But Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family only had one daughter, Zhang Linghua. Combined with Hei Hu’s impetuous and glory-seeking personality, he was bound to find trouble on the battlefield, even with the protection of Yang Shaorong and his three other senior martial brothers.
Chu Lingguang could only turn to Mr. Du for help.
He hoped Mr. Du could find a legitimate excuse to transfer Hei Hu from the front lines back to South City to continue serving as a Garrison Commander.
He knew that with Mr. Du’s power and status, this would not be difficult. He was also certain that Mr. Du would not refuse his request.
A message was sent by falcon.
The letter was sent from Wolf Valley Pass that night and reached Mr. Du’s hands by the evening of the next day.
Yunchuan City was heavily fortified. Although the Turkic Army of 50,000 had been repelled, the Turks had not given up. They were still preparing for another charge, and Mr. Du and his military advisor were discussing a preemptive strike, intending to personally lead troops to scatter the Turkic encampments.
He was somewhat surprised to suddenly receive a letter from Chu Lingguang.
"Hei Hu."
"It’s that little rascal."
Mr. Du remembered Hei Hu.
Years ago, Guo Wei had brought Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu to stay at his residence for a while. Although Hei Hu’s aptitude wasn’t as outstanding as Chu Lingguang’s, his straightforward personality and habit of flirting with the maids had left a vivid impression on him.
"Adoptive Father, what are you smiling about?"
Du Wushuang was clad in armor, his face stained with blood. He had just led a squad on patrol in the mountains and had run right into a Turkic scouting party. After losing many men and sustaining injuries himself, he had managed to wipe them out.
"Chu Lingguang sent a letter asking me to do something for him. That rascal... it’s been nearly two years since he passed the Martial Examination and took his post, and this is the first time he’s personally written to ask me for help," Mr. Du remarked with a sigh.
"Adoptive Father, has Chu run into some urgent trouble?" Du Wushuang asked hastily. He still owed Chu Lingguang a Favor and had been thinking about how to repay it.
"His senior martial brother, Hei Hu, was transferred from South City to the front lines by the Court. He’s worried something will happen to Hei Hu, who also just recently started a family, so he wants me to find a way to get him recalled from the front."
Mr. Du handed the letter to Du Wushuang to read.
"Unofficially reassigning a commander from the front... the consequences could be minor or severe. Do you have a plan, Adoptive Father?" Du Wushuang asked.
"The Turks haven’t given up. Yunchuan City is behind the nation’s gates, so they will definitely invade it again. I’ll write an order. You take my directive to the front, find Hei Hu, and use the excuse of being short-handed to have him assist you in hunting down Turkic scouts in the mountains. I’ll set a trap in the forest and break one of Hei Hu’s legs," Mr. Du said after a moment of thought.
Even he couldn’t recall Hei Hu from the front lines and reinstate him as the Garrison Commander of South City without a valid reason. To get Hei Hu out of danger, the only way was to break one of his legs, allowing him to withdraw from the front due to injury.
This way, the Court would even credit Hei Hu for his service.
"Yes, your son accepts the order."
Du Wushuang thought the plan was feasible.
Mr. Du also quickly wrote a reply to Chu Lingguang.
The content was simple: Hei Hu’s leg had been broken, he would soon be withdrawn from the front to recuperate back home, and Chu Lingguang shouldn’t worry.
The message was sent by falcon.
It was very fast.
Mr. Du had just sent the letter in the evening.
By noon the next day, a messenger at Wolf Valley Pass delivered the letter to Chu Lingguang.
Reading the letter’s contents, Chu Lingguang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’No matter what, a broken leg can heal. At least it’s better than losing his life.’
He also knew that Mr. Du would be measured in his actions and would definitely not leave Hei Hu with any permanent side effects.
「Three days later.」
Another letter arrived from Mr. Du.
Chu Lingguang had assumed it was a returned Favor—that Mr. Du needed him to handle something. But the contents made his jaw drop.
Du Wushuang had successfully found Hei Hu and, with the permission of the front-line officers, had him assist in hunting Turkic scouts in the mountains. As expected, Hei Hu stepped on a trap and "fractured his right leg."
Du Wushuang brought Hei Hu back to the front, reported to his superior officer, and requested a replacement to help him hunt the scouts. But Hei Hu took out the Bone Healing Ointment he had developed with Master Yan in South City, healed his own right leg in front of everyone, and bragged to the officer that it was a sacred healing medicine passed down in his family.
Two silver taels a bottle.
The next day, Du Wushuang again took a perfectly healthy Hei Hu into the mountains to hunt Turkic scouts. He had modified the trap in advance, and this time, both of Hei Hu’s legs were truly broken!
He was carried down the mountain on a stretcher and transported back to South City by carriage.
’Sigh... Senior Brother, I knew that you and Master Yan would come up with plenty of clever money-making schemes, but I never thought you’d actually develop Bone Healing Ointment.’
’Now your bones are really broken. Let’s see if your Bone Healing Ointment is still useful now, shall we?’
Chu Lingguang sighed long and deep.
Hei Hu was glory-seeking and impetuous. If he were told that someone wanted to use an injury as a pretext to recall him from the front, he would surely refuse.
He might even rush to accomplish some great deed just to show everyone.
Having known Hei Hu for so long, Chu Lingguang understood his temperament. That’s why neither he nor Mr. Du would ever reveal the behind-the-scenes manipulation, and he would also instruct Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family to keep it a secret.
He just never expected Hei Hu to always bring them such surprises.
However, the letter also mentioned a few things that made Chu Lingguang happy.
Yang Shaorong’s Mental Realm had also entered the fourth level, and his strength had reached the peak of the True Martial Realm. He had slain over a thousand enemies on the battlefield. Wu Feihong, Li Murong, and Wang Chao were all safe and sound.
So, Chu Lingguang replied to Mr. Du, expressing his gratitude.
At the same time, he also sent two letters back, one to Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family and one to Guo Wei.
One letter told Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family that Hei Hu was on his way back and likely wouldn’t be caught up in the war again. He added that the Bone Healing Ointment was indeed excellent and that she should remember to get a few boxes from Hei Hu to keep at home.
The other letter told Guo Wei that their four senior brothers were fighting bravely on the front lines and that their eldest, Yang Shaorong, had achieved a breakthrough in his Mental Realm, his cultivation reaching the peak of the True Martial Realm. He assured Guo Wei that all was well with him at Wolf Valley Pass and hoped Guo Wei would take care of himself and Second Aunt’s family. Once the war subsided and the Great Yuan was victorious, he would return home to visit and pay his respects to Guo Wei.
The flames of war raged.
The Profound Iron Ore at Wolf Valley Pass became all the more precious and important. The pass was originally garrisoned by 30,000 troops. As war erupted and riots broke out in various regions, the Court not only didn’t reduce the number of troops here but actually transferred an additional 10,000 from Divine Land Mansion to ensure Wolf Valley Pass remained secure.
「Half a month later.」
Chu Lingguang received a reply from Guo Wei.
Guo Wei was a Martial Arts Grandmaster ennobled by the Court. His letter to Wolf Valley Pass traveled via official Court falcon messengers, a much smoother journey than correspondence with Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family.
Chu Lingguang and Guo Wei often exchanged letters.
In times of peace, with plentiful messengers and countless falcons, a letter would typically arrive in seven or eight days. But now, with war raging and messengers stretched thin across the land, even Guo Wei’s letter had been delayed by several days.
Chu Lingguang opened the letter and carefully read every word.
Guo Wei wrote that he had already received news from the front and learned that Hei Hu was on his way back. He estimated that by the time Chu Lingguang received this letter, Hei Hu would already be back in Baiyang County recuperating.
The letter mentioned that the situation in South City was stable and all was well in Baiyang County. Although there had been some minor civilian unrest, it had been quickly suppressed. As for bandits and robbers, he had personally taken care of them. He told Chu Lingguang not to worry.
He also said that everything at home was fine. His young nephew, Hei Long, was already able to run all over the streets. Having inherited Hei Hu’s genes, he was growing up to be quite a chubby and simple-looking boy.
Guo Wei then mentioned that the Court was in turmoil and demons were rising everywhere. Recently, Great Demons had often been spotted emerging from the Hundred Thousand Mountains and trespassing into human territory. He warned Chu Lingguang to be on high alert and beware of seductive spirits and ghosts.
Finally, he shared a piece of happy news with Chu Lingguang.
After failing the Martial Examination, Lin Yuanfu had started coming to the Martial Arts Hall frequently to study. Unbeknownst to anyone, sparks had flown between him and Guo Fang. Considering that Guo Fang was over twenty and had finally moved on from Yang Shaorong to take an interest in Lin Yuanfu, Guo Wei had decided to take Lin Yuanfu in as a live-in son-in-law. He planned to teach Lin Yuanfu the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear and entrust the Martial Arts Hall to his care.
He had also discussed with Lin Yuanfu that he should no longer pursue the path of the Martial Examination, but instead settle down and be a Martial Artist at home.
Chu Lingguang was completely taken by surprise.
He never would have imagined that Lin Yuanfu—the same person who had rushed to the Martial Arts Hall with Teng Qingshan to help clear his name—would end up with Guo Fang. ’He must have had his eyes on Guo Fang from the very beginning,’ he thought. ’Coming to the Martial Arts Hall every few days to ask Guo Wei for guidance was just a front. His real goal was to win over Guo Fang.’
’And he actually succeeded.’
’Next time I see him, I’ll have to start calling him Brother-in-law.’
Chu Lingguang didn’t understand much about matters of the heart. He had been a bachelor in his previous life with no experience in romance, and in this life, he had been constantly busy with his cultivation. Although he wanted to marry, have children, and live the life of a normal family man, he hadn’t yet found someone he clicked with.
He was happy for Lin Yuanfu and Guo Fang that they could find their happy ending. He was also filled with respect for Guo Wei, who didn’t look down on Lin Yuanfu for his background or strength.
So, he wrote back, urging Guo Wei to take care of his health. He added that if the war subsided and he had a chance to return home, he hoped to be there for Lin Yuanfu and Guo Fang’s wedding day.
「Time flew.」
The war between the two nations burned hotter and hotter.
The turmoil Within the Great Yuan Territory had been mostly quelled.
「Six months later.」
Deep beneath the mines, Chu Lingguang opened his eyes. In a state of Introspection, he saw that the once abundant True Qi Power within his Dantian had now transformed into a stream of incomparably pure power.
Through ceaseless cultivation day and night, bolstered by his Favor Points, Chu Lingguang had finally used Qi Refining techniques to transform the Qi Sea Power within his Dantian into Spiritual Power.