93: Chapter 93 The Story of Qin Soldiers

When Tang Long returned to his residence with Lu Xiaohu, Qin Bing had already been waiting for a long time.

Lu Xiaohu didn't look at Qin Bing with any kindness, and while Qin Bing didn't care, Tang Long was still quite enthusiastic.

"Old Qin, you came quite early. Sorry to keep you waiting. Please, come in."

"My humble abode is simple, please excuse it."

"Xiaohu, that small room is yours. Move your luggage in."

"You two sit down first. I'll get some food ready; it won't take long."

Qin Bing frowned, "There's no need to eat. You know why I'm here."

"The world is vast, but the stomach is paramount. No matter what we do, we must eat our fill first. Don't worry, I've included your share. This piece of good beef is at least twenty catties."

Qin Bing could not refuse any longer and could only watch as Tang Long, as if performing magic, quickly chopped up the beef, washed it, stir-fried it, and then added unknown spices before stewing it in the pot. He was as skilled as a chef with decades of experience, which only added to Qin Bing's curiosity.

"Junior Tang, you are quite adept at cooking as well."

"I'm a glutton. I'm never satisfied with what others make, so I started doing it myself, and slowly, I practiced until I got good at it."

Tang Long's words were half-true and half-false. In his past life, his culinary skills did indeed originate from such a sin. But today's craftsmanship was because he had recently read a few books on Blue Star cooking. With the enhancement of Master-level reading, his cooking skills had reached a proficient level.

"A man of action, I like it. But why aren't you willing to join the White Clothing Society?"

"Mainly because I'm afraid of trouble. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you enjoy the benefits of the White Clothing Society, you have to be at their beck and call. I'm quite lazy."

"You don't look like a lazy person. Actually, joining the White Clothing Society is very worthwhile. You get privileges at school and scholarships. If you can successfully enter the Military Academy, your future will be very bright."

Tang Long stroked his chin, "Is your information reliable? Does that legendary Sixth Imperial Uncle still have such great influence in the military?"

Qin Bing smiled, "The Sixth Imperial Uncle is the God of War of Dongyu; the actual situation is even more exaggerated than what I said. Otherwise, why do you think even the Duke of Huaicheng wants to send his son here? And why wouldn't the granddaughter of the former Chief of the Military Department study in Huaidu?"

"That makes sense. I heard that your family used to be quite prominent, and even served as the Prime Minister of the Yuanwu Kingdom?"

"That's all in the past; let's not talk about it." Qin Bing shook his head and sighed.

"Alright. So your goal now is to get into the Military Academy? I heard the National Academy and the Divine Academy are also quite good."

"Coming out of the National Academy might lead to being an official, but I don't like that kind of work where you just slowly grind away for seniority. The Divine Academy has too many rules and restrictions. Only the military suits me, and it offers the fastest promotion. I'm not asking to restore the glory of my ancestors, but I can't spend my whole life being mediocre."

Tang Long thought for a moment, "Your problem right now, to put it bluntly, is a money problem. The final step from the third stage to the fourth stage isn't actually that difficult."

Qin Bing smiled bitterly, "Are you trying to comfort me? To break through to the fourth stage, I expect I'll need ten yuan spirit stones. That's a huge sum of money."

Tang Long also smiled and patted his shoulder, "It is indeed very expensive, but it's not necessarily difficult."

Qin Bing's heart itched with curiosity, but Tang Long asked again, "They say the White Clothing Society is an elite organization. What is their actual strength? Are they all at your level?"

"How could they be? President Ye has long been at the fifth stage, and Vice President Miao is at the sixth stage; there's simply no comparison. There are two others, one named Jiang Yan and one named Nie Yu, who have both advanced to the fourth stage."

Tang Long appeared very surprised, "So, among the so-called Five Great Geniuses, you are the only one at the third stage?"

Qin Bing's face flushed red, and for a moment he couldn't speak, as if he was unwilling to admit that he was the worst.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not belittling you. I'm saying that if you can be ranked alongside these fourth, fifth, and sixth-stage experts while only being at the third stage, you must have your own merits."

"Don't comfort me. The external title was decided by President Ye, and I don't want to follow behind others just to make up the numbers. In terms of strength, I am indeed the weakest. My so-called advantage relies on my Yuan Spirit Induction being unique enough to threaten a fourth-stage expert."

Qin Bing raised his hands as he spoke, "Although besides cultivation stage, actual combat also accounts for half the score. But these hands of mine are almost ruined, and that advantage is about to cease to exist."

"Eat first. After we eat, I'll probably have a way."

The steaming beef stew was served. Lu Xiaohu ate heartily without any hesitation, while Qin Bing, after tasting a piece, had a look of surprise flash in his eyes.

To be honest, he hadn't held out any hope for Tang Long's cooking, or rather, he didn't care at all. Saying he was "adept" earlier was basically just a compliment.

But after tasting it, he realized that although the beef looked ordinary, it actually tasted quite good.

This guy really knows a lot.

Martial artists are all big eaters, and their teeth are different from ordinary people. So, even though this pot of meat wasn't stewed until it was very tender, the three of them quickly finished it all.

After finishing, Tang Long told the two of them to go into the courtyard to drink tea in the sun, while he himself closed his eyes and didn't speak, as if he had fallen asleep.

Seeing that noon had passed and there wasn't much time left before school, Qin Bing couldn't help himself anymore.

"Tang Long, wake up. Didn't you say you'd have a way after eating?"

Before Tang Long opened his eyes, Lu Xiaohu was already angry first.

"You surnamed Qin, do you know how to conduct yourself? You're asking for a favor and still acting so arrogant? Even I know that you should lower your posture at a time like this. Are you city people really this ill-mannered?"

Qin Bing was stunned by the retort, very angry, but it wasn't convenient for him to get angry.

"I won't lower myself to a child's level. I'm leaving."

"That just shows you've lived all these years in vain. I won't see you out!"

Qin Bing gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could teach him a lesson immediately, but he could only stand up and walk out.

But at this moment, Tang Long spoke up.

"Xiaohu, why are you being so impolite to my guest?"

Lu Xiaohu's little face darkened, and he stopped talking.

"Old Qin, I wasn't sleeping. I was just lost in thought while trying to come up with a solution."

Qin Bing asked patiently, "So, did you come up with it?"

Tang Long stood up and waved his hand at him, "I'm not sure if it will work. Come, let's trade a few moves and see."

Qin Bing snorted, "I can't beat you, and I'm not in the mood right now."

"Didn't you want a solution to your problem? How will you know if it works if you don't try?"

Qin Bing's eyes finally lit up, "You're not joking?"

Tang Long nodded and gestured for him to come over again.

This time, Qin Bing made his move. He shook his ankle and kicked directly at Tang Long.

To his surprise, Tang Long changed his fighting style from before. He shifted his body slightly to the side and just lightly deflected Qin Bing's ankle, making Qin Bing feel as if he had lost control of his power.

When he hurriedly tried to retract his leg, Tang Long suddenly pressed forward and used his elbow to nudge the back of Qin Bing's knee. His body was immediately pushed flying by this force, almost crashing into the courtyard wall.

Qin Bing's eyes immediately widened, "Is this... Yuan Spirit Induction???"

Tang Long traced a few more curves with his hands, "I said before that your Yuan Spirit Induction was being used incorrectly. I wasn't sure if this kind of fist technique could be adapted to it, but now it seems the effect is quite good."

"What kind of technique is this? It looks soft and weak, but the actual combat effect is very powerful!"

"The name isn't important. Come again, let me try more variations."

Qin Bing took a deep breath and immediately rushed forward again.