Chapter 17: Iron Kite
Outside the Merit Tower, Lu Yuan headed inside with Old Huang following behind him. There were quite a few people inside.
He had just stepped through the courtyard gate when he overheard a discussion.
"Have you heard? A squad of Northern Barbarian Iron Kites has appeared near Sai City. There aren’t many of them, only fifty or sixty, but they’ve already wiped out three of our Hundred-Man Squads on patrol. Yun Mo from Huqiu Fortress accepted the mission, says he’s going to eliminate them."
"Then it shouldn’t be a problem. Who do you think Yun Mo is? He’s the Young Tiger of the Northern Border. In a fight of that scale, he’s probably the only one who could pull it off."
...
The chatter continued, but Lu Yuan paid it little mind.
’The Iron Kites are one of the Northern Barbarians’ strongest elite units. Though small in number, they excel at mounted archery and are fully clad in iron armor. They’re not something my squad can handle.’
’All I need to do is stick to finding some regular Northern Barbarian scouts, grind out some merit, and earn a little silver. That’ll be enough.’
He went to the mission selection area, looked everything over, and finally chose the one most suitable for him.
A twelve-man Northern Barbarian scout squad, with two Entry Level adepts.
’This one looks good. We’ll start with this for some practice.’
After selecting the mission, Lu Yuan turned to Old Huang. "Tell the others to assemble early tomorrow morning."
"I’m on it." Old Huang nodded and left.
Lu Yuan also walked out the door, preparing to head home.
However, just as he arrived outside the City Defense Department, he saw Zhou He walking out alongside another man.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan, Zhou He’s face lit up.
"Lu Yuan, I was just about to look for you to grab a drink."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to his companion. "This is my friend, Wu Han. Although he hasn’t been made a Centurion yet, he’s already reached Entry Level. He’s got great talent. Let’s all go for a drink."
Lu Yuan looked over and saw a stocky young man who, for some reason, had a bruised and swollen face.
The man smiled upon seeing him and said, "Greetings, Sir."
"We’re all friends, no need to be so formal. How about some cow offal?" Lu Yuan said with a chuckle.
’Zhou He was a good guy. A friend he vouched for should be fine.’
"Sounds good," Zhou He agreed, and the three of them headed for the Cow Offal Shop.
It was still morning, and the shop had just opened, so there weren’t many people.
The three found a quiet spot to sit, ordered a pot of cow offal and a few cold side dishes, and began to drink.
Wu Han spoke very little; Zhou He did almost all the talking as they ate.
After a few drinks, Zhou He got even chattier. He looked at Wu Han and said, "Are you just going to put up with this? Your Centurion hits you today, and tomorrow he’ll be daring enough to climb on your head and take a shit.
You’ve reached Entry Level, so why don’t you have the guts to take him on?"
Zhou He was slurring his words slightly.
Lu Yuan sipped his wine without saying a word. ’I don’t know Wu Han well. It’s best to just listen.’
"Zhou, it’s not a question of whether I can win a fight. Our Centurion is a Centurion’s brother-in-law. What can I do?"
"That Centurion Sun of yours is a real bastard, filling his ranks with relatives. But you can’t be a coward! When a man gets strong, he has to be able to stand firm. If you have no spine, they’ll still bully you even if you break through to Bone Forging. The Northern Border is no place for the meek. You have to be ruthless to stand your ground."
Zhou He said, glancing at Wu Han.
Wu Han didn’t say anything.
He just kept his head down and ate.
Seeing him like this, Zhou He couldn’t be bothered to say more and turned to Lu Yuan. "Are you heading out of the city soon?"
"Leaving tomorrow. Why? You have something in mind?" Lu Yuan asked, taking a sip of wine.
"I’m not planning on going out for now." Zhou He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to Wu Han.
"Aren’t you short on money lately? Any interest in going with Lu Yuan tomorrow? He’s plenty strong, nothing bad will happen," Zhou He asked.
It was clear he was trying to look out for Wu Han.
After a moment of hesitation, Wu Han said, "I think I’ll pass."
He then went back to eating with his head down. A moment later, having polished off more than half the pot of cow offal, he stood up and said, "My mother needs to take her medicine. I’m heading back. Let’s do this again some other time."
"You son of a bitch. I tried to help you out, nearly got into a fight with your Centurion, and you just wipe your mouth and leave without even paying for the meal?" Zhou He felt he had lost face in front of Lu Yuan.
Wu Han just chuckled. "Next time. I’ll treat you both next time."
With that, he turned and left the shop.
Once Wu Han was out the door, Zhou He shook his head toward the entrance. "That kid has great talent and his cultivation improves quickly, but he’s just too timid. He’s been in the City Defense Department for years and just refuses to leave the city.
And he’s always trying to get transferred to the Supply Camp. I don’t even know what to say about him."
"Everyone has their own way of living. As a friend, it’s enough to offer a little advice. Saying too much just makes things awkward," Lu Yuan said quietly.
’Not everyone has the courage to risk their life. It has nothing to do with strength.’
"I’m just angry because in all these years, there are very few people I consider a friend. You’re one, and he’s another. But no matter what I do, I can’t seem to prop Wu Han up."
Zhou He said, gulping down his wine.
After venting to Lu Yuan for a while, the two of them paid the bill and left.
Lu Yuan didn’t give the incident another thought.
On the way home, he bought some fine flour and braised meat, then went straight to Xiao Hua’s house.
Seeing what he was carrying, she blinked. "Are you preparing to leave the city again?"
As she spoke, she took the bags from him and skillfully began to prepare the dough.
Lu Yuan hummed in agreement and started to help.
At the same time, he chatted idly with Xiao Hua’s mother.
By now, the three of them were like a family. Lu Yuan no longer felt reserved in their home and did whatever needed doing.
Xiao Hua’s mother seemed very happy to see this.
After dinner was finished and a pot of steamed buns had been prepared, Lu Yuan finally returned to his own home.
He didn’t cultivate that night, resting early instead.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, he left the house with his rations, leading a horse by the reins.
Sometime earlier, Lu Yuan had built a stable at his home, where he kept both his horses. It made heading out much more convenient.
When he reached the city gate, Wei Yong and the others were already waiting.
Seeing Lu Yuan, they quickly came forward and saluted, "Sir."
"No need for formalities. If everyone’s here, let’s set out," Lu Yuan said slowly, glancing over the men to see that they had all arrived.
He then thrust a map into Old Huang’s hands. "Ancient River Village. Do you know where it is?"
Old Huang glanced at the map and replied, "It’s not far from us, only a seventy or eighty li ride. These scouts have some nerve, daring to wander around here. We’ll definitely intercept them before dark."
Old Huang said with a grin.
Lu Yuan nodded. "Then let’s ride."
With that, he vaulted onto his horse’s back.
He led the dozen or so men out of the city.
The sound of hooves kicked up clouds of dust, and in a moment, they had vanished from sight.
「Meanwhile」
Near Ancient River Village, a hundred-man force had come to a stop. At its head was a young man clad in black iron armor, a long spear in his hand.
His expression was stern as he sat ramrod straight on his horse.
A small scar marked the corner of his eye. This was none other than Yun Mo, a Centurion of Huqiu Fortress and the disciple of the Zhou Family’s Third Master, Zhou Ming.
"The Iron Kite squad has joined up with other scouts."
Yun Mo said softly. Far in the distance, a Northern Barbarian cavalry unit of sixty to seventy riders was in a standoff with them.