Chapter 141: Chapter 135: Who’s Putting Whom in Their Place?

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a loud roar from the middle-aged man startled the two fine steeds. They whinnied loudly and reared up on their hind legs. Inside the carriage, the passengers quickly grabbed onto whatever they could to steady themselves, narrowly avoiding embarrassment. Still, they were left a bit disheveled. Ling Xiao’s expression slowly darkened.

Cultivators train their bodies and minds, nurturing their character and temperament. They must possess a heart as vast as the ocean, capable of embracing a hundred rivers. When calm, it is placid and still, holding all things within. But when angered, it can instantly summon monstrous waves, unleashing the thunderous might of world-destroying power!

’If... even a Household General dares to try and intimidate me, how will others try to bully me!’

Ling Xiao’s mouth twitched, and just as he was about to step out with a cold glint in his eyes, he heard Uncle Fu, who was still on the driver’s seat, let out a heavy snort. Ling Wu, the captain of the First Squad of the Tiger Roar Assault Team, stumbled back several steps as if struck by lightning. He bumped into a soldier behind him, knocking the man over, and barely managed to regain his footing. When he looked back at the wizened old man, Uncle Fu, his eyes were filled with utter shock.

"I don’t care who you are, how powerful you used to be, or how distinguished your status was. In front of the Young Master, you’d best show some restraint," Uncle Fu said lightly. "From this day on, you are merely a group of the Young Master’s household soldiers, no longer members of the Tiger Roar Assault Team. Otherwise... I don’t mind teaching some unruly servants a lesson on the Young Master’s behalf."

The expressions of all the soldiers changed abruptly. The face of the middle-aged general, Ling Wu, turned ashen. He was not born with the surname Ling; it was bestowed upon him by Lingzhi. He had sworn a lifelong oath to faithfully follow Captain Lingzhi and serve the Ling Family. However, the object of his loyalty was Lingzhi alone. He didn’t even hold Lingzhi’s father, General Ling Tianxiao, in high regard!

The soldiers behind him felt much the same way. Lingzhi was the eldest son of the Ling Family, the man who would one day inherit Ling Tianxiao’s title. Although the Ling Family was not large at present, it was bound to branch out and grow. They, this group of men, would be the first batch of loyal subordinates when the family expanded! They were destined to be forever revered by the family’s descendants.

If not for their loyalty, Lingzhi would never have assigned them to Ling Xiao. Lingzhi had a straightforward and generous nature, and he had told them that following him and following his brother were one and the same. In their hearts, however, these men did not necessarily agree.

Although they were loyal to Lingzhi, why did men become soldiers? On a grand scale, it was to achieve great things and serve their country. On a smaller scale, it was to seek fame, fortune, and a good station in life! From the day they became the Ling Family’s private soldiers, from the moment the Tiger Roar Assault Team’s fame resounded throughout the Lanyue Empire, these men were branded with the mark of the Ling Family! It could be said that for the rest of their lives, they and their families would never have to worry about food or clothing again! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

They respected Lingzhi, worshipped him with fanatical devotion. Although the north was a bitterly cold and harsh land with difficult conditions, it was precisely these adverse circumstances that allowed Lingzhi to forge them into the men they were. It also made them grow to love that place.

But now, they had to say goodbye to the north. Perhaps this goodbye was a final farewell.

Everyone has feelings. Everyone gets attached and feels reluctant to leave. These tough, hardened men were no different. Although they knew Lingzhi wasn’t truly abandoning them, they couldn’t help but feel as if they had been cast aside.

Given their resentment, it was only natural for them to try and intimidate Ling Xiao. But they never expected a decrepit old coachman to possess such unfathomable strength, nor for him to utter such unacceptable words. At that moment, a soldier roared in fury.

"On what grounds? Our unit’s designation was earned in one goddamn bloody battle after another! This banner..." He pointed to the standard planted there, blood-red and fluttering in the wind, emblazoned with a Saber-toothed Tiger. "It was dyed red with the blood of countless comrades! With a single sentence, how dare you strip us of our designation? Don’t you know that a unit without its designation is a unit without a soul? We’ve already lost our home... and you, you want to take our souls too! A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated!"

As the soldier finished speaking, his eyes were bloodshot and seemed ready to burst. Tears of blood streamed down his face. His voice was hoarse and grating, yet it carried a profound sorrow born of the bitter northern lands!

"Ling Thirty-One!" Ling Wu suddenly roared. "Who the fuck told you to speak! Slap yourself!"

"Sir!" The soldier who had just spoken snapped to attention, his body ramrod straight, and then brought his hand down hard across his own face...

Though the girls in the carriage couldn’t see, expressions of pity clearly showed on their faces. This was their first encounter with true soldiers, and they could feel something called an ’army’s soul’!

The anger on Ling Xiao’s face also vanished, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

The soldier, as if in a fit of pique, swung his hand viciously toward his face, but suddenly felt his wrist seized in an iron grip. He looked up to see the old man—the one with the ramrod straight posture, meticulously combed hair, and refined clothes—gripping his wrist with a hand so withered it looked like little more than bone. No matter how hard the soldier struggled, he couldn’t budge the old man an inch!

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared, mouth agape, at the old man in utter shock. In this five-hundred-man troop, aside from their captain Ling Wu who was a Tier Three Great Sword Master, the rest were all uniformly Tier Six Sword Masters!

Such strength! Across the entire Empire, wherever this five-hundred-man group went, they would be the elite of the elite, the bravest of the brave!

A lone Tier Six Sword Master might seem less powerful than a senior student from the Imperial Academy. But the strength of soldiers lies in their unity and coordination. It is no exaggeration to say that these five hundred Tier Six Sword Master soldiers could face a thousand students of the same rank and annihilate them while suffering minimal losses!

If they coordinated in groups, a formation of just five soldiers could trap a Tier One or Tier Two Great Sword Master! Elsewhere, this would be unimaginable! A Tier One Great Sword Master could normally face ten Tier Six Sword Masters at once, using hit-and-run tactics to pick them off one by one and emerge completely unscathed! This just went to show that the strength of these private soldiers truly deserved to be called ’formidable’!

Although the other soldiers stood motionless, their peripheral vision was fixed on the scene, their eyes filled with amazement. ’Who is this old man, to possess such power!’

Ling Wu was also stunned for a moment before he said in a low voice, "What is the meaning of this? If my soldier makes a mistake, it is my place to discipline him. Or do you take us all for the Ling Family’s lackeys and servants?"

Uncle Fu released the soldier’s hand and turned around. His pair of old, somewhat cloudy eyes rested on the middle-aged man named Ling Wu. Ling Wu, for his part, met Uncle Fu’s gaze without showing any weakness. His expression seemed to say, ’Even if you kill me, I won’t so much as frown! But you will not insult my honor!’

Uncle Fu suddenly broke into a smile. ’He’s... just so damn similar to how I used to be! This kid... he’s a good kid!’ Uncle Fu would often reminisce about those passionate, blood-pumping years, especially right after he first left the army. But now, so many years had passed that even the memories had gathered dust. He was like a mountain at dusk, with only the last rays of the setting sun gracing its peak.

"You... say that I have insulted your army’s soul?"

Uncle Fu lightly patted his hands together as if brushing off dust. He turned gracefully, stepped out from the ranks of soldiers, and came to stand before Ling Wu.

Ling Wu stood his ground without retreating a single step, as if he hadn’t just witnessed Uncle Fu’s tyrannical strength. He declared loudly, "We were ordered to protect the Third Young Master Ling, not to be his servants!"

Uncle Fu smiled and swept his gaze across the faces of the soldiers. Some were mature, others still a bit green. Some faces were dark as charcoal, others fair. The one constant was that the eyes of every soldier were filled with resolution, courage, and fearlessness!

"You are the Ling Family’s soldiers," Uncle Fu said calmly. "The Ling Family’s! Not Lingzhi’s! Even if you are filled with gratitude toward Lingzhi... hmm, yes, that’s right. This old man knows a thing or two about this unit’s origins. You were just a bunch of... northern-prowling... scumbags, ruffians, and villains. But there’s one more thing. Back then, you were an even bigger pile of trash." Uncle Fu spoke elegantly, yet all these vicious words spilling from his mouth made it sound as if he were discussing some noble affair.

Hearing this, some soldiers’ faces flushed crimson. Others averted their gaze in shame. Some shot glances filled with fury. Even Ling Wu’s face turned ashen!

He was right. They had all been gangsters and thugs in Chakna. Initially, when this large swath of land was enfeoffed to the Ling Family, the neighboring Bauhinia Clan was extremely displeased. They saw it as a sign that His Majesty the King distrusted them, that he was trying to prop up another major family right on their border. So, they conscripted nearly every able-bodied young man in the vicinity. In the north, the Bauhinia Clan’s authority was supreme. Many people didn’t even know the King’s name, but they all knew the name of the Bauhinia Clan’s Patriarch!

Under these circumstances, General Ling Tianxiao had no choice but to recruit a large number of idle wanderers in Chakna. The group was a motley crew of all sorts: Adventurers, thugs, and ruffians, even entire villainous organizations were gathered to form a hodgepodge private army.

Attracted by the pay, these men all happily accepted their enlistment. However, the matter became a laughingstock in the upper circles of the Empire and a powerful tool for the established aristocrats to attack the new-money Ling Family.

But all of that was changed by a stunningly brilliant youth who graduated from the Imperial Academy—the man who was now Lingzhi!

That was why these men followed Lingzhi with such fanatical devotion, and why they looked down on everyone else.

Before Ling Wu could speak, Uncle Fu suddenly did something that left the soldiers gaping in astonishment, and caused the three young women who had been about to get out of the carriage with Ling Xiao to shrink back, their faces beet red.

Uncle Fu was unbuttoning his own shirt. And his movements were perfectly elegant.

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Hey everyone, don’t worry! I promised a Chapter explosion, and an explosion you shall have. My kid was making a fuss during the day... *sob*, tragic. The writing was slow, but tonight will be better. The guaranteed minimum is 10,000 characters, and since it’s an ’explosion,’ it will naturally be more than that. So, monthly tickets please!! Also, don’t forget your recommendation votes. Just because the book is premium now doesn’t mean you should stop voting! *Bows in thanks* I’m off to write more.