Metamorphosis

It was midday, and the Beef Offal House was bustling with customers.

They were all soldiers from the nearby garrison and the city guards.

As Lu Yuan and his companions entered, the noisy Beef Offal House fell instantly silent.

Many people stood up one after another, addressing them.

"Greetings, Centurion."

"Good day, Centurion."

The chorus of greetings made Lu Yuan feel uncomfortable.

The people in the shop were also surprised; it was rare for someone of a Centurion's rank to come here to eat.

"Everyone is here to eat, no need for formalities. Please, sit," Lu Yuan said, waving his hand.

Only then did the patrons sit back down.

However, some still cast furtive glances their way from time to time.

Lu Yuan found a spot and sat down, and as soon as the three of them were settled, Widow Li was already hovering nearby. She looked at Lu Yuan's rugged, youthful face and then at the iron armor he wore.

The fish-scale plates shimmered with a cold light.

He looked incredibly imposing, and she could no longer bring herself to compare him to Wei Yong.

The latter wasn't even fit to carry the former's shoes.

She felt like slapping herself twice; if she had listened to Old Huang back then, there might have been a glimmer of hope.

At the very least, she could have helped her daughter get acquainted with Lu Yuan.

Now, it was too late to think about any of that.

At the thought, her eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Boss, bring us a pot of beef offal, five pounds of beef, and whatever else you think is good," Lu Yuan said, setting his gear aside with a clatter.

Widow Li hurriedly replied, "Right away, I'll get it ready."

However, her voice sounded somewhat choked.

Wu Han glanced at her, and after Widow Li left, he whispered, "What's wrong with that widow? She looks like she's about to cry."

"Who knows? Don't worry about her, let's just drink," Zhou He said. He went to the counter to grab a jar of wine, broke the mud seal, and poured a bowl for each of them.

As the strong liquor went down, all three let out a satisfied groan.

Then, Zhou He turned to Lu Yuan and said, "Congratulations. We'd like to toast you—after this battle, you've truly established your footing in Ice Plain City."

Hearing this, Wu Han quickly raised his wine bowl as well.

He clinked it against Lu Yuan's.

Afterward, Zhou He turned to Wu Han and asked, "Has your transfer order come down yet?"

The latter paused, head bowed, and said, "No. The higher-ups are blocking it; they don't want to let me into the Logistics Battalion. They want silver, and I don't have it."

"I'm telling you, you're a grown man, why can't you stand tall? If you keep going like this, you'll be ruined. Look at Lu Yuan—how long has he been here? A capable person will shine anywhere. If you don't change your temperament, it'll be the same wherever you go," Zhou He said, frustrated by his lack of ambition.

Wu Han just kept drinking.

He seemed to be using the alcohol to numb himself.

A short while later, the three of them had finished the entire jar of wine.

Seeing that Wu Han was in low spirits, Lu Yuan ordered another jar and whispered, "How about you come out of the city with me in a few days? It shouldn't be too dangerous. We can get a few Northern Barbarian heads to trade for some silver to grease the wheels; maybe then you can get transferred to the Logistics Battalion."

Zhou He looked over immediately, clearly concerned about Wu Han's situation.

He just had a sharp tongue.

The other man shook his head; he was dead set against leaving the city.

Lu Yuan didn't press the matter further.

He wasn't very close to Wu Han, and he had only spoken up out of respect for Zhou He.

"You're just stubborn. When have you ever seen me, Zhou He, care about anyone else's business? It's only because it's you—why are you always so defeatist?"

Having had too much to drink, Wu Han finally raised his head. "Old Zhou, I know you care about me. You've helped me out of many tight spots and put in a good word for me often. But are we the same? My mother is bedridden and can't get up; she needs medicine every month. I have a younger brother who has had weak legs since he was a child, and even standing is a struggle. I just got married, and the whole family relies on me to survive. If I'm gone, they'll starve. Do I dare take risks? I just want to live a stable life now."

Zhou He pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Wu Han had always been very responsible toward his family, which had led to his current situation.

In truth, the reason he enjoyed spending time with him was precisely because of that sense of responsibility.

"Alright, alright, enough. Your Centurion and I aren't on the same path, and I can't really talk to him either. You'll have to solve this yourself," Zhou He said, feeling somewhat speechless.

Having been here for quite some time, Lu Yuan had gained a fair understanding of Ice Plain City.

Although the Zhou Family controlled this frontier city, they didn't have the final say on everything here.

After all, the imperial court would never allow the military and political power of a region to be held entirely by a single family.

The Zhou Family was a military lineage, and while the Sun Family was slightly inferior, they were still local powerhouses.

They had lived here since the very founding of Ice Plain City.

Their influence in the military might not have been as great as the Zhou Family's.

They only had a few family disciples serving as Centurions.

However, the family head held a position as an external inspector, a Subordinate Sixth Rank official; while not very high, it carried the authority to supervise the local garrison commanders.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Zhou Hongling did not want to provoke them.

Moreover, the relationship between the two sides had always been discordant.

This was a means of checks and balances employed by the imperial court; even if the Zhou Family was powerful, they would still be subject to significant restraint locally.

The Sun Family also knew their role; as long as it didn't involve leading troops, they would find small faults in daily matters, making people incredibly annoyed.

However, this was exactly what the imperial court was happy to see.

Seeing the two like this, Lu Yuan changed the subject and began to chat about other things.

By the time the meal was finished, it was already afternoon.

After stepping out of the restaurant, the three of them headed toward their respective homes.

Once Lu Yuan returned to his room, he first took off his armor.

Then, he began to practice his archery. His Wolf-Chasing Archery was about to reach Great Success; if he practiced a bit more today, he should be able to break through.

The Python Tendon Bow had a body made entirely of Millennium Ironwood, which had been soaked and dried several times to ensure excellent resilience, and the bowstring was tanned from the great tendon of a giant python.

It was just right for Lu Yuan to use now.

He pulled the bowstring, which emitted a creaking sound.

"Twang!"

The arrow pierced the air and nailed itself directly into the ironwood.

It sank three inches deep; such power was enough to penetrate iron armor.

Lu Yuan held the bow and pulled it repeatedly.

The system's voice immediately rang out in his mind.

[Host has fired an arrow once, Wolf-Chasing Archery proficiency +1]

After practicing for an hour, Lu Yuan opened the Arrowhead Formation diagram and began to read.

[Host has studied the formation diagram once, Arrowhead Formation proficiency +1]

By the time he finished these tasks, the sky was already turning dark. Lu Yuan swallowed a Tiger Soul Pill.

As the medicinal pill entered his stomach, a scorching heat spread throughout his entire body.

Following the breathing technique of the Crouching Tiger Stance, he began to cultivate.

His chest and abdomen rose and fell, sounding like rolling thunder.

He could clearly feel his skin and flesh undergoing changes, becoming tighter and firmer.

"Hum!"

Following a buzzing sound, Lu Yuan felt every inch of his skin trembling.

Furthermore, it had become much more powerful.

His entire body's skin and flesh felt as if they were undergoing a transformation.

This surprised him, as he had never heard of anyone in the Body Tempering Realm reaching this stage.

After opening his eyes, he indeed discovered dead skin falling off his body.

The new skin revealed underneath was countless times stronger than before.

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan opened his system data.