The Indomitable Master of Elixirs

Ji Fengyan followed Zuo Nuo into the barracks and headed for the army tents at the back.

When they were only halfway there, they saw many people running the same direction. A short while later, Ji Fengyan heard a commotion from up ahead and saw a crowd of large men gathered together, waving their fists and shouting.

“What’s going on?” asked Ji Fengyan.

Zuo Nuo shrugged and said matter-of-factly, “I’m afraid they must be fighting again. Although everyone here is a soldier of the Kingdom of the Sacred Dragon, we are all under different commanders and some friction is inevitable.”

Ji Fengyan nodded, but as they walked nearer, she felt that something was not quite right with the situation.

“Hu Sisheng, you have gone too far!”

A familiar roar entered both Ji Fengyan and Zuo Nuo’s ears. They exchanged glances and with thumping hearts, involuntarily picked up their pace and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd.

Linghe’s face was red with rage. He stood in the center of the crowd with his sword, glaring about him like a tiger. Several of his companions were also livid.

Opposite Linghe and the others stood a group of soldiers wearing dark-green armor. Their leader was a handsome man who looked to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. Hu Sisheng faced the raging Linghe with an indifferent raise of his eyebrows. Unconcernedly, he said, “Linghe, you lost because of your incompetence. How can you push the blame onto us, the Green Nightmare Army? In fact, if it had not been for your stupidity in falling for the Demon Clan’s ruse, would you have sustained such tragic losses? If you ask me, General Ji Yun over-reached himself and paid for it with his life.”

“Hu Sisheng! You are talking nonsense! Believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart!” Veins throbbed on Linghe’s forehead. His self-restraint had clearly reached its limits.

Hu Sisheng did not take Linghe’s threat seriously at all. Instead, he laughed coldly and said, “Don’t try to deceive yourself and others. Linghe, if the Green Nightmare Army had not come to your rescue and picked up the pieces, many citizens at the border would have suffered under the hands of the Demon Clan. If we had not allowed you fortunate survivors go unpunished, you would have been court-martialed long ago instead of standing here yelling at me.”

Ji Fengyan stood in the crowd, coldly watching the mocking Hu Sisheng. She turned to look at Zuo Nuo only to realize that he had turned deathly pale. He glared at Hu Sisheng as if wishing to flay and eat him alive.

“What’s going on, Zuo Nuo?” Ji Fengyan asked softly.

Zuo Nuo collected his wits. As he turned to look at Ji Fengyan, an uneasy look flashed across his eyes.

Zuo Nuo gritted his teeth and said, “That Hu Sisheng is a member of the Green Nightmare Army.”

Ji Fengyan was slightly puzzled. “The Green Nightmare Army?”

Zuo Nuo said, “The Green Nightmare Army is one of the five main armed forces in the Kingdom of the Sacred Dragon. We previously received orders to invade the northern territory with the Green Nightmare Army and oust the Demon Clan from a piece of land they had conquered previously…”

Ji Fengyan’s expression flickered slightly. If she remembered correctly, Ji Yun had fallen in that battle!

Zuo Nuo’s eyes turned bloodshot and he glared at the arrogant Hu Sisheng with hatred. He forced his grieving words out through gritted teeth.

“If the Green Nightmare Army had not refused to lift a finger to help us, we would not have been defeated! General… General Ji… would not have died!”