Chapter Seventy: Commander Yue

A false alarm, but thrilling without danger.

After Bai Yue came to their rescue, Qingyuan and Gu Cang followed him into his tent.

Inside, the candlelight was dim and yellow.

“It’s only been a few days, yet you’ve already earned the rank of commander and a tent to yourself,” Qingyuan said slowly, removing his helmet. “Impressive.”

“In comparison, I find you more impressive,” Bai Yue replied. “A cultivator, before the discipline and laws of the army, suffers more than a martial artist. If you were a grandmaster in martial arts, sneaking into the army would be manageable, but a cultivator slipping into the ranks risks little harm to himself.”

“I had no choice,” Qingyuan answered, his gaze steady and unreadable.

“You’re simply unlucky,” Bai Yue chuckled. “I only joined the army recently. Just yesterday, I gave General Fang a suggestion, and today he changed the procedure. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been stopped by that soldier.”

Qingyuan glanced at him and said with a hint of amusement, “So it turns out I was inadvertently hindered by you. Otherwise, I might have slipped through.”

Bai Yue spread his hands. “My apologies.”

Qingyuan didn’t linger on the topic. Instead, he asked, “What I’m really curious about is how you managed to ascend to such a high position in the army in just a few days?”

“I am, after all, a cultivator of the third heaven. Apart from my spiritual cultivation, my martial prowess is considerable—I have internal strength,” Bai Yue said with a smile. “Getting this position wasn’t difficult. I used a little trick: I let a water buffalo loose, blocked the road, and then, before General Fang himself, dragged the raging beast to a halt and slammed it to the ground. He thought I possessed supernatural strength and extraordinary martial arts, so he recruited me. When I demonstrated my skills on the training field, the other officers and soldiers were convinced.”

“Now, apart from a few veterans who resent not having been promoted, most accept me wholeheartedly,” he said lightly. “The promotion to commander really didn’t take much effort.”

Qingyuan showed a hint of surprise. “So you entered the army as a martial artist?”

“That’s right. My spiritual cultivation isn’t high, so it saves me a lot of trouble,” Bai Yue nodded. “If I had reached the fourth heaven or above, I would be considered a master, and my status would be different. But as I am, only third heaven, still within human limits, I wouldn’t match a martial grandmaster of the third heaven in battle.”

Qingyuan recalled the famed invincible martial sage of the battlefield, Yuanmeng’s Eastern Heavenly General Guo Zhongkan, and thought Bai Yue’s words were true.

Guo Zhongkan, a grandmaster, was unmatched in martial valor on the battlefield.

“Of course, although I’m not a master, I’m no mediocre talent either,” Bai Yue continued, smiling. “Once I joined the army, I realized—after entering the battlefield, even if the five-element spiritual intent you cultivate is shattered, you’re part of the army and can borrow its murderous intent to replace your own.”

“Of course, fighting this way isn’t as effective as before; you’re weaker. But it doesn’t mean you’re helpless once your spiritual intent is broken.”

Bai Yue looked at Qingyuan and smiled. “Only rogue cultivators like you are left powerless when your spiritual intent is shattered.”

---

“I haven’t condensed my spiritual intent yet, so there’s nothing to be shattered,” Qingyuan replied calmly.

Bai Yue tapped his forehead and laughed. “That’s true. But a second heaven cultivator, before the armies, is even more oppressed by murderous intent than a martial artist with internal strength. Think about it—how much power could you muster under the army’s murderous aura?”

He gave a mysterious smile. “Why not join me in the army? If you serve under me, I’ll bring you along if I rise in rank.”

“No need,” Qingyuan said firmly. “Let’s skip the small talk. I want to enter Luoyue Commandery.”

The tent fell silent.

“I’ve heard about Luoyue Commandery from the higher officers,” Bai Yue said after a long pause, his voice low. “I wanted to investigate myself, but now that I’m in the army, bound by the rules and orders, I’ve given up.”

He looked at Qingyuan. “Is the lightning legacy that important to you?”

“Lightning is the might of heaven,” Qingyuan answered. “It’s a rare opportunity on the path of cultivation—naturally, it matters.”

In truth, Qingyuan was heading to Luoyue Commandery for a treasure in Mount Fuzhong, but he couldn’t reveal this and simply claimed it was for the lightning legacy.

“Lightning is the might of heaven,” Bai Yue mused. “You haven’t condensed your spiritual intent yet, so lightning could help you greatly, perhaps even assist you in forming your own spiritual intent.”

Hearing this, even Qingyuan was momentarily taken aback.

“Lightning’s heavenly might leading to enlightenment?” Qingyuan paused and shook his head. “You’re overthinking it.”

Bai Yue smiled meaningfully, then patted his armor and glanced at them. “Stay here. In two hours, I’ll come for you.”

Qingyuan pondered, “Two hours?”

“Yes,” Bai Yue replied. “In two hours, my unit will rotate with another for patrol. Tonight, I’ll personally lead the patrol. I’ll send two soldiers away, and you two will join me, forming a squad.”

Qingyuan asked, “And after we leave?”

Bai Yue said, “Once you’re inside Luoyue Commandery, the two soldiers will rejoin and complete the squad.”

“Excellent,” Qingyuan bowed. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks,” Bai Yue replied, hands behind his back, feigning a hearty manner. “We’ve met and shared some history. I find you quite agreeable.”

Qingyuan smiled in response.

He sensed the underlying motives but chose not to expose them.

---

Gu Cang remembered his teacher’s speculation: this man claiming the surname Yue was likely from the Bai family. He could guess as much himself, but knew his own lack of eloquence and kept silent to avoid mistakes.

---

Outside the tent, the stars were sparse in the moonlit sky.

It had rained yesterday; tonight the air was cool and refreshing.

Bai Yue stepped outside and inhaled deeply, savoring the moist air.

He glanced at the tent, a teasing look in his eyes.

“If I were to sound an alarm now, all the soldiers would be stirred, and Mister Qingyuan inside… surely wouldn’t escape, would he?”

“In the army, causing such a commotion—even a master of the fourth heaven would die, let alone a mere second heaven.”

Bai Yue folded his hands behind his back, thinking, “The family head suspects this man’s cultivation is unfathomable, or perhaps he has someone formidable behind him, so he dared not act rashly. But after my repeated tests, he doesn't seem like a mysterious figure.”

“Yet, according to rumors, true masters who play at being ordinary genuinely treat themselves as small men. Whether insulted, scolded, or beaten, they endure it all, only revealing their abilities when their lives are threatened. Some, even in extremity, never restore their true identity.”

“If I use the army’s spiritual force to harm him, and he dies, so be it.”

“My only fear is failing to kill him… judging by the traces left at Lixian, the one who acted there possessed extremely high cultivation, likely a human immortal.”

“If he is a human immortal, even hundreds of thousands of soldiers combined may not be able to kill him—in that case, I may be the one to die.”

Bai Yue rubbed his forehead.

The family head had already sent word, rebuking his previous test as too reckless.

This time, he must change his approach.

As for helping Qingyuan, the family head valued it; he even sent news of Luoyue Commandery via the white falcon.

Given this, for the sake of the family head, he would lend a hand.

Otherwise, the family head’s prior connection with Qingyuan would be wasted.

Bai Yue smiled quietly. “That would indeed be a pity.”