745: The wind rises

The Anping County Magistrate had to be kept alive for now; at least until the official appointment order from the Prefect of Xinyang arrived, he could not be killed.

Thinking of absolute safety, it was certainly necessary to have his own man serve as the County Magistrate.

After Yu Dong left, Xu Youling followed behind him without saying a word, not daring to utter a single sentence. She had felt that Su Chen was very easy to get along with during this time, but looking at things today, it seemed that was not the case.

The person before her... was definitely not simple.

Soon.

Night fell.

Yu Dong slipped into Anping County, while other Hidden Guards had already long been hidden within. Zhou Guanhai also led a group of elite soldiers and infiltrated the area.

A slaughter was about to begin.

Su Chen, meanwhile, sat atop Green Wolf Mountain beneath a pavilion. As the evening breeze blew gently, he poured a cup of fine wine he had plundered, but after swallowing it, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Truly terrible.

This counts as fine wine?

Su Chen was somewhat speechless. Perhaps because he was used to drinking the wine of the Cultivation World, he felt a sense of rejection toward the wine drunk by these Mortals.

Better to just drink some tea.

Firelight still flickered across Green Wolf Mountain as Su Chen sat there quietly.

Before long, the sound of footsteps rang out.

Yu Dong had already returned: "Reporting to the Young Lord, Anping County has been taken."

Su Chen nodded: "Replace the government soldiers with our own people. There is no rush for this; swap them out slowly."

"As you command!"

Yu Dong left once more, and Green Wolf Mountain fell back into silence.

Su Chen slowly raised his head and looked toward a certain spot in the night sky. Next, he would slowly erode the entirety of Xinyang until it was completely under his control.

Though this might take some time.

Over the next half month, fewer and fewer people remained on Green Wolf Mountain. Of the two thousand men under his command, nearly half had been transferred into Anping County.

Five hundred men remained on Green Wolf Mountain, and another five hundred were on the opposite hilltop.

Su Chen summoned all three hundred Hidden Guards he had drawn during this half-month and sent them to gather intelligence in Xinyang. A small portion left Xinyang to scout the surrounding areas and handle matters that were unfavorable to Su Chen.

For instance, some news targeting Su Chen was being spread out of Xinyang.

With the recuperation during this period, Su Chen's constitution gradually grew stronger. He no longer looked as thin and weak as before, and his appearance became quite handsome.

[Sign-in successful. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 Fierce General.]

[Sign-in successful. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 Strategist.]

Hmm?

Su Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly. He had signed in two special characters in a row.

"Summon!"

Two figures suddenly appeared before Su Chen. One looked scholarly and refined, while the other was tall and burly, similar to Zhou Guanhai.

The general information for both immediately appeared before his eyes.

Xu Buhuan, Zhao Ji.

One was a strategist and the other a fierce general.

The number of capable people under his command had increased again.

The corners of Su Chen's mouth curled up slightly. During this time, he had clearly seen Zhou Guanhai's strength. His control over troops was very strong, including Formations, terrain, and so on. He believed Zhou Guanhai could build an invincible army for him.

"Greetings, Master!"

The two immediately bowed to Su Chen.

Su Chen assigned them their respective duties. One was the military advisor, while Zhao Ji, like Zhou Guanhai, was a commander leading an army—though they had quite few soldiers at the moment.

Su Chen summoned five hundred ordinary soldiers and three hundred elite soldiers for Zhao Ji to lead.

However, they were not stationed on Green Wolf Mountain, but on another hilltop in the opposite direction, about ten to twenty li away. The three hilltops formed a triangular Formation.

The numbers weren't massive, but Su Chen felt a full sense of security.

He planned to summon one or two thousand people every two months thereafter, proceeding step by step. Now that a portion of his forces controlled Anping County, they could be self-sufficient in terms of food and drink.

There wasn't that much meat, though, so they would occasionally come to Green Wolf Mountain to bring some back.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

This evening.

Xu Youling peeked at the man before her. For some reason, her mood was very restless, or rather, somewhat feverish.

Whether men or women, all would have those kinds of emotions.

Su Chen had not laid a hand on Xu Youling all these years because he was experienced and could restrain himself. However, Xu Youling warmed Su Chen's bed every day and looked at the man before her every day; it was inevitable that her feelings would change.

After some thought, Xu Youling bit her red lips. She sat up slightly and then gently removed her clothes, leaving nothing on, not even her undergarments.

Then she lifted the quilt and pressed herself against Su Chen.

Su Chen opened his eyes. Though the dead of night was blurry, he could still see the bashfulness on Xu Youling's face.

This day was destined not to be peaceful.

A surging volcano erupted at this moment.

The next morning.

Xu Youling draped her arm around Su Chen's neck, her breathing even. Clearly, she had been exhausted yesterday.

Su Chen was in no hurry either, sleeping until noon before getting up.

After having a relationship with Su Chen, Xu Youling's demeanor was noticeably more intimate.

In a flash.

Half a year passed.

During this half-year, the Great Yu Dynasty had been searching for him like mad. Bounty posters with his portrait were plastered everywhere in Xinyang Prefecture.

Being unable to find Su Chen, they must be extremely anxious right now.

There was even fear!

The corners of Su Chen's mouth curled up slightly. Over this half-year, the summoned army under his command had already reached ten thousand, with nearly forty thousand more yet to be summoned. His Fierce Generals had increased to five, and his Strategists to two.

As for food and drink, there was no worry at all; they simply couldn't finish it all.

Now, nearly half of the entire Xinyang Prefecture was under Su Chen's control. He mostly stayed at Green Wolf Mountain, occasionally going down to look around the surrounding areas.

While such a life was bearable for Su Chen, it was indeed a bit boring.

The main issue was that the Great Yu Dynasty was too strong. Once he was exposed, hundreds of thousands of troops might come to kill him.

He wouldn't be able to hold them off—simply couldn't hold them off.

Therefore, Su Chen could only keep a low profile.

Boring.

Su Chen thought for a moment, summoned Yu Dong, and ordered him to find some beautiful girls in Xinyang Prefecture to be sent over. However, they could not be forced; he would pay for them to come voluntarily.

He didn't consider himself a good person anyway.

Naturally, he wouldn't stick to conventional rules. Moreover, in this world's setting, it was normal for multiple women to serve one husband.

Communicating deeply with women and talking about everything under the sun had always been Su Chen's hobby, even in this space.

There was just one relatively serious problem: he didn't know if this body of his could handle it.

Two days later, Yu Dong returned to Green Wolf Mountain.

"Young Lord, I have conducted a special investigation. There is a Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in Xinyang Prefecture where the women sell their art but not their bodies. Three of the top courtesans are absolute beauties. I have seen them myself, and it is indeed true."

"However, although this Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion sells art and not bodies, the girls there receive no pay and must work for the pavilion for a lifetime. I spoke with one of the girls; she said that if someone could redeem them, they would be willing to follow the Lord and become his concubines."

Su Chen nodded: "And then?"

Yu Dong clapped his hands, and three travel-worn figures wearing black robes approached. Although the robes covered most of their bodies, one could still tell their figures were excellent.

"So, I sent men to wipe out that Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, killed everyone clean, and brought these three back."

...