Chapter 1019: Hostility

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chu Li looked at him calmly without saying a word.

Yang Ping was temperamental and he possessed dark thoughts. He was not a benevolent person and it would not be easy to work under him.

“Haha… Hahahaha!” Yang Ping held his head up as he guffawed. As he did so, he bent forward and backward. In the end, he slammed the desk and laughed even louder.

Chu Li simply stared at him in silence, not a hint of shock was in his eyes.

Then, Yang Ping stopped smiling and his expression grew stern instead. He pointed at Chu Li and yelled, “You’re a disciple of the Holy Church of Light! How can you be so naive?”

Chu Li asked, “Why do you say so, General?”

“Ever since we set up the Sharp Vigor Battalion in the Li Dynasty, only ten people have left the battalion and accumulated merits to become centurions. These ten people have all become Grand Generals. Do you think you have what it takes to become a Grand General?” Yang Ping’s expression was dark, but a cold and subtle smile appeared on his face.

Chu Li remained silent.

Yang Ping laughed coldly. “Are Grand Generals insignificant to you people of the Holy Church of Light too?”

Chu Li answered, “No.”

Yang Ping snorted. “You people are a daring lot!”

Chu Li spoke, “General, I’ve been restricted by the Holy Church and I was nearly banished from the Church.”

“Hmph, you killed an Altar Leader and you haven’t been kicked out of the Holy Church. Of course, the Saint is looking after you.” Yang Ping pouted and said, “However, you’re now in my territory and you’re my subordinate. I don’t care how intelligent or how talented you are, you must obey my orders and listen to me!”

“Yes.” Chu Li smiled.

Evidently, Yang Ping was filled with contempt for the Holy Church of Light. Not only was he envious of the sect, but he hated it too. It looked like the Holy Church did not exactly win the hearts of people.

Yang Ping gritted his teeth and glared at Chu Li furiously.

Chu Li looked back at him calmly.

It seemed like the gaze of both men were engaged in a fight. It was hard to tell who was winning.

Yang Ping clenched his teeth as his heart was filled with hatred towards Chu Li. ‘All of these bastards from the Holy Church of Light must die!’

The Holy Church of Light was the national sect of the Li Dynasty and it was ever-present. Much of the Holy Church’s influences could be witnessed within the battalion, but there were also individuals who strongly opposed such influence. Yang Ping was one of them.

He did not like the fact that the Holy Church of Light was led by a woman. Although the Saint was a wise and sagacious person, she was still a woman.

“Soldier!” Yang Ping yelled.

A soldier in a suit of armor entered. “General!”

“Send him to the Sharp Vigor Battalion!” Yang Ping ordered.

“Yes!” The soldier gave a fist salute and said to Chu Li, “Follow me!”

Chu Li made a fist salute to Yang Ping before he followed the soldier out of the tent.

Yang Ping gritted his teeth as he watched Chu Li’s back. He was hell-bent on getting rid of him.

The soldier in the armor strode in front of Chu Li, ignoring the latter.

Soon, both of them had walked passed the martial arts field and rows of tents. They then walked for about a mile before they arrived at a secluded corner to the southwest of the battalion.

In this area, more than ten tents were arranged in a circle to form a martial arts field in the middle. That way, they were located far away from other tents, forming an independent base camp.

This martial arts field was twice as small as the previous one, but it was still as big as a football field and horses could gallop in it. However, the field was currently empty and quiet.

“Elder Fan! Elder Fan!” The soldier in armor raised his voice.

A plump elderly man in a gray robe rushed out of a tent. He adjusted his clothes as he ran and cried, “Coming! Coming!”

He came forward hastily and cupped his fists into a fist salute. “Xiao Jiang, long time no see!”

“I didn’t want to come here!” The soldier grumbled, “But I’m here to send you someone. Didn’t you complain about the lack of soldiers?”

“Oh, you’ve finally sent someone here!” Elder Fan had a round face with a warm and friendly appearance. He asked happily, “How many are there?”

“This one right here,” the soldier replied. “He’s from the Holy Church of Light, so he’s as good as ten men. I’m leaving now!”

“The Holy Church of Light?” Overjoyed, Elder Fan turned to look at Chu Li from top to toe. He tutted and remarked, “Good, good, very good. A disciple from the Holy Church of Light! Thank you, General!”

“I’ll send the armor and equipment at once!” Immediately after the soldier spoke, he left as if this was a dangerous place to be.

Elder Fan gave a fist salute and smiled. “Very well, thank you, Xiao Jiang.”

The soldier left swiftly and soon, he was nowhere to be seen.

Elder Fan looked at Chu Li delightedly. “Excellent. From today onwards, we’re a family. What’s your name, though? My name is Fan Yang, but you can call me Elder Fan.”

“Zhao Dahe!” Chu Li cupped his fists into a fist salute.

“Zhao Dahe, that’s a nice name!” Fan Yang smiled amiably. “Let’s go, I’ll introduce you to our brothers in the camp.”

He raised his voice. “Xiao Xu! Xiao Xu!”

A man in his thirties walked out of a tent lazily. He was topless and he was struggling to open his eyes. After he yawned for a few times, he said sleepily, “Elder Fan, what’s the matter? You’ve disturbed my sleep!”

“We have a newcomer!” Fan Yang grinned. “We finally have a complete team again!”

The middle-aged man with a round face looked bemused. He paced about and scoffed impatiently, “I’d rather have no new recruits at all! Once our team is complete, we’ll be sent to die. If our team isn’t complete, we can live a peaceful and relaxing life. Why are you so happy about going to die?”

As he spoke, he shook his head and approached Chu Li. He then observed him and gave him a side-eye. “What’s your name, newbie?”

“His name is Zhao Dahe and he’s a disciple of the Holy Church of Light.” Fan Yang chuckled.

“The Holy Church of Light?” The round-faced man was jolted awake. He looked at Chu Li again. “Is he really a disciple from the Holy Church?”

“But of course!” Fan Yang laughed. “Xiao Zhao, this is Xiao Xu, Xu Cihang. He’s sharp-tongued, but he’s rather nice.”

“Get lost, you’re the nice one!” Xu Cihang said impatiently, “Zhao Dahe? With your looks, you don’t seem like a disciple of the Holy Church of Light.”

Chu Li smiled. “Most of the disciples of the Holy Church of Light are handsome and attractive. I must be the special one, hence I was banished to the Sharp Vigor Battalion!”

“Sigh… What a pity.” Both of them shook their heads.

Fan Yang sighed. “These are the disciples from the Holy Church of Light we are talking about. We hope to be them, but we can never do so. I didn’t expect to personally meet one!”

“The disciples of the Holy Church aren’t deities.” Xu Cihang snorted. “They are humans, like us!”

“It’s extremely difficult to enter the Holy Church of Light. We don’t have the qualifications!” Fan Yang shook his head and sighed. “And we don’t have good genes either.”

“I was an orphan and I used to be a disciple of a small association in my village. Later, I was discovered by a Patrol and I got into the Great Light Peak.” Chu Li grinned. “I can’t help it, my aptitude for martial arts is too great.”

He realized that they both revered the Holy Church of Light but had mixed emotions towards him. They admired him, yet they were jealous of him and somewhat liked to make fun of him.

If he wanted to blend in with the men of the Sharp Vigor Battalion, he had to capture their attention. He had to talk frequently about the Holy Church.

To outsiders, considering the strict recruitment process, the Holy Church of Light was mysterious and out of reach.

“Huh?” The two of them gasped. “Your aptitude is amazing!”

They looked at Chu Li in surprise and could not believe what they had just heard.

Chu Li smiled and nodded. “It’s alright.”

“How were you banished here?” Xu Cihang asked. “Did you fall from grace?”

“It’s a long story.” Chu Li shook his head. “It involves lots of secrets within the Church, so I can only say a few words.”

“Alright, tell us. Quickly.” The two men urged him as they looked at him with wide eyes.

Chu Li cleared his throat. “I don’t know where my tent is yet.”

“Come, follow me.” Elder Fan led him to a tent and chuckled. “You shall stay here.”

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