Chapter 7: 10 Days
Before nightfall, Xiao Hua had dinner ready, bringing it to the table with a radiant smile. There was one plate of prepared dried vegetables and another of steamed tofu.
It wasn’t a sumptuous meal, but it was made with great care.
She stood by the table and pursed her lips, then returned to the inner room and brought out a jug of wine.
"Yuan, it’s just a simple meal. I hope you don’t mind."
"What are you saying? In times like these, we’re lucky to have anything to eat at all." Lu Yuan chuckled as he sat down, not the least bit put off.
He took the coarse grain steamed bun Xiao Hua offered him and began to eat.
When Xiao Hua and her mother first moved in, they had some savings. But her mother was perpetually bedridden, so all their money went to buying medicine. Now, they were struggling to make ends meet.
On a daily basis, Xiao Hua supported them by making clothes for people at home. Her embroidery was excellent—her stitches were neat, and she could weave all sorts of patterns, so she had plenty of customers.
It was just enough to support the two of them, but they were by no means well-off. After all, with a sick person to care for, they were fortunate just to survive by scrimping and saving.
After Lu Yuan started eating, Xiao Hua attended to her mother, giving her medicine while making small talk with him.
By the time the meal was over, the three of them had gotten to know each other.
Seeing that it was almost dark outside, Lu Yuan wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, "It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now. If you need anything in the future, just call for me."
"Alright, Yuan," Xiao Hua said with a grin.
She was very cheerful and hadn’t let the burden of caring for her mother and supporting the family change her personality.
After Lu Yuan left, only the mother and daughter remained in the room. The middle-aged woman on the bed said between coughs, "COUGH, COUGH... Nothing suspicious. It seems he was genuinely dispatched here."
"Last night, those people came to Ice Valley Lane, but they didn’t act immediately. They just loitered nearby. That means they haven’t confirmed our identities. COUGH, COUGH..."
As soon as the middle-aged woman finished speaking, her coughing grew more severe.
"Mother, please don’t overthink it. I don’t think Lu Yuan is from their side either. Just focus on getting better. Besides, when we came here back then, didn’t we use the secret network in Dayong? It has gone completely dormant now. We haven’t received any special treatment all these years, so we shouldn’t have left any trail."
Xiao Hua softly comforted her mother.
The woman nodded without speaking, simply pulling the blanket up higher. She stroked Xiao Hua’s long hair and said, "You’ve suffered. But don’t worry, these days won’t last much longer."
"Ten years have passed. Your maternal grandfather is about to make his move."
"But the more critical the moment, the more careful we must be. Your cultivation must not, under any circumstances, be revealed."
"Mm," Xiao Hua nodded softly.
Inside the City Defense Camp, in Zhou Xiong’s room, a pot of pre-warmed wine and several side dishes sat on a small table.
Sitting opposite him was Zhou He.
They were drinking and warming themselves by the stove, their armor unfastened at some point.
"What do you think of this Lu Yuan?" Zhou Xiong asked quietly after picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
"He’s great. Reached Entry Level at such a young age, and he’s a good guy. Anyway, we got along great today," Zhou He said nonchalantly.
SMACK! Zhou Xiong rapped him on the head with his chopsticks.
"Is that what I was asking? I’m asking if it’s possible for him to join our Zhou Family."
"Uncle, isn’t that a bit much? He’s just a Centurion right now, and he only reached Entry Level a short while ago. If you recommend him to the Young Miss, won’t you get a beating?" Zhou He said with a wry smile.
The Zhou Family was a major clan in the Northern Border. The State General of Yan Province was the Zhou Family’s Patriarch, and Zhou Ruowei, the Camp Captain of Icefield City’s Garrison Soldiers, was also from the Zhou Family—the eldest daughter of the main branch.
Both Zhou Xiong and Zhou He were disciples from a branch family of the clan.
Besides their official duties, they also had another responsibility: to recruit talented prospects for the Zhou Family.
After all, for the Zhou Family to hold the position of Yan Province’s State General so securely, the few members of their family alone were not enough. They constantly absorbed talented prospects as disciples into their fold.
They were considered protégés and followers.
These branches and leaves were the foundation of their power, and the talent Lu Yuan had shown was worth observing.
His Entry Level cultivation wasn’t what made him stand out. It was mainly his Sword Skill reaching Great Success. This indicated his comprehension was very high.
After all, under normal circumstances, it was already quite impressive for an old soldier who had practiced the blade for decades to reach this stage.
What’s more, he was just a teenager.
"What do you know? Lu Yuan’s Sword Skill has reached Great Success. You’ve been training since you were a child, but the family’s Hammer Skill is only at Minor Achievement for you. He’s younger than you and has already reached Great Success. Besides, I never said I was going to recommend him to the Young Miss right now."
"I just asked you what kind of person he is. Why are you spouting so much nonsense?"
"Of course he’d be willing. Who doesn’t know about the Zhou Family’s Generals? And it’s not like we’re taking him as a house slave, just as a disciple. It’s just adding another layer of connection. The benefits for him would be huge. At the very least, in a place like Yan Province, his promotions would be much faster," Zhou He said, chewing his food.
"Mm, I think so too. But let’s wait and see. Recommending him just at the Entry Level is indeed a bit inappropriate. If he can reach Bone Forging before he turns eighteen, then that, combined with his Great Success in Sword Skill, would be perfectly fine," Zhou Xiong said.
But at this moment, Zhou He was sipping his wine, his eyes narrowed. "Uncle, that neighbor of Lu Yuan’s... she’s not simple, is she? From the look of things last night, the Northern Barbarians’ spies seemed to be after her household, yet they didn’t dare to offend them in the slightest."
"On the contrary, during the fight, they did their best to avoid her place. And you seemed to deliberately steer clear too. Is there some story behind that?"
"I’m not sure myself, but she definitely has a background. I heard the higher-ups ordered us to protect her discreetly and not to disturb her. It’s better not to ask about these things. We should just focus on our own duties. In this vast eight-thousand-li Northern Border of Dayong, with over a hundred Sai Cities, it’s a melting pot of all sorts. What kind of person wouldn’t you find?" Zhou Xiong said softly, sipping his wine.
Zhou He nodded silently.
While the uncle and nephew were talking, Lu Yuan returned to his own home. The stove hadn’t gone out, and a wave of heat greeted him as soon as he opened the door.
He drank a cup of tea, then stoked the fire for the heated kang bed.
Then, he opened the manual for the "Golden Bell Shield" to study it.
It was indeed an excellent Body Refining Skill. According to the text, reaching the Entry Level was easy, but achieving Minor Achievement was already extremely difficult.
Very few people ever trained it to Great Success.
At that stage, one could almost ignore attacks from those at the same cultivation realm.
And after reaching Perfection, one could even block attacks from someone a full realm higher.
Furthermore, the boost to one’s strength was also significant.
In fact, it was quite suitable for soldiers to cultivate, but it was somewhat difficult for the average person to master.
But Lu Yuan wasn’t afraid. He had a system; bottlenecks didn’t exist for him.
As for the suffering of Body Refining described in the manual, he paid it no mind at all. What he feared most now was failing to rise above the rest, just like the original owner of this body, who was abandoned at the first sign of trouble.
’I want to control my own destiny, to become a decision-maker.’
’Not a pawn on someone else’s board.’
After memorizing the "Golden Bell Shield," Lu Yuan removed his armor and went outside to practice his Sword Skill.
In his mind, the system’s voice continuously provided notifications.
[Host has swung their blade once. "Breaking Blade Eight Techniques" Skill Level +1]
[Host has swung their blade once. "Breaking Blade Eight Techniques" Skill Level +1]
[Host has swung their blade once. "Breaking Blade Eight Techniques" Skill Level +1]
...
After practicing his Sword Skill for two hours, Lu Yuan didn’t stop. Instead, he stood next to an ironwood tree, a species unique to the Northern Border, and began repeatedly slamming his body against its trunk.
Battering his own flesh.
The ironwood tree was incredibly hard, comparable to steel. An ordinary blade could barely scratch it, making it excellent for practicing the "Golden Bell Shield".
As his shoulder slammed into it again and again, a dull thudding sound echoed in the courtyard.
At the same time, the system’s voice rang out in his mind again.
[Host’s body has sustained a heavy impact. "Golden Bell Shield" Skill Level +1]
...
After another two hours of practice, even with Lu Yuan’s physique, he was slightly out of breath. He then went back inside and began to cultivate the "Lying Tiger Posture".
’In this world, strength was everything. Without it, all else was just empty talk.’
’Compared to life and death, everything else is just a scratch.’
’The only thing that mattered was becoming stronger.’
For the next period of time, Lu Yuan trained with high intensity almost every day. After becoming an official Centurion of the City Guard Army, his gate duty was a rotation of once every ten days.
He had plenty of time, and he also took care of a few things.
For example, he rented out his fifty acres of land. Although it was a considerable amount, the yield from northern land was limited, so he only collected fifteen taels of silver a year. It was the market rate, so there was nothing to complain about.
At the same time, when he was free, he would also go drinking with Old Huang.
He also gradually became more familiar with his neighbor, Xiao Hua. She would sometimes visit, and if she saw he had torn clothes, she would mend them for him.
Their neighborly relationship was quite harmonious.
「In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.」
Tomorrow was Lu Yuan’s day for duty. After finishing his cultivation today, he opened the system panel, ready to check his training progress over the past few days.