Mountain Patrol Military Officer

On the viewing platform, an Imperial Censor with a black turban, wearing a green robe and carrying a silver fish pouch at his waist, sat in the main seat.

His fox-like eyes were slender and sharp, exuding a chilling aura. His gaze suddenly shifted to the northwest corner of the training ground, shooting out an electric light as he slightly squinted his eyes.

He then slowly raised his hand.

Beside him, the subordinate seat was occupied by the Colonel overseeing this Forbidden Army Camp. He wore a crimson fish scale armor and, upon seeing the Imperial Censor raise his hand, glanced over without daring to be negligent and cupped his hands.

"Supervisor Wang, what is it?"

The Colonel in the Forbidden Army Camp held the rank of Standard Fourth-rank military officer, half a rank higher than those in local positions. However, the Imperial Censor wore a green officer uniform, which is seventh-rank, showing a significant difference in rank—actually reversed.

This is due to the special nature of the Imperial Censor, who supervises the training of the imperial guard, inspects military discipline and law, serves as the Emperor's Supervising Army, and, despite his low rank, wields enormous power. Thus, rank alone is insufficient to judge; what matters is the identity he represents.

"Stop the training and call over those bumpkins from Shu," said the Imperial Censor, his chin adorned with a beard, his voice carrying a sinister tone, his gaze directed towards the black armor outside watching the commotion.

The Colonel followed his gaze to the group in black armor, his brow slightly furrowed, "Supervisor Wang, those are the trusted aides of the Shu General, I have no authority to summon them."

Before he could finish his sentence, he sensed an unfriendly tone in Supervisor Wang's voice, not knowing what the Imperial Censor intended to do.

The Shu General behind these black armors currently held a sensitive position. The Colonel was somewhat aware of the rumors in the imperial court and wished to stay out of it, so he ordered his men not to get close to or conflict with these troops, ensuring proper arrangements and peace.

The Colonel's simple thought was to prevent the court's strife from involving the Forbidden Army Camp, which he deemed taboo.

But Supervisor Wang evidently did not share this thought. He turned his head, his fox-like eyes slightly open, intimidating and looking towards the lower seat, "Lin Zhonglang, what did you say earlier, 'under the heaven, none but the sovereign's land, beside the land, none but the sovereign's subjects'? If these words spread, how would His Majesty think? You need to know what it means to be close to the Emperor's heart!"

"Cease the training."

He cast a sidelong glance downwards, saying meaningfully, giving an order in an indisputable tone, then raised his hand and beckoned backward.

A follower standing behind him immediately stepped forward, bowing with a deferential posture, "Godfather!"

"Call them over."

"Yes!"

The follower, the "godson," promptly responded, holding the sword at his waist, hurriedly heading towards the northwest corner of the training ground.

Colonel Lin, referred to by the name, was slightly taken aback and left speechless when rebuked. He could only suppress his frustration and give the order,

"Cease the training!"

Immediately, the Colone's adjutant received the order, banging the gong and waving the command flag.

Soon, the sound of the gong echoed, and the vast training ground, where the imperial guards practiced combat, gradually came to a halt. The horses whinnied, and shouts arose, everyone looking toward the Soldier Inspection Platform in confusion because the training exercise wasn't completed.

"Why did it stop?"

"..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Supervisor Wang's aide quickly dismounted from the platform, mounted a chestnut horse, and rode swiftly towards the northwest corner of the training ground.

In no time, he arrived at that camp, but as he was about to charge towards the group in black armor, a shadow of deviousness flickered in his eyes. As the godson to his godfather, he was adept at understanding his godfather's intentions; otherwise, he wouldn't have climbed from a low-ranking, powerless foot soldier to his current position.

He deliberately did not rein in to slow down, intending to rush directly past with a neighing horse to show those bumpkins a taste of his authority.

Though a sinister thought flickered in his eyes, just three or four zhang away from the group in black armor, the chestnut horse beneath him seemed to sense something and suddenly let out a shrill neigh. Then, as if frightened, its hooves softened, its entire foreleg bent, and the whole horse fell to the ground, splashing mud and gravel.

The horse was startled, and the incident happened suddenly. Despite the follower's quick reaction to try leaping from the saddle, he was still a bit slow, and with inertia, his body flipped in the air, then rolled several times on the ground before dissipating the impact.

He just happened to roll to the feet of the Ninth Mountain Armor Soldiers!

A group of Ninth Mountain Armor Soldiers looked at each other, wondering why this man couldn't even ride a horse properly, when they were used to fighting demons and had stained themselves with demon blood. They thought perhaps their fiendish aura spooked the horse.

In the end, someone said,

"Brother, are you alright?"

Some reached out to help, but Supervisor Wang's follower, the "good godson," got up from the ground, slapped away the assistance, face showing anger,

"Who was it?"

"Who ambushed me? You bunch of bumpkins are quite bold."

He blamed the Ninth Mountain Armor Soldiers before him for the fall, wondering why the horse would suddenly trip, causing him such great humiliation on the scene, so his anger surged, and his words became sharp.

The Ninth Mountain Armor Soldiers' faces immediately darkened upon hearing this.

"What did you say?"

A tall armored soldier with a fierce knife scar over one eye initially tried to help, but being reprimanded by this man, he swiftly grabbed the "good godson's" collar like lightning, lifting him up. His eyes glared fiercely, bloodshot around the edges, quite intimidating.

The follower's expression changed as he tried to draw the sword from his waist with a swish, but the Ninth Mountain Armor Soldier simply slapped it back in.