If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

After leaving the main camp, Zhou Ming, led by a soldier, arrived at the rear of the camp.

His camp was set up on a slightly raised flat area, with dozens of smaller tents of the same size scattered around it.

I lifted the curtain and went inside. The space wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy.

Inside was a cot with a thick wool felt mattress. Next to the cot was a simple wooden table and chairs, with an oil lamp and a rough porcelain teacup on the table.

There was a copper basin stand in the corner, with a snow-white coarse cloth towel draped over it.

All toiletries were provided, and even the soapberries were cut into small pieces and arranged in a ceramic dish.

The conditions were much better than the tiny cubicle he lived in when he was a second-class servant, which could only fit a bed and a table.

After seeing off the soldiers who had led the way, Zhou Ming sat down on his camp bed and spread out his spiritual sense.

Within a radius of forty meters, everything is clearly visible.

The dozens of tents of various sizes around the camp were not inhabited by the burly men they had seen when they first entered, but by strong and healthy women.

These women were generally a head taller than ordinary maids, with broad shoulders, well-proportioned and firm muscles on their arms, and thick calluses on their thumbs and knuckles.

They all sat cross-legged on the bed, their lips moving as they recited the "Scripture of Salvation."

Several squads of female soldiers patrolled between the tents, short swords hanging from their waists, marching in unison, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

If one hadn't used their divine sense to scan their faces and figures, judging solely from their military discipline and the strictness of their ranks, they would have been almost indistinguishable from the male soldiers on the outer perimeter.

If one probes further in with their divine sense, they will find the tents of Chunlan, Dongmei, and other maids.

However, Chunlan and Dongmei did not live with the maids; their beds were empty.

Zhou Ming continued to extend his divine sense towards the central tent and saw Su Mingyue still sitting at the table, with Chunlan, Dongmei and others standing by her side.

She had something extra in her hand.

Half a tiger tally.

The tiger tally is made of bronze and has a dull luster under the lamplight.

Su Mingyue was looking down at the patterns engraved on the tiger tally, her expression calm and revealing no emotion.

After Zhou Ming sensed the tiger tally with his divine sense, he mentally went through the events leading up to it and understood everything.

No wonder Su Mingyue said she could integrate 200,000 troops on the border.

The Northern Border Army only recognizes the tiger tally, not the imperial edict; this should be considered an unwritten tacit understanding among the entire Northern Border Army.

Unexpectedly, before leaving, the Marquis, who was leading troops to defend the emperor, handed over half of the tiger tally to his daughter.

Come to think of it, the Su family has guarded the northern border for generations. The soldiers in the north may not know who the current emperor is, but they certainly know who the Su family is.

This reminded him of a video he saw in his past life where a blogger said that ancient soldiers were only loyal to their respective commanders, not the royal family.

At the time, he was skeptical, but now, seeing the expressions on the generals' faces when Su Mingyue held the tiger tally, he realized that what the blogger said was not unfounded.

Zhou Ming withdrew his divine sense.

The tents next to him were all occupied by women. He had no penchant for spying; he had only done so to get a general idea of ​​the surroundings, and now that he had a rough idea, he decided not to investigate further.

Zhou Ming opened the book "The Book of Crossing the World" that Su Mingyue had asked him to bring back, and scanned it from beginning to end by the dim light of the oil lamp.

The young lady's meaning was very clear: she wanted him to cultivate as well.

He pretended to recite it several times from beginning to end, his lips moving, but his mind was elsewhere.

This book is likely a copy of the scriptures that were interrogated by the Su family during their interrogation of Zhu Zi.

Now, the Su family has used this scripture to support a large army of martial artists, the lowest level of whom is at least at the Skin Refining Realm.

Silent all night.

The next day, before dawn, Zhou Ming got up early and wandered around the camp.

The mountain mist had not yet dissipated in the early morning, and the air was filled with the sweet, earthy smell of pine resin.

The soldiers in the barracks had all gotten up, and they were all in high spirits, practicing military formations on the parade ground under the leadership of their respective generals.

Square formations, wedge formations, and goose formations shifted with fluid grace, the steps of thousands almost synchronized, their armor rippling like cold waves in the morning light.

These soldiers' speed and explosiveness when running, charging, and turning are significantly greater than those of ordinary soldiers.

Even without using his divine sense, Zhou Ming could tell from their steady landing and the sound of their swords cutting through the air that their cultivation level was at least at the peak of the Skin Refining Realm.

Not long after, Dongmei came looking for her.

She was still dressed in black armor today, with a silver spear slung over her shoulder, its tip gleaming brightly in the morning light.

Seeing Zhou Ming standing by the playground in a daze, she went up to him and slapped him on the back of the head:

"What are you staring at? Let's go eat." Zhou Ming stumbled from the slap, scratching the back of his head as he followed her to the kitchen.

After having breakfast with Dongmei and the other maids, Zhou Ming saw Chunlan and Xiahe leave the military camp with several hundred soldiers.

The hundreds of men were all traveling light, each carrying only their personal weapons and dry rations, with several heavy oilcloth packages on their horses.

Zhou Ming scanned the packages with his divine sense. They were filled with copies of the "Scripture of Crossing the World," numbering at least several thousand.

Not long after Chunlan and Xiahe left, Su Mingyue led 20,000 soldiers and Zhou Ming and others away from the basin.

Twenty thousand men is not a large number for someone in charge of the entire Youzhou region, but Zhou Ming, being in the ranks, truly felt the sheer size of the number.

The procession of 20,000 people stretched for several miles from beginning to end. The flag bearers of the vanguard had already crossed the hill in front, while the baggage trains and mules of the rear guard had not yet left the basin.

Each battalion set off in turn, with generals riding horses back and forth on both sides of the column, shouting orders to maintain order.

These 20,000 men were on a forced march and did not carry much food or supplies. Each man only carried his own weapons and three days' worth of dry rations.

The group traveled northward along Duanyun Ridge, encountering steep mountains along the way, with the official road winding through valleys and dense forests.

The lowest cultivation level among them was the Skin Refining Realm, so even when fully armed and walking, their speed was still considerable.

Zhou Ming rode atop a tall horse; he was the only "ordinary person" in the entire group, at least on the surface.

He tried his best to appear normal, occasionally rubbing his lower back and pretending to have a sore back from riding a horse for a long time.

In just one morning, the team covered nearly a hundred miles.

Around noon, Su Mingyue ordered everyone to rest on the spot.

Twenty thousand soldiers sat on the ground along both sides of the official road, each taking out their dry rations and water bottles to eat in silence.

There was no noise, no fighting, and even very little talking. The only sounds along the official road were the soft chewing of dry rations and the occasional snort of a horse.

The military discipline was strict, and orders were obeyed without question. Zhou Ming watched from the side and secretly admired the Su family's ability to manage the army.

After eating their dry rations, all the soldiers sat cross-legged on the spot and began to recite the "Scripture of Crossing the World".

The combined voices of 20,000 people reciting together, deep and resonant, echoed through the valley, startling birds in the forest.

Zhou Ming also pretended to take out the "Scripture of Crossing the World" that Su Mingyue had given him, sat cross-legged on the ground, and mouthed the words, but his mind was thinking about other things.

If he waits another three days, he can pretend to have just achieved the Qi Sensation, which can be considered as giving Su Mingyue an explanation.