’Know him...’

’I know him all too well.’

The same thought surfaced in both their minds simultaneously.

Shen Ye snapped out of his daze. Hearing Baili Qingtian’s question, he chuckled. "Uncle Baili, we do indeed know each other. Fang Xing has helped me out on a few occasions."

Fang Xing stood and offered a slight bow. "You’re too kind, Lord Shen. It was merely my duty."

Hearing their exchange, Baili Qingtian quickly put two and two together and let out a hearty laugh. "Well, isn’t that perfect! Come, come, Nephew Shen, have a seat."

Shen Ye smiled, nodded, and then sat down opposite Fang Xing.

Baili Qingtian poured him a cup of Jade Dragon Tea, and Shen Ye’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Jade Dragon Special Contribution... I haven’t had this in ages." As he spoke, Shen Ye accepted the cup and took a sip, a look of pure bliss spreading across his face.

"Mmm, just as I remember. Delicious!"

"Uncle Baili, you’ll have to send me home with some of this later," Shen Ye said to Baili Qingtian, a broad grin on his face.

At that, Baili Qingtian couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "You brat. Did you really come all this way just to freeload some tea off me?"

Shen Ye looked completely unfazed and laughed. "Of course not. I came specifically to pay you a visit."

’The relationship between these two... It’s not simple at all.’

Fang Xing thought to himself as he listened to their conversation.

’Based on their conversation, they’re exceptionally close.’

"I heard you killed the leader of the White Lotus Rebel Army?" Baili Qingtian asked, turning to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye nodded. "Yes, I killed him. But it came at a price. We nearly took each other down together."

At that, Baili Qingtian’s expression turned grave. "You brat, you dared to face him right after breaking through to the True Qi Realm? Do you have a death wish?"

Shen Ye looked unfazed. "What’s there to be afraid of? He was just one Cult Leader. Even if I couldn’t win, I was more than capable of protecting myself."

Baili Qingtian: "..."

’He killed the leader of the White Lotus Rebel Army!’

’He broke through to the True Qi Realm!’

As he listened to their conversation, Fang Xing’s mind reeled with shock.

’The True Qi Realm!’

’The last time they met, I remember Shen Ye was only at the Peak of Neutralizing Force. In just a few months, he broke through with True Qi and crossed the Extraordinary Dragon Gate.’

’Such talent is astounding!’

"Oh, right. Fang Xing, what brings you here?" Shen Ye suddenly asked, turning to him.

Before Fang Xing could answer, Baili Qingtian spoke up. "I asked him to come."

"I see..." Shen Ye nodded lightly and took a sip of tea.

"Since you two already know each other, I’ll skip the introductions. Fang Xing, I stand by my word. There’s no rush, you can take your time to consider it."

"I will definitely keep the position of Vice General open for you."

PFFT—

Hearing that last sentence, Shen Ye involuntarily sprayed out the mouthful of tea he had just taken.

He shot to his feet, staring at Baili Qingtian in disbelief.

"Uncle Baili, what did you just say? You’re keeping the position of Vice General open for him?"

Shen Ye’s face was a mask of disbelief. Baili Qingtian looked back at him, somewhat puzzled, and nodded. "That’s right. Is there a problem? I’m well aware of Fang Xing’s capabilities. He’s more than qualified for the position of Vice General."

"Absolutely not!"

Shen Ye’s rejection was instantaneous.

Baili Qingtian: "...?"

"You brat, a talent like him would have a magnificent future in my Profound Armor Army. What are you so worked up about?"

"It doesn’t matter. He’s one of mine," Shen Ye said with a grave expression.

"What did you say?" This time, it was Baili Qingtian’s turn to lose his composure. He stood up, fixing his fierce gaze on Shen Ye.

"Uncle Baili, Fang Xing is already a member of the Observatory. In fact, I came here today for him," Shen Ye said, looking Baili Qingtian in the eye.

Hearing this, Baili Qingtian’s face immediately darkened.

He turned to Fang Xing, his expression grim. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Seeing the situation, Fang Xing also rose to his feet and faced Baili Qingtian. "General Baili, I owe Lord Shen a great debt for recognizing my potential. I have already given him my word. Please forgive me, General, but I’m afraid I cannot join the Profound Armor Army."

Baili Qingtian: "..."

Upon receiving Fang Xing’s confirmation, Baili Qingtian felt his blood boil.

Such a promising talent had been snatched up by the Observatory first.

He never would have thought that the one who recruited him was Shen Ye, of all people.

At this thought, Baili Qingtian’s expression grew a few shades darker.

Fang Xing remained silent, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Ye’s sudden arrival provided the perfect excuse.

He had already been planning to join the Observatory anyway.

Now, this was simply a matter of going with the flow.

With Shen Ye stepping in, and given their relationship, he could refuse the offer without truly offending Baili Qingtian.

As far as he was concerned, this was excellent news.

"Uncle Baili, let’s not mince words. I can’t let you have Fang Xing. He has already caught the eye of our Lord Governor."

Shen Ye spoke, his gaze firm.

At these words, Baili Qingtian slumped back into his chair and let out a long sigh.

"So be it. It must be fate."

Hearing the sigh, Shen Ye broke into a smile. He stepped forward, refilled the general’s cup from the teapot, and said, "Uncle Baili, it’s not such a big deal. With your reputation, recruiting a Vice General will be easy. Besides, the Profound Armor Army is brimming with talent, so it’s hardly a problem."

Baili Qingtian winced inwardly at those words.

"Easy for you to say, you brat. Why don’t you try finding me another one just like him?"

Shen Ye just kept smiling placatingly and changed the subject.

To the side, Fang Xing remained quiet.

With Shen Ye handling things, he had nothing to worry about.

Joining the army—even Great Jing’s most elite division—couldn’t compare to joining the Observatory.

As the most powerful organization in the Great Jing, the Observatory could even mobilize the Profound Armor Army if necessary.

...

The tension in the air soon dissipated.

About an hour later, Shen Ye and Fang Xing left the military tent.

With no opportunity to recruit Fang Xing, Baili Qingtian lost interest in prolonging the conversation.

Though it was a bitter loss, he couldn’t very well force one of Shen Ye’s people to stay.

They already had an agreement, and meddling would not lead to any good outcome.

Leaving the army camp behind, the two of them headed toward the County Town.

"You’re really full of surprises," Shen Ye remarked as they walked. "Reaching the Peak of Neutralizing Force so quickly, and on top of that, taking out almost all the rebel Generals... It’s a genuine surprise."

According to the original plan, it would have been considered exceptional for Fang Xing to break through to Neutralizing Force within two years. The reality, however, had far surpassed his expectations.

When he received the battle report from Qingshan County, he couldn’t believe it was real.

Under the same circumstances, even he couldn’t have accomplished such a feat when he was at the Peak of Neutralizing Force.

In response, Fang Xing gave a slight smile, his tone respectful but not servile. "You praise me too highly, Lord Shen. I only defeated the rebel army by joining forces with others."

Shen Ye glanced at him, then suddenly stopped in his tracks. "You didn’t happen to eat some Immortal Pill, did you? How else could you improve so quickly?"

Facing Shen Ye’s suspicious gaze, Fang Xing’s expression remained unchanged. "Lord Shen, I usually just supplement my Cultivation with Treasure Medicine and some Exotic Beast Flesh. Perhaps my natural talent is simply decent."

Shen Ye narrowed his eyes, placing a hand on Fang Xing’s shoulder and probing it carefully. Suddenly, his expression froze.

"Top-Grade Root Bone?!"

Shen Ye was stunned. Thinking he must have felt it wrong, he checked again, more carefully this time.

"It’s a Top-Grade Root Bone! There’s no mistake!"

After checking several times, Shen Ye could confirm that Fang Xing did, in fact, have a Top-Grade Root Bone.

’But I distinctly remember him having a Lower Grade Root Bone last time. How could it have changed?!’

’A person’s Root Bone is innate; it can’t be changed.’

’Even if methods to alter a Root Bone exist, they are acts that defy the heavens themselves.’

’Changing a Root Bone requires not only an extremely rare Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine, but also the aid of a top-tier Martial Dao Giant just for a chance of success.’

’That level of power is something only a being on the level of a Commander could possibly possess.’

’Besides, even if there was a method, the kind of Treasure Medicine needed to alter a Root Bone... not even the Observatory’s entire treasury contains such a thing.’

’It’s impossibly rare!’

"Did I just sense it wrong last time?"

Shen Ye’s brow furrowed deeply.

’None of those possibilities could have happened to Fang Xing.’

’Even if one could change their Root Bone, it would only improve by one level at most—from Lower Grade to mid-grade. It’s impossible to jump directly from a Lower Grade Root Bone to a Top-Grade Root Bone.’

’Unless...’

Suddenly, a light flashed in Shen Ye’s eyes as a thought surfaced in his mind.

’A Hidden Bone!’