Chapter 435: Fuma, You Can't Do This
Hao Ren was extraordinarily mighty; he defeated hundreds of soldiers and the five generals on his own.
All those soldiers who were fighting with their lives admired the supreme masters.
Unlike those 'strategic powers', A.K.A elders, who didn't fight battles regularly, the soldiers had to battle in wars very often. A powerful leader could bring them greater chances of survival and more hopes for victory.
Therefore, when Hao Ren fought Liu Yi, Wang Sheng, and the other three gate generals, the soldiers' minds changed. In the beginning, they wished for Hao Ren to lose so Zhao Kuo could take back the position as the Commanding General. But slowly, they started to hope for Hao Ren to defeat all five of them as some sort of miracle!
The bottom line was, there was no point if Liu Yi and the others won. However, if Hao Ren could win, it meant that East Ocean Dragon Palace got another great leader in battles!
They weren't familiar with Hao Ren, but they knew that as straightforward as Liu Yi, he wouldn't put on an act. Also, all five of the gate generals were brave and skillful in battles!
"Liu Yi! Hao Ren looked at the general who was his first opponent.
"Here!" Liu Yi stepped forward and bowed with his head down.
His face and back were both sweaty; Hao Ren had completely defeated him in the battle. During the process, he didn't show Hao Ren any mercy. There was no way that he looked like a drunk person.
Hao Ren slightly raised his hand, and his sword energy immediately sucked over the token and chopstick that nailed it under Guangling Palace's plaque.
He put the token back on his waist and looked at Liu Yi, who was a head taller than him.
"You have violated the military law. Are you aware of that?"
"Yes, Sir!" Liu Yi's lips trembled, but he couldn't go on with the harsh remark of, "Do whatever you want to me! I don't give a damn!"
He looked down at Hao Ren, so he used rude remarks to push Hao Ren into a fight with him. But after the fight, he realized that Hao Ren was a lot stronger than him. Therefore, he had some respect, along with fear toward Hao Ren.
Hao Ren nodded. Just as he was about to say something, the other four gate generals clenched their fists and single-kneeled together behind Liu Yi.
Shoo... Tens of thousands of soldiers who were just watching also kneeled.
Zhao Yanzi and Xie Yujia were both stunned at this.
"Please show mercy, Commanding General!" The four gate generals shouted together.
Then, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted, "Please show mercy, Commanding General!"
This showed the unity and morale of the troops of the East Ocean Dragon Clan!
Hao Ren wanted to act a little, but he was a bit lost in front of tens of thousands of soldiers at this moment.
No matter what, he was still a second-year student at the East Ocean University. He was only using the confidence he gained from the Dragon God Shrine to press the generals a little.
A few people were fine, but it was too much for him to lead a million soldiers! Growing up, the most number of people he was in charge of was ten, and that was when he was the class president in his elementary school.
"Punishment is still necessary." Hao Ren calmed himself down and looked at Liu Yi. "Since you like battling so much, I will make you the Herald General, and you can lead the first troop into future battles."
Liu Yi clenched his fists while kneeling. "I accept the... punishment!"
The other four gate generals behind Liu Yi looked at each other, thinking, "How is this a punishment? It's indeed a reward!"
The generals at the East Ocean Dragon Clan had their own responsibilities and areas of charge. They had different levels, but titles were another story!
Taking Hao Ren as an example, he was the Commanding General who led close to one million soldiers. But on top of that, he was titled as the Commanding General of West Peace. That was an honor as well as an expectation.
"And your blade is terribly damaged. Ask Premier Xia to find someone to make you a better one," Hao Ren said.
Premier Xia immediately stood up from the table beside Hao Ren and said, "Yes, I got it."
"Ok, get back to your drinks!" Hao Ren waved.
Hao Ren's attitude toward that battle was causal as if he was just having some fun after drinking. He didn't mind it much at all.
The other four generals looked at each other, relieved but a bit disappointed at the same time. However, they got back into the mood and thought, "We didn't get punished, and we left a good impression in the Commanding General's mind."
Hao Ren returned to the main table. He sat between Zhao Yanzi and Xie Yujia and asked Zhao Guang, "Is it ok for me to do that, Uncle?"
"It's your call as long as the morale of the troop is solid." Zhao Guang was upright.
As the king of the dragon palace, Zhao Guang wasn't pleased when the generals publicly challenged Hao Ren, and he wanted Hao Ren to suppress them.
However, he was glad that Hao Ren could easily gain their respect and stabilizing the morale of the army. Therefore, he didn't mind the event Liu Yi created anymore.
"Hao Ren wins people by virtue. He is indeed a treasure for us East Ocean," Zhao Hongyu smiled and said.
Hao Ren laughed as well. He secretly considered himself lucky because he went through specialized training with Su Han before attending the Dragon God Shrine's general exams, and he also improved his skill in battles and leveled up his realm a little.
If it weren't for all that, Hao Ren would never be able to defeat the five generals. In fact, he would even be intimidated when faced with just one general.
His confidence came from his strength. To acquire the confidence to defeat the opponents, he had to keep improving his strength. At the same time, he needed the strength to get admiration from all these generals.
Otherwise, Hao Ren might have been killed in front of everybody by one of the generals in an event like this...
Hao Ren got a lot more nervous at the thought of this. Cultivation was key!
"Stop praising him, Mom. He is going to float to the sky!" Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren from behind before shouting to Zhao Hongyu.
Zhao Hongyu shook her head with a smile before she put some food in her mouth with her chopsticks elegantly. Zhao Yanzi had nothing to worry about in her life, and only Hao Ren would let her get her way every single time.
Xie Yujia, who sat beside Hao Ren, secretly pinched Hao Ren's palm.
"Your hand is all sweaty. Look at how nervous you were," she said softly as she glimpsed at Hao Ren.
Hao Ren didn't know what to say. He wasn't panicking at all when he battled the five generals since he had gone through the Dragon God Palace's general exam. However, he was sweating all over when he announced Liu Yi's punishment in front of tens of thousands of soldiers.
What could he do? He had never been a big leader since he was a little boy. He had no experience in making a speech in front of so many people!
Speaking of which, Xie Yujia looked more like a leader since she was once a class president!
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili couldn't help but cover their mouths as they laughed at Hao Ren's awkwardness.
The soldiers were stunned by Hao Ren, but the twins had always been close to Hao Ren, and they certainly knew what Hao Ren was like.
He was so shy that he would get nervous even if he were asked to speak to 20 people!
The thing was, Hao Ren was already the Commanding General, so he had to do this for the sake of the royal family's dignity!
The banquet continued along with the soldiers taking turns in guarding. They took shifts to make sure that each and every hard-working soldier could enjoy the delicious liquor the East Ocean Dragon Palace prepared for them.
The atmosphere was excellent; the East Ocean Dragon Palace was as lively as a big family.
Zhao Yanzi had a few more drinks, and her face started to turn red. She wouldn't be allowed to drink on land due to her age, but she could already get married at this age in the dragon's circle.
Hao Ren knew that Zhao Kuo must be very depressed, so he had quite a few drinks with him. Zhao Kuo started to find Hao Ren not as annoying as before when he looked at him.
The banquet lasted till midnight. Only then did people start to leave gradually.
Hao Ren's walk was a bit wobbly, and his eyes were seeing double. He and Zhao Kuo finished two barrels of Hundred Flower Liquor after they kept drinking one bowl after another.
"Let us take you back so you can get some rest, Gongzi!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili held Hao Ren up by putting his arms around their shoulders, and they looked at each other and smiled pleasantly.
Helping him getting some rest meant that they could help him change! It seemed like an excellent opportunity now that Hao Ren was drunk!
"Premier Xia!" Hao Ren shouted ahead.
Premier Xia, who was walking in the front, hurried back, "What can I help you with, Gongzi Hao?"
"Um... I am going to Zi's place tonight," Hao Ren said.
Premier Xia was stupefied. He turned his stiff neck to Zhao Guang who was already walking away. Then, he asked, "Are you drunk, Gongzi Hao?"
"Please ask them for me," Hao Ren said.
"Yes...I will." Premier Xia wiped the sweat off his forehead and hurried toward Zhao Guang's family with his bent back.
"Dragon King! Dragon King!" He shouted when he was only three steps away from Zhao Guang.
"Um?" Zhao Guang turned back and looked at Premier Xia with a stern look.
"Um..." Premier Xia didn't really know how to start. However, Hao Ren's status was a lot different than before, so Premier Xia said awkwardly after a few seconds, "Fuma said that he wants to spend the night in Princess Zi's palace."
"Ah?" Zhao Yanzi looked at Premier Xia in surprise. Her face was blushing, and she looked charming and cute under the lantern light.
"Um..." Zhao Guang considered it for half a second, "Approved."
This time around, Premier Xia was the surprised one. He looked at Zhao Guang, wondering if the dragon king was drunk as well.
Zhao Yanzi's fingers tangled together when she heard Zhao Guang's words.
"Ok, ok...I will bring Fuma the princess' palace after he has showered and changed." Premier Xia nodded.
As the rules went, although Hao Ren was the Fuma, he hadn't formally gotten married to the princess yet.
At the end of the day, he was on probation, and he was absolutely forbidden from spending the night in Zhao Yanzi's palace.
Of course, there was nothing they could do if Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi had been sneaky about it. However, the dragon king had approved it...
Premier Xia ran back to Hao Ren in a rush as he was almost out of breath. He said, "Fu... Fuma, please come to the palace with me. We will go to the princess after you are well prepared."