Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Tens of thousands of cold suits of armor glinted grimly, flowing together into a great torrent that surged through the night.

No one spoke. The only sounds were the uniform rhythm of marching feet and the soft clatter of armor, echoing in the air.

Chen Ye was among them, his expression somber.

This was no longer a small-scale conflict involving a few dozen or a hundred men, but a great war upon which the fate of the nation rested.

Even he felt a sliver of pressure.

For that reason, he dared not slack off for even a moment during the march.

With every step, Chen Ye secretly adjusted his breathing, feeling the power of the Mountain-Splitting Force circulate through his entire body. He forced himself to treat even this tedious march as a form of training.

Several days later, the army finally arrived at its destination.

It was a vast Ancient Battlefield that stretched to the horizon, covered in desolate weeds. A fierce wind swept across it, letting out a mournful cry as if recounting the brutality of a long-forgotten age.

Beneath the loose soil, piles of long-weathered bones could occasionally be seen, only to be crushed under the iron-shod hooves of the warhorses.

After a thorough survey, the army made camp. Soon after, a Mongolian General Banner, embroidered with a ferocious tiger, was hoisted high, snapping sharply in the wind.

Meng Yi immediately summoned Chen Ye. He pointed a hand at the banner, his voice as heavy and firm as iron.

"Chen Ye, from this moment on, you are the Flag Bearer. Remember this: so long as the flag stands, so do you. If the flag falls, you die!"

"Your subordinate accepts the order!" Chen Ye accepted the command without hesitation.

He understood the weight of this responsibility. The command banner was the soul of an army; as long as it stood, so too would the army’s morale.

Yet, for that very reason, he grew calm.

’With my current strength, I have more than enough power to protect myself, even in the chaos of battle. I have nothing else to worry about.’

’Besides, the Flag Bearer is positioned in the Central Army. It’s much safer than fighting on the front lines.’

Meng Yi was pleased. He assigned several dozen elite Personal Guards, led by Wang Xing, to Chen Ye, tasked specifically with protecting the command banner.

Entrusted with this crucial duty, Chen Ye dared not be lax. He led his men to establish a ten-meter restricted zone around the banner, which they guarded diligently in shifts, day and night.

Meanwhile, on the far side of the horizon, another great banner—this one embroidered with the character "Xiang"—was slowly raised.

The Great Liang Army had arrived.

The two armies faced each other across the vast battlefield, like two Giant Beasts poised to strike, making the atmosphere incredibly tense.

Then, just as the great battle was about to erupt...

「On a dark and windy night.」

Chen Ye was leading his men on patrol around the banner when his ears twitched. He looked toward the camp entrance.

The sound of hooves reached him, and he saw a squad of a dozen men riding toward the Central Army Tent. The crucial detail was that their leader was a woman.

Chen Ye’s pupils contracted.

’Meng Yi is known for his strict discipline. Women are absolutely forbidden within the army.’

Yet this woman had not only entered the camp, but she was also leading her men straight to the commander’s tent, and not a single sentry along the way had tried to stop her.

’What’s going on?’

As he puzzled over this, the group drew closer, and Chen Ye finally got a clear look at the woman.

She wore a simple, long white robe. Her features were fair, but her expression was as cold as ice. Her eyes were like a placid well, utterly devoid of emotion.

What startled Chen Ye most was the thick Evil Qi he felt radiating from her.

The cold killing intent she exuded was more terrifying than that of any battle-hardened veteran he had ever met. Just looking at her from a distance made his skin prickle and a chill creep into his heart.

Just then, the woman swung herself off her horse. Without a single glance at the surrounding guards, she walked straight into Meng Yi’s Central Army Tent.

Chen Ye’s brow furrowed, his mind filled with alarm and suspicion.

’Who is this woman?’

Just then, a voice beside him sighed, "To think even she’s here. This battle is certainly going to be interesting now."

Chen Ye turned to see Wang Xing, who had appeared at his side at some point. He was staring at the Central Army Tent with a complex expression. Chen Ye asked in a low voice, "You know her?"

"Know her? It’s more than that." At this, Wang Xing swallowed hard and lowered his voice even further, as if afraid the woman might overhear.

"That woman is no ordinary person. Her name is Bai Yuge. She’s from the Bai Family, another of Great Yong’s great military Noble Families."

"The Bai Family?" Chen Ye frowned.

"That’s right. Don’t be fooled because the Bai Family isn’t as famous as our General Meng’s family. They’re incredibly formidable. Most importantly... they’re all lunatics."

Seeing Chen Ye’s confusion, an expression of mixed fear and awe appeared on Wang Xing’s face.

"Do you know the nickname of the Bai Family’s ancestor?"

"What was it?"

"The God of Slaughter!"

’The God of Slaughter?’ The name stirred something in Chen Ye.

"That’s right, the God of Slaughter!" Wang Xing’s face had gone pale.

"Back then, after the Bai Family’s ancestor won a decisive battle against an enemy nation, he ordered all four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers to be... buried alive, just to eliminate any future trouble!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

Even with his steady Heart Nature, Chen Ye couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath at that number.

"Yes, four hundred thousand!" Wang Xing’s voice trembled. "They say not a blade of grass grows there to this day. At night, you can hear the Ghost’s Wail and the howling of wolves for miles around. Tell me, if a man like that isn’t a god of slaughter, what is he?"

Chen Ye fell silent.

Wang Xing muttered again, "And for the Bai Family, that’s just business as usual. Their ancestral creed is that as long as it leads to victory, any and all methods are permissible!"

"So, burning cities to the ground or flooding them by breaking dams... that’s all child’s play to them. Once, to conquer a fortified city quickly, the Bai Family Patriarch at the time ordered his men to fling the corpses of their own fallen soldiers over the walls with catapults, all to start a plague and make the assault easier!"

"With people like that, tell me, are they not insane?"

A chill ran down Chen Ye’s spine as he listened.

’That’s not just ruthless. It’s completely inhuman.’

"They also say that the ’God of Slaughter’ bloodline passed down in the Bai Family, while making them fearless in battle, also affects their minds. It makes them mentally unstable. To put it bluntly, they’re a clan of lunatics."

At this, Wang Xing sighed. "That’s why even though the Court knows how capable they are, they don’t dare to give them significant power. The Bai Family takes things too far and never leaves an escape route for their enemies—or themselves. That, combined with their small numbers, is why their reputation isn’t as grand as the Meng Family’s. But everyone knows you must never, ever provoke someone from the Bai Family!"

After hearing Wang Xing’s account, Chen Ye looked again toward the lamplit Central Army Tent, his heart stirring with unease.

’No wonder I sensed such a dense Evil Qi from that woman, Bai Yuge.’

’So she’s a scion of a family of lunatics.’

’But... why would an heir from a family so feared by the Court come alone to meet the commander, on the very eve of a battle that will decide the nation’s fate?’

’General Meng Yi, what exactly are you planning?’

While Chen Ye was pondering this, inside the Central Army Tent, Meng Yi looked at Bai Yuge, who was seated across from him. He couldn’t help but frown as he asked in a heavy voice,

"Must it be done this way?"