The twilight was blood-like.
On the vast land, the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain stretched like a giant serpent, spanning thousands of miles.
The sky and earth were dim. Not far from the southwestern region of the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain, a military camp was erected.
Various buildings stood tall, and flags fluttered in the wind.
The elite army known as the "Qingjia Army," under the command of the Wuling Marquis of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was stationed here year-round.
Over the years, under the leadership of Chen Zheng, the Wuling Marquis, the Qingjia Army had slain numerous demons and achieved remarkable military merits, earning them a fearsome reputation throughout the world.
"Has the Marquis returned yet?"
Inside a palace constructed of coarse stones, Zhang Yiren paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, a deep shade of worry appearing between his brows.
"Not yet."
A tall man clad in heavy armor shook his head.
Five days ago, there were abnormal movements in the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain. The sound of muffled thunder reverberated for half an hour, causing the beasts in the mountain to grow restless and roar.
Chen Zheng, the Wuling Marquis, sensed the anomaly and went alone to investigate the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
Little did anyone expect that since his departure, he had not returned.
"I hope the Marquis is safe..."
Zhang Yiren sighed.
In four days, the decennial beast tide would erupt.
At that time, the entire Qingjia Army would need to be on high alert, guarding against the tide of demons rushing out of the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain like a flood.
Without the presence of the Wuling Marquis Chen Zheng, the army's morale would undoubtedly falter.
Suddenly, a loud commotion could be heard from a distance, filled with disorder.
"What's happening on the training ground?"
Zhang Yiren frowned.
The tall man's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "It should be Vice Commander Ma Shanwei sparring with Captain Huang Qianjun."
Zhang Yiren's brows furrowed, and he sneered, "Ma Shanwei, a Martial Grandmaster First Order, picking on a young cultivator in the Qi Gathering stage? How shameless!"
"According to Ma Shanwei, Huang Qianjun has risen from the lowest rank of soldiers to become a captain in our Qingjia Army in less than a month. Moreover, he is the youngest captain in our Qingjia Army. His progress has been too rapid, and his arrogance must be suppressed."
The tall man spoke in a deep voice.
"Suppress his arrogance?"
Zhang Yiren displeasedly said, "As far as I know, Huang Qianjun has earned his fame through genuine skills. He is more than deserving of his position as a captain. What qualifications does Ma Shanwei have to suppress such a young talent?"
The tall man fell silent immediately.
Although Huang Qianjun had joined the Qingjia Army for a short time, he had participated in dozens of bloody battles, killing nearly three hundred demonic beasts!
The positions within the Qingjia Army were determined by military merits.
The more military merits accumulated, the faster the promotion.
Huang Qianjun had indeed accumulated military merits through hunting and killing demonic beasts, which earned him the position of the youngest captain in the Qingjia Army in less than a month.
This fact was beyond doubt.
"Let's go and take a look."
Zhang Yiren stood up and left the main hall, walking towards the training ground in the distance.
The tall man quickly followed.
The setting sun resembled blood.
On the training ground, where sand and dust swirled, many soldiers of the Qingjia Army had gathered.
In the center of the training ground.
Huang Qianjun was subdued on the ground, his arms locked behind his back by a large hand, and his cheeks pressed firmly against the ground by a heavy foot, covered in dust. Despite his struggles, he couldn't break free.
The owner of the foot was a slim man dressed in military attire. His skin was bronzed, his bald head shining, and his eyes exuded a fierce and sinister aura.
At this moment, the slim man shouted sternly, "Do you surrender?"
As he spoke, he exerted force with his foot, causing Huang Qianjun's cheeks to twist and distort. There were even signs of his cheekbones collapsing.
Around the training ground, many soldiers cheered excitedly:
"Martial Commander Ma Shanwei is mighty!"
Some people cheered for the slim man.
"Huang Qianjun, just surrender quickly. There's no shame in losing to Martial Commander Ma."
Some worriedly looked at Huang Qianjun on the ground, feeling anxious for him.
"Look, this is the consequence of opposing Martial Commander Ma. He's just a newcomer, although he has achieved many military merits, his sharpness is too much. He doesn't know how to restrain himself and be modest. He's doomed to have a rough time."
Some gloated with schadenfreude.
With a bruised and swollen face, Huang Qianjun's eyes were filled with determination as he hoarsely cursed, "Even if the King of Heaven himself comes, I won't bow down!"
A cold gleam flashed in Ma Shanwei's eyes, and he forcefully pressed down with his foot, causing Huang Qianjun's head to contort under the pressure.
"Martial Commander Ma, it's just a friendly sparring. Please don't get angry."
At this moment, a beautiful woman dressed in military attire, with delicate features, rushed out, immediately attracting many gazes.
Nan Ying!
The Qingjia Army had a force of thirty thousand soldiers, but there were very few women among them.
Nan Ying was one of the few, and she was an exceptionally outstanding beauty.
When she and other disciples of the Qinghe Sword Academy joined the Qingjia Army, it even caused a sensation throughout the entire army, attracting the desire of countless rough men.
Seeing Nan Ying, Ma Shanwei's gaze softened a bit, and he said, "I'm doing this for his own good, using this sparring to temper his arrogance, so that he doesn't become too conceited. I don't want him to end up dead without knowing how."
Nan Ying smiled sweetly and said, "Martial Commander Ma, your intentions are well-meaning. When Huang Qianjun comes to realize it later, he will surely be grateful to you."
As she spoke, she looked at Huang Qianjun and advised, "Brother Huang, listen to my advice. Quickly bow down and apologize to Martial Commander Ma. I believe with his magnanimity, he will definitely forgive you."
"Spit!"
Huang Qianjun angrily cursed, "You're not a good person either. Since joining the Qingjia Army, you've used your beauty to seduce Ma Shanwei. And now, you're pretending to be a good person? Disgusting! Get lost!"
"You..."
Being insulted like this, Nan Ying's face turned pale with anger.
Ma Shanwei's face darkened, a cold gleam surging in his eyes, and he suddenly lifted his foot.
Bang!
Huang Qianjun was sent flying and crashed heavily more than ten zhang away, the sound of his bones rubbing together under the strain echoing through the air. He wore a pained expression.
Before he could even stand up, Ma Shanwei rushed over and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He said, "Nan Ying pleaded for you, but you responded with insults and even defamed my reputation. Do you believe that with a single word from me, I can strip you of your position and deal with you according to military law?"
His words were chilling and intimidating.
The entire scene fell silent.
Everyone could see that Vice Commander Ma Shanwei was furious.
"Ma Shanwei, I want to ask, today's sparring was initiated by you, and it was meant to be just a friendly match. Yet, you took the opportunity to trample and humiliate Huang Qianjun. Is this what a vice commander should do?" Suddenly, a young man rushed out and questioned in a deep voice.
All eyes turned to him, recognizing him as Li Moyun, who, like Huang Qianjun, had joined the Qingjia Army on the same day.
"You bastard, can't you see that I used the pretext of sparring to correct the flaws in Huang Qianjun? My intentions were pure, but you see it as bullying the weak and seeking revenge. It's simply unreasonable!" Ma Shanwei's gaze turned sinister and icy, like a sharp blade as he looked at Li Moyun. "Kid, you've only recently joined the Qingjia Army. I won't bother with you for now. If you dare to speak nonsense again, don't blame me for punishing you!"
His words were filled with a strong threat.
However, Huang Qianjun laughed in anger, "What pure intentions do you have for me? Ha! Do I need you to do good things for me? Aren't you just taking advantage of Lord Hou's absence to deal with me? Let me tell you, Ma Shanwei, if you don't kill me today, I promise I'll repay you tenfold, a hundredfold in the future!"
"You're asking for death!"
Ma Shanwei was infuriated, raising his left hand to strike Huang Qianjun.
At that moment, Zhang Yiren hurriedly arrived and shouted, "Stop!"
Ma Shanwei frowned and said, "Old Zhang, what do you mean by this? Can't you see that I'm teaching Huang Qianjun how to be a qualified soldier of the Qingjia Army?"
Zhang Yiren said coldly, "You, a vice commander, are bullying the weak and using your strength to oppress the weak. Don't you feel ashamed? You keep claiming that you're doing it for Huang Qianjun's own good. How come I didn't know about your 'Butcher with a Cold Face' having such a kind heart?"
The atmosphere in the scene became tense.
The nearby soldiers sensed that something was wrong with the situation.
In the Qingjia Army, Martial Marquis Chen Zheng held the highest authority. Under his command, there were five vice commanders, each overseeing a force of around six thousand soldiers.
Under the vice commanders are the positions of a thousand-captain, hundred-captain, and ten-captain.
In terms of their positions, Zhang Yiren and Ma Shanwei, just like Huang Qianjun, are all vice commanders.
At the moment, because of Huang Qianjun, the two vice commanders are confronting each other, and tensions are high.
Ma Shanwei's eyes flickered as he said, "Old Zhang, don't forget, on the day Huang Qianjun joined the Qingjia Army, Marquis Hou instructed us to demand the strictest standards from him, so that he could truly grow to become the backbone of our Qingjia Army."
He spoke with a righteous tone and a stern expression. "I am doing this completely out of public interest, to temper and correct the arrogance in this boy."
Zhang Yiren's face darkened as he said, "Is this what you call public interest? Would you dare say the same thing if Marquis Hou were present?"
Ma Shanwei sneered, "Why wouldn't I dare? If Marquis Hou knew, he would understand that I am doing everything for the good of Huang Qianjun and wouldn't say anything!"
Zhang Yiren couldn't help but become annoyed, just about to say something.
Huang Qianjun coldly interrupted, "Master Zhang, there's no need to waste words with this guy. In the future, I will repay Commander Ma with this kind of lousy excuse!"
"Look at this, is this something a thousand-captain can say to a vice commander? It's simply disrespectful and lawless!"
Ma Shanwei's eyes flashed with a cold light. "If we don't put a stop to the arrogance in this boy, he will become a disaster for the Qingjia Army!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to strike Huang Qianjun.
Just at that moment, a clear and melodious cry suddenly resounded through the sky.
Following that, to the astonishment of everyone present, a magnificent and extraordinary Qinglin Eagle swiftly descended like lightning, landing in the training ground.
On the back of the Qinglin Eagle, Su Yi, Ning Xi, and Shen Jiulong successively dismounted.
In an instant, all eyes in the vicinity gathered on them.
"Su Yi!?"
Seeing Su Yi, Nan Ying's pretty face changed slightly as she quietly stepped back, blending in among the surrounding soldiers, seemingly afraid of being noticed by Su Yi.
Li Moyun was stunned for a moment, remaining silent with complex emotions in his heart.
Huang Qianjun also froze for a moment, almost unable to believe his eyes. How did Su-ge (brother Su) come here?
Zhang Yiren's heart skipped a beat, inwardly exclaiming that this was not good.
For Huang Qianjun to be humiliated by a vice commander of the Qingjia Army while being witnessed by Su Yi, how would this extraordinary young man feel?