Chapter 128: Grand Master Xu, Little Master Wu

Having a Cultivation Technique alone is not enough; time is needed to raise one's Realm.

Furthermore.

The current army is too weak, and since its quality cannot compare to the border troops, it is even more necessary to gain an advantage in numbers.

Xu Xi turned around, the heroic young girl accompanying him by his side.

Leading the army to step back into the wind and snow.

"Hoo—"

"Hoo—"

The wind blew in gusts, freezing the auricles stiff.

The breath exhaled turned entirely into white mist.

On the vast, boundless border line, there were still many "Sinners" struggling to survive, yearning to live. Heaven and earth are vast, but eating is the most important thing; people with empty stomachs will eventually come together to form the sharp edge of rebellion.

"Big Brother Xu, I'm hungry again."

"…A-Niu, has your appetite been getting bigger lately?"

"Hehehe, I'm dumb, I only know how to eat."

The sound of their conversation was gradually covered by the wind and snow.

Growing more distant, growing more faint.

Until it completely disappeared into the vast, white world.

…

…

Two months later, the winter had become even more bitter and harsh. The gale swept up snowflakes, stinging the face painfully.

The border soldiers, ordered to garrison the border, resist demons, and guard the "Sinners".

One after another, they found old, tattered clothes.

Wrapping them around their faces.

Leaving space only for their eyes and noses.

Sanmao was an old soldier who had been stationed at the pass for some years. His hands expertly picked up a strip of cloth, wrapping it circle by circle around his weathered face.

"Old Sanmao, why are you wrapping yourself up so tightly?"

A young new recruit teased Sanmao.

Thinking the old soldier was making a fuss over nothing.

"Hmph," Old Sanmao snorted disdainfully, "You brats, what do you know about the power of the White Wind? Just wait for the flesh on your faces to rot off!"

His tone was very certain, so much so that the new recruit who had mocked him also hesitantly wrapped his face.

Seeing this, Old Sanmao nodded with satisfaction.

Like a victorious cricket general.

He held his head high and chest out, wearing his armor with that ugly, wrapped face, and walked toward the watchtower holding a spear.

"Old Sanmao, morning!"

"Sanmao."

"Old Sanmao."

Along the way, people kept greeting Old Sanmao.

In fact, Sanmao was not the old soldier's real name.

His original name was a common village name like Gou-dan or Hu-zi.

It was just that in the old soldier's life, there had been three incidents of having absolutely nothing to spare, so people around him started calling him Sanmao, and he felt it was only right.

The first time he had nothing to spare.

It was in his youth, when he had no money to bury his deceased parents, let alone afford a grand funeral feast.

The second time he had nothing to spare.

It was in his young adulthood, when he and Cuihua, the daughter of his next-door neighbor, were in love, but he had no money for the betrothal gifts, and ended up marrying her amidst his father-in-law's cursing.

The third time he had nothing to spare.

It was in his middle age, when his wife and child were out on the street together and were trampled to death by a passing official's son riding a horse; he still had no money to hold a proper funeral, and could only bury them hastily.

Three times of having nothing to spare, three turning points in his life.

Made the old soldier laugh foolishly.

He was conscripted on the road, put on sturdy armor he once dared not imagine, and armed with an imposing spear, arriving at the border pass in a daze.

Old Sanmao's talent for Cultivation was not good. His temples were gray, and despite having joined the army for many years, he only had the strength of the first Realm of Body Tempering, only slightly stronger than a Mortal.

Other border soldiers often made fun of him.

But he did not care.

Old Sanmao was open-minded: "I was born with a lowly life; being able to practice martial arts is already a sign of smoke rising from my ancestors' graves!"

Feeling the very weak Qi and blood in his body, Old Sanmao's sense of pride grew even stronger.

Even with the cloth wrapped around.

One could still feel that smugness.

Soon.

Old Sanmao skillfully climbed the watchtower to carry out the guard duty. There were other border soldiers on the tower, gathered together and discussing things that Old Sanmao could not understand at all.

"Hey, have you heard?"

"Are you referring to the rebel army, or…"

"Nonsense, of course it's the rebel army. They actually caused such a huge commotion."

There were many Great Gan border troops, but the border passes had never had any major incidents, so the soldiers had long developed a habit of slacking off.

Under the winter sun, they were recounting something with great animation.

Old Sanmao could not help but join in.

Asking, "Where did the rebel army come from? Which province is causing trouble again?"

Old Sanmao thought it was a rebellion within the Thirteen Provinces of Great Gan.

But the others shook their heads, saying that the rebellion did not originate in the Thirteen Provinces, but rather the "Sinners" on the border line were boldly trying to revolt.

"That rebel army is ferocious. In just over a month, they have actually gathered tens of thousands of people."

"Hey, hey, hey, I heard that the leader of the rebels is an evil Daoist who can use the Daoist Magic of scattering beans to create soldiers, which is why there are so many rebels."

"Eh? How come I heard the rebel leader is an evil woman?"

"No, no, there are two leaders, one is called Grand Master Xu, and one is called Little Master Wu."

"This… forget it, it doesn't matter. Anyway, those rebels cannot break in."

The Great Gan border troops, including Old Sanmao.

All nodded in agreement.

What is a rebel army? Just a bunch of mud-legged peasants. Everyone present was also from a mud-legged background and knew that resisting the "masters" was an impossible task.

The army garrisoning the Great Gan passes had military strength far superior to Mortals.

The military generals in charge of sitting in command were at least of the Xiantian Realm.

In some important and sufficiently large passes, there were even Xiantian Third Realm God-Seeing experts. How could a rebel army composed of mere "Sinners" have any chance of winning?

"Delusional…"

Old Sanmao shook his head.

Feeling uncomprehending of that group of Sinners' actions.

The other soldiers around were still recounting deeds about the rebels.

Very exaggerated.

Very outrageous.

Some said that those homeless refugees were more ferocious than the demons in the Hundred Thousand Mountains and had repeatedly attacked other passes, only to fail in the end.

Some said those refugees were evil ghosts returned from Hell, and even if trampled by iron hooves, they would fearlessly pick up manure forks to block them.

Simply like the heavenly soldiers in myths and legends.

Without a shred of the timidity of mud-legged peasants.

No matter how they were scolded, their eyes only held pure killing intent. How daring!

What exactly is this for, that they would even risk their own lives? Old Sanmao could not help but ask again.

"Hum—"

"Hum—"

Rumble!

As if answering Old Sanmao's question.

Suddenly, in the far distance visible from the watchtower, a dark, overwhelming tide of people emerged from nowhere, holding various weapons, sprinting toward this pass.

"It's the black rebel army!" someone saw the muddy, foul-smelling filth.

"It's the red rebel army!" someone saw the clothes dyed red with blood.

"It's the yellow rebel army!" someone saw the tattered shoes and rags that had turned the color of yellow earth from long periods without washing.

The starving people shouted the two words "seek survival," their eyes hollow yet burning with fire. With no discipline at all and in a chaotic formation, they charged to the front of the pass in an instant.

Intending to storm the pass.

"Presumptuous!!"

The two Great Gan military generals sitting in command of the pass roared.

They were Grandmasters of the Xiantian Realm, but within the ranks of the refugees, two bursts of Xiantian Astral Qi also erupted, confronting them from afar.

"Master, watch closely."

"My first spear strike after breaking through to the Xiantian Realm!"