Leaving the Chen Mansion, Zhao Xing still felt somewhat shaken.
He hadn’t expected to meet an old acquaintance here.
Nor had he expected that Long Xiao and Chen Shijie would be so close.
Even more unexpected, the place Chen Shijie wanted to take him to was the Divine Might Army, which would later be disbanded!
"Should I still go with Old Chen?"
Joining the military was a certainty, after all, his original plan was to become a Military Minister of Agriculture Officer.
To get a swift promotion, the military was undoubtedly the fastest route. With prophetic foresight, he was confident he could thrive.
"The Divine Might Army was once renowned, but later suffered heavy losses while fighting the Barbaric Alien Race, losing even its structure."
"Emperor Wu’s campaign against the barbarians was largely because his father suffered a great loss to the alien race in his later years."
As Zhao Xing recalled, he vaguely remembered that Marquis Shenxiao, Long Xiao, deeply hated the Barbaric Alien Race, though he didn’t know whether it was because of his time in the Divine Might Army.
Long Xiao rose to power during the late Jing Emperor Period and was conferred the title of Marquis for his merits in the Battle of Subduing the Barbarians during Emperor Wu’s reign.
In Zhao Xing’s future plans, Long Xiao was on his list of investments.
If he was stronger before Long Xiao’s rise, he would lend him a hand as an investment. If he was weaker, he would follow Long Xiao.
"It’s only mid Jing Emperor now, after Jingxin there’s still Da Zhi and Yongzhi, roughly two hundred years to go."
Listening to Old Chen and Long Xiao’s chat, Zhao Xing noted that although the Divine Might Army had some fame before, it was still limited to one province and hadn’t yet become renowned across the land. It had only just been reinstated.
"Joining now also had its advantages, as there would be plenty of opportunities to earn merits. And as for the future? At worst, I could just leave, just like how Long Xiao was still doing fine." Zhao Xing shook his head, deciding not to think too much about it, as he still had a few months to make a decision.
If he found out later that it wasn’t worth it, he had plenty of other options to choose from.
For now, he needed to get past the Xuantian Sect’s hurdle and secure an official position before thinking further.
Sanwan Town, Fengye Manor.
Inside Fengye Manor was an artificial hill, with a hidden passage dug within it, leading deep underground.
At this moment, in the underground space, there was a small altar.
The altar stood in a blood pool, the crimson blood covering half of the statue.
Two Hall Masters of Sanwan Hall knelt below, waiting.
The Falcon Guardian knelt beside the blood pool, worshipping the statue.
Chen Deshun and Wu Mei felt a bit uneasy.
This wasn’t supposed to be a time for sacrifice, but a few days ago they had received a warning from the Venerable.
After returning, they reported to the Guardian.
Those who operated covertly were extremely sensitive to the slightest whisper, and Falcon placed great importance on it, so they immediately came to the altar to pray to the Divine for the specific reason behind the warning.
"Gurong~" The statue emitted a faint red glow, projecting an image of Chen Deshun at the Niu Family Mansion at the time into the air.
Then the statue quickly sank into the blood pool, and the phenomenon disappeared.
The Falcon Guardian reverently bowed again, then slowly walked down from the altar.
"Guardian... pfft~" Chen Deshun wanted to ask what had happened, but before he could, Falcon slapped him and Wu Mei flying. They spit out a mouthful of blood, losing two teeth.
Both of them looked panicked and, after falling to the ground, quickly crawled back to kneel respectfully.
"You two fools!" Falcon glared at them, "I sent you to scout Anping Town, what did you do to expose your identities?"
"What?" Chen Deshun was shocked, "We were exposed?"
Wu Mei also looked terrified, "Guardian, please see clearly, we didn’t do anything."
Falcon’s eyes were cold, "Still dare to quibble? The Venerable’s warning indicated someone is using a Secret Technique to deduce your identities."
"What, how is that possible..." Chen Deshun and Wu Mei were horrified, completely baffled about the situation.
They had holed up in this underground altar for the past few days, aware something serious was afoot, but hadn’t expected it to be this serious.
"Your current identities can no longer be used," Falcon snorted, "Enter the Blood Spirit Pool."
"Yes, yes." The two fearfully walked into the blood pool within the altar.
Then Falcon gestured, and a man and a woman, both followers, walked over from the side.
They were naked and kneeled respectfully before Falcon upon approaching: "Greetings, Guardian."
Falcon slowly said: "It is a critical moment now. You need to contribute for the great cause. In the future, Xuantian will recreate golden bodies for you, granting you eternal peace."
The man and woman passionately gazed at the statue: "Ready to die for Xuantian!"
Then they jumped into the blood pool.
The blood pool emitted faint red light, and before long, the man and woman emerged again from the pool.
Falcon looked at the two: "For this month, take no actions. Familiarize yourselves with your new identities."
"Yes." Chen Deshun and Wu Mei’s voices replied.
As the weather in Gucheng gradually turned colder, Xue Wenzhong’s Huai Liu Courtyard no longer held the essence of spring but instead returned to the seasonal rhythms of the outside world.
Xue Wenzhong pointed at the sky, with wisps of mist spreading around.
"Three days after Cold Dew, you must seek a bridge to cross water."
"The pure, crystalline dew turns cold and begins to condense; this is the seventeenth spell in the ’Seasonal Order.’
"Cultivating the ’Seasonal Order,’ you will clearly sense the Yin of the earth veins during this season, significantly amplifying the power of many spells, such as the [Yin Wind] and [Ice Rain] spells you practice."
"During Cold Dew, there are seven characteristic phenomena that can transform seven common beasts into exotic beasts and seven common plants into spirit plants. Likewise, it can cause exotic beasts to regress and spirit plants to wither."