Recruitment

Lu Yuan exchanged all the silver ingots and jewelry seized this time into silver notes, keeping only a few dozen taels on his person for pocket money.

Afterward, he headed toward home.

As for the others, they went off one by one, bustling with excitement to collect their rewards.

Although this outing had been dangerous, it brought them unprecedented gains. Merits and silver could both be exchanged for supplies; what remained to be done now was to strive to improve themselves.

Lu Yuan walked home, and upon returning to Ice Valley Lane, he pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.

He had been gone for quite a while, and although the sky had already darkened.

One could still faintly see that green plants were sprouting from the ground, and even the iron tree in the courtyard had begun to grow tender buds.

After entering the house, it was no longer as cold as it had been in the past; at the very least, there was no longer a need to light a fire in the stove.

For the common people of Great Yong, this was definitely a good thing.

They had finally managed to survive the bitter winter.

Tossing his bundle onto the kang and removing his armor, Lu Yuan sat down and opened the system.

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Technique: Grade 2 Technique Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade (33091/30000 Perfection, breakthrough?)]

[Grade 3 Technique Tiger-Subduing Stance Tendon-Refining (10281/10000 Great Success, breakthrough?)]

[Grade 2 Technique Iron-Bone Golden Bell Cover (4013/50000 Entry-Level)]

[Grade 1 Formation Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation (31031/30000 Perfection) Additional Effects: Borrow Wind, Armor-Piercing, breakthrough?]

[Unranked Technique Wolf-Chasing Archery (63010/50000 Entry-Level, use 10,000 proficiency to deduce technique?)]

"Breakthrough."

As Lu Yuan's voice fell.

His body began to undergo massive changes. First was the Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade; a vast amount of experience and insight flooded his mind, followed by physical changes. His arms felt more powerful and agile, allowing him to easily execute movements he could not perform before.

[Technique: Grade 2 Technique Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade (3091/50000 Entry-Level)]

Next, the tendons throughout his body seemed to be tempered, with small, snake-like bulges appearing everywhere.

His strength also grew, increasing by several times over.

[Grade 3 Technique Tiger-Subduing Stance Tendon-Refining (281/30000 Perfection)]

In his mind, insights regarding the Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation emerged frantically.

[Grade 1 Formation Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation (1031/50000 Entry-Level) Additional Effects: Borrow Wind, Armor-Piercing]

At this moment, if Lu Yuan were to lead troops into battle, the boost to his subordinates' strength would reach fourfold.

His other attributes would also increase significantly.

It could be said that if he were to face those Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks again now, it would likely be several times easier than last time.

Once the insights into the formation were digested, Lu Yuan's fingers also underwent changes, becoming much more flexible than before, and his eyesight even began to improve.

A brand-new archery technique appeared in his mind.

[Grade 1 Technique Wind-Chasing Archery (3010/10000 Great Success)]

This upgrade allowed Lu Yuan's strength to receive an all-around boost once again.

As for the grade of the techniques, he was already very satisfied; after all, given the Zhang Clan's foundation, the only thing they could trade for was a single Grade 3 technique.

As long as he continued to practice, the levels of these techniques would rise sooner or later.

Today seems to be my birthday. I had forgotten; seventeen years old already, just like that.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan felt too lazy to cook for himself today.

He prepared to go out for a bite to eat.

"Bang! Bang!"

Just then, a knocking sound echoed from outside the courtyard.

"Coming." After responding, Lu Yuan walked out of the house and opened the gate to see Zhou He standing outside with a face full of joy.

"You're not going back at this hour; what are you doing here?"

"After rolling through a pile of corpses, it's hard enough to make it back, so why be in such a rush to go home? Let's go get a drink." Zhou He had yet to take a wife, and his father managed some businesses for the Zhou Family in Yan Province.

So, he was currently a man who, once fed, had no one else to worry about.

"That's right, sir, give me a chance." Old Huang didn't know when he had poked his head out as well.

His messy hair was still stained with blood.

This guy was living comfortably now and didn't think about taking a wife; every so often, he would change his woman. He would probably be out carousing for a while after this return.

"Alright, let's go then." Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony; it was his birthday today, after all.

Only, what he didn't expect was...

Wei Yong and Zhang He were actually waiting at the mouth of the alley as well.

"Heh, quite the turnout. Where are we headed? The Beef Offal House?" Lu Yuan asked as he walked over.

Old Huang immediately replied, "My Lord, given your current status, that place is no longer appropriate. Today, we are going to the Spring Breeze Pavilion."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow; although he had never been there, he knew what the Spring Breeze Pavilion was.

It was a brothel.

It wasn't the largest establishment in Ice Plain City, but it wasn't small either. Generally, it was a place frequented by those in the military with deeper pockets.

Ordinary garrison soldiers and the City Guard wouldn't even dare to dream of such a place.

He hadn't expected Old Huang to be so generous.

"Fine, let's go."

As he spoke, he headed forward.

A few moments later, the group arrived outside a three-story building facing the street. The antique structure was adorned with numerous red lanterns that swayed in the breeze.

They illuminated the entire building, making it quite eye-catching, while young women in thin clothing danced on the upper floors, waving silk handkerchiefs in their hands.

As Lu Yuan and his men stepped inside, a wave of perfume rushed to meet them.

Then, a multitude of female figures came into view.

A woman of about thirty, with a voluptuous figure and a mature, charming face, walked over. Her glistening collarbones were somewhat dazzling under the lights.

"Welcome, gentlemen. Shall we head to a private room on the second floor, or will you be staying in the main hall on the first?" As she spoke, she leaned in close.

"To the second floor. Do you think our Lord is the type to sit in the main hall?" Old Huang spoke up first.

His beady eyes scanned the room from time to time.

His gaze was gleaming.

Although it was Lu Yuan's first time here, he wasn't intimidated. He followed the woman upstairs and arrived at a private room called the Flower Language Pavilion. Within moments, various fine wines and meats were laid out.

Furthermore, groups of women began to file in.

In an instant, the room was filled with the scent of powder and rouge.

Aside from Old Huang, the others were all young men. Lu Yuan managed to maintain some restraint, but the others had already revealed their true colors.

Though Lu Yuan didn't care for the women here, he wouldn't stop his subordinates from having their fun.

For a time, the atmosphere in the room improved significantly.

Just then, a figure slowly walked into the Spring Breeze Pavilion from outside.

If anyone recognized him, they would realize this was the same person who had been speaking with Helian Shang outside the Captain's Mansion.

After entering, he wore a cold, "stay away" expression. He glanced at the woman carefully tending to guests at the door, and before she could approach, he said slowly, "Are there guests on the second floor today?"

"Business has been slow lately; only the Flower Language Pavilion is occupied. Are you here to enjoy yourself, sir?" As the madam of the Spring Breeze Pavilion, she naturally had a sharp eye and knew she couldn't afford to offend the man before her.

"Bang!" A bag was tossed onto the table, and its contents spilled out—it was filled with gold ingots.

The man said indifferently, "I'm booking the second floor for today. Have all the girls come upstairs and wait outside the Flower Language Pavilion. I have a few words to speak with a friend."

After saying this, the man headed upstairs. He was the steward of the Yellow Sand City Captain's Mansion and a distant relative of the Helian Clan, named Helian Black Fox.

His purpose in coming here was to recruit Lu Yuan and poach him from the Zhou Family.

As he climbed the stairs to the second floor, his cold, biting aura vanished in an instant, replaced by a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

He walked lightly to the door of the Flower Language Pavilion and said in a voice just loud enough to be heard inside, "Lord Lu, I am Helian Black Fox, steward of the Yellow Sand City Captain's Mansion, requesting an audience."

The next moment, the private room fell instantly silent.