Chapter Four: I Injured You, So There’s No Need for Compensation, Right?

“Our Tiger Might Battalion is quite different from other military units!”
“As the saying goes, true concealment lies in the city; that is exactly how our Tiger Might Battalion operates!”

On the streets of Qinghe Town, Fatty Li pointed to the blacksmith working nearby, waving his hand to indicate him.
“See! This is Old Zhang from our Tiger Might Battalion. He’s the finest blacksmith in Qinghe Town, and many of our weapons are forged by his hands!”
“That’s Old Tailor Li. His workmanship is impeccable—you can have him tailor your clothes, and if you mention the Tiger Might Battalion, you’ll get a discount.”

Sumu looked at Fatty Li, opening his mouth but finding himself at a loss for words.
This Tiger Might Battalion was extraordinary!
They encompassed nearly every trade imaginable—blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, and more.
No wonder Fatty Li said that the people of the Tiger Might Battalion found their own ways to make money.
It seemed their military titles were merely for show.
Traveling this far, Sumu hadn’t seen many who actually possessed combat prowess.
If the Tiger Might Battalion were to be sent into battle, they’d likely be wiped out in no time.

“So what about you? How do you make your living?”
Sumu glanced at Fatty Li, genuinely curious.
Hearing this, Fatty Li hesitated, then cleared his throat and scratched his head.
“I’m different from the others!” he said.
“My coffin-making skills are second to none! It’s just a shame these days, not many can afford coffins.”

Sumu sighed softly.
“Is it still possible for me to back out now?”

Fatty Li suddenly grew anxious, gripping Sumu’s hand so tightly that the flesh on his face quivered.
“That won’t do! Once you join the Tiger Might Battalion, there’s no quitting!”
“Besides, other battalions have the hard labor, but we’re different!”
“Though there’s no salary, you hold a military post! With it, you can buy a property in the city at a very low price.”
“You’ll also get a free sword and soft armor. And if worse comes to worst, you can run a tab at our own shops.”

Sumu raised an eyebrow.
Run a tab?
That piqued his interest.
Having just arrived in Qinghe Town with no money to his name, such benefits were quite appealing.

“Alright then, I’ll take a look around on my own.”
Sumu took the bag and walked toward the other side.
Su Yi followed obediently behind him, saying not a word the entire time.

Her small eyes kept glancing curiously at the surroundings.
When she saw some delicious food, she couldn’t help but purse her lips slightly.

“Feeling hungry?”
Sumu glanced back and smiled lightly.

Su Yi blushed faintly and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, shaking her head vigorously.

Sumu said nothing more and carried his bag toward the military camp ahead.

At the camp's entrance, two soldiers eyed Sumu coldly.
“This is not a place for you. Get lost!” they said sharply.

Sumu remained unfazed and drew the Tiger Might Battalion token from his waist.
“Gentlemen, I am from the Tiger Might Battalion. By luck, I managed to slay a few barbarians and came to claim a reward.”

Sumu knew well that frontier cities offered rewards to soldiers who bravely defeated barbarians.
The tokens taken from the barbarians’ waists could be exchanged for silver.
The tokens were classified as black iron, bronze, silver, and gold, representing different ranks.
Black iron signified a squad leader, bronze a centurion, silver a military commandant also known as a thousand-rider commander.
The gold level was reserved for commanders of entire armies, capable of commanding tens of thousands.
Such figures were practically untouchable—survival alone was a blessing.

“From the Sick Cat Battalion? You killed barbarians? Sounds like you just got lucky picking up scraps,” sneered the two soldiers.

Sumu made no reply, instead showing them the black iron token from his chest.
“Gentlemen, may I enter?”

The two soldiers exchanged glances and reluctantly stepped aside.
“Go ahead.”

Sumu turned and looked at Su Yi.
“Wait here for me.”

Su Yi nodded and stood at the camp gate, watching from afar.

Inside the camp, some soldiers were training.
Though called training, it was essentially a few soldiers sparring with each other.
But everyone tacitly knew to hold back.
It was more entertainment than true exercise.

Seeing this crude form of training, Sumu shook his head.
In these times, war was fought in a rough and ready manner.
Military strategy?
Most soldiers only knew to charge headlong.

Battles were purely won by numbers!
Judging by the quality of these soldiers, one could only say it was truly worrisome.
No wonder, despite having ten times the manpower of the barbarians, the Dalang forces were often routed by barbarian armies.

“Hey, you over there! Come here!”

At that moment, a playful voice rang out.

Sumu turned to see a burly man with a thick beard standing on a fighting platform, his muscular arms on display.
Around him, a group of bruised and battered soldiers trembled in his presence.

Sumu frowned and approached the platform. Looking at the burly man, he spoke calmly, “Sir, may I ask what you require?”

The burly man beckoned with his hand and said boldly, “Come up and spar with me for a few rounds!”

Sumu shook his head and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
“Sir, I’m here just to claim my reward. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
“Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m no match for you.”

The burly man glanced at the black iron token on Sumu’s waist, surprised.
“Oh? You killed a squad leader-level barbarian? Interesting!”
“The reward for a squad leader is two taels of silver. If you can last twenty moves against me, I’ll pay you twenty taels. How about that?”

Sumu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Two taels of silver could buy two thousand jin of rice.
Twenty taels would allow him and Su Yi to improve their diet considerably for a while.

“Well then, I graciously accept,” Sumu said.

The surrounding soldiers chuckled at his words.
“Here comes another fool. Deputy Commander Chen once single-handedly fought off a twenty-man barbarian squad. This skinny guy won’t last a single move!”
“Has anyone ever walked away with even a tael from Chen?”
“I don’t know about others, but this guy doesn’t stand a chance!”

Sumu overheard their whispers and understood the situation.

He set his belongings aside and stepped onto the platform.
Looking at Deputy Commander Chen, Sumu hesitated for a moment before solemnly speaking, “Sir Chen, there’s something I’m unsure whether I should say.”

Chen beckoned him again and patted his chest boldly.
“Speak! There’s no need to hide anything from me!”

Sumu cupped his hands and smiled shyly.
“Sir Chen, if I end up injuring you, I assume I won’t need to compensate, right?”