Chapter 131 - 2 Years Later, Guard Leader Lu

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Lu Yang’s life remained relatively peaceful.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, he resumed his duties in the Imperial Prison and continued cultivating whenever he had free time.

He rarely left the prison without a reason, nor did he deliberately seek out opportunities to establish connections with powerful cultivators.

To outsiders, he was nothing more than a talented young guard with a respectable family background.

At twenty years of age now, he displayed the cultivation of the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering Realm. Although this was impressive, it was not particularly unusual among the descendants of influential families in the Imperial Capital.

...

Two years earlier, shortly after Lu Yang returned from Wuyuan Province, old Sun finally retired from his position as Guard Leader.

He had served in the Imperial Prison for decades, and although his cultivation was not very high, his experience and reliability earned him considerable respect.

His retirement had been anticipated for some time.

Consequently, the transition proceeded smoothly.

Lu Yang, who had spent the previous six years working under old Sun and learning the responsibilities of the position, naturally became the successor.

There were few objections, after all, his displayed cultivation had reached the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm at that time, and he had already demonstrated that he could handle the daily affairs of the prison competently.

Furthermore, his grandfather was a Prison Warden, and Prison Supervisor Wen Fanghong had long regarded him as a talent worth nurturing.

In the eyes of the other guards, Lu Yang’s promotion was entirely reasonable.

He was young, but capable, possessed sufficient cultivation to maintain order among prisoners, understood the procedures of the Imperial Prison, and knew how to manage his subordinates.

Most importantly, he did not cause trouble.

For those responsible for keeping the prison running smoothly, that alone was a considerable virtue.

After becoming Guard Leader, Lu Yang’s responsibilities increased, but his life did not become significantly more difficult.

He already knew how to arrange patrols, distribute duties, inspect records, and deal with the occasional dispute between prisoners and guards.

Old Sun had taught him these matters gradually over the preceding years, leaving him well prepared for the transition.

The only noticeable difference was that his salary increased.

The official salary itself was still modest. Even after the promotion, it was hardly enough to purchase meaningful cultivation resources on a regular basis even for a Body Tempering cultivator at the later stages.

However, the additional income associated with his position was another matter.

Through the ordinary arrangements and customs surrounding the Imperial Prison, Lu Yang received several dozen taels of silver each month beyond his official salary.

For a young man who had little interest in extravagant spending, this was already a good amount.

Combined with his other source of income, it was more than enough to support his current cultivation.

Of course, Lu Yang did not allow his other expenses to increase just because his income had improved.

Wealth was most useful when it could be converted into something more valuable, and for a cultivator, that something was strength.

...

During these two years, Lu Shishui’s official career also progressed as expected.

He had successfully assumed the position of Vice-Prefect.

His work in Canglan Prefecture had earned him a favorable reputation, and the support of his father-in-law had helped remove several obstacles along the way.

Although the promotion brought additional responsibilities, Lu Shishui adapted quickly.

He continued pursuing his cultivation whenever his official duties allowed, hoping to eventually break through to the Spirit Awakening Realm.

Lu Yang occasionally visited his family in Wuyuan Province, and each time he found his father occupied with increasingly complicated affairs.

Nevertheless, the family remained safe. At least, there had been no further assassination attempts that Lu Yang could detect.

This did not mean he had forgotten what happened that night.

On the contrary, it was precisely because the matter remained unresolved that he continued returning to Wuyuan Province every year.

He had two reasons for doing so.

The first was obvious; he wanted to see his family with his own eyes and ensure that the people who had once attempted to kill them did not make another move.

The second concerned Zheng Hui.

Two years earlier, Lu Yang had instructed him to accelerate his expansion and increase his profits as quickly as circumstances reasonably permitted.

Now, it was time to collect the results.

Fortunately, his decision had not been misplaced.

Lu Yang’s annual visits to Wuyuan Province had become something of a routine.

He would use his accumulated leave to spend an extended period away from the Imperial Capital, visit his family, inspect Zheng Hui’s business, and return before his absence caused any inconvenience.

As a Guard Leader, he received two days of leave each month.

By accumulating those days, he could arrange a sufficiently long journey without neglecting his responsibilities.

His direct superior was his grandfather, who naturally had little reason to object, as not only Lu Yang had worked under Old Sun for six years, but his performance had also been satisfactory, and he had never abused his position or caused unnecessary trouble.

Even if others wanted to find any fault, they couldn’t.

Thus, year after year, Lu Yang traveled to Wuyuan Province.

He never announced his movements particularly loudly, nor did he make a show of his wealth or cultivation.

He simply appeared, checked what needed checking, and left.

Indeed, the results accumulated fairly quickly.

Zheng Hui’s business had expanded considerably over the past two years.

The original shops in the county town continued to operate, while new businesses had gradually appeared in nearby county towns.

He had expanded cautiously at first, reinvesting the profits and ensuring that each new venture could sustain itself before moving on to the next.

However, as his experience and capital increased, he gradually became bolder and his pace accelerated.

By this year, his annual profits had reached approximately thirteen hundred taels of silver.

For a merchant who had once lost almost everything, this was a remarkable achievement.

The Zheng Family had not just regained its former influence, but long since surpassed it.

Zheng Hui had rebuilt his livelihood and established a foundation capable of supporting further expansion. Even more importantly, he had not forgotten Lu Yang’s instructions.

He continued collecting information about unusual items, cultivation resources, and significant developments throughout Wuyuan Province.

Whenever something potentially valuable appeared, he would make inquiries and determine whether it was worth acquiring.

Naturally, not every opportunity proved useful.

Some items were ordinary goods disguised as treasures, while others were too expensive or dangerous to pursue.

Nevertheless, the information itself had value.

Lu Yang had never expected Zheng Hui to discover extraordinary inheritances or information every year. As long as he continued building his business and occasionally encountered something useful, the arrangement would serve its purpose.

Naturally, the greatest beneficiary of this stability was Lu Yang himself.

When Lu Yang finally reviewed the accounts this year, he was immensely satisfied.

The business had grown beyond his initial expectations, and with his agreed share of the profits, combined with his own income, he no longer needed to worry about the ordinary expenses of cultivation.

Finally, he could just relax and cultivate at a rapid pace now.

Over the past two years, his cultivation had advanced steadily, and he had already reached the peak of the Second Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm.

Compared to his previous lives, such fast progress was astonishing.

In his third life, even with the abundant resources of the Lu Family, he had spent a much longer time cultivating. In this life, despite concealing his true cultivation and relying on a more modest supply of resources, he still advanced with remarkable speed.

His talent and comprehension were certainly important factors; without them, everything else was just empty talk.

However, the knowledge accumulated across his previous lives was equally valuable.

He did not need to waste years experimenting with matters he had already understood.

Even so, Lu Yang did not allow himself to become complacent.

The Spirit Awakening Realm was only the beginning of the path ahead.

Beyond it lay the Essence Gathering Realm, where cultivators underwent another substantial transformation in strength, and above even that was the Qi Sea Realm.

That was the realm he needed to reach in this life, and for that, he had to reach the Essence Gathering Realm before sixty-five years of age.

Only after reaching the Essence Gathering Realm could he begin to establish a more reliable foundation for protecting his family against the powerful cultivators and forces that operated beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Lu Yang sat quietly in his room after finishing his daily duties.

The surrounding Spirit Qi gathered around him, entering his body and circulating through the meridians before diffusing throughout his physique.

His Divine Sense spread through the room, carefully monitoring every change.

After some time, the fluctuations gradually settled as he slowly opened his eyes.

Before the end of this year, he should be able to achieve the Third Stage of Spirit Awakening Realm.