Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 6: A Blessing in Disguise Through Compassion and Righteousness!

The following day, at the military training ground.

Chen Sheng continued his diligent cultivation as always, practicing day and night. With the help of the Qi and Blood Pill, his cultivation, though not progressing by leaps and bounds, steadily improved, as evidenced by the numbers on his panel.

[Mastering Basic Knife Techniques (450/1000)]

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (243/500)]

However, although he was in a stance resembling a martial arts stance, his gaze was slightly solemn. With a slight thought, the Heavenly Book of "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune" quietly appeared. The four ancient characters gleamed with a faint light. The hastily written characters that had appeared this morning had left him feeling apprehensive ever since.

My name is Chen Sheng. When you see this sentence, it will be too late for me to regret it... It turns out that Wang Yi's report on the quartermaster case was just the trigger. The real reason behind it was that Captain Nie wanted to eliminate Chief Zhou. I just suffered an undeserved disaster.

Wu Kuang once summoned me for questioning, and made it clear that if I was willing to testify against Zhou Si Cao, I would be pardoned. Without thinking it over, I chose to die for my friend rather than myself, and immediately stabbed him in the back. However, after Zhou Si Cao was executed, I was still transferred to another place and ultimately could not escape my fate on the border.

Only then did I realize that this was Wu Kuang testing me. On the surface, he praised me, but in reality, he was deeply disappointed by my easy betrayal and feared that I would betray him in the future. On the border road, I was filled with regret... If I had known this earlier, perhaps I could have turned misfortune into blessing...

After reading the Heavenly Book, Chen Sheng's eyes flashed. It turned out that Wang Yi's success in bringing down Zhou Si Cao and himself was just a coincidence, becoming the fuse. Even without him, Captain Nie had already fattened up the pig, waiting to be slaughtered at the end of the year.

He hadn't expected that Wu Kuang would use this to test his loyalty.

Upon careful consideration, under normal circumstances, after weighing the pros and cons, I would most likely choose to protect myself, or even climb to the top by stepping on the corpses of others.

It now seems that in the eyes of those in positions of power, those who do not value benevolence and righteousness are indeed unlikely to gain genuine respect.

Fortunately, he had anticipated the risks and had a plan to deal with them.

"Deputy Commander Chen, Commander Wu has returned to camp and summons you to his tent immediately."

A soldier strode over and bowed to report.

"understood."

Chen Sheng composed himself, dispelled his stance training, and followed him to the central command tent.

Wu Kuang was the only one in the tent. After the soldiers withdrew, he did not speak, but stared intently at Chen Sheng, waiting for him to speak first.

"My lord, I have something important to report," Chen Sheng broke the silence first.

"speak."

"Yesterday, Wang Yi..."

Chen Sheng briefly recounted what had happened yesterday, speaking cautiously.

"I heard you were there at the time?" Wu Kuang's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Indeed, Wang Yi seems to still be eyeing the position of deputy commander and wants to borrow money from his subordinates to bribe them. However, his subordinates refused due to old grudges. While they were arguing, Zhou Si Cao led his men in and even found some stolen goods under his bedding..."

Chen Sheng responded with ease, delivering the prepared statement he had already prepared.

Wu Kuang listened quietly, tapping his knuckles lightly on the table, remaining noncommittal. After a moment, he abruptly changed the subject:
"Your cultivation has improved so quickly, did you use Blood Qi Pills or Blood Qi Powder?"

The test had begun. Chen Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lowered his head, his voice several decibels lower:

"Reporting to my lord, it is...it is the Blood Qi Pill."

His straightforward admission surprised Wu Kuang slightly, as he had expected the other party to make excuses and evade the issue.

"Are you aware that Blood Qi Pills are a special supply for commanders within the military? Soldiers who purchase them privately are severely punished according to the law! If this matter is exposed, you will definitely be punished!"

Wu Kuang's voice suddenly turned cold, and an imposing aura arose instantly.

"Please, sir, save me! Your subordinate... Your subordinate is willing to give up all his wealth, just to ask your lord to spare me!" Chen Sheng looked anxious and hurriedly bowed and begged, his posture extremely humble.

"Drained all their wealth?" Wu Kuang raised an eyebrow, instinctively asking:
How much wealth do you have?

"There is approximately... a little over one hundred taels of silver left."

Wu Kuang stroked his long beard, suppressing the greed in his heart, and snorted coldly:
"Hmph, do you think I'm the kind of person who's greedy and lawless? Let me tell you the truth, the crimes committed by Zhou Si Cao and his cronies go far beyond simply selling resources privately! They buy low and sell high, collude with foreign enemies, and even secretly communicate with rebels. This time, the higher-ups are determined to deal with him, and no one can save him!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixing on Chen Sheng:

“But the higher-ups need a pretext. If you’re willing to step forward and testify that the quartermaster you traded with violated regulations, I can not only guarantee your safety for this minor offense, but I might even put in a good word for you with the captain. This is a rare opportunity.” The air in the tent froze instantly. Chen Sheng looked conflicted and remained silent for a long time.

"What?" Wu Kuang slammed his hand on the table and said sternly.
"You don't want to?!"

Chen Sheng seemed to have made a difficult decision before finally raising his head, his eyes becoming unusually firm:
"My lord, you are wise. Although that quartermaster was wrong, his risky sale of pills to me ultimately solved my urgent problem in cultivation. Although I fear military law, I absolutely cannot do such an unjust thing and betray someone who has been kind to me!"

"I am willing to offer all my savings, begging for your leniency. If it is truly impossible... I am willing to accept my punishment!"

The atmosphere inside the tent was extremely oppressive. Wu Kuang stared intently at Chen Sheng, his face seemingly angry, but inwardly he was filled with admiration.

He was about to be promoted and transferred to another place, and he needed to cultivate his confidants. He did not trust Huang Ren because of his brother's background. Instead, he preferred the people with clean backgrounds whom he had personally promoted. What he said just now was just a test.

If Chen Shengzhen betrays others to protect himself, he will keep his promise and protect him, but he will definitely transfer him away from the core before taking office—he would never dare to keep such an unrighteous person by his side.

However, Chen Sheng's answers perfectly matched his own standards of "loyalty and righteousness".

Not bad.

He is loyal and righteous, willing to sacrifice himself rather than let others down; he is a promising talent.

But he needed to confirm one last time. Wu Kuang's face was ashen, and he said in a cold voice:

"Are you really sure? If that quartermaster implicates you first, your crime will be compounded! You'll lose this hard-earned position as deputy commander. Is it worth it for a corrupt official like him?"

"Although I am not a saint, I know that 'righteousness' should come first. I did this voluntarily, and if I am punished, I will have no complaints!"

Chen Sheng's tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

"...That's all."

Wu Kuang seemed helpless and waved his hand, "You may leave now. Do not mention this matter to anyone. I... will do my best to help you."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

Chen Sheng looked grateful, stepped forward, took out a money pouch from his pocket, and prepared to place it on the table.

"Take it back!"

Wu Kuang resolutely stopped him, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "This time, I will not accept your money."

"...Yes, thank you, sir!"

Chen Sheng bowed deeply, put away his money pouch, and slowly left the tent.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief the moment the curtain fell.

Having passed this hurdle, not only are they unharmed, but they have likely gained Wu Kuang's favor.

Having the answers in hand to solve problems can indeed help one avoid misfortune and proceed with caution.

……

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

As expected, Zhou Si Cao and his cronies were arrested by Captain Nie for "selling military supplies and colluding with foreign enemies" and were all sentenced to death by beheading, which put the army in awe.

Chen Sheng, on the other hand, weathered the storm unscathed and was not implicated in the slightest.

That night, he was summoned again and entered Wu Kuang's tent.

When Wu Kuang saw him enter, his first words were:

"I will soon be transferred to Changshan County, Ning'an Prefecture, to serve as the county magistrate. I remember you are from Changshan?"

His gaze fell on Chen Sheng, and then he asked calmly:

"Would you be willing to accompany me to my new post and return home in glory?"

(End of this chapter)