An Ordinary Person

"Fifteen days of practice a month, and I'll be done in thirty years. That means... it'll take me about thirty years to become an Innate Realm Martial Master..."

Upon seeing this line of writing, Wei Tu's expression was a mixture of complexity and joy.

The complexity stemmed from—

His previous Health Cultivation Technique had only been practiced for five years, but this Marrow Cleansing Scripture would take a full thirty years.

And he was only twenty-two years old right now.

The joy stemmed from—

As long as he cultivated according to the plan, after he turned fifty-two, he would have a very high probability of becoming an Innate Realm Martial Master. At that point, he could extend his lifespan by a whole generation, reaching two hundred years.

An Innate Realm Martial Master in his fifties was considered young, even in Zheng State.

Otherwise, when the elder Xue Du of Wu Yun Tower tried to recruit him, he wouldn't have offered to make him an Innate Realm Martial Master before he was fifty.

"Plans can't keep up with changes..."

"If I can only become an Innate Realm Martial Master after fifty, then Xinghua and I need to put having children on the agenda."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

After fifty, he would have successfully extended his life and would still be a vigorous "young man," but Xinghua might not be.

Xinghua would be nearing sixty in thirty years, and by then, even if she wanted to have children, she wouldn't be able to.

Even if they had children, he might have to endure the pain of an elder outliving their child, but he couldn't... let Xinghua miss the chance to have children.

Once Xinghua grew old.

Their children would be their only solace.

"In the future, if our children can't succeed in martial arts cultivation, there will be grandchildren. There's no need to be so fixated on this."

Wei Tu made up his mind.

He couldn't just not have children because they might "not amount to much" in the future.

With his current status, providing his children with a prosperous and stable life was already enough.

With that thought, Wei Tu got up. He stopped meditating and cultivating. He walked out of the cultivation room, drew a bucket of well water, washed himself clean, and then went into the living room, crawling into Xinghua's bed.

"Brother Wei, the kitchen still has the fish maw we bought today..." Xinghua's cheeks flushed, her voice trembling as she nudged Wei Tu beside her, reminding him.

"We won't be using this anymore."

"Including pig bladders."

Wei Tu said decisively.

"Brother Wei, have you thought it through?" Xinghua's face immediately lit up upon hearing this.

She and Wei Tu had been married for almost five years, but she hadn't gotten pregnant. They had been secretly mocked by their neighbors several times, and even Cai Xia had privately advised her to go to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic to get some fertility-enhancing medicine.

However.

In reality, She had unspeakable hardships.

For the past five years, it wasn't that she didn't want children, but Wei Tu had always said to wait.

The two of them had been using contraceptive methods like pig bladders and fish maw.

Fortunately, after today, she wouldn't have to wait anymore.

Things unfolded as Wei Tu had guessed.

Less than a month after he returned to the county town from Sanyuan Township, the garrison troops' yamen issued a military order to attack the branch of Wu Yun Tower.

This time, it was an urgent military order, commanding the conscripted soldiers to depart within half a day, with no delays. Those who violated the deadline would be executed.

Both Wei Tu and Wei Fei, due to their high martial arts skills and having been Martial Scholars in the previous session, were within the scope of the garrison troops' conscription.

Thus.

At the third watch of the evening, a contingent of several hundred elite garrison troops, under the command of County Lieutenant Xu, filed out of the county town gate and galloped through the night.

"These soldiers appear to be elites, but they have no combat experience. I'm afraid they'll suffer greatly on the battlefield..."

"Governor Wang is just engaging in theoretical warfare..."

On the way, Wei Fei and Wei Tu rode side by side. Wei Fei glanced at the soldiers following them on their forced march and shook his head, saying.

The garrison troops in Qingshan County numbered around three thousand on paper, but the actual number of enlisted men was only a little over a thousand.

Most of these thousand-plus men, due to the low pay and arrears of the garrison troops, had become laborers and were making a living elsewhere in the county town.

The military order to conscript soldiers this time came too suddenly, leaving the garrison troops' yamen with no time to prepare. Therefore, the conscripted soldiers, in addition to some garrison troops, included many household retainers and Martial Masters from local prominent families.

Consequently, while these men appeared braver and stronger than the garrison troops, they were not resilient.

They would fall into disarray at the slightest encounter.

"I don't think Wu Yun Tower will be much stronger than us."

"They're just a martial arts sect, not enemy soldiers on a battlefield. They're no different from bandits."

"Besides, we're only dealing with one branch."

Wei Tu pondered for a moment and offered some comfort.

If County Lieutenant Xu had led this ragtag bunch into a tough fight, he would have definitely deserted halfway.

But he believed that Wu Yun Tower wasn't much stronger than them, and might even be worse.

On the battlefield, it was all about who was the lesser of two evils.

As long as their side made fewer mistakes than Wu Yun Tower, they had a chance to win.

"That's right, we're only dealing with a branch of Wu Yun Tower. A single branch, I doubt they'll have many people. A formidable enemy!"

Wei Fei nodded upon hearing this, letting out a laugh.

Next.

Wei Tu and Wei Fei fell silent, conserving their energy as they awaited the upcoming battle.

An hour later.

The rapid march halted at a ridge. The commander, County Lieutenant Xu, ordered the troops to sit and rest, extinguish their torches, and prepare to don their armor.

"Is this Siyang Town in Baiyang County?"

"The Wu Yun Tower branch is hidden here?"

Wei Tu rode his horse forward, glancing at the terrain outside the ridge under the bright moonlight. After comparing it with the military map in his hand, he mused to himself.

He and Wei Fei were only mid-level military officials in the garrison troops, so they weren't privy to detailed military orders. Thus, they only learned the specific target location upon arriving at their destination.

Wei Tu looked down from his vantage point, surveying the entire Siyang Town. Combined with the military map, he tried to estimate which of the many buildings in Siyang Town housed the Wu Yun Tower branch.

However, after a long time, he couldn't discern anything peculiar about Siyang Town.

Like many small towns of this era, Siyang Town was pitch black at night, with only a few wealthy households displaying lamplight.

"It seems I don't have exceptional military talent," Wei Tu chuckled wryly.

—He had memorized the several volumes of military books tested in the Martial Arts Examination. But in today's practical application, after racking his brain, he realized he couldn't effectively devise suitable tactics based on the books and the local conditions. At this moment... he felt rather helpless.

"If not for my 'Late Bloomer' Destiny, which can enhance my strength, I'd probably still be mediocre..."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

It had only taken him five years to perfect his Health Cultivation Technique and reach the Qi Sensing Realm, achieving what his Master, Dan Wu Ju, never could in his lifetime. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

However, it was only now that Wei Tu suddenly realized how ordinary he was. Apart from his 'Late Bloomer' Destiny, he seemed no different from anyone else.

He was just a mediocre person.

Wei Tu rode his horse away.

He rejoined the rapid march formation.

Soon, County Lieutenant Xu informed them of the Wu Yun Tower branch's hiding place.

"Liu Family Fort. Built against the mountain, it's easy to defend and difficult to attack. It's located in the northwest corner of Siyang Town, with the Mian River flowing past it, serving as a natural moat..."

County Lieutenant Xu said slowly.