Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 5 When it rains, it pours
With the help of Zhang Hu and Chen Bao, Lin Xuan quickly cleared the weeds from the yard.

Looking at the much tidier yard, he immediately felt much more at ease.

They come, the security.

Even in difficult circumstances, the sense of ritual in life should not be neglected.

If he hadn't held such an attitude towards life, he wouldn't have been able to stay in that impoverished mountain village for so long.

After Zhang Hu and Chen Bao left, Lin Xuan piled up some dry grass and lit it on fire. He then sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, staring blankly at the leaping flames.

After one night, Lin Xuan had completely digested the memories of this junior officer from the Jingbian Division.

The dynasty he lived in was called Yong, and the place where Lin Xuan grew up was located on the southwestern border of Dayong.

The region is a complex mix of various forces, with local chieftains vying for power and neighboring countries eyeing it covetously. The imperial court established the "Jingbian Si" (Peaceful Border Division), named for its role in pacifying the borders and ensuring the safety of the people, and it was responsible for intelligence gathering and maintaining stability in the southwest.

Lin Xuan's mother died early, and his father was originally a centurion of the Jingbian Division. Three years ago, he sacrificed his life in a secret mission.

After his father's death, Lin Xuan followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Jingbian Division, becoming a minor flag officer.

Lin Xuan vaguely remembered that his parents had migrated from the capital, so he didn't have any relatives in Sizhou.

Without father or mother, without relatives or friends, he had no ties or worries.

I drew a bucket of water from the old well in the corner of the yard, took off my coat, and let the cool well water wash over my body.

Looking down at his full pectoral muscles and clearly defined abdominal muscles, Lin Xuan was momentarily dazed.

The perfect figure I dreamed of in my past life, I got it so easily?

The Jingbian Division is stationed in the southwestern border region and often carries out dangerous missions. Apart from some clerks, almost everyone in the division is skilled in martial arts, and Lin Xuan is no exception.

The technique he practiced was called "Zhenyue Gong," an internal cultivation method provided by the Jingbian Division.

The Zhenyue Skill has nine levels. Once you master the first level, your strength, endurance, and speed will far exceed those of ordinary people, making it easy for you to take on ten ordinary people at once.

If one cultivates to the ninth level, one will possess an almost indestructible body, be able to fly through the air, manifest mountain forms, and have the power to destroy the world with every move.

While the claim of "destroying the heavens and the earth" is somewhat exaggerated, it is enough to illustrate the power of a peak martial artist.

Lin Xuan joined the Jingbian Division three years ago, and it was from that time that he began to practice the Zhenyue Gong.

Before joining the Jingbian Division, even his father, a centurion, could not pass on the division's internal martial arts techniques to him.

In three years, Lin Xuan only mastered the first level of the Zhenyue Skill.

Only after he breaks through the first level can he access the techniques of the second level.

Even with the first level of the Zhenyue Skill, Lin Xuan's speed and power in an instant were terrifying. However, the dagger he thrust out with all his might was easily caught by the black-robed man with just two fingers...

Lin Xuan guessed that the opponent's strength was at least at the sixth rank, no weaker than the centurion of the Jingbian Division.

With each advancement in a martial artist's skill level, their strength, speed, endurance, reaction time, and control over their body all experience a qualitative leap.

Even if a sixth-rank martial artist stands still and lets him cut, he still can't break through the opponent's protective aura.

The more Lin Xuan thought about it, the more desperate she became, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

He planned to go out to buy some daily necessities such as pots, pans, and ladles, as well as some rice, flour, meat, and vegetables.

When Lin Xuan was stationed in a village in the mountains, it was inconvenient to go out and the roads were difficult to travel. So he simply cooked for himself and learned to cook from those master chefs online. Over time, he also developed some pretty good cooking skills.

In the dilapidated yet tidy courtyard, smoke began to rise again from the long-silent chimney.

An hour later, four dishes and a soup were laid out on the stone table in the courtyard.

Although he was alone, Lin Xuan still prepared a very lavish meal.

Let's treat this as a welcome back celebration for ourselves, a chance to wash away the dust of our newfound existence...

Just as Lin Xuan picked up his chopsticks, there was a gentle knock on the courtyard gate.

After a night of rest, his nerves were no longer as tense as before. He put down his chopsticks, walked to the door, opened the courtyard gate, and when he saw the figure standing outside, Lin Xuan was first taken aback, and then immediately clasped his hands in greeting: "Your subordinate greets Commander Baihu!"

The visitor was none other than Commander Chen.

However, he wasn't wearing the imposing Jingbian Division uniform at this moment, but rather a casual outfit. Lin Xuan felt a little nervous. What did Commander Chen want with him?
Chen Baihu, no longer displaying the seriousness he had shown at the Jingbian Division, smiled slightly at him and said, "Don't be nervous, I just came to see you. How is your injury?"

Lin Xuan respectfully replied, "Thank you for the medicine, Commander. I have fully recovered."

Chen Baihu stepped into the courtyard, his nostrils twitching slightly, a look of surprise on his face: "Hmm? What's that smell? It's so fragrant..."

Walking to the source of the aroma, he looked at the dishes on the table, which were rather lavish for one person, and asked Lin Xuan, "Did you make this? When did you learn to cook?"

Lin Xuan was even more on edge at this moment. He had been careless. Lin Xuan, the former junior officer of the Jingbian Division, obviously did not cook. His actions were very different from his usual behavior. Would this arouse the suspicion of Commander Chen?
His mind raced, and he quickly came up with an explanation. He sighed softly, lowered his head, and said, "I learned this from my mother when I was little. I used to be too lazy to cook, but after experiencing life and death yesterday, I've had many insights and suddenly want to change my way of life..."

Fortunately, Commander Chen didn't think much of it and sat down on a stone bench next to the table, asking, "Can you finish all this by yourself? Would you mind if we had another pair of chopsticks?"

Lin Xuan hurriedly went to the kitchen to get chopsticks and filled a bowl with rice.

Chen Baihu picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth. His expression paused slightly. After chewing and swallowing carefully, he said, "Your cooking skills are much better than your mother's back then. It's a pity there's no wine, but it's not bad to have such a farewell feast before leaving..."

Lin Xuan was feeling uneasy, wondering what Chen Baihu's intentions were. Hearing this, he was taken aback: "Before leaving... where is Baihu going, sir?"

After eating a few more bites of food, Chen Baihu smiled slightly and said, "The Xuan Guang Armor, worth 100,000 taels of silver, was stolen. The death of Hong Tian is not enough. As the person in charge of escorting it, I am also to blame. The order to go to the north has been issued, and I will set off tomorrow."

"North?"

Lin Xuan was startled. Sizhou was located in the southwest of Yong Kingdom. Although there were local chieftains and Nanzhao rebellion, they were all minor skirmishes and the strongmen at the hundred-household level were relatively safe.

The north is a different story. To the north of Yong Kingdom, there are powerful enemies and constant warfare. Not to mention a hundred-household commander, even a thousand-household commander is at risk of being killed in battle.

If it weren't for his predecessor, Chen Baihu wouldn't have been implicated in this matter.

Lin Xuan seemed to want to say something, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing.

Chen Baihu looked at him and said slowly, "Before your father passed away, he entrusted me to take good care of you. This time, I'm afraid I will have to fail his trust... Jingbian is not a safe place; one's life is often in danger. After I leave, you'd better resign from your post, do a proper job, get married, have children, and live a peaceful life. That would not be a bad thing..."

These words of advice, though seemingly simple, actually came from the bottom of his heart.

Feeling the elder-like care from Commander Chen, Lin Xuan was moved, but a bitter feeling also welled up in his heart.

How could he not want to live a peaceful life?

But from the moment he came into this world, his fate was no longer in his own hands.

Chen Baihu was usually a man of few words, and Lin Xuan didn't know what to say either, so the meal was eaten in complete silence.

Before leaving, Commander Chen patted Lin Xuan on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Think carefully about what I just said. You guys are already branded with my mark. If you continue to stay in the Jingbian Division, Wu Xianren won't let you off easy..."

Watching Chen Baihu's figure disappear at the alley entrance, Lin Xuan felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

He would only be of value to Nanzhao if he remained in Jingbian Division.

How could that ruthless man in black robes possibly agree to let them leave Jingbian Division?
With Commander Chen around, his life in the Jingbian Division was relatively comfortable.

After Commander Chen left, he lost even his only support, and his situation would become even more difficult...

With wolves in front and tigers behind, there's no way to advance or retreat...

Lin Xuan sighed softly. For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

Before Chen Baihu was transferred, he gave Lin Xuan a half-month leave, but there were less than ten days left until the first day of next month.

If we can't provide valuable intelligence, we probably won't get past the man in black robes so easily.

He can't stay cooped up at home all the time these days.

The next morning, Lin Xuan arrived at Jingbian Division.

Just as I arrived at the entrance of the Jingbian Division, a person walked towards me.

The man paused when he saw Lin Xuan and said, "Lin Xuan, you've come at the right time. It saves me a trip to your house. Commander Wu needs to see you. Go to the duty room and see him yourself..."

Lin Xuan's gaze shifted almost imperceptibly.

This man was a clerk in the Jingbian Division. In the past, he was always addressed as "Lin Xiaoqi" when we met, but today he called him by his full name. It's true that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. I guess Wu Baihu's search for him can't be anything good...

(End of this chapter)