Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty-Five: Provocation and Insult
The various branches of Dongping County carefully selected a list of participants for the Armored Warrior event, and those named on the list arrived at the Training Ground. A total of five hundred individuals gathered, including officers such as Captains and Commanders.
Upon their arrival, they did not stand in formation but instead clustered in small groups, either standing or squatting, chatting idly and creating a noisy atmosphere. Even when Lin Feng walked in front of them, they ignored him completely, offering no salutes.
Captain Lindor, who had been summoned by Lin Feng, was displeased by this behavior. He raised his voice and commanded, "Lord Lin has arrived! Everyone, quickly fall into formation!"
Lindor shouted half-heartedly, and the group lazily lined up, their formation crooked and disorganized, appearing utterly unenthusiastic.
Lin Feng observed this scene with confusion. "The Armored Warrior is the true combat strength of the Horizontal Blade Camp, the pinnacle of power. Each branch should have sent their best talents. Are these people doing this on purpose? Or are they all just worthless?"
Many in the lineup were Captains themselves, making it difficult for Lindor to issue commands. In desperation, he turned to Lin Feng and bowed his head respectfully. "I pay my respects to Lord Lin."
At his call, the others perked up momentarily but quickly returned to their lackadaisical state, mumbling half-hearted greetings: "We pay our respects to Lord Lin."
Lin Feng noted this detail with keen observation; he understood that these individuals were merely putting on an act and likely intended to make things difficult for him. It seemed there was someone pulling strings behind the scenes.
Typically, Armored Warriors were classified into nine ranks based on the strength of their Vital Energy. Furthermore, within each rank, there were four tiers based on compatibility levels—Earth, Profound, Yellow—each tier representing increasing power.
Generally speaking, the higher the compatibility level, the greater the potential of the Xuanjia armor. Thus, a third-tier Profound rank Armored Warrior could potentially defeat a Yellow rank four Armored Warrior.
At that moment, Hu Bing returned from the Armory holding a fist-sized piece of jade.
Lin Feng took the jade and said, "Everyone has seen this before. It is used to test your compatibility levels. We will only select fifty for the Armored Warrior event; those with higher compatibility will be chosen first among those with equal levels."
After explaining this, Lin Feng handed the jade to Hu Bing. "Hu Bing, you and Brother Lin will conduct tests on everyone and record each result accurately without any mistakes."
"Understood," both Lindor and Hu Bing replied respectfully.
As Lin Feng returned to his room, he thought about how long these tests might take. Just as he was preparing to head into the primal forest for training, Hu Bing entered with the jade in hand.
"Sir, there's a situation."
"What happened?"
"I tested it with about twenty people, but this jade stone has never lit up. Is it broken?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and asked, "Did you try it?"
"No," Hu Bing shook his head.
"Give it a try."
"Yes, sir."
Hu Bing rolled up his right sleeve, and as he activated the technique, a steady stream of Vital Energy flowed from within him into the jade stone. The dark green jade began to glow brightly.
As Hu Bing continuously infused his Vital Energy, intricate patterns appeared within the jade, resembling shooting stars in the Void. These lines intertwined and ultimately converged to form a yellow character.
"Yellow Rank Three," Lin Feng said.
"I'm sorry for my ignorance, sir," Hu Bing replied, looking embarrassed.
Lin Feng nodded, signaling that there was no issue, then said, "The jade stone is intact; it seems these people were just pretending. I'll go take a look."
"Sir, please."
Lin Feng strode toward the Training Ground, with Hu Bing closely following behind.
Lin Feng turned to Lindor and said, "Brother Lin, have everyone retest."
"Yes."
Lindor placed the jade stone on the shelf of the desk and said, "Start with the first person from the first team."
A tall Commander stepped forward, gripping the jade stone tightly in both hands. His brow furrowed, and his teeth ground together. Even the muscles on his arms bulged as he exerted himself.
It seemed that this Commander was giving it his all. However, the jade stone remained a dull green, lacking any luster.
Finally, the Commander let out a deep sigh and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead, indicating that he had done his best. "My lord, I have tried my utmost, but unfortunately, my aptitude is too poor; I cannot reach the required level."
Lin Feng remained silent, simply stating, "Next."
Next, they tested ten people in succession, each one trying to put on a show. Some even jumped while holding the jade stone, and others meditated while testing.
"My lord, enough already; let me go back."
"My lord, it seems everyone in Dongping County is useless; we can't form any Armored Warriors."
Watching these individuals openly mock him, Lin Feng struggled to contain his anger and clenched his fists. He felt like ordering them to be punished with a hundred strikes of the military staff.
But in the end, Lin Feng held back. With battle imminent, establishing the Armored Warriors was a necessary step; he needed to identify and eliminate the rotten apples within.
Hu Bing, unable to tolerate their antics any longer, exclaimed angrily, "My lord, let me test it."
Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively. "Hu Bing, this jade stone must be defective; go to the Armory and get a new one."
"My lord..." Hu Bing looked at Lin Feng in confusion; this jade stone was clearly fine.
"That's an order," Lin Feng commanded.
"Yes, my lord."
After Hu Bing left, Lin Feng called Lindor into the room and said, "Go to the Imperial Guard Headquarters and report the situation here to Brother Chang Long. Also, ask him to bring a few people over to help."
"Understood." Lindor hurriedly departed. Although he was unsure how Lin Feng would handle things, he greatly admired him. In just a few months, Lin Feng had risen from Commander to Vice Captain, bringing some much-needed recognition to Solitary Moon City in the borderlands.
Lin Feng paced around the room, pondering: The person behind this scheme to provoke so many people against me is likely Shen Jiahe. Why is he doing this? Is it to completely sabotage my efforts in forming the Armored Warriors so that he can take over?
"No matter the reason, it's unfortunate for you that you crossed paths with me."
On the Training Ground, hundreds of people saw Lin Feng hiding inside and not daring to come out, so they began to shout provocatively. They were seasoned soldiers, skilled at banter, and their words were veiled and ambiguous, leaving no incriminating evidence.
"I'm dying of thirst! What are we waiting for?"
"Are we going to test or not? Hurry up; my stomach is growling like crazy. The people handling this are useless—what's the point of leaving us hanging here?"
Lin Feng ignored them, watching through the window with a calm expression.
One person shouted loudly, "Brothers, how about I tell you a story to pass the time? This story is called 'White-Faced Solitary Wind's Promotion Record.' Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes, hurry up!"
"Alright then. Once upon a time, there was a man named Solitary Wind. He was thin and weak, looking like a frail scholar, with a face whiter than a maiden's. Because of this, he earned a nickname. Can anyone guess what it was?"
"White Face!"
"Correct! This White Face came to the military camp and bowed and flattered everyone he met, swaggering around and deceiving people. He boasted about his talents and claimed to have read countless books. Surprisingly enough, this White Face managed to charm one Madam Commandant into promoting him and making him wealthy. From then on, White Face wielded power..."
General Qian animatedly recounted the tale, and everyone listened intently. Lin Feng also listened seriously, revealing a cold smile.
At that moment, Lindor returned. He glanced at the boiling crowd and showed an expression of anger. "My lord, Sima has arrived," he hurriedly pushed open the door.
Lin Feng immediately stepped out to greet him and saw the handsome and tall Sima Shangshan. He quickly cupped his hands in respect and said, "I’m truly sorry for troubling you, Sima, to come in person."
"The General is aware of the situation here and specifically sent me to take a look. How is it? Do you need me to intervene?" Sima Shangshan asked.
Lin Feng looked at Sima Shangshan. Although his face was as resolute as iron and showed no other expression, Lin Feng sensed Sima Shangshan's disdain for him.
In the military camp, if a subordinate had stirred up a hornet's nest that required their superior to step in and resolve, that subordinate would inevitably be looked down upon.
"This trouble was all caused by you, Tang Jiner. Don’t think that just because you sent someone here I would be grateful," Lin Feng muttered before adding, "Sima, please cooperate with me for a moment; I will handle this matter."
"Alright."
Lin Feng led Lindor and Sima Shangshan towards the Training Ground. The storytelling Captain noticed them and immediately raised his voice, "Come on, who else wants to hear about White-Faced Solitary Wind's Promotion Record?"
"This White Face did everything shamelessly to please that female official. For instance, serving her tea, giving her massages, even emptying her chamber pot."
"Isn't that something a servant would do?"
"How else can one flatter without being a servant?"
"Hahahahaha..."
Seeing this scene, Sima Shangshan observed Lin Feng still maintaining his calm demeanor and felt a slight admiration for him. He said, "General Lin is indeed someone who can achieve great things; he remains unperturbed by honor or disgrace. If it were me facing such humiliation, I would have drawn my sword and killed someone long ago."
Lin Feng smiled wryly and replied, "Perhaps they know I wouldn’t dare to kill them, which is why they are so rampant. If it were you, Sima, with your authority, who would dare act like this?"
"Lindor" shouted to the crowd, "Silence, silence. Lord Lin is about to speak."
"What is there to say? We've been standing around all morning, what does it mean? We're starving; is there lunch?"
"Oh no, my stomach hurts; I might be fainting from hunger."
"Oh no, my head hurts; I think I might have heatstroke."
"Oh no, my tooth hurts..."
"Oh no, my backside hurts..."
"..."
The crowd erupted in chaos, completely disregarding "Lin Feng."
"Shut up, shut up..." "Lindor" tried to calm them down, but the more he tried, the louder they became.
Comment 0 Comment Count