Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Outside the county military camp, a huge drill ground was enclosed by gray-black barricades.

Hundreds of banquet tables were set up in the training ground, distributed on both sides, with the head seat in the center being the main seat, where servants and attendants constantly moved about busily.

Surprisingly, a huge arena has been erected in the center of the training ground today, with dark blue flags planted on all four sides. The flags flutter in the wind, exuding a chilling aura.

With the crisp sound of iron armor scraping against each other, two rows of armored soldiers filed out and stood on either side of the camp gate.

They held long spears, with ring-pommel swords hanging at their waists. They stood upright like pine trees, with piercing eyes and exuding a chilling aura.

The surroundings fell silent instantly, and the Shen family members were terrified.

With the crisp sound of armor clashing, a burly man appeared, with a jade belt around his waist, a dark red cloak draped over his shoulders, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's—it was none other than Commandant Qin Lie.

The only striking feature was that his face was somewhat dark.

He was followed by a dozen elite guards, each clad in armor and armed with blades, exuding a menacing aura.

"Master Ye is quite skilled!"

Qin Lie had a half-smile on his lips as he spoke.

moment.

All eyes turned to Ye Ci.

Why did the captain shoot him with an arrow?

At this time, the county military camp had already attracted a lot of people, including martial arts schools and wealthy households. Meanwhile, many people were also peeking out from behind the Shen family's convoy.

Clang!

The next second, to everyone's astonishment, Ye Ci raised his right hand.

The long sword in his hand shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Commandant Qin's face.

"Bang!"

Commandant Qin gripped the back of the sword with one hand, his expression showing a hint of astonishment.

Ye Ci cupped his hands in greeting: "Commander, your skills are truly impressive!"

"How dare you!"

A soldier next to him drew his sword and stepped forward, the sword at his waist half-drawn.

Those around him were all shocked. At this moment, Shen Wanzhou had just stepped off the carriage. Upon seeing this scene, he panicked and ran forward to help.

You have to know who Commandant Qin is; he wouldn't throw a knife in someone's face the moment you meet them!

Ye Ci calmly looked at Qin Lie and cupped his hands in greeting again:

"Thank you for your help yesterday, Commandant Qin. I have come today to return your sword. Please take a look at it, Commandant."

Since the other party has already shot an arrow at you, there is no point in yielding or flattering.

And on someone else's turf again.

Showing weakness will only embolden others to take advantage of you.

Ye Ci suddenly thought of a phrase—"Bright Sword".

However, what I lost was a knife.

Qin Lie glanced at the hilt of the knife out of the corner of his eye, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He was not angry but pleased. If Ye Ci had acted timidly today, he would have looked down on him.

This cut not only tasted right, but it also convinced him that the person that night was definitely Ye Ci.

Otherwise, who would dare to lay a hand on me?

In fact, Qin Lie had already figured out Ye Ci's background... He had the county magistrate check the travel permit and he basically knew his origins.

Therefore, the more he looked at Ye Ci, the more he liked her.

No wonder he's a veteran who's returned home after fighting on the battlefield; damn it, he's got a fearless attitude towards everyone!

If you shoot me, I will shoot you.

We are all the same kind of people.

"Last night..." Ye Ci asked.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Qin Lie laughed, took a few steps forward, and whispered, "It is I." Then he put his hand on Ye Ci's shoulder, and the two of them passed through the tense camp gate together.

"Would you be willing to join my ranks?" he asked in a low voice, getting straight to the point.

Ye Ci replied evasively, "I'll consider it after I take the martial arts exam and obtain an official position."

"Why bother! You should have just surrendered to me. I won't hold it against you for throwing your dog at me that night, since the matter was settled. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spared you today! But..."

"Sir, what dog?"

"Are you still pretending?"

"Speak in a way that I can understand, sir."

"..."

The two spoke in hushed tones, oblivious to their surroundings, while Ye Ci vehemently denied it.

Everyone around was stunned.

"Wu Tan, you're also using hidden strength techniques, do you dare throw a knife at the captain's face?"

One of the Shen family's hidden-strength guards whispered something.

Wu Tan's expression was blank, but he still protested, "He's incredibly audacious, only because Commandant Qin is so magnanimous, and perhaps the Commandant is only doing it out of respect for the Shen family. He's just putting on a brave face..."

"..."

The Han family, one of the five major families.

The patriarch, Han Wenzhi, withdrew his gaze, lifted the lid of the teacup, brushed away the tea crumbs, and said calmly:

"This man is an old acquaintance of Commandant Qin."

"Old man Shen has a good eye. This Commandant Qin has never been easy to get close to, and only likes warriors. We wealthy families can only be exploited by him, but it is difficult to establish a real relationship with him. With this man pulling this stunt, the Shen family's position as the number one family in the county is probably even more secure."

He could tell at a glance that Commandant Qin and Ye Ci definitely had a relationship, but he didn't know where their relationship came from.

It is true that the five prominent families of Shen, Han, Zhao, Jin, and Zhang in the inner city of the county are wealthy, but it is not easy to truly establish connections with officials.

Relationships aren't about how well two people know each other or how they drink and chat together; they're about whether someone considers you one of their own.

If Commandant Qin treats the Shen family as his own, then the Shen family will be rich and powerful. The favors of such a local official are more important than those of the officials in the prefecture. It can be said that the local officials are more powerful than the county officials.

"Second brother, I remember you once said that Ping An Escort Agency wanted to arrange a marriage for your concubine's daughter."

Han Wenzhi suddenly put down his teacup and slowly said something to a middle-aged man next to him.

The middle-aged man immediately replied:

"Yes, my daughter has a leg disability. The young master of the Ping An Escort Agency, Jiang, was referring to this Ye Ci... However, nothing came of it after that."

"Concubines are not acceptable."

Han Wenzhi turned to look at another middle-aged man: "Third brother, your wife's daughter is of marriageable age. Ask Young Master Jiang to arrange a meeting with Ye Ci another day and introduce your daughter to him. Do your best to bring this together."

"Yes, Father."

The middle-aged man who was called the third brother was overjoyed, because the eldest brother's daughter was going to marry Xiao Hua, and if his own daughter married Ye Ci, it would definitely be more beneficial to the local business. It was a tangible benefit, and in his eyes, it was no less than marrying Xiao Hua.

Who is that person up ahead?

A carriage arrived; it carried Zhao Huaide, the head of the Zhao family, one of the five major families.

He didn't see the exciting scene just now, but he did see Commandant Qin with his arm around Ye Ci's shoulder, the two of them crossing the training ground like old friends who were not related by age.

"It's the Shen family's retainer!" Someone recognized Ye Ci.

Zhao Huaide stared in astonishment for a while, as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world. He knew that Commandant Qin had always been very self-important and his relationship with the five major families would never be this close.

Subsequently, Master Yang arrived with Qi Wang, Jiang Du, and Xiao Hua.

He saw Ye Ci chatting with a group of captains, behaving neither servilely nor arrogantly, and he was equally surprised.

The banquet was about to begin, and all the members of various families, local wealthy households, and martial arts schools in the county had arrived and were seated at their respective tables.

Those guards, even those skilled in internal martial arts, could only wait for their masters outside the county garrison camp because of their status.

At this moment, everyone, whether at the banquet or outside the county garrison camp, was discussing what had just happened. Through word of mouth, almost everyone knew about Ye Ci.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, everyone took their seats.

"Thump!"

With the sound of a gong, the Commandant stepped onto the training ground's arena.

The people below were mostly solemn and holding their breath. Under countless gazes, the Commandant Cheng first used martial arts as an excuse to speak some official jargon.

Then he mentioned that the Shen family worshipped Ye Ci and that it helped the county capture bandits.

In fact, catching a bandit did not attract the attention of wealthy households, because the county had always increased manpower and had actually caught quite a few bandits at night.

But today, everyone was praising him loudly, and many people were toasting Shen Wanzhou.

Grandpa Shen sat upright at the table, his face glowing with health, and greeted everyone with a beaming smile, looking incredibly dignified.

Ye Ci showed little expression, simply eating his food quietly. Although he and Shen Yixi did not sit at the same table, they were very close to each other.

Coincidentally, Shen Yixi took two bites and then put down her chopsticks without even looking up.

The two of them displayed a tacit understanding reminiscent of a young married couple, making them appear to be a match made in heaven in the eyes of onlookers.

In a corner of the crowd, Feng Ji held a wine bowl, his eyes as cold and gloomy as a deep pool. His gaze swept across the table repeatedly, but he deliberately avoided Ye Ci, only staring intently at the two sitting side by side out of the corner of his eye. Jealousy surged in his heart, almost burning him out.