Chapter 116 - 103: Seeking Wu Han Again

Chapter 116: Chapter 103: Seeking Wu Han Again

After opening the letter, Hong Cheng couldn’t hide the smile on his face. "Haha, that’s Lu Yuan for you! He’s barely back and has already performed another great service. The head of the bandit leader, Hua Niang, is on its way."

"It should arrive in the next day or two. Record one third-class merit for Lu Yuan. When I find the time, I’ll personally go see that boy. I absolutely must reward him handsomely."

To have a subordinate who could ease his burdens was an absolute blessing for Hong Cheng.

Hong Zheng nodded. "You are right, Adoptive Father. Though Lu Yuan is young, he is truly capable. With this achievement, the matter of the Northern Border is finally behind you."

"Indeed," Hong Cheng sighed softly.

Then he said to Hong Zheng, "I heard that a while back, some people from Yunzhou came asking about Lu Yuan. Do you know what that was about?"

Hong Zheng pondered for a moment, then gathered his thoughts and explained the relationship between the Zhang Family and Lu Yuan. Naturally, he also briefly mentioned Zhang Zhe.

These days, these things weren’t much of a secret. Anyone who made the effort could find out.

Hong Cheng raised an eyebrow. "This Zhang Hong of Yunzhou is a State Governor, yet how can he have such poor judgment? To treat a rat like a treasure and toss aside pure gold."

After a moment of contemplation, Hong Zheng said, "Adoptive Father, now that Zhang Zhe has married into the Prince Manor, knowing that Lu Yuan has broken with the Zhang Family, do you think he might..."

"Let him try! This is the Northern Border, not the Imperial City. A mere Commandery Prince Consort can’t extend his reach this far. Still, keep an eye out. If they make any moves, report to me at once."

Hong Cheng’s eyes widened like bronze bells as he spoke.

A hint of ice flashed in his pupils. Lu Yuan wasn’t just his capable subordinate; he was also the man who had saved his life.

Hong Cheng couldn’t value him more highly.

If Zhang Zhe really dared to try any underhanded schemes, he wouldn’t hesitate to take the matter to the Imperial City.

Hong Zheng nodded and took his leave.

Back in Lu Yuan’s residence, after Zhou He had left, he entered a state of cultivation.

The Meridian Passage Realm was a process of Refining one’s meridians and opening all the acupoints throughout the body.

Normally, once a person opened all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, they would be considered to have reached Minor Achievement and could attempt a breakthrough to the next stage.

However, Lu Yuan’s vitality was so abundant that when he broke through, he had burst through all his acupoints and meridians at once.

All he needed to do now was to continuously Refine them.

This would allow them to accommodate more energy.

Nearly two months had passed since he reached the Minor Achievement stage.

Lu Yuan could feel all the meridians and acupoints in his body surging.

It felt like he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

So, he decided not to rest tonight, preparing to seize the opportunity to attempt a breakthrough. It would be ideal if he could reach the Great Success stage.

An unknown amount of time passed. Then, as the sky began to brighten...

HUMMM!

Every acupoint in Lu Yuan’s body hummed as a powerful energy surged forth from each one, and from all his meridians.

It filled Lu Yuan with an unprecedented sense of euphoric ease.

[Third-Grade Cultivation Skill "Tiger Subduing Posture" Meridian Passage, (1034/1000 Minor Achievement, Proceed to breakthrough?)]

’Break through.’

Immediately, another vast wave of energy, like a surging tide, pulsed from within him.

He could faintly hear what sounded like the roar of a tiger echoing from deep within his body.

Then, the system panel in his mind refreshed.

[Third-Grade Cultivation Skill "Tiger Subduing Posture" Meridian Passage, (34/10000 Great Success)]

Now, with every breath he took, it felt as if the pores of his skin were faintly breathing in and out, taking in and expelling energy.

After reaching the Great Success stage of Meridian Passage, his power had clearly taken another massive leap forward.

As he clenched his fists, the feeling of power was thoroughly invigorating.

By now, the sky was bright. Lu Yuan rose and opened his door.

A blast of cold air hit him in the face.

Winter in the Northern Border was, undeniably, frigid.

However, with his current level of cultivation, he was not bothered by the biting cold.

He left his room and went straight to his mother’s courtyard, pushing open the gate.

Inside, he saw his mother and An Niang eating together.

The breakfast was sumptuous and contained a few medicinal herbs, though not in large quantities, making it suitable for ordinary people.

Seeing her son, his mother chuckled. "Hongling had all this sent over for me. She invited me to eat with her, but it’s too cold and I’m too lazy to go out."

"You should go eat with her. There’s none for you here."

A warmth spread through Lu Yuan’s heart at his mother’s words.

He nodded. "Alright, Mother. I’ll go eat now."

With that, he headed out.

After he left, his mother looked at An Niang and asked, "What do you think is going on between Hongling and Yuan?"

An Niang smiled, pursing her lips. "You’re asking even though you already know. What other kind of relationship could there be between a young man and a young woman? Besides, have you ever seen a superior care so much for a subordinate?"

"I’d say Miss Hongling is definitely smitten with the Young Master. He’s just too young to have thought about it that way. He’ll understand when he’s older."

"Sigh, why is Yuan so dense? I’ll have to have a serious talk with him one of these days." His mother wore a helpless expression as she spoke.

「Meanwhile」

Lu Yuan arrived at the dining hall to find Zhou Hongling sitting and reading an intelligence report.

Only when she saw Lu Yuan did she put it down, smiling softly. "Let’s eat. This was all simmered overnight with potent herbs."

"It will be very beneficial for your current level of cultivation."

Lu Yuan nodded and began to eat heartily.

After a moment, though, he seemed to recall something and looked up. "How are the Zhou Family’s preparations in the buffer zone coming along?"

At his question, Zhou Hongling frowned in resignation. "Progress has been slow. The area closest to the three passes has already been occupied by the Celestial King Stronghold, and they have a huge number of people."

"So the family had to avoid them and try to establish a foothold elsewhere."

"But it’s not going well. The main army can’t leave the city, so we have to rely on private soldiers. We families of the Northern Lands are just too poor; we can’t compare to the clans and nobles from the Imperial City or the heart of the empire."

Right now, the Zhou Family’s progress in the buffer zone is very slow. They’ve only managed to set up a temporary camp, and besides mountain bandits, there are three or four other family factions in the vicinity.

One wrong move and they risk being wiped out.

And the Zhou Family doesn’t have the funds to raise another force.

Maintaining a private army is an incredible drain on finances.

Most factions simply can’t afford it.

Lu Yuan nodded, then asked with some confusion, "The Celestial King Stronghold is so close. Can’t we take them down?"

"It’s not that we can’t take them. If the Imperial Court allowed Sai City to dispatch troops, I could take the army and crush them in two days. They may have numbers, but they’re just a disorganized rabble. Few could withstand a charge from a disciplined army."

"But unfortunately, the Imperial Court forbids it. From now on, matters within the buffer zone are to be handled by the factions themselves."

"And for the various families, relying only on their private soldiers, to try and crush a force of a hundred thousand in a direct confrontation... that would be difficult."

"Besides, the Celestial King Stronghold isn’t the only enemy out there. No one wants to be the one to stick their neck out. And the buffer zone is huge—there’s no need to fight them to the death."

Zhou Hongling’s explanation gradually put Lu Yuan’s mind at ease.

’This means the Celestial King Stronghold is safe for now.’

However, Lu Yuan still had a problem to solve: silver.

The silver in the Captain’s Mansion’s Inner Treasury was down to less than twenty thousand taels, which wasn’t nearly enough to support his future cultivation expenses.

Furthermore, the development of the Celestial King Stronghold also required a great deal of silver. According to Zhou Hongling’s assessment, their hundred thousand men couldn’t even stand up to an attack from ten thousand of Sai City’s soldiers. ’They need to be turned into an elite force as soon as possible. If the Celestial King Stronghold had a hundred thousand elite Iron Cavalry, things would be completely different.’

’An army like that... never mind the Zhao Family’s leader who’s in the Gang Qi realm; even an Innate master would have no chance of escape.’

Therefore, acquiring more silver had become an absolute necessity.

But he wasn’t worried about that.

After all, this was Sai City. Here, the Captain held both military and administrative power. Even the Imperial Censor, responsible for reporting on local affairs, was now Huang Sheng, the Patriarch of the Huang Family.

In other words, Lu Yuan now had a free hand to do as he pleased.

Seeing his interest in the Celestial King Stronghold, Zhou Hongling thought he might be getting ideas and quickly said, "The Celestial King Stronghold has gathered a hundred thousand men. They aren’t easy to deal with. Without the court’s intervention, even an Innate master would be hard-pressed to do anything to them."

"Don’t you be reckless."

Her voice was tinged with anxiety.

She was clearly worried he might impulsively decide to make a move on the Celestial King Stronghold.

He just smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m planning to leave the city for a couple of days to inspect the villages and towns on the Wasteland, to see if they’ve been plundered."

"I’ve been away for half a year. I’ve been a rather negligent Captain, haven’t I?"

"Only remembering that now, are we?" Zhou Hongling said softly. "Well, go on then. Take plenty of men with you."

"There’s no need. Zhou He is all I need. With my current cultivation, I can protect myself just fine. A large retinue would just be a burden on the common folk," Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Zhou Hongling didn’t insist. As long as he was within the borders of Dayong, where the Imperial Court held sway, it was relatively safe.

"Alright, I’ll get ready to leave then." After speaking, Lu Yuan downed the last of his medicinal porridge in one go.

Then he rose and headed out.

Once outside the General’s Mansion, he found Zhou He already waiting. Clearly, the two had arranged this beforehand.

A warhorse was brought out—just an ordinary steed, not Red Scale.

After mounting, Lu Yuan said softly, "Let’s go."

He then rode toward the city gates, with Zhou He following close behind.

Their horses’ hooves clattered on the bluestone streets as they galloped out of the city.

Just outside the city gates, Zhou He reported, "Wu Han sent a message. They’ll be waiting for us at the edge of the buffer zone, by Ming Pearl Lake."

"Alright. Let’s head out."

Lu Yuan said calmly. He had changed his clothes after leaving the city and now wore black brocade robes under a black bearskin Great Cloak.

He exuded an air of nobility mixed with a hint of majesty, his face hidden behind a Bronze Mask.

They rode on toward Ming Pearl Lake.

To be honest, Lu Yuan was quite curious about the Celestial King Stronghold’s current situation.

He was especially curious after hearing that Wu Han had absorbed the members of another large stronghold.

They had become one of the few major powers in the buffer zone.

He wondered what their new stronghold looked like.