Chapter 27: Impressive? The Incident Occurs, Stand Up for Me!

In the courtyard, a group of people crowded around.

How long had it been since he arrived at the military camp? Xia He had already caused such a stir in succession that he had truly become the center of attention.

"Brother! Take me as your apprentice! How did you achieve such progress?"

Wang Erpang vigilantly blocked the fawning crowd, assuming the posture of a head lackey as he spoke: "I see you lot just want a free ride!"

"Brother He, I just saw Liu Wei's teeth grinding in frustration; he looked like he’d swallowed a fly, haha!"

Xia He felt quite speechless. In truth, he had never cared about Liu Wei from the start, yet the man viewed him as a formidable rival. On the path of cultivation, if one were to be so concerned with the attitudes of others, why bother practicing martial arts at all?

"I'm heading to the registry office. The matter of our household registration cannot be delayed; it must be handled as soon as possible!"

Without wasting time with the crowd, Xia He walked quickly out of the courtyard. Once he was officially entered into the military register, his entire family would be able to cast off their lowly status as drifters, and they would receive a monthly military stipend, no longer living lives as precarious as duckweed.

After Xia He departed, Liu Wei, who remained behind, was filled with resentment and unwillingness. His eyes flickered with uncertainty, but eventually, he made up his mind to go find Instructor Zhang. Liu Wei clung to a shred of hope, wishing that Instructor Zhang might be swayed by the money he had given him to grant him another chance. Furthermore, to increase his odds of success, he acted against his conscience and maliciously accused Xia He of cheating.

"Instructor Zhang, his progress was slower than mine just a few days ago. I simply cannot believe he could master the fist stance overnight!"

"Then tell me, how did he cheat? Do you have any evidence?"

"This... a simple investigation would reveal it!"

"Investigate? You still want to investigate?"

Zhang Meng was so angered he laughed. He had previously thought this man was decent material, but he never expected him to be such a petty villain. "Very well then. When you find evidence, come back to me, and I will certainly uphold justice for you!"

Seeing Zhang Meng’s cold tone and mocking expression, Liu Wei finally fell into utter despair, his heart turning to ash as he left the instructor's tent.

...

On the other side, Xia He returned home in high spirits. Upon seeing his wife, Li Huilan, he couldn't wait to share the good news that they were finally free of their lowly status. Li Huilan was stunned at first, then tears welled up in her eyes, and she wept with joy. She was so overcome with emotion that she threw herself into Xia He’s arms, crying and laughing simultaneously. "Brother He, you are truly amazing!"

Seeing his wife’s cute, teary-eyed appearance, a fire stirred in Xia He’s heart. Unable to suppress his impulses any longer, he leaned down to kiss Li Huilan.

"Brother He, it isn't even dark yet... no!"

"The daytime is exactly when I want to try new things."

"No, mmph..."

Just as the two were lost in their passion, Li Huiying suddenly arrived outside the house with little Wen, instructing the child, "Wen, when you see your uncle later, be sure to thank him properly. Otherwise, who knows where you would be right now? Do you understand?"

"Mother, I know. Following Uncle means having meat to eat. Can I ask Uncle to be my father?"

"You child, what nonsense are you spouting!"

She sighed helplessly. Since her husband’s death, Wen had lacked a father's love and was often called a wild child by others. She knew the bitterness of it all too well, though she was deeply puzzled by the sudden change in her brother-in-law’s behavior lately.

However, when they reached the door, the strange sounds emanating from within made Li Huiying’s face flush with embarrassment. As a woman who had long been married, how could she not know what was happening inside?

Little Wen, however, looked shocked. "Mother, are Aunt and Uncle fighting? Why do I hear Aunt crying?"

"Hmph!"

"That scoundrel, still the same as before, bullying my sister again!"

Not knowing how to explain it and fearing they would be discovered, Li Huiying turned beet red and dragged little Wen away as if fleeing.

...

Inside a military tent, Kong Hu arrived with a gloomy expression to pay respects to Battalion Commander Fan.

"I ask the Commander to uphold justice for me!"

Battalion Commander Fan had been resting on a couch with wine and meat by his side; he looked surprised to see the visitor. "Kong Hu, why are you here? And what justice do you need?"

Kong Hu was usually responsible for gathering money for Commander Fan in town and was considered loyal. To avoid suspicion, he rarely came to the camp except when delivering money—a rule the Commander had specifically ordered. Seeing his panicked and angry expression, the Commander frowned.

"My brother-in-law was murdered, and I have found the culprit!"

"Oh? You found him? Who is so bold? I will certainly help you take revenge!"

Kong Hu took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot as he looked up. But as soon as the name "Xia He" was mentioned, the Commander’s expression stiffened.

"The man is cunning; he joined the army a few days ago. Fearing I might break a rule, I came to inform you first, hoping you would privately hand him over to me to handle!"

Commander Fan grew thoughtful. "Xia He... that name sounds somewhat familiar. But... you say he killed your brother-in-law—where is the evidence?"

Kong Hu was stunned. He had searched for Song Bao for days without news. A few days ago, he had finally found the remains in the mountains, gnawed by wolves and bears until only a head remained, barely recognizable. Combined with the discovery of the corpse of another thug in an alley, he had followed the trail to the suspect. Song Bao had offended many people, but who would dare touch him knowing he was the brother-in-law of "Brother Hu"? Kong Hu had interrogated many, but they were all commoners and not the killers. Among those he tracked, only Xia He had acted strangely and shown a sudden, powerful shift in temperament.

"I... I don't have hard evidence yet, but he..."

"Kong Hu! What do you think this military camp is!" Commander Fan’s face changed abruptly, his eyes flashing with anger. "Without evidence, you want me to kill one of my soldiers? What would the others in the camp think of me? Furthermore, why would he bother with your brother-in-law? Why don't you look for reasons within yourself?"

Kong Hu was completely bewildered. Why did the Commander seem to be defending Xia He?

"Commander Fan, this Xia He previously owed gambling debts, and my brother-in-law went to collect them multiple times. He must have felt humiliated and thus harbored evil intent..."

"Enough!" The Commander glared at him, clearly displeased by his rebuttal. "Kong Hu, your arrogance is growing greater than mine. Perhaps you should be the Commander, killing whoever you please?"

"I dare not..."

"Fine. It’s just a brother-in-law. Wives can be replaced, so what is a brother-in-law?"

"There is no need to dwell on this. As it happens, we captured a few southern barbarian women recently; they are different from our Great Qin women. I will give you two."

The Commander stepped up to Kong Hu and patted his shoulder, his smile returning.

"Yes..."

Kong Hu walked out of the tent, his face ashen. Only a Bone-Refining martial artist was qualified to be a Battalion Commander; the two slaps had almost forced him to his knees—it was clearly a threat! He was at the peak of the Skin-Refining stage, yet he could barely resist.

"Brother, how did it go?" the thugs waiting outside asked.

"Let's talk when we get back!"