Recording Merits

"Your merits this time won't be counted yet. Once you pass the xiucai examination, I'll pull some strings and have them tallied together." Sun Shouren held a Record of Merits in his hand, meticulously calculating.

The military merits were audited with extreme care, with precise origins required for every enemy head.

This was merely for suppressing bandits; during wartime, a Supervisory Battle Squad would also be involved in calculating military merits.

"I'll do as my adoptive father commands," Chen Mo said, having no objections.

Without the status of a scholar or any official title, the merits he'd earned could at most get him some silver and a promotion of one or two ranks, but not an official position with a proper rank.

Rather than that, it was better to temporarily register these merits and make plans after he obtained his scholar's title.

"Take good care of these remaining bandits. Guard them closely and absolutely do not let them die. The Du Tian Dao Sect mobilizing so many able-bodied youths clearly indicates their intention to rebel. I will report this to His Majesty immediately and request an imperial decree for a thorough investigation."

Sun Shouren's tone was stern. A Daoist sect he'd never heard of could, without anyone noticing, mobilize hundreds of armed youths.

Even if the Du Tian Dao Sect claimed they had no intention of rebelling, few would likely believe them.

For the sake of duty, as a regional garrison commander receiving the court's salary, he had to handle this matter.

For personal reasons, the people of the Du Tian Dao Sect had killed his nephews, and this revenge had to be exacted.

Otherwise, he would have no explanation to himself, his clan, or his personal guards.

"Fifth Brother is taking Fourth Brother Ling Shu back to their hometown first. He won't be back for some time. If there are any unforeseen delays, he'll go directly to the prefectural city to take the juren examination and won't return to the military camp."

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

Sun Shouren said nothing further, a rare trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.

He had taken these adopted sons for his own benefit back then, expecting them to fight alongside him on the battlefield.

But humans were not plants; how could one be without feelings? Even an object kept for a long time would develop emotional attachment, let alone a living person.

Mo Dao's death had naturally caused him sorrow, but as a commander, he could not easily display such emotions.

"Regarding that Purple-Robed Daoist who dared to intercept imperial officials, I have already notified the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Imperial experts will investigate this matter thoroughly in the coming days," Sun Shouren continued.

The Du Tian Dao Sect harboring able-bodied youths and the Purple-Robed Daoist ambushing imperial officials could essentially be considered one and the same issue – both were acts of rebellion.

Regardless of whether these two matters were handled together or separately, the Purple-Robed Daoist was doomed to die.

Chen Mo nodded slightly. At this point, the matter was beyond his purview; other imperial experts would resolve it.

Only after the entire incident was thoroughly investigated and the imperial court was truly prepared to act against the Du Tian Dao Sect would he have an opportunity to participate.

Carrying the enemy heads and a few surviving bandits, Chen Mo and his group gradually returned to the military camp.

In the following days, Chen Mo became extremely busy. Mo Dao was dead, and Mo Hu had also left.

Many of Mo Dao's former responsibilities now fell upon Chen Mo. Fortunately, they were not overly complicated, mostly pertaining to camp guard duties and patrols.

It would only take two to three days to establish the rules and regulations, after which they could generally be implemented smoothly.

From then on, he only needed to allocate time each day for inspections. When calculated this way, he actually had more free time than before.

He dedicated more time to martial arts training. His progress with the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist was remarkable; at this pace, a breakthrough was imminent.

After several more days, it was finally his turn for a day off. After arranging the camp's defenses, Chen Mo finally had the time to head to Small Pao Town.

The town was bustling with activity, crowds jostling each other, as lively as ever.

Zhao Yu's food stall was located by a bluestone path in the town. She had hired someone to build a wooden pushcart, on which her tables, stools, stove, and ingredients were neatly arranged. She pushed the cart here daily to set up her stall.

Due to the curfew, the food stall only operated in the morning and at noon. It closed its doors at Shen Shi (3-5 PM) and began packing up.

Only the more upscale taverns and inns stayed open in the evening.

"Oh, you're back!" Zhao Yu, who was busy at her stall, looked slightly surprised but also delighted when she saw Chen Mo.

She had finally been able to eat her fill during this period, unlike her previous state of hunger and cold. Her complexion was rosy, and her body was gradually filling out.

With some flesh on her bones, her facial features were now more defined, no longer looking as gaunt as before.

Although she still worked hard every day, being busy with her own business was entirely different from her previous life as a servant.

She had a sense of purpose, and her entire demeanor had changed greatly from before.

Frankly speaking, Zhao Yu wasn't unattractive, nor was she a stunning beauty. She could only be described as a demure and gentle young lady.

"Sit down first, and I'll get you something to eat." With a smile, she quickly invited Chen Mo to sit.

She then took down the coarse cloth banner hanging from the bamboo pole of the pushcart, signaling that the food stall would no longer be serving customers.

"What's wrong, Sister Zhao? You're closing up shop just because a man's back!" a female stall owner, who was quite familiar with Zhao Yu, teased.

Zhao Yu offered a faint smile and didn't offer further explanation. She quickly served Chen Mo two small plates of appetizers, followed by a dish of pickled chili peppers and a plate of twelve hot steamed buns.

"I didn't prepare anything fancy for breakfast. Please make do for now. I'll pack up and go home to get you some meat and a pork knuckle."

Zhao Yu leaned closer to Chen Mo and whispered.

Her food stall primarily catered to passing merchants, hawkers, and cart drivers who transported goods for others.

Most of these people didn't have much money and were reluctant to eat too much meat. Unless pre-ordered, her small food stall wouldn't prepare a large quantity of meat dishes. Especially now that the weather was getting warmer, if any were unsold, they would spoil within a couple of days.

"Alright," Chen Mo nodded slightly. He finished the buns on the table almost one by one and then helped Zhao Yu pack up.

In just a moment, all the miscellaneous items were neatly put away and stacked onto the pushcart.

"I'll do it," Chen Mo said softly, pushing the cart towards the thatched hut.

The cart was very light for him, and in a moment he had pushed a cartload of things back to the hut.

"You rest at home and have some tea. I'll go buy meat right away."

Zhao Yu opened the door, first pouring Chen Mo a pot of tea, then getting some silver from her room. She left in a hurry.

If she went to the butcher's stall too late, she might not be able to buy good meat.

Chen Mo took a sip of tea and looked at the scene in the courtyard. It was quite different from his last visit.

Zhao Yu had not only tidied up the entire courtyard, making it quite clean and orderly.

Outside the courtyard wall, two new clotheslines had been hung. However, because her strength was too small, they weren't very sturdy.

The wooden posts to which the ropes were tied were merely loosely inserted into the ground.

Chen Mo immediately got a shovel and dug new holes, burying the wooden posts deeper. He also tightened the ropes on the posts, so they weren't as loose as before.

After he finished, Zhao Yu came walking into the kitchen briskly, carrying the meat she had bought.