Merit Recorded

"Let's leave the merit you earned this time uncounted for now. Once you pass the Xiucai examination, I'll pull some strings and have it counted together with the rest." Sun Shouren held a scroll of the Record of Merits and was calculating each entry one by one.

The calculation of military merit was extremely meticulous. Every severed head had to have a precise origin.

This was only bandit suppression. In wartime, the Supervisory Battle Squad would also calculate military merit alongside them.

"I'll do as you say, foster father." Chen Mo had no objections.

He currently had neither official honors nor scholar registration. At most, the merits he earned could get him some silver and raise his official rank by one or two levels. It was impossible for him to receive an official post with a formal grade.

Rather than that, he might as well store these merits for the time being and make plans after obtaining official honors.

"Keep a close watch on these remaining bandits. Guard them carefully and absolutely do not let them die. Grand Heaven Dao mobilized so many able-bodied young men—there's no way they aren't plotting rebellion. Once I return, I'll submit a memorial to His Majesty and request an imperial decree to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Sun Shouren's tone was stern. An unknown Daoist power had managed, without making a sound, to mobilize over a hundred able-bodied young men armed with weapons.

Even if Du Tian Dao Sect claimed that it had no intention of rebelling, few people would believe it.

For the sake of public duty, as a regional commander who received a salary from the imperial court, he naturally had to handle this matter.

For personal reasons, the people of Du Tian Dao Sect had killed his nephews and kin. This enmity had to be avenged.

Otherwise, he would have no explanation to give himself, his clan, or the personal soldiers under his command.

"Fifth Brother took Fourth Brother's coffin home first. He won't be able to return until some time later. If some other accident delays him, he'll go straight to the prefectural city to take the provincial examination for juren and won't return to the military camp for now."

Chen Mo spoke in a low voice, recounting everything Mo Hu had instructed him before leaving.

Sun Shouren said nothing more, but a rare trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes.

When he had originally taken these foster sons in, he had indeed done so for his own interests, hoping they would fight alongside him on the battlefield.

But people were not grass or trees—how could they be without feelings? Even an object kept by one's side for a long time could inspire attachment, let alone a living, breathing person.

Mo Dao had died, so it was only natural that he felt grief. However, as a general, he could not easily reveal such emotions.

"That Purple-Robed Daoist dared to intercept and kill an imperial official. I've already reported it to the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Before long, experts from the imperial court will investigate the matter thoroughly." Sun Shouren continued speaking.

Grand Heaven Dao's raising of able-bodied youths and the Purple-Robed Daoist's ambush and murder of an imperial official could actually be regarded as one matter. Both constituted rebellion.

Whether these two matters were handled together or separately, the Purple-Robed Daoist would not escape death.

Chen Mo nodded lightly. Now that matters had reached this point, it was no longer his concern. Other experts of the imperial court would resolve it.

Only after the entire matter had been thoroughly investigated, and when the imperial court was truly preparing to move against Du Tian Dao Sect, would he have a chance to participate.

Carrying the severed heads and several surviving bandits, Chen Mo and the others finally returned to the military camp one after another.

Over the next several days, Chen Mo became busy from morning to night. Mo Dao had died, and Mo Hu had also left.

Many affairs that had originally belonged to Mo Dao were now all piled onto Chen Mo. Fortunately, they were not too complicated—nothing more than guard duty and patrols around the military camp.

It only took two or three days to establish rules and regulations, after which they could be carried out steadily.

After that, he only needed to set aside some time each day for a patrol. Calculated this way, he was actually more relaxed than before.

He devoted more time to martial training and cultivation. His progress with the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist was gratifying; at this rate, his breakthrough would come very soon.

Several more days passed, and at last it was his turn to take leave. After arranging the camp's defenses, Chen Mo finally had time to go to Small Pao Town.

The town remained as bustling as ever, with carriages and pedestrians streaming past and people rubbing shoulders in the crowds.

Zhao Yu's food stall stood beside a flagstone road in the middle of town. She had hired someone to make a wooden pushcart, with the tables, chairs, stove, ingredients, and other supplies neatly arranged on it. Every day, she pushed the cart there to set up her stall.

Because of the curfew, the food stall only did business in the morning and at noon. Once the hour of Shen arrived, she stopped accepting customers and prepared to close.

Only higher-end taverns and inns did business at night.

"Oh, you're back!" Zhao Yu had been busy in front of the stall. When she saw Chen Mo approach, surprise appeared on her face, along with a hint of delight.

During this period, she had finally been able to eat her fill. Unlike before, when she had been starving and freezing, her complexion was rosy and her body had gradually filled out.

With flesh on her bones, her original features had gradually taken shape as well. She no longer looked like skin stretched over bones.

Although she still had plenty of work to do each day, working for her own business was completely different from selling herself into slavery.

With more hope in her heart, her entire bearing was vastly different from before.

In all fairness, Zhao Yu was not ugly, but neither was she some beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. She could only be described as a gentle and charming girl from a modest household.

"Sit down first. I'll get you something to eat." She smiled and hurriedly made Chen Mo sit.

She then took down the coarse-cloth sign hanging from the bamboo pole on the pushcart, signaling that the food stall would no longer accept customers.

"What's this, Sister Zhao? Your man's come home, so you're closing up shop too?" A female vendor who was fairly familiar with Zhao Yu teased her when she saw this.

Zhao Yu gave a faint smile without explaining. She quickly served Chen Mo two small dishes, then added a dish of pickled chilies and a plate piled with twelve hot steamed buns.

"I didn't prepare anything good this morning. Make do with this for now. I'll close up and go home right away, then buy some meat and a pork elbow for you."

Zhao Yu leaned close to Chen Mo and spoke in a low voice.

Her food stall mainly served passing merchants and peddlers, as well as cart drivers transporting goods for others.

Most of these people did not have much money and were reluctant to eat too much meat. Unless they placed an order in advance, a small food stall like hers would not prepare much meat—especially now that the weather was warming. If the cooked meat did not sell, it would spoil in less than two days.

"All right." Chen Mo gave a slight nod. He almost swallowed the buns one after another, quickly clearing the table, and then helped Zhao Yu close up the stall.

In only a moment, all the odds and ends had been arranged neatly and stacked layer upon layer onto the pushcart.

"I'll do it." Chen Mo spoke softly, took hold of the cart, and pushed it toward the thatched hut.

The pushcart was naturally light work for him. In no time, he had pushed the cartload of things back to the thatched hut.

"Rest at home and have some tea first. I'll go buy the meat."

Zhao Yu opened the door, brewed a pot of tea for Chen Mo, then went to her room to retrieve some silver before hurrying away.

If she arrived at the meat stall too late, she might not be able to buy good meat.

Chen Mo took a sip of tea and looked over the courtyard. It was quite different from the last time he had visited.

Zhao Yu had not only put the entire courtyard in perfect order; she had also kept it quite clean and tidy.

Outside the courtyard wall, she had tied up two new clotheslines. However, because she was too weak, they were not very sturdy.

The wooden posts holding the lines had merely been inserted loosely into the ground.

Chen Mo immediately fetched a shovel, dug the holes again, and buried the wooden posts deeper. He also tightened the ropes on the posts so they would not be as loose as before.

When he finished, Zhao Yu came hurrying into the kitchen, carrying the meat she had bought.