A barrage of hoofbeats hammered the ground, like the swift cavalry of a black dragon tearing across the official road.

The soldiers of the Black Armored Army advanced in tightly ordered units of one hundred men. The First Hundred was at the vanguard, while the Fifth Hundred trailed at the rear. While the troops maintained strict formation, the five Centurions and the Commander were free to patrol the front, rear, and flanks of the column.

"Brother Tian Dan, when the Black Armored Army encounters bandits on the road, do we just charge straight through them?" Teng Qingshan still sounded somewhat taken aback by the recent display of the army’s reaction.

It had been barely half an hour since they left Jiangning Commandery City when they ran into the skirmish they had just witnessed. Commander Bai Qi had simply shouted, "Kill!" and the entire Black Armored Army had responded without hesitation, sweeping through the band of over a hundred brigands as if crushing a swarm of ants.

"Brother Qingshan." Centurion Tian Dan, walking his steed alongside Teng Qingshan, smiled. "This is your first time leading a large contingent out! You don’t know the rules of the Black Armored Army. When we march, any bandits or robbers encountered are to be annihilated without mercy. Besides, it serves as good training! These robbers prey on common folk; it is only right that we eliminate them!"

Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile.

He had no fondness for brigands either. If a man possessed martial prowess and courage, why would he resort to highway robbery?

"However, Brother Qingshan, you truly are soft-hearted," Tian Dan continued. "You actually went out of your way to save that old man and the boy just now." Tian Dan had seen it clearly: Teng Qingshan hadn't been at the very front initially, but he had abruptly accelerated his horse to the lead in order to spear the old man and the boy to safety.

Had Teng Qingshan been slower, those two likely would have been impaled by the bulk of the charging Black Armored Army. After all, the average Black Armored soldier, moving at such a desperate speed, could never manage to flick two people aside in an instant.

"I saw those bandits chasing the old man and the boy from a great distance. For me, it was just a casual move, requiring no great effort. But for that old man and boy, their lives were preserved. Why wouldn't I do it?" Teng Qingshan replied, riding his Azure Mane Snow-Treader.

Tian Dan let out a laugh upon hearing this.

Amidst the laughter, the Black Armored Army pressed forward at top speed.

...

They had departed at dawn, and now the sun hung high overhead.

The Black Armored Army advanced relentlessly along the main road.

"It's the Black Armored Army! Make way!" Merchants and travelers in the distance spotted the approaching force and quickly scrambled off the road, terrified of obstructing the path and being trampled to death.

Teng Qingshan scanned the roadside figures from his warhorse. The bystanders, showing a mix of fear and awe, dared not even straighten up to gaze directly at the Black Armored Army. Faced with the bloody, grim aura emanating from the soldiers, the faces of the commoners turned even paler.

"There’s still blood on the spear tips!"

"And fragments of flesh stuck to the hooves and armor!" the onlookers whispered among themselves, growing ever more terrified.

The Black Armored Army roared past and soon vanished from sight.

"When Father and I first entered Yicheng, we worried about running into bandits. But now, it is the bandits who fear running into us!" As he traveled, Teng Qingshan also noticed the 'tyranny' of the Black Armored Army. No one dared to block their path along the entire route, and no one dared to ride ahead of them.

This was the might of the Black Armored Army!

None dared to resist!

"Qinghu, we have officially entered Yicheng territory. In a moment, my battalion will enter the city to have lunch and rest briefly. You and I will take a detour home for lunch first, and then we will rejoin the main force," Teng Qingshan rode up alongside Teng Qinghu and said.

"Mm, it’s been a while since I’ve been home," Teng Qinghu said, a sense of anticipation in his voice.

The route to Yicheng followed the main highway.

The return to Teng Family Manor required a detour along the foothills of the Great Yan Mountains.

"Giddy up!" Teng Qingshan urged his horse, accelerating to the front of the column.

"Hm?" Commander Bai Qi, positioned at the very front, glanced back at Teng Qingshan catching up, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Commander," Teng Qingshan began.

"Oh, Qingshan. Do you need something?" Commander Bai Qi asked with a smile.

"Commander, there is a crossroads ahead! My home is within Yicheng’s borders, and I was planning to make a small detour home with my cousin first. You all will eat lunch and rest in Yicheng, and my cousin and I will meet up with the army afterward. It’s been some time since I was home; I really miss it," Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

Commander Bai Qi’s brow furrowed deeper.

Teng Qingshan pressed on, "The Sect Master also permitted this!" Zhuge Yuanhong had indeed mentioned this arrangement, which was why Teng Qingshan dared to speak of it.

"The Sect Master permitted it?" Commander Bai Qi’s expression darkened, and he snapped, "Qingshan! Minor matters concerning the Black Armored Army are handled by officers at every level! The Sect Master does not meddle unless it’s a major affair! A small matter like you going home falls under my purview! This is your first time leading troops out since joining the Black Armored Army, and you immediately flout military discipline?"

Teng Qingshan's brow tightened.

This Commander Bai Qi was trying to make trouble for him again.

"Commander, three soldiers were permitted to visit home on leave before," Teng Qingshan pointed out. This was just a short trip during a lunch break while en route to a garrison; it was a trivial matter.

"They are ordinary soldiers!" Commander Bai Qi roared. "But you are a Centurion, you must lead by example! How can you be so careless? Furthermore, they are veterans! They hadn't been home for a year or more. How long have you been away? Hmph, seventeen years old, not yet grown up, perhaps? A man’s ambition lies in the four directions; why cling to home so much?"

Commander Bai Qi spoke with an air of utter superiority, arbitrarily dressing down Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan’s face darkened: "These matters do not require your tutelage, Commander!"

"I cannot govern those things, but whether you leave the formation is under my command! Veterans may take brief leave, but new recruits are absolutely forbidden from returning!" Commander Bai Qi said coldly. "Teng Qingshan, if you dare defy military orders while on the march, I have the authority to order your arrest! To have you expelled from the Black Armored Army! Or even strike you down on the spot!"

Fire rose in Teng Qingshan’s heart, but he knew he had to endure it.

This bastard is throwing his weight around! Teng Qingshan knew the iron discipline of the Black Armored Army: during marches or missions, any defiance of orders granted the commanding officer the right to execute the offender! This specific regulation explained the commander’s authority. After all, during critical mission phases, any disruption to discipline was intolerable.

But this was merely a standard garrison assignment.

"Teng Qingshan, the next time you are on a mission, I won't stop you from visiting home. But this time, it’s impossible," Commander Bai Qi adopted an air of 'sincere concern.' "You need to learn to grow up! How can a man always be sentimental about home?"

Teng Qingshan said nothing, merely pulled on his reins. His horse's pace slowed, dropping him toward the middle-rear of the main body.

Watching Teng Qingshan retreat, Commander Bai Qi sneered inwardly: You think you can challenge me, boy? As an outsider, you’ll be stuck as a Centurion under me for your entire career; I’ll suppress you forever! If the first time he saw Teng Qingshan stealing the spotlight had bred a sliver of jealousy, seeing the closeness between Miss Qing and Teng Qingshan had ignited a consuming fire of envy!

Rank confers authority!

It was undeniably easy for Bai Qi to target Teng Qingshan. Using military discipline as his banner, Teng Qingshan had no recourse unless he was willing to quit the Black Armored Army entirely.

...

Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu rode side-by-side.

"Qingshan, what’s wrong?" Teng Qinghu inquired. "Your expression isn't good."

"We can’t go home this time," Teng Qingshan replied, his face grim.

"What happened?" Teng Qinghu grew anxious; the two brothers had been eagerly anticipating this homecoming for days.

"It’s Bai Qi, using that big military discipline stick to beat me down!" Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Qinghu, while what Bai Qi said was excessive, if we outright defy his order, it is insubordination, and he has the right to order our immediate execution! So, we have to swallow this for now and go back another time."

Teng Qinghu ground his teeth in frustration, but he could do nothing.

Disobeying military discipline was a major crime.

Yicheng.

The five hundred soldiers of the Black Armored Army rode their warhorses, marching in grand procession down the wide streets. On the thoroughfare, carriages belonging to wealthy merchants and nobles, as well as the warhorses of martial artists, all pulled to the sides. No one dared to block the Black Armored Army’s path. For a time, even the street vendors dared not call out their wares.

"Halt!" Commander Bai Qi commanded, and the entire force stopped abruptly.

Further up the street stood a refined man clad in white robes, accompanied by several guards behind him.

"Commander Bai Qi, haha, long time no see," the refined man said, offering a respectful salute.

Commander Bai Qi dismounted and returned the bow with a smile. "Brother Yang, it’s been a year since we met. You live quite comfortably, Brother. We soldiers, however, are out enduring wind and sun."

"Knowing the hardships of my brothers, banquets have been prepared in the four surrounding taverns," the refined man chuckled.

Immediately, the Black Armored troops dismounted and began dispersing into the four taverns to eat. These four establishments had been entirely booked out, containing no other patrons. The soldiers of the Black Armored Army sat eight to a table, filling the four large taverns to capacity. Meanwhile, the five Centurions, including Teng Qingshan, gathered at one table.

As for Commander Bai Qi, he dined with the City Lord of Yicheng.

...

In the private room.

Teng Qingshan and the other four Centurions sat together.

"Brother Qingshan, Commander Bai Qi looks down on us outsiders. Don't take it to heart. He’s just small-minded!" A stout, bald man drinking heavily said with a smile to Teng Qingshan.

"Old Du, I don't think it's that simple," Tian Dan interjected, sipping his wine. "Don't you notice that Bai Qi has designs on Miss Qing? It must be because Miss Qing is close to Brother Qingshan that Bai Qi is targeting him out of jealousy. It’s just one garrison duty assignment; is it worth such a fuss?"

Teng Qingshan drank his wine, his mind already making a plan: "Last time he obstructed Qinghu's deployment, and I backed down. It seems he thinks I’m young and easy to bully! He’s pushing his luck!"

Teng Qingshan, having lived two lives, knew better: "The more I retreat, the further he will overstep! I need to find an opportunity to thoroughly shock and teach him a lesson, otherwise, I’ll suffer under him endlessly. And... I must do it without violating military discipline, so he has no grounds to complain!" After a brief moment of contemplation, Teng Qingshan’s plan took shape.