The soldiers looked at him with doubt. A short drunk man who was sitting and laughing with them froze when he saw Wei Ren.
"Young master…." He whispered in a low fearful voice.
His fellow soldiers heard his words and looked at this young boy with strange expressions.
"Lieutenant, do you know this person?" One of the other soldiers asked him.
"He is…" he was about to speak when he suddenly realised that Wei Ren's identity cannot be disclosed.
Even though his interaction with the other officials of the army was kept to the minimum, there were still almost two dozen people who knew that Wei Ren was the infamous Devil General.
This soldier was one such fellow who also carried this secret.
The soldier's face went blank because he had almost blurted out the truth.
"Lieutenant Liu Xin, how have you been? It has been half a year since we last met." Wei Ren laughed and greeted the soldier.
This man was actually a lieutenant. He immediately got on his feet when Wei Ren called him out by his name.
He stood upright and respectfully saluted Wei Ren.
"Why is the Lieutenant saluting to this young boy?" A soldier asked another one.
"Maybe he is some Royal official's son." He replied softly.
Liu Xin looked at Wei Ren not knowing how to handle the situation. Should he continue with the drinking or should he explain to his soldiers that this young boy in front of them is the infamous Devil General.
They all knew there was a young boy in the army who helped the tactical team with the planning and strategies. But they didn't know that he was standing in front of them.
"Go ahead. Tell them." Wei Ren laughed casually. There was no point in keeping his identity hidden anymore. During the Mission Assignment Competition everyone would find out about him. Including the fact that he can now cultivate.
Liu Xin looked at him with surprise. But he still complied with the orders.
"Bright Sun Division. ON YOUR FEET." Liu Xin yelled at the stop of his lungs. His words pulled the drunk soldiers out of their stupor. The effects of the wine were washed away in an instant.
They all lined up in a formation, waiting for further orders.
"What is happening?" One of the curious soldiers thought in his heart.
"Stand upright in the presence of Devil General Wei Ren, son of the Blue Rose Kingdom's Emperor, Emperor Wei Yan." Liu Xin was able to come up with an introduction for Wei Ren on his own albeit a very weird introduction.
It was like lightning had struck the entire Bright Sun Division. Soldiers who wondered about Wei Ren were the ones who got the biggest shock.
Wei Ren's name was very famous at this border. He even had a bounty on his head placed by the Golden Crow Kingdom. But they never succeeded in assassinating him. Firstly his identity was kept hidden very well and secondly, he never himself entered the battles. He was always behind the shadows, giving orders left and right.
These soldiers deeply respected him. Even though they never really met him. With his deceptive strategies, they were able to avoid disasters. He saved their lives on many occasions. This was also how Liu Xin came to know his identity.
Liu Xin once commanded a group of soldiers on a siege and capture mission. Wei Ren found that their decision to attack would definitely result in casualties. He sent a new set of orders and prevented them from entering the dragon's mouth.
Liu Xin was then promoted by Wei Tian for his service and also got to know the Devil General's identity.
"At ease." Wei Ren said with a smile. He could see the reverence and fear in these soldiers' eyes for him.
"Lieutenant Xin, what is the situation at the base? Give me a briefing." He asked.
"Yes Sir. The attacks from the Golden Crow Kingdom have ceased. There has been no contact with the enemy for three days. Intel says that they are in recuperation and getting their supplies. General has ordered all battalions to stay on standby and stay ready for the next wave of battles. This subordinate decided to give his soldiers rest before the fighting starts again." Liu Xin gave a brief report and also told Wei Ren the reason they were drinking out here in the middle of the day.
"What about the Mission Assignment Competition? How are things going with the preparation?"
"The preparation ended yesterday. General is holding the opening ceremonies in the training arena. It must have started by now." Liu Xin explained.
"Oh no. Did they decide to start the competition early? I need to hurry." He thought in his head.
"Is that so? I will be taking my leave then. Take proper rest. We will be battling together this time. I hope to see you all on the battlefield. For the Rose and the Kingdom." Wei Ren ended with their army's slogan and nodded with approval.
"Time to hurry." He focused on his chest and easily awakened the Blood Symbol.
"For the Rose and the Kingdom." They all shouted in unison.
Rumble!
With the roars of thunder he left just as he had arrived. Liu Xin and his subordinates watched him as he left a black trail on the road.
"Lieutenant, is he really the Devil General?" A curious soldier asked.
"Do you think I would lie? You all should be happy. With his presence, this war just became ten times easier. We practically have two Generals guiding us." Liu Xin said with a laugh.
"Let's continue drinking. Bring more wine." He went to his seat and yelled at a young soldier who hurriedly ran into the village to get more wine.
Blue Rose Head Military Base.
In the training arena.
A big stage was constructed in the middle of the arena. Wei Tian stood on the stage under the countless gazes of soldiers and the royal family youngsters who were going to take part in the Mission Assignment Competition. Wei Yu, Wei Chen, Wei Qing and Wei Ling were standing beside him on the stage.
They were all in the Line of Succession. This competition was mainly held for them. Rest of the youngsters were here to gain experience and take part in the competition. If one of them was lucky and hardworking enough, he or she might even earn a spot on the List of Succession.
Wei Tian welcomed the youngsters as well as the Two Royal Elders who came with them. He spoke in a very plain and bland voice as if this whole competition didn't interest him at all.
Truth is that he did not like these Royal Elders. They are all scheming old foxes who only care about their own family branches. Wei Tian served the Kingdom. He couldn't care less about these scheming old farts.
He looked at the young faces of all these family members and remembered his own brother. He and Wei Shan were just like these youngsters when they started their own cultivation.
"Where is that snotty brat? How can he be late to such an important event? Bei Piao delivered my message to him. He better be on his way right now." Wei Tian thought as he delayed with the announcements.
Royal Elders were also growing impatient. He can stall the opening ceremonies only for so long. If Wei Ren was late, these Royal Elders would try to come up with ways to cause problems for him.
The youngsters were talking in themselves as they waited for Wei Tian to start the competition.
One of the old Royal Elders walked up to him and whispered in his ear.
"Elder Brother Tian, we should start the competition. People are getting impatient. Sun is going to set soon. We can't do this again tomorrow. Competition must start today." As the old Elder finished whispering, a loud roar of thunder echoed in the entire arena.
"There is no need for Brother Jiang to worry. Wei Ren is here." Wei Tian said with a laugh.
He looked straight ahead. He felt a very familiar aura approaching towards them at a very fast speed when Royal Elder Wei Jiang walked up to him.
Several more roars were heard. All the youngsters were looking around. There were no clouds. Sky was clear. So where was this thunder coming from?
Wei Yu had a ugly expression on his face. He also felt his presence.
Wei Qing was smiling and looked at Wei Yu with a mocking expression. Wei Chen knew that things would get troublesome again.. Wei Ling was silently staring at the sky and cared about nothing. They all felt his presence. That is why Wei Yu had such an unsightly expression.
Rumble!
He produced several thunderbolts this time. More than he needed. But he had a plan in his mind. He sent all of the thunderbolts into his legs and jumped into the air. He didn't go through the main entrance.
Wei Ren jumped over the tall wall of the giant arena.
All the Wei family youngsters watched as a brown haired boy came thundering down from the sky. He landed a few feet away from the stage.
Dust was swept away when he fell from the sky.
"Wei Ren, son of Emperor Wei Yan of the main family branch reports for duty." He looked at Wei Tian and said with a cunning smile while looking into his eyes.