Martial Cultivator

Gao Xuan led the remaining cavalry back towards the Great Wall, with the two hundred over dead bodies carried on horseback, returning home together.

The Northern Frontier Army had a noble tradition: as long as the remains of fallen soldiers could be retrieved from the battlefield, they would be sent back to their hometowns by designated personnel. At the Northern Frontier's Great Wall, it was not just the Great General who wished to return home.

However, most would never leave the Northern Frontier's Great Wall alive. Even if they died in battle, their remains would often be left on the grasslands. Only a few could have their bodies brought home by their comrades.

Gao Xuan slowly rode his horse, watching the setting sun. It was nearly autumn, and the northern grasslands would soon be covered in a new blanket of snow. When the snow piled up, the bodies would be buried deep within it. Come spring, when the snow melted and the grass grew, these bodies would turn into fertilizer, leaving no trace of their existence.

Just as Chen Chao had said, there were people dying in the North almost every day for the human race, but most of their names would never be known to the world. It was a heart-wrenching reality, but one that could not be changed.

Therefore, Gao Xuan’s hope was simple: to reduce the number of deaths.

But if they did not die, should the defenseless civilians die instead? Should the women, children, and elderly die? Should the women, children, elderly, and sick, die?

There was no sense in that.

The cavalry continued southward for half a day without encountering any more demon troops. With about another half day's journey remaining until they reached a pass leading into the Great Wall, a scout who had been riding on the outskirts suddenly galloped towards them. Gao Xuan lightly pulled the reins, halting his horse, and waited for the scout.

Scouts were always crucial in any army, serving as its eyes. Without them, an army would effectively be blind. Therefore, both demons and humans placed great importance on training scouts. For this expedition, Gao Xuan had specifically requested a batch of top-tier scouts from Li Changling. That cavalry commander had emphasized the utmost care and precision in handling them, a request that Gao Xuan had solemnly pledged to uphold at that time too.

The weathered-faced scout approached Gao Xuan, saluted, and reported, "General, about fifty miles away, one of our cavalry units is surrounded by demons."

Gao Xuan asked calmly, "What's the enemy and our military strength?"

"The human cavalry number approximately three thousand, while the demons are at least five thousand strong."

The scout asked softly, "Do we rush to their rescue? Or wait for reinforcements?"

Gao Xuan furrowed his brows, "Wait for reinforcements? By the time reinforcements come, those comrades there will likely all be dead."

The deputy commander interjected at this moment, "But we're fewer than a thousand now. Joining the battle might not have much impact."

Gao Xuan fell silent for a moment before saying softly, "It's enough."

The deputy commander opened his mouth but did not speak."

"We're all comrades. Can you stand by and watch them die without trying to save them? Can you sleep at night after watching them die?"

Gao Xuan smiled and said, "Either way, I won't be able to sleep."

Taking a deep breath, Gao Xuan declared loudly, "Fifty men from the Lan Tai Battalion stay behind to escort our brothers home. The rest, follow this general!"

However, there was a moment of silence after he spoke, with no one answering.

After a while, someone shouted loudly, "General, Lan Tai Battalion is willing to fight to the death with you! If we make it back alive, we'll bring our brothers home. If not, we'll all die on this grassland!"

Gao Xuan smiled, "Are you all trying to disobey this general's orders?!"

After a brief pause, Gao Xuan continued, "Just this once, don't do it again."

"Leave our brothers' bodies here for now. Let's go, rescue our people!"

As Gao Xuan spoke, several cavalrymen dismounted, gently placing the bodies of fallen comrades on the ground before remounting their horses and galloping off.

Watching his cavalry ride off in haste, Gao Xuan's expression turned solemn.

"A man should die on the frontier, wrapped in horsehide for burial, not lying in bed at the mercy of his sons and daughters!"

Gao Xuan murmured to himself. "Isn't that more meaningful than the idle complaints of those scholars?"

……

……

On the fifth day after Chen Chao returned to the capital, he left the academy to attend a banquet.

Waiting at the gate of the small courtyard was still Weng Quan. After Chen Chao pushed open the door and took a look around, he confirmed it was not the same carriage as before, then teased, "Finally willing to change the carriage?"

Weng Quan looked puzzled. "Wasn't it yo- Commander Chen who asked this subordinate to change it?"

Chen Chao nodded. Suddenly, he felt a bit nostalgic. "I did say so, but now I'm feeling a bit sentimental. I guess I'm someone who cherishes the past."

Weng Quan thought for a moment, about to speak, but recalling the advice from his second uncle, he swallowed his words again.

Chen Chao stepped onto the carriage and said, "Let's go."

Weng Quan nodded. The carriage moved slowly, and before long, they arrived at an elegant mansion not far from the imperial city.

Stepping out of the carriage, Chen Chao glanced at the serene mansion and waved to Weng Quan, who understood and soon drove the carriage away.

Chen Chao then walked up the steps and lightly knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly, revealing an elderly female attendant who smiled and asked, "Is it Commander Chen?"

Chen Chao nodded.

The female attendant stepped aside, smiling gently, "The Princess has been waiting for quite some time."

In the Great Liang Dynasty, there was only one princess.

Chen Chao walked into the courtyard and quickly saw Princess Anping under the eaves. Beside her was a young boy.

Princess Anping was dressed very casually today, without much adornment, looking similar to the noblewomen of the Divine Capital. However, even in this get-up, it could not cover up her air of nobility and natural beauty.

"I pay respects to Princ-"

Chen Chao was just about to bow when Princess Anping waved her hand to interrupt him. "Call me elder sister!"

She rolled her eyes at Chen Chao and said with slight displeasure. "I don't know where you learned these formalities. There are no outsiders here, no need to be so distant."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly.

But before he could say anything, Princess Anping patted the young boy beside her and smiled, "Call him elder brother."

The young boy smiled brightly and looked at Chen Chao, calling out, "Elder brother."

Chen Chao was taken aback, looking at Princess Anping.

"The youngest."

Princess Anping waved her hand, beckoning Chen Chao to come over.

Chen Chao's mind was heavy. The casual remark "youngest" from Princess Anping carried a weighty implication. In the Great Liang Dynasty, the emperor had three sons and one daughter. Princess Anping was the eldest sister, and this "youngest" referred to the third prince, whom Chen Chao had never met before.

Originally hesitant about attending this banquet, seeing this third prince now made Chen Chao feel that this private banquet was not as simple as it seemed.

Princess Anping, perceptive as ever, noticed Chen Chao's subtle change in expression and quickly grumbled, "What are you thinking, rascal? The eldest and the second, this imperial highness isn't fond of their personalities compared to when they were young. As for the youngest, he's just a child. I invited you here for a meal to catch up as siblings, nothing more. If you insist on thinking otherwise, this imperial highness will really get angry."

Chen Chao smiled apologetically before arriving in front of Princess Anping. They sat down together at the table, where unexpectedly, there were no extravagant dishes, tt was just simple home-cooked meals.

"This imperial highness cooked these myself. Even Imperial Father hasn't had them more than a few times. As for those two troublesome ones, they have never eaten it before."

Princess Anping served Chen Chao a spoonful of food. Seeing Chen Chao silent, Princess Anping frowned. "We don't entertain the silence of scholars here. Tell this imperial highness, what happened on your journey away from the Divine Capital? The Youngest heard that you single-handedly killed all the cultivators on a mountain, and he's been pestering me to ask you about it."

Chen Chao said helplessly. "His Highness is still young, isn't it inappropriate to discuss such things? Besides, if I tell the story, can we still enjoy this meal?"

The battle at Clearwater Mountain was brutal, and Chen Chao's methods were not gentle. Few whole bodies of the cultivators remained after that night. On that night, even if someone said that Chen Chao was a demon, people would believe it too.

The Third Prince looked up and asked, "Elder Brother, did you really single-handedly kill all the cultivators on the mountain?

Chen Chao nodded; there was no need to hide this.

After receiving confirmation, when the Third Prince looked at Chen Chao again, there was admiration in his eyes. He said softly, "I heard those cultivators were using children as medicinal fruit. Elder Brother, you did well to kill them. Those bastards deserved to be wiped out long ago!"

"Your Highness is well-informed."

Chen Chao smiled.

"Brother, quickly tell me more about the incident. I don't get to leave the Divine Capital, so I can only listen to Elder Brother's stories."

The Third Prince had a look of excitement.

Chen Chao did not refuse. He began recounting his journey, carefully selecting what he could share while omitting the rest.

But even so, his experiences were enough to fascinate the Third Prince, who became so engrossed in the tales that he momentarily forgot to eat.

Princess Anping frowned and interrupted them, saying, "Let's eat first, talk after eating!"

Chen Chao smiled slightly, while the Third Prince looked somewhat aggrieved, calling out, "Imperial Sister."

Princess Anping rubbed her forehead and snorted.

The Third Prince dared not speak further. He had never been very close to his two elder brothers, but he held both respect and fear towards this Princess Anping.

"Since you both think this imperial highness' cooking isn't good anyway, you can skip dinner if you want. This imperial highness won't be upset."

Without waiting for Princess Anping to finish, the Third Prince picked up his bowl and began eating quietly. He knew his elder sister well, when she spoke like this, even though she seemed calm, it was the most frightening time.

Chen Chao was also at a loss whether to cry or laugh, he could only lower his head to eat.

Princess Anping looked at these two younger brothers with satisfaction.

……

……

The Third Prince set down his chopsticks and said with a smile, "There's hardly anything to do all day except studying and reading the gazette. I've been curious to meet Elder Brother since the Myriad Willow Convention, but I was even more excited after hearing from Imperial Sister about our family's connection. Imperial Father and Imperial Uncle were very close brothers, it's just that the other elder brother was overbearing. But I think things aren't that complicated, every generation has its own challenges, it won't affect us."

Chen Chao looked at the youthful face of the Third Prince, pondered for a moment, and replied, "But sometimes, circumstances are beyond our control, and it's hard to say."

The Third Prince shook his head. "Anyway, I won't be emperor in the future, and I'm sure my relationship with Elder Brother won't deteriorate to that point."

The sincerity on the Third Prince's face was evident, and there was something distinctly different in his eyes compared to his two other brothers.

Chen Chao nodded his head.

Princess Anping suddenly smiled and said, "This imperial highness hasn't really noticed before, but you two actually have very similar eyes. You and Youngest look more like biological brothers than either of you do with this imperial highness."