The Sharp Gold Guard and Bai Yuan’s Discontent

Bai Yuan held no resentment about being assigned tasks by Yang Xuan.

In fact, it was a rather novel experience.

Taking on responsibilities naturally meant wielding some degree of power, whether significant or minor. This entailed risks, but also presented opportunities. From another perspective, it indicated Yang Xuan truly intended to integrate her.

Had it been like her previous life, where she was merely housed and fed in the inner courtyard, left to her own devices, that would have been true isolation, stripping her of all hope.

In this life, she hadn’t held many expectations. She had simply intended to continue eating, drinking, attending to her husband, bearing children, and cultivating quietly and methodically. Her plan was to wait until the Six-Heaven Ghost Prison invasion before making any further decisions.

Yet, unexpectedly, a twist had emerged.

‘Was it because her performance had consistently been good, coupled with her successful guidance of Qian Ying, that Yang Xuan’s perception of her had changed?’

‘There was no real need for it.’

‘It was simply what she ought to do.’

Bai Yuan sighed inwardly, then lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the plaque above.

“Training Grounds”

The three gilded characters, personally inscribed by the founder of Tianhe Gate, shimmered with a faint golden light in the morning sun.

The calligraphy itself was unremarkable, yet the sight was somewhat dazzling.

Bai Yuan closed her eyes.

This was the place where Tianhe Gate practiced their martial arts and drilled their battle formations.

It was also the battlefield where, over a decade later, the last elite forces of Tianhe Gate would make their desperate stand after Wuzhou City fell.

On that day, hundreds of wounded remnants of Tianhe Gate gathered here, forming their final battle array. They raised their weapons high, sang their own dirges, and charged into the endless tide of demonic specters, fighting to the last man, with not a single one surrendering.

The malevolent aura they left behind lingered for a full three months, refusing to dissipate.

‘A malevolent aura…’

Bai Yuan thought lazily, feeling a sudden surge of chilling, murderous intent coalesce around her, washing over her.

“Welcome—Fifth Madam!”

A chorus of shouts reached her ears. Combined with the condensed killing intent of the battle formation, an ordinary martial artist would surely make a fool of themselves on the spot if they weren’t careful.

She turned her head to see hundreds of elite men arrayed in neat formations in the center of the training grounds. Each man had a hand on his saber hilt, chest out, a stern and solemn expression on every face.

‘Was this… an attempt to intimidate her?’

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but inwardly smile, yet her expression remained impassive as she turned to look at Hu Hai beside her.

Hu Hai’s face remained impassive.

“Fifth Madam, the entire Sharp Gold Guard of the Imperial Guard Hall is present.”

‘So these were the Sharp Gold Guard, Yang Xuan’s direct personal retinue. The future vanguard of the renowned Five Tianhe Guards.’

Bai Yuan’s gaze swept over the men, one by one, assessing their strength.

‘Hmm, they were… even weaker than she had anticipated.’

Indeed, the formidable Tianhe forces she had encountered in her previous life were seasoned veterans who had survived countless battles. They had earned great renown even within the Six-Heaven Ghost Prison and the surrounding heavens, and most held a blood feud with her, naturally forcing both sides to exert twelve-tenths of their strength in combat. These fledgling recruits, however, were merely so-called ‘elites’ who had only recently experienced some skirmishes. They were still in their nascent stages, having yet to undergo the decade-plus of tempering and refinement, making them incomparable.

‘They could, at best, be considered to merely fill the ranks.’

“You, you, you—step forward!”

Bai Yuan squinted, slowly walking through the ranks, occasionally pointing a finger. The soldiers she indicated stepped forward, gathering on the empty ground nearby.

Hu Hai watched from the side, his face tense. However, the more he observed, the more startled he became.

These were his subordinates, whom he trained daily, and he knew their martial foundations intimately. Yet, in just a few glances, this Fifth Madam had picked out every single one of his most promising men.

Leaving aside everything else, this discernment alone was astonishing.

“These are all of them, Hall Master Hu. What do you think?”

After selecting over a hundred men, she hesitated briefly, then pointed out a few more, bringing the total to one hundred and eight. Bai Yuan then looked at Hu Hai.

Hu Hai remained silent for a moment, then raised a hand to dismiss the unselected soldiers. He then turned and bowed to Bai Yuan.

“May I ask, Fifth Madam, now that the selections are complete, what is the next step?”

“In truth, including yourself, the strength of these one hundred and eight individuals is still somewhat lacking. It would be quite strenuous to drill the disassembled Heavenly Stellar and Earthly Fiend Formation. However, training the Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Heavenly Constellation Formation would be overly cumbersome and complex, losing much of the original formation’s essence, and the improvement would not be significant enough, making it even less desirable.”

Bai Yuan made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction with the soldiers’ current strength. “For the coming days, Hall Master Hu, you will have to work harder and exert more effort during training. Of course, medicinal herbs must not be spared; try to use more formulas for strengthening bones and sinews to quickly enhance their physiques and cultivation. Only then can they bear heavy responsibilities and swiftly fulfill the Gate Master’s expectations.”

‘In other words… she still found their martial arts insufficient?’

Hu Hai snorted inwardly. He was well aware that his subordinates were already among the most elite in the sect, even three points stronger than the main army led by his old uncle in the conquest of the Western Lands. Only the Blazing Fire Guard of the Battle Hall could compare. Yet, this Fifth Madam was still unsatisfied.

‘The Bai family members he had encountered on the battlefield before weren’t necessarily that strong either.’

‘Was she trying to provoke them, or was she preparing to shift responsibility in the future?’

Regardless, he would do his best to comply.

“Your subordinate will do their utmost.”

Bai Yuan naturally paid no mind to his jumbled thoughts. She merely looked at the selected soldiers, pondered for a moment, mentally reviewed the formation she had disassembled, ensuring there were no omissions, then nodded.

“Since that is the case, we shall begin the drills.”

“First step, assume the horse stance!”

“Madam, Madam Yuan is not in the Golden Bamboo Courtyard. Miss Biyan said that she was called to the sect by the Master this morning and has not yet returned.”

In Qian Ying’s courtyard, a maid knelt before the Second Madam of the Yang family.

“Called to the sect by Brother Xuan?”

Upon hearing this news, the several women who had been sitting and chatting in the courtyard exchanged bewildered glances.

The news of Qian Ying’s successful breakthrough, having fermented overnight, had already spread throughout the entire inner courtyard.

It was a joyous occasion, and this morning, Qin Wanzhao and the others had naturally come to offer their congratulations.

Qian Ying had been away for some time recently, and it was a rare opportunity for the women to gather alone. As noon approached, Qian Ying simply instructed someone to set a table, intending to host a small family banquet, and had specifically sent for Bai Yuan.

To their surprise, the woman who had always remained quietly at home was not present today.