After the five hundred soldiers of the Black Armor Army finished their lunch, they rested for over half an hour before departing Yicheng, pressing on for more than three hundred li. As evening approached, they finally reached their destination—the 'Iron Link Mountain' outside Huafeng City, the location of the gold mine.
Iron Link Mountain was a considerable expanse, spanning nearly ten li in circumference, though significantly smaller than Great Yan Mountain.
Yet, Iron Link Mountain held a rich gold deposit, which was currently the largest source of income for the Guiyuan Sect.
At the foot of the mountain, hundreds of people were gathered, led by two men whose features were strikingly similar. They were there to welcome the five hundred Black Armor Army soldiers arriving from Jiangning Commandery.
“Hahaha, Junior Brother Bai Qi!” one of the two leaders called out loudly from a distance.
Commander Bai Qi, leading the five hundred soldiers, had finally arrived.
“Senior Brother Gui Tao, Senior Brother Gui Qing,” Bai Qi dismounted, smiling as he clasped his hands in greeting.
Gui Tao and Gui Qing, brothers now in their forties, were known in the Guiyuan Sect as the ‘Twin Blades of the Gui Family.’ The younger brother, ‘Gui Tao,’ was a Commander in the Black Armor Army, having already reached the peak of the Houtian realm, possessing astonishing strength. The elder brother, ‘Gui Qing,’ was the City Lord of Huafeng City, his power no less than his sibling’s.
Their grandfather was an Elder of the Guiyuan Sect, his strength unfathomable. These two brothers were the main pillars of the Gui Family, and since many younger Gui Family members resided within the sect, ordinary people dared not offend them.
“Junior Brother Bai Qi, these warhorses cannot ascend the mountain. Leave them with me temporarily,” Gui Qing said with a smile.
“Hahaha, I’ll have to trouble Senior Brothers to look after these horses for these three months,” Bai Qi replied.
“It is our duty.” Gui Qing waved his hand, and several guards behind him immediately rushed forward to lead the horses away. The five hundred-plus warhorses were gathered at a spot near the base of the mountain, watched over and cared for by guards from Huafeng City.
“Let’s go, up the mountain!”
Immediately, Teng Qingshan and the rest of the group started their ascent.
...
Teng Qingshan walked alongside the other four Centurions.
“This Iron Link Mountain is the greatest treasure of our Guiyuan Sect! Even ‘Azure Lake Island’ covets this rich mountain, but covet it they might. This treasure lies within our Jiangning Commandery,” praised Du Hong, the eldest among the five Centurions. “This entire mountain is filled with gold.”
“Gold is nothing. Deep within this gold mine, there’s even a small patch of purple gold ore,” said the tall and thin Wan Fanxiang.
“Purple gold ore?” Teng Qingshan inquired, “What is that?”
Teng Qingshan had learned the general situation regarding the Iron Link Mountain gold mine on the journey, but he was unfamiliar with purple gold ore.
Tian Dan, walking nearby, explained, “Brother Qingshan, the scale of this gold mine is vast, and naturally, the difficulty of mining is significant. Deep inside the mine shafts, there’s an area with no gold—only purple gold! Purple gold, legend has it, was used to forge the ‘Heavenly Sword’ that the Qinling Heavenly Emperor wielded when he commanded the world! Tsk, tsk. One liang of purple gold is equivalent to one hundred liang of gold, and purple gold is heavy. That Heavenly Sword must have required hundreds of jin of purple gold. That’s equivalent to a hundred thousand liang of gold! It’s a priceless treasure.”
“The weapon of the Qinling Heavenly Emperor was forged from scrap iron, yet it remains a priceless treasure,” someone else commented nearby.
“Actually, purple gold isn’t ideal for weapons. Although the Qinling Heavenly Emperor possessed the Heavenly Sword, he relied primarily on his bare hands as his weapon. The ‘Heavenly Sword’ only represented his status. In terms of hardness, purple gold is even inferior to Black Iron! However, purple gold symbolizes supreme status, so some major wealthy merchants or Sect Masters like to use it. It certainly carries prestige,” the tall and thin Wan Fanxiang elaborated.
Teng Qingshan felt he had gained much insight from this.
The value of purple gold was fundamentally about face!
The esteemed Qinling Heavenly Emperor—since antiquity, only the Great Yu Emperor and the Qinling Heavenly Emperor had unified the world. The Great Yu Emperor forged the Nine Tripods, which became the symbol of the Nine Provinces, worshiped by all. And the Qinling Heavenly Emperor used the rare purple gold to forge the ‘Heavenly Sword’ to command the realm, making purple gold extraordinarily precious.
Using purple gold meant prestige!
“Junior Brother Bai Qi, I heard that in this recent Centurion selection, there was a sixteen-year-old—oh, he should be seventeen now—named Teng Qingshan. He defeated quite a few people, even Senior Wei Wuya’s prized disciple, ‘Yue Song.’ I heard he’s in your company?”
The voice from ahead caused Teng Qingshan to look up involuntarily.
Bai Qi was walking alongside the Gui Family brothers, and at this moment, Bai Qi turned, bringing the Gui brothers with him.
“Senior Brothers, you already know these four. This newcomer is Teng Qingshan!” Bai Qi pointed to Teng Qingshan and said, “Qingshan, this is the City Lord of Huafeng City, Lord Gui Qing, and this is Commander Gui Tao.”
As soon as City Lord Gui Qing of Huafeng City saw Teng Qingshan, he laughed warmly, “Brother Qingshan, I have heard your great name throughout Huafeng City. Hahaha… He is the same age as Junior Brother Yun, yet his strength is astonishing. I see that in the future, our Guiyuan Sect will have to rely on Junior Brother Yun, you, and Junior Brother Zang Feng.”
Commander Bai Qi’s expression immediately darkened.
“Brother, Junior Brother Bai Qi’s strength has also seen rapid improvement! I heard his Nine Lances of the Rising Sun is close to Great Accomplishment. His strength, even compared to Junior Brother Zang Feng, is likely not far off,” Commander Gui Tao said with a smile.
Commander Bai Qi then smiled broadly, “As for my Nine Lances of the Rising Sun, a few days ago, while observing the sun rise over Dragon Ridge, I had a sudden enlightenment. I have grasped the final difficulty of the Nine Lances of the Rising Sun. With a little more practice, I can integrate it completely for Great Accomplishment. Of course, compared to Senior Brother Zang Feng, I am still slightly lacking.” Though speaking modestly, a hint of pride was visible on his face.
Having comprehended the Nine Lances of the Rising Sun, Bai Qi was quite self-satisfied.
In his view, he was nearly comparable to ‘Zang Feng,’ the foremost figure of the younger generation. However, to maintain humility, he dared not claim to be equal.
“Oh? Then congratulations, Junior Brother,” Gui Tao and Gui Qing were genuinely surprised.
“Right, Junior Brother, how shall we arrange the garrison duty for the gold mine?” Gui Tao asked. “This matter needs to be settled tonight so that my company of men can return to Jiangning Commandery tomorrow morning!”
“Naturally,” Bai Qi turned and issued orders, “Tian Dan. You will lead your hundred soldiers and be responsible for the First Zone of the gold mine!”
“Yes,” Tian Dan bowed.
“Du Hong, you will lead your hundred soldiers and be responsible for the Southern Second Zone of the gold mine!”
“Yes,” Du Hong bowed.
“Liu He! You will lead your hundred soldiers and be responsible for the Western Third Zone of the gold mine!”
“Yes!” The short Liu He bowed.
“Wan Fanxiang, you will lead your hundred soldiers and be responsible for the final, Fourth Zone of the gold mine!”
“Yes!” The tall and thin Wan Fanxiang bowed.
At this point, only Teng Qingshan remained among the five Centurions without an assignment.
Gui Qing, standing nearby, expressed surprise, “Junior Brother, are you planning to have Brother Qingshan lead a contingent? To be in charge of the purple gold mine area? Brother Qingshan is leading troops for the first time and is new to garrison duty. I suggest… perhaps assigning someone else?”
“No need! Qingshan’s strength is good; I believe he will handle it well,” Commander Bai Qi looked toward Teng Qingshan, “Isn’t that right, Qingshan?”
Teng Qingshan cupped his hands and accepted the order.
...
The next day, Commander Gui Tao led his five hundred soldiers and departed back toward Jiangning Commandery City. Meanwhile, Teng Qingshan and his group were stationed at Iron Link Mountain. In fact, besides the Black Armor Army soldiers, nearly a thousand guards from Huafeng City and Yicheng were assisting with the garrison.
However, the responsibility for the purple gold mine zone was too heavy, and ordinary guards were forbidden from interfering.
In the eyes of the Guiyuan Sect, the Black Armor Army was the most trustworthy.
...
In the early morning, Teng Qingshan walked across Iron Link Mountain. There were many Black Armor soldiers, guards, and exhausted laborers sifting for gold scattered across the mountain.
“Purple gold is incomparably precious. One liang of purple gold equals one hundred liang of gold, which is ten thousand liang of silver! An ordinary commoner only earns ten or twenty liang of silver a year. They could never earn one liang of purple gold in their lifetime! Purple gold stirs the heart, and many are willing to risk their lives for it,” after a day of garrison duty, Teng Qingshan completely understood that being assigned to the purple gold mine zone was a rotten assignment! It was grueling!
If he guarded it well and nothing went wrong, that was merely his duty, meriting no reward.
But if a mishap occurred, it meant dereliction of duty and punishment!
Therefore, the ‘Purple Gold Mine Zone’ was a hot potato; being responsible for guarding it was a bitter task.
“This Bai Qi,” Teng Qingshan mused, narrowing his eyes slightly, “it seems he truly intends to target me relentlessly.” He quickened his pace toward the east.
“My Lord!” The guards and Black Armor soldiers nearby saluted him respectfully upon seeing Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly and continued forward.
As a martial artist, daily rigorous training was essential; strength was the only basis for survival in this world. Morning exercises had become a habit for the Black Armor soldiers. Of course, Centurions and Commanders also trained in the morning.
“Hahaha… Old Du, although your spear strikes with immense force, you lack speed. You still need diligent practice!” A triumphant burst of laughter drifted from the east. Teng Qingshan recognized Commander Bai Qi’s voice immediately. As he drew nearer, Teng Qingshan saw—
In the distance, the other four Centurions and Commander Bai Qi were present.
Among them, Du Hong was currently on the ground, supporting himself with his spear as he stood, apparently having injured his leg.
“Sparring?” Teng Qingshan smiled.
Within the Black Armor Army, Centurions, Commanders, and Generals were all first-rate martial artists. To promote the advancement of strength, the Black Armor Army permitted sparring among Centurions and Commanders, provided there was one condition—no killing was allowed.
“Qingshan, we are all at our morning practice, why are you only arriving now?” Tian Dan called out from afar. Among the five Commanders, he had the best relationship with Teng Qingshan.
“I practiced my spear technique at my quarters for a while,” Teng Qingshan walked over, gripping his Reincarnation Spear. He then smiled looking at Commander Bai Qi, “Commander Bai Qi’s spear technique is indeed formidable; even Old Du is no match! I heard that Your Excellency’s Nine Lances of the Rising Sun has reached Great Accomplishment. I wonder if you dare to spar with your subordinate?”
Teng Qingshan’s voice was clear and loud, heard by many Black Armor soldiers, ordinary guards, and even some laborers nearby.
Dare or not?
‘Dare’ and ‘be willing’ are two different concepts.
Teng Qingshan asking ‘dare you’ carried an intensely provocative tone. If Commander Bai Qi refused, it would imply he lacked the courage to compete with Teng Qingshan. A martial artist who lost his nerve would be secretly ridiculed within the Black Armor Army later on.
“Brother Qingshan is truly ruthless,” Tian Dan and the other four Centurions secretly chuckled.
Many Black Armor soldiers nearby watched the scene with bright eyes.
Would Commander Bai Qi dare?
Commander Bai Qi’s face flushed crimson, then he laughed loudly, “Teng Qingshan! You are young, yet you defeated several men in the Centurion selection; arrogance is understandable. But today, as your Commander, I shall let you know that there is always someone better beyond the heavens!”