Refining the Mountains and Rivers

At the manor in the mine.

After sending away Hundred Saint who rushed over after hearing word that Qin Yu was still alive, Qin Yu sat down and drank a cup of tea. When he put down the tea cup, he was frowning.

He could not help but feel that there was something weird in Hundred Saint's expression, like he wanted to say something but had reservations.

After drinking a few more sips of tea, Qin Yu tapped his fingers on the table, feeling a little strange in his heart.

Chicken overlord did not come.

Based on Qin Yu's understanding of chicken overlord's personality, he would cry out loud without tears even if he did not get credit for anything. He had done the same the previous times, so he would definitely have come this time to show his loyalty.

Something was wrong.

He thought about Hundred Saint hesitating to speak just now again, and his eyes flickered slightly. Qin Yu then got up and walked to the back of his residence.

"Lady Rourou from the Demon Sect has come from the marshal tent and is currently settled down at the back of your residence…" These were Hundred Saint's words.

Thinking about it carefully, when he said this sentence, although he looked calm, he sounded like he had his reservations.

Along the way, the maids saluted and gave way to Qin Yu. Compared to ordinary women, most of these maids looked a little strange.

They were undergoing Barbarian Transformation, which made them a little more strange.

It was said that these women were rather popular in the West Border Army camp.

Rourou was already waiting in the courtyard and seemed to know that Qin Yu was coming.

She bowed softly and weakly, "Greetings, General Jinwu."

She looked timid, white and tender, like she could be easily bullied by others.

Beside her, if chicken overlord could roll his eyes, he would have rolled them to the back of his head.

This woman was acting really well in front of Qin Yu.

She looked so pitiful, but this was not how she treated them earlier on!

Qin Yu, open your eyes and see through this woman's mask!

Save me, save me!

Chicken overlord was teary-eyed. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly shuddered.

Lady Rourou's timid gaze landed on chicken overlord as if she was looking at a plate of stewed crispy and tender chicken!

Hiss -

Chicken overlord sucked in a breath of cold air and did not dare to move an inch. Or else, he was sure that his premonition would really come true.

Qin Yu paused for a while before he recovered and looked at Rourou coldly. "Lady Rourou, since you kept your promise and followed me to the mine, I will naturally keep my promise."

He took out an elixir and said, "After eating this pill, you will be protected from being transformed by the Barbarian Curse."

Lady Rourou took the pill with two hands, "Thank you, General."

Qin Yu nodded and said, "Okay, I have some other things to attend to, so I will take my leave."

Chicken overlord looked desperate and hopeless as he saw Qin Yu turn around and leave. Very quickly, Qin Yu disappeared from his sight.

"Little chicken, you weren't very well-behaved just now." That half-joking tone made chicken overlord close his eyes and pass out.

Rourou poked him a few times with her fingers and confirmed that chicken overlord had really passed out.

Lady Rourou pouted and said, "Little chicken, the amount of courage you have is really touching." She raised her head and looked in the direction that Qin Yu left in, subconsciously frowning.

Even though everything seemed very normal, she could not help but feel that something was wrong.

There were some changes to Qin Yu's aura that even she was unable to discern. What exactly did this brat do while he was underground?

Leaving the back courtyard to return to the front manor, Qin Yu waved his sleeves after closing the door. In the room, the rules of time and space began to change instantly.

It was not too strong, but it was enough to detect if anyone was spying on him. If someone was, they would be exposed right away.

After confirming that the room was not under any form of surveillance, Qin Yu exhaled heavily and his face became pale.

Just now, when he met Rourou, he saw a huge vortex behind her.

Majestic and vast, it swirled slowly. Even though it produced no sound, it still gave an extremely terrifying feeling of suppression.

It was as if it was the end of all things, the destruction of everything in the world, and even the heavens and earth could be swallowed by it! And this was the super perceptive power that Qin Yu obtained after succeeding in planting a fragment of his soul in the Spirit Embryo.

Even though he already knew that Lady Rourou had some hidden secrets, today's discovery was still far beyond his expectations.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He finally stopped controlling his heartbeat, and it started to palpitate quickly and desperately.

Just now, the moment Qin Yu saw the vortex, he was quick-witted enough to temporarily cut off the connection between him and the Spirit Embryo.

Otherwise, if he looked at the vortex any longer, it would have raised her suspicions!

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his mind which was in a state of shock and chaos.

Qin Yu smiled bitterly and raised his hands to rub his eyebrows. At this moment, his thoughts coincided with those of Hundred Saint - crushing the Demon Sect to snatch Rourou was to protect himself from any hidden dangers. But now it seemed like he had created a huge problem for himself instead!

Moreover, what Qin Yu was worried about now was whether Rourou had already realized his true identity. She took the initiative to follow him, came to the border army camp, and continued to lurk by his side. What exactly was she planning?

Qin Yu was unable to sleep or eat well since he could not figure this out.

Sure enough, in this world, no one knew when an accident would happen to them.

Seeing that he had suppressed the sinners' riots, and planted a fragment of his soul in the Spirit Embryo, this was supposed to be the best opportunity for him to gain a firm foothold in the border army camp.

Who would've thought that such a huge problem would arise in the blink of an eye?!

Keep calm, don't panic.

Qin Yu frowned and continued to ponder about the vortex that he saw earlier.

There was no doubt that it was extremely terrifying. Perhaps it would not be able to swallow the heavens and earth, but it was definitely very easy for it to swallow Qin Yu.

This also meant that if Rourou wanted to kill him, she could do it at any time. However, she had always hidden this and did nothing. This went to show that for the time being, Qin Yu was not in danger.

This was very important. Otherwise, Qin Yu would have tried to escape immediately and gone somewhere as far away as possible.

Gaining a firm foothold in the military…taking advantage of the West Desolate's power…all of this depended on the fact that Qin Yu must be alive to carry them out!

Since he was temporarily not in danger, he could think about it more.

This vortex was terrifying, but vaguely, it felt slightly familiar to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu's brows furrowed even tighter. He tapped his fingers on the table, and the soft sounds they produced were very rhythmic.

He had to first confirm that this was indeed a familiar feeling, and not a misjudgment that he made while panicking.

Then, little by little, he started to sieve through his past memories to find this familiar feeling.

However, after spending an hour, Qin Yu's brain became a little numb. Yet he still found nothing.

He could not help but feel that there was a layer of film that was wrapped around him, preventing him from seeing the truth about this matter.

Hu -

Qin Yu exhaled deeply, helplessness showing on his face.

Actually, there was another easy solution. Since it was familiar at first glance, he just had to look at it a few more times to be able to find the source of the familiarity.

Go look again? The moment the thought came up, Qin Yu suppressed it.

Even if he wanted to look at it again, he could not do it at this time. Otherwise, if he was not careful, Rourou would find out about the fact that he knew about the vortex.

……

A letter arrived from the marshal tent. Marshal Wu had invited the first-class Earl to the marshal tent to discuss matters.

This move was expected.

Now that the barbarian offensive had been gradually easing, the battle situation became calmer as well and everyone felt more relaxed.

Since Qin Yu was the one who started the whole situation, naturally, he was qualified enough to attend the discussions in the marshal tent.

And this time, unlike before, he was not attending as a so-called military counselor.

He was attending as a first-class Earl, and a great general of the military.

Qin Yu being invited to the marshal tent meant that he had truly, finally gained a firm foothold in the border army camp!

After Qin Yu received the letter, he immediately got up and started to make his way to the marshal tent. He was just worrying about what he should do to keep his distance from that lady from the Demon Sect without arousing her suspicions.

This was a good opportunity to do so.

Since he could not understand what the vortex really was and its true power, he could not afford to provoke it. Then, the best option was to hide for a while. He could not go wrong with that.

Even though he did not like Wu Tongtian and the other generals of the West Border Army, Qin Yu had to admit that staying in the border army camp was very safe.

Of the West Desolate military's nine troops, four of them were at the West Border!

This accounted for over forty percent of the imperial military's troops that were stationed at the various borders, and it was a terrifying force to be reckoned with.

Even if someone at the King realm started to attack the camp, he or she would not be able to hurt Qin Yu.

He brought Hundred Saint with him, and after thinking for a while, he brought Ironstone with him as well. Then, Qin Yu set off for the camp.

The journey was very smooth. When the carriage stopped, the camp could already be seen in the distance.

"Greetings, Earl Chongwu!"

Outside the camp, the guards bowed and saluted with respect in their eyes. Soldiers respected the strong, and they were all aware of how General Jinwu was able to suppress the sinners' riots on his own. Even Marshal Wu suffered a loss because of him; these low-ranked generals naturally did not dare to provoke him.

For the first time, Qin Yu really felt the might and power of being a great general in the military.

It was smooth all the way. He did not need to report or gain permission in order to go directly to the marshal tent.

He turned around, glanced at Ironstone and said, "You probably have some close friends in the camp. Go and rest for a day; you are dismissed."

Ironstone's expression became very complex, before he saluted and then retreated.

Hundred Saint stepped forward and said, "First-class Earl, General Jinwu Ning Qin, requests to meet with the Grand Marshal!"

Very quickly, the tent door opened. Several counselors bowed and saluted. "Earl, Marshal Wu invites you to come in."

Qin Yu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you."

Stepping into the tent, he came from the farthest away, and at this moment, he was also the last to arrive.

"Ning Qin greets Marshal Wu!"

Wu Tongtian said, "General Jinwu, at ease. Come and sit down."

His expression was calm, without any sign of fluctuation. It was difficult to know the true emotions he was feeling in his heart.

"Yes, sir!"

Qin Yu turned and walked to his seat.

Compared with the previous time he was here, the order in the marshal tent changed again. His seat moved forward by one place, and now he was sitting diagonally left of Ye Sangdu, on the opposite side.

This position showed that after getting the title of first-class Earl, Qin Yu ranked third among everyone in the West Border Army.

He was now an important general of the military!

"Greetings, Earl Chongwu!"

All of the generals stood up to salute him.

Qin Yu's eyes flashed slightly and he cupped his hands in return, "All of you don't have to be so polite, please take a seat."

He too sat down, raised his head, and looked at Ye Sangdu.

The second-in-command of the West Border Army, a great general who was also a direct descendant of the Ye Family, looked at Qin Yu very coldly.

Since they had already fallen out, there was no need to maintain the superficial relationship.

First-class Earl Chongwu!

Hmph, His Majesty was very generous after all. But, even if you are now ranked third in the West Border Army…so what?

The Marshal was calm, but he was extremely annoyed in his heart, and so was his attitude towards Qin Yu.

Ning Qin, even if you were the one who made a move first, it is hard to say whether you will be able to sit firmly in the West Border Army in the future!

"Let's begin," Marshal Wu spoke. He let an obscure expression sweep across his face.

Since the battle situation had eased, there were no important matters to discuss. The meeting ended very quickly. The most important thing that happened today was probably the fact that General Jinwu had rejoined the West Border Army with a brand new sparkling reputation.

"If there's nothing else, I declare the meeting over," Wu Tongtian said and glanced at everyone.

"Marshal, wait," Qin Yu suddenly opened his mouth to speak.

The atmosphere in the marshal tent suddenly became tense. Countless eyes looked over at him. Internally, they were all thinking the same thing - it's finally happening!

Since General Jinwu entered the West Border Army camp, he had been ostracized and suppressed. Now that he established a firm foothold, how could he say nothing?

To be honest, everyone had been waiting for this moment from the beginning.

Wu Tongtian looked calm as he replied, "General Jinwu, do you have something to say?"

Qin Yu cupped his hands and said, "Marshal Wu, my residence in the mine has not been repaired yet, so I want to stay in the camp for a while. This way, I won't have to go back and forth to attend these discussions."

Of course, this was just an excuse. To put it plainly, he did not want to go back.

Only Qin Yu knew why he did not want to go back - the others did not. Their hearts skipped a beat, thinking that General Jinwu was really formidable enough to make Marshal Wu suffer. It was truly a sharp move and unexpected of him.

General Jinwu was going to stay at the camp, and even if he did not do anything, people would unconsciously start thinking about the blunder that happened just by looking at him.

Then, when they associated this blunder with the high-ranking, dignified, and stern Marshal Wu, he would just become a joke again.

The human heart was the most wonderful thing in the world. It could be influenced imperceptibly, without people knowing it themselves. That was how terrifying it was.

It would not take too long. General Jinwu just needed to stay in the camp for a month to greatly damage Marshal Wu's reputation that he spent many years building painstakingly.

Asking to stay in the camp was like issuing a direct challenge to the Marshal. Of course, in everyone's eyes, they thought that it was His Majesty from the Imperial Palace who was behind Qin Yu's request.

With such a tough attitude, did His Majesty have another backhanded move planned? Otherwise, why would he try so hard to suppress Marshal Wu at this time?

That's right, they were thinking too much. Since the politics had already begun, this was the only way it could go.

But the truth was that Qin Yu simply wanted to hide in the camp for a while.

He must hide - that girl from the Demon Sect was too scary.

Until he could figure her out, he did not want to get too close to her.

As for chicken overlord…hehe, that brat has always been good at begging people not to take his life. Qin Yu doubted that he would be killed.

When Qin Yu thought about Lady Rourou, his heart became heavy and his reaction became a little slower. When he regained his composure, he could feel everyone's surprise, admiration, and shock.

These guys were misinterpreting his intentions!

After thinking about it, Qin Yu kept his silence. Since they were so full of thoughts, Qin Yu decided to let them think as they wished.

He would need a valid reason to stay in the camp anyway. Since they had already thought of one for him, he shall use it!

Wu Tongtian was silent while Ye Sangdu laughed coldly. This second-ranked figure in the military said with a cold voice, "General Jinwu, according to the military rules, generals are not allowed to leave their posts without permission. Since you have been ordered by the Marshal to guard the mine, you should go back as soon as possible."

Qin Yu looked at him and said, "Nothing will happen to the mine. If there is an accident, I will bear all the consequences."

"Hmph!" Ye Sangdu laughed coldly, not saying another word.

Wu Tongtian said, "Since that's the case, General Jinwu, you can stay at the camp."

He then got up and left.

This was the first time Marshal Wu left the tent before everyone else after a discussion.

Looking at his back, the generals of the West Border Army knew that no matter how much Marshal Wu cultivated, he was still extremely angry when faced with General Jinwu's provocation.

He used his actions to express his dissatisfaction!