When the storm is about to arrive, there’s always a brief calm before it.
Song Zining still roamed unpredictably, while Wei Potian was buried in affairs. Before Wu Zhengnan’s matter was completely resolved, he needed to manage a city, a military base, dozens of towns, and hundreds of thousands of people. Among these places, there were countless people who harbored resentment towards him.
Apart from continuously refining the details of the mercenary group formation plan and starting some preparatory work, Qian Ye spent most of his time cultivating. When Song Zining learned that the general outline of the Song Family’s ancient scroll had disintegrated, he showed an expression of “as expected.”
Only then did Qian Ye realize why the secret combat techniques of the high noble families were so limited. It wasn’t just because each family suppressed others to maintain their status; fundamentally, it was a problem of limited resource allocation.
Like the Yin Family’s “Rain Transformation Decree” that Qian Ye received, it didn’t have a general outline but only a specially formulated guiding potion. This potion temporarily converted a small portion of the body’s origin power, serving as a precursor to activate the “Rain Transformation Decree.” In other words, even if the Yin Family didn’t pursue it, Qian Ye could not pass on this set of skills.
The reason for the troublesome cultivation of these secret techniques was that the upper and middle-grade techniques handed down from the Millennium War period were difficult to copy, especially the general outlines, which had a very low success rate. Therefore, after long-term exploration by humanity, a system of cultivation was established where potions and techniques complemented each other. The “War Harvest Decree” was an exception, becoming a popular technique.
Thus, even children from noble families had limited opportunities to study the true versions. Those chosen outstanding individuals, if they could naturally complete the guiding of the secret techniques without using potions, were considered geniuses. Like Wei Potian, who ignited his first origin power node and simultaneously guided the “Thousand Mountains,” it was no wonder he was highly regarded with the potential to become a marshal.
However, fortunately, such techniques that required the disintegration of the general outline for guidance were rare; otherwise, the distribution of cultivation resources would be even more tense.
Qian Ye suddenly remembered a few words of lament he had heard from Lin Xitang years ago. Before the Millennium War, humans naturally awakened their innate abilities. Unexpectedly, through generations, cultivation became increasingly dependent on potions. He felt a slight stir in his heart, wondering if the words in the general outline of the Song Family’s ancient scroll about the beginning of the world might not be mere nonsense?
Regardless, Qian Ye’s life continued as usual. His main focus in cultivation was still the “War Harvest Decree,” as most of the techniques recorded in the Song Family’s ancient scroll involved the flow and control of origin power. Many descriptions of meridians and qi flow were incomprehensible, and Qian Ye couldn’t identify which part of the body they referred to.
He didn’t get discouraged, dedicating a bit of time each day to trying them out. Indeed, most of them had no response, with only a few techniques able to trigger the dawn origin power. After practicing several times, Qian Ye didn’t feel any special changes in the properties of his origin power, but it seemed to become a little more condensed after each complete cycle.
One day, after Qian Ye finished his cultivation and dismissed the twin girls from his room, the roar of an engine came from outside. A jeep stopped at the gate, and a man in his forties jumped out. His appearance was ordinary, disappearing in a crowd. But when Qian Ye saw him, he immediately became alert.
This man, nearing his fifties, wasn’t of high rank, but his light yet weighted movements, and his stable center of gravity, were familiar to Qian Ye. Clearly, he was a veteran with extensive combat experience, dangerous on the battlefield, combining the cunning of a fox and the ferocity of a wolf, with a danger level disproportionate to his rank.
The middle-aged man exchanged a few words with Qi, who was blocking him, and then walked towards the main building. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, bowed to Qian Ye, and said, “My name is Song Hu. I was originally a retainer of Young Master Zining. He instructed me to follow you for a year and assist with the trivial matters of the mercenary group.”
“Zining?” Qian Ye was taken aback, then invited Song Hu inside.
Song Hu stood respectfully, refusing to sit down until Qian Ye returned to the main seat. He then reverently presented a box and a letter, finally sitting on the lower chair.
Qian Ye observed this man carefully. Song Hu wore simple clothes, a common warrior’s uniform, a style that looked familiar, perhaps the standard attire of the Song Clan guards, but without any insignias.
He carried an old, long box, holding onto it even while sitting, his posture looking uncomfortable, almost like a horse stance. But Qian Ye knew this posture was suitable for responding to crises, allowing him to switch to a fighting stance without hindrance.
“What else did Zining say?” Qian Ye held the box and letter but didn’t open them immediately.
Song Hu said, “Young Master Qi said that my annual salary of two hundred gold coins should be paid by you, and all my equipment should also be at your expense.”
Qian Ye felt a mix of emotions and waited quietly for more.
As expected, Song Hu continued, “Young Master Qi told me to relay a message: playing with the mercenary group is solely to relieve the burden of the wild boar. He’s already being considerate by not ruining it, and expecting him to both contribute effort and money is out of the question.”
Qian Ye couldn’t help but laugh and feel frustrated. Song Hu was indeed a talent. Although he spoke with a straight face, he conveyed Song Zining’s meaning perfectly, revealing that he was not as dull as he appeared.
Knowing that Song Zining had seen through his intentions when he decided to form the mercenary group, Qian Ye didn’t talk much with Song Hu. He simply stated the plan he had been contemplating and detailed the training arrangements for the personnel.
Song Hu listened attentively and then got straight to the point, “Young Master Qian, since you plan to place the mercenary group in Blackflow City, the first step is to find a base. I will look around the city over the next few days to select a suitable location for the future headquarters. However, I dare to ask, how much capital do you have?”
Qian Ye thought for a moment, “About a thousand or so gold coins.”
Song Hu was slightly surprised, “I thought you planned to establish a medium-sized mercenary group of over a hundred members, but it turns out to be a small one?”
“In fact, there are about… nearly four hundred people, and another hundred children will be ready for battle within five years,” Qian Ye replied with a smile, seeing Song Hu’s puzzled gaze, “Their weapons and equipment are already complete.”
Song Hu’s gaze was still somewhat strange, but he realized he might be too rude. He coughed and said, “If we don’t consider the supply and update of weapons and equipment, it will take about five hundred gold coins a month to maintain the best combat effectiveness. So, please make early financial plans.”
Qian Ye smiled; the amount was actually more than that.
For example, Song Hu’s equipment and salary, since Song Zining set the price at two hundred gold coins, his equipment wouldn’t be less than that.
And what about the seeds? Should he pay them? Initially, they might serve Qian Ye out of gratitude, but over time, they would have different thoughts and might want their own lives. If Qian Ye couldn’t provide for them, some would definitely harbor resentment.
Controlling people’s hearts was always the hardest thing, regardless of time and place.
Seeing that Qian Ye had no further instructions, Song Hu expressed his desire to go out and explore the city. Qian Ye called Qi and Jiu to arrange accommodations for Song Hu. Once the room was quiet again, he sat in his original spot, lost in thought, pondering the same issues he had been considering recently.
According to Song Hu, the mercenary group needed sufficient funds to operate. Now, Qian Ye was merely supporting the group, so the issue hadn’t surfaced. But once they officially entered combat, they might not last two months without running out of funds.
In the end, it all came down to money, or rather, resources. When Qian Ye was alone, he could support himself through hunting dark races. But when he had to take care of a group, the situation changed.
Actually, there were solutions. Whether by taking on regional defense, receiving compensation from the expeditionary force, or hunting high-level dark race warriors in the wilderness, Qian Ye could barely sustain the mercenary group.
But if this responsibility expanded to a town, a city, a province, or even an entire country, what should he do?
Qian Ye shook his head, setting aside the question he couldn’t currently answer. He opened Song Zining’s letter and was surprised to find only three characters: “Wei Baine.” This was clearly a person’s name?
While Qian Ye was thinking about how to solve the trouble he brought upon himself, Wei Potian was struggling with the hot potato of responsibility he couldn’t shake off.
Every day, when Wei Potian sat in the chair that once belonged to Wu Zhengnan, he felt like he was sinking into an endless mire. The wide desk in front of him was always piled high with documents, and no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t reduce the mountain of paperwork.
For every ten documents he signed, eleven new ones appeared. Wei Potian brought his staff, but they were also busy, ensuring the contents of the documents were implemented, otherwise, they would be just empty paper.
In this state of peace for most and unrest for a few, an unremarkable airship landed outside Blackflow City, and a group of equally unremarkable people disembarked.
That day, Wei Potian was buried in documents as usual. In the short life of the Wei Clan’s young master, these days were one of the most terrifying experiences, far surpassing even the harsh training under the White Dragon Armor.
Hearing a knock on the door, Wei Potian snapped, “Isn’t it done yet? Can’t you bring them all at once?”
The door opened by itself, and a voice that made Wei Potian anxious since childhood said, “Qiyang, you’re about to be promoted to colonel. Why can’t you keep your cool?”
Hearing this voice, Wei Potian’s hand trembled, and a blob of ink spoiled half of the document he had just signed.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage