Half a Month

The entire Captain's Mansion was a vast compound with four courtyards. Blade-bearing guards stood at the entrance, but upon seeing Zhou He, they did not question them and simply let them in.

Clearly, they knew him.

Zhou He led Lu Yuan through the front courtyard and stopped outside a courtyard in the central compound. He said to a guard at the entrance, "Please announce us. Tell them Lu Yuan has arrived."

"Wait here," the guard replied. Before long,

he came back out and said to the two of them, "The general says you may enter."

"Thank you."

Zhou He clasped his fists and led Lu Yuan inside. The moment they stepped into the courtyard, they saw that the doors to the main hall stood open.

They did not enter directly. Instead, they bowed outside the doorway. "Greetings, General."

"Come in."

A clear voice rang out.

Zhou He and Lu Yuan walked inside.

When Zhou Hongling saw them, her gaze settled on the latter.

"A member of Yun Province's Zhang Clan—why are you now called Lu Yuan?" she asked softly after taking a sip of tea.

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised. As expected of a military lineage that had held Yan Province for years. My little background was completely impossible to hide from them.

Yet no panic showed on his face. He stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the General, I feared my enemies would refuse to let me go, so I changed my name when I came here."

"You were wise. The Yun Province General's son has indeed sent people to inquire about you," Zhou Hongling said softly.

Zhou He, standing beside him, had not known Lu Yuan carried such a past. Concern appeared in his eyes.

He feared it might affect Lu Yuan's entry into the Zhou Family.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Hongling, seated above them, said, "The Zhou Family does not concern itself with your grudges against the Yun Province General. So long as you are talented, we are willing to take you in. But since you have changed your name, then from now on, you are Lu Yuan. You will be Lu Yuan no matter when or where. Can you do that?"

Her meaning was clear. Since he had become Lu Yuan, he would have nothing to do with the Zhang Clan.

If so, the Zhou Family was willing to accept him.

"From the moment I walked out of my home, I had nothing more to do with the Zhang Clan."

"This is the Disciple Registry. Write your name in it. In the next few days, I will find you a teacher within the Lineage. From then on, you will be a disciple of the Zhou Family. Though we are both military lineages, as a disciple of my Zhou Family, even the Yun Province General will not be able to harm you."

"Thank you, my lady," Lu Yuan hurriedly said.

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Yun Province General's son had indeed begun looking for him. Fortunately, he had entered the Zhou Family beforehand. Otherwise, it would surely have become trouble later.

Just then, Zhou He brought over a booklet. It was the so-called Disciple Registry. Since Lu Yuan was still too weak and did not count as anyone significant, he merely needed to write down his name as a formality.

If one day his strength rose, the process would become far more complicated.

Picking up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, Lu Yuan wrote down his name without the slightest hesitation.

Once he returned the Disciple Registry, the simple ceremony was complete. He had entered the Zhou Family's sights.

From now on, as long as he cultivated diligently and won merit, he would be able to rise without obstruction.

So long as he was not blocked in the early stages, no one would be able to hold him back later.

That was because officers above the rank of Captain were appointed by the imperial court. They were no longer something local military lineages could control.

He had officially entered the imperial court's system.

By then, under ordinary circumstances, his relationship with the military lineage would shift from that of disciple to ally.

And that relationship was far more stable than that of ordinary allies.

However, Lu Yuan knew he still needed to continuously display talent and ability. Otherwise, who could say whether the Zhou Family might abandon him?

After all, he had already gone through that once.

He had no desire to experience it a second time.

"All right. If there is nothing else, you may leave," Zhou Hongling said, dismissing him after seeing Lu Yuan write his name.

She had many matters to attend to and would not invest too much effort in Lu Yuan for now.

"Yes, my lady."

The two answered, then withdrew.

After they left, Zhou Hongling said to the maid beside her, "Clean up Lu Yuan's background even more thoroughly."

"I'll go at once," the maid replied, then quickly left.

For Lu Yuan, altering his identity was extremely troublesome. Even after spending a large sum of silver, traces would still remain.

But if the Zhou Family did it, it would be much simpler. A single word from them could completely change his identity, severing all ties with his past so that no one could uncover anything.

After leaving the Captain's Mansion, Zhou He patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "Now we truly count as one of our own. If anything comes up in the future, let me know. So long as I can help, I definitely won't refuse."

"Mm." Lu Yuan nodded.

He remembered this favor.

If not for Zhou He, he might not have entered the Zhou Family so smoothly. Now, he had completely severed his ties with the Zhang Clan.

After that, they each returned home.

Just as Lu Yuan arrived at his courtyard gate,

Creak!

The neighboring door opened, and a head poked out. "Brother Yuan, you're back."

Xiao Hua looked lovely when she smiled.

"Mm, I'm back. Come sit for a while. I can return your basket while I'm at it."

"Okay."

Although night had already fallen, Xiao Hua now accepted Lu Yuan, so she did not refuse. Smiling brightly, she followed him inside.

Lu Yuan's two warhorses and his luggage had been left at the Armory that day. He planned to retrieve them together the next time he returned from outside the city.

So he was not carrying much with him.

As the two entered the house, a chill rushed over them.

No one had been home for the past two days, and the stove had gone cold.

"Sit for a bit. I'll light the brazier," Lu Yuan said, then went outside and filled a basket with charcoal.

But Xiao Hua did not remain idle either. She found some firewood in the courtyard and began heating the kang bed.

Once warmth returned to the house,

Lu Yuan brought out the washed basket. "I have a gift for you."

Xiao Hua looked over curiously.

Lu Yuan took a silver hairpin from his robe. Its material was ordinary, but the pattern carved upon it was quite delicate.

"I seized it outside. Don't dislike it."

Then, without giving her a chance to refuse, he pressed it into Xiao Hua's hand.

She pursed her lips and glanced at Lu Yuan. She did not refuse, only softly said, "Thank you, Brother Yuan."

She lowered her head, a flush spreading across her face.

Lu Yuan did not pay attention to any of that. Once the brazier was lit, he began preparing dinner.

Xiao Hua lingered for a while, then hurriedly bade him farewell and left.

By then, night had fully fallen.

After eating, Lu Yuan took out a Body-Tempering Pill, swallowed it, and began cultivating.

Now, he had found the path ahead of him.

All he needed to do was cultivate and earn merit.

Over the following days, he led Wei Yong and the others in taking assignments outside the city. Other than returning to the city to stand watch for a day on their rotation, they headed back out again.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

After running around outside for so long, everyone was somewhat exhausted. Thus, they planned to rest for several days.

After treating his men to a round of drinks, Lu Yuan returned home and began sorting through the gains from those days.