"Squad Leader Lu, I've tallied the numbers. You killed twenty-one ordinary scouts, eight of whom were in the Entry Realm. That comes to fifty-three taels of silver and twenty-nine merit points."
The quartermaster looked up, his face full of amazement.
Then he continued, "You killed twenty-eight Iron Sparrowhawks. Each head is worth ten taels, for a total of two hundred and eighty taels of silver. Each is worth five merit points, giving you a total of one hundred and forty.
"As for the warhorses, each is valued at thirty taels. Twenty-eight fine Northern Barbarian steeds are worth eight hundred and forty taels. Add in the weapons and armor, and I'll give you twelve hundred taels altogether. How does that sound?"
On this expedition, Lu Yuan alone had earned so much silver. It could be said that after this battle, his worth had soared. Most importantly, he had broken a hundred merit points.
That meant he could serve as a Centurion.
This position was very important to Lu Yuan now. Becoming a Centurion meant he would have more energy and time to cultivate. He would also be able to take more soldiers with him when he went out.
For him, it was definitely a good thing.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Lu Yuan had truly made a name for himself. One man had single-handedly killed more than twenty Iron Sparrowhawks. That was terrifying fighting strength.
"I heard that Young Tiger only killed seven or eight Iron Sparrowhawks and came back wounded himself. Lu Yuan really stole the show this time."
"Who could deny it? Now that his strength has improved, the Northern Frontier may well have a famous general on its hands."
The people around them began to chatter.
"Make way, everyone, make way."
Just then, someone pushed through the crowd, followed by several figures who squeezed their way over.
It was Zhou Hongling. Though she was a woman, she stood head and shoulders above the crowd; only a handful of people were tall enough to match her.
She came to the table, examined the identification plaques, then carefully inspected the heads. Only after that did she turn and ask, "They're definitely Iron Sparrowhawks. Who killed them?"
Zhou Ming, standing beside her, also looked over with eager eyes.
Anyone capable of killing so many Iron Sparrowhawks must have been peerless in both talent and strength.
In an instant, everyone turned to look at Lu Yuan.
He clasped his fists and bowed. "My lord, I led my brothers in doing it."
"Lu Yuan!"
Zhou Hongling's voice rose involuntarily.
Then, sounding somewhat disbelieving, she asked, "Was it just you and your men?"
"Yes, my lord. We were supposed to deal with a Northern Barbarian scout unit, but we unexpectedly ran into this group of Iron Sparrowhawks. Of the brothers in my squad, only a few of us survived." Lu Yuan's voice was grave.
Only then did Zhou Hongling begin to examine him closely. Although he was just sixteen, his body had already filled out. He was no shorter than her, and in armor he looked even more imposing.
He had a bright, rugged appearance, and an air of heroism about him.
Zhou Ming looked over too, equally surprised. Was this the Lu Yuan his niece had told him about?
After studying him for a moment, he asked, "You're only at the Body Tempering Realm, aren't you? How could you have killed so many people?"
"My lord, not everyone has the same fighting strength. Besides, I know a little about military formations."
Lu Yuan spoke softly. He didn't know this man, but since he could stand beside Zhou Hongling, he was clearly someone important.
Zhou Ming fell into thought. As he looked at Lu Yuan, a trace of fervor appeared in his eyes.
"You've killed this many people, which is proof enough. We're not questioning you; we're just curious. You've only just returned today, so collect your reward and get some rest. Come to the Captain's Mansion first thing tomorrow morning." Zhou Hongling studied Lu Yuan for a moment, then said with a smile.
At last, one of her subordinates had made her proud.
Lu Yuan clasped his fists in acknowledgment, then carried the silver he had exchanged his spoils for and went with Wei Yong and the others to the Armory.
There were plenty of cultivation resources stored here, all things he was currently lacking.
"You've all earned quite a bit of silver now, so pick out some pills. If you can reach the Entry Realm, it'll help you a lot with improving later."
As Lu Yuan looked over the cultivation resources on the table, he spoke to Zhang Gun and the others.
"Yes, my lord." Zhang Gun replied, then began choosing carefully.
Lu Yuan's gaze fell on a bottle of pills labeled "Tiger Soul Pill."
It was the best pill in the Armory that someone at the Body Tempering Realm could take. There were only three pills in a bottle, but they were extremely effective.
One bottle cost fifty merit points, or a hundred taels of silver.
After a glance, Lu Yuan didn't hesitate. He bought two bottles with merit points. They worked well not only with the Tiger-Subduing Stance, but also with the Golden Bell Cover.
They were specially made for masters who trained their bodies.
Once he had finished these, he would be close to breaking through.
After exchanging for the pills, he greeted Wei Yong and the others, who were still picking out cultivation resources, then left.
He was carrying too much stuff and needed to put it away as soon as possible.
Along the way, quite a few people stared at him. Lu Yuan had truly made a name for himself this time. Within half a day, everyone in Ice Plain City knew of him.
Though they knew the bulging pouch he carried was full of silver, no one dared covet it. He was a Squad Leader in the City Guard, for one thing, and his strength alone was enough to make most people think twice.
When he got back to the alley, he opened the door and went inside.
Lu Yuan tossed his things onto the floor and started a fire. He had been gone for two days, and without a stove, it was bitterly cold.
Summer hadn't arrived yet.
In the Northern Frontier, things only got better in summer.
"Creak."
He had just lit the stove and taken off his armor and dirty clothes. He had only just changed when the door was pushed open.
Xiao Hua walked in. When she saw Lu Yuan, her eyes lit up before she said, "Brother Yuan, you're back."
"I just got back. The place is a mess, so sit down for now. The hot water will be ready soon." Lu Yuan grinned.
Xiao Hua didn't just stand there. She began heating the kang in Lu Yuan's room.
When the whole room had warmed up again, she gathered his armor and dirty clothes and carried them toward her home. "I'll wash these for you. They should be dry by tomorrow."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Lu Yuan grinned.
Xiao Hua rolled her eyes at him, then walked outside.
Lu Yuan boiled some water and prepared to take a good bath. After two days of fierce fighting, he was not only exhausted but filthy from head to toe.
Next door, Xiao Hua had just returned to her room when she noticed something was wrong. She hadn't looked closely on the way back, but now that she had spread everything out, she saw that Lu Yuan's armor and clothes were riddled with tears.
They were also soaked in blood.
"Oh, no. Brother Yuan is hurt."
Her mother noticed the armor and clothes too, and looked worried. "He must have taken more than one direct blow from a blunt weapon. His injuries are probably serious. That boy pushes himself too hard."
Then she glanced at Xiao Hua, whose tears were welling up, and thought for a moment before saying, "Have him come over tomorrow. I need to have a serious talk with him. His life belongs to him. How can he throw himself into danger like that?"
Her expression was stern as she spoke.
Xiao Hua said nothing. She only nodded, then began preparing a wooden tub to wash the clothes.
Just then, Wei Yong and the others had finished choosing their pills when people from the Captain's Mansion stopped them and summoned them to Zhou Hongling.
A short while later, they were taken to separate rooms and questioned by different people about how the battle had unfolded.
It wasn't that Zhou Hongling suspected anything.
The truth was that what Lu Yuan had done this time was so unexpected that she wanted to know the details.