Mainland Martial Arts

Li Hua's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally stopping at the city gate. A myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, recalling every moment here: the days fighting alongside the soldiers, the joy after victory and the pain after defeat.

"Okay, don't be sad." Li Hua said softly, "It's time to go."

With a shout from the driver, the carriage slowly started, the sound of rolling wheels breaking the silence. The soldiers' eyes followed the carriage until it gradually disappeared at the end of the road in the distance. At that moment, the city gate seemed to have been drained of all its vitality and energy, leaving only endless melancholy and longing. She Wu and Zhong Qi stood there quietly for a long time, not moving, their hearts seeming to have become empty with the departure of General Li Hua.

She Wu and Zhong Qi stared blankly in the direction where the carriage had vanished, unable to recover for a long time. The soldiers around them were also silent, broken only by the occasional sigh.

Lin Feng walked forward and gently patted She Wu and Zhong Qi on the shoulders. "Captains, don't be too sad. General Li doesn't want to see us so depressed."

She Wu slowly came back to his senses, his eyes still filled with loneliness, "Yes, but now that the general is gone, I always feel empty inside."

Zhong Qi nodded. "We've been through so much with the general, and now that he's gone so suddenly, it's really hard to adapt for a while."

Lin Feng looked at them, his heart filled with emotion, "But we must continue to move forward with the general's expectations, stay here, and protect our home."

She Wu took a deep breath and cheered himself up, "You are right, Lin Feng, we cannot let the general down."

Zhong Qi also straightened his back and said, "We must work harder to make the general proud of us."

In the days that followed, She Wu and Zhong Qi trained the soldiers more rigorously, aiming to make the army even stronger. Lin Feng also worked hard to improve himself, often thinking of General Li Hua's help and encouragement.

Far away, Li Hua, sitting in the bumpy carriage, was also filled with thoughts. He recalled the years on the border, the days of living and dying with the soldiers, and a smile of relief appeared on his face.

Li Hua had been gone for some time. Lin Feng sat cross-legged in his tent, eyes closed, expression solemn, concentrating on consolidating his realm. He knew full well that this level of cultivation had not been achieved through his own continuous practice; it was the product of Li Hua's immense dedication and sacrifice. If he didn't completely control and consolidate this power, any future breakthroughs in his realm would be incredibly difficult.

Xu Tian, ​​temporarily replacing Lin Feng, led a group of thirty men frantically crafting detonators. Half a month had passed since the last heart-wrenching battle, and the reconstruction of the burned-down houses was in full swing. Amazingly, one-third of the houses were already complete. Considering half the city's houses had been burned down, it would normally take several months to complete the reconstruction. Yet, the extraordinary speed of construction was truly astonishing.

One day, while Lin Feng was sitting cross-legged and practicing Qi, the Marshal's messenger suddenly arrived, conveying the Marshal's summons. Lin Feng had no choice but to stop practicing, stand up, straighten his clothes, and hurried to the Marshal's Mansion.

The Marshal's Mansion wasn't crowded; most people were busy outside. The Marshal sat upright in the main seat, flanked by two generals and a deputy marshal. Zhong Qi and She Wu stood quietly to the side. Lin Feng bowed respectfully as he entered the Marshal's Mansion. Seeing this, the Marshal raised his hand slightly, motioning Lin Feng to stand.

The marshal looked at Lin Feng with a dignified gaze and slowly said, "Lin Feng, I have heard that you led the troops and detonators to turn the tide of the war, truly making great contributions. Unfortunately, you were seriously injured and near death. Fortunately, General Li Hua expended all his cultivation to rescue you and helped you break through to the Grandmaster level." The marshal paused, then continued, "In theory, you should have been promoted to deputy general, but you have been in the army so recently and are only fifteen years old, so it is difficult to make an exception. Therefore, you can only be promoted to captain, and Zhong Qi will serve as deputy general, temporarily filling in for Li Hua."

Zhong Qi's face was a little gloomy at this moment. He was extremely dissatisfied with Lin Feng becoming a captain. But the marshal had already given the order, so he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

The marshal then asked Lin Feng what reward he desired. Lin Feng remained calm, bowing and saying, "Marshal, I simply want my sword back. When I joined the army, I was forced to temporarily give it to Captain Zhong for safekeeping, as it was against regulations to carry a sword myself." As he spoke, Lin Feng wore a faint smile, his eyes clear and resolute. In reality, it was Zhong Qi who had forcibly seized Lin Feng's sword, but Lin Feng didn't accuse Zhong Qi of stealing it in front of the marshal. He simply said that he had given it to Zhong Qi for safekeeping after joining the army, giving Zhong Qi plenty of face.

Zhong Qi couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions after hearing this. On the one hand, he was somewhat surprised and grateful that Lin Feng had saved his face in front of the Marshal. On the other hand, he felt a bit jealous and resentful of Lin Feng's current status. He bit his lip and said in a deep voice, "Marshal, I will return the knife to Lin Feng right away."

The Marshal nodded slightly and looked at Lin Feng with satisfaction, "Okay, it's settled. You all can go down first."

Lin Feng saluted again and turned to leave the Marshal's Mansion. On the way back, Lin Feng's mind was full of thoughts, thinking about everything that had happened during this period. From a soldier who had just entered the barracks to the captain now, only he knew the hardships and difficulties along the way.

After leaving the Marshal's Mansion, Zhong Qi immediately sent someone to fetch Lin Feng's knife. He stood there, gazing at the sky, and secretly vowed in his heart that he must achieve greater success in the days ahead and make everyone look at him with new eyes.

When Lin Feng received his lost and recovered sword, he gently stroked the blade, as if he were reuniting with an old friend. He knew that this sword had witnessed his growth and struggles, and would accompany him as he continued on in this challenging military career.

On the city wall, Lin Feng held the heavy knife in his hand and stared quietly into the distance.

Lin Feng frowned slightly, feeling the weight of the knife in his hand, and thought to himself: "Although this knife is still extremely heavy, 500 kilograms is no longer a big deal for me." He took a deep breath, and the force that suppressed his true energy made him feel a strange feeling in his heart.

Lin Feng's cultivation had recently skyrocketed, a sudden surge that made him somewhat uneasy. This sword, however, could help him suppress his zhenqi and cultivate more firmly. He knew this would be extremely beneficial and would allow him to consolidate his cultivation even more rapidly.