124: Chapter 124 The Truth Comes Out

In an instant, Pang Hai felt as if the wooden saber in his hand had been bitten hard by a venomous snake!

A peculiar force erupted from that tiny point of contact.

Pang Hai's tiger's mouth went numb, and his entire arm lost all sensation.

He could no longer grip the wooden saber; with a 'clatter,' it fell to the ground.

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

What had they just witnessed?

Three moves.

It really was just three moves!

Pang Hai... was defeated just like that?

Defeated so cleanly.

So thoroughly.

Su Bai wasn't even fighting him; he was teaching him what it truly meant to use a saber.

Pang Hai stared blankly at his empty hands, then at the undamaged wooden saber on the ground, his mind a complete void.

I lost...

I actually lost?

Lost to someone holding half a broken blade, who hadn't even used Spiritual Qi?

How is this possible...

Su Bai slowly lowered the hilt in his hand.

His gaze swept over Pang Hai, then over every recruit on the field, finally landing on the Exam Proctor Officer, whose face was equally pale.

"Now, do you still think it was just Zhao Ding's bad luck?"

His voice was calm, yet it made the officer tremble violently, like chaff in the wind.

The proctoring officer felt Su Bai's gaze like two knives, instantly piercing his mental defenses and laying bare all the filthy secrets deep within his heart.

His lips quivered as he said:

"I... I... General Su... this... this..."

He sputtered "this" for a long time without managing to form a complete sentence.

Su Bai didn't bother to give him another look.

Such a small character wasn't worth wasting his time on.

Turning around, he walked step by step toward Pang Hai.

Pang Hai's body retreated two steps uncontrollably, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Su Bai.

The arrogance from before had long since vanished without a trace.

"Do you still want me to personally inspect your saber?"

Su Bai asked softly, looking at Pang Hai.

Pang Hai's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Inspect...

He was the one who had tampered with Zhao Ding's saber.

If it were inspected in public...

The consequences...

Pang Hai didn't dare think further.

In this moment, he felt a bone-chilling cold throughout his body.

"General!"

He could no longer hold out; his legs went weak, and with a 'thud,' he knelt directly on the ground.

"General, I was wrong! I was truly wrong!"

"This... this had nothing to do with me! It was all Deputy General Chang! It was Chang Feng, he forced me to do it!"

"He said that as long as I could cripple Zhao Ding during the assessment, he... he would guarantee me a position as a Squad Leader! He... he also gave me a hundred taels of silver!"

"General, I was blinded by greed and committed a great mistake in a moment of confusion! I beg you, considering that I, Pang Hai, have also contributed my share to Yunzhou City, please spare my dog's life!"

As he spoke, he frantically kowtowed into the yellow sand on the ground.

Again and again.

The 'thudding' sound echoed.

Soon, his forehead was a bloody mess.

Whoosh—!

The entire field instantly erupted into a commotion.

Deputy General Chang?

It was actually Chang Feng pulling the strings from behind?

This was too despicable.

To suppress General Su, he actually used such underhanded methods to harm a recruit during an assessment?!

Is this still something a general should do?!

Worse than a beast!

In an instant, the eyes of all the recruits looking at Pang Hai were filled with rage.

And for that Chang Feng, whom they had never met, they felt an endless disgust.

On the viewing stands.

Lord Zhou's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.

"Chang Feng!"

He gritted his teeth, squeezing these two words through them.

The teacup in his hand was crushed directly into powder.

Well done, Chang Feng.

I was lenient with you because you lost a leg defending the city, and this is how you repay me?!

You actually reached your black hand into the recruit assessment!

You are trying to destroy the Foundation of my Yunzhou Army!

Beside him, Li Han's face was also ashen.

Though he was a civil official, he knew that the greatest taboo in the military was internal strife and fratricide.

Chang Feng's actions had seriously violated military law.

"Lord Zhou,"

Li Han's voice was incredibly cold as he said, "This matter must be strictly investigated! We absolutely cannot tolerate such evil!"

A flash of killing intent also crossed General Qin Bei's eyes.

What he hated most were scumbags who stabbed their own people in the back.

Thinking that Chang Feng was his own deputy general now made General Qin Bei feel sick to his stomach.

Su Bai looked at Pang Hai, who was kneeling on the ground, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

There was no expression on his face.

Contributed your share to Yunzhou City?

When you tampered with Zhao Ding's saber and tried to kill him, why didn't you think about the fact that you were both members of the Yunzhou Army?

Now you remember to appeal to sentiment?

Too late.

"Men."

Su Bai spoke indifferently.

"Here!"

Ma Lie and Zhao Ding immediately stepped forward.

"Pang Hai, for harming a comrade with intent to murder, the evidence is conclusive."

"That proctor, for malpractice and distorting the truth, shall be punished with the same crime."

"Drag them both away, throw them into the dungeon, and await the Military Governor's judgment."

Su Bai's voice was cold and ruthless.

"Yes!"

Ma Lie and Zhao Ding stepped forward and dragged away the paralyzed Pang Hai and the ashen-faced proctoring officer like dead dogs.

After handling all this, Su Bai turned around.

His grim gaze swept lightly across the field.

Every recruit who met his gaze involuntarily straightened their chest.

Their eyes were filled with awe.

That move just now, the feat of defeating a whole saber with a broken one, had completely conquered them.

What is a general?

This is a general!

Not only is he skilled in training troops, but his own strength is unfathomable, and he is upright, unable to tolerate even a speck of sand in his eyes.

Following such a general, why worry about not being able to achieve great things?!

Su Bai looked at them and spoke slowly:

"I know that among you, there may still be spies planted by Chang Feng."

"I don't care."

"I will only tell you one thing."

"Under my command, if you are a Dragon, coil up for me; if you are a tiger, lie down for me."

"If anyone dares to play these underhanded little tricks with me again..."

His gaze suddenly sharpened as he shouted loudly:

"Pang Hai will be your example."

"Assessment continued!"

...

The recruit assessment, after experiencing a wave of trouble,

finally concluded with Perfection.

The result was without suspense.

The recruits from Su Family Village, whether in terms of physical strength, endurance, or combat skills, far exceeded the soldiers recruited from other places.

Particularly Su Tao, Su Yan, and Su Xing; they already had a Foundation, and after Su Bai's special care over the past few days, their performances were even more brilliant.

On the afternoon the assessment ended.

Su Bai stood on the general's platform and announced the new appointments.

"Su Tao, step forward!"