Lu Da noticed Zhou Yin's appraising gaze and introduced with a hint of pride, "Sir Zhou, although you immortal-like figures don't partake in worldly affairs and look down on such mundane matters, now with the flames of war rising everywhere, a well-disciplined army can at least let the common people suffer less!"

His appearance was rough and bold, but he spoke about these matters in an orderly manner.

Seeing Zhou Yin nod slightly, seeming to agree with his viewpoint without any disdainful expression, he became even more enthusiastic, "The cultivators I've seen are not as compassionate as you. Those in the capital are aloof and don't easily interact with people, not even taking General Hui seriously. Except for Sir Yu, even the few cultivators by General Hui's side are all arrogant, as if speaking an extra word to us would tarnish their status, let alone valuing human lives..."

It seemed he had suffered a lot from cultivators, or perhaps to make up for the earlier unpleasantness, Lu Da flattered Zhou Yin while disparaging others, his words filled with much resentment.

"Have you ever cared about the life and death of ants?" Zhou Yin suddenly asked.

Lu Da was taken aback, "No, I haven't."

Zhou Yin's eyes held a hint of mockery, "Ordinary people are to cultivators as ants are to humans."

Compared to ordinary people, cultivators have a special privilege, just as nobles have a special privilege compared to commoners. As long as this specialness exists, there can never be so-called fairness.

The reason you feel it's unfair is because you are not a cultivator and cannot enjoy the treatment of looking down upon the masses. What people seek is nothing more than this.

Moreover, compared to the imperial family and nobles who are born superior, those cultivators mostly rely on their own efforts to obtain the corresponding status and rewards. Among them, there are those from wealthy backgrounds, and even more from poor families. In this sense, it's actually fairer.

These few words made Lu Da suddenly fall silent. Until the two arrived at the central military camp, Zhou Yin's ears finally had some peace, no longer hearing his nonsense.

The soldier who went in to report had just entered the tent, and in a moment, the thick felt of the tent was lifted, and two men walked out, one in front of the other. The man in front was in his twenties or thirties, wearing light robes with a dignified bearing. The one behind was none other than Yu Nuo.

"This must be Sir Zhou, right? This General Hui has long heard of your great name. For the previous favor of saving Yu Nuo, I can only express my gratitude today. Please forgive any shortcomings!" The man laughed and bowed.

Although General Hui was a mortal, he held military power and was the commander of a powerful army. Even cultivators with some status didn't dare to act arrogantly in front of him. But Zhou Yin didn't dodge or evade, accepting his bow with a calm and natural demeanor, not at all like a cultivator from a third-rate sect who hadn't seen the world, which surprised General Hui a little. He couldn't help but look at Yu Nuo.

Yu Nuo smiled, "General Hui, I told you early on that fellow Daoist Zhou's actions are unexpected. You didn't believe me and had to see for yourself to know."

Hearing this, General Hui also laughed, "This general was too vulgar. Since Sir Zhou has come from afar, why don't we invite him to sit inside?"

The two sang in harmony, showing full sincerity in recruiting him. Zhou Yin wasn't narcissistic enough to think that the halo of his previous life as a high-level cultivator had already shone into this life. He knew General Hui must have a request, otherwise he wouldn't be so respectful to him.

The group entered the tent together. After General Hui waited for them to be seated, he then sat down in the main seat.

"Although Yu Nuo claims to be under my command, he is actually like a brother to me. Last time when he was chasing the enemy and encountered danger, fortunately Sir Zhou came to his aid. For this great kindness, there is no way to repay it. I don't know what you need, but as long as this general can do it, I will spare no effort." General Hui looked at him, smiling slightly, not beating around the bush.

Zhou Yin very much liked his straightforward way of speaking, so he simply recounted how Ji Rong was framed and mistakenly captured by the Pingnan army.

General Hui was stunned, "Just this?"

He shouldn't be unaware that with his own status, giving magic treasures or introducing better sects to him were not difficult matters. But Zhou Yin put forth such a simple request, easily letting go of a great opportunity to ask for a reward.

Zhou Yin asked in return, "What else?"

General Hui also felt that he had overreacted a bit and smiled, "Capturing the wrong person, naturally they should be released. This is due to my lack of discipline over my subordinates and cannot be considered a thanks. If Sir Zhou doesn't mind, I have another item to present to you."

With that, he looked at Yu Nuo.

Yu Nuo understood and turned around to present a long box.

The box was ordinary and dark, without any special carvings on it. In the eyes of ordinary people it was unremarkable, but if it were a cultivator, they could sense the spiritual energy inside the box, full and moist, like a stream, endless.

The item inside might not be a high-grade magic treasure, but it should be at least mid-grade or above.

Yu Nuo opened the box, and an azure light flowed out from inside. It was a three-foot-long sword with talismans engraved on the blade, chillingly cold, making one feel cold all over.

General Hui smiled, "I am not a cultivator and don't have any rare treasures, only this Lingyin Sword. It was given to me by a friend years ago and is presentable enough. Unfortunately, I am just a warrior and cannot bring out its wonders. Coincidentally, I heard that Sir Zhou is a sword cultivator who practices water-attribute techniques. Isn't this a case of presenting a precious sword to a worthy owner?"

Zhou Yin took the sword handed over by Yu Nuo and lightly drew a circle in mid-air. The light flowed, and inside the tent, General Hui and Yu Nuo felt as if it were a bitter cold winter day, unbearably cold.

Yu Nuo was fine, but General Hui's face changed in shock. He had only known before that this sword was a cultivation magic treasure and had only seen it cut through iron like mud. Now in Zhou Yin's hands, it truly found its rightful owner.

In an instant, with a flick of his wrist, the sword turned into a jade hairpin, light and exquisite.

Yu Nuo looked on with a smile, without any envy or jealousy, because he himself had three spiritual roots, possessing the attributes of earth, water, and fire. In the end, he mainly cultivated earth-attribute techniques and was not suitable to use this sword.

"Congratulations fellow Daoist Zhou, this is like adding wings to a tiger, embellishing what is already beautiful."

General Hui only felt the pressure on his body instantly disappear and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, "Sir Zhou, what do you think of this sword? Is it worthy of you?"

Although it was only a mid-grade magic treasure, Zhou Yin's previous Melting Water Sword had been destroyed when helping Zhou Chen transcend his tribulation. Now obtaining this sword was indeed a timely help.

"I'll accept the sword," Zhou Yin said. Before the other party could show a pleased expression, he continued, "However, there is one more matter."

He recounted what he had seen and heard in Zhou Village, how those people disguised themselves as Pingnan soldiers and stabbed the corpses.

General Hui's face did not show shock, only solemnity, as if he already knew.

"Thank you for telling me. Since this matter involves your relative, I won't hide it from you. As far as I know, these mysterious cultivators are in collusion with our dynasty's Prime Minister Jiang Hui. Perhaps they went to Zhou family's village to search for something extremely rare and precious.

"Even my people couldn't uncover what it was. That's why they were willing to massacre the village to force out its whereabouts. However, their plan failed later on. That Yao Xincheng who went with them simply let people finish the job with blades, pinning the massacre on me. He then memorialized to the Emperor, accusing me of brutality and slaughtering innocent civilians."

This completely matched Zhou Yin's speculation. He nodded slightly, "I have no interest in the court's intrigues, but the vengeance for the Zhou family's village must be exacted."

General Hui immediately understood, "If I get any news of those cultivators, I will inform you right away."

On the other side, Yu Nuo looked at Zhou Yin, seeming to want to say something but hesitating, never opening his mouth in the end.

The continent revered the strong. Cultivators naturally enjoyed a lofty status. Not only monarchs, even royal relatives and nobles took pride in befriending cultivators.

General Hui's political rival, Prime Minister Jiang Hui, spared no expense on spirit stones and magic treasures to keep several Core Formation stage cultivators at his estate year-round to protect himself. It was also a symbol of his identity and status.

In contrast, General Hui only had Yu Nuo by his side, and that was because of a debt of gratitude. It was rather shabby.

So even knowing Zhou Yin was currently just a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a third-rate sect without high status, he still tried his best to curry favor. If General Hui had some doubts after hearing Yu Nuo's praise earlier, those doubts were dispelled after meeting Zhou Yin. He was even willing to gift the Lingyin Sword as a favor.

He had seen countless people and trusted his own judgment. He felt that although Zhou Yin was cold and indifferent, he wasn't pretentiously aloof like other cultivators. He truly had some real abilities. Given time, perhaps he could achieve great things.

A magic treasure that wasn't of much use to himself could be exchanged for the goodwill of someone who might become a high-level cultivator in the future. It was naturally an excellent deal.

The two sides now had a common enemy, rapidly bringing them closer. General Hui enthusiastically invited them to stay for a meal. Seeing Zhou Yin didn't object, he ordered people to prepare a banquet with fine delicacies.

Zhou Yin just had a cold personality and was impatient with trivial matters, but he wasn't ignorant of human relations. He knew that in the future, when avenging the Zhou family, he would inevitably need to utilize these worldly connections.

Although General Hui was just a mortal, his identity and status were there. Investigating leads and passing on information would be much more convenient with his network of people compared to Zhou Yin running around alone.

"The army keeps things simple. General Hui is not used to extravagance. The chef was newly hired from Yunzhou City. I hope Brother Zhou won't mind."

The delicacies were brought out one after another. Some hot dishes were covered to maintain the temperature. Yu Nuo invited Zhou Yin to eat while introducing the dishes. There were only the three of them at the banquet, making things more relaxed.

"Although cultivators subsist on mist and dew, not partaking in mortal food and drink, occasionally tasting the cuisine of the human world is also an experience. This is a famous Yunzhou dish, chilled eel. If not for Brother Zhou's visit today, I wouldn't have had the fortune to try it."

Yu Nuo pointed to a pot that was just brought out. "Don't underestimate this unassuming pot. Making this dish took quite a bit of effort. I can't explain it well, better to let General Hui do so."

General Hui continued, "First, the eel bones are removed and the flesh sliced. The slices are put into a pot of boiling water to blanch. As soon as the flesh changes color, it is immediately scooped out and immersed in ice water. Finally, the eel is drained and placed in an ice basin.

"The most difficult part is controlling the heat in that hot and cold transition. The eel needs to be cooked through but not overcooked. Insufficient heat and the meat is raw. Too much heat and the meat becomes tough. Only a master chef from Yunzhou City with decades of experience can manage this skill."

Although he was just introducing a dish, there was not a hint of arrogance in his tone, only warm familiarity. Even Zhou Yin had to admit that for this man to lead the world-renowned Pingnan Army, he indeed had his unique capabilities.

The ice basin was brought out. General Hui finished speaking and lifted the lid with a smile. But in the next moment, he completely froze, his expression turning strange.

In the large basin layered with ice, instead of tender eel slices, there was a round, gray furball lying contentedly, smacking its lips.

There was even still meat foam on the corners of its mouth.

General Hui: "..."

Yu Nuo: "..."

Zhou Yin's face was expressionless as he grabbed the full and drowsy Zhou Chen and stuffed it into his sleeve.

"It has always been mischievous. I've been lax in disciplining it."

He was careless and it actually ran into someone else's dish.

Yu Nuo stammered, "Brother Zhou, could that be your demon beast? A high-level demon beast?"

"It's just a low-level venomous kite hatchling."

The venomous kite resembled a chicken in appearance. It was a type of low-level demon beast. Even when grown, it wasn't of much use, but its innate ice attribute could be used by cultivators to refine elixirs.

Yu Nuo let out an "oh", thought of the furball's appearance, and felt it indeed didn't seem like a high-level demon beast. Besides, he had never heard of anyone being able to keep a high-level demon beast. He quickly let the matter go.

After the banquet, General Hui immediately had someone bring Ji Rong, who had eaten and changed clothes. The reunion of uncle and nephew was naturally emotional, but Ji Rong held back from saying too much given the occasion. He just rubbed his hands and followed behind Zhou Yin.

Zhou Yin took out three voice transmission talismans and handed them to General Hui, "If you get news of those cultivators, write the information on this talisman and burn it. I will receive it immediately."

He paused, then said, "Since you gifted me the sword, if there is a matter of life and death urgency, you can also burn the talisman to summon me."

General Hui happily accepted them, "Then I must thank you."

Zhou Yin took Ji Rong and left. Yu Nuo personally saw them out and walked with them for a long while.

He took a deep breath. After much hesitation, he couldn't help but pull Zhou Yin aside, "Brother Zhou, I may know a thing or two about what those people were seeking in Zhou family's village."