Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Thunderbolt Hand
"Tiger Commander."
Bai Yuan looked at the burly man before him, who resembled a larger version of Xiongshan, and gave a Divine Mansion Army salute.
This man was none other than Hu Ben, Commander of the Gang Camp.
Although Hu Ben was nominally just the Commander of the Gang Camp, in reality, he was practically on par with a Vice Commander like Liu Li in both strength and status.
This time, he was the supreme commander for Qinghe and the surrounding eighteen counties.
Which made him Bai Yuan’s superior.
He had come to Qinghe to kill Zhou Tao, but unexpectedly, Bai Yuan had beaten him to it.
Zhao Han and his men gazed at Hu Ben with deep admiration.
Compared to long-established experts, they had far more respect for a hardened warrior like Hu Ben, who had clawed his way up through the army’s ranks.
Legend had it that Hu Ben was originally just a servant boy the Divine Mansion Army had press-ganged into being a cook. Yet, step by step, he had earned the position of Gang Camp Commander through military merit.
He was the ultimate role model for every soldier from a humble background.
The Gang Camp corresponded to the Heavenly Spirit Star, which was ranked second among the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits, second only to the Kui Camp.
However, the Kui Camp served as Grand Commander Yu Hui’s personal guard, making Hu Ben the de facto leader of the thirty-six camps.
Such an inspirational figure naturally earned the profound admiration of soldiers like Zhao Han.
Zhao Han came from a better background than Grand Commander Hu, but he had fought and clawed his way through the Slaughter Camp for over a decade. During that time, he had nearly died under enemy blades on countless occasions, only managing to luckily escape with his life each time.
Having experienced such brutal fighting, he could truly appreciate the weight of Grand Commander Hu’s accomplishments.
"Commander Bai."
Hu Ben spoke in a deep, booming voice.
He sized up Bai Yuan, making no effort to conceal his scrutiny.
He was, of course, aware of Bai Yuan’s title as Grand Commander Dong’s sole True Disciple, a fact well-known throughout the Divine Mansion Army.
Now that he saw him in person, his strength wasn’t bad, but his skinny arms and legs were a bit of a disappointment.
Of course, that was by his standards.
Still, considering he had killed Zhou Tao, it was a respectable feat.
In fact, after taking up martial arts, Bai Yuan was already considered well-built for an adult man. In his past life, he could have even entered a men’s physique competition. Only a mountain of a man like Hu Ben would call him slim.
"Commander Bai, don’t you worry. I’ll take the credit for what happened to Zhou Tao."
Hu Ben chuckled.
’Grand Commander Dong’s apprentice is truly something else,’ he mused. ’Achieving Blood Refining Killing Strength... The mere thought is exhilarating.’
However, Bai Yuan had no intention of letting this news get out for the time being.
The Soul-Chasing Tower’s intelligence network would find out sooner or later, but any delay was still a good thing.
With his current strength, he wasn’t very confident about facing an Entering Martial Artist. His chances were thirty percent at best.
He needed at least a ninety percent chance of success before making a move, just like a certain ’Cautious Sage’ surnamed Li.
If those old martial artists who had been stuck in the Blood Refining stage for decades were to hear this, they would probably cough up blood in exasperation.
Daring to fight an Entering Martial Artist while at the Blood Refining stage, and with a thirty percent chance of success at that—it was simply heaven-defying. Normally, the odds should be a near-certain death.
But what was nearly impossible for others was possible for Bai Yuan because he had a cheat.
Besides, Old Dong had done something similar, which made Bai Yuan’s feat seem less remarkable in comparison.
Hu Ben chatted with Bai Yuan for a bit longer and found that he quite liked the new commander’s temperament.
Neither of them liked to waste words.
Hu Ben’s tendency to act first and skip the pointless chatter had earned him no small amount of criticism from Yu Hui.
He still vividly remembered Grand Commander Yu pointing at his nose, shouting in exasperation.
"Your surname is Hu, and I can’t believe how dense you are!"
"Couldn’t you have waited for them to tell you where the treasure was hidden before you killed them? You’re a damn liability."
Hu Ben was furious at the time, but he later came to realize that there was some real wisdom to Grand Commander Yu’s methods, which was how he’d become Grand Commander in the first place.
Still, he didn’t change his ways. It wasn’t his fault those people talked too much.
Over time, Grand Commander Yu simply decided to let him be.
"Oh, right, Younger Brother Bai, Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang has appeared near Qinghe. Old Yang, the Commander of the Slaughter Camp, was injured by him and almost died. You need to be extra careful."
Hu Ben added as a parting reminder.
The moment he heard this, Zhao Han’s eyes turned red.
He had come from the Slaughter Camp and shared a deep bond with Commander Yang.
Bai Yuan’s heart sank.
He had just killed Zhou Tao, the Soul-Chasing Tower expert stationed in the Qinghe region, and they had already sent a new expert so quickly. The Soul-Chasing Tower’s underlying strength was truly unfathomable.
...
「Hundred Sheep County.」
A corpse hung high from the city wall.
A closer look revealed the man to be Zhang Bin, Commander of the Divine Mansion Army’s Guzi Camp.
Zhang Bin had originally been a failed scholar. By a twist of fate, he switched paths and began practicing martial arts. Unexpectedly, his aptitude was excellent, and he had climbed all the way to the position of Guzi Camp Commander.
Like Bai Yuan, he had been ordered to oversee Hundred Sheep County and several nearby counties.
Just yesterday, he had led the Guzi Camp, pursuing the remnants of the Soul-Chasing Tower for ten li. Who would have thought his corpse would be hanging on the wall today?
Just then—
A towering figure appeared atop the city wall, as fearsome as a Demon God descended to the mortal realm.
He remained silent, merely reaching out to take Zhang Bin’s corpse down from the spear.
Zhang Bin’s entire chest had been hollowed out, torn apart and emptied by hand in an exceedingly cruel manner.
"It must have hurt a lot when you died."
Hu Ben muttered in a low, heavy voice.
He had been in the Divine Mansion Army for twenty years; he was familiar with every commander in the thirty-six camps.
Zhang Bin... Those who knew him well called him Scholar Zhang, even though Zhang Bin had never even passed the examination to become one.
’Damn, what a fucking idiot,’
Hu Ben remembered that this Commander Zhang was ruthless when he killed, but he was also the one who screamed the loudest whenever he got injured.
’For someone afraid of pain to be killed in such a way... it’s practically worse than death.’
’Though he really is dead. He’s probably already off to find that old woman, Meng, to have a bowl of her soup.’
’Dead is dead. A few extra bowls of soup and he’ll forget all the pain from this life anyway.’
’In his next life, he can be a rich young master. That’ll probably be much easier.’
For some reason, Hu Ben let out a soft chuckle.
Sadness?
Not much, really.
Commanders died every year in the Divine Mansion Army; it was commonplace. Today, he was collecting Zhang Bin’s body. Who knew, maybe tomorrow he’d be the one dead with no one to even retrieve his corpse. At that point, even a soldier’s burial would be an extravagant hope.
Xu Kang...
Hu Ben uttered the name in a low voice, his eyes turning icy cold.
Zhang Bin had just returned to camp after leading his men in pursuit of Soul-Chasing Tower members when Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang stormed into the Guzi Camp and cut him down.
It took only a single move.
Afterward, Xu Kang killed many Guzi Camp soldiers before hanging Zhang Bin’s body on the wall on his way out.
"You deserve to die."
Hu Ben was suddenly overcome with unprecedented rage.
Right now, he wanted only to find Xu Kang and tear him to pieces.
...
"Commander Bai, Commander Zhang of the Guzi Camp has been killed."
"The one who killed Commander Zhang was Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang."
Zhao Han handed the confidential message to Bai Yuan, his expression heavy.
He had once fought side-by-side with Commander Zhang. Although the commander looked fair and delicate, he killed without the slightest hesitation and had even saved Zhao Han’s life once.
To think he would die just like that.
A wave of desolation and endless anger suddenly rose in Zhao Han’s heart.
But the one who killed Zhang Bin was an Entering Martial Artist; he was completely powerless.
Within a hundred-li radius, perhaps only Commander Hu Ben was capable of trading blows with the Thunderbolt Hand.
At this thought, he couldn’t help but glance at Bai Yuan again.
’Maybe this Commander Bai, too...’ he wondered.
Very few people knew that Bai Yuan had killed Zhou Tao, and he was one of them.
However, Zhao Han wasn’t optimistic that his commander could kill a long-famous Entering Martial Artist.
Xu Kang was no Zhou Tao. He had broken through to the Entering the Realm ten years ago, and his foundation could not have been more stable.
"I know."
Bai Yuan waved his hand, his voice holding little surprise.
As for sadness, there was even less.
Although he had been in the Divine Mansion Army for some time, Hu Ben was the only one of the thirty-six camp commanders he had ever met. He had never even laid eyes on the commander surnamed Zhang.
Naturally, he couldn’t feel the same grief as Zhao Han.
He had long anticipated that some camp’s commander would be killed by Xu Kang.
The Soul-Chasing Tower hadn’t sent Xu Kang here for any reason other than to kill; he certainly wouldn’t be returning empty-handed.
Zhang Bin’s death was only the beginning. More commanders would likely be killed by Xu Kang.
The best-case scenario was that Hu Ben would be able to intercept Xu Kang before he could kill again.
However, Bai Yuan wasn’t optimistic. In a head-on confrontation, Xu Kang might not be Hu Ben’s match, but when it came to tracking, Xu Kang of the Soul-Chasing Tower could run circles around him.
Everyone has their specialty; there was nothing to be done about it.
Even if Bai Yuan wanted to help Hu Ben, there was nothing he could do.
...
Things unfolded as he had expected. Although Hu Ben was furious, Xu Kang led him on a wild goose chase through the deep mountains, toying with him.
Xu Kang even struck again, injuring the commander of the Fu Camp.
In just seven days, three Divine Mansion Army commanders had fallen to Xu Kang’s hand—one dead, two injured.
For a time, panic spread through the camps of the Divine Mansion Army.
The commanders who had been out hunting enemies now turtled in the cities, wary of a sneak attack from Xu Kang.
But there was one exception among them...
"Junior Brother Bai, you’re heading out of the city again?"
Chu Yuan couldn’t help but ask as he watched Bai Yuan leading his men out.
The news that Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang was on a killing spree nearby had spread far and wide, so of course, he had heard it.
All eighteen camps of the Divine Mansion Army stationed south of Huanglong Prefecture had pulled back into the cities for defense, terrified that Xu Kang might storm their camps and cut them down.
Yet his Junior Brother Bai acted as if nothing was wrong, heading out of the city each day to hunt down the remnants of the Demon Sect.
He was the very picture of defiance.
Of course, the results were also excellent.
Perhaps because of Xu Kang, the Soul-Chasing Tower assassins and Celestial Heart Sect disciples hiding in the deep mountains had started to get bold. As a result, they ran right into Bai Yuan and were slaughtered to the last man.
But even if he had been lucky enough to avoid Xu Kang the last few times, he might run right into the Thunderbolt Hand this time.
Chu Yuan really didn’t want anything to happen to Bai Yuan.
"Yes."
Bai Yuan smiled faintly.
"Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang still hasn’t been found. Junior Brother Bai, you must be careful."
"Don’t worry, Senior Brother Chu."
Bai Yuan gave a casual wave of his hand and continued leading his troops out of the city.
’Grinding mobs is the top priority. It can’t be delayed.’
’This is the prime time for Demon Sect mobs to respawn. Grinding efficiency is doubled. I have to take advantage of it.’
’As for that Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang...’
’Until we fight, I won’t know if I’m his match.’
However, it wasn’t a situation where a fight between him and Xu Kang was inevitable.
Thanks to his Blade Returning to the Mountain and Demon-Seeking Skill techniques, he had gradually grasped a sliver of the special sense one only acquired upon reaching the Sensing Threshold.
Although his perception was nowhere near as terrifying as that of a Sensing Grandmaster, it was enough to detect Xu Kang before Xu Kang could detect him.
’As long as I avoid a fight, I’ll be fine.’
Bai Yuan took a few skilled men from the Wei Camp and plunged into the mountains. He was very familiar with the forests around Qinghe.
The Demon Sect experts hiding in the mountains had no way of escaping his pursuit.
He chased and killed these Demon Sect experts for over ten li, cutting down seventeen of them before stopping, satisfied.
It was late at night by the time he returned to the Martial Arts Hall.
"Brother Yuan, you’re back."
The candle in the small courtyard was still lit.
Xiao Qiaoniang heard the noise at the entrance and came running out of her room.
Bai Yuan: "Yes, I’m back."
’The feeling of having someone wait for your return is truly nice,’ he thought.
He took the wet towel Sister Qiao handed him, wiped his face, and then changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Going into the mountains to kill enemies, it was inevitable that his clothes would get dirty.
But now, Sister Qiao no longer had to wash his clothes personally; there were servant girls to do it.
In the words of his past life: he was balling.
After changing into clean clothes, Bai Yuan felt completely refreshed.
He looked at his spoils from the day.
[Enhancement Points: 1267]
Killing people and killing demons really was the fastest way to get enhancement points.
He looked at his Blade Returning to the Mountain technique, which had already been upgraded to the Mastery level.
"Add the points!"
