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墨書 Inktalez
The scenery of the march was somewhat dull, and the Xu Zhen still needed to cultivate day and night, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. However, she gained much every day; while others viewed it as suffering, she found joy in it, almost falling into a state of madness.
To protect the tribe, Ulyet took most of the remaining brothers back to the Salar Tribe, while Yin Zong continued to lead the elite fifty men, vowing to follow the Xu Zhen to the death.
They were all proud young men with great ambitions, filled with fervent admiration for the Xu Zhen. They yearned to explore the world, witness its splendor, and achieve great feats, which naturally brought great comfort to the Xu Zhen.
Zhou Cang collaborated with Gao He Shu to train along the way, making use of every available moment. The brothers had all endured life-and-death battles and bore no resentment towards the rigorous training; instead, they actively sought to improve themselves. They understood that every extra moment of hardship now increased their chances of survival on the battlefield in the future.
Yin Zong initially used a curved blade but switched to long weapons after seeing Zhou Cang wielding a straight sword with great prowess. His innate talent shone through as he handled a spear skillfully. After a battle with Murong, they acquired a large number of horses and weapons, allowing many brothers to choose freely. Everyone rode fine steeds, wielded excellent weapons, and wore high-quality armor, already exhibiting the demeanor of an elite army.
Caesar was still carving her Poplar Longbow. Among the captured military supplies were many good materials. Zhang Jiunian granted whatever the Brothers requested without hesitation and showed no reluctance in using bow-making materials.
She returned with six materials and spent each day polishing the Longbow, meticulously carving and adjusting it, becoming completely engrossed in her work.
As for Li Wushuang and Li Mingda, they were both accompanied by personal guards from Liangzhou. The Xu Zhen did not disturb them as their group traveled a hundred miles daily, moving swiftly with the autumn wind. Soon they would successfully reunite with the main force.
As they approached headquarters, the Brothers felt relieved. That night they set up camp near Kuo Prefecture Border and rested without further ado. When the Xu Zhen returned from Moya's tent, she saw Caesar sitting at one side of the table, where an object was covered with a clean cloth.
Upon noticing the Xu Zhen's return, Caesar's face turned rosy like peach blossoms, her eyes showing a hint of shyness, completely devoid of her usual fierce demeanor. The Xu Zhen thought that this girl had suddenly come to her senses and was about to offer herself.
With such narrow thoughts in mind, a smile crept onto the Xu Zhen's face that carried a hint of spring warmth. Being an older girl, Caesar naturally sensed the Xu Zhen's ulterior motives; her expression immediately turned cold and displeased. Without saying a word, she brushed past the Xu Zhen without leaving a single remark!
"Hey! Don't go! What’s going on here?" The Xu Zhen instinctively grabbed Caesar's delicate hand. The latter blushed with anger and turned around to kick towards the Xu Zhen's lower body. The latter quickly dodged as Caesar slipped out of the tent.
The Xu Zhen was baffled and couldn't understand this girl's thoughts. She lifted the cloth covering the table only to see an exquisitely powerful black Carved Bow before her eyes. It felt as if an invisible hand had tightly grasped her heart; a surge of emotion rushed up within her chest, forcing tears into her eyes.
When she had held Caesar's hand earlier, she felt no warmth because all ten of her fingers were wrapped in silk cloth due to constant work on the Carved Bow that had worn them down. She had privately scorned Caesar for being mad enough to risk everything over a piece of rotten wood and even causing her fingers to blister and bleed while crafting it.
She had looked down on it all but did not realize that this bow was made for her!
Recalling that day when she slapped Caesar without asking for details just to stabilize morale—Xu Zhenxin truly felt uncomfortable about it—she held this Carved Bow with both hands burning hotly against her heart.
The next day, the team had already entered Kuo Prefecture, with Dahua City just around the corner. Princess Jinyang gazed at the distant city and felt an inexplicable surge of pride.
Behind her, the brothers watched as Princess Jinyang rode slowly, sharing a sense of camaraderie. Their eyes were all focused on her back, where she carried a striking black Carved Bow, leaving everyone momentarily stunned!
On that day, Caesar had fought with the Salar Tribe for that Poplar. Although it was of pure quality, its shape was not exceptional, and everyone had already forgotten about it. Only Caesar had quietly carved it whenever he had free time. Little did they expect that this Carved Bow would now be on Princess Jinyang's back!
The bow was nearly five feet long, with its arms spread like wings. The back was curved like a dragon arching its back, intricately engraved with flame patterns, and the string was tied to the mouth of an Evil God. Both in craftsmanship and design, it was an exceptionally fine Carved Bow!
"No wonder this lioness is desperate to seize it; she truly is a master bowmaker!"
"This bow is incredibly imposing; even just carrying it would be worth it!"
"What a shame for such a fine bow; it's a waste. It should be used by Zhou Cang's Team Leader or Gaohe Shuzhuren; it would definitely enhance their strength!"
"What nonsense! No matter how strong Zhou Cang's Team Leader or Gao is, can they compare to Commander Xu? Have you seen any of them dare to provoke Caesar, this lioness?"
"That's true; our commander is quite skilled in dealing with women. Speaking of Caesar, have you heard? That Young Lady who returned with Mr. Zhang is the daughter of Chief of Military Operations Li Daozong! She's Princess Jincheng! Our commander can even enter her tent!"
"Wow, that's quite impressive!"
"Not just impressive; have you not seen Rock Master sneaking around with our commander every night? Regardless of gender, from eighty years old to twenty, who can escape our commander's grasp?"
"Hiss..."
Upon hearing this, everyone shivered but then burst into raucous laughter.
Princess Jinyang's face twitched as she suddenly turned around and shouted loudly to those around her: "Get me some arrows; I want to test this bow!"
Everyone's expression changed at her words, and they all took off running. Princess Jinyang chuckled coldly, slicing off the arrowheads with her long knife and randomly shooting the arrow shafts. The brothers who had been gossiping screamed and jumped around like startled birds and beasts. The entire team was filled with joy and laughter echoed far and wide.
Li Daozong had stationed his troops at Kuo Prefecture, Dahua City, waiting for news from Hou Junji. As evening approached, he received intelligence that Xu Zhenzhi's army had returned. He immediately set aside military affairs and donned his regular clothes to personally welcome them.
Although he held a high position, the achievements of Xu Zhen were not insignificant. Without the military reports sent back by her army, the main forces of the Tuguhun would have truly bypassed the Qilian Mountains. Even with Li Jing stationed in Ganzhou, it would have been difficult to avoid disaster.
The credit for such accomplishments was gradually diminished when attributed to Xu Zhen, but Li Daozong knew of her close relationship with Li Mingda. When requesting honors, he specifically mentioned Xu Zhenzhi's name and even secured him the position of Colonel of Diplomatic Affairs, allowing him to command three hundred troops, which preserved his military reputation.
As Li Daozong exited the camp, he was surrounded by personal guards. Upon reaching the city gate, he heard a commotion; the gate was blocked by a large number of soldiers, and the city wall was crowded with people discussing and pointing below.
Feeling suspicious, Li Daozong quickened his pace. The soldiers, seeing their commander approach, hurriedly cleared a path, and the crowd fell silent.
Without engaging in unnecessary inquiries, Li Daozong climbed up to the city wall and felt a tightening in his chest; no wonder the soldiers appeared tense!
He saw a cavalry unit at the city gate, numbering around two hundred. At the forefront was a figure riding an Azure Wind Antelope, clad in bronze armor with a long blade at his waist and a formidable black Carved Bow on his back—none other than Xu Zhen!
Behind Xu Zhen was half a horse length away his own daughter, Li Wushuang. Next to her was none other than Li Mingda!
Zhang Jiunian and several lower-ranking officers lined up behind them, all dressed in striking Tian Ce Red Armor. What followed left many dumbfounded.
First came a bare-bodied young man with his face wrapped in a scarf, revealing only his eyes. A long cloak billowed behind him as he rode a massive silver wolf that stood half his height. He wielded an imposing eight-foot-long Spear, exuding an air of ferocity!
Leading the Rouran Iron Cavalry was Gao He Shu, each soldier carrying massive Yuanrong Crossbows and armed with curved blades and spears while mounted on fine steeds—truly elite troops!
Following them were one hundred Salar Elite soldiers, all with solemn expressions. They were fully armed with spoils from their battle against the Murong Clan, forming a formidable unit of Tuguhun wolf warriors!
What caught everyone's attention even more was that behind this group were four to five hundred well-equipped horses laden with war supplies! Not to mention the armor and weapons on horseback; just these four to five hundred horses represented a significant fortune!
In addition to Xu Zhen and Zhang Jiunian's thirteen brothers, the brothers from Rouran and Salar had traditionally strung together the ears of Murong Clan soldiers they had killed and hung them on their horses—each horse bore several strings of dried human ears!
These two hundred brothers had emerged from the life-and-death battle against the Murong Clan's raid, reeking of blood like a pack of fierce beasts that had survived after battling in the primordial forest!
Kuo Prefecture City Many of the newly recruited soldiers in the Tang army were stunned by the sight before them. As word spread, the Xu Zhen's troops appeared to be a terrifying legion that had crawled out of the underworld!
Li Daozong was filled with mixed emotions, not because of how fearsome the Xu Zhen's troops were, but because he sensed a stark difference in her. It was a kind of terrifying growth, an astonishing speed of development!
Initially, when Li Daozong first encountered Xu Zhen, he thought she lacked ambition and would be content to pass her days as a county official. He never expected that after such a short time, she would already exude the aura of a great general!
“Let them in!”
Li Daozong couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he instructed his personal guards. The city gate soldiers hurriedly welcomed this formidable troop.
Xu Zhen and her brothers marched in proudly, drawing the attention of the Tang army wherever they went. Gasps of astonishment filled the air, and discussions erupted around them, with some even cheering in admiration, effectively capturing everyone's gaze.
Yin Zong and the Salarian soldiers felt a surge of excitement, as if they could see their future ahead. In contrast, the Rouran People remained silent, while only Zhang Jiunian and his fellow retainers felt immense pride and satisfaction at the respect shown towards their Lord.
Hou Polu, alongside Zhang Shenzhi, stood with other friendly officers, coldly observing the scene before them. Their smiles remained unchanged, but inwardly they were cursing.
As Hou Polu watched Xu Zhen slowly enter the city, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly: “Just a few days of glory for you; good days are still ahead!”
(Note: The six materials for bow-making refer to wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer. The meanings are: wood is for distance; horn is for speed; sinew is for depth; glue is for harmony; silk is for strength; lacquer is for protection against frost and dew.)
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