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

Before Gongsun Du left, Xu Heng held a simple farewell banquet at the city gate. There was no banquet with clinking glasses, just a small table, three chairs, a pot of tea, and a few plates of dried fruit.

Gongsun Du's carriage was already loaded with luggage. Gao Jing and several disciples were waiting by the carriage. This time, Gao Jing had learned his lesson. When he saw Fu Qing walking over from afar, he turned his head away, then lowered his head to flip through his book, and did not look in this direction again.

Gongsun Du picked up his teacup, his expression becoming much more serious.

"Gentlemen, this mission to Jingjing is ostensibly for cultural exchange, but in reality, it is to seek assistance."

He put down his teacup. "The King of Yan is seriously ill and has not attended court for more than three months. Several princes are vying for the throne, and the court has split into three or four factions. Every morning court session is as noisy as a vegetable market."

"My purpose in going to Jingjing this time is to win the support of Jingguo for the Third Prince's succession to the throne. The Third Prince advocates peace and wants to join forces with Jingguo to fight against Diguo. The other princes either advocate war or want to close their doors and live their own lives."

Xu Heng put down his teacup. "Does the Di Kingdom know about this?"

"Know."

Gongsun Du's face darkened. "The Di Kingdom has planted spies in the Yan Kingdom's court. After the news of the king's serious illness spread, the Di Kingdom's cavalry movements on the border have increased significantly."

"I'm worried that they don't intend to attack Jingguo, but rather to take advantage of the internal strife in the Central Plains to attack both Jingguo and Yanguo simultaneously. Ironblood City is the northern gateway to Jingguo, and Diguo's first stop in their southward advance will be here. You two must make preparations as soon as possible."

Xu Heng felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately ordered his attendant to bring paper and pen, and wrote an urgent secret report right at the city gate. He then stamped it with the seal of the city lord and the jade tablet of the Medicine Palace, and had it sent by fast horse to Tian Jingming's camp.

After seeing Gongsun Du off, Fu Qing returned to the military camp. The new recruits on the training ground were surrounding Xiao Lu, three layers deep, listening intently to something.

Fu Qing approached and heard Xiao Lu standing on the base of the force-measuring monument, talking and gesturing wildly, spittle flying everywhere:

"...Then Brother Fu stood up, just stood there looking at that scholar surnamed Gao, and recited a line—'Better to be a centurion than a scholar!' The whole audience was stunned!"

"Old Zhou slammed his fist on the table and roared 'Good!', making all the wine glasses jump!"

The recruits' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they heard this.

A tall, thin recruit asked with his mouth agape if it was true or not. Immediately, someone next to him refuted him, saying that Centurion Lu and Commander Fu had fought side by side, so how could what he said be false? Moreover, it had spread throughout Ironblood City. His mother even heard someone reciting the poem when she went to the market to buy vegetables yesterday.

"You guys are all so free..."

Fu Qing stepped outside the crowd and cleared his throat. The recruits turned around and saw him, then scattered with a "whoosh," some of them nearly tripping in their haste.

Xiao Lu jumped down from the base of the force measuring monument, patted his trouser legs, and looked up at the sky as if nothing had happened.

"Have you finished your morning exercises?"

"We're done! Don't worry, bro, the whole team ran an extra ten laps!"

"Then add ten more laps."

Xiao Lu's face fell.

Fu Qing turned and walked towards the military tent, with Xiao Lu chasing after him.

"Brother, I have something to tell you. Someone saw Duan Tieshan near Jingjing yesterday."

Fu Qing paused for a moment. Xiao Lu lowered his voice even further.

"I have a fellow villager who works at the Jingjing Military Headquarters. He told me privately yesterday when he delivered an official document that Duan Tieshan had appeared in the southern suburbs of Jingjing."

"understood."

...

Zhou Tie also received a secret report from the military headquarters. He went into the military tent and slammed a secret letter from the military headquarters on Fu Qing's table. The content was similar to what Xiao Lu had said—Duan Tieshan was indeed active near Jingjing, and it had been confirmed that he had contacted at least three former subordinates.

The military has sent people to keep watch, but Duan Tieshan is a master of the Gangqi Realm, making it difficult for ordinary agents to get close and track him.

Zhou Tie reminded Fu Qing that although Duan Tieshan was now a fugitive, his network of relationships in the border army and Jingjing, which he had cultivated for more than ten years, was still intact. If a master of the Gangqi Realm was determined to take revenge, the manpower and means he could mobilize should not be underestimated.

Fu Qing folded the secret letter and put it back on the table. "Thanks, Brother Zhou. I'll remember."

...

After being promoted to centurion, Fu Qing first incorporated three hundred-man squads into his command.

One was the scout team led by Xiao Lu, another was the logistics support team led by Lao Qian, and the third was the veteran team from Ironblood City.

The centurion of this veteran's unit is named Ma Xiong. He is at the ninth level of Body Tempering and has served in the border army for twenty years. He is a native of Ironblood City and was personally promoted by Duan Tieshan back then.

Ma Xiong has never given Fu Qing a kind look since the first day Fu Qing took office.

When Fu Qing first inspected the three hundred-man teams, the entire army was lined up. Xiao Lu's scout team stood straight with swords and guns everywhere, while Lao Qian's logistics team, although equipped with a variety of weapons, at least had a neat formation.

Meanwhile, the veterans' group in Ma Xiong's village was sparsely populated, with some picking their noses and others yawning, and the ranks were crooked and disorganized.

Ma Xiong himself was quite late.

The entire army stood there for a while before he finally emerged from the barracks, dragging his sword and chewing on half a dry biscuit.

He walked to the front of the line without saluting, shoved his knife on the ground, and mumbled through a piece of bread, "Oh, everyone's here?"

The whole team burst into laughter.

Fu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. "Centurion Ma, take your place."

Ma Xiong swallowed the last bite of the pancake, patted the crumbs off his hands, and...

"Why has Commander Fu stopped writing poetry and started leading troops instead?"

He had never personally witnessed Fu Qing's combat prowess, and having heard that Fu Qing had advanced from the fourth level of Body Tempering to the Meridian Opening Realm in just a few months, he naturally did not believe it.

The veterans behind him burst into laughter again, some even joining in the teasing, "Brother Ma, he's an educated man! How could you embarrass him like that..."

Fu Qing did not react on the spot; it would be unwise for a new official to target an old centurion.

He looked into Ma Xiong's eyes and said, "Since Centurion Ma's legs are not so nimble, add ten more laps to today's weighted run."

Ma Xiong's face stiffened, and he let out a cold snort.

Over the next few days, Ma Xiong continued to push Fu Qing's limits.

During training, he deliberately disobeyed instructions. When Fu Qing said to go east, he went west; when Fu Qing said to assemble, he dismissed.

His soldiers followed his example; while other units were doing drills, they played cards in the barracks; while other units were practicing swordsmanship, they drank in the stables.

The entire 100-man team became the most undisciplined team in the whole battalion.

One afternoon, during a full-scale military confrontation exercise, three 100-person teams took turns attacking and defending. Ma Xiong's veteran team was assigned to the defensive side, while Fu Qing personally led the scout team to attack.

Fu Qing tore through the veterans' defenses from the flank in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Ma Xiong was so angry that he threw his knife to the ground.

"Stop fighting! This is fucking unfair! The scout team is full of veterans who fought alongside Commander Fu in Black Wind Gorge, while my side is full of greenhorns!"

Fu Qing handed the command flag to Xiao Lu, then walked up to Ma Xiong. "You think it's unfair?"

Ma Xiong retorted, "That's not fair!"

"Then how do you want it to be fair?"

This is exactly what Ma Xiong was waiting for.

He picked up the knife from the ground, pointed it in the center of the training ground, and shouted so loudly that the entire training ground could hear him.

"Commander Fu, there's a rule in the border army—a centurion can challenge a commander of a thousand, and the commander of a thousand cannot refuse. I, Ma Xiong, only respect those who are capable."

"I admit your poetry is good, but on the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and poetry can't save your life! If you can beat me, I, Ma Xiong, will serve you like a slave from now on. If you can't, this commander's position is better given to someone more capable!"

The entire camp was completely silent.

Hundreds of people were staring at the center of the training ground. Xiao Lu blinked, then suddenly grinned and muttered to himself,

"This is going to be fun."

Ma Xiong was at the ninth level of Body Tempering, and was virtually invincible among those below the rank of centurion in the border army. His challenge to Fu Qing was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a long-planned one.

Fu Qing planted the command flag in the ground. "Good."

Without wasting words, Ma Xiong gripped the sword with both hands, channeling all the power of his ninth-level Body Tempering cultivation into the blade, and slashed down.

He used twenty years of battlefield swordsmanship in this strike, with heavy force and a tricky angle. Even those at the Qi Refining Realm dared not be careless.

However, Fu Qing did not draw his sword; instead, he raised his right hand and extended two fingers.

The blade sliced ​​between two fingers—then stopped.

Ma Xiong felt as if he had cleaved his sword into a rock, but it remained motionless.

Fu Qing held the blade between two fingers without even shaking it.

The entire training ground was deathly silent.

Ma Xiong gripped the knife with both hands and pressed down hard, his face turning red, the veins on his neck bulging as thick as fingers. The blade didn't budge, and he couldn't pull the knife out.

With a flick of his finger, Fu Qing sent Ma Xiong flying three zhang away, knife and all, crashing onto the muddy ground of the training ground with a "bang," before sliding several more feet before coming to a stop.

His knife flew out of his hand, tumbled several times in the air, and stuck next to the force measuring monument.

Ma Xiong got up from the ground, looked down at his empty hands, and saw that the tiger's mouth was cracked.

He looked up at Fu Qing, then knelt on one knee. "I'm completely convinced!"

Fu Qing helped him up, pulled the knife out of the mud, and handed it back to him.

"If you want a challenge next time, just come directly. No need to beat around the bush. I'd be happy to."

From then on, Ma Xiong was completely convinced by Fu Qing. He trained the veterans' team even more rigorously than Xiao Lu's scout team. Every day before dawn, they would blow the assembly whistle, run twice as many weighted runs as others, and chop wooden stakes two hundred more times than others.

One of the troublesome veterans muttered, "Brother Ma, did you get beaten silly by Commander Fu?" and was punished by Ma Xiong to run with weights for the entire afternoon.

After finishing the run, Ma Xiong squatted down in front of the old soldier.

"Brother Fu is truly skilled. If you dare to gossip about him behind his back again, I'll make sure you're on your deathbed by tomorrow morning!"