Chapter 4: Connections in the Court Make Officialdom Easier

Page (1/3)

Seeing no immediate danger, Wang Lu silently recited, “Infuse all deduction points into the Xinyou Blade Technique.”

This time, the images in his mind were different.

[Over ten years, you have integrated your previous insights into the blade technique, executing 840,960 strikes and completing the twelve forms of the Xinyou Blade Technique 70,080 times, reaching mastery.]

[Over fifteen years, you realize that sheer diligence in striking no longer leads to progress, and you begin to comprehend the true essence of the Xinyou Blade Technique.]

[Over five years of relentless practice, although your technique grows more skillful and refined, you have not broken through to the realm of transcendence. In this arduous cultivation, you discover a barrier between the blade and yourself, prompting reflection on how to make the blade a part of your body.]

At first, scenes of him wielding the blade appeared in his mind.

Then another scene showed him facing the blade, eyes narrowed slightly.

This continued until the end.

A powerful energy filled his entire body. Only now did Wang Lu understand the reason for his stagnation.

The blade technique had reached its peak in form, but the true meaning had yet to be fully internalized.

Previously, there was form; now the stage demanded spirit.

But Wang Lu had already grasped that the realm of transcendence was about unity between man and blade, transforming the sword into an extension of oneself, wielded as naturally as one’s own fingers.

His first task, then, was to procure a fine blade.

Otherwise, how could he cultivate a bond with his sword while constantly switching weapons?

Hmm...

“Why does this feel so strange?” Wang Lu pondered for a moment, then suddenly it dawned on him—it was like Tang Ritian falling in love with a blade of grass!

“What’s strange? What have you discovered?” Shen Lian immediately asked with alertness.

“Nothing much. I just think we should figure out a way back,” Wang Lu replied evasively, returning the question.

Shen Lian nodded, “This place is no place to linger. Let’s head south first and see if we can encounter our troops.”

After a brief rest, the five set off on the road home.

Before leaving, Shen Lian watched Wang Lu’s grip on his sword and frowned deeply, scrutinizing him.

Why... did it feel different from before?

Wang Lu sensed the gaze and turned around to see Shen Lian’s face filled with doubt.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Lu asked.

Shen Lian shook his head in silence.

Martial skill was a personal secret; Wang Lu had saved his life, so he dared not ask outright.

To ask would be rude.

But if Wang Lu refused to answer, it would create distance between them.

The group fell silent once more.

Everyone but Wang Lu was in low spirits.

Page (2/3)

However, the return to the capital did not go as Wang Lu had hoped, with companions traveling together.

The Ming army gathered the scattered fugitives at Guangning. Wang Lu, Shen Lian, and Lu Wenzhao were each taken by their respective units.

All three belonged to the Western Route Army.

Only Wang Lu was under the command of Wang Xuan, the general stationed at Baoding.

The army was quartered at Guangning for rest and recovery.

The camp atmosphere was heavy, filled with the moans of the wounded and sick.

“Cry all you want. Cry for a couple of days and you won’t have to anymore.”

“The three armies were broken in just five days, at least thirty thousand dead.”

“You have the nerve to cry here? Why didn’t you cry during the battle?”

“Everyone ran faster than dogs!”

“Heh, thirty thousand men, even if they were thirty thousand pigs, they shouldn’t have died so fast.”

“Look at that banner officer’s face—like he lost his mother—probably more than thirty thousand.”

Wang Lu’s superior officer, Qin Canjun, had lost an arm and spoke with a despondent tone.

“I think these Jiannu tribesmen are becoming a real threat. You, be careful. Don’t look at my lost arm; actually, it’s a good thing.”

“Now I can go home and live off others.”

The deputy general’s face bore an unhidden, even deliberate, mocking expression aimed at Wang Lu.

“You’re the unfortunate one, no serious wounds at all, and you still have to return to the battlefield. Sooner or later, you’ll lose your life here, and when that happens, you won’t even remember the way home.”

Back in his own tent, Wang Lu felt a twinge of worry from the words.

His martial arts were sufficient; he could at least hold his own or flee in a one-on-one fight.

But if the main army was ambushed, there was no chance at all.

Surrounded by a dozen enemies, even if he invoked Tyson’s spirit, it would be useless.

Yet, four months later, Wang Lu set off safely on his journey home.

Because in early July, the court decided to cease hostilities, allowing the Later Jin to annex places like Kaiyuan and Tieling, and overall troop strength was reduced.

Due to his battle achievements and the fact that his late father was a captain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, upon returning to the capital, Wang Lu was assigned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard as a minor banner commander, overseeing three soldiers.

Well, this was not bad.

Although he had slain two Jin soldiers, it was of little use.

The Ming army suffered from underpayment, and even full pay could not guarantee success.

If not for Wang Lu’s current father being a captain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the court would not have granted him even a single coin.

Even with nothing, he had to be thankful for the court sparing his life.

Why?

Because the famous Qi family army, after Qi Jiguang’s death, was slaughtered by the court for winning battles but refusing to be paid.

Page (3/3)

“Do you still want your wages? Do you still want your wages?”

“No, no…”

Wang Lu imagined that when the descendants of the Qi family army were betrayed and slaughtered, the scene must have been like this.

Thinking this way, the crushing defeat at Sarhu was truly deserved.

Wang Lu put on a plain cloth robe like Jin Yichuan and served under Lu Wenzhao, who had just become the chief banner commander, beginning his path as a city inspector.

At first, he patrolled Xuan Nan district, but owing to Wang Lu’s keen senses, two years later he caught a spy from the Later Jin.

With Lu Wenzhao’s support and his prior merits, Wang Lu was promoted to chief banner commander, overseeing Xuan Bei district and nominally commanding five small banners, about fifty men.

In reality, only twelve.

Empty wages—couldn’t skip them!

Otherwise, what would the officials eat and drink?

Though only twelve men, this was still under Lu Wenzhao’s care!

Wang Lu showed great awareness and never brought up the issue, continuing to work diligently, slowly accumulating merits while waiting to catch more spies.

But no more spies were caught; he mostly did city inspector duties and occasionally led his “henchmen” in raids.

In the sixth year of the Tianqi era, five years later,

That year, Wang Lu adopted a passive approach, lingering daily at the thousand-household office, frequently reporting to Lu Wenzhao.

This wearied Lu Wenzhao greatly.

It wasn’t that Wang Lu suddenly lost ambition; even if he didn’t understand history well, he had heard about the Tianqi Explosion.

No matter how skilled, even great martial arts were vulnerable to kitchen knives, let alone a small mushroom cloud.

On the day of the explosion, a true mushroom cloud rose above the capital.

Three captains died in the blast.

Wang Lu survived by chance.

Following Lu Wenzhao in the aftermath work, he was naturally promoted to captain.

In the seventh year of Tianqi, on July 14, the day before the Ghost Festival,

At the Northern Pacification Office,

Wang Lu slurped his bowl of noodles, tapped his chopsticks, and said, “Be thorough in your interrogations. The atmosphere is tense lately. Don’t let the higher-ups find any faults. If I’m fine, you’ll be the ones in trouble.”

“Sir, rest assured. I’ve served in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for eleven years and never made a mistake.”

A young man in his twenties held up a bloodstained confession paper and smiled.

“Lin Guo’er.”

Wang Lu walked to the west side of the table and kicked it lightly.