

What  kind  of  temper  did  Shangguan  Fei’er  have?”  Upon hearing that, she said disdainfully: “Mid Level Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Master, so what, do you think that means he is invincible already? If so, what does a Heavenly King Stage Master or beyond count for?” Shen Ji said: “Enough. Empty talk is useless. Since this is a bet, let’’s begin.”  Although he said that, he did not have any notion of taking action first. In his eyes, both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er were juniors, not of the same generation, and with his own status and rank in mind, how could he possibly attack first?

Zhou Weiqing gave Shangguan Fei’er a meaningful look. They had traveled together for quite some time, and seeing the wicked look in his eyes, Shangguan Fei’’er knew that he was going to do. She made a face at him, then in the next instant, she charged towards Shen Ji in a flash.

Seeing that Shangguan Fei’er had already taken action, Zhou Weiqing did not rush, casually releasing his Overlord Bow, as if their teamwork had already disjointed.

At this point, the rest of the Peerless Battalion, soldiers, Squad Leaders, Company Leaders, everyone rushed over.

They had all seen Shangguan Fei’er’s strength, but none of them knew what this peerless beauty’s strength could truly reach. Seeing them all fight, how could these violent fellows not be interested. Furthermore, this concerned whether or not the equipment they had gotten the last few days would be returned or not. Shen Ji did not look down on Shangguan Fei’’er, as an army officer, he would not underestimate any opponent, as that was the worst mistake. As such, when he said for the fight to begin, though he did not attack first, he unleashed his Heavenly Jewels.

Eight of the similar type Physical Jewels like Zhou Weiqing’s, Icy Jade glimmering in the light. Shen Ji did not attempt to conceal his arms, and the Elemental Jewels on his left wrist was clearly the gold coloured diamond of the Earth Attribute. He was clearly a Strength / Earth type Mid Level Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Master.

Shangguan Fei’er’s sleeves covered her right Physical Jewels, instead revealing the Wind Attribute Elemental Jewels on the left. When Shen Ji saw the six Elemental Jewels around her right wrist, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. Although Shangguan Fei’er was in disguise, ‘he’ still looked around over twenty years old, even younger than Shen Bu.

Six Jewels?!

Shen Ji did not have more time to think, as Shangguan Fei’e’r had already reached him. However, his reaction was swift and direct, striking out with his right fist, a thick Heavenly Energy covering it along with the yellow glint of Earth Attribute. Without even using any Skills, his fist had already created a one metre long yellow light barrier in the air, clearly a mix of offense and defense.

Towards such a powerful fist, Shangguan Fei’er once again showed her shocking close combat talent. Just as it seemed like she would be struck by the fist, no one knew how she did it, but her body actually stopped in mid air, and the next instant she actually spun off to the side.

A thin glimmer of white light appeared around Shangguan Fei’er, and the position that she stopped was just exactly at the furthest distance of Shen Ji’s attack. With that spin, it was as if she glided across the yellow light barrier.

Shangguan Fei’er’s movement was just too quick, and for most of the audience, they just felt a dazzle in front of their eyes, and she had already appeared beside Shen Ji, her hands in a claw striking out towards his head.

Shen Ji was also startled by Shangguan Fei’er, as he had never met with anyone dealing with his direct punch in such a fashion. More importantly, Shangguan Fei’er’s actions were just too quick and harmonized, with everything done so smoothly to completion, and even he had not seen clearly.

Although his cultivation level was higher than Shangguan Fei’er and he was confident that ‘he’ would not be able to harm him, just being struck by a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master was definitely not something that was a good thing. Furthermore, this was in front of so many of his subordinates, and he could not lose face like that.

Shen Ji’s right leg struck down hard on the ground, and with a loud explosion, a thick yellow light rose from below his feet, wrapping his entire body in a light barrier. It was one of the powerful Earth Attribute defensive Skills, the Jingang Shield. He planned to use this Jingang Shield Skill to knock Shangguan Fei’er away, to pressure her with his own higher cultivation level. Alas, that was actually putting himself on the disadvantage, as Shangguan Fei’er’s strength was far beyond his expectation. Just as his foot had stomped on the ground, Shangguan Fei’er had also struck her feet on the ground lightly, her entire body leaving the ground, her right hand still in claw fashion. At this moment, a thick dark-gold light burst forth from her body; it was the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura. The dark gold light and the yellow light clashed right together. The Jingang Shield and Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura were both defensive Skills, and in theory, they should not interfere with each other. However, at this point, Shangguan Fei’er’s right hand was just so close to Shen Ji’s head, and the two masses of energy just clashed together.

The result was clear. The Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura was a protective one, not offensive, and Shangguan Fei’er could not use it to destroy the Jingang Shield. However, Shen Ji’s cultivation level was not more than twelve stages above hers, and the Jinggang Shield was also unable to affect the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura.

As such, the Jingang shield formed, but Shangguan Fei’er was not thrown back by it. At this point, from her right hand to shoulder, her Consolidated bracer-claw appeared.

Shangguan Fei’er’’s claws were not the same as Zhou Weiqing; just the claw on the dark gold gloves alone were more than seven inches long.

Shen Ji was after all an experienced fighter on the battlefield, and when he saw the brilliant light of the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura, he instantly realised that things were not going well.

A God Tier Consolidated Equipment! That was definitely not something that an ordinary person could have! Even though he was a Legion Commander commanding a hundred thousand troops, he did not have a single piece of Consolidated Equipment at that level.

Seeing the dark gold light, he did not care about face any longer, and instantly reacted. He jumped backward swiftly, circulating his Heavenly Energy to the maximum, and releasing all his Consolidated Equipment as well. At the same time, he also unleashed a Rock Armour Skill.

A thick, earth-yellow armour appeared around him. Besides the long warhammer in his hands, the other seven were a full set.

Helmet, twin shoulder pauldrons, chest armour, girdle, twin greaves. A seven piece Set. This was already a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Set.

Another layer of thick yellow light also emanated forth as the Consolidating Equipment Set was released, blocking Shangguan Fei’er’s right hand claw momentarily. At the same time, the Rock Armour appeared around the Consolidated Armour.

Despite that, the entire audience still heard an earsplitting chafing sound. Shangguan Fei’er’s body was forcefully pushed back by the yellow light of Shen Ji’s Consolidated Equipment Set effect. At the same time, Shen Ji also made use of the impact to fall back. Even so, Shangguan Fei’er’s right claw had already left a mark on him.

The Rock Armour was forcefully torn apart, and on five deep, terrifying claw marks were left on his Consolidated chest armour and girdle. Who knew what would have happened if that strike had not been blocked by his Rock Armour, if the Consolidated Equipment would have been shredded apart.

Shen Ji stumbled back four, almost five feet before he finally regained his balance. Although Shangguan Fei’er’s claw had not actually broken through his Consolidated Armour, some of the energy from the attack had still bored into his body, causing his entire chest area to feel cold. He couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine; if he had not reacted quickly enough, that claw would have been sufficient to slice his chest. His hair stood on its ends, and his spirit tensed nervously.

Shen Ji, in the midst of the fight, was shocked, but how could the audience not be more so?

When Shen Bu had heard that Shen Ji would be fighting, she was extremely excited. Previously, although she had lost to Zhou Weiqing, in her eyes that was an accident, a mistake due to her own carelessness. In terms of absolute strength, Zhou Weiqing should not be a match for her, let alone her own senior elder brother, already at the eight Jeweled stage. Even if he was joined by a mere little follower, what could they do?

Alas, who could have thought that in just that first clash, Shen Ji had almost taken a huge loss, with his defenses almost penetrated by that seemingly insignificant little follower. Furthermore, that follower actually had a God Tier Consolidated Equipment, and more so, one that was unbelievably huge! How was that possible! Everything that had happened before her was totally against what she knew about Zhou Weiqing.

As for the Peerless Battalion, they were not much better, their eyeballs almost popping out. An eight-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master; that was already one of the top powerhouses in their eyes. Who knew that this seemingly slim drillmaster of theirs could have such power in her, almost taking him out with just a single claw, sending him into a fluster.

The Ruffian Battalion soldiers had never had a good impression of the officers of the army, and seeing Shangguan Fei’er succeed like that, after a short dazed moment, they all burst out in cheers.

“What a close shave!”  Shen Ji exclaimed in his heart. The loud cheers from the outside did not affect him, but by now he treated Shangguan Fei’er as a mortal enemy.

Shangguan Fei’er did not follow up on the attack, instead blowing lightly on the sharp claws of her Consolidated Equipment before turning to Zhou Weiqing and saying: “I don’t need your help, he doesn’t even have a piece of God Tier Consolidated Equipment, I can handle it by myself.” At that moment, Zhou Weiqing’s Overlord Bow was already drawn to a full crescent, but hearing her words, he relaxed and let it go. Confidence came from strength, and seeing the pride in her eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a strange feeling in his heart. Although Shangguan Fei’er and Shangguan Bing’er
looked exactly the same, in his eyes, they were now totally different and separate now.

Eight Jewels against Six Jewels. That seemed like insurmountable odds. However, Shangguan Fei’er had four God Tier Consolidated Equipment, and she also had her mutated Duo Physical Jewels. In terms of personal power, she had absolute confidence of defeating Shen Ji.

“Who are you?” Shen Ji did not continue taking action, his gaze focused on the bracer-claws around her arms, his brow furrowed deeply.

He totally ignored the insulting words of Shangguan Fei’er, only taking to heart her identity. If it was just a single God Tier Consolidated Equipment, perhaps he might not pay such attention. However, the problem was, the sheer combat skill that ‘he’ had shown just now was just too terrifying. ‘His’ actions might seem very simple and straightforward, but in truth, every minute detail of what Shangguan Fei’er did was focused fully on his own weak points, and completed in such a smooth flowing fashion, as if it had been done without much difficulty and thought before managing to find his weak points. Such a close combat skill, how could any ordinary Heavenly Jewel Master have it?

“I’m just an ordinary little soldier, follower of Battalion Commander Zhou Little Fatty.” Shangguan Fei’er said passively.

Shen Ji’s eyes narrowed. “It looks like you are spies from the WanShou Empire. Perhaps, you have the power to defeat me alone, but for the sake of our northern armies and citizens, I am sorry. The bet is over. Today, I must arrest you both.” As he said that, he waved towards his group, and all eight of them including Shen Bu charged forward, unleashing their Heavenly Energy.

Without any exception, all of them were Heavenly Jewel Masters, all at the six-Jeweled stage. Along with the eight- Jeweled Shen Ji, their overall power was far superior to the group of black clad enemies that had ambushed Zhou Weiqing in the Fei Li City back then.

“Battalion Commander.” Wei Feng led the group of Company Leaders to the front, and the other soldiers of the Peerless Battalion also stood up. Zhou Weiqing waved his hands and said: “Stay back, leave it to me and your drillmaster.”

Although there were many Physical and Elemental Jewel Masters amongst the Peerless Battalion soldiers, facing such six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters was almost impossible for them. Facing the nine enemies in front of him, Zhou Weiqing did not panic or get flustered. After all, this was not the first time he had been surrounded by greater odds. Furthermore, this time, he had a terrifyingly powerful Shangguan Fei’er on his side.

Both he and Shangguan Fei’er were Heavenly Jewel Master with unique abilities, and although Zhou Weiqing was not from a Great Saint Lands, he was no inferior to any Great Saint Lands disciple, perhaps even greater. Facing such ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters, he was not afraid at all. His worry was more about how they would affect his plan.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Feng waved his hands and the group retreated slowly. In truth, they too wanted to see how powerful Shangguan Fei’er and Zhou Weiqing really were.

A cold killing intent flashed in Zhou Weiqing’s eyes, and in a flash, he appeared beside Shangguan Fei’er. Shangguan Fei’er turned her head to look at him, and she was surprised to see that his expression was impassive, but the cold light in his eyes caused her to almost not recognize him.

“Fei’er, if you do not have any better plan, then don’t blame me.” Zhou Weiqing said passively.

Shangguan Fei’er felt her heart skip a beat. In that instant, it was as if she was once again in the Lustre Spatial Realm, that Zhou Weiqing who dared face all those Great Saint Land powerhouses all by himself was back, the one who fought and defeated both herself and Zhan Lingtian with the help of that unbelievable Skill which could display a Heavenly Skill Image, delaying the fight until the male dragon could return.

Zhou Weiqing in such a state was definitely extremely terrifying. She could clearly remember that power and resolve in killing he displayed when he had been ambushed in the Fei Li City. At that time, she had been hidden at the side, ready to help when necessary. In terms of close combat prowess, Zhou Weiqing was absolutely no match for her, but if they were to pit total strength against each other, even Shangguan Fei’er did not have absolute confidence in beating Zhou Weiqing. He just had too many powerful Skills, and he could combine them in various myriad different ways, with the Demonic Change State to boot. “Don’t kill anyone.” Shangguan Fei’er said in a low tone. She could clearly tell that Zhou Weiqing was already prepared to kill them all to silence them. Although the eight-Jeweled stage was very powerful, but in front of that terrifying Dragon Silencing Seal, how much of his strength could he actually use?
Yet, these people were elite of the ZhongTian Empire army, and she did not want Zhou Weiqing to kill them off.

Zhou Weiqing glanced at her, his eyes softening. Since Shangguan Fei’er said not to kill anyone, that meant she had some way to get out of their current predicament.

With  a  winsome  smile,  Shangguan  Fei’er  said:  “Let’s  use them to train ourselves, isn’t that a good thing? Just treat it as valuable combat experience… it’s been a long time since I’ve fought to my heart’s contents, you always refuse to join me…” She used Heavenly Energy to project her own voice to Zhou Weiqing’s ears, and thus, our Dear Little Fatty’s mind started floating away…

“Jingang Binding, Cage of Hell.” Shen Ji shouted out loud as he jumped up abruptly, his arms bulging out as they could see two of the Earth Elemental Attribute Jewels around his wrist lighting up. The next instant, he landed on the ground like a huge gorilla, his hands smashing down savagely on the ground. A massive explosion, and a brilliant gold light blasted out. However, it was quickly proved to be not an attack, instead forming a shield around Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er.

At this moment, our dear Zhou Little Fatty was still slightly dazed from the saccharine sweet voice earlier. All of a sudden, he felt that violent reverberations of energy striking at them, and he was quickly shaken awake. Looking to Shangguan Fei’er, he asked: “What’s the plan?”

Shangguan Fei’er said: “Do whatever you want.”

“As long as I don’t kill anyone right?” Zhou Weiqing grinned.

Shangguan Fei’er gave a humph and said: “Don’t ruin anyone either. The Empire still needs to depend on them.”

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: “Fei’er, the word ‘Kao’  you used very well.”

“Are you trying to die!”

The two of them exchanged words swiftly, but they did not jump into action. Shangguan Fei’er had her own backup plans, and she was extremely confident, even if they lost she was not afraid. Zhou Weiqing was also confident in her, after all she was the second princess of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace; furthermore she was the Little Demon Girl causing headaches to the entire Heaven’s Expanse Palace, how could this little
situation in front of them be a big problem to her?

At that moment, the gold light that Shen Ji had released finally came into effect. Along with the shockwaves on the ground, four rock walls rose up abruptly, each measuring about five metres tall, surrounding both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er.

The four rock walls encompassed several dozen square metres, and when they rose up, the entire air was filled with a thick earth energy, pressure collapsing in from all around. At the same time, after the walls rose up, several intersecting lights instantly interlocked around the air above the walls, clearly targeted at preventing them from escaping from above. In the next moment, nine figures appeared at the top of the walls.

What is that? Zhou Weiqing was startled deep in his heart. That was clearly meant to surround, entrap and kill Shangguan Fei’er and himself! Of course, perhaps it was not exactly meant to kill them, but to prevent them from escaping. In order to maintain such a Skill, it was definitely a large expenditure of Heavenly Energy on Shen Ji’s part.

At this point, they could not afford to wait any longer. Their nine opponents had already ascended the walls, and if they were allowed to attack at will, neither Zhou Weiqing nor Shangguan Fei’er could block all of it easily.

His right leg exerting a sudden explosive strength, Zhou Weiqing shot up like an arrow released from a bow.

“Go down!” Shen Bu shouted out loud, her hands forming a circle as dozens of fireballs of various sizes flew out towards him. She truly hated this fellow who had caused her to lose face so many times, and she instantly launched her attacks at him. Of course, she was not the only one who targeted him, with at least four others launching their attacks at Zhou Weiqing. All of them selected a Skill from their arsenal that was both ranged and could be unleashed as quickly as possible. Although such Skills might be slightly lower in power, but speed was of the essence. As long as they could keep Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er contained in this Jingang walls, the two would eventually be overwhelmed and seized without problems.

Two bouts of dark gold light sprang forth from Zhou Weiqing’s body one after the other, each half a second apart as he released his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palm.

The two Consolidating Equipment God Protective Auras were sufficient to block off all of his enemies’ attacks, and naturally Zhou Weiqing’s target was Shen Bu.

At the same time as Zhou Weiqing took action, Shangguan Fei’er also burst into movement. She did almost the same as Zhou Weiqing, rising up swiftly into the air as she released her second Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura, and her bracer-claw appeared around her left arm. In a flash, both of them reached the top of the wall at the same time. Although Zhou Weiqing pounced towards Shen Bu, his hands actually waved towards his back. The two six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters who were just about to move over to support Shen Bu suddenly felt a strong sense of danger, and they quickly stopped to take a defensive position.

Two bright silver lights appeared right in front of them, and with an earsplitting rending sound, the two of them grunted as they fell off the wall.

The combination of Blink and Spatial Rend. Towards the Spatial Rend, Zhou Weiqing’s control was already near the maximum, and having the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms to boost his Skills meant that not only did it greatly reduce the amount of Heavenly Energy expended, the strength was also almost doubled. This was the great benefit of a God Tier Consolidated Equipment.

At the same time, Zhou Weiqing’s right foot swept out towards Shen Bu. Facing so many enemies, he could not afford to hide his own abilities any longer.

Shen Bu shouted an exclamation, her hands moving up as a blade of flame appeared in each hand, interlocking swiftly towards his incoming right leg in order to shred it apart. Right at that moment, she was surprised to see his entire right leg expand suddenly, and with a ripping sound, his entire right pant leg flew apart, revealing a black, muscled right leg.

The twin flame blades struck down hard on Zhou Weiqing’s right leg, but to her shock, it was as if she had struck down on a rock. Not only were the flames unable to penetrate his leg, the blades weren’t even able to cut his skin. When she looked up at Zhou Weiqing, she saw that his face was lined with black tattoos, and there was a large ‘King’ word on his forehead.

Blocked by Shen Bu’s blades, Zhou Weiqing’s right leg had landed back on the ground, and she could only spin her blades to strike down on his foot. Facing such a strange sight, she could only try again with all her Heavenly Energy, going all out.

Another loud crash, and Zhou Weiqing’s body bounced back as his foot sent Shen Bu flying off the wall as well.

From the short time that Zhou Weiqing had taken action, he had already knocked three enemies off the wall. Naturally, that was because of his sudden powerful skills, but it was without question that after all the constant sparring with Shangguan Fei’er, his close combat abilities, mastery of timing, judgement and overall smoothness of fighting had improved to the next level.

Including Shen Bu, four enemies had attacked Zhou Weiqing. By now, three had been knocked down, so only one was remaining on the wall. As things had happened just so quickly, the three had been knocked down almost in an instant. As such, currently he only had one more to face. Instantly activating his Tornado Strike Skill, he charged forward at full speed towards his lone enemy.

Shangguan Fei’er did not have an easier time. After all, she had shown her six-Jeweled cultivation stage! At the same time, she had only unleashed one more God Tier Consolidated Equipment, so the pressure she was facing was actually much higher than Zhou Weiqing.

Shen Ji had already targeted her, his long warhammer leaving a series of afterimages in the air as he tried to lock Shangguan Fei’er in.

The other four also launched their attacks simultaneously at Shangguan Fei’er from all around, causing her lone Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura to shatter instantly from the five attacks. Alas, Shangguan Fei’er was Shangguan Fei’er after all. Facing five simultaneous attacks, she did not back down, making full use of her powerful close combat abilities to maximum effect. Her claws struck out, making use of the anti-energy effect of her God Tier Consolidated Equipment, she forcibly shredded apart two of her enemy’s Skills. At the same time, her body seemed to contort strangely in the air, dodging yet another attack by the skin of her teeth.

Her right leg twisted forward, lashing out in a manoeuvre that did not seem humanly possible, the tip of her feet landing on Shen Ji’s warhammer, using it as a pivot to launch herself in another flip, spinning around in a 180 degree turn to dodge the last attack, landing back down on the top of the wall despite all five enemy attacks.

If we were to say that Zhou Weiqing had made use of the surprise factor of his various Skills and the explosive power of his Demonic Change State, then Shangguan Fei’er had just depended on her absolutely terrifying close combat skills in that last few seconds.

Flexibility and Coordination, Mutated Duo Physical Jewels. That allowed her to have an incomparable body and physique. As she landed on the wall, the tip of her foot struck down on the ground, and her entire body flashed in an afterimage. Having dealt with all the incoming attacks, it was her turn to strike, and in a burst of speed with the Wind Attribute, her body flew towards Shen Ji like a wisp of green smoke.

On the other side, Zhou Weiqing charged forward towards the lone Upper Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master. Although he was facing Zhou Weiqing alone, he remained calm and unflustered. This was a powerhouse officer in the army, and they not only had much combat experience, they would not back down easily from any fight.

Zhou Weiqing knew that he only had a few seconds before hen Bu and the other two would recover and come back. After all, he had not injured them at all. As such, he had to accomplish something in this few seconds.

Along with the Tornado Strike on himself, Zhou Weiqing also released the Curse of Doom. Curse Type Skills were almost impossible to dodge, and the dark red symbol appeared instantly over the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy’s head. With the boost from the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms, it greatly reduced both his offense and defensive capabilities.

If he could kill, Zhou Weiqing would have easily finished this enemy off with his claw. However, he had already promised Shangguan Fei’er not to kill them. As such, he sent his right hand in a fist towards his enemy, at the same time, his left hand gathered a thick blue-purple light before slapping out.

That Upper Level Zun Stage enemy was no newbie, and his Physical Jewel was the Strength Attribute, while his Elemental Attribute that of water. Quickly reacting, his left hand struck out towards Zhou Weiqing’s right fist, while his right hand formed an ice shield towards Zhou Weiqing’s glowing blue- purple left hand. In his view, although Zhou Weiqing had two God Tier Consolidated Equipment, he was still only a four- Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, and he was confident that his strength would beat Zhou Weiqing’s. His own hands were also covered by gloves, his own Consolidated Equipment, which had a certain boost to strength as well. As long as he could block Zhou Weiqing for some time, his companions would return.

The Ice Shield did manage to block Zhou Weiqing’s left hand as he planned, but… alas, it did not manage to block the purple-blue light, which penetrated the ice shield without any problems and struck him right away.

Lightning Suffering. Multiple paralysis effect.

Before he could react, the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy felt his entire body shudder violently, his strength draining out of him. At the same time, Zhou Weiqing’s right fist opened wide, his body, despite the effects of the Tornado Strike, coming to a screeching halt. That seemingly powerful right punch turned soft, catching hold onto his left hand instead.

This was the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palm, a God Tier Consolidated Equipment, and more so, part of the ‘Hate Ground No Handle’ Legendary Set. In addition to that, Zhou Weiqing was already in the Demonic Change State. How could the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy’s strength compare with his?!

If Zhou Weiqing had completed his punch earlier, he had absolute confidence that with his Curse of Doom and Lightning Suffering already in effect, he could knock away his opponent and totally disable his right arm. However, that was not Zhou Weiqing’s goal; what he needed now was to replenish his energy.

A terrifying suction force abruptly appeared from Zhou Weiqing’s right hand, and the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy felt his own Heavenly Energy swarm out of his body uncontrollably through his left hand to Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing’s biggest problem now was that he did not have sufficient Heavenly Energy. After using the Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms, Demonic Change State and a whole bunch of powerful Skills in rapid succession, he had already expended almost sixty percent of his Heavenly Energy reserves. After all, he was after all still a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master facing a group of Six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters, and more so with the restriction of not being able to kill. As such, he had purposely left this person alone in his primary flurry of
attacks, with the aim of replenishing his energy through the
Devour Technique to continue fighting. This was Zhou Weiqing’s fighting style indeed. Coupled with the insane regeneration of the Immortal Deity Technique, it allowed him to have an incomparable sustained combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

“You!” The Upper Level Zun Stage enemy cried out in shock. Alas, his voice was soon stalled as Zhou Weiqing added on a Fetters of Wind.

The Devour Skill was already normally quite a fast speed, and now Zhou Weiqing was using his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palm to boost it. Not only was the Devouring speed faster, even the Fetters of Wind was stronger, instantly stopping any hopes of struggle on his enemy’s part. As time passed by and more Heavenly Energy was drained, the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy’s hopes would diminish further. In a flash, Zhou Weiqing disappeared, grabbing onto his enemy’s right arm as he reappeared behind him. That was because Shen Bu and the other two enemies he had knocked down had jumped back up, and they were currently gathering energy to release their own powerful attacks.

“Zhou Weiqing, you’re asking for death!”  Seeing that Zhou Weiqing had one of their own in a lock hold, Shen Bu did not care to think why he was that strong. Filled with rage, she summoned the Wings of Flames she had once used before, with her six Consolidated Equipment instantly appearing around her. At the same time, a huge green-gold fireball appeared before her.

“Careful!” Right at that moment, Shangguan Fei’er’s warning rang out.

Hearing her voice, Zhou Weiqing did not even turn to look. He had absolute trust in Shangguan Fei’er, and in that moment, he released another Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura at once.

Alas, this time, Zhou Weiqing had miscalculated. He felt something tighten around his waist, and when he looked down, he was shocked to see a yellow chain had pierced through his Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura to encircle his waist.

What was that?!

Chapter 130 Green Gold Flame!

That yellow chain had been released by Shen Ji, two in total, one towards Zhou Weiqing and the other towards Shangguan Fei’er, whose reaction had actually been the same as Zhou Weiqing, to release another Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura.

Seeing the two of them summon yet another Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura for the third time respectively, everyone was shocked, even the watching Peerless Battalion Soldiers. They couldn’t help but think to themselves: How many God Tier Consolidated Equipment did these two have?!

Shangguan Fei’er had released two bouts of Consolidating Equipment God Protective Auras, and her two Consolidated Wings and chest armour appeared. Due to the fact that her cultivation level was not more than twelve stages below Shen Ji, the yellow chain was forcibly blocked by the two Consolidating Equipment God Protective Auras.

Alas, Zhou Weiqing was not so lucky. Four Jewels vs Eight Jewels cultivation level. With such a massive cultivation level difference, the yellow chain instantly pierced through his Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura, not even delaying it for a second as it encircled his waist. Next, Zhou Weiqing felt a powerful burst of energy from the yellow chain exerting upon him, attempting to drag him away.

“Haaa–” Zhou Weiqing shouted out loud explosively, his head smashing forward into the back of the Upper Level Zun Stage enemy that he had in a lock, knocking him out instantly. With a firm shove of his left foot, his flung the unconscious body out towards the others, while his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Gloves had already grasped the Dual Legendary Hammers firmly. Bending his knees in a stooping position to bring his center of gravity low, he concentrated all his might in a focused burst. The three God Tier Consolidated Equipment set pieces and the Demonic Change State’s boost had brought Zhou Weiqing’s strength to a terrifying height, and even Shen Ji’s mighty pull was unable to bring him away.

Even despite his efforts, after being restricted by the yellow chain, Zhou Weiqing realised that he was unable to use his Blink Skill, and in a short time he was also unable to break free of the chain. That was to say, his movement was totally restricted now.

“That’s one of the most irritating Skills of the Earth Attribute
– Chains of War. Once you have been caught by it, unless his Heavenly Energy has been fully expended or he is dead, otherwise it will not dissolve, a highly rated nine Star Skill.” Shangguan Fei’er shouted out to him.

“Hmph,  you  are  forcing  me.”  Zhou  Weiqing  muttered  to himself exasperatedly.

Without question, if he were to be continually restricted by this Chains of War, it would greatly reduce his overall fighting capability, and he would definitely be caught in the end. Once he lost his mobility, he would be left to face Shen Bu and the other two enemies in a bad position, and he knew his defense would not be able to hold in such a case.

A powerful, thick wave of Heavenly Energy rose forth from Zhou Weiqing’s body instantly, a purple red Heavenly Skill Image of the Demonic Dragon Lady appearing silently, hovering over his head.

A awe-inspiring majesty. At the same time, Zhou Weiqing’s body was still, as if nailed down in that position. Although he was still unable to break free from the Chains of War, Shen Ji was still unable to drag him away.

Seeing the Heavenly Skill Image above Zhou Weiqing’s head, everyone lapsed into a daze. Only one person was exception – that was Shen Bu. 0

Shen Bu and Shen Ji were fellow apprentices of their Master, and as soon as she saw Zhou Weiqing trapped by the Chains of War, she subconsciously launched her attack. This was the tacit understanding and cooperation of a senior brother and junior sister who have trained and worked together for so long.

The massive green gold coloured fireball sped towards Zhou Weiqing with a shrill roar, and by the time the Heavenly Skill Image rose above his head, it was already less than three chi from him.

With the Chains of War restricting him, Zhou Weiqing had no chance of dodging it, especially since he was still in the midst of releasing his Dragon Silencing Seal. The Dragon Silencing Seal was undoubtedly extremely powerful, but it required a short moment to activate, at the minimum a second for his Attribute Wheel to reach its position. One second might seem like a very short time, but in the middle of combat, it could mean the difference between victory and difference. Alas, at this moment, Zhou Weiqing was facing this exact problem.

With a single look, he could tell that this huge fireball from Shen Bu definitely had some sort of lock-on targeting effect. That was to say, even if he tried to dodge it by moving the Chains of War with all his might, it would still follow him, and if he did so, it would interrupt his Dragon Silencing Seal. It might all be a coincidence, but this time, luck was on Shen Bu’s side.

Since he did not want to give up on his Dragon Silencing Seal, Zhou Weiqing made his decision right at that moment. He still had quite some confidence in his own defense, and he held his crying-head warhammer in front of him, striking towards the green-gold fireball. His own Dragon Silencing Seal completed right at the exact same time as the fireball reached him.

“This  time,  let’s  see  how  you  block  this!”  Shen  Bu  was absolutely confident in her attack. The green-gold fireball was her absolute strongest offensive Skill, and even a seven- Jeweled powerhouse would be heavily injured as long as they were not an absolute defense type. No matter how disgustingly powerful Zhou Weiqing’s Skills were, he was still a Four- Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master; how could he possibly block her attack?

At the same time as the hammer and fireball connected, Zhou Weiqing circulated his sixteen energy whirlpool at his Death Acupuncture Points to the maximum, focusing on his Immortal Deity Technique to bring up his Immortal Deity Shield, and even under the Demonic Change State, his entire body was shimmering with a pale white light.

*BANG*

The green gold fireball slammed savagely into the long warhammer of Zhou Weiqing’s, and a cold smirk crossed Shen Bu’s lips.

So what if it was a God Tier Consolidated Equipment? You will not be able to block my attack, my green gold flame attack has a corrosive effect.

As per her expectations, as soon as the green gold fireball clashed with the warhammer, it exploded instantly. However, it did not dissipate into the air, instead spreading down along the warhammer. Before anyone could react, Zhou Weiqing had been totally swallowed by the roaring green gold flames.

“Little—   Fatty–!”   A  shrill  cry  rang  out.  Seeing  Zhou Weiqing’s body totally swallowed by the powerful green gold flames, Shangguan Fei’er went crazy. In that instant, she felt as if all the blood in her entire body was boiling, and all the qualms she had previously disappeared. At that moment, she felt as if she had lost something important to her, something part of her life. Logic disappeared swiftly, and her eyes actually turned as bloodshot as Zhou Weiqing’s during his Demonic Change State.

In midair, her slim figure shuddered, and Shen Ji who was in the midst of fighting her suddenly saw a bright white flame instantly rise up from her body. The white flame was rather unique, with a hint of blood red mixed within as well. This strange white flame spread swiftly to every inch of Shangguan Fei’er’s body within a split second, and the pressure and aura she let forth doubled right then.

Shen Ji had seen such a flame before, and subconsciously, he cried  out  in  utter  shock.  “Heaven’s  Expanse  Ultimate  Skill, Infinite Saint Flame!”

Indeed, in that moment, Shangguan Fei’er had unleashed the Ultimate Skill of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace. This Infinite Saint Flame was similar to the self immolation of one’s own life for those of the Life Attribute, or the Flame of Life of the Fire Attribute, allowing them to raise their cultivation level and power to a terrifying level in a short period of time. In fact, this secret skill of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace actually had a much lesser side effect without sacrificing much power boost. This was indeed one of the top legacies of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, only the core members were allowed to learn it.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

Without any more dodging, Shangguan Fei’er actually struck out hard towards Shen Ji head on. With two swipes, she tore apart one of the rock walls, before smashing towards Shen Ji with a savage fist.

Shen Ji felt a massive power overwhelming him, causing the bracers around his arms to shatter instantly. This was not just pure power alone, but also the terrifying explosive effect that the Infinite Saint Flame added to her attacks, causing him to be knocked back instantly.

Without any hesitation, Shangguan Fei’er’s wings spread apart, flapping in the air as she flew at top speed towards Zhou Weiqing, eyes bloodshot.

At this moment, she had steeled her resolve. If anything happened to Zhou Weiqing, she would slaughter all of these people in front of her at all costs. She was filled with regret, regret that she had made Zhou Weiqing promise not to kill anyone, otherwise this would have never happened. Naturally, she knew what that green-gold fireball was, and Shen Bu was after all a Six-Jeweled powerhouse. She knew that even with the Demonic Change State, Zhou Weiqing would not be able to defend against being enveloped by those flames. After all, he did not have any defensive Consolidated Equipment.

Little Fatty, my Little Fatty, you must survive…

Tears streamed out, sparkling as they flew gently behind her in the sky. In that instance, Shangguan Fei’er did not doubt how important Zhou Weiqing had become in her heart.

However, as her tear-streaked face charged forward, the next moment, her eyes opened wide in shock.

She had no choice but to do so. That was because, the Zhou Weiqing that she had imagined to be dead or severely injured was standing right there, totally unharmed, and the green-gold flames actually disappeared without a trace.

Above the heads of his three attackers rose a small swirling purple-red symbol. Shangguan Fei’er was not the only one staring with jaw agape. The one who was most shocked was undoubtedly the user of the Skill, Shen Bu.

The green-gold flames might seem like just a bigger fireball, but it had actually been boosted by the Consolidated flame wings behind her back. It had been unleashed with more than forty percent of all her Heavenly Energy! Forty percent of a Six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master’s Heavenly Energy, that was even more than Zhou Weiqing’s total Heavenly Energy reserves!

But… what did she just witness?

When the green gold flames had enveloped Zhou Weiqing, Shen Bu had thought she had won. In her heart, she felt a hint of regret. After all, the sheer destructive power of the green gold flames was just too oppressive, and striking Zhou Weiqing like that, it was likely that nothing would remain of him, not even his bones. It would be such a shame for someone of his talent and power to die like that, especially with three God Tier Consolidating Equipment.

However, that hint of pride and regret lasted barely a second. In the next moment, she was shocked to see the flames vanish from around him. That was right. Vanished totally as if absorbed into his skin. Zhou Weiqing stood there, totally unharmed, and even he himself was surprised and shocked.

If one examined closely, they would discover that under his original Demonic Change State, the swirling black-grey tiger tattoos had actually undergone some changes, with an additional layer of dim red light. Of course, since the tattoos were so intertwined and undulating, if one did not look very closely, it was impossible to spot.

Zhou Weiqing’s personal experience was indeed vivid and distinct. When he saw the green gold flames sweep down his hammer and envelop him, he knew he was in deep trouble. He had severely underestimated Shen Bu’s attack. The terrifying flames and heat had caused him to feel an intense pain. Although the Immortal Deity Shield managed to block off a portion of it, it was shattered almost instantly, and could not block it all.

In that moment, Zhou Weiqing’s mind blanked. He suddenly understood something. Although he had so many powerful Skills, managing to defeat so many opponents with greater power than himself, he was still only a Four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master! As long as he was truly hit by an enemy’s powerful Skill, he could not do anything about it. The Immortal Deity Shield and the Demonic Change State gave him a defense that was far beyond any ordinary four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, but there was still a limit, and clearly this was it. All he could do was to focus on his energy whirlpools and circulate them at maximum speed in hopes to just stay alive barely.

Will I be disfigured? Bing’er, Tian’er…  the beautiful women of the world… I don’t want to be disfigured! Ahhh!!

Even at such a time, he could not forget to self ridicule a little, in order to keep himself from falling into a panic; otherwise he would only die faster. However, the pain only lasted for a second, before a strange wave of heat seemed to rise up from within his four limbs, bones and body, spreading outwards, and Zhou Weiqing soon felt as if all the pores on his skin had a strange suction force as the heat continued spreading throughout his body. The next moment, the green-gold flames that had caused him so much
pain vanished.

Did I somehow absorb it? That was Zhou Weiqing’s feeling right at that moment. It was not from the Devour Skill, but directly absorbed by his skin…

Absorbing an attack that was more than sufficient to destroy him totally. What… what was going on?!

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou Weiqing was the first to rise to clear-headedness. His Dragon Silencing Seal had successfully been unleashed, and at this point, how could he be nice. Four Dragon Silencing Seal thrown out unhesitatingly, three to the enemies in front of him, and one for Shen Ji, who had still been restricting him with the Chains of War.

As such, when Shangguan Fei’er charged over, that was the first sight that entered her eyes. Shen Ji’s luck was still considered rather good. If Zhou Weiqing’s Dragon Silencing Seal had landed a second earlier, he would have lost his Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills right as Shangguan Fei’er’s attack with the Infinite Saint Flame. If that was so, that blow would likely have taken his life.

Luckily for him, Zhou Weiqing’s Dragon Silencing Seal landed a little late, as such he survived.

As soon as his Dragon Silencing Seal succeeded, Zhou Weiqing’s body disappeared in a flash, the two Legendary Hammers in his hands ready to mercilessly beat down his enemies, especially that Shen Bu… she had almost killed him!

However, a blur before his eyes, and a soft body embraced him. “Little Fatty, Little Fatty… are you okay?”

That figure had just moved too quickly, and Zhou Weiqing could not react even if he wanted to. Of course, when he heard the voice, he naturally did not have any thoughts of resisting.

As he looked up, he saw Shangguan Fei’er’s face. Worried, anxious, heartache. He too was stunned as he saw that. As their eyes met, both their hearts trembled suddenly. “Stop!  Everyone,  stop!”   Shen  Ji’s  angry  cry  rang  out. Although his Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills had been restricted by Zhou Weiqing’s Dragon Silencing Seal, his Heavenly Energy was still usable, and that shout of his was not soft at all. Originally, the few who had been surrounding Shangguan Fei’er were just about to continue attacking, but they stopped instantly after his shout.

“Don’t touch me!”  Zhou Weiqing’s scream rang out at the same time as Shen Ji’s howl. The reason was simple, Shangguan Fei’er was worried that something had happened to him, and lifted her hand to touch his face. Alas, she had forgotten that she was still wearing her Consolidated Claws… if she really strokd his face, Zhou Weiqing’s ‘suave face’ would be totally destroyed.

Only then did Shangguan Fei’er realise what was happening and quickly put down her hand, holding onto Zhou Weiqing’s wrist before turning towards Shen Ji. Since Zhou Weiqing was alright, her heart settled down and she released her Infinite Saint Flame.

The purple symbol of the Dragon Silencing Seal was still above Shen Ji’s head as he took a quickly stepped forward. By now, the Jingang Wall had disappeared, and he walked to about five yards from Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er before stopping, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Shangguan Fei’er, saying: “You…You…”

Shangguan Fei’er took a deep breath, calming herself down as she released her four Consolidated Equipment. With a cold humph, her mouth moved slightly as she said something hidden to him. With a flick of her wrist, she waved it in front of him for a moment, clearly showing him something.

Instantly, Shen Ji’s face changed, looking at Shangguan Fei’er respectfully as he bowed in agreement.

Shen Bu and the others were at a loss, not knowing what had happened, and they gathered behind Shen Ji, exchanging looks.

“Alright, enough, you all can go now.” Shangguan Fei’er waved her hands, like chasing a fly away, motioning for them to leave.

Shen Ji said respectfully: “In that case, you take care. We will take our leave now. Let’s go.” As soon as he said that, he turned to leave. Although Shen Bu was not happy about that, she would definitely listen to her senior elder brother. Filled with uncertainty, she could only follow Shen Ji and leave. Zhou Weiqing looked at Shangguan Fei’er and asked in a low tone: “You told them your identity?”

Shangguan Fei’er nodded slightly and turned to him, saying: “I only told them that I am from the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, and that we are on a secret mission, and that they are not to harrass your Ruffian Battalion from now. After seeing my identity plaque and Infinite Saint Flames, naturally he would not have any suspicion.”

“That’s good too. I believe he will not go to try and verify it with the Heaven’s Expanse Palace. After all, you from the Great Saint Lands are not supposed to to join in ordinary fights. Coming  here  should  definitely  be  a  secret  mission.”   Zhou Weiqing said in a sudden realisation.

“Zhou Little Fatty, don’t you know that you almost scared me to death just now.” Shangguan Fei’er said with gritted teeth.

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily, looking at Shangguan Fei’er still with tears sparkling. Before he could say anything to reassure her, she suddenly grabbed hold of his arm, with a flip threw him him onto the ground before turning to run away, dashing into her tent. Zhou Weiqing was totally stunned and confused by that throw, lying there, he thought back to her eyes just now and his heart trembled. Could it be she has fallen for this suave young me? She is truly the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, even her method of expressing love is so
different.

Face after face appeared above Zhou Weiqing, blocking the sky.

“Battalion Commander, are you alright?” Wei Feng asked.

Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: “Hurry up and pull me up.”

Wei Feng said with a serious look, shaking his head: “Boss, we have realised one problem. Offending you is not a problem, but offending our drillmaster is a big problem. You better get up by yourself.”

A series of explosive laughter rang out, including Wei Feng’s, and the bunch of inglorious ruffians scattered away. Zhou Weiqing jumped up, scolding laughingly: “All of you have no conscience, only violence can make you cooperate huh!”

After this, the threat from the Sixteenth Regiment was totally relieved. Although the Peerless Battalion soldiers did not know how Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er had pulled that off, they had seen the two of them fight against nine Six- Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters and higher, including Shen Ji, a Legion Commander! Such strength, it was enough to leave anyone speechless, especially with their God Tier Consolidated Equipment, that truly left a deep impression on all the ruffian soldiers. One thing was clear, that these ruffians would never dream of using violence against Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei’er… who would try to ask for trouble like that right?

After dinner, Zhou Weiqing sneaked to Shangguan Fei’er’s tent, saying: “Fei’er, Fei’er…”

“What?” Shangguan Fei’er’s voice came from the tent, clearly stiff and rigid.

She was currently sitting down in her own tent quietly. Today, after dealing with Shen Ji and the others, although she had beaten Zhou Weiqing up, her heart was still in disorder. No, that’s not possible. How can I like that little scoundrel.
He is my little sister’s man!

That line had been repeated in her heart more than a hundred times, as the struggle in her heart caused this Little Demon Girl of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace to be at her wit’s end for once. She did not know how she was going to face Zhou Weiqing outside, and for the entire day she had not even left her tent, not even to eat.

“Fei’er, let’s go out to play!”

“Not going.” Shangguan Fei’er did not even think about it and rejected him directly.

Zhou Weiqing said helplessly: “That’s not your style right… not even to play? I’ll bring you to the TianBei City, okay?”

“Not going.”

Zhou Weiqing furrowed his brow, thinking to himself that this was not a good sign indeed! If she bottled everything up for too long, what happened if she blew up some other time or place, that would be a problem. “Feier, you have to at least tell me what happened. Did I offend you?” Zhou Weiqing asked hesitatingly.

This time, Shangguan Fei’er did not make any sound.

Zhou Weiqing lowered his voice and said: “Did you really fall for me? Looks like my suave charm is just too great!”

“Get lost!”  Shangguan Fei’er’s obviously muffled shout rang out.

Zhou Weiqing thought to himself that he had to use some stronger medicine to deal with this, and he said: “Fei’er, this is not like you at all. Liking someone is liking someone, what is there to be afraid of? Your character is definitely a frank, straightforward one, one who dares to face her emotions head- on. In truth… actually… well… besides Bing’er, I also love Tian’er, and we have also promised to marry each other as well.”

“What did you say?!” A flash, and Shangguan Fei’er charged out, grabbing hold of Zhou Weiqing’s shirt angrily as she exclaimed: “You dare to let down my sister?!” Seeing Shangguan Fei’er’s red eyes, Zhou Weiqing started. This fiery and vivacious young lady, although she did not have the gentle nature of Shangguan Bing’er, had her own attraction. In terms of emotions, Zhou Weiqing was like many other men, with a very weak resistance against beautiful women, let alone a top beauty like Shangguan Fei’er who looked exactly like his love Shangguan Bing’er.

However, before today, Zhou Weiqing only had an appreciation for her beauty, not any untoward feelings.

Yet, after that fight today, and how she had jumped at all costs to save him when he had been in danger… and now seeing her teary red eyes, it all tugged on his heartstrings. Zhou Weiqing had always been a passionate person, one whose affections were spread, but he was no indiscriminate playboy, otherwise he would have accepted Little Witch that time. His greatest love was undoubtedly Shangguan Bing’er, and between he and Tian’er was a relationship that had sparked after years of being together. Now, with Shangguan Fei’er, it was a confusing, rather indescribable thing between the two.

Although he had successfully lured Shangguan Fei’er out of her tent, Zhou Weiqing did not know how to continue with the conversation. Staring at her blankly, he remained silent.

“I’m asking you a question! You actually still fell for that little girl of the Heavenly Snow Mountain?!” Shangguan Fei’er continued asking angrily. However, the hand that was grabbing onto Zhou Weiqing’s shirt released it. She had never seen such a befuddled look in his normally cunning eyes.

“Sometimes, feelings cannot be controlled. When they come, whether or not they are logical or not, no matter how much you try to suppress them, they will still come. I love Bing’er so much, but I also love Tian’er.” “No doubt, I admit, I am a bastard, but I will not let go of any one of them.” As he said that, Zhou Weiqing paused, looking at Shangguan Fei’er with a heated gaze. “Just like how after I saw you cry on my behalf, I won’t give you up either.”

“You…”

Shangguan Fei’er’s flames of anger were suddenly doused by that last line of his.

“Fei’er…”  Zhou Weiqing took a step forward and held onto her hands.

Shangguan Fei’er felt as if a bolt of lightning had coursed through her, and she quickly snatched her hand back, a rather flurried look on her face. “You… you… didn’t you say you wanted to go to the TianBei City? Let’s go then.”  As she said that, she jumped up, releasing her Ghost Demon Horse in mid air and landing neatly on its back, galloping away in a hurry.

Zhou Weiqing gave himself a slap, muttering to himself: “Zhou Weiqing, you are truly an asshole. A man whose heart is not content is like a snake which tries to swallow an elephant, you are just too greedy. But… I really do like them… how? Instead of causing them pain by rejecting them, isn’t it better to spread the love, I don’t mind labouring harder… An able man is a busy man.”

Scratching his head, even he himself felt that his logic was rather shameless. However, to chose between face and having his wives, who cared about face!? Being bold, attentive, shameless… those were keys to chasing girls!

The single horned Ghost Demon Horse appeared, looking stronger and fiercer in the night, and Zhou Weiqing swiftly mounted it, chasing after Shangguan Fei’er.

All the way, Shangguan Fei’er concentrated on galloping at top speed. Although Zhou Weiqing tried initiating conversation a few times, she ignored him, refusing to speak at all.

Over two hundred li of traveling, but with the sheer speed of their Ghost Demon Horses, they soon neared the TianBei City. In the distance, they could see the bright lights of the northern camp. When they were about ten li from the main camp, Shangguan Fei’er finally stopped, and Zhou Weiqing reined in his Ghost Demon Horse behind her. If they continued forward, they would be spotted by the guards on the watchtower. Both of them dismounted, and without speaking, they sent their Ghost Demon Horses back into their Spatial Rings as if with uncanny tacit agreement. Shangguan Fei’er said in an exasperated tone: “You, shameless one, how are we getting across?”

Zhou Weiqing couldn’t help but say huffily: “What do you mean Shameless One?!”

Shangguan Fei’er gave a humph and said: “That’s right, you are shameless indeed.”

Zhou Weiqing said: “Don’t you have wings? Carry me and fly us across, that would be the easiest way. Otherwise, it will be a trouble to cross the army camp.”

“Carry your head. Hmph, snatching you up is more like it.” As she said that, she released out her two God Tier Consolidated Wings, and before Zhou Weiqing could even react, she appeared behind him, grabbing him by the side and holding his entire body away from her. With a flap of her powerful wings and circulation of Heavenly Energy, she soared away in the night skies with Zhou Weiqing. In such a position, as long as Zhou Weiqing did not try and reach out, he would not be able to touch Shangguan Fei’er at all. However, suspended in midair in such a position, that was not a comfortable feeling at all.

“Oei, beautiful lady, hold on steadily…” Zhou Weiqing’s heart raced fast. He had a slight fear of heights, and as the biting cold northern winds blew on him, and with suspended like that with no place to grab onto, that was indeed a horrible feeling for him.

“Hmph. Don’t worry, you won’t die. In truth, this young lady’s greatest capability is not close combat, but aerial combat.” Shangguan Fei’er’s cold voice rang out from above.

“En? Aerial combat?” Zhou Weiqing exclaimed in surprise. “Aerial combat against who?”

Shangguan Fei’er said: “Of course it’s those people from the Heavenly Snow Mountain. In terms of individual power, the members of the Heavenly Snow Mountain are actually top notch amongst all the Great Saint Lands… that is because they are all not human, a group of top end Heavenly Beast who have cultivated to human form. As such, besides the ordinary Heavenly Jewel Master power, they are still able to resume their original forms to fight. One of their greatest advantages is their aerial combat superiority due to that. In fact, when the three great God Tier Masters custom designed this Legendary Set for my Duo Physical Jewels, their focus was aerial combat. This Legendary Set of mine is also named for that, the Illustrious Aerial Tyrant Set, and with its help, the three Great Masters hope that I can be a tyrant in the skies, to fight on
equal terms with the Heavenly Snow Mountain in that area.”

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “Looks like your aerial combat skills are indeed powerful. When we get back, show me a bit.”

Shangguan Fei’er gave a cold humph and said: “Why should I show you? You don’t have any wings of your own, can your Legendary Set let you fly? Hmmm… how about I show you now?”

“Don’t, okay, I’m scared of you…  I have Acrophobia!”  Zhou Weiqing said helplessly.

By this point, Shangguan Fei’er had already brought him soaring high in the air, at least five hundred metres above the ground. In the dark of the night, it was almost impossible to spot them. Even if they were spotted, what could be done about them? At such a distance, ordinary archers would not be able to reach them. A mischievous smile suddenly appeared over Shangguan Fei’er’s face, and she thought to herself: I’ll show you little scoundrel, making me all flustered, let me teach you a lesson! Once again, the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace had resurfaced.

Abruptly, Zhou Weiqing felt his body turn upside down, starting to fall downwards, causing him to yell out in shock.

“Fei’er, what are you doing?”

Shangguan Fei’er’s calm voice, laced with a hint of mischief, rang out. “I’m showing you my aerial tyrant powers! Be careful! Here comes the ‘18 Dragon Shadow Roll’!”

As she said that, the twin wings behind her back underwent a strange change. Under the control of her will, the wings folded in abruptly, and with just a tiny movement, her entire person flipped over along with Zhou Weiqing. As they dropped down in a falling motion, they actually started spinning in a whirlwind fashion.

At that point, Zhou Weiqing could not even differentiate where was the sky and the earth, feeling everything turn about around him at top speed, it was as if his heart was in his throat as his face turned ashen.

The instant the eighteen ‘rolls’ were complete, Shangguan Fei’er’s wings spread apart at once, and they stopped in midair, levelling again in a perfectly executed, beautiful motion. Next, she lifted her head, pushing Zhou Weiqing’s body outwards once more before executing another ninety degree roll upwards before starting her rise back high into the sky once more.

Although she was carrying someone, her movements were still unbelievably quick, and more so, steady, coordinated and agile. As for Zhou Weiqing, at this point he was almost scared senseless. They were after all at a height of several hundred metres up in the sky! Even with his cultivation level, if they were to drop from this point, he would still be smashed into bits. Despite the fact that in his heart he knew that with Shangguan Fei’er’s control and skill, she would never let him fall, it was still nearly impossible for a person to control such a fear, especially since this was the first time he was being spun around in midair like that.

In the end, Shangguan Fei’er did not want to overdo it, and as she rose up in the air, she did so stably. “Next time, see if you dare try to be funny with me again. In the future, I won’t beat you up anymore… in front of your bunch of brothers, I must let you save some face. However, this midair game is so exciting and fun right! We can do that more instead.”

Zhou Weiqing did not make any sound, or even move at all.

Shangguan Fei’er was slightly startled, and said: “Hey, are you okay? You haven’t been scared silly yet right? Or did you faint?!”

Still no sound, or movement.

“Little Fatty…  Little Fatty!”  Shangguan Fei’er’s voice grew louder, and more urgent. He wouldn’t be scared to death right?

Right at that moment, Shangguan Fei’er suddenly felt Zhou Weiqing’s body go through an abrupt change, starting to shudder violently, the tremors growing as a strange icy cold Evil aura reached her arms, causing her to shiver as well.

What’s going on? This time, Shangguan Fei’er was shocked. Due to the cold, evil aura, she almost dropped Zhou Weiqing, but luckily she gritted her teeth and held on. At the same time, along with the icy cold evil aura, another burst of extreme heat suddenly burst forth in an instance. This time, Shangguan Fei’er could not hold on, and in a shocked cry, her arms went numb, and Zhou Weiqing’s body fell from her hands.

“Little Fatty!” Shangguan Fei’er accelerated at once, chasing after the falling Zhou Weiqing. At this point, they had barely passed the northern camp, and were still about seven hundred metres above the ground. One could just imagine what would happen if he were to fall right down from that height.

Shangguan Fei’er had not been bragging or exaggerating about her aerial capabilities. In a matter of moments, she had already caught up with Zhou Weiqing’s falling body. However, when she looked upon his face, she was given a big fright.

Currently, the colour of Zhou Weiqing’s face was constantly changing. Suddenly bright red, then pale white, changing at a terrifying rate, almost once a second. His eyes were tightly shut, his fists gripped tightly as he continued shuddering violently in fits, as if in deep pain.

How could this happen? What is going on? Pain and regret lanced through Shangguan Fei’er’s heart, and she grabbed onto Zhou Weiqing’s clothes in an attempt to hold him without being invaded by the twin cold and heat auras. Alas, when she did so, his clothes actually evaporated into ash, dissipating into the sky.

Indeed! Even Shangguan Fei’er could not withstand that intense heat and cold… how could the ordinary army uniform he was wearing do so?

Their falling speed was extremely fast, and by this point, they had already fell more than two hundred metres, and they were continually accelerating.

Gritting her teeth down hard, Shangguan Fei’er took a deep breath, and once again, the Heaven’s Expanse Ultimate Skill, Infinite Saint Flame, which she had used earlier in the day appeared around her once more. At the same time, she did not hesitate and hugged Zhou Weiqing.

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