Lord Shenxiu
Chapter 98: Return of the Troops (Please subscribe!)

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Return of the Troops (Please subscribe!)

"According to Zhang Taiyi’s knowledge, cultivators often use magic artifacts!"

"And ordinary magic artifacts can be refined with different Daoist skills, with up to nine levels of restrictions. Most Divine Power Practitioners can only use these."

"Above magic artifacts, there are Divine Power Refining Treasures, which are quite rare."

"Besides magic artifacts and treasures, there are other objects like Spiritual Treasures that are either created by heaven and earth or coincidentally refined by someone. They are completely different from magic artifacts and treasures, yet their power and effectiveness are peculiar. Some are less useful than magic artifacts, while others exceed even treasures."

"This Poison Dragon Sword I hold is neither a magic artifact nor a treasure, but rather an Ancient Sword. It’s likely refined using the ancient sword technique methods of the Eastern Continent."

Inside the tent, Zhong Shenxiu caressed the thoroughly altered Poison Dragon Sword thoughtfully, "Pity... I don’t know any swordsmanship."

Whether it was the Hundred Steps Flying Sword of the Gang Sha Realm or the Divine Power Sword Control of Divine Power Practitioners, he still had not learned them, given that he was only an Innate.

Even controlling the flying sword with True Qi proved to be challenging.

Such unique treasures are best refined with mana.

Just now, if it wasn’t for his inspiration to forcefully suppress the spirit of the flying sword, relying solely on Innate True Qi would not have been enough to refine such a stubborn flying sword!

Having this Poison Dragon Sword fall into his hands was like casting pearls before swine.

Seven days later.

The army completely pacified Poison Dragon Pond, and the Protector of Yan Beiling personally announced a great reward, ordering the troops to return home, to the cheers of all three armies.

...

Fufeng City.

Ever since the Protector and the Black Wind Army set out, the city had become somewhat deserted.

The local fathers and wives worried about their sons and husbands.

Only when news of victories from the front arrived would they show a faint smile.

Outside the city, Little Tian Village.

Su Family Manor.

This was a manor funded by Zhong Shenxiu, equipped with two hundred mu of good farmland with irrigation ditches, prime irrigated land, which guaranteed a good harvest unless a major disaster struck.

For many peasants, this was a family treasure.

Outside Su Family Manor, Su Wei’s expression was solemn as she pinched and chanted spells, gently stroking an ancient bronze mirror with a hand gesture.

Along with her incantation, the surface of the mirror became blurry, as if figures and sceneries were about to emerge, but in the end, it dimmed again.

"Failed again."

Su Wei sighed dejectedly and felt a bit dizzy.

"Sigh... Didn’t you hear what your cousin said? Such minor spells might be okay for Innate Martial Practitioners, but for ordinary people, there’s always a cost – it’s usually essential Qi-Blood and lifespan. Moreover, there are a lot of restrictions. It’s fine as a novelty, but if you take it seriously, you’re on the wrong path."

Su Tang came over and saw the scene. He frowned and couldn’t help but scold.

"I just wanted to see how cousin is doing..." Su Wei intertwined her fingers, "He followed the army on the campaign and didn’t send any news back. I heard that Poison Dragon Pond was treacherous and there were heavy casualties at the front... so I wanted to use the Returning Light Mirror spell to check..."

"You..." Su Tang was both annoyed and amused, "Sending images over a thousand miles is something not even ordinary cultivators can do. Using spells to probe military intelligence is even more taboo... You’re lucky your cultivation is shallow, no, almost nonexistent. Otherwise, the backlash would’ve been serious. It’s normal to fail; it would be weird if you succeeded!"

He looked at his nearly crying sister and couldn’t help but comfort her by patting her head, "It’s good that you’re worried, but why not help your aunt and uncle manage things in the manor instead?"

"I don’t really like staying in this manor..." Su Wei’s face turned bitter.

It wasn’t that she envied the hustle and bustle of the city or looked down on rural life, but when people of the Su Family came together, there was a mix of good and bad. Coupled with insatiable greed, they would sometimes argue fiercely over trivial benefits.

Of course, knowing that she and her brother were their only close and dependable relatives, these people of the Su Family did not dare to be too presumptuous. However, sabotaging each other behind the scenes, lodging petty complaints, and whining about their seniority were still common occurrences.

Even those two dogs seemed a bit scared; after all, outsiders have a hard time meddling in family affairs, so they were invited over.

"Ah..."

At this point, Su Tang couldn’t help but heave a sigh.

Within the Su Family, there were indeed those who were astute, resolute, and possessed foresight, as well as impeccable character.

But most of those well-known individuals had died years ago.

Even if they hadn’t died, those relegated to the frontier had made various desperate attempts to absolve themselves of their crimes, most of which ended in failure and even death.

It was actually some of the mediocre collateral branches that had managed to survive by sheer luck.

Therefore, their quality was, indeed, quite disappointing.

Su Tang had no desire to bother with this and, taking his little sister, left Little Tian Village, looking out to the road: "See that? This is the imperial road... If the army were to return, they would surely take this route. If you’re worried, little sister, you could come here every day to have a look."

Perched on Su Tang’s shoulder, Su Wei gazed into the distance.

Her feelings toward Su Daoshi were mostly gratitude and dependence.

After all, it was because of him that they, as siblings, had a chance at life. If their only pillar were to fall, they would surely be thrown back into the same hell as the rest of the Su Family.

At that moment, she thought she saw a Huang Long.

It was the billowing dust clouds stirred up by a large troop on the move.

"Brother, look!"

The little girl excitedly pointed towards the horizon: "Someone’s coming."

"Hmm, it could also be a caravan..."

Su Tang casually responded, glancing over, when suddenly he was mesmerized.

Amidst the swirling yellow sand, a troop was drawing closer.

Above this solemn formation, two banners fluttered—one crimson, representing the Second Yan Han Empire, and the other, pitch black, belonging to the Black Wind Army!

"This is my Great Han’s army!"

Su Tang didn’t know why, but the corners of his eyes grew warm: "They’ve returned!"

...

The news of the Protector Mansion’s triumphant return to the city burst like thunder in Fufeng City.

The Yan Han citizenry, young and old, waited by the road.

But, seeing the wounded soldiers, their hearts sank while they silently prayed.

Soon, the news that the Protector Mansion had suffered minor setbacks but successfully subdued the forces of Poison Dragon Ridge spread rapidly.

Accompanying this news was the exuberant rewards and promises of official appointments, meant to win over the hearts of the people.

Zhong Shenxiu watched from the sidelines, thinking that Yan Beiling’s position was a bit precarious.

While the people’s unrest had been temporarily pacified, if the court pursued the matter further, the outcome might not be too favorable.

After all, propaganda is just that, and whether this was a success or failure, the aristocracy and the court understood all too well.

However, all this had little to do with him, a mere Ninth Grade official.

Zhong Shenxiu returned to his own residence, looked at the familiar dogs, exhaled a breath of relief, and smiled: "Finally home..."

This operation had been quite the bounty, but he needed to rest well, waiting for his reward.

Fortunately, Feng Xixi had been pretty reliable this time, and the Protector Mansion’s official documents arrived three days later.