Iron Sparrowhawks

Lu Yuan walked toward the Merit Pavilion, Old Huang following close behind. The place was crowded.

No sooner had he entered the courtyard than he heard people discussing something.

"Have you heard? A unit of Northern Barbarian Iron Sparrowhawks recently appeared near the fortress. There aren't many of them, only fifty or sixty, but they've already wiped out three of our hundred-man patrol squads. Yun Mo from Huqiu Fortress has taken the mission to wipe them out."

"Then there shouldn't be any problem. Who is Yun Mo? The Young Tiger of the Northern Frontier. In a battle of equal scale, he's likely the only one who could pull that off."

The chatter continued, but Lu Yuan didn't pay much attention.

The Iron Sparrowhawks were among the strongest elites of the Northern Barbarians. Though few in number, they were skilled in mounted archery and clad in iron armor; they were not an opponent his own squad could match.

All he wanted to do was find some regular Northern Barbarian scouts, scrape together some military merit, and earn a bit of silver.

After looking over the mission board, he finally chose one that suited him best.

A twelve-man Northern Barbarian scout unit, including two experts who had entered the realm.

This would do nicely; he would use them to sharpen his skills first.

With the mission selected, Lu Yuan turned to Old Huang and said, "Notify the others to assemble tomorrow morning."

"I'll go do that right now." Old Huang nodded and left.

Lu Yuan also walked out of the building, preparing to head home.

However, just as he reached the outside of the City Defense Bureau, he saw Zhou He walking out side-by-side with someone else.

Upon seeing Lu Yuan, the man's face lit up.

"Lu Yuan, I was just about to go find you for a drink."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward his companion and continued, "This is my friend, Wu Han. Even though he isn't a squad leader yet, he's already entered the realm and has great talent. Let's go grab a drink together."

When Lu Yuan looked over, he saw a sturdy young man, though for some reason, his face was bruised and swollen.

He smiled at him and said, "Greetings, sir."

"We're all friends, no need for formalities. Shall we go eat some beef offal?" Lu Yuan said with a chuckle.

Zhou He was a decent man; he trusted that anyone he considered a friend couldn't be too bad.

"Sounds good." Zhou He agreed, and the three of them headed toward the Beef Offal House.

It was still morning, and since the shop had just opened, there weren't many people around.

The three found a quiet spot to sit, ordered a pot of beef offal and a few cold dishes, and began to drink.

Wu Han was a man of few words; while they ate, it was Zhou He who did all the talking.

After a few cups of wine, Zhou He became even more talkative. He looked at Wu Han and said, "Are you just going to keep taking this? If your squad leader beats you today, he'll be riding on your head and shitting tomorrow. You've already entered the realm, so why don't you dare to fight him?"

Zhou He's tongue was a bit thick from the drink.

Lu Yuan drank his wine in silence. He wasn't familiar with Wu Han, so he just listened.

"Brother Zhou, it's not a matter of whether I can win or not. Our squad leader is the brother-in-law of Centurion Sun. What can I do?"

"That Centurion Sun of yours is a real piece of work, too—everyone under him is related by blood or marriage. But you can't be a coward. Once your strength grows, you have to stand your ground. If you don't have any backbone, even if you break through to the Bone Forging realm, people will still bully you. The Northern Frontier isn't exactly a place for the kind-hearted; you have to be ruthless to stand your ground."

Zhou He glanced at Wu Han.

The latter didn't speak, just kept his head down and ate.

Seeing him like this, Zhou He couldn't be bothered to say more. Instead, he turned to Lu Yuan. "Are you heading out of the city soon?"

"Tomorrow. Why? Do you have something in mind?" Lu Yuan sipped his wine.

"I'm not planning on going out for the time being." Zhou He picked up a mouthful of vegetables, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to Wu Han.

"Aren't you short on money lately? Are you interested in going with Lu Yuan tomorrow? His strength isn't weak; nothing will happen." Zhou He asked.

It was clear he was looking out for Wu Han.

The other man hesitated for a while before saying, "I won't go."

He then buried his head back into his food. After a moment, having finished most of the pot of beef offal, he stood up and said, "My mother needs her medicine at home. I'll head back first; let's sit down another day."

"You son of a bitch, I helped you out of a jam and almost got into a fight with your squad leader, and you won't even pay for the meal before wiping your mouth and leaving?" Zhou He felt a bit embarrassed in front of Lu Yuan.

Wu Han chuckled sheepishly. "Next time, I'll treat you both next time."

With that, he turned and walked out of the shop.

Once Wu Han had disappeared outside, Zhou He shook his head at the doorway. "That kid has great talent and breaks through quickly, but he's just too timid. He's been in the City Defense Bureau for several years now and just refuses to leave the city. He's even been trying to get transferred to the Logistics Battalion. I don't even know what to say to him anymore."

"Everyone has their own way of living. As a friend, you've said your piece; saying any more wouldn't be right," Lu Yuan said softly.

Not everyone had the courage to risk their lives, and that had nothing to do with strength.

"I'm angry because in all these years, there haven't been many people I could call a friend. You're one, and he's the other, but this Wu Han just refuses to be helped."

Zhou He gulped down a mouthful of wine.

After venting his frustrations to Lu Yuan, the two settled the bill and left.

Lu Yuan didn't take this little episode to heart.

On the way home, he bought some fine flour and braised meat, heading straight to Xiao Hua's house.

Seeing what he was carrying, she blinked. "Are you preparing to leave the city again?"

As she spoke, she took the bags from him and began nimbly preparing to knead the dough.

Lu Yuan gave a grunt of acknowledgment, helping out while he was at it.

He chatted idly with Xiao Hua's mother as they worked.

By now, the three of them were like a family, and Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony here, doing whatever needed to be done.

Xiao Hua's mother seemed very happy to see this.

After they finished dinner and a pot of steamed buns was ready, Lu Yuan finally returned to his own home.

He didn't cultivate today, choosing to rest early instead.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, he took some dry rations, led a horse out, and set off.

Lu Yuan had built a stable at his home a while back, keeping both horses there, which made heading out much more convenient.

When he arrived at the city gate, Wei Yong and the others were already waiting.

Seeing Lu Yuan, they quickly stepped forward to salute. "My Lord."

"No need for formalities. If everyone is here, let's move out," Lu Yuan said slowly after scanning the group to ensure everyone had arrived.

He then shoved a map into Old Huang's hands. "Guhe Village, do you know where that is?"

After glancing at the map, the man replied, "It's not far from us, only about seventy or eighty miles away. These scouts have some nerve, daring to wander around a place like this. We'll definitely corner them before dark."

Old Huang grinned.

Lu Yuan nodded. "Then let's go."

With that, he vaulted onto his horse.

Leading the dozen or so men, he headed out of the city.

The sound of hooves kicked up clouds of dust, and in a few moments, they had vanished from the spot.

At the same time, near Guhe Village, a troop of a hundred men was stationed. At their head was a young man clad in black iron armor, holding a long spear in his hand.

His expression was stern, and he sat upright on his horse, his back straight as a rod.

There was a small scar at the corner of his eye; he was Yun Mo, a centurion of Tiger Hill Fortress and a disciple of the Zhou Family's third master, Zhou Ming.

"These Iron Sparrowhawks have linked up with the other scouts."

Yun Mo spoke softly. In the distance, a group of Northern Barbarian cavalry, numbering around sixty or seventy, was currently locked in a standoff with them.