My Cultivation Starting from Archery

"Zhao Kang, Feng Yong... Wu Da, Zhuang Yi!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You have half a day to say farewell to your families!"

"As you command!"

"Vice General Chen!"

"Brother Chen!"

"Take us with you!"

Lu Shuhua, Xie Sishu, and Yan Changqing approached together.

"You three?"

Chen Sansi said, "Strictly speaking, from the perspective of position, you are not under my command. Back in Ming State, it was only temporary."

"Fighting alongside you is thrilling," said Lu Shuhua, who usually didn't talk much, with simplicity and directness.

"Yes, Brother Chen, now that you are the Assistant General and we're still Thousand Captains, you're considered our superior," Xie Sishu pleaded, "Please, let us join you. With twenty people, you can't have that many military officers under your command, can you?"

"Exactly, Brother Chen," added Yan Changqing. "Following you would give me a chance to earn some achievements."

"General Chen, I... I... I!"

Bai Tingzhi, who had not been present just a moment before, rode over after hearing the news from somewhere, "General, I'll be covering your rear!"

"..."

Chen Sansi surveyed them.

Apart from Yan Changqing, the other three were still in the state of Sinking Formation Death Will, indeed a valuable addition.
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Since the transfer order did not restrict whom he could take with him and after considering it for a moment, he nodded in agreement, "Alright, go and get ready. We depart this afternoon."

The transfer order specified three days.

But when it comes to war, the sooner the better.

Not to mention, there were three thousand soldiers of the Xuanjia Army waiting for him to integrate and adapt to.

"Vice General Chen, you're leaving again," said Li Qianzong, who just happened to be passing by. "I was hoping you'd join me on a visit to Ci Yun Temple this afternoon."

"Oh?"

Chen Sansi asked, "Is there a problem?"

"It's not good," replied Li Qianzong. "It's about those two old Taoists from last time. They ran off, claiming they went wandering, but something feels off. They only returned a few days ago, right? It felt like they came back to grab something, then skipped town. Could it be evidence relating to the Witch God Sect?"

"That's possible," said Chen Sansi, who knew they had come back for incense.

"I wish you a triumphant return, Vice General Chen. I'm off to patrol the city," said Li Qianzong as he bowed and left.

Chen Sansi also mounted his White Swan Horse and headed towards Seeking Immortal Tower.

Through the back door, he took a familiar route to an incense-filled room, and presented a box containing freshly preserved broken grass, sealed with a special clay, handing it over personally.

"I knew the General would be able to find it," said Ning Xiang upon opening the box. "General, why have you come to me in armor today? And in such a hurry, too. Could it be that you are setting out on a campaign? With the current conflict in the East, could it be you're going to join the celebration?"

"Mhm," Chen Sansi did not deny. "Miss Ning Xiang, if you come across iron material like last time, please help me collect some more."

After all, it's not always possible to retrieve arrows.

For an archer, arrows are like bullets to a gunman; the more, the better, never too many to carry.

"Alright, I'll help you gather more information," Ning Xiang agreed as she accepted the broken grass. "Coincidentally, General, where you're heading in the Eastern Territory is the most active area of the Incense God Sect. Plus, given their recent unusual behavior, do be extra cautious."

"Incense God Sect..."

Chen Sansi inquired, "Could the lady know, does the Incense God Sect possess any mystical skills? For instance, the lady can confuse people's minds with illusion techniques, so what mystical abilities might a disciple acquire after joining the Sect?"

He had some connections with the Incense God Sect already.

It would be good to have some precautions in place if he encountered them in the future.

"Not everyone is capable of learning the ways of the Sect," Ning Xiang explained. "You might think collecting incense is easy, but actually, its utility pales in comparison to spiritual energy. Gather it for a year or two, and it won't last long, since it is cultivated by forcing out of mortal flesh, and naturally cannot compare in quality to the spiritual energy naturally born from heaven and earth."

"Hence, the Incense God Sect gathers incense from all over, but the vast majority of their low-ranking followers do not qualify for training in their skills, just like Qiu something-or-other who died in prison."

Chen Sansi nodded his head in understanding.

He was well aware of the limited utility of incense; it burned at a rate many times faster than spirit sand, the incense power derived from mortals being too weak, only by accumulating small amounts over time could it transform qualitatively.

"As for the rest..."

Ning Xiang reached out with a grape and brought it to the General's mouth.

After confirming there was no issue, Chen Sansi opened his mouth and ate it.

"Again, our knowledge of the Incense God Sect is not comprehensive. We can be certain that the high-ranking members like the Sect Hierarch possess ways of initiation into the Sect, but the rest..."

Ning Xiang played with his chin with her fingernail, "are unworthy of the Sect's ways. Over the centuries, Seeking Immortal Tower has had a few encounters with the higher-ups of the Incense Fire Divine Sect. Those like squad leaders, at most know a kind of 'Body Protection Technique'."

"How should I describe this technique? You could think of it as a Protective Gang Qi. Some are not even as strong as true Gang Qi and might even be broken by the energy of a martial artist in the Meridian Passage Realm, with the strength varying depending on how much incense they gather and their individual cultivation."

Incense protection?

Chen Sansi made a note of it in his mind.

He pushed the woman's arm away: "I have military duties to attend to, so I must take my leave."

Seeking Immortal Tower was indeed useful.

Many pieces of information were learned through their mouths.

Moreover, if the Incense God Sect was rampant in the East, then it was likely he could collect quite an amount of incense along the way, which could be a good thing.

Having quickly packed his belongings, Chen Sansi arrived at the gate of Liangzhou City. His twenty subordinates had long been waiting there. They needed to ride to Qinghe Prefecture under Liangzhou's administration and take the nearest grain transportation dock.