Chapter Twelve: A Bountiful Harvest

"These scouts didn't enter the village; they must have raided a small merchant caravan. Not much in terms of goods, but a fair amount of coin," Zhou He said with a grin, clearly satisfied with the ambush.

An entry-level scout was worth two merit points, and since he had killed two of them along with several ordinary scouts, he had earned six points. Combined with the loot on their bodies, the haul was quite substantial.

What surprised him most was Lu Yuan's blade technique and his grasp of military formations. This was the first time he had seen the man fight, and to his shock, Lu Yuan had gone head-to-head with the heavy weaponry of the Northern Barbarian cavalry and gained the absolute upper hand. His blade technique had likely reached perfection. At this thought, Zhou He couldn't help but gasp.

This guy's talent was truly heaven-defying.

Then there was the military formation. He saw that Lu Yuan's mastery of the Arrowhead Formation had reached minor success. He himself had practiced formations for years and was only at the entry level, and his own uncle had only reached minor success a short while ago.

As a military officer, aside from cultivation techniques, the most important skill was the command of military formations.

The higher one's mastery of formations, the more effectively one could lead subordinates to unleash powerful combat strength on the battlefield.

It was said that legendary generals could borrow the strength of their troops and the very power of the mountains and rivers to slay enemies far above their own rank.

Before this, he had been puzzled as to why his uncle told him to keep a close eye on Lu Yuan, but now it seemed the older generation's judgment was indeed sharp.

Meanwhile, the man in question wasn't thinking much about that; he was focused on his significant gains.

If nothing else, the five Northern Barbarian warhorses alone were a massive windfall. Next time they went out, he wouldn't need to borrow horses from the Armory.

Then there were the five sets of leather armor and weapons taken from the barbarians. Although damaged, each set could be traded for silver once returned; the Merit Pavilion would handle the specific inspection and depreciation.

After searching their bodies, he had found a few pieces of jewelry—likely stolen—and over twenty taels of loose silver. What pleased Lu Yuan most was finding a secret manual titled Wolf-Chasing Archery.

It wasn't exactly a rare treasure; it was just a collection of techniques used by Northern Barbarian warriors to practice archery.

The Great Yong Armory had copies, but he only had one chance to select a manual.

In military operations, the bow was the best weapon for long-range kills.

However, very few people truly mastered it because as one's cultivation grew, it became increasingly difficult for arrows to kill powerful enemies.

Lu Yuan didn't buy that. In his view, if one couldn't kill a master, it was a personal failing. Just think of Hou Yi shooting down the suns—were his targets not powerful? Yet he still shot them down one by one.

There were no useless techniques, only useless people.

After tucking the manual away, he looked at Old Huang nearby. "How was your haul?"

"My strength is lacking, I didn't get any kills," the other man said, scratching his head.

"Here, take this. Finding them was your credit," Lu Yuan said, tossing over a tael of silver he had just recovered, worth about three taels.

Zhou He turned over as well. "Right, your role was significant. Take this from me, too."

With that, he grabbed some loose silver and placed it in Old Huang's hand, totaling another two or three taels.

As for the others, there was nothing to be done for those who hadn't gained anything; they would just have to wait for next time.

However, they weren't discouraged. Especially the men under Lu Yuan; Zhang Gun had killed an ordinary scout and was beaming with joy. In the past, killing horse bandits might have brought in some silver, but there were no merit points involved.

This was the real deal.

Furthermore, with the armor and warhorses, this single outing was worth several times their past efforts.

The Armory in the Merit Pavilion bought Northern Barbarian warhorses year-round for fifteen taels of silver each.

"Alright, everyone, prepare to leave. We'll rest at Ancient Well Village tonight and head back tomorrow," Zhou He said cheerfully.

Following that, the group packed up their belongings and headed toward Ancient Well Village.

Because they had Zhou He, a Bone-Forging expert, no one had died, though several had sustained injuries.

Upon arriving at Ancient Well Village, the village chief enthusiastically cleared out some houses, heated water, and found the village doctor to bandage the wounded.

As a squad leader, Lu Yuan took a room for himself.

Once he had settled down, he opened his system data.

[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Age: 16]
[Technique: Blade-Breaking Eight Styles (2012/30000 Perfection)]
[Tiger-Subduing Stance Body Tempering (271/1000 Minor Success)]
[Golden Bell Cover (478/1000 Minor Success)]
[Arrowhead Formation (134/1000 Minor Success)]

Seeing the data, the corners of Lu Yuan's mouth curled upward. Combat was indeed the best way to increase proficiency.

Moreover, the impact of the Golden Bell Cover and Crouching Tiger Stance was significant; the two complemented each other, and their growth rate was almost on par with taking medicinal pills.

This trip outside the city seemed to have opened a new door for Lu Yuan.

It was just hacking away at Northern Barbarians, wasn't it? Anyone could do that.

He then began his practice once more.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the group returned to the city.

Upon arriving at the Merit Pavilion, Lu Yuan exchanged the severed heads for seventeen taels of silver and eight merit points. As for the five warhorses, he kept two of the best quality for himself and traded the remaining three for forty-five taels of silver.

Five sets of leather armor fetched a total of fifty taels of silver.

Combined with the silver seized from the battlefield, he now had over one hundred and twenty taels in total; a single skirmish had thoroughly lined his pockets.

At the very least, he could now afford to purchase medicinal pills.

His merit points were not yet enough for an exchange, but he could purchase them directly at the Armory.

After spending fifty taels of silver to buy a bottle of Body-Tempering Pill, Lu Yuan had just bid farewell to Zhou He and stepped out of the Merit Pavilion courtyard.

He was immediately intercepted by Wei Yong and the others.

"Sir, if it weren't for you this time, I wouldn't have earned so much silver. Let me treat you to a drink; we'll eat our fill at the Beef Offal House."

Zhang Gun said with a wide grin.

He had earned quite a bit himself this time.

With nearly thirty taels of silver in his pocket, he was exceptionally happy.

Right now, he admired Lu Yuan immensely.

The latter looked toward Old Huang, who was standing not far away.

Zhang Gun was a smart man; he immediately stepped forward, hurried over, and grabbed Old Huang, saying, "Brother Huang, come with us, let's go together. I was in the wrong last time; give me a chance to apologize."

Wei Yong also chimed in with a smile, "Brother Huang, come along. I'm sorry about what happened before; let's just clear the air."

Old Huang scratched his head, not holding a grudge.

He nodded and said, "Fine, let's go have a drink."

Once he agreed, Zhang Gun and the others looked at Lu Yuan with eager eyes.

"Let's go then. Since someone is treating, it would be a waste not to go."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Yong and the other man let out a sigh of relief and headed toward the Beef Offal House.

On the way, Zhang Gun pulled the sullen-faced Wei Yong aside and whispered, "Don't worry, our squad leader isn't going to take an interest in Guo Xiu. Look at who he is; he wouldn't set his sights on a widow's daughter.

Let's be sharp today and make up for the face we made Old Huang and the squad leader lose; then the matter will be settled.

Otherwise, if Old Huang mentions it to the boss later, it won't look good for us.

Since the squad leader doesn't know about Widow Li throwing a tantrum at Old Huang yet, we've done what we needed to do. A man like him won't hold a grudge against small fries like us."

Wei Yong nodded, "You have a point, but I still can't help but feel like I'm losing face."

"What face do you have to speak of in front of the squad leader? Didn't you see it during this trip outside the city? We aren't even in the same league as him. Just follow the boss well; that's the only way to have a future."

Zhang Gun patted the silver pouch at his waist.

At the same time, Zhou He entered his uncle's room.

Zhou Xiong glanced at him and said indifferently, "What is it?"

"Uncle, I went out with Lu Yuan these past two days. His skills are truly impressive; he took a direct hit from a Northern Barbarian's mace and managed to kill the man in return.

His blade technique must have reached perfection, and I noticed his Arrowhead Formation has entered the minor mastery stage. His talent is truly formidable."

After Zhou He finished speaking, he picked up the tea on the table and downed it in one gulp.

Zhou Xiong swept a glance at him and said, "If that's the case, he is indeed a talent. It's been a long time since such a gifted young man has appeared on the border. I will go see the eldest young lady tomorrow.

I'll see if Lu Yuan can be brought into our Zhou Family.

Everything else is easy to handle, but military formations are the hardest to master. To reach minor mastery in such a short time—I think he is worth cultivating.

Don't be slow, or some other family will snatch him up."

Zhou He nodded and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, surrounded by the group, had arrived at the Beef Offal House.