Fulfilling the Reward

At this moment, Lu Yuan was wreaking havoc across the wilderness. With the cavalry troop of several dozen men deployed in formation, the scene from above looked like a giant crane charging forward. Its beak was peerlessly sharp, and wherever it passed, the enemy was swept away like dry wood snapping in a gale.

The crane's wings were like heavenly blades, harvesting the Northern Barbarian warriors scattered along the flanks.

The battle did not last long; in just half an hour, all enemies were thoroughly eliminated. The ground was littered with scattered corpses and severed limbs, blood soaking into the withered grass.

Ownerless warhorses kicked at the ground, blankly grazing on the tender shoots unearthed by the struggle.

"Clean up the battlefield."

Following Lu Yuan's order, everyone dismounted and began collecting the spoils.

Although their side had suffered losses—three dead and over a dozen wounded—excitement still shone in their eyes. After all, war always claimed lives; they were men of the frontier and had long grown accustomed to such sights. Besides, this casualty rate was already a resounding victory.

Furthermore, with triple the military merit and bounty money, they would have enough to live comfortably for a while after returning. Not to mention the Northern Barbarians' equipment, which could all be sold for coin.

Lu Yuan's harvest remained the greatest. To say nothing of the rest, the head of the Manyan Tribe leader alone was worth thirty merit points. As a master of the Tendon-Refining stage and a Centurion, he was worth ten points himself, and with the triple merit multiplier, it was quite a valuable haul.

As for the other spoils, they were one by one brought over by his men.

Old Huang squatted on the ground to tally them up.

After a moment, he grinned, revealing his teeth. "My Lord, you have claimed twenty-three heads, ten sets of refined copper armor, thirteen sets of leather armor, twenty-three warhorses, and thirty-five assorted weapons. There is also four hundred and thirty taels of silver recovered from their bodies."

This was a substantial harvest. Among the twenty-three men, ten were cultivators, each worth nine merit points, totaling two hundred points alone. The silver went without saying.

Lu Yuan nodded, pulled out one head, tossed it to Old Huang, and took out thirty-some taels from the silver pile. "Take these; turn them in yourself when we get back."

Old Huang did not stand on ceremony. He was responsible for guiding the way, and while the payment had been agreed upon beforehand, this was a generous bonus.

"Many thanks, My Lord."

"You earned it. No need for formalities between our own people." Lu Yuan waved his hand.

At this time, Zhou He walked over. Clearly, his own harvest was not small. He looked at Lu Yuan and said, "It really is satisfying to fight alongside you. What's the plan for next?"

"What else could it be? With this much loot, we head back first. The mission is complete, anyway," Lu Yuan replied.

Lu Yuan had obtained a significant amount of supplies this time, and most importantly, he could finally make Zhou Hongling fulfill her promise upon their return. He would go to the armory to select rare treasures and make his breakthrough first. Once that was done, he would be a true Centurion, no worse than Zhang Zhe.

Zhou He nodded. "True. With this loot, we can exchange for cultivation resources to boost our strength once we're back, then head out again."

He then turned to instruct his men to start burying pots and cooking.

A short while later, smoke rose from the fires. After the group gathered to eat a fairly hearty meal, they began organizing the supplies for the return journey.

The distance to Ice Plain City was not great. Moreover, their troop was large enough that most Northern Barbarian scouts would simply steer clear of them.

Consequently, they entered the city smoothly on the morning of the third day.

As they traveled along the road, although the heads in the bags had stopped dripping blood, the crimson-stained sacks and the herd of warhorses following behind told the whole story.

When they arrived outside the Merit Pavilion, they naturally caused a stir once again. Many people gathered around to watch the quartermaster tally Lu Yuan's spoils.

"Lord Lu, it is confirmed that you have wiped out the elite cavalry of the Manyan Tribe. With the triple merit multiplier, that totals one hundred and fifty-three points. Including the bounty and the value of these spoils, that comes to one thousand five hundred and sixty taels of silver."

After speaking, he counted out a stack of silver notes and handed them to Lu Yuan.

This scene made many onlookers green with envy. For many garrison soldiers in the Northern Frontier, such a sum was more than several generations could hope to save, yet Lu Yuan had earned it in just a few days.

"A strong man is never short of money, no matter where he goes. They say the Northern Frontier is bitter and cold, but look at Lu Yuan—in such a short time, he's accumulated enough to last others several lifetimes."

"Heh, that goes without saying. Our Ice Plain Fortress has produced a Lu Yuan; there's no telling how many people outside are envious."

The sound of discussion rose continuously among the crowd.

The Northern Frontier was different from other places; although Lu Yuan had gained much, no one was jealous, for that was earned through his own blade and spear, and having a formidable person in their own fortress was a point of pride.

Others could stand taller when they went out, and most importantly, it might save their lives at times.

After all, protecting the fortress was everyone's responsibility, and if the Northern Barbarians truly attacked one day, having more experts was always a good thing.

Just then, Zhou Hongling, who had returned to the Captain's Mansion yesterday, received news of Lu Yuan's return.

Sitting at her desk, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Just moments ago, she had received word that the elite squad sent out by Yellow Sand City had encountered the Iron Sparrowhawks and been shattered upon first contact, with only the leading Centurion and a mere handful of men escaping back.

She had been preparing to send out another inquiry about Lu Yuan's whereabouts, never expecting him to have returned on his own.

After a moment of contemplation, she looked up and spoke to the guards outside: "Go to the Merit Pavilion and have Lu Yuan come here."

Since he had returned and completed his previous mission, she naturally had to fulfill her promise.

"Yes, My Lady."

The guard acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Before long, Lu Yuan arrived at the main hall clad in full armor, still carrying a thick scent of blood on his body.

Zhou Hongling, however, did not mind; instead, a smile appeared on her face as she said with satisfaction, "I didn't expect you to complete this mission so smoothly. I was actually about to send people out to find you and urge your return."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow: "My Lady, has something happened?"

Only then did Zhou Hongling turn serious: "Something has indeed happened. A full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks has appeared nearby. The elite squad sent out by Yellow Sand Fortress has already been routed, and Yun Mo of Huqiu Fortress is also being urgently recalled to reorganize a team to head out again. Since you have returned, rest for two days first, and go to the Armory to pick out some cultivation resources. This is what I promised you."

"My Lady, I request to head out again to kill the Iron Sparrowhawks," Lu Yuan said decisively.

His military merit was already quite substantial, over five hundred points; if he could kill this unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, he would likely be not far from the merit required for a Thousand-man Commander.

"You are still in the Bone Forging Realm; there is no need to rush for a moment of glory. A full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks is different from the last one, so you cannot take risks lightly," Zhou Hongling said.

Lu Yuan was a talent she intended to cultivate, and she naturally did not want someone like him taking on overly dangerous missions unless absolutely necessary.

If he didn't come back, it would break her heart.

Therefore, she planned to send others to test the waters first.

Even if this mission could not be completed, in her eyes, it was not as important as Lu Yuan.

Hearing Zhou Hongling speak this way, although Lu Yuan still wanted to insist, he did not speak up immediately. What she said was true; there was no rush for this matter. It would not be too late to request to fight once he had broken through to the Tendon Refining Realm.

Therefore, he immediately said: "Thank you for your kindness, My Lady."

"You are my subordinate, so I will naturally consider your interests. There will be no shortage of opportunities to earn merit. The situation outside the city is still unclear, so wait and see for now. Go and select your cultivation resources; if there is anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me."

Zhou Hongling said in a kind tone.

"Yes, My Lady." Lu Yuan acknowledged the order and withdrew.

He was quite looking forward to going to the Armory to select his supplies.

After all, this was tied to his breakthrough to the Tendon Refining Realm.