Chapter 82: The Eve of Seclusion
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The Eve of Seclusion
The Queen rewarded the long-distance trade team with gold and silver.
She also promised that after a Potion was concocted from the Stone-toothed Wild Boar, the three Trade Team Leaders, including Commander Qian, would each receive a share.
The three commanders were astounded to learn that the encampment could still produce Secret Medicine.
After witnessing a genius like Tang Wen, they shed their air of worldly superiority.
"Furthermore, Commander Tang Wen and Commander Zhou Bing slayed the Earth Beast. According to our prior agreement, half the meat from this Exotic Beast belongs to Commander Tang Wen and Commander Zhou Bing. As for the Secret Medicine, the Earth Beast’s brain matter was incomplete, so we could only concoct four and a half portions. They’re all yours."
General Zhou took the opportunity, with everyone present, to make things clear.
The others weren’t surprised, as they already knew about the Hunting Team’s great success and that General Zhao had rushed over to provide support during the night.
Qian Sanduo and the other two Trade Team Leaders, however, were shocked. "Commander Tang Wen, the two of you also killed an Earth Beast?"
’That’s impossible, right?’
Their trade teams had encountered the Earth Beast several times.
There was only one way to deal with it.
That was to send a Martial Artist to lure it away with meat, allowing the trade team to quickly pass through its territory.
It wasn’t just their trade team; when all the trade teams exchanged experiences, this was the consensus.
Without an Awakened or at least five Martial Artists, you don’t mess with an Earth Beast.
Even with more than five Martial Artists, it was hard to say if they could even take it down.
If things went wrong, it would just be a waste of effort and time.
Therefore, they either drove it off or avoided it.
Tang Wen smiled, and Zhou Bing glanced at him. "I wasn’t much help. Xiaowen killed it by himself."
"Huh?"
The one who cried out in shock and doubt was Forbidden Guard Commander Qian Dong, who was a relative of Qian Sanduo.
"That’s impossi— No, unless?"
A possibility occurred to Qian Dong, his face filled with disbelief.
The other commanders looked at each other, nonplussed.
The two generals on the stage looked at each other, and General Zhao laughed. "That’s right! Commander Tang Wen has broken through. He’s a Second-class Martial Artist, and his strength is even greater than that rank implies. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the Earth Beast."
The entire hall was in an uproar.
’How old is Tang Wen, anyway?’
Qian Sanduo exclaimed in admiration. In all his years of traveling far and wide, he had only ever seen young Martial Artists in some of the major factions. In smaller cities and encampments, he hadn’t just never seen one—he’d never even heard of one.
As everyone came back to their senses, they all congratulated Tang Wen one after another.
Tang Wen stood and returned the courtesy with a cupped-fist salute.
General Zhao announced, "Effective immediately, Commander Tang Wen is relieved of his duties as Commander of the Outer City Hunting Battalion. He is hereby appointed Royal Palace Commander. He need not report unless summoned. He should just focus on his Martial Arts Training!"
Tang Wen was overjoyed. He looked at Zhou Bing, who met his gaze with a smile in her eyes.
General Zhao added a reminder, "You don’t need to report when you go out for Martial Arts Training, but if you’re gone for ten days or half a month, you still need to tell me where you’ve gone."
"Understood! Thank you, General."
Everyone understood that "Royal Palace Commander" was a sinecure. The pay was the same as a Forbidden Guard’s, and even a little better than the Hunting Battalion’s.
But it meant drawing a salary without doing any work.
Only retired generals or commanders who had retired after rendering great service received such treatment.
After the discussion died down, the Queen spoke. "In three days, I will enter seclusion. Zhou Bing, you will accompany me to train in seclusion."
For whomever the Queen chose as a training partner, it was a huge opportunity.
An opportunity for both their Martial Arts and their status.
Everyone was envious, but no one objected.
The Queen didn’t need to explain her choice of training partner to anyone.
Besides, who was Zhou Bing?
The Queen was unmarried, and General Zhou’s children were still young.
Zhou Bing was the most distinguished member of the second generation in the encampment.
Zhou Bing stood and accepted.
After the meeting was dismissed, the two of them went to the Hunting Battalion to hand over their duties.
The ones taking over responsibility for the Outer City Hunting Battalion were Liu Sha and Zhang Mian.
The two old hands were originally from the Outer City themselves.
They threw a lively banquet to treat Tang Wen and Zhou Bing to a meal and drinks.
Tang Wen also entrusted them with looking after Wu Tian and the others.
After the banquet ended, the two walked back side by side.
"How long will the Queen be in seclusion?"
"It’s hard to say. Sometimes three to five months, maybe half a year or a full year. My aunt was spurred on by you. She’s dragging me along to train this time. If I don’t make any progress, she definitely won’t let me out." Zhou Bing looked at Tang Wen’s profile, a little reluctant to part.
As long as a Transcendent didn’t meet an untimely end, their lifespan was over a hundred years.
What’s more, the Queen was stronger than an ordinary Transcendent, and her lifespan was even longer. A few months of seclusion was a common occurrence.
"Then for the next two days, let’s not train. Let’s just have a good time."
"Okay! I’ll listen to you." Zhou Bing’s eyes sparkled.
A balance of work and rest is the proper way.
Tang Wen hadn’t relaxed in a long time, so a few days of rest were just what he needed.
Recently, his Expert Level Flying Locust Stone was on the verge of advancing.
He had a premonition that after this upgrade, his Experience Panel would likely undergo some changes.
Zhou Bing took Tang Wen for a tour of the Inner City. Having grown up there, she had watched it being built, piece by piece.
"That corner over there is the chicken farm. When our family wants to eat chicken in the future, we can buy it from here."
The chicken farm smelled awful, so Tang Wen only gave it a brief glance.
The structure was simple: a large courtyard divided into dozens of open-air pens.
Each pen held chickens of various sizes.
There were a full ten of these courtyards.
’No wonder the encampment’s cafeteria has eggs every day.’
They walked past the chicken farm and continued to wander.
A lotus pond, a water tower, a brick kiln, a textile mill, a tavern, a sauce and vinegar works...
The two of them wandered for a whole day. Only then did Tang Wen realize how big the Inner City was, how many things it contained, and how many people lived there.
’I was so focused on Martial Arts Training, just going back and forth between two points, that I never noticed any of this.’
As the sun set in the west, Tang Wen and Zhou Bing sat at the very top of the water tower, watching the egg-yolk-like sunset side by side.
When the last ray of red light faded, their two figures became entangled.
"Work hard on your training! Break through to Transcendent soon!"
Tang Wen walked down from the water tower, hunched over with a look of resignation.
Zhou Bing followed behind, holding his shoulders and snickering.
The next day, the two of them bummed a free breakfast at the Inner City Hunting Battalion.
They continued their wandering, first arriving at a teahouse.
The teahouse wasn’t large, only two stories, with a wooden stage on the first floor.
Someone was sitting on the stage, telling stories.
The two sat on the second floor, eating melon seeds, peanuts, and malt candy, listening to the storyteller recount "The Queen’s Great Battle with the Black Mountain Ghost"!
The storyteller was clearly not a Martial Artist. Although his tale was lively, the moves and Martial Arts he described were complete nonsense.
People were just listening for the excitement.
As they listened, someone in the crowd heckled him to tell a newer story.
The storyteller collected a round of tips and peanuts, placed them on his table, and began to tell the story of: "The Valiant Couple Tang and Bing Slaying the Awakened."
Hearing the name, Tang Wen and Zhou Bing froze.
’Holy cow.’
’What the hell?’
For the first time in their lives, the two distinguished Martial Artists wondered if they had misheard.
The moment the storyteller opened his mouth, they understood. It wasn’t a coincidence; he was talking about them!
Tang Wen was so embarrassed he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment with his big toe.
"Should we go?"
"Yes!"
They didn’t even finish their roasted sweet potatoes, fleeing as if they were refugees.
Just like the young couples strolling the streets in his past life, the two of them walked in the breeze until evening, then went to a tavern for a few drinks.
Only then did they sway their way home.
On the third day, Tang Wen took Zhou Bing to the Outer City. They went to the main gate and saw the small hut where he and his sister had lived for so long.
It had since collapsed under the winter wind and snow.
A feeling of looking back on a past life washed over Tang Wen.
The two went hunting outside the city, shooting Red-beaked Sparrows and chasing wild pheasants. The forest was in an uproar with fleeing chickens and rabbits.
If the chickens and rabbits were a bit smarter, they’d surely be cursing up a storm: ’Oh, the humanity! Martial Artists are here to slaughter us little animals! Is anyone going to do something about this...?!’
After spending three days together, the romantic feelings between them had deepened.
Before this, Tang Wen’s feelings for Zhou Bing had basically been born from lust at first sight.
In his past life, he would have been called a degenerate, just lusting after her body.
Early on the fourth day, Zhou Bing left home and headed for the Royal Palace.
Tang Wen also shouldered his newly acquired long saber and some rations, preparing to leave the city.
’It’s time for the Flying Locust Stone to break through.’