Bai Xiaochun was both furious, and also filled with regret. He knew that all of this was the result of him trying to show off a bit....
“If I could take it all back,” he thought, scowling on the verge of tears, “I would never have jumped out into the limelight....” Then, he looked at the back of the black-robed man as he headed off into the distance, and decided to throw caution to the wind.
“General!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
His words echoed out like thunder, causing the eyes of the surrounding cultivators to grow even sharper than before. Li Hongming was clearly getting anxious, worried that Bai Xiaochun might do something to offend Bai Lin. He well knew that Bai Lin was the type of person who could slaughter both savages and cultivators without batting an eyelid. His rules for the Skin Flayers’ legion were very strict, and thus, Li Hongming quickly tried to give Bai Xiaochun a meaningful look.
Meanwhile, Bai Lin stopped in place for a second time.
“What do you want?!” he said, turning around slowly, his eyes as cold as ice.
Bai Xiaochun immediately shivered as though he had suddenly been dropped into the dead of winter. He wasn’t the only one to have such a feeling. Li Hongming and the other cultivators were suddenly trembling in their boots.
Dejected by how terrifying the man’s gaze was, Bai Xiaochun lowered his voice and said, “If you want to conscript me into the Skin Flayers, that’s fine. But you haven’t told me what my salary will be!”
Li Hongming gasped in response. He knew that Bai Lin was a moody person, and if Bai Xiaochun provoked him in the wrong way, it wouldn’t matter what his background was. If Bai Lin wanted Bai Xiaochun dead, then nobody in Great Wall City could stop him.
“You’ll serve for ten years,” Bai Lin said coldly. “Each year, your salary will be five times what you get in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect! As for other rewards, you can acquire them using battle credit!” With that, he turned to leave.
“General!!” Bai Xiaochun shouted.
This time, Li Hongming was wailing inwardly at how brazen Bai Xiaochun was acting. Li Hongming himself would never dare to open his mouth a second time, were he in Bai Xiaochun’s shoes.
The other surrounding cultivators all felt the same. From what they could tell, this Bai Xiaochun... really had some balls.
As for Bai Lin, his murderous aura suddenly intensified by multiple levels. His hair began to fly around in the air as his aura raged out, causing brightly-colored lights to flash in heaven and earth. As of this point, he looked like a god of death as he stared wordlessly at Bai Xiaochun, making the entire area seem more and more cold. The entire Skin Flayers’ district was now completely and utterly silent.
Bai Xiaochun was trembling. The truth was that he didn't really want to yell out, but at the same time, he had the feeling that if he didn’t make some demands now, he wouldn’t get another chance later. Therefore, he steeled himself and said, “I had two Dao protectors, both of them dear friends.... They were in charge of keeping me safe. Um... I’d really hate to be stuck here all alone, is there any way you could send for them?”
Had Song Que or Master God-Diviner been there to hear his words, they would immediately have coughed up mouthfuls of blood, and instantly begun to curse him. To join the army that defended the Great Wall was like a death sentence, and anyone with sense would refuse to do so.... Furthermore, there was no way that either of them could have imagined that after fleeing again, Bai Xiaochun would be trying to get them back....
However, neither Bai Lin nor Li Hongming knew Bai Xiaochun very well, so to them, his words carried a different meaning. From what they could tell, Bai Xiaochun was worried that if he stayed at Great Wall City, his Dao protectors would probably go through a lot of trouble going around searching for him. Thus, in his attempt to care for them, he was asking that they join him.
The fact that, despite being under such pressure and facing Bai Lin’s murderous aura, Bai Xiaochun would still make such a request showed how much he valued friendship and loyalty.
Bai Lin’s expression immediately softened a bit.
“I'm afraid that’s not possible....” he said. “However... I can promise that if you gain enough battle credit, then you can go find your two friends and conscript them yourself!" With that, Bai Lin flickered into motion and disappeared, not giving Bai Xiaochun any more chances to say anything else.
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Chapter
473: You’re Bullying Me Too!
Face falling, Bai Xiaochun watched Bai Lin leave, then turned to look at Li Hongming.
An odd half-smile appeared on Li Hongming’s face as he looked back. Laughing lightly, he said, “Congratulations on attracting the attention of the general, Xiaochun. It’s a big honor to have someone like him personally recruit you and vouch for you. In all the years that I’ve been in the army, I've only seen that happen to three people. You’re the fourth.”
Bai Xiaochun immediately began to grumble to himself that he didn't want to become the fourth person to be personally conscripted by the general. However, he had no choice but to accept his fate, and thus, left with Li Hongming.
As the side gate got further and further away, he couldn’t help but feel like he had lost his freedom, his control over his life, and his chance to pursue his dreams....
“Why did things have to turn out this way...?” he thought, sighing continuously. Complaining inwardly the entire time, he followed along as Li Hongming took him to get his uniform, which was a suit of black armor. After changing into the armor, Bai Xiaochun realized that he looked quite heroic, and yet, that didn’t make him feel any better than before.
As they walked along, Li Hongming excitedly told him about the history of the Skin Flayers. Bai Xiaochun listened morosely as they head toward the location Bai Lin had indicated for him to be taken, the Armory.
What was referred to as the Armory was a well-guarded area filled with numerous courtyard residences. Despite being a colonel, even Li Hongming was inspected thoroughly before being allowed inside.
“The Armory is one of the most important locations in the Skin Flayers district. The only people who are allowed to live in this area are the grandmasters who concoct medicine, create paper talismans, and forge weapons and armor.
“Xiaochun,” Li Hongming said with a sigh, “the general really did take a liking to you!” Bai Xiaochun immediately sensed that the Armory was somewhat different than the other areas outside. Not only was it more peaceful and quiet, but there was also somewhat of an accumulation of spiritual power.
Something else that was strange was that all the cultivators in the Armory seemed very arrogant. As Li Hongming proceeded along, he would clasp hands in salute, and yet they all completely ignored him in response.
Seeing Li Hongming being given the cold shoulder made Bai Xiaochun a bit angry.
“What's so amazing about these people?!” he asked.
Li Hongming laughed and replied, “Xiaochun, they’re all grandmasters. They’re the people who make the tools we require to fight in battle. That's just the way things are.”
At that point, they stopped outside of the seventh building in the Armory.
“Xiaochun, this is as far as I can take you. From now on, we’re fellow comrades-in-arms. If you need help with any issue, just let me know.” After a few more words of advice, he turned and left.