Simulated immortality allows me to calculate talent stats.

Pang Hai and Xu Hui, having already reached the fourth level of the Innate Realm at the age of sixteen, gained the attention of Wei Qi and were appointed as centurions.

You will be in Pang Hai's army, serving as his deputy.

In the last simulation, Wei Qi wiped out the mountain stronghold in the first year, then escorted you and the kidnapped young women to Jinling City before leaving.

[At that time, the team consisted of only a hundred or so people, each a highly skilled elite, but their numbers were simply too small.]

Now, two years later, the initial hundred or so men have grown into a force of a thousand.

The three of you will accompany Wei Qi on his expedition to suppress bandits. Before you leave, make proper arrangements for the Zuo family.

[First, you warned the gang members, then you contacted the loyal subordinates you had previously recruited at the Yan Family Chamber of Commerce using the "Succubus Body," and asked them to look after you.]

[Fourth year, age twenty.]

[You followed Wei Qi, traversing various counties in Xilong Commandery, conquering one mountain stronghold after another, and annihilating thousands of soldiers and bandits.]

Gradually, under pressure from Wei Qi's strength and military might, the bandits occupying the various mountain strongholds began to relocate and retreat, causing the anti-bandit army to repeatedly find nothing.

A force of a thousand men is not insignificant, but facing the vast expanse of Xilong County, it is truly insufficient.

If we continue to waste time and energy in this fruitless endeavor, it will be a waste of time and effort with little to no effect.

At this point, you propose forming an intelligence reconnaissance team and present a detailed plan, which earns Wei Qi's praise.

[You will be appointed as a member of an intelligence reconnaissance squad, leading a hundred elite cavalrymen as your base, to develop informants, spies, and agents.]

Wei Qi led troops in the field from a young age; he came from a noble family and possessed abundant financial resources.

With his support, your intelligence agency rapidly expanded, its efficiency astonishing Wei Qi.

Soon, the entire Longxi Prefecture was under the coverage of intelligence and reconnaissance agencies, and the locations of most of the bandit strongholds and mountain strongholds were pinpointed.

[The subsequent relocation and escape routes were all monitored by spies and updated in real time.]

The army, which had been lying in wait for three months, once again mobilized. With intelligence reconnaissance teams acting as their eyes, they accurately detected the movements of both soldiers and bandits each time.

[They had nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide, and were ultimately cut down by the enemy's might.]

During this period, Pang Hai and Xu Hui displayed remarkable talent in military strategy and tactics, gaining increasing appreciation from Wei Qi. The relationship between the three of you and Wei Qi grew increasingly close.

The four young men, full of youthful vigor and ambition, commanded their troops with unparalleled skill and determination, and their attacks were invincible.

[You have reached the pinnacle of power, breaking through and opening the third meridian.]

[Fifth year, age twenty-one.]

[With the bandits and soldiers of Xilong Commandery pacified, Wei Qi led his army westward. Because of your ever-expanding intelligence network, it has been discovered that the closer one gets to the western border of the Great Cang Dynasty, the more bandits and soldiers there are.]

Anxi Commandery, Yangkang Commandery, Runan Commandery...

[In one year, you followed Wei Qi as he spread the flames of war across three prefectures, wiping out bandits lurking in the mountains.]

[You have reached the peak of your cultivation, breaking through and opening the fourth meridian.]

[Sixth year, age twenty-two.]

Three years of warfare have accustomed you to brutal combat and strategic maneuvering, and your intelligence capabilities have become fully integrated into the war, unleashing a terrifying, invisible threat.

Wei Qi values ​​you more and more, and has tried several times to recruit you into the army.

Your excuse that your intentions lay elsewhere has left them deeply disappointed.

The bandits and soldiers in the prefectures and counties west of Yongzhou have been largely eliminated. Further west, the Western Regions Protectorate will be involved.

The situation in the Western Regions is complex, with numerous kingdoms vying for power. The Protectorate of the Western Regions only uses the might of the Great Cang Dynasty to exert intimidation, but it has not truly gained control.

Wei Qi reined in his horse before Yumen Pass, gazing at the vast desert landscape, holding the intelligence you presented in his hand.

"Did the soldiers and bandits really source their resources from the Western Regions?"

You stood with your hands behind your back, dressed in a dark blue robe: "Our spies spent months uncovering the network of soldiers and bandits across the three prefectures."

"Hmph! Are the kingdoms of the Western Regions going to rebel?"

Wei Qi's gaze was icy. If it weren't for the constraints imposed by the Western Regions Protectorate's situation and policies, he would have already led his troops straight in.

You thought to yourself, "A rebellion is indeed on the horizon, and it's coming soon."

[I wonder if your intervention, which has greatly improved Wei Qi's efficiency in suppressing bandits, will affect the timing of the rebellion in the Western Regions.]

Wei Qi immediately submitted a memorial to the central government, requesting permission to enter the Protectorate of the Western Regions to thoroughly investigate the plot.

The desert experiences extreme temperature differences between day and night. Cold winds whip up fine sand, revealing a sky full of countless stars, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Wei Qi, Pang Hai, Xu Hui, Chen Zhe, and you, gathered around the campfire, eating a whole roasted lamb.

[Chen Zhe is the name of the fierce soldier who instantly killed the bandit leader, a fourth-level Xiantian realm cultivator, with a single sword strike in the last simulation, and taught you how to draw your sword and thrust straight.]

He was Wei Qi's personal guard commander.

[After years of fighting, the comrades-in-arms, bound by life-and-death bonds, developed a deep affection for each other.]

During breaks, they would casually joke and tease each other, especially Pang Hai, who enjoyed teasing the usually serious Wei Qi.

You bite into a lamb leg, watching this scene unfold before you, a complex mix of emotions washing over you as you sigh softly.

They probably never imagined that a few years later, Pang Hai and Xu Hui would raise an army in Jingzhou, and soon after, Wei Qi would be appointed General of the Cavalry and lead an army of 300,000 to suppress them.

Former comrades-in-arms are now facing each other on the battlefield.

I wonder what expressions and emotions they will have when they arrive.

[While awaiting your imperial decree, Wei Qi continued to strongly support the development of your intelligence and reconnaissance agencies, expanding them towards the Western Regions Protectorate.]

[At the same time, suppress the scattered bandit groups in Yongzhou.]

[You have reached the peak of your cultivation, breaking through and opening the fifth meridian.]

[Seventh year, twenty-three years old.]

The imperial decree from the Great Cang Court was issued, lavishly praising Wei Qi's achievements in suppressing the war, bestowing titles and rewards upon him, and then...

"Are you summoning me back to the central courtyard?"

Wei Qi held the imperial decree in his hand, his gaze sharp as a blade, his imposing aura overwhelming and impossible to resist.

"Why are you being sent back at this time? Didn't we say the Protectorate of the Western Regions was plotting something?"

Pang Hai showed no reverence or respect for the imperial court and spoke his mind frankly.

You looked at Wei Qi's gloomy face: "Go back?"

The answer is self-evident: Wei Qi could not disobey the imperial decree, much less insist on marching into the Western Regions.

Not only did he harbor feelings for the Great Cang Dynasty, but more importantly, he couldn't bear the guilt of having his entire clan executed, as his family resided in the capital of the Central Court.

[When Wei Qi embarked on his western expedition, he was ordered to rein in his horse and hang his whip. He asked the soldiers in the ranks whether the chivalrous figures they had gathered were willing to continue following him.]

Those who wished to join the personal guard unit were assigned to it; those who did not were dismissed.

[Late at night, at Yumen Pass, atop the city wall.]

[For once, Wei Qi was not wearing armor; his long hair was tied up, and he was already a valiant young general, with a profound and unfathomable demeanor and an imposing presence.]

He brought several jugs of wine and found Pang Hai, Xu Hui, and you.

He tossed the wine to you, then tilted his head back and drank it all down.

"Hey, this is the first time I've seen you drink."

Pang Hai grinned, then followed suit, tilting his head back and chugging the liquor. It was his first time drinking, and he choked and coughed awkwardly.

Wei Qi couldn't help but chuckle, a smile spreading across his face.

He did not ask the three of you whether you wanted to return to the central court with him, because he knew your personalities and believed you would not be bound by the court's constraints.

The cold moon hangs like a veil over the western desert; at the Jade Gate Pass, we drink wine, our bond forged through years of war, yet our paths diverge, unspoken but true.