Chaotic Times and Disasters: I Hunt Down Martial Arts Masters and Become a God

The next morning, Fu Qing went to the military camp, where new recruits were already doing their morning exercises on the drill ground.

Fu Qing walked across the drill ground towards the military tent, encountering several veteran scouts training along the way. One of them recognized him as a stranger from the Battle of Black Stone Ridge and nudged the person next to him with his elbow.

"It was that guy who killed Guo Lie all by himself..."

Fu Qing didn't stop walking and went straight to the door of Zhou Tie's military tent.

The tent flap was lifted, and Zhou Tie was sitting in front of the sand table, eating a dry biscuit. On the table was a bronze waist tag with the words "Centurion" engraved on the front and the Iron Eagle emblem on the back.

Seeing Fu Qing come in, Zhou Tie tossed the flatbread onto the plate, clapped the crumbs off his hands, and...

"Let me apologize to you first."

Zhou Tie rested his hands on the table, a rare hint of shame appearing on his square face.

"I misjudged Guo Lie's cultivation level. The person I sent to investigate returned two months ago saying that Guo Lie is at the sixth level of Body Tempering."

"I didn't expect that bastard broke through to the seventh level during the half-month siege. I kept the news from getting out, and you almost lost your life because of my inaccurate information. I admit my mistake."

Fu Qing sat down opposite Zhou Tie, took the newly forged sword from his waist and leaned it against the table leg. "It's alright, it's useless for him to break through to the seventh level, he still died."

Zhou Tie looked up at him, then sized up Fu Qing. The aura emanating from Fu Qing was significantly stronger than before they set off; a faint golden luster emanated from beneath his skin, and his breathing was deep and steady.

"What is your current cultivation level?"

"Seventh level of body tempering."

Zhou Tie narrowed his eyes. Seventh level of Body Tempering—the last time he saw Fu Qing, this kid was only at the fourth level.

Before setting off from Black Stone Ridge, the strength-measuring monument was lit with four beams of light, but after returning from Black Stone Ridge, it became seven? This speed is abnormal.

"You were hiding your cultivation level before?"

"no."

Fu Qing shook his head and said calmly, "I was at level six before we set off, and I'll be at level seven after defeating Guo Lie."

Zhou Tie stared at Fu Qing for several breaths. "Are you the kind of person whose physique improves the more they fight?"

Fu Qing was slightly taken aback, then nodded. This explanation was much easier than "I have a cheat code".

The more they fight, the stronger they become; they break through in the midst of battle—such people have appeared before in the history of martial arts.

Few, but they exist.

The border army's war history records several such people, who were called "battle bodies" or "fighting bodies," monsters born for the battlefield.

Zhou Tie was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Good! I've been working on the border for twenty years, and this is the first time I've encountered a soldier with a natural combat physique! This trip to Black Stone Ridge was worth it. I almost killed you, but you benefited from the misfortune and broke through. We're even!"

He picked up the bronze waist tag from the table and threw it to Fu Qing, who caught it.

"In the battle of Black Stone Ridge, you killed Guo Lie and two of his deputies all by yourself. Including the henchmen on the periphery, you have accumulated enough military merit points. According to the border army's regulations, you can be promoted directly to squad leader."

Zhou Tie sat back down in his chair and started counting on his fingers for Fu Qing.

"A centurion commands ten men, receives double the pay, and has his own barracks, but..."

He then changed the subject, saying, "You don't have any soldiers under your command right now. The scout battalion is fully staffed. Han Yue, Lao Zhao, Lao Qian, and Xiao Lu each have their own squads. Your men will have to wait for the next batch of new recruits to come in."

"Just keep the rank for now, and you'll be ready to fight whenever there's a battle."

"Is there a war going on?"

Zhou Tie snorted, "Don't worry, there are plenty of battles to fight. Those barbarians from the Di Kingdom won't be quiet after spring. You'll have plenty to fight."

Fu Qing turned the waist tag over; on the back was an iron eagle with outstretched wings, its carved lines bold and powerful.

He hung the badge on his waist and suddenly asked a question that Zhou Tie had never expected.

"What realm is City Lord Duan Tieshan at?"

Zhou Tie was stunned for a moment.

"Granular Qi Realm".

Zhou Tie didn't ask why, and answered directly.

"The Duan family's ancestral 'Iron Mountain Skill' has been mastered to the point of projecting internal energy. Among those of the same realm, he is considered a top-tier fighter. Within a radius of five hundred miles of Iron Blood City, he is the only one at the Internal Energy Realm. Why are you asking about this?"

"Just asking."

Zhou Tie glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions. He simply stood up from his chair and walked over to Fu Qing.

"I don't care why you want to know about Duan Tieshan, I'll just remind you that Duan Tieshan has been in charge of Ironblood City for fifteen years. He was able to climb from a mere soldier to the position of city lord, and that wasn't just because of his Qi Refining Realm cultivation."

"His network of connections extends throughout the prefecture. Half of the border troops' pay has to be approved by him. It's best to be careful if you mess with the Duan family."

Fu Qing nodded, keeping these words in mind. Then he picked up the knife leaning against the table leg, got up, and walked out of the military tent.

After leaving the military tent, Fu Qing took a walk around the military camp.

On the drill ground, the new recruits were lining up to punch the force-measuring monument. One by one, they went up and punched it. The light on the monument ranged from one line to three lines, and occasionally there were four lines. The clerk would make a note in the register, and the veterans next to him would take another look.

Fu Qing stood by the training ground for about half a cup of tea's time when Han Yue, along with Lao Zhao and Lao Qian, walked over from the side of the training ground. All three were dressed in casual clothes, so it seemed they were on their day off.

Han Yue's gaze fell on the new bronze badge at his waist, and he grinned, "A quartermaster now?"

"Just received it."

Old Zhao peeked out from behind Han Yue, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"The captain has to treat you to a drink! You were the one who got the most credit in the battle at Black Stone Ridge, and the reward is at least several dozen taels of silver. If you don't treat us to dinner tonight, I won't stand for it."

Old Qian chimed in from the side, stroking his half-bald head, "Right, last time when Xiao Lu was promoted to corporal, he treated him to braised beef. A sergeant should treat him to at least three meals."

Fu Qing smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I'll let you know."

...

That afternoon, Fu Qing bought a new courtyard near Shen's Pharmacy. The courtyard was smaller than the backyard of Shen's Pharmacy, but it had the advantage of a good location—next to the market and only three streets away from the military camp.

There are three main rooms, one east wing room and one west wing room. In the middle of the courtyard stands an old jujube tree with a trunk so thick that one person cannot wrap their arms around it.

Song Yawei stood in the courtyard and looked around. Her gaze lingered for a while under the jujube tree. She said that spring was coming and she would build a swing here.

Song Nini had already run in and out three times, pushing open the door of each room and taking a look around. She tugged at Fu Qing's sleeve and said she wanted the east wing room, because the window faced south and the sun could shine on the bed in the morning.

Moving was a breeze.

After converting the valuables seized from Black Wind Village and Black Stone Ridge into cash, Fu Qing had accumulated a considerable sum of silver.

Mr. Shen helped arrange for several laborers from the market to move a cartload of furniture and two cartloads of luggage, which was completed in less than half an hour.

Fu Qing chopped a pile of firewood in the yard and stacked it under the jujube tree.

Song Yawei lit the first fire in the new kitchen and boiled a pot of water to make tea.

She stood at the kitchen door, holding a teacup, looking at the old jujube tree in the yard and the sunlight streaming down the ground. "We finally have a home of our own."

...

In the evening, Fu Qing set up a table in the new courtyard.

Han Yue, Lao Zhao, Lao Qian, and Xiao Lu all arrived, and the five of them sat around the stone table under the jujube tree.

Song Yawei cooked four dishes and brought them out. Han Yue brought two jars of old wine, broke the mud seals, and poured them into the bowls.

After three bowls of wine, Han Yue became more talkative. He put the wine bowl on the table, dipped his finger in the wine, and drew a winding line on the stone table—that was the border line.

"The border situation has been rather unsettled lately."

He pointed to a spot north of the "borderline".

"The Di cavalry frequently crossed the border in the two months before the heavy snow blocked the mountains, and three outposts have already been captured, including the one 120 li north of Ironblood City..."

He pointed his finger at the table and said, "None of the thirty brothers escaped. The beacon tower was burned, the grain was seized, and all their weapons and armor were stripped away."

"When Boss Zhou sent men to collect the bodies, he found that all the wounds on the brothers' bodies were from curved blades, each one fatal, not a single one wasted, and they were all done by elites."

Old Zhao held the tobacco pipe stem in his left hand and a bowl in his right, the pipe bowl swaying back and forth.

"Those barbarians from the Di Kingdom are incredibly good at riding. Each of them has two horses, and they take turns riding them. They can travel three hundred li a day. On the grasslands, they are like the wind with legs. You can't catch up with them, and you can't outrun them."

"Last month, the scout battalion lost four brothers. They were all surrounded and killed on the grassland. When they caught up, it was a matter of several against one, and there was no way to survive."

Fu Qing held his wine bowl without drinking, and looked at Old Zhao, "What's their average cultivation level?"

Old Zhao thought for a moment, then tapped his pipe on the table leg.

"Ordinary cavalrymen are at the fourth or fifth level of body tempering, elite scouts are at the sixth or seventh level, and some are even at the eighth or ninth level. Of the four brothers who died last month, one was at the seventh level of body tempering and was killed by two Di scouts. As for centurions and above, it's hard to say."

He looked up at Fu Qing and said, "At least from the Meridian Opening Realm onwards, the path in the Di Kingdom is different from ours. Their centurions are not promoted by seniority, but by fighting their way up."

"Each centurion has at least dozens of lives under his command. For someone in the Body Tempering Realm to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm, it's like throwing an egg at a rock."

"What about those in the Bone Tempering Realm?"

"They exist on the grasslands, but not many. They are usually the personal guards of a centurion or the Golden Sword Guards of the royal court."

Old Zhao picked up his bowl and took a big gulp of wine. "We'll never run into someone of that caliber, and even if we did, it wouldn't be our problem. That's Zhou Laoda's business."

Fu Qing did some mental calculations. To advance from the seventh to the eighth level, he would need to increase his three dimensions from 850 to 1650, nearly doubling each one. The plunder points consumed would only increase exponentially.

Eight hundred and eighty-seven points is just a drop in the ocean.

He needs more battles, more plundering points, the more the better, so that he can control his own destiny in this chaotic world.

...

After the drinking session ended, Han Yue stood at the courtyard gate and pulled Fu Qing aside.

"Duan Peng has been searching all over the city for the past few days, trying to find out more about you."

Fu Qing didn't speak, leaning against the door frame to wait for what was to come.

"He sent people to your village."

Han Yue lowered his voice even further, "He inquired about your family size, background, and criminal record. He even went to Shen's Pharmacy to ask Old Master Shen how you came to Ironblood City and what your relationship is with the border troops."

"Duan Peng, that weed, has been running rampant in Ironblood City since he was a child. He's never suffered a loss. You made him lose face in front of more than a hundred people at the training ground. He's not going to let it go so easily."

"Know."

Fu Qing crossed her arms. "So I won't cause trouble for now. If he doesn't bother me, I won't bother him. But if he dares to touch my family..."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Han Yue smiled and nodded, then turned and walked into the night, his footsteps gradually disappearing at the alley entrance.