Return, Ambition

After traveling for another day and night, the dust-covered group finally saw a small city appear in the distance ahead.

This was the destination of their journey: Anding County.

"We finally made it!"

Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others could not help but breathe a collective sigh of relief.

From last night until now, their nerves had been stretched to the breaking point, constantly on guard against bandit attacks.

Fortunately, they did not encounter any more highwaymen for the rest of the journey.

Upon entering the city, the group discovered that Anding County was not only significantly larger than their own Qinghe County but also appeared much more prosperous.

Of course, there were also more refugees lying along the roadside.

As the caravan entered the city, many refugees cast hopeful gazes toward them.

However, to their disappointment, the caravan did not stop.

It was not until they reached a grand residence with vermilion gates that the caravan finally came to a halt.

The task of unloading the cargo was naturally left to the hired hands.

At this moment, the group finally caught a glimpse of the mysterious employer who had piqued their curiosity the entire time.

A middle-aged couple dressed in luxurious attire stepped down from the opulent carriage.

In their arms, they held a young boy of about five or six years old.

The middle-aged man, dressed in a cyan brocade robe with a refined and scholarly air, exchanged a few polite words with Master Song before producing several banknotes and handing them over.

Master Song offered a slight bow with his fists, then turned and led the group away immediately.

After first heading to a livery stable to rent three carriages, the group departed from Anding County without delay.

Traveling light and fast, they made their way back toward Qinghe County at the highest possible speed.

Before resting for the night, the group did not waste any time.

They continued to practice the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, and their training in the Five Animals Fist did not slacken either.

As for Lu Yuan, in addition to maintaining his daily progress with the Five Animals Fist, he divided his remaining time between the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and the Flick Finger Technique.

When practicing the Flick Finger Technique, he naturally did not use the small bag of iron beads; grabbing a handful of small pebbles from the ground was more than sufficient.

Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The return journey was much faster than the trip there.

Before nightfall, the group successfully returned to Qinghe County.

"You all performed quite well on this escort mission. Having experienced life and death, this will be of great benefit to your future growth. However, you must continue to settle your hearts and train even harder!"

The group gathered at Song Academy, and after Master Song offered a brief word of encouragement, he retreated to the inner courtyard.

Hong Lei and Fang Chang then brought out the silver and distributed five taels to each person.

"Great! Finally, I can eat my fill and have meat at every meal!"

"Meat, I want to eat meat, lots and lots of meat!"

Looking at the heavy five taels of silver in their hands, Wu Yu, Chen Pi, Gu Ming, and the others could not help but cheer with excitement.

It was easy to imagine that with these five taels, their subsequent training would surely be much smoother.

Even the progress of their first blood-qi tempering could be significantly accelerated.

Lu Yuan, however, appeared quite calm; even without this five-tael reward, he had already made a windfall of over six taels.

Moreover, the value of the Flick Finger Technique was far beyond what a few taels of silver could measure.

"Lu Yuan, do you dare to compete with me? Let's see who succeeds in their first blood-qi tempering and becomes a Mingjin martial artist first!"

At this moment, Chen Yong suddenly turned and spoke to Lu Yuan.

If he couldn't beat this guy once, he would find it hard to clear his mind.

"Not interested!"

Lu Yuan merely glanced at Chen Yong indifferently before turning and walking out of Song Academy.

If all went as expected, he should be able to begin his second blood-qi tempering in a day or two, pushing toward the Anjin level.

If he succeeded, he could basically leave Song Academy and plan for better ways to earn money.

To be honest, even for him now, coming back to Song Academy to train with these people felt vaguely like playing house with children; it held little significance.

The daily free meat was no longer a temptation for him.

Once he became an Anjin martial artist, he could find a position anywhere and enjoy much better treatment.

Furthermore, at his current rate of progress, even reaching the Huajin level would take at most a month or two, so there was no need to constrain himself within the small confines of Song Academy.

"Ah... Big Brother is back!"

Seeing her long-awaited brother return, Little Nannan appeared quite overjoyed.

Not only did she dive straight into Lu Yuan's arms, but she also chattered away incessantly.

"It's good that you're back!"

Madam Yang carefully looked Lu Yuan over, and only after seeing that he had sustained no injuries did a smile of relief appear on her face.

Before long, a table full of steaming hot dishes was served.

The family of three sat around the table; though there was not much conversation, the air was filled with warmth.

It was evident that after these days of recuperation, both Madam Yang and Little Nannan not only had much rosier complexions but had also basically returned to a healthy physical state.

As for Lu Yuan himself, he had become much leaner and stronger; while he could not be called burly, his entire body was brimming with a sense of power.

Madam Yang held Little Nannan, feeding her while looking up at Lu Yuan: "A-Yuan, how is your martial arts training going?"

"It's going well. I should count as a minor expert now, and before long, I should be able to pass the martial examination and earn a title!"

Lu Yuan smiled and replied.

There were still two and a half months until the martial examination, enough time for him to push for the third blood-qi tempering and become a Hua Jin martial artist.

Coupled with the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and the Flick Finger Technique, he should be able to secure a spot in the martial examination and obtain the title of Martial Scholar.

It was even possible that he might place as the top martial candidate.

"Good... that's good! My son has truly made something of himself!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang could not help but say with some excitement, even unable to stop herself from raising a hand to wipe her eyes.

Although she did not know exactly how high a "minor expert" was, she knew what it meant to hold an official title.

Ever since A-Yuan had returned from the dead that day, everything seemed to be getting better.

Not only were they able to eat their fill, but they could also afford meat and had new jackets to wear.

Now, A-Yuan was even expected to earn a title; could it be that their ancestors were truly manifesting their spirits?

When the year-end festival arrived, she would definitely have to offer more incense to the ancestors!

The next day, morning.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, feeling that the fatigue accumulated over these past few days had completely dissipated, leaving him full of energy.

After a simple wash, he ate two full bowls of meat, filling himself to seven parts full.

He greeted Madam Yang, then headed straight out toward Song Academy.

Lu Yuan was still the last to arrive, while Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others were already training vigorously.

"Do you know? On this escort mission, not only did they each receive five taels of silver as a reward, but they also learned a blade technique. It truly makes me green with envy!"

"What use is envy? Mastering the Five Animals Fist is the proper path!"

Those martial apprentices who had not been able to participate in the escort mission all looked at Wu Yu, Chen Pi, Lu Yuan, and the others with envious gazes.

Lu Yuan paid no mind to these looks and discussions, simply striking his pose to begin practicing the Five Animals Fist.

Once he completed this session, he should be able to reach perfection.

He was also curious whether he would still gain proficiency points after bringing the Five Animals Fist to the Great Perfection stage.