Chapter 53 : The Cultivator Unit
The second morning came colder than the first.
Mist clung to the ground beyond the temporary garrison, and the soldiers moved more quietly as they prepared for the day.
Guda looked at Chen Yu as he walked beside.
"Chen Yu, I saw you yesterday being frozen and afraid.. Don't be afraid" he put his hand on Chen Yu's soldier.
Chen Yu looked at him, for a moment, he thought something and asked "How are you so brave? How can you not be frozen in battle?"
Guda looked at the front, " Brave?..I am not, only my wife's bread gives me courage"
" I know if I don't act due to fear, I won't be able to eat the bread again.."
" Freezing on the battlefield means faster death, and I don't want to die faster, I still want to eat"
Guda explained, Right at the moment, Luma arrived with his horse at the left of Chen Yu.
"Greetings commander" Guda greeted.
Luma nodded his head and then looked at Chen Yu and Yan who were three people away from Chen Yu to his right side.
"Yan, Chen Yu, you go join the cultivators unit"
"Cultivators unit? " Chen Yu asked.
" Usually, we rotate troops, but mostly we place all cultivators into one group called cultivator unit, but that does not mean you won't be back "
Luma took a breath.
"We shuffle Cultivators based on the tactics, for now, you join the Cultivators unit"
"Follow me" Luma said as he walked.
Yan and Chen Yu looked at each other..Yan moved first.
Chen Yu looked at Guda and said "I am going"
Guda stared at Chen Yu "You are a cultivator, your ceiling is high..."
"Good luck and don't be afraid" Guda raised his thumb.
Yan and Chen Yu followed Luma across the camp and soon arrived at the place where a very large number of cultivators gathered.
Then Luma led them to the 30 men group and left.
In front of them. A man stood at the front. His aura pressed outward .
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Late Spiritual QI foundation realm.
"Welcome. I am Mutai, the commander of this small unit"
He looked across the gathered cultivators and declared, “You, Private army cultivators will temporarily join the Royal Cultivator Unit.”
The commander continued.
“Enemy cultivators will attempt to break our lines and disrupt formations. Your task is simple.”
He paused.
“Kill them before they kill our soldiers.”
Several men nodded grimly.
The commander gestured toward the battlefield.
“Move out.”
The cultivator unit marched.
Yan and Chen Yu were beside each other, around them, there were several new faces.
The battlefield looked different today.
The grass had been flattened by yesterday’s fighting. Dark streaks of dried blood cut across the field where men had fallen.
Broken spears and shields still lay scattered across the ground.
Ahead of them the army of Shin was already moving at them.
Clang
The war resumed.
Cultivators moved just little faster than normal soldiers. Their strikes carried more strength, their bodies reinforced by qi.
Blades collided.
Yan stepped into the battle quietly and engaged with an early foundation cultivator.
He lifted his sword twice, Yan blocked them.
He lifted his sword again, then it collided with Yan's.
Yan pushed him back.
The man stepped forward to recover his balance.
His foot landed on flattened grass and the front foot slipped little.
Just at that movement.
Yan’s blade cut once at his throat..the body fell.
Before anyone paid attention, Yan slipped away.
Around him the battle continued, Yan silently observed others as well.
None of them used their letters and fought like just slightly stronger soldiers, Yan observed and thought most spiritual qi foundation cultivators had got very little understanding of their letter, and they were not able to display full might of their cultivation.
Then he looked at his own hands for a while before continuing to walk through the chaos.
A cultivator to his left charged at him, Yan backwards and dodged the blade and then pierced his blade through the chin of the cultivator from downwards.
Yan pulled the blade out.
Another cultivator attacked, his blade arrived at Yan who just stood up.
Clang.
Yan blocked him, then Yan rotated, arrived at the back of the cultivator and pierced his blade through the cultivator's back.
A moment later that man lay dead.
Yan moved again and another enemy rushed him.
Their blades met briefly, but Yan stepped aside.
His balance faltered, Yan struck again once.
The battle stretched through the afternoon, people slipped little, and people died.
Yan moved along before anyone could even notice.
By evening the horn sounded again.
Both sides began pulling back.
The cultivator unit returned to camp together.
Compared to the previous day, their losses were small as only a handful had fallen.
Most returned with minor injuries.
As they walked back through the lines, several cultivators spoke quietly among themselves.
“Did you notice something strange?”
“What?”
“The Shin cultivators.”
“They kept losing balance.”
One man frowned.
“I thought I was imagining it.”
Another nodded slowly.
“It happened in my fight too.”
Chen Yu walked beside Yan in silence. Then he spoke just loud enough for the others to hear.
“Maybe the terrain,” he said.
"Might be, but why didn't we slip?" One of them asked.
"Yes, you are right, maybe someone is helping us behind our back" another replied.
"You guys...are overthinking" another added.
The discussion continued but Chen Yu remained silent.
Yan continued walking.
They reached the cultivator camp just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.
Mutai was already waiting.
He looked across the returning cultivators and smiled "You did well today"
His voice carried across the group.
“We now know their strength, and they know ours.”
He paused briefly.
The commander’s eyes hardened, “You should rest well.”
Then he said quietly, “Tomorrow…it might be different"