Morning roll call at the military camp.
On the training ground, Chen Sanshi began to inspect the results of their month-long assessment.
"Those who've managed to awaken their qi and blood—step forward!"
Silence.
"…"
He changed his words. "Those who've mastered the spear technique and stake training—step forward!"
This time, eighteen men came out.
It was more than Chen Sanshi had expected.
The rest were still formation grunts, but at least none of them were completely useless. Most were young, and thankfully, none had failed even the most basic stake drills.
Among them, the one with the best talent was Wu Da.
Chen Sanshi predicted he'd be the first to reach the tempering blood stage.
Next was Zhuang Yi.
As for Zhao Qiao, he was average in martial ability, but his archery was excellent, and his honest, steady nature made him reliable—someone worth keeping around for other roles later.
Aside from them, both Zhu Tong and Wang Li had advanced significantly. Thanks to the ample supply of medicinal materials in the camp, they'd both reached the threshold of mastery in tempering blood.
Normally, they'd have to wait until reaching minor achievement before being promoted to Sub-Flag Officer.
But Chen Sanshi was seriously short on men, so he selected a few who were expected to reach that realm soon to temporarily act as sub-flags—though without the actual rank or pay.
"My lord, what about me?"
Xu Wencai couldn't sit still anymore. Seeing everyone getting titles, he grinned and hurried up.
"Old Xu."
Chen Sanshi looked at him and said, "I don't seem to have any positions left for you right now."
"I don't need a title," Xu Wencai replied with a smile. "Just give me something to do. I can help drill the formations, make sure everyone trains properly, and plan how we can reduce next year's losses as much as possible."
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi didn't refuse.
[Skill: Commanding Troops (Beginner)]
[Progress: 85/500]
[Effect: Backbone of the Army]
Through practice, he'd discovered something interesting—when he had Zhu Tong or others teach martial skills under his supervision, his proficiency also went up.
Probably because they were technically under his command.
Still, it didn't increase as fast as when he taught personally.
But it was basically passive training—why not take advantage of that?
"Just wait and see, my lord!"
Xu Wencai puffed out his chest. "I'll make sure our formation drills reach first-class level!"
The new recruits' assessment period officially ended.
Next came real assignments for Chen Sanshi—though he didn't yet know whether he'd be assigned to garrison defense or agricultural duties.
If it was farming, there'd be plenty of menial work.
He was hoping for patrol or city duty instead—it would leave more time for training.
"Bwooo—"
The horn blew.
Recently, Thousand-Household Xiang Tingchun had been giving frequent addresses, so everyone was used to sudden assemblies.
Nearly one thousand soldiers quickly gathered on the training field.
Prefect Ji Guangxian arrived with his personal guards, stepping up to the high platform. He raised his voice and said:
"Soldiers of Poyang County, you've all worked hard!"
"I, Ji Guangxian, am but a civil official. I have no authority over military affairs, so there's no need for anyone to be nervous. I've come only to offer encouragement—and, incidentally, a great reward!"
"Bring it up!"
Several guards carried up dozens of large wine jars.
"Do you know what this is?"
Prefect Ji smiled proudly. "This is medicinal wine brewed from the blood of a rare beast—the Saber-Toothed Tiger."
"This wine is especially effective for those in the tempering bone stage. Used both internally and externally, it greatly accelerates cultivation. With it, progress is a thousand miles a day!"
"Not just in Anding Prefecture—even throughout the entire Yunzhou region, there are no such beasts to be hunted. That makes this wine extremely rare and priceless—truly beyond value."
"These were personally sent by Lord Gao of the Ministry of War from the capital, over a thousand li away."
"Lord Gao said the court's forces are stretched thin, unable to send more reinforcements. But merit must be rewarded! That's why he sent this batch of rare medicinal wine all the way from the capital."
"In the future, all soldiers will be able to exchange their military merits for it!"
Chen Sanshi had never heard of this kind of wine before.
But seeing the excited expressions on the faces of the other Hundred-Household Officers, he could tell it was something extraordinary.
No wonder it was labeled as a non-tradable treasure.
Military merit wasn't easy to earn—it'd take a while before anyone could redeem such rewards.
Luckily, Chen Sanshi had spiritual grain, so he wasn't in any rush.
Still, he couldn't help but think, this Prefect Ji Guangxian must be filthy rich.
Ever since raiding Medicine Valley, Chen Sanshi had started finding hunting a bit dull.
All that effort sneaking through the mountains for a few taels of silver?
It was nothing compared to what the wealthy could casually afford.
But Prefect Ji wasn't alone—he'd brought quite a number of guards. Chen Sanshi couldn't tell what realm their highest fighter was in.
Still, for a prefect, there was a good chance at least one of them was a tempering organs martial artist.
"Old Chen!"
Hundred-Household Officer Xiong came running. "Thousand-Household Xiang wants you in the command tent."
They'd long dropped formalities and called him "Old Chen" now, even though he was younger than most of them.
Inside the central command tent, besides Xiang Tingchun and Luo Dongquan, there were also two unfamiliar civil officials.
"Sanshi," Xiang Tingchun said with a faint smile, "your promotion paperwork for Hundred-Household has been completed."
Xiang Tingchun spoke first. "These two gentlemen are officials from the Martial Selection Department."
Chen Sanshi cupped his fists respectfully. "Greetings, my lords."
He cooperated as the officials verified his identity.
Aside from the appointment letter, they also brought a brand-new official uniform and armor set.
A Hundred-Household Officer was a sixth-rank martial official, his uniform dyed in dark blue and embroidered with a fierce tiger emblem.
Chen Sanshi chuckled quietly. "Guess I'm a beast in fine clothing now."
Still, soldiers rarely had the chance to wear official robes. Most of the time, they wore armor.
The new armor was still made of cloth and iron plates, but it was much more refined. A solid iron helmet came with it, and vital areas were reinforced with thick metal plates—its defense far superior to what he'd worn before.
He wasn't the only one promoted.
Luo Dongquan had also advanced—now Vice Thousand-Household Officer, a fifth-rank position.
Judging by how the Ministry officials spoke, it was clear Luo had reached the tempering organs stage.
That meant there were now two tempering organs martial artists within the Thousand-Household Division.
"Sanshi, your men should've finished their assessment period by now, right?"
Xiang Tingchun asked, "In two days, you'll take over Zhao Kang's post and lead your men to guard the Great Wall watchtower."
The duties of a garrison officer were divided between farming and defense.
Defense itself was split into two types—patrolling the city or garrisoning the border.
The border watch was naturally harder, since it required night duty.
But Poyang's frontier hadn't seen barbarian raids in over ten years, so it was relatively peaceful.
For Chen Sanshi, it was just a change of training grounds.
He cupped his fists. "I accept the order."
"Sanshi, come with me."
Xiang Tingchun led him to an open area with no one around. "Take your Fifteen-Stone Bow and shoot me."
The sudden command caught Chen Sanshi completely off guard.
"It's fine," Xiang Tingchun said with a hearty laugh. "Just shoot."
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi was curious too—he wanted to see how his arrow would fare against a tempering organs martial artist.
He didn't hesitate. With one deep breath, he drew the bow and released.
An armor-piercing arrow tore through the air!
"Clang—!"
A flash of cold light split the air.
At some point, Xiang Tingchun's grain-blade had already appeared in his hand. The arrow was cleaved neatly in two.
Chen Sanshi had mentally prepared himself for this, yet his face still turned serious.
If the man dared to let him shoot, of course he was confident.
Chen had expected him to dodge—but not this.
Since the day he started practicing Archery, this was the first time he had completely missed his target.
"I've reached minor achievement in tempering organs," Xiang Tingchun explained slowly as he sheathed his blade. "A tempering organs martial artist has heightened senses, reaction speed, and explosive strength. It's extremely hard for your arrows to hit unless you're fast enough—so fast that I can't react."
Chen Sanshi clasped his hands. "Thank you for the guidance, Thousand-Household."
"No need to be so formal."
Xiang Tingchun clasped his hands behind his back. "I actually wanted to speak to you about something else."
"The new Prefect, Ji Guangxian, has close ties with the Song family. He might have some opinions about you. Honestly, that's partly my fault. I've spoken for you, but it'd still be best if you visited him in person—apologize, show some respect. Peace is always better, right?"
"He's currently staying on Ningfeng Street in the county. The largest mansion there—you can't miss it. Oh, and one more thing—his bodyguard is also at the tempering organs stage, though only just entered."
After leaving those words, Xiang Tingchun strolled away.
Chen Sanshi stood there, thinking over the message.
That wasn't advice to apologize—it was practically an assassination plan!
First, he reminded him that tempering organs martial artists couldn't be killed easily with arrows.
Then he gave him the man's address.
Finally, he even "helpfully" pointed out that the prefect's guard was also at the tempering organs stage—clearly suggesting he should wait until Ji Guangxian was alone to strike.
A complete assassination briefing, neatly packaged.
'So, there's bad blood between Xiang Tingchun and Prefect Ji, huh?'
Interesting.
Still, he'd act based on the situation.
If he were to kill, he'd kill them both—prefect and guard alike—leaving no loose ends.
And Xiang Tingchun? He was no ally either. Not someone to trust.
Better to wait until his own strength increased before making any moves.
That meant not only boosting his cultivation but also honing his archery.
And there was still medicine.
He'd hoarded plenty of herbs but didn't yet know how to use them properly.
With that thought, Chen Sanshi headed to the infirmary to find Medical Officer Jiang.