Chapter 1575: Chapter 1575: Concealed Strength

"To be honest, I didn’t really want to do this. Breaking my principles for the life of an ordinary soldier, however, repaying your favor might be even harder, so I might as well return it to you this time," Mi Wen said casually. Ye Shikai never thought a favor could be more important than a life, but since Mi Wen was willing to spare the soldier, Ye Shikai was already satisfied.

"As for these soldiers in black, they are not ordinary soldiers, but Death Soldiers I recruited. Last time in my camp, I wanted to test your strength, but an accident happened. So this time, I want to test it again," Mi Wen said with a slight upward curve of his lips, as dozens of black-clad men slowly stepped forward.

"Hey, you’re not planning to..." Ye Shikai felt a faint sense of unease, preparing to defend as he spoke.

"Fighting right after meeting."

"Just a trial, don’t worry, let’s get on with it."

"Here I go."

Bang, bang.

In the blink of an eye, several Death Soldiers wielding blades charged forward. Ye Shikai drew a metal sword from the Storage Ring, and amidst the clash of blades, wielded his sword incessantly to fend off multiple attacks, but he appeared somewhat overwhelmed facing the siege of dozens.

"Hey, didn’t we agree it would just be a trial? This is trying to take my life," Ye Shikai couldn’t help but complain.

"Is that so? Well, I wouldn’t know," Mi Wen replied, waving his hand and watching with "great interest" as though observing a duel among Death Soldiers.

"That’s really something."

Whoosh, whoosh.

As he spoke, a few arrows suddenly shot from the side. Although sneak attacks weren’t honorable, they were quite effective. Ye Shikai, busy parrying the frontal sword strikes, had to also dodge the hidden assaults. Barely distracted, an arrow skimmed past his armor, leaving a white mark.

"Not bad, you do have some skill," Mi Wen acknowledged, applauding Ye Shikai’s adept swordsmanship as he held his ground.

"Is that so? Let me show you something more powerful," Ye Shikai responded coldly, seizing an opportunity to distance himself from the crowd.

"Netherworld King Spell—Shadow Clone."

In an instant, over a dozen avatars appeared in the garden, identical and indistinguishable. Not only were the Death Soldiers confounded, but even Mi Wen was also shocked. This Main God Skill consumed a large amount of Inner Strength, and as Ye Shikai hadn’t used it for a while, he couldn’t exert its full power all at once, yet he easily turned the tide of the battle. If it were one-on-one, he had an absolute advantage.

"Withdraw."

Ye Shikai gently commanded, retracting his avatars, making the battle-weary Death Soldiers worried he might have more tricks up his sleeve, hesitating to come closer.

"So, finished testing?"

"Not bad. You didn’t disappoint me after all." In the blink of an eye, Mi Wen had flashed before him, a mere step away.

"Now that the testing is done, I shall take my leave." Ye Shikai turned to leave. If Mi Wen was trying to gauge the depth of his strength, she would indeed be disappointed. Ye Shikai had only revealed one Main God Skill. On him were many "treasured items," numerous "secrets," any of which, randomly chosen, would astonish her.

"Take your soldier away, and about that killing in the market, I don’t want to hear a word about it from his mouth, not even a letter."

"Understood." Ye Shikai nodded, Mi Wen had found a death row inmate to replace them, effectively "pulling a fast one," for as a lord, she naturally feared the scandal would break, damaging her reputation.

..................

At daybreak, a head was hung at the market square, drawing in masses of people to gather around. Mr. Sun was beneath, "praising" Ye Shikai’s "great righteousness," and bursts of applause erupted among the crowd. To avoid discovery, Ye waited until the next day to sneak the soldier out of the city. To prevent future recognition, Ye Shikai handed him some silver, settling him in a neighboring county, concluding the matter.

A month later.

One thing Mi Wen was right about, as she previously said, "killing" this soldier garnered the entire Linxiang City’s populace’s support. Throughout the streets and alleys, tales of "General Ye, who resisted the Wolf Clan, was upright and unbending, executing the offending soldier to uphold military discipline and assure the people’s hearts," alongside Mr. Sun’s "promotion," had sculpted Ye Shikai into a grand hero. Indeed, his deeds and conduct truly merited the "hero" title.

"I heard General Ye is recruiting in the south of the city, offering five taels of silver to everyone who enlists."

"Yes, there are notices in the north of the city as well."

"General Ye is truly a great hero, I’m going too."

"Count me in."

Upon hearing that Ye Shikai was recruiting in Linxiang City, many young men scrambled as if "enchanted," eagerly signing up. Numerous citizens flocked to the barracks, rewarding the soldiers, even including blacksmiths who tirelessly forged weapons, not daring to slack off. Ye Shikai’s recruiting 5,000 slots were all filled in just two days, "unheard of."

"Shangguan, how is your recovery?" Ye Shikai asked, walking into Shangguan Jian’s tent with wine and meat.

"Haha, the heavens must be watching over me, I was spared, see, I’ve fully recovered." Shangguan Jian waved his fists and legs, not only physically recovered but also in high spirits.

"By the way, Old Ye, I’ve heard the townsfolk are signing up enthusiastically. Why are you only recruiting 5,000? Now is the perfect opportunity for us to expand the army."

"Of course I know that. But the combat power of an army isn’t determined by numbers; overall cohesion and cooperation among soldiers are crucial. After the battle in East County, our essence was severely depleted, the veterans are down to a fifth. If we are to expand, we must have enough squad leaders and centurions. They directly determine the combat strength of new recruits."

"I understand what you mean," Shangguan Jian nodded, acknowledging that in large-scale warfare, though the commanders strategize in tents, it’s these "backbones" who execute the orders.

"So we cannot rush it. Besides, new weapons aren’t ready yet, we can’t send our brothers to the battlefield with sticks as weapons," Ye Shikai sighed. Although Mi Wen supported them wholeheartedly, the strength of the uprising army still lagged behind the Qin Army. He had seen the Qin military’s armory in East County firsthand; the uprising army couldn’t compare to that.

"Alright then, now that I’ve fully recovered, I’ve been idle for so long that my bones are going soft. If you need officers, I’ll help you train."

"Alright."

"Additionally, I anticipate that within a year, the Qin Army won’t head south. The stalemate will persist in the Nanyang County and Southern County areas, giving us ample time."

"A year, why do you say that?"