CHAPTER 290: CHAPTER 289: HAO TIAN: WHERE ARE MY 100,000 REINFORCEMENTS?

If it weren’t for Emperor Ziwei’s incredibly tempting salary and abundant privileges, he might’ve actually considered resigning by now!

"It’s no big deal, no big deal. A promotion should make one happy, after all."

Yang Jian genuinely felt touched. This kind of trust from others—he’d only ever experienced it from his mother and younger sister before.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I, Yang Jian, would never bite the hand that feeds me!"

Nezha, being a modern-minded person, couldn’t truly appreciate the saying "a knight dies for one who understands him."

Seeing Yang Jian still looking unconvinced, Nezha straightforwardly took out his wine flask and drank together with him for a while. He figured a bit of booze and heartfelt conversation could settle the matter.

The two were both young men, and once Nezha started drinking, he became an endless chatterbox. In the end, the two drank to their hearts’ content, and the issue was seemingly resolved.

Or at least that’s what Nezha thought.

Instead of returning to his retreat for cultivation, Yang Jian immediately went to find his younger sister. People are inherently selfish, and in Yang Jian’s opinion, Nezha being his sister’s husband would absolutely, undoubtedly be the best, most optimal choice.

To outsiders, Yang Jian appeared meticulous and humble. But internally, he brimmed with pride, confidence, and an ends-justify-the-means attitude.

In another time and space, he had even killed Zhang Kui’s elderly mother just to defeat him.

To outsiders, he displayed humility. But when it came to his family, he believed his word was final—what he deemed right was absolute. It didn’t matter what others thought; only his opinion mattered.

In modern terms, this was classic male chauvinism. However, Yang Jian was undeniably the wisest, most decisive person in his family.

When he arrived at Yang Chan’s place, the first thing Yang Chan did was to check on Yang Jian’s injuries.

Yang Jian looked at his sister tenderly.

"Thanks to the elixir from Emperor Ziwei, I’ve nearly recovered. But I did encounter some other matters."

Yang Chan quickly asked, "Is it perhaps that the... resources granted by His Majesty aren’t sufficient? Over the years, I’ve saved up some Heavenly Merit. If you need it, Second Brother, I could share it with you."

"Don’t worry. Although Emperor Hao Tian hasn’t granted me resources, the Dragon Clan sent a substantial amount of treasures, and your sister-in-law’s family also provided plenty of suitable resources. As long as I have time, breaking through shouldn’t be a problem."

Relieved, Yang Chan and Yang Jian went on to reminisce about their childhood.

Finally, Yang Jian stared at Yang Chan and said with a distant expression, "Chanchan is all grown up now."

Yang Chan froze at his words, immediately understanding what Yang Jian was about to say. Embarrassed and a bit defeated, she cut him off mid-sentence.

Since childhood, Yang Chan had wandered with Yang Jian, who, despite being her elder brother, had taken on a fatherly role. Her toughest days were during their initial escape.

Later, no matter how difficult things got, at least they had food, clothing, and cultivation techniques. That alone placed them ahead of 98% of the people in this era.

She had long since grown accustomed to following her Second Brother’s lead, and besides, she truly admired Nezha.

"Second Brother, I know what you’re going to say. But... but honestly, I’m already content just staying by Emperor Ziwei’s side."

In another timeline, her attraction to Liu Yan Chang might have been because she was turned into a pawn meant to break the Heavenly Rules. Now that she had spent time with Nezha, could she possibly fall for a scholar with no cultivation to his name?

How could any scholar possibly attract her now?

Forget climbing up three times; even if Liu Yan Chang climbed back 3,000 or 30,000 times, she wouldn’t be moved. Once you’ve seen the best, your standards rise—it’s just plain rejection at that point.

Yang Jian, upon confirming his sister’s feelings, was left at a loss.

His sister’s competition was just too fierce!

...

Nezha, meanwhile, paid no attention to Yang Jian’s subsequent actions and instead focused on the handwritten order from Hao Tian in his hand.

That Old Deng—it was always the same. When there was merit to be claimed, Nezha was sidelined. But when trouble arose, they immediately thought of him. The handwritten order harped on and on, repeatedly urging Nezha to send troops to assist.

Clearly, they were worried Nezha might steal the credit for this operation.

Demon-slaying was the political gold standard in the Primordial era. Nezha wasn’t so politically naïve as to misunderstand this point. After careful consideration, an idea came to him.

He penned an order and tossed it to his two little secretaries before heading to Wuzhuang Temple. He hadn’t forgotten Zhen Yuanzi’s advice before his departure.

Jin Jiao was the first to receive the Imperial Decree. Upon opening it, he read: "Order Marshal Tianpeng, leader of the Beiji Four Saints, to command 100,000 troops from the Heavenly River Navy to support His Majesty Hao Tian in exterminating demons and restoring peace to the Three Realms."

You want reinforcements?

I’ll send you my highest-ranking subordinate, Marshal Tianpeng, along with 100,000 troops from the Heavenly River Navy. Generous enough, right?

From an outsider’s perspective, no one could find fault with this arrangement.

But reality? Marshal Tianpeng, or Bian Zhuang, was practically a professional slacker. 100,000 troops? If he could muster 10,000, that would already be impressive!

Laziness and incompetence abounded. Did they think those Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were fools? They had families to feed like anyone else, didn’t they?

Tianpeng might be content to collect his pension and take it easy, but his subordinates couldn’t survive on air, could they?

Whether Tianpeng went or not was his own problem. Hao Tian had requested reinforcements; Nezha had issued the order. If Tianpeng didn’t go, he’d answer to Hao Tian upon his return and take the punishment.

Bian Zhuang understood all this but didn’t care. He spent every day gazing longingly at Taiyin Star, hoping for another glimpse of Heng E.

He had been this way for ages. Even his old acquaintances, Jin Jiao and Silver Horn, had called him a fool and stopped visiting altogether after seeing his condition.

Tianpeng looked at the Imperial Decree in his hand and sighed heavily. He truly didn’t want to go.

Unfortunately, the two most powerful factions in the Heavenly Court were pressuring him simultaneously. He had no choice. Though he had some connections at Doushuai Temple, they weren’t enough to let him run wild.

Inspecting his troops of sickly, injured, and elderly soldiers, he counted up their total—3,000.

Alright, not bad. Could’ve been worse.

Too many troops would just be exhausting to manage anyway.

Three thousand was just the right number to keep slacking off.

Marshal Tianpeng led his 3,000 men to rendezvous with Hao Tian.

Hao Tian, upon seeing Tianpeng arrive, was quite pleased initially. After all, he was nominally Nezha’s top subordinate.

Looking at Nezha’s official order, Hao Tian asked, "Marshal, where are the 100,000 troops stationed?"

Tianpeng was momentarily embarrassed. "Your Majesty, th-there aren’t 100,000 troops."

Hao Tian’s eyebrows furrowed; he could sense that something was off.

"Then how many are there?"

Bian Zhuang awkwardly held up three fingers.

Hao Tian’s face grew even darker.

"Only 30,000? Didn’t the token say there were 100,000?"

The oppressive aura of a top-tier Quasi-Saint suddenly bore down on Bian Zhuang.

Hao Tian: Damn it! Where are my 100,000 troops?!

With only the power of a Golden Immortal, Tianpeng collapsed to the ground under Hao Tian’s pressure, completely immobilized. But he had to explain himself now, or things would get even worse later.

"Y-Your Majesty, it’s not 30,000! It’s 3,000!"

At this, Hao Tian finally lost it. He slammed his hand on the table with a thunderous crash, sending a massive mana shockwave rippling outward. Though protected by an array, the surrounding ministers were still left in disarray.

The eight dragons pulling his chariot outside were directly blasted into dragon paste.

At that moment, Hao Tian felt like he had just been hit by a boomerang of his own making.

After all, back in the day, the entire Heavenly Court had only around 500 troops, and yet he had ordered Nezha to lead 5,000 Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to quell demons. Now, Nezha had returned the favor tenfold!