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As Xu Zhenxin thought about heading to Chang'an, a wave of unease washed over him, making him somewhat displeased. Nevertheless, he concealed the flying knife belt under his clothing and left Forge Camp with satisfaction.
However, as he passed by the furnace in the camp, he encountered blacksmiths adding combustible materials like Sulfur Charcoal Smoke Coal into the furnace. A Soldier Slave was carrying a basket filled with yellowish Sulfur stones. Although it was equipped with a cover, the pungent smoke quickly spread once the Sulfur was added to the furnace.
Yet, Xu Zhen's attention was not distracted by the acrid smell; his gaze was fixed on the basket of Sulfur stones on the ground!
He hurried over and rummaged through the bamboo basket, quickly pulling out a piece of ore about the size of a pigeon egg. This ore was different from Sulfur stones; it shimmered with a faint golden light and had an excellent color, resembling Gold Ore!
Seeing the joy in Xu Zhen's eyes, the blacksmiths couldn't help but laugh and kindly reminded him, "Young man, don't be mistaken; this isn't gold ore, it's just Pyrite!"
Xu Zhen raised an eyebrow and replied with an intriguing smile, "Not gold ore, yet it surpasses gold ore. You wouldn't understand!"
Despite saying this, Xu Zhenxin was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. This Pyrite could be used to produce sulfuric acid through contact methods, and with sulfuric acid and lead, he could create Lead-Acid Batteries!
He felt as if he had taken another step closer to his ultimate plan. Although there were still countless steps ahead, a strong sense of hope surged within him—a hope of returning to reality!
Ignoring the gazes of those around him, Xu Zhen grabbed the Soldier Slave and instructed him to be careful while adding materials. He wanted every piece of Pyrite to be picked out. However, after all the auxiliary materials were added, he found nothing and couldn't help but feel disheartened.
Touching the Pyrite in his hand, Xu Zhen called over the Soldier Slave and had him take it to the storeroom for a thorough search. Yet, his harvest remained meager. Not one to give up easily, he quickly asked the Soldier Slave where these Sulfur stones came from.
Upon learning that there was a wild mine about ten miles away from Liangzhou Camp, he felt delighted and eagerly walked out, planning to call Li Deqian to explore the mining area together. After all, these miner Soldier Slaves lacked his discerning eye and knowledge compared to blacksmiths; upon seeing the glimmering Pyrite, they would likely mistake it for gold ore and hide it away. Collecting it later would be quite challenging.
After leaving Forge Camp, Xu Zhen returned to Craft Workshop but found that Li Deqian had not yet returned. He had no choice but to head over to the Ministry of Works headquarters in search of him. However, while passing by Military Slave Camp, he encountered a somewhat familiar acquaintance!
The Military Slave Camp housed those who were attached to Soldier Slaves; most were official slaves, including many from lower social classes. The Tang army maintained strict discipline; some Female Slaves would be awarded to military officers for their contributions but were prohibited from being mistreated by Soldiers. Of course, life in the military could be dull; many Soldiers still couldn't resist sneaking into Military Slave Camp for some entertainment.
However, they also dared not act recklessly towards Han People Female Slaves; they generally sought out Foreign captives and slaves instead. Soldiers often discussed the unique flavors of Barbarian Women among themselves.
At this moment, in the open area of the Military Slave Camp, seven or eight Soldiers were viciously attacking a mature Barbarian Woman. One of the military leaders held a red-hot branding iron, seemingly ready to brand her, but faced resistance from the Barbarian Woman.
However, they did not expect this Barbarian Woman to be so fierce. Although she was unarmed, her skills were remarkable, and her strikes were ruthless. The seven or eight men found themselves unable to approach her for a while!
The Xu Zhen stopped and looked at Caesar, whose clothes were tattered and large patches of skin were exposed. Her emotions were complex.
Although Caesar was not on her side and they had fought fiercely against each other before, Old Man Mo Ya had saved the Xu Zhen's life. During the confrontation with Murong Xiao, they had fought side by side. She had thought they would go to rescue their kin and leave this war-torn place, but unexpectedly encountered Caesar here.
Caesar's eyes were filled with a beast-like bloodlust. She knew very well that these Tang People cared more about face than the Turkic People and Turquoise Hu Man. They spoke of benevolence and righteousness daily, but from the greed in the eyes of the surrounding soldiers, she could easily tell that if she compromised and was captured, she would face a fate of being humiliated repeatedly. Therefore, even though she was already covered in wounds, she refused to surrender!
She had originally gone with Rock Master to rescue their people but did not expect that after Murong Xiao's crushing defeat, he would go back on his word and send elite Cavalry to intercept them. Rock Master and her kin fell into Murong Xiao's hands, leaving her as the only one who escaped.
Although she held leverage over Murong Xiao and he should not resort to slaughtering her kin—at least not until he confirmed that she had not leaked his schemes—she still desperately wanted to rescue her people.
However, she did not anticipate that during her escape, she would ultimately be captured due to exhaustion. Yet it was not Murong Xiao's Cavalry that apprehended her but scouts from the Tang Dynasty!
If she fell into captivity, she would lose the chance to save Rock Master and her kin. Therefore, no matter what, she had to leave this place!
She clenched her fists and scanned her surroundings when she spotted a familiar figure. Once, she wished nothing more than to tear this cunning Tang Person apart; now, however, she hoped this deceitful Tang Person could lend her a hand because the hope of saving her entire clan rested solely on her shoulders!
The Xu Zhen indeed approached. Although dressed in civilian clothes, she exuded an extraordinary demeanor. The Soldiers dared not obstruct her; however, the military leader holding the branding iron was somewhat irritated and quickly shouted at the Xu Zhen: "Which guard unit are you from? Why aren't you in military attire? This is our Jishi Dao Guards' captive! If you're not one of General Hou's soldiers, you better get lost!"
This Captain had long been coveting a mature Barbarian Woman like Caesar. Now that she was tattered and alluringly exposed, he and his companions were planning to take advantage of her. With the Xu Zhen intervening like this, he naturally lost his temper.
The Xu Zhen ignored him completely and walked straight up to Caesar. The latter glared at the Xu Zhen like an angry mother wolf, gripping a bloodied wooden stake without any sign of relaxation!
He did not intend to inquire about Moya's whereabouts; from her being captured alone, he could infer many things, and Xu Zhen did not want to waste time.
"I do not like you because you have hurt me, but to repay a favor to Rock Master, I can still save your life. I know you will not beg me, nor will you feel grateful, so I will only ask you once: if you are willing to let me save you, just nod. If you shake your head, I will leave immediately. Even if you are ravaged to death by these men, I will not bat an eye."
Xu Zhen's voice was extremely cold. Caesar gritted her teeth, several times wanting to plunge the wooden stake in her hand into Xu Zhen's heart. However, thinking of Rock Master and her people suffering at Murong Xiao's hands, she ultimately held back and lightly nodded. It seemed that this nod was a concession to Xu Zhen, a tremendous humiliation!
But it was what Xu Zhen said next that made her understand what true humiliation was! In front of this cunning Tang person, the terms "shameless" and "deeply hated" were simply inadequate to describe how Caesar felt about this Tang person!
"You have already been captured; according to military law, you will be taken as a slave. This cannot be changed. Therefore, we can only change what can be changed. You can either choose to be their slave or choose to be my slave. The question is simple, and the answer is also simple. I don't think it requires much consideration. I will give you ten breaths of time. After ten breaths, either I leave on my own or I take you with me."
Xu Zhen spoke very plainly, as if recounting an ordinary matter. However, Caesar recalled when she was thirteen years old; her father had brought her in front of two iron cages and let her choose an opponent. Both cages contained wolves—one large and one small. She only remembered walking out of the cage alive but did not recall which cage she had chosen.
Now, although Xu Zhen was several years younger than her, Caesar saw her father's shadow in this cunning Tang person and recognized the cruel wisdom of survival. In her final moments of hesitation, she set down the wooden stake in her hand.
Xu Zhen remained expressionless, seemingly having anticipated Caesar's decision all along. This made Caesar feel even more ashamed; however, Xu Zhen did not care how she felt. For such a cold-blooded female assassin, Xu Zhen had to be more cautious to protect herself.
"Let's go."
Xu Zhen did not look back and walked straight toward the entrance of the Military Slave Camp. However, the Captain holding a branding iron became furious because Xu Zhen had treated them as if they were nothing from start to finish!
From Xu Zhen's demeanor and actions, they had already vaguely sensed Xu Zhen's extraordinary nature, but as General Hou's soldiers, they would never allow such a thing to happen!
Because General Hou had said that if everyone followed him loyally, then only Hou Family Soldiers could bully others; they must never allow others to bully Hou Family Soldiers!
The Captain's heart had already been captivated by the mature Barbarian Woman Caesar; a surge of heat had nowhere to vent and rushed up into his head. He shouted angrily: "Stop! No matter who you are, you'd better get lost quickly!"
Xu Zhen let out a cold laugh, walking slowly with hands behind his back, while Caesar followed closely behind, as if he hadn't heard Captain's shout at all!
The Captain, filled with adrenaline, swung the branding iron in his hand towards Xu Zhen. The other Soldiers looked at Xu Zhen, who was tall and frail, and couldn't help but sneer.
However, before they could react, a crisp sound rang out as the branding iron in Captain's hand was knocked away by a flying knife, and the fingers gripping the iron were brutally sliced, leaving them bloodied!
"Ah!"
Captain, a battle-hardened man, grunted in pain and immediately shouted in anger: "Men! Capture him! If he leaves the barracks, how can we face General Hou!"
The other Soldiers, stunned by Xu Zhen's lightning-fast knife skills, finally snapped back to reality. They quickly drew their weapons and surrounded Xu Zhen and Caesar.
Xu Zhen didn't understand why he had become so violent. Normally, he would have argued with Captain, bringing up Li Daozong as support, and then successfully taken Caesar away.
But when he saw Caesar, barely clothed and covered in wounds, and the greedy glint in the eyes of these Soldiers, an unnamed fury surged within him!
He lightly lifted his robe, fingers brushing against the knife handle. If these Soldiers dared to make a move, he would truly make them bleed!
At that moment, a voice abruptly interrupted the tense standoff. Hou Polu, accompanied by more than twenty personal guards, stormed into the camp and pointed at Xu Zhen, shouting: "You think just because you have Commander Li backing you, you can run wild on my Hou Family territory! I am a dignified military officer, yet you dare to injure my men and take away my slave!"
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