Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 75 Muddle through
Yun Ce felt that Peng Zeng was very unlucky. After watching him being thrown into the ditch outside the training ground and floating away, he straightened his clothes, led his chestnut horse into the training ground.

Just as Zhou Chengming and the others were about to leave, they saw a tall but somewhat immature young man in blue robes leading a Thunder Smoke Beast over.

"From Yunzhou, to Pingyuan City, to Hekou Village, Liu Chang'an seeks guidance from the Tiger-General's Office!"

One of the soldiers who had just thrown Peng Zeng out sneered, "Another one who doesn't know his own mortality has arrived."

Just as he was about to step forward, Zhou Chengming grabbed him and whispered, "Some people say he's very capable."

One of the soldiers said, "That one was also very powerful."

Zhou Chengming laughed and said, "He just watched me deal with that guy named Peng Zeng, and he still dared to come in at this time. He's not weak in that respect."

Having said that, he personally came forward and said, "You don't look down on my brothers either, do you?"

Yun Ce cupped his hands and said, "Any brave warrior who defends the country is an outstanding person. I admire him greatly and would never look down on him."

Zhou Chengming smiled and said, "So, you want to start with the infantry and elite infantry?"

Yun Ce loosened the reins of his chestnut horse, walked up to a soldier in armor, tapped the armor, patted the soldier's shoulder, and turned to Zhou Chengming, saying, "He's a good man."

Zhou Chengming laughed loudly, "You still don't think much of him."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "Someone told me that the captain was injured by the bear king when he killed it in battle a few days ago, and he is currently in poor health. Is this true?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengming laughed even harder, ripped open his shirt to reveal his belly wrapped in cloth, and said to Yun Ce, "It's so real, it couldn't be more real."

Yun Ce looked regretfully at the people in the Tiger Legion Commandery and said, "The spring is warm and the scenery is beautiful, and there are high mountains to climb. After I join the Tiger Legion, I will drink and have fun with you brothers."

Zhou Chengming chuckled and said, "You still look down on them."

Yun Ce took the saber from its sheath at his waist, put on a pair of clean white gloves, and slowly drew the saber. He turned back to the group of Tiger Generals with grim faces and smiled, "If I am no match for you later, please don't throw me into the stinking ditch when you throw me out."

Looking at the slender saber in Yun Ce's hand, Zhou Chengming asked in confusion, "This is the first time I've seen such a saber. Is there a specific method for using it?"

Yun Cezhen dismounted his saber and laughed, "This saber was a gift from an elder. Besides being able to cut nails and iron like mud, the method of using it is called: Chaotic Wind Cleave!"

Zhou Chengming looked at Yun Ce and laughed, "What a fine 'Random Wind Splitting' technique! Today, I'll show you what your 'Random Wind Splitting' technique is all about."

Yun Ce solemnly sheathed his sword, bringing the hilt to his chest, the blade aligned with his brow and the tip of his nose. He then said to Zhou Chengming, "Please instruct me."

Zhou Chengming was somewhat confused by Yun Ce's strange battle etiquette, and shook his head, saying, "This is the first time I've experienced such a battle. This is whose etiquette."

Yun Ce certainly wouldn't tell him that he wore gloves to cover up how Gouzi was helping him analyze Zhou Chengming's lightning-fast swordsmanship by getting tangled in the hilt of his sword. As for the gloves, he would naturally have to learn how the standard-bearers held their swords during the military parade.

It's unclear how Zhang Min described himself, but Zhou Chengming responded to him very seriously without launching a preemptive attack.

"Left rib!" Gouzi suddenly spoke. Without thinking, Yun Ce stepped forward and thrust his saber towards Zhou Chengming's left rib.

After arriving on this planet, Yun Ce's strength increased significantly, and his reaction speed also improved dramatically. With just a forward thrust, the blade reached Zhou Chengming's left rib in an instant.

Zhou Chengming dodged, and Yun Ce, without needing Gouzi's command, immediately changed his attack from a thrust to a sweep, his saber chasing after Zhou Chengming's figure.

With a "clang," Zhou Chengming's longsword narrowly deflected Yun Ce's saber. Just as he was about to pursue, Yun Ce's saber suddenly slashed upwards along Zhou Chengming's longsword, sending sparks and lightning flying as it directly struck Zhou Chengming's right hand, which was holding the saber.

The long saber naturally had a guard. Zhou Chengming originally didn't want to pay attention to it and was about to punch Yun Ce in the face. Just as the saber and the guard were about to touch, he suddenly remembered what Yun Ce had said: his saber could cut through iron like mud. His left fist, which was originally going to punch Yun Ce in the face, changed direction and slammed heavily into the side of Yun Ce's saber. The saber rang out and left the long saber.

Taking the opportunity, Yun Ce stepped back and resumed the sword-raising salute.

Zhou Chengming stared at the sharp blade of Yun Ce's saber, feeling a lingering fear. If he hadn't been quick-witted, the force with which Yun Ce had swung the saber would have severed his finger.

Yun Ce's swift and deadly strike was not only dangerous but also incredibly impressive. With just this one move, the captain was subtly at a disadvantage, which immediately made the arrogant soldiers lose their desire to watch the spectacle and start to worry about their captain.

"I can't see his weaknesses anymore. Let's try attacking him and gather more information so I can analyze him."

Seeing that Zhou Chengming was not attacking, Yun Ce raised his sword and slashed at him. He thought that as long as he was strong and his sword was fast, Zhou Chengming would not be able to attack him.

Unexpectedly, after the other person's knife touched his saber, there was no sound. Instead, it stuck to Yun Ce's saber and almost threw Yun Ce away by using the force of the impact. If it weren't for Gouzi's slight electric shock...

The two separated again. Zhou Chengming looked at his long sword with a puzzled expression, put the sword in his left hand, and squeezed it a few times with his right hand. It was obvious that he had been electrocuted.

"Right shoulder!"

"Left shoulder!" "Step forward, retreat, retreat..."

Under Gouzi's rapid commands, sweat poured down Yun Ce's forehead, not from exhaustion, but from anxiety. Zhou Chengming's left-handed sword was clearly faster than his right-handed sword. Besides some instinctive parries, Yun Ce also had to follow Gouzi's commands, which slowed him down. Several times, he was almost injured by Zhou Chengming.

As Yun Ce and Gouzi's teamwork improved, their fabricated Chaotic Wind Slashing Blade Technique actually put them in a fierce and evenly matched battle against Zhou Chengming.

After the two knives clashed three times in quick succession, Zhou Chengming looked at his long sword, which was as sharp as a saw, and then at Yun Ce's saber, which hadn't even left a mark. He couldn't help but say, "Good sword, and the skill is not bad either, but the swordsmanship is a bit lacking."

Yun Ce wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "You know I'm a savage."

Zhou Chengming said, "Let's call it a day. Do you really want the title of Zan Niao?"

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "I think Shangzaojue suits me very well."

Zhou Chengming laughed loudly, "I think so too. Let's go and get the formalities done. At the latest, you'll be a newly promoted Shangzao in Chuyun Prefecture in six months. To be honest, at your age, it's too early for you to be a Shangzao."

Yun Ce tossed the saber in his hand to Zhou Chengming and said, "Try it."

Zhou Chengming grabbed the saber, slashed it twice casually, listened to the sound of the weapon cutting through the wind, and then handed the saber back to Yun Ce, saying, "The design is unreasonable. It's too disadvantageous in foot combat. It will still break when it encounters heavy weapons."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "It was originally designed for mounted combat, with sharpness as its main feature."

Zhou Chengming thought for a moment and said, "How about a horse spear? Also, didn't you go to the horse stable to recognize your master?"

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "This is also a beautiful creature. It is beautiful to live like this. The process of recognizing a master is too cruel. I don't want to turn my companion into a fool who only recognizes me."

Zhou Chengming, who was walking ahead, turned around and looked at Yun Ce with a complicated expression, saying, "Your thinking is really strange. Do you know who was the last person to say that?"

"Who?"

"King Huo! He rode sixty-seven Thunder Smoke Beasts in his life, none of which recognized him as their master, yet each one followed him to fight on the battlefield. Many died in battle, but none of them showed the beastly nature they should have shown."

I hope you, Thunder Smoke Beast, can be the same.

Yun Ce was not surprised by this answer at all. Huo Qubing was a cavalry commander who loved warhorses all his life and regarded them as his most loyal companions. How could he allow others to drive nails into the heads of his warhorses?

It would be strange if I were like the people here.

Yun Ce followed Zhou Chengming to his official residence and saw Zhang Min sitting quietly on a futon, seemingly asleep.

The moment Yun Ce entered, Zhang Min woke up and looked at Zhou Chengming with a smile, saying, "We were right, weren't we?"

Zhou Chengming stared at Yun Ce for a long time before saying to Zhang Min, "Go and get the spirit-detecting insect."

Zhang Min reached behind him and handed a nice-looking cage to Zhou Chengming. He took the fat worm out of the cage, put it on Yun Ce's shoulder, and said to Yun Ce, "The process of promoting a savage is very complicated, especially for the nineteenth rank of Shangzao, which requires reporting to Chang'an and approval from the Grand Commandant's Office. This round trip can take as long as half a year."

While he was speaking, his eyes were fixed on Yun Ce, who was having a great time playing with the spirit-hunting insect. After a long while, he took the spirit-hunting insect off Yun Ce, put it in a cage, and handed it to Zhang Min.

Zhang Min smiled and said, "It would be faster to pass it by bird."

Zhou Chengming sighed and shook his head, saying, "Do you think my bird-borne message would be more likely to get approval from the Grand Commandant's office than a letter mixed in with a large number of official documents?"

Zhang Min remained silent, and Yun Ce coughed lightly, asking, "Do I need to join the army?"

Zhou Chengming shook his head and said, "In another half month, I will lead my troops away from Chuyun Prefecture to guard the border. It would be good for you to stay in Chuyun Prefecture and help Zhang Min."

Zhang Min frowned, took out a bar of soap from her sleeve, and handed it to Zhou Chengming, saying, "This is for bathing. It's much better than bath soap. I think this business is worth doing."

Zhou Chengming looked at Zhang Min, then at Yun Ce, and said with a look of sudden realization, "Was it Liu Chang'an who did this?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "Rice is expensive in Chuyun City, and it's not easy to live here."

Zhou Chengming seemed to remember something, chuckled, and handed the soap back to Zhang Min, saying, "Give it to Wu Tong, I don't have time."

When Yun Ce finished the tedious procedures and rode his chestnut horse out of the military camp, a black, humanoid object covered in mud grabbed the horse's hoof. The chestnut horse impatiently shook its hoof, and the humanoid object flew back into the mud.

Yun Ce had been lost in thought when he vaguely heard someone shouting—"You beast!"

(End of this chapter)