Outside the small hill of Shuangyue City, Chu Chen raised his hand and used a summon card.
In an instant, three thousand light infantrymen appeared in the open space ahead.
This time, Chu Chen did not come alone, but brought ten dark guards from the Imperial Guards.
"Greetings, my Lord!"
"Rise."
Chu Chen nodded, pointing to the dark guards beside him and said, "You shall obey their arrangements. They will incorporate you into the Imperial Guards."
"Yes! We shall obey my Lord's command!"
The three thousand light infantrymen produced by the system raised no objections and, under the command of the ten dark guards of the Imperial Guards, headed into Shuangyue City.
In this era, the nights outside the city were not very safe, and they could not stay until dawn before mixing into the city as they did before.
In fact, it was no longer necessary. The fame of the Imperial Guards was now known throughout the Yunyue Kingdom. They only needed to lead people in batches to the surrounding counties, openly stating that they were recruiting personnel to purchase uniforms. After changing into their uniforms, they could return to Shuangyue City.
Following this, Chu Chen used another dark guard summon card, summoning one hundred dark guards. He handed them over to one of the dark guards beside him to teach them about the affairs of the dark guards, and then arranged for them to depart immediately to investigate the situation of various martial arts sects.
With the cultivation of the dark guards at the Body Refining realm, there were no fierce beasts in the wild that could be their match, so there was no need to worry about safety.
Afterward, Chu Chen held a random character summon card in one hand and continued to use the summon.
As the two summon cards were used together, after the pale white light dissipated, Chu Chen was stunned.
"Your subordinate Minmin Temuer, Zhao Min, pays respects to my Lord!"
"Your subordinate Mu Du pays respects to my Lord!"
"Ah, this, quickly, please rise."
Chu Chen reacted and quickly gestured with his hand.
Upon hearing this, the two straightened their backs, which stunned Chu Chen again.
This was because the two of them stood together, each with such a distinct characteristic, forming a stark contrast.
Mu Du had a delicate appearance, but his eyes were cold and untamed. Beneath his light cyan robe, his build was not tall or robust, only about 1.65 meters and appearing thin.
Beside him, Zhao Min, although wearing the black and white dress provided by the system, had a smiling, interested gaze as she sized up Chu Chen. On her seemingly smooth and fair face, there was an air of heroism. Her large eyes sparkled as if with flowing waves, observing Chu Chen and his companions.
Her height was slightly greater than Mu Du's, about 1.72 meters. She wore a sword at her waist, held a white fan, and had long, slender legs and a delicate waist. Her full chest strained against her clothes, appearing to be easily held in one's embrace.
"System, how did Zhao Min come out? System? Damn it, I forgot to update."
Chu Chen called out in his mind several times. Not receiving a response from the system, he remembered that the system had been unresponsive for a month due to an update.
"My Lord, is something wrong? Is there something amiss with my face?" Zhao Min asked with a smile.
Chu Chen felt a headache. This Zhao Min, in the historical drama "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" from his previous life, was not a docile girl. He could only hope that the characters produced by the system would not get him into trouble.
"Ahem, there is nothing amiss, I was just a little surprised." Chu Chen coughed lightly and replied.
"I see. Your subordinate thought my Lord was captivated by my beauty, staring intently, and was already contemplating the matter of sharing your bed~" Zhao Min opened her folding fan, covering her eyes to her chin, and chuckled teasingly.
Mu Du, standing beside her, frowned but said nothing.
"Damn it, I'm not a lustful ghost, why would I want to sleep with you? Even the ten beauties the Empress gifted me, after I took them as concubines, I sent them to do laundry without even touching them. Am I that desperate for you?"
"You dare to tease me as soon as you appear. This mischievous and eccentric personality is a headache." Chu Chen felt a little helpless in his heart and said, "Miss Zhao, I have summoned men in the past. It is only natural to be surprised when a woman is summoned for the first time. Please do not overthink it."
"Alright then." Zhao Min's eyes seemed to hold a hint of disappointment, making Chu Chen's heart skip a beat.
He quickly activated his Insight and combined it with his passive skill, the purple-tier "Wise Eyes to Recognize People" and the god-tier "Identification Technique" to check their attribute data.
[Name: Mu Du.]
[Gender: Male.]
[Age: 22.]
[Cultivation: Body Refining.]
[Profession: None]
[Talent: Red-tier Intelligence Operations, Purple-tier Information Gathering, Purple-tier Shadow's Darkness, Purple-tier Shapeshifting, Purple-tier Meticulous Mind.]
[Name: Minmin Temuer, Zhao Min.]
[Gender: Female.]
[Age: 17.]
[Cultivation: Body Refining.]
[Profession: None]
[Talent: Red-tier Intelligent and Quick-witted, Purple-tier Elusive and Cunning, Purple-tier Martial Arts Foundation, Purple-tier Skilled in Strategy.]
"..."
Chu Chen felt that he had won big with this draw. Had the luck he couldn't get good talents with in his previous life as a life simulator been transferred to this random character draw?
Zhao Min and Mu Du remained silent, watching Chu Chen. Their expressions were slightly different: one smiling, the other with a gloomy, pale face.
"You two are new here. First, you will return to my residence with me. Once you are familiar with things, I will make arrangements for you."
"Yes!" Mu Du and Zhao Min replied with clasped hands.
Although Zhao Min had dared to tease Chu Chen earlier, she appeared serious and obedient when receiving Chu Chen's orders.
Soon, Chu Chen and his entourage returned to the residence. He summoned the dark guards to handle the legal procedures for their origins, and then temporarily left them alone.
Several days later, during the morning court. After discussing matters of livelihood and governance, the Empress asked with a troubled expression, "My esteemed ministers, have you heard about the recent spiritual energy resurgence and the improvement of martial arts realms among the common people?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your ministers are aware." Several high-ranking officials of the third rank and above responded.
The Empress nodded and said, "Currently, among the civilian martial arts sects, it is said that some have already reached the Qi Transformation realm, which is vastly more powerful than the Foundation Building realm. Furthermore, their disciples' martial arts realms are all advancing."
"However, my court seems to have not made significant progress in martial arts. If this continues, it may not be a blessing. Do you have any solutions?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Your minister has also entered the Qi Transformation realm!" Before Chu Chen could speak, the Grand General of State, Wei Zi, stepped forward and shouted, his face filled with pride.
"This is excellent, excellent!" The Empress was overjoyed. Having a Qi Transformation realm expert in the court was a great relief, as she feared having none.
At this moment, Chu Chen also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, your minister has also entered the Qi Transformation realm. The minor advancements in the martial arts sects of the jianghu are not a cause for concern. However, their disciples' cultivation is generally much higher than that of our army's soldiers, which we must guard against."
The Empress's heart was even more pleased, and she secretly marveled at Chu Chen's extraordinary talent, reaching the Qi Transformation realm before the age of twenty-three.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Wei Zi.
As expected, Wei Zi's face stiffened, and his previous pride vanished. He had reached the Qi Transformation realm at the age of fifty-six, while Prime Minister Chu had reached it at twenty-three. How could they be compared? Truly, comparing oneself to others could be maddening.