Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 192: It's common for a piece of trash to die on the battlefield.

Chen Ping stood at the doorway, showing no intention of moving aside.

He glanced indifferently at the two people in front of him, his voice cold.

"My room is so humble, there isn't even a spare stool to sit on. Instructor Song, just say what business you have right here in this windy place."

Song Ge sensed the coldness in Chen Ping's words, narrowed his long, narrow eyes, and said nothing.

Liu Xiao, however, was not intimidated. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, who in the city doesn't know your name these days? You single-handedly killed four Yuan Gang cultivators. Your ruthless methods are truly admirable."

He shook his head with a smile, pretending to be a person who regretted not meeting him sooner.

"To be honest, when I heard this news, my first thought was, 'Why didn't I get to know someone like this sooner?'"

Chen Ping watched him coldly as he put on his monologue, without saying a word or even offering a perfunctory smile.

Liu Xiao was met with a rebuff, but he didn't take it to heart.

His smile remained unchanged as he naturally lowered his voice a few decibels and got to the main topic of the day.

"Brother Chen is a straightforward man. I've come so late tonight, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​He confidently held up a clean, white finger.

"In the upcoming competition in a few days, Brother Chen, could you please be so kind as to secretly give me one of the ten spots for direct admission to the Inner Academy?"

Chen Ping's expression remained unchanged.

Seeing that he did not immediately refuse, Liu Xiao assumed that the other party was waiting for a higher offer.

He was secretly delighted and quickly increased the amount of chips in his hand while the iron was hot.

"Brother Chen, don't be so quick to shake your head. Let me explain the price of this deal."

He took half a step forward and lowered his voice.

"As long as Brother Chen is willing to do this for us, in exchange, when the competition ends and we are both sent to the front lines in Yangzhou Prefecture by the Ministry of War..."

"I can use my personal connections in the Governor's Office to ensure that Brother Chen can safely and secure a position in the 'Yunlin Army,' which is mainly based in Yangzhou, together with me."

"Brother Chen, you should know that once you enter that camp, you'll have a get-out-of-jail-free card. You won't have to be like those lowly peasants with no background, who are used as cannon fodder to charge into the vanguard and fight to the death."

He smiled and held up three fingers, waving them in front of Chen Ping.

"You and I only need to drink tea in the central command tent. Once the battle to quell the rebellion in Yangzhou is over and the news of victory comes back from the front, Brother Chen can naturally join me in reaping a huge military achievement for the suppression of the rebellion. From then on, he will be promoted and rise to prominence." He looked into Chen Ping's eyes, his tone as if he were discussing a sure-fire deal.

"Brother Chen, what do you think of this kind of wealth and glory that you can obtain without risking your life?"

Chen Ping looked at him.

I watched for two breaths.

"Have you stated all your conditions?"

Liu Xiao paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously: "I'm done."

Chen Ping said, "I can't give up my spot."

Liu Xiao's smile froze instantly.

He seemed unable to believe that, tempted by such generous terms, the other party would refuse so decisively.

"Brother Chen, did you not understand what I meant? Don't be in such a hurry..."

"The spots in the competition are earned through fighting."

Chen Ping's voice wasn't loud, but it completely shut down Liu Xiao's next words. "If you want to be in the top ten, go up into the ring and fight yourself. If you win, the spot is yours. If you don't win, no one can say anything to you."

Liu Xiao's expression changed several times in an instant, turning pale and then red. His confident smile finally crumbled completely.

He turned his head and looked at Song Ge, who was standing beside him with his hands behind his back, as if seeking help.

Song Ge stood to the side with his hands behind his back, not saying a word. At this moment, his narrow eyes swept over Chen Ping, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Chen Ping, don't be so stubborn. Why not calm down and think it over carefully? The price that Young Master Liu offered you is definitely not bad for you."

"Do you think the battle in Yangzhou is child's play? The Yunlin Army is the rear guard; once they enter, they'll be a protective shield."

He paused for a moment, speaking casually as if he were talking about the weather.

"It's not just you; all your classmates who followed the Qinglin Society and cheered for you will end up the same way."

"Even if peasants risk their lives in the grand competition and wear the brocade clothes of the inner court, in the eyes of the military leaders on the front lines, they are nothing more than a bunch of cheap expendable materials. When the war really gets tough, the first ones to be pulled up to fill the ditches and serve as human shields will inevitably be you poor folks with no background."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Chen Ping did not get angry, did not refute, and did not even frown.

He looked at Song Ge and spoke in a flat voice, "Instructor Song, I initially thought the disastrous situation in Yangzhou was due to insufficient reinforcements and a too-strong enemy."

He paused.

The murderous intent in his eyes was released without reservation in the darkness.

"Now that I have heard your two insightful opinions, I finally understand completely."

"So, someone is using the mountains of corpses and seas of blood of the soldiers at the front as a hunting ground for them to safely reap military merits in the rear."

Song Ge's smile froze on his face.

Chen Ping shifted his gaze from Song Ge to Liu Xiao.

His eyes were like swords.

Liu Xiao subconsciously took half a step back.

Chen Ping looked at him, his voice extremely cold, each word deliberate and chilling.

"Young Master Liu, as a fellow soldier, I'd like to offer you some well-intentioned advice."

"With your precious health, you'd better stay in the city and not get involved in the battlefield in Yangzhou." He paused.

"After all, it's on the battlefield."

"It's common for a useless piece of trash, who can't even kill a chicken, to die."

Liu Xiao's face turned pale instantly.

The courtyard was quiet for a couple of breaths.

Chen Ping took a step back and closed the courtyard gate.

The door was tightly shut in front of the two of them.

Liu Xiao stood blankly outside the door.

A gust of night wind blew, and he realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

He swallowed hard twice, his voice trembling.

"Instructor Song... Instructor Song, he... he, a commoner student without any official position, actually dared to threaten to kill me to my face?!"

Song Ge stood to the side, staring at the tightly closed courtyard gate, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly. He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked outside.

"Let's go."

Liu Xiao didn't dare linger and quickly followed.

After walking a few steps, he still couldn't help but lower his voice and mutter in fear.

"Instructor Song, this man is an utterly unreasonable mad dog. Does he really have no fear of military law? Would he dare to attack me in the dark on the battlefield?"

Song Ge didn't turn his head, letting out a disdainful sneer from his nose.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

His tone was very casual.

"This kid is just relying on his brute strength to kill a few third-rate martial arts masters in Tianyan City and show off his power."

"On the real battlefield, Yuan Gang is indeed the backbone, but he dies the fastest. He can't beat those with Divine Transformation, and he can't kill those below Transformation Realm. Caught in the middle, they are the first to be eliminated."

He paused for a moment and glanced at Liu Xiao.

"He's just a poor scholar from a humble background. It's uncertain whether he'll even make it back alive after arriving in Yangzhou." He turned back and continued walking.

"Moreover, if someone like him goes there, he'll only be assigned to the vanguard or the decapitation battalion, where he'll be doing the most dangerous and gruesome work. You'll be staying in the rear of the Yunlin Army, and you won't even see him."

He walked with his hands behind his back, his tone becoming indifferent.

"Take it easy and relax."

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

......

Inside the courtyard gate.

Chen Ping stood there for a while.

The ruthlessness that rose in his heart was quickly suppressed.

He has no right to comment on these matters.

With insufficient strength and inadequate information, anything we say now is just empty talk.

But the very fact that Liu Xiao appeared before him was what bothered him. The fact that the third son of a councilor in the governor's office could use "entering the Yunlin Army to oversee the rear" as a bargaining chip to exchange for a spot in the competition meant that this path was open, that someone had taken it before, and that it was even common practice.

On the battlefield of Yangzhou Prefecture, how many people were actually fighting? And how many were just sitting in the back waiting for military merit?

People die on the front lines, but those at home claim the credit.

He recalled the cold, hard numbers in He Qingshan's official gazette.

More than 800 were lost, and a thousand were killed in battle.

The grain transport commander led his troops in a fight, and all officers below the commander died in battle.

How many of those who died were poor, military men sent to their deaths as vanguard or executioner battalions? And how many of those who basked in the glory of their service in the rear actually went to the front lines?

He took a deep breath and suppressed those thoughts.

Thinking about these things is useless.

He can't change this situation, at least not now.

All he could do was become stronger, strong enough that he wouldn't need anyone to assign him to any particular battalion, strong enough that no one would dare use him as a pawn on the battlefield.

He turned and went back into the inner room, sat down at the desk, picked up his pen, and continued writing down his insights on martial arts. He wrote for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before stopping.

He walked outside the courtyard and looked up at the sky.

On the battlefield, warhorses and armor are indispensable.

Although he cultivated golden skin and jade-like complexion, it was only the last line of defense, and he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

On a real battlefield, swords, spears, and arrows are indiscriminate, and even protective qi can eventually be exhausted. A good suit of armor can block an extra sword or arrow at a crucial moment, which is equivalent to having an extra life.

The armor is easy to handle; you can just exchange it for merit points at Wanbaotang.

Warhorses are a problem.

With his own weight, plus the 600-pound craftsman's horse-slaying sword and the weight of his armor, an ordinary warhorse would be ruined after running only a few miles.

We need to ask someone knowledgeable about this.

......

the next day.

Chen Ping went to the north side of the courtyard. The gate of He Qingshan's villa was still open. When he went in, He Qingshan was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, shirtless, with a newly changed bandage wrapped around his left arm, and wiping the tip of a spear with a coarse cloth in his right hand.

His complexion was worse than when we last met; his eye sockets were deeper, his cheekbones were higher, and there were faint traces of brown blood seeping from under the bandage on his left arm, clearly indicating that his injury had not yet healed.

Upon seeing Chen Ping, he raised his chin.

"You're here again? Have a seat."

Chen Ping sat down on the stone bench opposite him and got straight to the point.

"Senior He, I'd like to ask about the warhorses."

He Qingshan paused in wiping his gun and glanced at him.

"You want to buy horses?"

Chen Ping nodded.

"Once I enter the inner court, I will eventually be sent to the front lines in Yangzhou Prefecture. I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute, so I need to find someone to prepare in advance."

"However, as you know, my situation is such that ordinary warhorses probably cannot bear the weight I am carrying."

He Qingshan sized him up, then glanced at the weapon pouch at his waist. "How heavy is your knife?"

"Six hundred catties."

He Qingshan hissed and grinned.

"A 600-pound knife, plus your build, and a suit of armor, would weigh at least a thousand pounds."

He placed the gun on his knee and thought for a moment.

"Ordinary military horses really can't carry you. The best warhorses issued to the army can only carry four or five hundred pounds for a few dozen miles. With your weight, a single charge would break the horse's leg."

He suddenly seemed to have thought of something funny, and burst into laughter, the hideous scar on his face curving into a crescent moon.

"However, you've caught a lucky break, kid. You're quite fortunate."

He held up three fingers.

"Years ago, the Governor-General found three kinds of demonic horses from various places and placed them in the treasure mountain to let them reproduce on their own."

He broke off a finger.

"The first type is the Blue-maned Horse. It is gentle, has good endurance, can carry 500 catties, and can travel 400 li a day. It is the most commonly used mount by students in the Inner Academy, and there are the most of them." He broke off the second hair.

"The second type is the Black Steed, which is stronger than the Green-maned Horse. It can carry 700 catties and is faster, traveling 600 li a day. However, it has a bad temper and takes some time to break in. There are half the number of Green-maned Horses."

He looked at Chen Ping, wiggled his last finger, and chuckled.

"The third type is the iron-hoofed breech-loading ...

His smile held a deeper meaning.

"Capable of carrying a thousand pounds, swift as the wind, and traveling a thousand miles a day."

He paused for a moment.

"There are about ninety horses in Baoshan, which is not a small number, but their strength is all around the third rank. They are fierce and will kick anyone they see and bite any horse they see. So far, the number of people in the entire inner courtyard who can ride Iron Hoof Brood can be counted on one hand."

He patted the gun and looked at Chen Ping.

"Ordinary people simply can't subdue it. Last time, a student in the second training tried to ride it, but that beast kicked him away with one hoof and he was bedridden for half a month."

He looked Chen Ping up and down and chuckled.

"But with your physique and strength, you could give it a try." Chen Ping kept the matter of the demonic horse in mind.

He Qingshan looked at him and nodded.

"It's good that you thought of warhorses in advance. On the battlefield, the more preparation you make, the more chances you have to survive."

Chen Ping paused for a moment before speaking.

"Someone came to see me yesterday. It was Liu Xiao, the third young master of the Liu family, who was also a councilor in the Governor's Office."

He Qingshan's hand, holding a rag, continued wiping the gun without pause.

He simply gave a faint "hmm".

"What does he want with you? To curry favor with the powerful?"

Chen Ping said, "He asked me to give up a spot in the competition for him, saying that in return, he would guarantee me entry into the Yangzhou Yunlin Army to guard the rear."

He Qingshan stopped cleaning his gun.

He looked up and glanced at Chen Ping.

"The Yunlin Army, huh?" He chuckled, without cursing.

To Chen Ping's surprise.

When he heard about this sordid practice of trading military merits, he didn't even start cursing.

"It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm. The reason why everyone practices martial arts so desperately is ultimately to secure a stable path to wealth and honor for themselves."

"Since he has this connection, if you want to join that comfortable place where no one dies, then just agree to let him join. In the military system of the Great Wei, this is not a shameful or unusual thing."

He lowered his head again and continued to wipe the cold gun barrel with a coarse cloth.

His tone became completely flat and indifferent.

"but."

"Once a warrior enters that comfortable greenhouse, the fighting spirit that dares to fight against nature in his bones is completely worn away."

"In the rest of your life, the best you can achieve in martial arts is to be that pathetic loser."

Chen Ping sat on the stone bench, looking at He Qingshan's disappointed expression.

Her tone remained calm and composed. "I didn't agree to his request."

He Qingshan's hand suddenly stopped moving.

He raised his head and laughed heartily, the scar curving into a crescent moon.

"My eyes aren't blind yet! I knew you were tough enough not to take advantage of his kindness!"

The gun barrel in his hand was polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting the scars on his face.

"We warriors cultivate our skills and minds. Now that we've taken up arms and entered the battlefield, we should have the courage to advance without hesitation and face death without fear! This is the right path for us to survive in this chaotic world!"

"If you're inherently timid and fearful of life and death, what's the point of practicing martial arts? What's the point of going to the battlefield? You might as well go home and hug your wife and kids!"

He looked at Chen Ping, his smile fading slightly, and his gaze becoming more serious.

"Chen Ping, do a good job and achieve great military exploits."

Chen Ping cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Senior He."

He Qingshan waved his hand: "Go on, go on. I still need to heal this broken arm of mine. Who knows, we might run into each other on the battlefield again once it's healed."

Chen Ping got up and walked out of the courtyard. On his way back, he went over the events of the day in his mind.

Go to Wanbaotang to exchange for the armor.

After entering the inner courtyard, the warhorse will go to Baoshan to test its iron hoof.

Before the grand competition, we will first push Baguazhang to its peak and merge it with Liangyizhang.

There's less than a month left.

He quickened his pace and headed towards number six of the Xuan character.