The airship sailed steadily and swiftly until it came to rest at the docking station where Yu Yingnan had previously disembarked. A military off-road vehicle had already been standing by, ready to welcome Qianye and Aunt Lan. The front bore as usual a golden staff marked with the flag emblem of the腾蛇 regiment. The vehicle sped forwards in full force towards the retreat house of House Yin.
Awaiting at the front gate were Lieutenant Colonel Zheng, the same tall and sharp figure as before, though Aunt Lan vanished somewhere just beyond the gateway.
Following closely behind Zheng with steps in rhythm, Qianye set forth into the depth of the courtyard. This was his very first encounter with architecture designed on such a massive, antique scale. Although many of the nobles he had met on previous Red Scorpion missions tried hard to flaunt cultivated tastes by styling only one or two key buildings in traditional timber and stone, those displays always rang false—because in these unstable times, structures of solid stone and metal were far more effective at resisting attack.
As the two meandered through complex turns and crossed countless courtyards where majestic halls and ornate pavilion lined their path, it first filled Qianye with awe. Soon however his instincts took over. And he quickly noted what struck him—a lack of hiding places and blind corners. In what could otherwise be termed lush foliage and intricate gardens filled with many sightlines, the openness revealed a meticulous layer of planning behind design choices made evident by the absence of hiding spots or tactical vulnerabilities.
The next observation came regarding the retreat house power supply—in stark divergence from normal estate design relying on blackstone-fueled steam towers, its perpetual generator tower was modest in scale and positioned far distanced laterally from the palace’s centerline. A glance into several visible sections and distinctive shapes confirmed core energy relied not on steam power but Black Crystal exclusively. That, mind you, within but one auxiliary family mansion on Venable Continent—an indicator, perhaps, of the depth beneath Empire noble families’ collective status.
Colonel Zheng finally guided Qianye to a secluded courtyard of solitary compound layout. A southern-facing residence, the full width spanning the central building. Stepping inside revealed to his shock an unexpectedly immense space, entirely given over to a single, partition-free study. Ancient decorations embellished every inch—intricately woodcrafted bookshelves in more than rows filled half this chamber. By the window sat a wooden writing desk bearing a brush stand with a string of calligraphy pens elegantly hung. On one side lay stone slabs while across from them sat a series special correspondence stationery, the kind seldom seen by those outside the noble houses.
Retaining writing desks complete with such full traditions was reserved only for old family houses tracing generations, yet even this exceeded anything Qianye could ever hope to witness himself. His wandering gaze paused, suddenly drawn irresistibly toward a suspended calligraphic hanging wall scroll dominating one end of bookshelves—large strokes of ink spelling forth four powerful black characters:
*Kill Without Mercy – Decide without Hesitation.*
Characters flowing thickly soaked through to the fabric beneath them—ironically brushed metallic hues, unyieldingly firm like weapons forged red-hot yet hardened steel. Though the calligraphy itself escaped his technical assessment skill, instinct made him feel the presence of sheer martial pressure radiating outward toward his person.
While Qianye observed intently, a melodic female voice broke through: “Tell me, what’s your evaluation upon viewing the script?”
Spinning to face the voice’s direction, the sight he first saw within the library doorway was an extremely capable-looking woman—a radiant figure exuding a unique presence of grace fused perfectly with battlefield sharpness.
She stood almost at eye-level alongside Qianye’s considerable height: sharp, sword-shaped eyebrows arching gently; her long, elegant phoenix eyes held an unmistakably commanding glint when narrowed. When she curved slightly further, expression suddenly shifted entirely—exuding a captivating kind of sultriness one cannot easily describe or explain. Her age was uncertain, though she didn’t appear beyond her early twenties, and Qianye could hardly hide initial disbelief upon spotting her uniform—a military captain’s outfit that somehow fit better with her presence than anything else ever crafted.
Meeting his line of sight, she blinked once then whistled casually aloud, stating, “You’re Qianye, huh? You have nice appearances. Very pleasing; definitely up to standard!” A smirk played at her lips. “And just to introduce: I’m Yin Qiqi!”.
A slight nod sufficed from Qianye, who replied in measured voice, “Miss QiQi”.
A flicker of surprise passed through the young Captain, though it quickly transformed into a faintly wrinkled expression indicating disapproval: “Did no one teach you proper noble etiquette?”
Unmoving yet sincere, he replied: “Indeed.”
With one effortless movement she waived his explanation into a minor oversight. “That’s no problem—I’ll make arrangements by tomorrow, summoning several of the very best instructors available so it can be dealt with properly in good time. Concerning duties of the task assigned you—I assume your understanding of details has already been communicated, in basic sense at least.”
“But truthfully speaking,” she smiled slightly broader as her tone carried growing intensity. “The family appraisal tests and similar distractions are nothing much. Focus only upon carrying out every personal directive I personally assign. Outside my formal instructions? Free rein will allow autonomy until my next relevant order, though understand—my rivals number significantly in various forms.”
“Whatever the identity opposing or interfering with assessment outcomes negatively—therein your sole response should involve following instruction provided precisely in word form from the written phrase above.”
She emphasized the point with a pointed hand gesture—referring again to the massive scroll hanging ominously on the study wall that said “*Kill Without Mercy – Decide without Hesitation*.”
Caught unprepared by the unexpected explanation (and its underlying implications of unrestrained hostility), a brief pause gripped Qianye’s expression—an action whose timing now made him fully appreciate some discrepancies between the explanation just received versus what Aunt Lan once shared aboard the airship ride previously.
From perspective of Yin Clan, nothing overshadowed current relevance or importance to Inheritance Exam selection processes determining the eventual successor to house authority. The result of such selection—though broad enough to allow multiple metrics, remained heavily swayed from final determination. Ten full years dedicated to training promising young cadets across the entire main estate concluded recently with nomination of four candidates—one of these promising figures, surprisingly being the young Captain standing mere feet before him. The evaluation system remained relatively flexible allowing each participant generous freedoms for interpretation. Starting base of five hundred imperial frontline troops combined with a starting capital equivalent valued approximately at fifty-thousand golden coins—each candidate allowed wide leeway in usage and tactical approach for achieving personal records of merit.
Naturally among possible objectives in battlefield achievement, engagement against forces on Venable continent—long a contested, semi-inhabitable land populated by dangerous and shadow dwelling species—remained among highest possible scores. Not merely for prestige: the direct, verifiable metrics earned via enemy kills provided irreplicable value when considered alongside other achievements. Among the potential claimants competing at equal levels, Qiqi was already noted for formidable physical combat capability within family circles and held notable influence at official circles through ancestral family background.
However… certain recent reports suggested growing concern amongst close retainers: Captain QiQi spent most of the several months stationed here on Venable engaged primarily only with entertainment activities. Night after night appeared more focused upon social engagements rather than any meaningful military expedition. In reality few true campaigns ever conducted under her leadership since arrival—her frequent absences from camp and lack of meaningful military deployments (even minimal command involvement of five hundred assigned personal infantry units, which were essentially left unengaged once relocated towards contested front zones) became the primary reason of concern amongst inner-circle aides—including most notably Aunt Lan present here today, whose anxiety over progress—or the lack thereof—was already made evident during their shared journey aboard previous flight.
Qianye represented the inaugural official recruitment made in this war theater under Captain Qi Qi’s name, indicating serious reconsideration or sudden motivation previously completely unobservable in field conduct.
Upon listening firsthand the peculiar nature concerning specific chain of command directives issued by Commander Yin moments prior—he suddenly gained clarity to the uncharacteristic reticence noticed in earlier conversation while in transit. It remained difficult at his early stage of awareness discerning motives or concealed intent in underlying operations—but the young noblewoman’s erratic logic did seem impossible to decipher via conventional understanding: certainly not something that ordinary minds might easily follow.
Leaning suddenly in, her voice dropped an octave or two as she added: “Your base wage—hundred a month—in addition to other possible merit-based performance incentives. Rest assured, certain… bonuses included in that latter clause shall appeal to you greatly.”
Qianye found himself unaccustomed to someone breaking into the comfort zone of required personal space during interaction. Yet while contemplating potential options to create more distance (without causing offense), Qi Qi kept forward until nose distance vanished nearly entirely. Her breath tickled upon Qianye’s face.
“This week? You focus upon refining manners and becoming oriented around premises. The official assignment schedule launches exactly next week. We’ll keep it that way—agreement unanimous!”
At this, Qianye instinctually flinched slightly sideways in a bid toward creating space. Uninterrupted composure maintained across face expression, she straightened upright as additional command flowed from same calm tone: “Now show me that raw presence of aura and strength, please.”
At the prompting, Qianye slowly channeled Origin power outward through physical being, allowing an aura release into immediate area.
Her expression brightened—though her response carried far greater directness than expected.
She reached for his form without concern of appropriateness, grabbing here and there, running palms freely from chest to shoulders, as if performing a field readiness status check on raw combat effectiveness and physical conditioning metrics. The sensation of invasion remained uncomfortably ambiguous.
“Wow—already四级 now? Not aligned with prior report! You just crossed last tier barrier recently!”
A simple confirming nod emerged in reply.
“So… you’re level-four! This elevation signifies an important milestone—shifting from previously ‘completely worthless’ good-looking kid status into new position—’slightly-useful’ category of pretty junior cadet.”
She gestured casually again while walking backwards: “Soon, someone accompanies yourself to lodgings assigned for rest. Our conversation here done—until then!”
Qianye could not immediately process how precisely someone should respond to her strangely-worded evaluation comments—but maintained composed neutrality regardless.
Laughing lightly at his unchanging exterior, she disappeared from study hall into the hallway outside, followed soon by entrance of two young lieutenants in Imperial uniform—one whose demeanor conveyed sincerity and professionalism through polished, confident carriage: Yang Shengjun followed Wen Junye, assigned now to accompany Qianye directly.
To no small level of shock at what unfolded next, the quarters allocated proved far beyond what he imagined receiving initially—he alone occupied access over entire enclosed courtyard residence. Interior featured fully-fenced private garden spaces with a full pond installation complementing the estate’s main hall structures.
The scale and depth of amenities astounded beyond all expectations of what one could possibly be given temporary usage rights of during a contract engagement.
Dropping his travel sack down upon crossing the threshold, he moved room by room in quiet examination.
Luxury-sized private bath connected adjacently to personal bedchamber. Spacious living spaces and open-plan windows allowed maximum exposure to sunlight. All interior furnishings—brushings, calligraphy wallscrolls, framed artwork, and antique décor items—possessed either noble backgrounds or carried significant vintage provenance. None of these objects could be classified accurately for origin by his limited expertise—merely observation of ornate metallic frame carvings and embedded Origin crystals placed within select items suffixed to understanding how immense individual values must stand within noble society here.
Wandering into study chamber uneventfully, he sat at an ancestral carved desk—only a reflex-driven drawer-opening to begin unpacking personal affects yielded a fresh jolt in his heart.
There sat an actual level-three compact Origin gun—designed elegantly in miniature scale, each engraving across surface bearing delicate floral filigrain patterning. Constructed of an intact pearl-encrusted deep-sea crustacean sheaths formed directly upon grip section with shimmering pale blues and an outlined ink-draped image of bamboo foliage. This weapon’s embedded Origin runes, while sophisticated in construction pattern—could not even compete with the external artistic finish in perceived overall value estimation: purely visual beauty exceeding technological worth at first glance.
To the side lay neatly aligned three individual custom-made blank origin cartridges specially matched in ammunition capacity. Intended primarily presumably only against the extremely minimal chances requiring defensive action during solitary writing tasks; such a luxurious inclusion of defensive readiness, even as low a probability measure, again demonstrated a sense of unshakable aristocratic certainty built upon layers of unseen, daily reaffirmed tradition.
Not long afterward, the officer entered yard approach where Qianye resided.
This time he arrived already introducing himself with warm expression and confident ease: “I am Ji Yuanjia. You may simply address this junior officer as Yuanjia, for ease’s sake. I’ll be providing the detailed instructions regarding your forthcoming duties.”
They occupied positions seated comfortably during tea preparations within receiving drawing-room. Soon after introduction complete and tea poured smoothly into porcelain wares, Ji Yuanjia slid formal documentation into Qianye’s hands, elaborating upon delivery.
“Your designated operational position: Special Aide and Deputy under the directive of Captain Qi, ranked as full War Captain of Seventeenth Regiment Battlefield Troopes of Imperial Army.” Hand gestured respectfully toward official scroll for verification purposes only. “Please examine the Commission Order first.”
Taking document in hand verified several critical aspects immediately: Official imprint bore authentic stamp of Imperial Seventeenth Army—the paper fiber quality, ink signature style, all consistent completely with real documentation procedures. Though handwriting—rather than machine-printed calligraphy—showed clear evidence of being recently authored, barely dry.
Remaining aware that Qianye could detect this unique variance between protocol and urgency within assignment method, Ji Yuan explained ahead, clarifying intent:
“This commission is absolutely binding. All corresponding files are complete. Official-ware weaponry supplies remain immediately available for collection from quartermaster. But should personal preferences exist—I highly advocate selecting house Yin’s independent armory selection, far superior in overall quality availability and customization potential.”
While Qianye understood general regulations regarding Officer Commissions, standard procedure entailed complete engraved or block letter reproduction—but emergency appointments during war-time service allowed handwritten authorizations if signed off through valid authority and properly maintained official records—both conditions met, though he found hard comprehension how one noble’s daughter could so freely command officer commissions for active field service in a regular Imperial division at such an age?
The appended sheets of supporting data and attachments that followed within the dossier confirmed full integration into command system. His assumed name bore no issue of plausibility—his own past details rewritten as if authentic, though specific assignments under cover identities remained unread at this initial point.
Then finally, a bulky leather-bound book handed forward by the officer was pushed over: “Official Catalog of Family Yin Private Armory Equipment Inventory. Your spending limit assigned one thousand gold pieces.”
Ji paused a moment for emphasis then brought forth metallic insignia—a brass lapel piece dropped firmly to table center:
“A further directive from Senior Madam Qi indicates full authority has been extended: you command complete autonomous control and responsibility over Independent Tactical Unit №131—a formation established exactly along full-standard enhancement parameters equivalent to strengthened company-sized formation of elite troops from within regular Imperial forces—hoping this provision meets satisfaction.”
Strengthened formations weren’t purely about augmentations through additional men and weapons beyond conventional company size—officer quality increased too across multiple levels. A normal squad lead was normally basic-level soldier: Level One warrior standard. Platoon leads at Company level would normally represent enhanced performance equivalent. Whereas Commanding Company Captains—would be reliably expected in the field to represent minimum capability standard around a Level-Three battlefield warrior: overall equivalent combat performance approaching full infantry Battalion strength through consolidated power.
Now he had been given direct control of an entire reinforced company—150 warriors—without conditions or reservations?
But Qianye remained unmixed within mind—no false excitement, no delusion of importance at sudden empowerment. To Qianye—it remained still just another task; regardless of underlying strangeness and peculiar leadership structures.
Flipping through remainder of documentation in his possession, the last question emerged naturally, in firm and concise articulation:
“Regarding field intelligence dissemination protocol: what degree of clearance was granted?”
The Lieutenant Colonel allowed visible expression change at that specific choice of concern: surprise, yet one mixed with approval.
Looking upon Qianye this time with renewed consideration upon the young man he was only newly beginning to perceive differently now—Ji finally answered:
“You stand elevated under direct command with unrestricted security permissions, granted equal to my present level in information-sharing hierarchy. All operations, reports and accessible intel regarding human-held districts within this Xichang region and surroundings should now lie open. The only limits placed exist only over data involving classified Yin dynasty household operations specifically—and by implication several other aristocrats holding similar confidentiality protection.”
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