Summoned Back Alone

"City entry registration. Black Tiger Battalion. Yang Guanfeng, Han Wang."

After completing the registration at the city gates, the guard commander reported to his superiors before leading Yang Guanfeng and Han Wang into the city, settling them into a designated inn.

Their entry documents explicitly stated they were recalled from the front lines by a Wangchao decree, ordered to report to the Wanghai City Immortal Patrol Office the following day.

"The journey has been arduous. The two lords should rest well today. I will come to escort you early tomorrow morning."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble."

"It is my duty."

The guard commander respectfully withdrew from the cave dwelling, and the double-layered stone doors slid shut.

Yang Guanfeng sat on the bed while Han Wang stood to the side. The two remained silent for a long time.

"Patriarch, are you... a little unaccustomed to this?" Han Wang asked.

"Yes."

Yang Guanfeng twitched the corner of his mouth in what passed for a smile. "Not hearing the war drums, not smelling the blood, missing those sky-shaking battle cries... it really is a bit hard to get used to."

"I feel the same," Han Wang echoed, glancing at his empty left sleeve.

After that, the cave dwelling fell into silence once more.

Yang Guanfeng's somewhat restless heart gradually settled. Amidst this quiet, his thoughts drifted back to the day he left home.

Back then, he had told Yang Lingqing to treat it as if he were just going out for long-term labor. He never expected his words to become a prophecy.

Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye on this eastern border.

"Han Wang, do you remember when we first arrived? After our first time on the battlefield, I dug you out of a pile of corpses. You were so terrified your legs went soft and you couldn't even walk. I had to carry you back."

Yang Guanfeng plucked a memory from the past.

Hearing this, an incredibly incongruous look of embarrassment flashed across Han Wang's grim, ruthless face.

He shook his head with a bitter smile. "Patriarch, we finally found some peace and quiet. Please don't make me into a joke."

"Hahahaha."

Seeing such an amusing reaction, Yang Guanfeng burst into loud laughter.

Nowadays, which of the newcomers in the Black Tiger Battalion didn't fear Han Wang like a venomous snake, treating him with the utmost reverence?

They could absolutely never imagine that this Han Wang, now infamous for his 'Soul-Reaping Leg,' had such an embarrassing history.

Ten years truly can reshape a person completely, Yang Guanfeng sighed inwardly.

To survive for a decade on a battlefield with such horrific casualties, he and Han Wang had saved each other more times than they could count.

Han Wang's severed arm had been lost to pull a heavily wounded, dying Yang Guanfeng back from the brink.

And the hideous scar running across Yang Guanfeng's face was a blow he had taken for Han Wang.

Baptized by the fires of war, the two had long forged a bond of life and death. They were master and servant, but also brothers forged in hardship.

Han Wang pondered for a moment before asking, "Patriarch, why do you think the Immortal Patrol Office suddenly summoned us back to the city?"

Over the past ten years, they had only left the front lines to return to Wanghai City twice, and both times were to celebrate major victories.

Being recalled alone from the camp while the war was still raging-this was a first.

"The thoughts of the great lords are beyond our comprehension. However, the way I see it, it likely has something to do with the family back home."

Yang Guanfeng's voice was low. He had been pondering this exact question the entire journey.

In terms of realm and combat prowess, neither he nor Han Wang was lacking, but they were absolutely not considered top-tier on the eastern border.

No matter how he looked at it, the reason they were singled out to return to the city had to trace back to the Songshan Yang Family.

Yang Guanfeng's guess was not far from the truth.

Just as the two were settling into their inn in Wanghai City, the Patrol Chief of the local Immortal Patrol Office, Guo Jimin, was standing inside a secret chamber, presenting two pages of documents to an important figure dressed in Wangchao official robes.

These pages detailed the personal battle records of Yang Guanfeng and Han Wang from the front lines, listing a total of thirty-six military merits, great and small.

After flipping through them, the Wangchao official asked, "Which side pushed for these two?"

Guo Jimin bowed. "Reporting to Your Excellency, they were recommended by the He Family."

"Oh? How did two minor Qi Gathering cultivators manage to form ties with the He Family?"

Hearing Guo Jimin's answer, a flicker of curiosity rose in the official's heart.

Guo Jimin continued to explain. "Your Excellency might not know, but this Yang Guanfeng originally hails from the Wangyue Region. He was once the Patriarch of a small, independent clan."

"Ten years ago, he was drafted to this region. This Han Wang is a family servant he brought along."

"A few years ago, during our clash with the Sect, this Yang Family may have been weak, but their younger generation proved utterly fearless. Disregarding death and injury, they completed a secret order laid down by the Wangchao, and even slew a personal disciple of Lone Moon Mountain within a treasured land! This made them one of only two Qi Gathering forces under Wangyue's jurisdiction to escape the purge."

"After that, the He Family officially designated the Yang Family as an aristocratic candidate, placing them under the direct authority of the legitimate heir, He Shenglai."

Listening to Guo Jimin's brief summary, the official finally understood the cause and effect.

"To think there was such a story! Interesting, very interesting!"

He flipped open Yang Guanfeng's record once more. "This man received a reward three years ago and broke through to the seventh level. Then, a month ago, he reached the eighth level, yet there is no record of a merit reward for it. Why is that?"

"It happened like this."

Guo Jimin stepped forward. "During an action a month ago, the Black Tiger Battalion was ambushed. Yang Guanfeng was besieged by three enemy cultivators. In that moment of life and death, he actually achieved a battlefield breakthrough, killing two and severely wounding the third."

"Breaking through in the midst of battle is a rarity in the Wangchao's heartland, but it is not uncommon out here on the front lines. A few cases emerge every year. After fighting on the border for ten years, Yang Guanfeng has finally accumulated enough foundation to trigger this sudden surge."

"Excellent, excellent! Unwavering loyalty, rich experience, and decent strength-he is a rare talent! He is perfectly suited to serve as a guard for this tempering trial!"

Delight surfaced on the official's face; he was clearly extremely satisfied with Yang Guanfeng's history.

"We will settle on these two. Tomorrow, meet with them first to explain the matter, and I will go speak with His Highness."

"Understood."

The next day, Yang Guanfeng and Han Wang followed the guard commander to the Immortal Patrol Office in the western district of Wanghai City.

Two cultivators from the Immortal Patrol Office led them inside and brought them to the top floor.

As soon as they reached the top floor, Yang Guanfeng realized this matter was far from simple.

True to his intuition, the moment they entered the discussion hall, three gazes immediately locked onto them.

Seated at the head was the Patrol Chief of the Wanghai City Immortal Patrol Office, Guo Jimin.

To his left and right sat two Wangchao officials who had traveled from the imperial capital.

Facing the probing spiritual senses of three Condensed Origin cultivators, Yang Guanfeng stood as straight as a spear, entirely unafraid.

Behind him, Han Wang showed no signs of cowardice either, merely keeping his eyes lowered, refusing to look at the three men.

In the center of the hall sat two small altars used for swearing a Blood Oath.

Beside each altar rested a small box holding a Pill.

Seeing the two men's steady reactions, the three Condensed Origin cultivators nodded in satisfaction and withdrew their gazes.

"Yang Guanfeng of the Songshan Yang Family greets the three lords."

"Family servant Han Wang greets the three lords."

The two men did not bow in full salute, merely cupping their fists toward the three on the dais.

As front-line cultivators, Wangchao law exempted them from the ritual of bowing.

"Summoning you two back this time is to entrust you with an important matter. If you perform well, promotions and rewards will certainly follow."

Guo Jimin looked at the two and pointed to the altars on the floor. "But before that, you two must first consume the Pill and swear the oath."

"Understood."

Yang Guanfeng replied in a clear, resonant voice, not asking a single extra question.

He immediately stepped forward, swallowed the Pill, and used the sacrificial blade to slice open his palm, swearing a Blood Oath of absolute loyalty to the Wangchao unto death.

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