Chapter 98: Setting Sail

“But…” Just as Lei Qing wanted to say something, Xiahou Huan interrupted him and said: “Nephew, please forgive me; this is a persistence a man must have. I also believe that your father certainly had his reasons for doing what he did. Someone come, take the Young Master to change his clothes and bathe. I will properly arrange things for the Li Family Miss and your companions.”

Several servants came in response.

Lei Qing’s brows slowly relaxed. He knew that a man like Xiahou Huan valued his promises the most. Since he had agreed to his father, he probably wouldn’t break his promise even if it meant killing him.

There was only one path left before him. That was to risk his life to cultivate to the Gold-rank before the age of twenty-five. Although achieving this would be very difficult.

“In that case, I will trouble Uncle Xiahou.” Lei Qing bowed and left with the servants.

…

That night~

Inside the residence of the Iron Cavalry Regiment’s Regiment Commander, Mad Blade Xiahou Huan, the lights were shining brightly. All the mid-to-high-level officers of the Iron Cavalry Regiment stationed in Tieling City were invited over by Xiahou Huan to hold a welcome dinner for Lei Qing and to let them know him one by one.

Zuo Qianqian and Li Baobao also participated. Only Lei Qing’s injured Personal Guards were arranged to receive treatment and rest.

When a large group of rough men gathered together, naturally they drank heavily and ate large mouthfuls of meat. They made noise for half the night before it ended in a chaotic bustle. Lei Qing rested for the night in a separate courtyard that Xiahou Huan had arranged long ago. Early in the morning, he was notified by a messenger to go to the Iron Cavalry Regiment headquarters for a meeting.

Lei Qing went as instructed.

The Iron Cavalry Regiment headquarters was located in Tieling City and covered an area of over a thousand acres. Besides various office spaces, the largest area was a drill ground. Inside the drill ground, various training facilities were available.

As he followed the messenger into the meeting hall, the mid-to-high-level officers of the Iron Cavalry Regiment had almost all arrived and were seated according to their status. Seated at the head was, of course, the sharply dressed Mad Blade Xiahou Huan.

To his left sat a man who looked to be in his thirties, with a pale face, no beard, a slender figure, and cold eyes. This person was also present last night; he had drunk with Lei Qing and they had met. He was called Qin Wei, nicknamed Little Spear Saint, and was extremely skilled with the long spear. It was said that he was the personal disciple of the prestigious Spear Saint of the Pan-Continent.

Because his spear skills were superb and possessed the style of his Master, the Spear Saint, he was called the Little Spear Saint.

Little Spear Saint Qin Wei had an Early-stage Gold cultivation and was the Vice Regiment Commander of the Iron Cavalry Regiment, simultaneously commanding the Fifth to Eighth Regiments. In the entire Iron Cavalry Regiment, his status was second only to Xiahou Huan.

However, his personality was completely different from Xiahou Huan’s. Mad Blade Xiahou Huan was enthusiastic, heroic, cheerful, and generous, often putting friendship and justice first; if angered, he would act impulsively and ignore even the highest authority. Little Spear Saint Qin Wei, on the other hand, was calm, steady, cautious, and meticulous; he never fought for first place in anything and prioritized the big picture in everything.

Thus, the personalities of the two leaders of the Iron Cavalry Regiment complemented each other. This also made the development of the Iron Cavalry Regiment flourish day by day.

Sitting slightly below Xiahou Huan’s right side was a refined middle-aged man with a thin figure and an elegant temperament who liked to wave an ink-feather fan. This man was the Iron Cavalry Regiment’s Gongyang Yi; he was not a physician, but a military advisor.

Gongyang Yi was knowledgeable and had exceptional wisdom; he was also good at handling all military affairs, big and small. He handled everything in an orderly manner and could be considered Xiahou Huan’s capable assistant. In the Iron Cavalry Regiment, he also enjoyed great prestige and was respectfully addressed as Mr. Gongyang. Actually, Lei Qing knew last night that some of the Iron Cavalry Regiment’s strategic layout ideas came from Mr. Gongyang.

The others were also backbones of the Iron Cavalry Regiment. For example, the Vice Commander of the Elite Regiment, Dual-Hammer Yuchi Kou, that burly man with a scruffy face. He had High-rank Silver strength and was most skilled at using a pair of copper hammers; he was brave and good at fighting, a rare fierce general. However, his personality was fiery and domineering, enthusiastic and hot-blooded; last night he pulled Lei Qing and made him drink a whole jar of wine.

There were also some other Regiment Commanders and Vice Commanders, all famous and powerful existences. Among them, the most eye-catching was the Commander of the Iron Cavalry Third Regiment, Shentu Xue.

Because she was the only woman present, reportedly possessing Mid-stage Silver strength. She was in her thirties, but due to her high Fighting Qi cultivation and special care, she looked only in her twenties. She looked delicate and pretty, with some beauty. But in reality, she was ruthless; once someone became her enemy, she never showed mercy and was called the Shrew. The Iron Cavalry Regiment was a group of tough, rough men who always believed in the simple logic that the bigger the fist, the stronger the arm. For a woman to sit securely in the position of Third Regiment Commander, she certainly had exceptional strength. Otherwise, who would submit to her?

As soon as he saw her, Lei Qing felt a headache coming. For the kind of woman who drank and fought more like a man than a man, Lei Qing always kept a respectful distance. But last night, the wine she forced him to drink was more than what Yuchi Kou gave him, and she even groped him clumsily, which left Lei Qing speechless. It felt like a pretty boy encountering a female bandit king.

After Lei Qing entered, he cupped his hands to greet everyone one by one. The others also enthusiastically greeted Lei Qing, the newcomer, without stopping. Shentu Xue was the most enthusiastic; a pair of seductive eyes stared unscrupulously at Lei Qing as she beckoned him to sit. That expression looked as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

After last night’s heavy drinking, they were no longer so unfamiliar with each other. With Xiahou Huan’s help, Lei Qing had initially integrated into the mid-to-high level of the Iron Cavalry Regiment, reducing the barrier and unfamiliarity among everyone.

Next to Shentu Xue… Lei Qing would rather die than sit there; he didn’t want to be groped while trying to have a proper meeting. After making up his mind to stay away from her, Lei Qing sat in the very last seat. He had the least seniority and was new here, so it was better to keep a low profile.

“Cough, cough.” Vice Regiment Commander Qin Wei coughed twice, stopping the noisy scene. After looking around, he said: “I believe everyone has a preliminary understanding of our newly joined brother, Lei Qing. Brother Lei brought over a hundred men with him to join our Iron Cavalry Regiment. Here, on behalf of the Iron Cavalry Regiment, I formally express my welcome to Brother Lei’s joining.”

Everyone started clapping.

Lei Qing stood up, cupped his hands to everyone, and then respectfully cupped his hands to Qin Wei saying: “Thank you, Commander Qin.”

“No need to be polite; from now on, we are all brothers on the same line.” Qin Wei said with a serious face: “However, let me say this first: although you are from a noble family, have a substantial family background, and are the nephew of Regiment Commander Xiahou, since you have joined the Iron Cavalry Regiment, you must understand and obey the military discipline of the Iron Cavalry Regiment. You must not act spoiled or behave recklessly. Otherwise, under my Qin Wei’s management of military discipline, there will be no mercy.”

“Yes! This subordinate understands and will keep it in mind.” Lei Qing came from a military family. He naturally knew that without rules, nothing could be accomplished, and any combat-effective army had strong military discipline. Otherwise, it would just be a disorderly mob.

“Also, our Iron Cavalry Regiment values friendship greatly. Brothers and sisters unite as one, with one heart against the outside. If you have disputes with brothers that cannot be resolved, you can report directly to me, and I will handle it fairly. Do not privately scheme or fight, pointlessly destroying unity and feelings.” Xiahou Huan also added a sentence.

“Regiment Commander Xiahou’s teachings, this subordinate will engrave in his heart.” Lei Qing replied solemnly.

Xiahou Huan and Qin Wei then nodded in satisfaction and looked at the military advisor, Mr. Gongyang.

Mr. Gongyang understood, coughed twice, waved his folding fan, stroked his sage-like beard and said: “Regarding the position Lei Qing will hold after joining our regiment, I have already discussed it carefully with the two Regiment Commanders yesterday. We all agree that Lei Qing is young and promising, has impressive strength, and outstanding wisdom, making him suitable for great use. Also, because he brought troops to join us, the intention of this military advisor is to let him form the Iron Cavalry Ninth Regiment and serve as the Regiment Commander. Do any of you have any opinions?”

The promotion was a bit fast, but everyone had heard that Lei Qing was incredibly bold and had extorted a batch of military equipment and resources from the Li Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Gongyang’s consideration was within reason.

After thinking this through, the vast majority of people had no objections. Although Lei Qing had little seniority, his strength was impressive; at a young age, he was already Early-stage Silver, and his future potential was limitless. It seemed that Regiment Commander Xiahou wanted to promote his nephew, so why raise objections? It would only offend Regiment Commander Xiahou and Lei Qing.

However, one person jumped out and shouted: “I have an objection; I am not convinced.”

Lei Qing looked over and saw it was the Captain of the Elite Regiment’s Second Brigade, Xianyu Bao. This man had a tiger’s back and a bear’s waist, a leopard’s head, and looked exceptionally sturdy. His every move revealed a fierce and brave aura, clearly not an easy person to deal with.

…