Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 32 Qizhou City

A team of more than 50 people reached the east gate of Qizhou City and was stopped by two guards.

"Stop, what are you doing?"

Two guards, each holding a halberd, stopped the group outside the city gate. The group consisted of dozens of men, all armed with weapons and clad in armor. Although most of the armor was rudimentary, they were a force of considerable combat effectiveness, and the guards naturally did not dare to underestimate them.

"My two generals, we are from a mercenary group and we are going to escort a batch of carp to Qizhou City." A member of the Mandarin Fish Mercenary Group stepped forward and said with a smile on his face.

Qizhou City has four gates, located in the east, west, south, and north directions, with the East and South gates being the busiest. Qizhou's overall strength is stronger than Yingzhou's, and it ranks above average among the medium-sized states in the entire Yuan Kingdom. The overall strength of Qizhou's martial arts school is also significantly stronger than Yingzhou's, a similarly medium-sized official martial arts school.

Guarding the city gate is the duty of the city guards, and one of the largest sources of the city guards is the official martial arts school. In Qizhou, this official martial arts school is also the Qizhou martial arts school.

Less than one in a hundred peak-level warriors in the original country could become cultivators. Because of this, cultivators were a rare sight even in the imperial capital, and even more so in the upper-class states. In mid-range states like Qizhou, even the city lord had to show respect.

The soldiers guarding Qizhou City's four gates are all top-tier Heavenly Rank warriors, recruited from the Qizhou Martial Arts Academy on a rotating basis. This is a rare practice among mid-sized states. For this reason, the soldiers guarding Qizhou City's four gates are highly respected within the city. With the Jade Cultivation Passage Trial approaching, the soldiers guarding each gate, all of whom are top-tier Heavenly Rank warriors and eligible to participate, are often solicited, both openly and covertly, by various factions while defending the city.

"Is it the mercenary group from Qizhou?" asked one of the warriors defending the city. Although he seemed a little impatient, he still maintained the basic attitude of a soldier defending the city.

"Yes, it's a local mercenary group in Qizhou." The member of the Mandarin Fish Mercenary Group replied.

The warrior guarding the city took a look at the troops outside the city gate, frowned, and asked in confusion, "If they are a local mercenary group from Qizhou, why are there no flags? What? Have they forgotten this little rule?"

"I'm so sorry, our flag was damaged while escorting the goods, and we were just about to go into the city to get it repaired."

"Next time, remember to bring a spare flag. Which mercenary group?" the city defender asked calmly. Many mercenary groups entered the city daily, and two or three out of ten would forget to fly their flags. He didn't find it strange.

"Mandarin Fish Mercenary Group."

The warrior guarding the city turned around and called to another warrior guarding the city, saying, "Junior brother, go check it out."

"Yes, senior brother." Another warrior took out a thick booklet and checked the entire team. Then he nodded to his senior brother to indicate that everything was correct.

A group of over fifty people were allowed into the city, and Jiang Xuan naturally followed. It was his first time entering the city with a mercenary group, and it felt quite new. He had been in and out of Yingzhou City countless times over the years he had been there, but he had never been stopped by the city guards when he went in and out alone. Now that he thought about it, it was probably due to the Jiang family's status in Yingzhou City. However, he was very glad that he had chosen to enter Qizhou City with two mercenary groups. If he had entered the city alone, the two spears he carried alone would have likely led to a lot of questioning from the guards. While he could have been honest about his identity, after what happened with the fat and thin guys, hiding his identity was a good option.

As they approached Qizhou City, Jiang Xuan had already sensed its grandeur. However, once he entered the city gates, his understanding of Qizhou City deepened. The streets were wide, bustling with people, and the various houses and shops of varying sizes, their colorful signs dazzling the eyes.

Jiang Xuan, who had already witnessed the Qizhou style at the Green Lake Auction House, was amazed by Qizhou City, but not completely surprised. However, it was only after he actually arrived in Qizhou City that he realized that some of the rumors about Qizhou in Yingzhou might not be false.

"Brother Jiang, the City Lord's Mansion of Qizhou City is in the city center. There are relatively prosperous markets in the four directions of the city. Brother Jiang can go for a stroll when you have time." Jiang Xuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Bei Hao and Bei Tao had come to him. The latter smiled and gave him a brief introduction to the general layout of Qizhou City.

Bei Hao pulled out a slightly curled booklet from his bosom and said to Jiang Xuan, "Brother Jiang, I don't have anything worth giving you. This is a set of body techniques that I've already mastered, so it's useless to keep it. I see that Brother Jiang has reached the intermediate level of the Heavenly Stage, so I might as well give it to you. I hope it will be of some help to you."

Bei Hao had given Jiang Xuan this secret manual of body techniques because, during his fight with the dark-armored burly man from the Wolf Mercenary Group, he'd noticed that Jiang Xuan's speed was a bit lacking. Bei Hao couldn't bring himself to point it out directly, but he genuinely wanted to help this young man who had so generously offered him a helping hand upon their first meeting, so he reluctantly gave up and gave Jiang Xuan his beloved manual of body techniques.

However, neither of them knew something about the other.

What Jiang Xuan didn't know was that although he had indeed comprehended the body movement secret book that Bei Hao gave him, this body movement secret book was indeed the first martial arts secret book that Bei Hao had read after becoming a warrior. It had been with Bei Hao for many years and had always helped Bei Hao turn danger into safety, becoming Bei Hao's amulet.

What Bei Hao didn't know was that Jiang Xuan's "slight lack of speed" during the fight was because Jiang Xuan was holding a black rhinoceros at the time, and the weight of the black rhinoceros was unimaginable to any warrior who had not touched him.

Jiang Xuan didn't refuse. He took the booklet from Bei Hao's hand. It had the same curled corners as the Falling Leaf Spear Technique. He met his sincere and earnest gaze and bowed. "Thank you very much, Captain Bei!"

"Brother Jiang, you're too polite. You're the youngest intermediate-level Heavenly Rank warrior I've ever met. You have a promising future and will surely achieve great things. You also know a thing or two about the Mandarin Fish and Heavy Hammer mercenary groups. Captain Dong and I have discussed the matter and plan to return to the Qixi base immediately after safely delivering the Carp. We'll say goodbye now and see you later!"

Jiang Xuan clasped his fists and said, "Take care, Captain Bei, take care, Brother Bei Tao, see you later!"

Watching the fifty-plus mercenaries from the Mandarin Fish and Heavy Hammer mercenaries gradually walk away, Jiang Xuan felt a sense of bleak farewell. In his brief time with the warriors from these mercenaries, he not only experienced the Qizhou mercenaries' fierce style, but also felt the carefree spirit within them, even though they lived on the edge of a knife.

Jiang Xuan understood that the warriors of these mercenary groups would probably remain at the warrior stage their entire lives without making any progress. But like Bei Hao, Captain Dong, and the deputy captain of the Mandarin Fish Mercenary Group who wielded two swords, Jiang Xuan's heroic imagination of warriors before he became a warrior had all taken shape in them.

(End of this chapter)