Martial Cultivator

Qi Yuanjia tilted his head back and drank another cup of wine, then smiled at Chen Chao. "Before you arrived, I had already heard of your name. Originally, I thought about challenging you to a spar. But looking at it now, I won't bother inviting trouble for myself."

Qi Yuanjia's straightforwardness surprised Chen Chao, who also smiled and said, "I'm injured right now, so I'm not willing to fight either."

Qi Yuanjia asked straightforwardly, "Is Commander Chen planning to stay in the Northern Frontier?"

Chen Chao was stunned, but quickly understood the implied meaning behind those words. If he stayed in the Northern Frontier, it would mean he was setting his sights on the position of Great General. Having killed Yuan Ling, Chen Chao had already gained a modest level of prestige within the frontier army. If he stayed on and led troops, familiarized himself with military operations, and accumulated some military achievements, it would not be long before some people would begin to see him as part of the Northern Frontier Army and perhaps even consider him a potential candidate for the position of Great General.

It was not an impossibility, especially since the current Great General was also the Lord Warden Commander. Naturally, he would show preferential treatment for his old subordinate, which could indeed pave the way for Chen Chao to become the Great General of Great Liang's Northern Frontier in the future.

They even wondered if this might be His Majesty the Emperor's intention.

When the previous Great General retired, the Lord Warden Commander had been sent from the Divine Capital to take over the role, but that was a last resort. The Northern Frontier never fully accepted the idea of military authority in the Northern Frontier Army falling into the hands of anyone outside their own ranks.

Chen Chao smiled and said, "For now, I'm naturally returning to the Divine Capital. As for whether I'll come back in the future, it's hard to say. After all, as an official of Great Liang, no one can go against the will of the imperial court."

Qi Yuanjia smiled in return, "Commander Chen, there's no need for such roundabout words. I'm being straightforward. I just wanted to tell Commander Chen that from the time I joined the army, I've had aspirations for the position of Great General. Even if you intend to compete for it, I'll gladly accompany you to the end, and we can have a fair fight."

Chen Chao gave a bitter smile and said, "I have no such intentions."

While the future was uncertain, Chen Chao personally did not desire to be the Great General of the Northern Frontier. Killing demons was one thing, but if he were truly asked to lead the entire Northern Frontier Army into battle, Chen Chao felt that he did not have this ability.

Qi Yuanjia smiled without saying anything more. After toasting one last time, he turned and left, but not to return to his seat, but straight out of the banquet.

Watching his back view, Chen Chao could not help but feel rather emotional. At the very least, this man was considered forthright.

After a few more drinks, just as Chen Chao was about to leave, Gao Xuan arrived at his side.

He was the second young man to approach Chen Chao tonight.

Like Qi Yuanjia, Gao Xuan was also a rather well-known figure among the younger generation in the Northern Frontier.

Chen Chao knew Gao Xuan, because he had seen him leave Coldgate Pass alongside Xie Nandu.

Gao Xuan smiled and said, "A toast to Commander Chen."

He raised his cup and continued with a smile, "During this journey up north, Commander Chen displayed the might of Great Liang. Gao Xuan knows that in my lifetime, I'll never achieve such feats, so I'm here to toast to you, Commander Chen."

Chen Chao raised his cup and said, "I've heard that General Gao is very skilled in leading troops. Perhaps one day you'll be riding into the demon race's royal city on horseback. When that happens, it'll be this official's turn to offer you a toast."

Gao Xuan sighed, "Though it's something I dream of, who knows if I'll ever get the chance."

"I've heard that Commander Chen has seen the demon race's royal city. Could you tell me what it's like?"

As a general of the Northern Frontier, Gao Xuan's greatest interest naturally lay in the destruction of the demon race. He was particularly curious about the fabled royal city of the demon race.

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "I only saw its outline from afar. If you want to know what it's really like, General Gao will have to go see it for yourself one day."

Gao Xuan smiled and let it go.

After having a few drinks with Chen Chao, he too left.

No one else approached Chen Chao to drink after that, neither the young cultivators from the Divine Capital nor the young people from the Northern Frontier.

If it had been Qi Yuanjia who had slain Yuan Ling, the atmosphere at this banquet would have been much more festive. But since it was Chen Chao, the youths of the Northern Frontier, though they did not cause trouble, also did not particularly celebrate the event. And with Qi Yuanjia having left early, the banquet felt rather dull and lifeless.

But at least nothing unpleasant happened.

Chen Chao found an excuse to leave. By the time he stepped out of the General's Office, it was already pitch dark.

A soldier handed him a lantern. As Chen Chao reached out to take it, he noticed the youthful face of the soldier. He smiled slightly at him, and the young soldier softly said, "Lord Chen, you're truly remarkable."

Chen Chao smiled.

Then he carried the lantern and walked through the wind and snow.

Throughout his journey, aside from those elders, he rarely felt any goodwill from his peers. At the academy, because of his status as a martial artist and his relationship with Xie Nandu, people did not have much of a good impression of him. In the Divine Capital, due to His Majesty's favor, he clashed with many young military officials. Upon arriving at the Northern Frontier, the matter with Ning Chong meant he had not received much goodwill either. Of course, it had always been like this in other places too.

But on this northern journey, he seemed to have received some goodwill after all.

Hmm... not bad.

……

……

The time for everyone from the Divine Capital to return was quickly decided. It was said that those surviving scions of aristocratic families had been complaining non-stop about the hardships of life in the north and wanted to return to the Divine Capital as soon as possible.

Indeed, it was already spring by now, but the Northern Frontier was still enduring constant wind and snow.

These days, Chen Chao had been frequenting the General's Office, though not because the Great Liang Emperor was still there. In fact, His Majesty had long since returned to the Divine Capital.

The one he was visiting was the Lord Warden Commander.

The Lord Warden Commander had not been having an easy time. After this matter ended, he had to deal with cleaning up those in the Northern Frontier Army who needed to be dealt with. Chen Chao was not particularly interested in these matters, but the reason he kept coming was because Xie Nandu was planning to visit. However, since she lacked the proper status, Chen Chao had to bring her along.

The General's Office held many records of past battles against the demon race, piled up over the years. The average generals did not have the qualifications to view them, but the Great General certainly could.

The Lord Warden Commander and Chen Chao sat on the doorstep of the archive room, watching the woman quietly flipping through those old records.

Chen Chao said with vicissitudes of emotion, "I didn't expect that Your Excellency still holds on to old sentiments. If people found out about this, it might invite a lot of criticism."

Neither Xie Nandu nor Chen Chao were part of the Northern Frontier Army, so they technically were not qualified to access such information. If word got out, it would naturally lead to controversy.

"So keep that mouth of yours in check and don't go blabbing," the Lord Warden Commander rubbed his head.

Chen Chao chuckled, "Of course, since Your Excellency is giving this face, this lowly official will treasure it."

The Lord Warden Commander was expressionless. "When did this official say that I'm letting her read the records on the account of your face??"

Chen Chao was taken aback.

"Before His Majesty headed north, he already said that she could do whatever she wished."

The Lord Warden Commander glanced at Chen Chao, muttering, "This official initially thought His Majesty had you in mind as the next Great General, but it turns out there's someone else."

Chen Chao asked in puzzlement, "Her? Can a woman really convince the masses?"

Xie Nandu had the ambition to head north, and this was no longer a secret. At least among them, it was not considered a secret anymore. However, for a woman to truly serve as the Great General of the Northern Frontier, it would still be very difficult.

The Lord Warden said in annoyance, "You're talking about the future, what are you worrying about now?"

"Isn't this just planning ahead?" Chen Chao glanced at Xie Nandu, who was fully absorbed in the records, and sighed, "A female Northern Frontier Great General would be one of a kind."

"Don't act like you’re not benefiting from this. Isn't she still your wife?"

The Lord Warden snapped angrily, "This official just can't understand, why does she like you?"

Chen Chao responded matter-of-factly, "Do you think there's anyone better among the young men in this Great Liang?"

"Indeed, there isn't. But I still feel the two of you don't quite match, and that girl doesn't seem like someone who cares about matters between men and women."

"Your Excellency, what you're saying makes no sense. When we're alone together, how do you know what she's like?"

Chen Chao grinned.

The Lord Warden gave Chen Chao a smack on the head. Seeing the somewhat resentful look in Chen Chao's eyes, he said seriously, "Going to tell you something, so prepare yourself."

Chen Chao looked at the Lord Warden with some confusion.

The Lord Warden looked at Chen Chao and said, "Before His Majesty left the Northern Frontier Great Wall, he told this official about your relationship with him."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chao fell silent.