The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

When Changsun Dan arrived at the training ground, Dongyao was facing off alone on horseback. Her jade-like hand held a horse spear at an angle, the tip of which pointed to the ground. Her skirt fluttered in the wind, making her look like a fairy descending to earth. However, behind her, yellow sand rolled and dust rose, giving her the imposing presence of a god of war about to descend upon the world.

Thirty or forty meters away from Dongyao, there was a pile of remnants of soldiers on the ground. There were probably thirty or forty heavily armored cavalrymen still on horseback, each holding a long sword high, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

"Chun Chan, why didn't you stop her? Her stitches haven't even been removed yet..."

Although Changsun Dan hadn't seen Dong Yao charge into the enemy lines, he could see that these cavalrymen were all clad in iron armor, their long sabers gleaming coldly, looking extremely dangerous. He covered his mouth with his hands and shouted loudly.

"Dongyao, come back quickly! There aren't many people left on the other side. If you keep fighting, you won't have enough opponents to fight!"

Cheng Yaojin's old face twitched. This kid's timing was really perfect. The best soldiers in the army were almost all wiped out when he arrived... Was he even speaking human language? My dignified Zhenbei Camp, is it not enough for a little girl like you to beat me?

Dongyao was delighted to hear this. The remaining people had all held out until the very end, and any one of them would be outstanding. She raised her hand, raised her lance, and swung it forward. The lance drew an arc and landed firmly in the ground in front of the heavily armored cavalry, no more than a meter away from the nearest person. Many warhorses were startled, reared up, and neighed loudly. Before anyone could notice, several more cavalrymen fell from their horses.

Dongyao pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and galloped towards them, responding with a shy smile:

"Young man, that's about right..."

The Cai Gua team consisted of spirited young men. Dong Yao faced off against a fierce opponent, but when Changsun Dan arrived, she transformed into a delicate young lady. Such a stunning beauty was truly enviable!

Du He used to look down on brutes who only had physical strength, and later he looked down on Changsun Dan who was weak and powerless. Now he realized that he was nothing. His eyes dimmed. He felt that after his grandfather passed away, he would never have a chance to rise again. He slowly turned around, went back to the training ground, picked up his longbow, and shot arrow after arrow, hitting the target every time.

Seeing that there was no more drama to watch, Pang Lutou cracked his whip and shouted at Cheng Chuliang and the others:

"Return to training!"

Changsun Dan turned back and glanced at Du He from afar, muttering to himself:

"This boy has a peculiar personality; I don't know why Li Chengqian would listen to his instigation and rebel..."

The muttering was indistinct and soft, but Chun Chan heard it. Although she didn't ask, she was secretly shocked. Inciting the Crown Prince to rebel? Could the young master really have such precognitive abilities?!

Chun Chan carefully selected the last thirty heavily armored cavalrymen, her mind meticulously recalling every detail of the young master's actions. Take Wang Fangyi, for example. He hadn't undergone any tests at all; when he first entered the manor, he was a patient with a severely injured leg. Yet, the young master, based on just one meeting, had made him the head of the manor's guards. No one knew Wang Fangyi's true abilities at first, but last night, it was he who had saved the young master carrying an iron-rimmed bow…

And then there's Wu Xu, who was outsmarted by the young master. Although the young master said that Master Yuan gave him a warning in advance, if you connect all of this, you'll find that he didn't seem to know anything about many things before they happened... Chun Chan shook her head and smiled, "What am I thinking?"

Dongyao led Chitu closer to Changsun Dan. She didn't know when it had happened, but this little boy in front of her had become her only source of reliance. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her face, a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead, and her eyes revealed a longing to be praised by the young master.

In front of so many people, Changsun Dan couldn't very well examine the old wound on her arm. He simply held her arm and looked it over from left to right, only feeling slightly relieved when he saw no blood seeping out. This girl wasn't as composed as Chun Chan, he frowned.

"You have to risk your life for such a small thing? If you get injured, who will do all the work in the plum garden? From now on, you and Chun Chan will only be responsible for earning money for the county's children!"

Dongyao didn't receive any praise; instead, she was scolded. However, she couldn't hide the young man's concerned gaze, and felt a sweet warmth in her heart. A smile appeared on her pretty face, and she lowered her head, her two small dimples brimming with tenderness.

"Okay, okay..."

Chun Chan naturally noticed Dong Yao's changes, gently touched her cheek, and covered her mouth with a smile:

"When our Dongyao acts cute, even I, a woman, am completely smitten."

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Dongyao lightly stamped her foot and turned her back.

The cicada laughed until its body trembled:

"Look, look..."

Changsun Dan glanced at the countless eyes staring at him and coughed:

"We should go."

Cheng Yaojin snorted and shouted:

"All selected soldiers shall remove their armor, leave their weapons, sign to be discharged from the military, and immediately leave the Zhenbei Camp!"

Changsun Dan smiled and asked:

"Duke, could you lend me one hundred warhorses?"

"No!"

Old Cheng's reply was resolute; you could even clearly hear the grinding of his back teeth.

"At your age, your teeth are still in good shape; no wonder you lived to be seventy-seven..."

Changsun Dan muttered something under his breath.

In ancient times, living to fifty would be considered a long life, and being close to eighty was extremely rare throughout the country.

Chun Chan and Dong Yao both looked at Changsun Dan in surprise. Chun Chan was even more certain at this moment that the so-called immortal master's advance notice was probably just the young master's excuse. After all, how long Duke Lu lived was none of his business. As a cultivator, one should not reveal the secrets of heaven, but the young master kept talking to himself. She had to plug her ears.

Old Cheng was a few steps away from Changsun Dan, and could only see his mouth moving, muttering something under his breath. He guessed Changsun Dan was secretly cursing himself for being stingy, and then his eyes rolled back.

"I haven't been holding back at all. I've given you the best of the best from the Zhenbei Camp to choose from. If you know how to be grateful, my bad luck lately has been so bad that even my teeth are aching terribly... The wine His Majesty drank seems to have had quite an effect!"

Changsun Dan was both amused and exasperated. It seemed he had arrived too early. Old Cheng's back teeth were practically grinding to powder; no wonder it hurt. However, compared to these hundred elite guards, a few jars of wine were nothing. He readily agreed:

"This 'Immortal's Intoxication' wine indeed consists of ten jars of aged liquor; let's give them all to the Duke!"

Old Cheng's expression changed quickly; he laughed heartily.

"Get out, all of you, get out!"

By the time these soldiers finished their discharge procedures, it was already noon. Wei Shuyu held his bowl and looked longingly at Changsun Dan. Usually, Liu Lang would bring some good food, but today he seemed to have no intention of eating in the camp, which made Wei Shuyu feel a little disappointed.

Changsun Dan thought to himself that this kid had probably regressed to the mean; aside from being gluttonous, he was completely carefree, but still much cuter than his grandfather. He smiled and said:

"I'll make more jerky next time, you can store it and eat it slowly."

Wei Shuyu smiled and nodded repeatedly, while Cheng Chuliang appeared out of nowhere:

"Don't forget us, Liu Lang!"

Changsun Dan mounted his horse and replied with a smile:

"Yes, we have them all."

Chun Chan and Dong Yao mounted their horses and accompanied Changsun Dan on either side. Red Hare trotted along slowly, and a hundred soldiers followed closely behind in three rows. Although they had already disarmed and removed their armor, their momentum was undiminished. Only the sound of their uniform footsteps could be heard, and from a distance, their imposing presence was still impressive.

The cicada tilts its head and giggles sweetly:

"How about I take them back to Plum Garden first, and then go to the East Market to find you later?"