Chapter 164: Chapter 148: Demon Suppression Legion

Early the next morning, Ling Xiao rose. He circulated his Spiritual Power for a full cycle before getting up and heading outside.

The servants in the courtyard had risen even earlier and were already busy with the tasks assigned by Chunlan and Qiuyue, all of them working deftly. Upon seeing Ling Xiao, they all bowed in greeting. When they first arrived at the Viscount’s Mansion, their gazes held only reverence and fear. Now, over the past two days, gratitude had begun to take its place.

Everyone knew that although their young noble master was a man of few words who rarely smiled, he was extremely lenient with them, the lowliest of servants. For people like them, most of whom came from poor families, selling themselves to a noble household was a helpless last resort. If they had the misfortune of ending up with a cruel and exacting master, they could only curse their luck.

Thus, their expectations were low. As long as they could eat their fill and weren’t constantly and senselessly berated, they would be moved to tears with gratitude toward their master.

Ling Xiao walked up to Ye Wen Ni’s door. Lately, she had been single-handedly managing all the intelligence operations for the Viscount’s Mansion, which meant she went to bed very late every night. It was as if the little thief girl had transformed into someone else entirely.

Ling Xiao raised his hand and knocked gently. From inside came Ye Wen Ni’s crisp, pleasant voice, "Who is it?"

"It’s me," Ling Xiao replied casually as he pushed the door open and entered. He saw Ye Wen Ni sitting at her desk, her fine brows slightly furrowed and a troubled look on her face. "What’s wrong?" he asked. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"You’re the great young master who wanders around all day with nothing to do. Of course you wouldn’t understand my predicament." Ye Wen Ni looked up and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, revealing a wrist as white as snow. She looked at the bewildered Ling Xiao, her eyes filled with helplessness. "The former Lord City Lord left, and since your arrival, you haven’t appointed a new City Lord. Many organizations in Penzes City are in a state of semi-paralysis. All of this needs people to manage it, but that’s the problem. The men we brought with us are brave, but they aren’t smart. Making them handle this kind of work would probably be more painful for them than just killing them. I’m forcing myself to do all this, and those two girls, Chunlan and Qiuyue, are completely absorbed with running the mansion. So tell me, how could I not have a headache?"

"..."

"Alright, alright, never mind," Ye Wen Ni said helplessly, pursing her lips. "Of course, if it’s possible, find me a couple of assistants. Or... just set me free from all this. I haven’t practiced my sword skills in days! I can’t let those two little maids catch up to me!"

"Want to go for a walk?" Ling Xiao said softly.

"No, I... Huh? What did you say?" Ye Wen Ni replied out of habit before she caught herself. She quickly raised her head, her face full of hope as she asked, "You said... go for a walk?"

"Yes. We should take a look at our own domain, shouldn’t we?" Ling Xiao said lightly. Ever since arriving in Penzes City, he had used what little free time he had for closed-door cultivation, leaving everything to Uncle Fu and Ye Wen Ni. The fact that neither of them had complained made a sliver of guilt stir in his heart.

After all, this was his fief, not anyone else’s. Uncle Fu was a respectable elder who would often think ahead for Ling Xiao and handle matters proactively. With such a man by his side, Ling Xiao not only avoided many mistakes but could also truly focus on his cultivation with peace of mind.

"Good. Very good." After she spoke, a faint blush rose on Ye Wen Ni’s tender cheeks. "I mean, I was about to die from being cooped up in here!"

Outside the city, a vast wasteland had become Ling Wu’s training grounds. He was bare-chested, his skin sunburned to a dark red. In some places, the skin had already peeled off, while in others it was flaking away in large, gruesome-looking patches.

He stood atop a square boulder taller than a man, his gaze blazing as he looked down at the two-thousand-strong troop below. He recalled the words the Young Master had spoken when he sought him out last night.

Ling Xiao hadn’t made any grand pronouncements, nor had he pounded his chest to make a guarantee. He had simply spoken to Ling Wu in a measured tone.

"Do you want to follow me and build Penzes City into something better? Do you want to forge a private army that’s even more outstanding than the Tiger Roar Assault Team? The kind of army... that will earn the admiration of all who speak its name?"

Ling Wu’s reply was just as direct: "Only a fool wouldn’t want that!"

He was a man from the bitterly cold lands of the north. Born into poverty, he had resolved from a young age to make something of himself and prove his worth to the folks back home. He idolized Lingzhi because it was Lingzhi who had transformed him from a common ruffian into a true soldier and turned the Tiger Roar Assault Team from a troop made of trash and dregs into a mighty army whose fame shook the continent!

Although they only had three thousand men, they possessed a formidable strength that no one dared to underestimate!

Furthermore, to have become a squad leader in the Tiger Roar Assault Team, Ling Wu was by no means a man with only brawn and no brains. Thus, he asked, "Young Master, where does your confidence come from?"

Ling Xiao took a sword from his ring. It was a very ordinary Hundred-refined Steel Sword. Although it sold for a high price in weapon shops and was considered a fine blade by common standards, for a nobleman, using such a weapon was a great loss of face. If they couldn’t acquire a treasured sword that could slice through iron like mud, they would at least need to obtain a valuable, gem-encrusted one. How could one possibly use the weapon of an ordinary Martial Artist?

However, Ling Xiao’s ring was stocked with many such swords. Ling Wu was puzzled when he produced one. Then, Ling Xiao suddenly said in a deep voice, "Watch closely!"

As he spoke, he straightened his posture and crisply executed a sword skill. Though it was a sword skill, its movements were broad and sweeping. He didn’t infuse it with any Spiritual Power, yet it still gave off the immense pressure of a collapsing mountain.

With just one look, Ling Wu was captivated, instantly falling in love with the sword skill. It seemed as if it were tailor-made for soldiers; just watching it was enough to make his blood boil with excitement!

Moreover, the sword skill was simple and easy to learn, making it perfect for the soldiers in his troop!

"Young Master, I beg you to pass this sword skill on to me!"

Even though he knew Ling Xiao wouldn’t have demonstrated the sword skill for no reason, Ling Wu couldn’t suppress his excitement and impulsively asked for it.

Ling Xiao laughed. "I was planning to teach it to you all anyway. Heh, if your combat strength is weak, it’s not just my brother’s reputation you’ll be tarnishing."

Ling Xiao’s smile was gentle, but Ling Wu suddenly bowed his head and said in a solemn voice, "Young Master, from the day I left the Tiger Roar Assault Team, I was technically no longer part of their official roster. The battle flag... I also kept it without authorization. This subordinate is guilty! I ask for the Young Master’s punishment!"

"And... actually, the Captain said back then that from that day forward, I, Ling Wu, would be your man, Third Young Master Ling. If you don’t want me, then I’ll be homeless." A hint of embarrassment crossed Ling Wu’s face. In the beginning, he truly hadn’t held Ling Xiao in high regard. As time went on, however, he slowly discovered that although the two brothers, Ling Xiao and Lingzhi, had completely different personalities and methods, they were both equally outstanding individuals. In other words, they were the kind of men worth pledging one’s life to!

"So, if our combat strength is weak, we will only be tarnishing your reputation, Young Master."

After talking in a large circle, Ling Wu had brought his point back around. He scratched his head and said, "Young Master, I’m a coarse man. I don’t know any grand principles, and I don’t know how to bootlick. But honestly, Young Master, you’ve treated us truly well. Just like the Captain, you are worthy of this soldier’s loyalty!"

Ling Xiao merely smiled. He and Lingzhi were close, but if this group of hot-tempered men had refused to truly submit to him—obeying on the surface while remaining defiant in their hearts—Ling Xiao would inevitably have felt a measure of displeasure.

After all, Cultivators are not Saints.

They experience the same joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures, and have the same mortal passions. It’s just that most of them prefer to hide their emotions, focusing all day on cultivation and refusing to show their feelings easily.

"Ling Wu, if I teach you this sword skill, along with a Cultivation Technique for circulating Inner Strength, are you confident you can forge an Iron Army for me?" Ling Xiao’s reasoning was simple: he would eventually need to focus on raising his own power level and continuing his cultivation. If his fiefdom lacked a powerful military, forget Beastmen—he feared even the larger bandit groups would consider coming to take advantage of them.

Ling Wu’s expression grew solemn. "Young Master, if you asked me to manage political affairs, I’m not the right man for it. But when it comes to training soldiers, I’ll admit no one is my better! I learned a thing or two just from watching the Captain all these years!"

"Good. The sword skill and the Cultivation Technique are in this booklet. The sword skill is called the ’Demon-subduing Vajra Sword Skill,’ and the Cultivation Technique is called ’Vajra Qi Force.’ First, teach them to our five hundred brothers. Then, I want you to... take the one thousand men from the Knight Order and the five hundred from the City Guard Army, and integrate them with these five hundred brothers into mixed units. Ling Wu, what do you think?" The corners of Ling Xiao’s mouth lifted slightly. This was, he supposed, a test for Ling Wu. After all, once his unit was broken up, the title of "Tiger Roar Assault Team" would cease to exist. These men would be thoroughly branded as belonging to the Third Young Master Ling.

Ling Wu was stunned for only a brief moment. A complex series of emotions flickered in his eyes—nostalgia, sorrow, but above all, a firm resolve for the future!

"I will obey the Young Master’s command. However... what will be the name of this new army?"

"From this day forward... there’s you, us, and them!" Ling Wu puffed out his chest, pointing to the men standing ramrod straight below. He let the vicious sun beat down on his body. His powerful physique and dark skin gave the forty-year-old man an air of iron and blood. The great stone beneath him was scorching hot, yet Ling Wu stood upon it, as steady as a mountain.

The field of two thousand men was utterly silent. Even their heartbeats... seemed to be in perfect unison! With solemn faces, they all gazed up at Ling Wu on the great stone. The results of their training period were obvious!

"All of you still standing here today, from this moment on, we are one family! And I will be the commander of you all! I have only one demand, and that is... to obey orders! I don’t care where you came from or what your status was. Here, you are my damn soldiers! And you will all listen! My mission is to make sure you eat well! Have money to earn! Have women to marry! And then, to lead you... to become... one of the continent’s... first-rate private armies!"

Ling Wu’s hoarse voice carried far as he roared, "Our name is the Demon Suppression Legion!"

"ROAR!"

"ROAR!"

"ROAR!"

"Demon Suppression Legion!"

"Demon Suppression Legion!"

"Demon Suppression Legion!"

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I overslept and then got really pissed off by a few posts in the review section, so I’m half an hour late. Apologies to all my friends!

I’ll just say this: "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." For those of you who enjoy making personal attacks on me, Xiaodao, I hope you’ll look into your conscience and think about that. I don’t owe you anything. (To be continued. For more Chapters and to support the author and official publication, please visit www.qidian.com!)