Chapter 576: Xia Hong Gifts a Sword, Bone Aptitude Improved |
The seventh day of the first lunar month, just before dawn.
At the Guangningshan field camp, Su Xing'er and her three siblings walked out of the southern gate, stepping onto the downhill road facing the wind and snow.
The four walked for a long time without speaking, their low spirits written clearly on their faces.
"To think our good intentions backfired, helping the Xia troops capture Guangningshan. We thought that Hou Bing could put in a good word for us, so we could see our master. Who would have thought he would be directly dismissed? The words that commander had someone relay to us, while complimentary, were delivered with such a perfunctory attitude. It seems we truly miscalculated this time!"
After a long while, it was Second Brother Su Zhi who finally spoke up.
Hearing this, Su Xing'er and the other two let out a slight sigh.
They had waited outside the commander's tent for a long time, only to see Hou Bing walk out dejectedly in the end. He didn't even greet them, just left directly.
And that Xia army commander, Yuwen Tao, never summoned them at all. He only had a young silver-armored officer from inside the tent deliver a single message to them.
"Your contributions in capturing Guangningshan this time are not insignificant. The Military Department has already recorded your merits. Upon returning to Xia City, you will be rewarded according to your achievements. You may leave for now!"
Su Xing'er was sharp. While waiting outside the main tent earlier, she had vaguely guessed that capturing Guangningshan might have been more of a transgression than a merit. Combined with Hou Bing gaining merit but losing his position, the answer became quite clear.
The Great Xia higher-ups had no intention of capturing Guangningshan. Hou Bing incited Yuwen Yong to take the initiative and attack, successfully taking it. The soldiers fought bloody battles, so the higher-ups had no choice but to grudgingly accept it. But that didn't mean they truly approved.
At the very least, Commander Yuwen Tao's attitude had already made it clear: he did not approve. Hence, his perfunctory treatment of the four siblings was only natural.
However, this meant their scheme to gain face before the Great Xia higher-ups through military merit and thereby attract their master's attention had completely failed.
"This time, our efforts went in the exact opposite direction. Ultimately, the reason lies in knowing too little about the Great Xia higher-ups. Furthermore, our own strength is too weak. Even if we accomplish something, it's difficult to attract the attention of our mas... the Lord Leader."
Thinking of the words Luo Cheng had spoken earlier at the commander's tent entrance, Su Zhi still couldn't bring himself to say the title "master," instead switching to "Lord Leader," his expression slightly bitter.
Su Xing'er and the other two naturally had no rebuttal. Recalling that at the commander's tent entrance, there were at least hundreds of young people similar to Luo Cheng, whose aptitudes they couldn't even rank among, a sense of powerlessness rose in their hearts.
"Fourth Brother's current strength is 44 zong, which is actually quite good. But those Dragon Garrison Captains, their strength is basically above 40 zong. The key is, they look about the same age as Fourth Brother, some even younger. The strength of Great Xia's aristocratic scions is simply too exaggerated, isn't it?"
"We stayed in Linchu County's prefectural seat for a few months. I remember very clearly, the scions of the feudal lord's lineage there weren't at this level either!"
"Great Xia is actually only a town-level camp? No matter how I think about it, that just can't be possible!"
………………
Su Zhi's mind was currently somewhat disoriented. As their contact with the Xia people grew wider and their conversations increased, he now knew that Great Xia was still only a town-level camp.
But whether it was the Xia army's frontal defeat of Caiqiu or the overall strength Great Xia had currently displayed, it was hard for him to believe this.
How could this be possible, for just a single town-level camp?
"Enough, no need to dwell on this. We need to think carefully about what we should do from now on!"
Su Xing'er directly cut off her three elder brothers' train of thought, lowering her voice, "We made too big a stir in Evergreen Valley. Our identities have long been exposed. Continuing to infiltrate Caiqiu and operate under the banner of the Frost Ash Society is no longer realistic..."
At this point, she paused slightly, her expression turning somewhat dim.
Su Jing and the other two were the same, their expressions also turning dejected.
Operating covertly in Caiqiu under the name of the Frost Ash Society was their greatest value to Great Xia. But with this Evergreen Valley uprising, their identities were already exposed. Continuing to infiltrate Caiqiu was no longer possible.
This meant they had no value to Great Xia.
Having witnessed the might of the Xia army, they clearly understood in their hearts that relying on their own meager strength, establishing themselves in Great Xia might not be difficult, but attracting Xia Hong's attention was probably unrealistic.
With the merits they earned this time, Great Xia would certainly not treat them poorly. But what the four sought now was no longer wealth and status. Meeting Xia Hong had already become their greatest obsession.
"Let's return to Qingtan Village first! Didn't Brother Luo say earlier that Great Xia and Caiqiu will soon cease hostilities? Many people in Qingyu Gully can freely choose to stay where they are or migrate to the Southern Foothills. Let's first go see Grandpa Su, find out what the people of Qingtan Village plan to do, and then decide later..."
"Miss Su!"
Before Su Xing'er could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a voice.
The four quickly turned to look and discovered the newcomer was actually Luo Cheng, who had spoken with them earlier at the commander's tent entrance.
Luo Cheng carried a long spear on his back and held a long, narrow saber in his hand. Approaching and looking at Su Xing'er, his expression was somewhat complex, a mix of confusion and envy.
"Brother Luo, why have you come?"
Su Xing'er, naturally not understanding, hurriedly asked.
Luo Cheng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he first handed the saber in his hand to Su Xing'er, then said with a slightly envious tone, "This saber is called Silver Sparrow. The Lord Leader instructed me to give it to you."
Hearing this, Su Xing'er was stunned for a moment, then her face filled with excitement, her eyes even glistening with tears. She almost trembled as she took the Silver Sparrow saber.
The blade was heavy, roughly between 400,000 to 500,000 jin, which was about 4 to 5 zong. It was perfectly suited for her at this stage, clearly custom-forged for her. The patterns on the blade were countless, but from the color, one could tell it was Ten-Thousand-Forged grade. For a Ten-Thousand-Forged grade blade to have this weight, it undoubtedly had to be forged from pure silver. The key was, the blade surface was also coated with a layer of black substance. When Su Xing'er pressed her finger against the blade edge, a stinging pain immediately surged into her mind.
"Mas... the Lord Leader still remembers Xing'er, he still remembers Xing'er..."
Su Xing'er was too emotionally overwhelmed, forgetting for the moment that she was in front of an outsider. She directly hugged the long saber, weeping uncontrollably.
The three Su brothers, looking at the long saber in Su Xing'er's hands, also had faces full of wild joy. They too clearly realized the weight of Xia Hong gifting this saber.
Luo Cheng didn't interrupt Su Xing'er, only the envy in his eyes grew a bit more intense. Compared to the three Su brothers, he undoubtedly understood even more clearly the immense significance of the Lord Leader gifting a weapon.
As far as he knew, from Great Xia's rise at the Earthen Slope to the present, Lord Leader Xia Hong had rarely gifted weapons to others. Something like this, specially ordered from the Artisans Department and forged for someone, was even more minuscule.
Given Xia Hong's current status and position, this Silver Sparrow saber he gifted had long transcended the category of a mere weapon.
Just to give the simplest example: over a decade ago, during Great Xia's humble beginnings at the Earthen Slope, the first Ten-Forged grade large blade was personally forged by the Lord Leader himself. Xia Hong named it Jinghan.
That Jinghan Blade, as far as Luo Cheng knew, eventually ended up in the hands of Department Head Yuan of the Defense Department. If it were an ordinary Ten-Forged grade large blade, in today's Xia City, it would probably be ignored even if thrown on the street, utterly worthless.
But in the ninth year of Great Xia, when the Yuan clan established their ancestral shrine, Department Head Yuan's first act was to designate the Jinghan Blade as the heirloom artifact of the Yuan clan, only to be worn by the clan head.
An object gains value from its association with a person. Xia Hong's status in the hearts of the Xia people was far too high. Even the most ordinary thing, once it passed through his hands, its value would immediately become immeasurable. This was the consequence of the Xia people's fanatical worship.
Precisely because of this, the Jinghan personally crafted by Xia Hong, even if it was just an utterly ordinary Ten-Forged grade large blade, its value was still high enough for Yuan Cheng to treat it as a family heirloom.
This Silver Sparrow, although not personally forged by Xia Hong, was still specially ordered by him from the Artisans Department. Moreover, Luo Cheng had handled it. Just from its weight and material, he could immediately tell it was custom-made for the Su Xing'er before him.
The key point: among the several weapons Lord Leader currently used, there was a Ceremonial Saber named Dragon Sparrow. And he named this saber specially gifted to Su Xing'er, Silver Sparrow.
Su Xing'er's aptitude wasn't even as good as his own, let alone compared to the two young lords. How could the Lord Leader possibly consider taking her as a disciple?
"Brother Luo must find this laughable..."
Su Xing'er naturally couldn't see the complexity in Luo Cheng's heart at that moment. She only thought her reaction was too exaggerated, making a fool of herself in front of Luo Cheng.
Luo Cheng shook his head, looking covetously at the Silver Sparrow saber, he thought to himself with a shake of his head, "If the Lord Leader were willing to gift me a weapon, I'd be willing to die for it!"
Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud. He withdrew his gaze and continued, "Besides this saber, the Lord Leader also asked me to relay a message to you all. Don't be in a hurry to see him. You'll meet when the time is right. Great Xia doesn't have Caiqiu's Six-Class Household Registration System. Everything depends on strength. He wants you not to get involved in the Qingyu Gully matter anymore. Return to Xia City first and live there for a while. Truly integrate into Great Xia, become Xia people. Making yourselves stronger and stronger is the best repayment to him!"
Meeting Luo Cheng's gaze, Su Xing'er only now realized that everything he said earlier outside the commander's tent was true. With Xia Hong's strength, nothing that happened on Guangningshan could be hidden from him.
She closed her eyes in contemplation for a moment, then opened them, letting out a long sigh of relief. The earlier frustration was gone from her face as she smiled at Luo Cheng and said, "Please, Brother Luo, help us relay a message to the Lord Leader. Tell him Xing'er understands everything now..."
"Can't relay it!"
Luo Cheng directly waved his hand, interrupting Su Xing'er. He said with a bitter smile, "Besides delivering the message to you, the Lord Leader also gave me a task: to first take you all back to Xia City, introduce you to the situation of Great Xia's territory along the way, and help you settle down in the city."
While saying this, Luo Cheng's tone was somewhat inexplicable. Clearly, from receiving this task until now, he had been very puzzled.
Hearing this, Su Xing'er felt warmth in her heart, assuming it was because her master Xia Hong still cherished their master-disciple bond and cared for her this much.
However, Second Brother Su Zhi, after sizing up Luo Cheng and staring at his sister for a while, seemed to realize something, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Alright, let's set off then! Anyway, the Lord Leader's instructions must be followed. I've been away for a long time, so it's just the right time to return to Xia City and see my mother and younger siblings."
Once Luo Cheng spoke, Su Xing'er and the other three didn't delay either, following him as they headed towards Qingyu Gully to the south.
The distance from Guangningshan to Xia City was at least over a thousand kilometers. North of the Bone-Erosion Path wasn't much of an issue, but after crossing the Bone-Erosion Path and entering the Southern Foothills territory, having a local like Luo Cheng as a guide would naturally be much safer.
"Brother Luo, how old is the Lord Leader this year? I heard from Xia army soldiers that it's only the thirteenth year of Great Xia. How is the Great Xia Calendar so short?"
Su Xing'er happened to be full of questions about her master Xia Hong and Great Xia. They hadn't walked for long before she started asking Luo Cheng. The five young people chatted and laughed, making the journey lively, so it certainly wouldn't be boring.
………………
"Luo Cheng is too young. Seems he didn't grasp my intention!"
In the main tent on Guangningshan, recalling Luo Cheng's confused and puzzled demeanor when he was ordered to handle the task earlier, Xia Hong's expression was somewhat odd. Then he couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
"If fate brings them together, they'll become a pair. No need to worry about them. I should also set off to check the situation at the Bone-Erosion Path. But before that..."
The main tent was empty. Xia Hong sat cross-legged, and soon, an over-eight-zhang-tall dark red bone frame manifested behind him.
"Eight zhang and five chi now. It's only been half a month since leaving Yang Market. Those three Golden Saint Pills saved me at least a decade of arduous cultivation. Next, as long as I fill in this last half zhang and break through to the late stage, my strength should receive a significant amplification."
When he killed Yang Zun in Beishuo, Xia Hong's base strength was 78 jun. In such a short time, it naturally couldn't have improved much. But the lingering medicinal effects of the Golden Saint Pills gradually took effect, greatly enhancing his bone frame golden body.
"Yang Market is truly a miraculous place. Golden Saint Pills, can only be used three times in a lifetime. There's actually such a pill. Unfortunately, the price is too high: 30 million taels of silver for one pill. If it weren't for the money from selling the Tribulation Qi Beads, I probably couldn't afford it..."
Xia Hong took out a golden, radiant spirit pill from his Yellow Mustard Bag. Looking at the dazzling golden pill, his heart was full of admiration, and his pupils held a thick trace of anticipation.
"That seller was also very curious, wondering why I wanted to buy four. He even directly told me that the Golden Saint Pill couldn't be counterfeited, advising me to only buy three. I just don't believe this. No matter how strong the Golden Saint Pill is, it can't be more powerful than the system. Even if the Alchemy Pavilion can't replicate it now, the future is hard to say."
Xia Hong clearly understood that his own aptitude was a special case. If it could save him over a decade of arduous cultivation, then for others with inferior aptitude, the effects would only be more terrifying. Once this Golden Saint Pill could be replicated, the difficulty and process of cultivating to the Sun Manifestation Level in Great Xia would be greatly shortened.
If cultivating to the Sun Manifestation Level wasn't that hard, what would be affected later would be the number of people reaching the Tribulation Body Realm.
He couldn't afford not to take this seriously. Not to mention 30 million, even 300 million taels, he would have to pay it!