In the following days, the situation within Changshan County grew increasingly treacherous and unpredictable.

The matter of bandit suppression frayed everyone’s nerves. Chen Sheng had originally thought that the proposal for the "Piracy Suppression Silver" would be enough for those merchants to bicker and delay for some time, slowing down the process.

Unexpectedly, just three days later, it was as if an invisible hand were pushing these merchants. They quickly reached an agreement, willing to jointly offer two thousand taels of Piracy Suppression Silver to reward the troops.

However, a mere two thousand taels was far from enough to satisfy Wu Kuang’s appetite.

After all, this operation required giving a cut to the County Magistrate, Lin Shou. Besides, three days was indeed a bit short. Wu Kuang immediately had his subordinates cryptically express that their "sincerity was still lacking."

When the news got back to them, the Patriarchs of the Gao, Huang, and Yang families were naturally furious, secretly cursing Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng for their insatiable greed.

Two thousand taels of silver was no small sum. It was enough to keep an ordinary family fed and clothed for several generations. Even for a major gang like the Seven Stars Gang, which dominated a region, their accumulated cash reserves over many years barely amounted to that much.

But the circumstances were pressing, and the arrow was already on the bowstring.

To ensure their plan of "killing with a borrowed knife" went off without a hitch, the three great families had to compromise again, despite their profound reluctance. After some behind-the-scenes maneuvering and negotiations, they finally decided to add another one thousand taels of silver.

At the same time, to prevent Wu Kuang from getting a taste for it and continuing to make exorbitant demands, they also secretly arranged for word to be cleverly spread about the Government Office demanding "Piracy Suppression Silver." This caused a considerable amount of criticism and unrest within Changshan County, an attempt to apply pressure.

Of course, they kept this public opinion under strict control. Their goal wasn’t truly to throw the situation into chaos, but to force the Government Office to dispatch troops as soon as possible.

With this combination of carrot and stick, Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng knew that any further delays would be unjustifiable. After some discussion, they finally settled on a plan to dispatch troops and suppress the bandits.

He had also used [Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil] on the new situation ahead of time, so he had a clear understanding of what this bandit suppression mission would entail.

Therefore, when Chuyue Mountain expressed his wish to mobilize the North City Military Camp as the main force for suppressing the bandits, Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng didn’t object after their discussion. However, Wu Kuang still earnestly warned Chen Sheng to act cautiously and that, if anything went wrong, his top priority must be to protect himself.

As for the total of three thousand taels of "Piracy Suppression Silver," it naturally needed to be divided up.

The County Magistrate, Lin Shou, despite not lifting a finger, secured five hundred taels for himself by virtue of his position.

The County Captain, Wu Kuang, as the one in charge, took one thousand taels.

The remaining fifteen hundred taels were to be used for greasing the palms of everyone in the Military Preparation Camp, from top to bottom.

According to custom, Grand Commander Chuyue Mountain and the other commanders would all get a significant share, and only the scraps left over would actually end up in the hands of the soldiers who were risking their lives.

This time, however, to display his "loyalty" and "moral integrity," Chuyue Mountain publicly announced that he wouldn’t take a single coin, instead distributing his entire share among the soldiers under his command.

This act won him widespread praise, and for a time, he was the center of attention.

Since the Grand Commander had set an example, the other commanders, however reluctant they were internally, felt too embarrassed to take much. They had no choice but to follow suit and distribute the shiny silver, which gave the common soldiers a rare and tangible benefit.

To ensure his plan was foolproof, during the few days the merchants were raising the "Piracy Suppression Silver," Chuyue Mountain frequently visited the North City Military Camp to "build rapport" with Chen Sheng.

In their conversations, he not only did his utmost to win him over, but also subtly hinted that once Chen Sheng’s cultivation advanced further, he would voluntarily step down and yield his position. He was trying to lull Chen Sheng into a false sense of security and lower his guard.

Chen Sheng, who had long since seen through this treacherous plot, sneered inwardly. ’As if I’d fall for that.’

On the surface, however, he perfectly feigned a look of being flattered and a sense of "closeness" to Chuyue Mountain. The two interacted more and more frequently, their relationship appearing incredibly "deep," which made the other commanders in the Military Preparation Camp secretly jealous, though they were powerless to do anything about it.

After all, who could compete? Not only did Chen Sheng have the backing of County Captain Wu Kuang, but he now also enjoyed Chuyue Mountain’s "special favor."

Seeing that Chen Sheng didn’t seem suspicious, Chuyue Mountain, in a bid to further win the trust of both Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng, took the initiative to "frankly disclose" some of the intricate webs of relationships within the Military Preparation Camp.

For example, he mentioned which commander was close to the Yang Family, which one had received favors from the Huang Family, and so on. Anyone who didn’t know the inside story would probably think Chuyue Mountain was offering a "Pledge of Loyalty," intending to switch his allegiance.

Chen Sheng played along, using Chuyue Mountain’s own words to gain an increasingly thorough and clear understanding of the personnel backgrounds and conflicts of interest within the Military Preparation Camp.

As long as he could figure out these deep-rooted relationships, when he eventually took power and began to clean house, he could act with precision and achieve twice the results with half the effort.

In a way, Chuyue Mountain’s "solicitousness" was actually an unexpected "boon" for Chen Sheng.

...

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the tenth month.

Inside the North City Military Camp Office, Chen Sheng was as diligent as ever, cultivating with unwavering focus.

The quality of the elixirs provided through official channels was indeed incomparable to the common goods circulating in the market.

This was especially true of the "Primordial Marrow Pill" gifted by Wu Kuang. Its medicinal power was pure and potent, providing immense benefits to his Marrow Transformation Realm cultivation and allowing Chen Sheng’s cultivation to advance at a considerable pace.

[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (666/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique Perfection (53/2000)]

[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique: Great Success (80/1000)]

[Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber: Great Success (232/1000)]

Seven days of arduous cultivation, and his strength had improved once again.

Although it wasn’t the same explosive progress he’d made while empowered by the Earth Core Spirit Milk, compared to ordinary Martial Artists who could be stuck in the Marrow Transformation Realm for years without making any headway, his speed was already astonishing.

The Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique deserved much of the credit for this.

It was precisely because this technique allowed for the highly efficient refinement and absorption of medicinal power that he could continuously consume elixirs without worrying too much about the accumulation of medicinal toxins. Anyone else would have found it absolutely impossible to rely on the power of elixirs so recklessly.

However, after experiencing the breakneck pace of cultivation with the Earth Core Spirit Milk—progress that could be measured in leaps and bounds—his current "normal" rate of advancement left Chen Sheng feeling a little unsatisfied.

But he also knew that a Spiritual Object like the Earth Core Spirit Milk was something one could only hope to encounter by chance in Changshan County; it couldn’t be actively sought out.

"Commander, Commander Chu has sent someone to urge you. He requests that you head to the main Military Preparation Camp immediately to rendezvous," Yan Ming reported, stepping into the Government Office and bowing.

Today was the day they would rally the troops and march out.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, not at all surprised. His expression turned serious as he asked in a deep voice,

"Are the men all assembled?"

"They have all finished assembling on the training grounds, awaiting the Commander’s orders!" Yan Ming replied solemnly.

Chen Sheng stood up and stretched his arms. Yan Ming immediately stepped forward and skillfully helped him don his custom-made light armor.

While helping him, he keenly noticed that beneath Chen Sheng’s official robes, he seemed to be wearing another layer of form-fitting Soft Armor of extraordinary quality.

Yan Ming couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. ’The Commander is as prudent as ever in his actions.’

On the training grounds, over a hundred elites from the North City stood in neat formation, clad in armor and bearing sharp weapons. An aura of killing intent filled the air.

Chen Sheng walked to the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over the troops like a flash of cold lightning. It finally paused for a moment on a seemingly ordinary, submissive-looking soldier.

As if sensing something, the man looked up, his eyes meeting Chen Sheng’s for a brief instant before he quickly lowered his head again, resuming his unremarkable appearance. It was none other than Li Huai Sheng, disguised and embedded in the ranks.

This was the hidden ace Chen Sheng had meticulously prepared for Chuyue Mountain—a fatal checkmate.

This time, he would make the Grand Commander sleep forever beneath the waves of the Qinglin River. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"March out!"

Chen Sheng said no more. He vaulted cleanly onto his horse, his voice sharp and decisive, shattering the silence of the training grounds.