Cultivation Supplies Worth Five Thousand Merit Points

After stepping out the door, Lu Yuan headed to the Armory with a cheerful grin. The officials there had already received instructions, so they were exceptionally welcoming.

"Lord Lu is here! Please, come right in. The Captain gave orders that you are to take whichever item you choose today." As he spoke, he ushered Lu Yuan inside.

The young man had already achieved so many merits and was highly regarded by the Zhou Family.

His future was bound to be limitless, so the official dared not be careless while having the chance to build a connection.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Once inside, Lu Yuan was led to a small storage compartment.

"Everything stored in here is the best that Ice Plain City has to offer."

The Armory official whispered.

Lu Yuan nodded and began to browse. Although he had already set his sights on a specific cultivation resource beforehand, the items here were clearly of higher quality.

Finally, his gaze settled on a jar.

"Tiger Bone Paste!"

"Lord Lu, the name of this item is simple, but its effects are anything but. It is brewed from the bones of a Mystic Tiger beast combined with various medicinal herbs. It has miraculous effects for those in the Bone Forging Realm."

"I'll take it." Lu Yuan said calmly.

The official beside him beamed. "Right away, I'll pack it up for you."

It was a cultivation resource worth five thousand merit points, specifically for the Bone Forging Realm, usually only used by disciples of noble families.

It had been sitting in this storeroom for who knew how long.

Now that someone had finally redeemed it, the official breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, this Tiger Bone Paste was difficult to preserve; if it expired, he would have had a hard time explaining it to his superiors.

Lu Yuan paid no mind to this, picking up the medicine jar and walking out.

Passing through the outer room, he thought for a moment and spent five taels of silver to purchase a bottle of Blood Nourishing Pills.

Madam Xiao was plagued by illness, and her complexion had been sallow and ghastly of late, so he bought some pills to help restore her health.

After leading his horse back home, Lu Yuan first found a place to store the Tiger Bone Paste.

He then locked the remaining silver in a cabinet.

With the pills tucked away, he headed back out.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The gate of the neighboring courtyard was rapped upon.

A crisp voice rang out from within: "Coming! Who is it?"

Since only the mother and daughter lived there, Xiao Hua always asked before opening the door.

"It's me." Lu Yuan replied.

Immediately, the footsteps in the courtyard quickened.

"Creak!"

When the gate opened, Xiao Hua's delicate face appeared before him.

Her face was flushed, and her hands were still damp.

"Brother Yuan is back. I was just doing laundry, sorry for the delay." Xiao Hua said hurriedly, stepping aside to let him in.

After stepping into the courtyard, he said with a smile, "I came to check on Madam Xiao. How is she?"

"Much better, she can get out of bed now. Thank you, Brother Yuan. If it weren't for you, something terrible might have happened to Mother this time." Xiao Hua said, a lingering fear in her voice.

"Don't mention it." With that, he pushed the door open and entered the room.

Madam Xiao was indeed able to walk; she was just coming out of the kitchen, placing a teacup on the table.

"Ah Yuan, drink some tea. Every time you visited before, I was stuck in bed. I'm finally able to host you properly today." Madam Xiao's complexion had clearly improved.

"Madam, please sit. I can help myself. I didn't have much use for my spoils from the battlefield, so I redeemed a bottle of Blood Nourishing Pills on my way back. They are better than the herbs outside; please take them to nourish your body."

As he spoke, he placed the bottle of pills on the table.

Madam Xiao looked at the medicine and said, "I owe you so much for the medicine this time. Without you, we wouldn't have had enough silver, and yet you're still buying more to help me..."

"Madam, we are family, no need for such talk. Just take them; it didn't cost much."

Lu Yuan said with a smile, then sat down and took a sip of tea.

Only then did he notice Xiao Hua was nowhere to be seen.

Madam Xiao noticed his gaze and said, "That girl went to buy groceries. Since you just got back, stay and eat with us."

"Alright, I'll take you up on that."

A moment later, Xiao Hua returned, carrying some meat and vegetables.

She tossed her clothes aside, leaving them unwashed, and began to prepare a meal.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, kept Madam Xiao company, chatting with her.

The latter seemed to know a little bit about everything, and at times, she would even ask Lu Yuan about the situation on the battlefield.

Upon hearing that a full squadron of Iron Sparrowhawks had arrived outside the city, her expression involuntarily darkened.

She looked at Lu Yuan and said, "The Northern Barbarian Iron Sparrowhawks have a rule: they pursue their enemies relentlessly. Since you killed one of their men, they will hunt you down without regard for the cost until they have killed you.

For the time being, if there is nothing urgent, do not leave the city."

"Auntie, you seem quite familiar with the Northern Barbarians?" Lu Yuan asked, feeling a bit curious.

"After staying in the Northern Frontier for so long, one becomes familiar whether they want to or not. But you must not take my words lightly," Madam Xiao said solemnly.

Her tone had turned uncharacteristically stern.

Lu Yuan nodded. "I understand, Auntie. I will try my best not to go out, and if I truly have no choice, I will be careful."

"That will do." Madam Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Dinner is ready!" Just then, Xiao Hua's voice rang out, and she emerged from the kitchen, setting steaming hot dishes onto the table.

She even warmed a pot of wine for Lu Yuan.

It had to be said that this young girl was truly efficient at her chores.

"Ah Yuan, eat plenty." After Madam Xiao placed a piece of meat in Lu Yuan's bowl, she pulled Xiao Hua over to eat as well.

From then on, they did not discuss matters of the battlefield, talking instead about interesting anecdotes from within Sai City.

By the time they finished eating, it was already afternoon.

Lu Yuan bid them farewell and headed toward his own home.

Once inside, he lit the stove, took a bath, and prepared to begin his cultivation.

Over the next few days, he stayed home almost every day to cultivate and did not venture out.

However, he did visit Xiao Hua's home; when he had free time, he would chat with the old lady. He had discovered that Madam Xiao was very knowledgeable about the Northern Frontier, and she had intentionally shared several things about the Northern Barbarians during these past few visits.

This was very important to him; some of this knowledge could even save his life.

During the days Lu Yuan spent resting, the area outside the Three Great Fortresses had been swept clean by the Iron Sparrowhawks.

Yun Mo reorganized a team and had only been out of the city for two days when they encountered the Iron Sparrowhawks. At the cost of nearly losing his entire unit, he had managed to kill fewer than ten of the enemy.

Moreover, he did not have the same luck as last time; his left arm was severed, which was a major blow to his future military career.

Zhang Zhe of Yellow Sand City did not leave the city, but any other scouts who ventured out in small numbers were killed the moment they ran into the Iron Sparrowhawks.

Two villages were also slaughtered.

Whether it was the Zhou Family or the Helian Clan, everyone was running around in a panic.

They knew that if things continued this way, they would likely all be punished by the Grand Governor.

On this day, having finished consuming all of his medicinal pills, Lu Yuan finally felt a sense of completion.

Therefore, he immediately opened his system interface, preparing to check the progress of his cultivation.

If possible, he would break through to the Tendon Refining Realm today.

Once he did, he would be able to head out of the city once more.