NOVEL NEXT Ch. 25
Chapter 25: Bandit-Subduing Army
At the same time as large-scale recruitment was underway across the three counties, inside the grand hall of the Royal Mansion—
Jiang Zhaoming sat cross-legged, both hands holding an ancient bronze mirror — it was the Fortune-Appraising Treasure Mirror.
The surface of the mirror shimmered faintly, as though a galaxy flowed within.
“Hu——”
He took a deep breath, his blood surging within.
Half of his vital essence transformed into threads of crimson mist, continuously pouring into the treasure mirror.
“Om!”
The mirror quivered lightly; its surface rippled like water and gradually revealed a bird’s-eye view of the entire Anxi Prefecture City.
And upon that image, beams of fortune light soared into the heavens, like brilliant stars glittering in the night sky.
“As expected…” Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes burned with intensity as he stared at the mirror. “This prefecture city truly hides dragons and crouching tigers!”
Aside from Yan Chen and the youth Guo Tiesheng, whom he had brought back from Kuqa, there were another five bearers of Blue Fortune within the city.
Among them, two were the Prefectural Lord Fan Kang and the Royal Mansion’s Guard Captain, Gu Landa.
Fan Kang possessed outstanding administrative ability.
He had ranked on the imperial examination’s gold list at a young age—if he didn’t possess Blue Fortune, that would be strange.
But why did Gu Landa have such fortune?
“I’ll have to examine her Life Fate later.”
The mirror continued to flow, revealing three more bearers of Blue Fortune.
The figure of a young general appeared.
He was only twenty-two, yet already commanded a hundred men, and his cultivation had reached the Fourth Layer of the Blood Refining Realm!
In the mirror, he was practicing martial drills—his spear thrusts like dragons.
The Blue Fortune around him condensed into the phantom of a war spear, radiating a sharp and piercing aura.
Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes brightened. “What a fine seedling! To possess such cultivation at this age—he is destined for the Divine Power Realm in the future!”
The scene then shifted to a luxurious mansion in the northern part of the city.
An old man with white hair sat cross-legged in meditation. His blood energy was as deep as the ocean, gathering above his head into an ancient pill cauldron within which spiritual flames seemed to burn.
“This is… he’s about to break through to the Divine Power Realm?”
Seeing the aura emanating from the head of the Gu Clan within the mirror, Jiang Zhaoming narrowed his eyes.
However, he didn’t linger long before shifting his gaze to the final bearer of Blue Fortune.
When the last one appeared, Jiang Zhaoming’s pupils suddenly constricted.
In the mirror, a hunched middle-aged man carried two baskets of flatbread on a pole, slowly walking through the streets of the prefectural city.
His skin was dark, his beard unkempt, and his face wore an honest smile as he occasionally called out—
“Hot flatbread—fresh flatbread for sale——”
He seemed utterly ordinary. Yet on closer inspection, every step he took carried a rhythm as steady as a river’s flow; each breath resonated with the cadence of heaven and earth.
What was even more astonishing was that the Blue Fortune around him had taken the form of a dormant flood dragon—silent yet exuding a terrifying might!
“Divine Power Realm?” Jiang Zhaoming’s expression grew grave. “When did such a master appear hidden within the prefecture city?”
He stared at the seemingly ordinary flatbread vendor, alarm bells ringing in his heart.
Who exactly was this man?
After observing for a while and seeing no unusual movement from the other party, Jiang Zhaoming decided to keep him under secret observation.
Once the man’s identity was confirmed, it would not be too late to take formal action against this hidden Divine Power expert.
After that, he summoned Gu Landa into the hall.
Before long, a faint fragrance of orchids drifted in with the wind.
A woman dressed in soft silver armor knelt on one knee and clasped her fist in salute. “This subordinate, Gu Landa, pays respects to His Highness.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s gaze deepened, the power of fortune flowing through his pupils.
In an instant, a faint halo appeared around Gu Landa, revealing her Life Fate and Innate Talent—
【Gu Landa】
Life Fate: Lunar Reflection of the Spirit Platform (Blue Life Fate — allows one to reflect one’s own or others’ inner demons, aiding in breaking through bottlenecks)
Innate Talent: Azure Spirit Orchid Body (Blue Talent — body emits a tranquil fragrance that calms the mind and aids concentration)
Seeing her Life Fate and talent, Jiang Zhaoming couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.
Both her Life Fate and talent aided in cultivation—could Gu Landa perhaps be the reincarnation of some Enlightenment Tree?
Seeing that her king remained silent for a long while, Gu Landa couldn’t help but sneak a glance upward.
The moment their eyes met, she lowered her head as if struck by lightning, the tips of her ears flushing red.
“Y-Your Highness, may I ask why you have summoned Landa?”
Jiang Zhaoming withdrew his gaze and asked casually, “Your Gu family’s patriarch—how is his cultivation currently?”
Gu Landa replied respectfully, “Grandfather reached the perfection of the Blood Refining Realm decades ago, it’s just that—”
“He’s stuck at the threshold of the Divine Power Realm?”
Jiang Zhaoming smiled. “Then let me tell you good news—he’s about to break through.”
Gu Landa’s beautiful eyes widened, surprise and joy spilling across her face.
Yet she was puzzled—how did Jiang Zhaoming know that her grandfather was about to advance?
Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Zhaoming smiled lightly. “When you have time, return home and have your grandfather come see me. The Kuqa Army still lacks a commanding general.”
“This subordinate obeys!”
Gu Landa bowed deeply.
As she exited the grand hall, her steps felt noticeably lighter.
Six days later, a strange phenomenon appeared in the northern skies of the city.
Auspicious clouds gathered, spiritual rain fell, and a column of azure light shot into the heavens, lasting for three full hours.
“The Gu family has produced a Divine Power expert!”
“It’s Elder Gu Shuyu!”
The townsfolk all stopped in their tracks, murmuring in awe.
That very night, an envoy from the Royal Mansion arrived bearing lavish gifts: a “Black Flood Dragon Spear” shining with flowing azure light, and three jade scrolls inscribed with Divine Power secret arts.
Such generous rewards left the entire Gu Clan weeping with gratitude.
At dawn the next day, a handsome young man walked to the Royal Mansion, his steps steady, his spiritual power restrained—none other than the rejuvenated Gu Shuyu.
“This commoner pays respects to His Highness!” Gu Shuyu bowed deeply, his voice powerful.
Jiang Zhaoming personally helped the old man up. “General Gu, there’s no need for such formality. Kuqa has only just been pacified—we need a powerhouse like you to hold the line.”
Three days later, a grand banquet was held in the Royal Mansion.
Jiang Zhaoming declared before the court, “From this day forth, Gu Shuyu shall serve as the Commander of the Kuqa Army, overseeing all Kuqa forces.”
Gu Shuyu’s eyes brimmed with tears as he vowed on the spot, “The entire Gu Clan shall serve His Highness unto death!”
Under his rallying cry, over thirty Blood Refining Realm youths of the Gu Clan enlisted, becoming the talk of the city.
Kuqa gaining such a general was joyous indeed—but good news for Anxi did not end there.
After half a month of recruitment, the three counties had raised more than twenty thousand new soldiers.
Among them, one thousand seven hundred were at the Blood Refining Realm, thirteen thousand at the Tempering Bones Realm, and only a handful at the Flesh Refining Realm.
This new army possessed great potential—so long as they mastered military formations and had a capable commander, they could quickly become a formidable force.
Jiang Zhaoming had already decided who would lead them—his maternal uncle, Qin Wei.
He had watched with great sympathy the several battles Qin Wei fought after arriving in Anxi.
In those battles, Qin Wei had no military formation to rely on, forced to face enemy formations alone.
Even as a Divine Power expert, he had been unable to unleash the full destructive might of his realm.
Now, however, the opportunity had come—a new army even more fitting than the Kuqa forces awaited his command.
When Qin Wei returned to the prefectural city, he immediately received Jiang Zhaoming’s summons, ordering him to form a Bandit-Subduing Army using these new recruits.
Qin Wei obeyed without hesitation, and that very day established the Bandit-Subduing Army’s camp to the south of the outer city.
From that moment on, Anxi’s military strength greatly expanded.
The Prefectural City garrison guarded the center; the Black-Armored Army stood as deterrence across the land; and the newly formed Bandit-Subduing Army radiated sharp vigor.
Together with the armies of Luntai and Kuqa ready to coordinate at any time—
A force capable of reshaping the entire power structure of Anxi Prefecture was quietly taking form within the city.