Merit Pavilion

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 16]

[Cultivation Method: Blade-Breaking Eight Styles (9618/10000 Great Success)]

[Tiger-Subduing Stance Body Tempering (102/1000 Minor Success)]

[Golden Bell Cover (51/100 Entry)]

"Hoo!"

Lu Yuan exhaled, a look of joy appearing on his face. Ten days of progress was quite gratifying.

The Blade-Breaking Eight Styles would soon reach perfection.

The Tiger-Subduing Stance had also reached minor success. Logically, he could attempt to break through to the Bone-Forging stage now, but Lu Yuan intended to see if he could push his physical body to its limit before doing so.

After all, that would result in greater combat power.

It was said that some people only chose to break through after tempering their bodies to great success, building such a profound foundation that they could even fight those of higher ranks; they were absolute veterans among the military.

However, due to talent constraints, very few could reach great success in body tempering.

Typical disciples of noble families would rely on medicinal pills or special cultivation methods to suppress their progress.

The closer one got to the limit, the better their talent was considered to be.

The practice of Golden Bell Cover seems to provide a significant boost to the progress of body tempering; it's much faster than before.

Lu Yuan calculated in his heart.

Still, silver is too scarce. I need to prepare to make money as soon as possible. If I have pills, my cultivation speed should be even faster.

After assessing his current state, Lu Yuan continued his practice.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, after eating, he donned his armor, strapped his long saber to his waist, and headed toward the city gate.

At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and there were not many people on the streets.

Upon arriving at the gate, he saw that his subordinates had already gathered: ten city guards and ten garrison soldiers.

A total of twenty-one men were responsible for inspecting those entering and exiting the city gate.

As a frontier fortress of the Northern Frontier, Ice Plain City was built quite tall, significantly higher than some inland cities. The walls, standing over ten meters high, were constructed entirely of bluestone.

Giant crossbows were mounted on the battlements; it was said that a single bolt could pin down a True Essence realm expert, possessing immense power.

However, the number of city guards was somewhat small, with only a few hundred stationed in the entire city.

A portion of the force was stationed outside the city, responsible for clearing out and deterring nearby horse bandits and mountain brigands to prevent them from harassing the commoners.

In truth, the most important aspect was resisting the Northern Barbarians from crossing the border to pillage.

Great Yong was not exactly in a chaotic era. Compared to typical dynasties, while not at its peak, it was doing quite well. In any case, it did not shy away from the Northern Barbarians and would sometimes even take the initiative to strike.

After taking over the defense of the city gate.

"Creak!"

Following a harsh, grating sound, more than twenty men exerted force simultaneously, and the city gate was pushed open.

Then, they each took their positions and began the day's tasks.

As a squad leader, Lu Yuan had it relatively easy, standing by the fire at the gate to warm himself.

As the sun rose, the number of people entering and exiting the city gradually increased.

Among them were quite a few merchant caravans.

At this, Lu Yuan perked up. As a city guard watching the gate, while it wasn't the most lucrative position, there were still plenty of perks.

In the past, he was merely a garrison soldier and had no authority to reach out for bribes, but things were different now. After becoming a squad leader, he could engage in such matters; this was what Old Huang had told him.

Moreover, he had witnessed it during previous shifts.

Ordinary travelers hardly needed any attention; as long as they were confirmed not to be spies, they could be let through. But when encountering merchant caravans, one could usually squeeze a bit of profit out of them.

Sure enough, just past the hour of Chen, a small merchant caravan of about a dozen people headed toward the city.

However, Lu Yuan did not step forward proactively.

He merely watched with cold eyes.

After all, he was not yet proficient in such operations.

Furthermore, he was waiting for an opportunity.

Sure enough, Wei Yong could not help but walk up: "Stop, inspection."

As soon as the voice rang out, the caravan manager walked over with a beaming smile: "Oh my, it's Master Wei on duty today."

As he spoke, he slipped a money pouch into Wei Yong's sleeve.

Wei Yong smiled and glanced at the caravan symbolically: "Pass."

Then, the people around cleared a path.

Afterward, the man addressed the group: "Brothers, I'll pay for tonight's meal to add some extra dishes for everyone."

The voice was not loud, but everyone nearby heard it clearly.

Lu Yuan curled the corner of his mouth.

Well, this guy really wants to be a thorn in my side. He's just a bit brainless, handing me an opportunity on a silver platter so quickly.

He stepped forward, blocking the caravan's path.

"You dare let them through without an inspection? Who gave you the nerve!" Lu Yuan's words rang out with authority.

The sound even echoed against the city gate.

It was his first day on duty. When he arrived, Wei Yong and the others hadn't come forward to pay their respects. While not a strict requirement, it was enough to show they didn't hold Lu Yuan in high regard.

It was clear his subordinates had their own clique and were not entirely submissive to him, but Lu Yuan didn't lose his temper, as that would only make him appear petty.

He had spent almost the entire morning looking for an opening.

Now, he realized his opportunity had arrived.

As Lu Yuan stepped out, the caravan manager's expression shifted. Wei Yong and the others looked over as well. Lu Yuan glanced at the caravan, his face darkening, then walked over and bowed slightly. "Sir, this is the Li Family's caravan from the city. They are well-acquainted with me, and often..."

"Bang!"

Before he could finish, Lu Yuan kicked him.

Wei Yong flew several meters away, collapsing to the ground, unable to stand.

The pupils of those nearby contracted slightly.

One had to understand that Wei Yong had already entered the martial path. Such a person, even standing still, would be difficult for an ordinary man to hurt, let alone being kicked that far away.

In the military, the strong are respected. The others had gathered around Wei Yong partly because he was the trusted subordinate of the previous squad leader, and partly because of his strength.

Now, seeing Lu Yuan display such power, no one dared to step forward to help Wei Yong up; they all stood frozen in place.

"Just because you're acquainted, you can let them through? How many heads do you have? Do you take military law seriously?" Lu Yuan barked.

He then glanced at the others. "Search!"

At his command, the dozen or so soldiers didn't hesitate to start rummaging through the caravan's cargo, and after a moment of hesitation, the other city guards joined in.

Lu Yuan's strength was enough to warrant his position as squad leader, so there was no room for argument.

The caravan manager stood to the side, not daring to move.

Only after the search was finished did he take out a money pouch and, with a fawning expression, step forward to press it into Lu Yuan's hand. Lu Yuan weighed it—about five taels of silver fragments.

He waved his hand, clearing the way.

He walked slowly toward Wei Yong, who had managed to stand up but didn't dare look Lu Yuan in the eye. That kick had completely shattered his courage.

He finally recognized the gap between them.

In the Northern Frontier, might makes right. He knew that even if he were prepared, he wouldn't last a few rounds in a direct fight with Lu Yuan, and besides, the man was clearly in the right here.

Superiors didn't care if you made a little extra money, but if you didn't do your job, that was a different matter.

He had wanted to put on airs in front of Lu Yuan today to show his prestige to the others, which was why he had let the caravan pass.

Who could have guessed that instead of intimidating his superior, he had handed him a handle to use against him and ended up taking a kick for his trouble.

Seeing Lu Yuan approach, he didn't hesitate, holding the money pouch up with both hands and offering it to him.

Lu Yuan glanced at it; it was only about two taels of silver.

He didn't reach out to take it, only saying, "Do you know what the penalty is for dereliction of duty?"

At these words, Wei Yong's face turned deathly pale. Such a charge could be light or heavy, depending entirely on what his superior said.

"Thump!"

He immediately knelt on the ground, crying out, "Spare me, sir!"

He never imagined that a small act of indulgence would lead him to such a desperate state.

Zhang Gun, who was standing nearby, also stepped forward. "Sir, Wei Yong just lost his head for a moment. Please forgive him; we brothers will definitely listen to you from now on."

It had to be said, this man understood the situation.

His words hit the nail on the head; compared to him, Wei Yong was a pure brute.

"Yes, yes, this subordinate will listen to you from now on, sir," Wei Yong added hurriedly.

He pressed his forehead to the ground, still holding the silver high above his head.

In truth, if he could have beaten Lu Yuan today, things wouldn't have been so embarrassing, and he might have even caused Lu Yuan some trouble. But as it happened, the man was significantly stronger than him.

So, it was Wei Yong who had the bad luck.

Lu Yuan took the silver from his hands, weighed it, and tossed it to a soldier nearby. "Go into the city at noon and buy some meat; we're having an extra dish tonight."

The soldier replied with a fawning smile, "Yes, sir."

Afterward, Lu Yuan looked down at the kneeling Wei Yong. "Get up. This is my first day on duty, and I don't want to see blood from my own men. I'll let this matter slide for now."

"If you dare to offend again, I will punish you for everything at once. Follow me to buy meat at noon, and pick up some bruise medicine while you're at it."

"Thank you, sir." Wei Yong stood there and whispered, looking much more obedient now.

As for Lu Yuan, he had thoroughly established his authority.

Nothing particularly special happened afterward. After inspecting a few small merchant caravans and collecting over ten taels of silver, it was already evening.

In the middle of the night, the group gathered around the campfire and finished the cooked food they had bought, finally getting to know one another.

By this time, many of them had already accepted Lu Yuan.

He was not stingy either; following the rules, he brought out all the silver they had collected that day, which amounted to about fifteen taels after deducting the cost of the meat.

Lu Yuan took five taels for himself and distributed the rest to the others.

Each person ended up with one tael.

As for the garrison troops, they didn't have such perks; they were lucky if they could manage a single meal with meat at night.

After the silver was distributed, everyone became even more familiar with each other.

Even Wei Yong shamelessly walked over and said to Lu Yuan, "Sir, after we go off duty today, there are more than ten days until our next shift. Do you have any plans?"

The latter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Wei Yong rubbed his hands together and said with a grin, "You might not know this, but this place is bitterly cold. Although the imperial court issues silver, it's barely enough for one person to survive, and it's hard to maintain if you have a large family.

In the past, as long as we weren't on duty, the previous squad leader would take us outside to earn some extra silver. I was the one who led the group a few days ago.

Now that you're here, everyone is ready to follow your lead."

The fact that he could say such things showed he was clearly convinced.

"What kind of work is it?" Lu Yuan was somewhat unfamiliar with these things.

"There is a Merit Pavilion in the barracks. Many people go there to accept missions when they aren't on duty. Most of these activities take place near the city. The head of a horse bandit can be exchanged for one tael of silver, not counting merit points.

However, the head of a Northern Barbarian scout is worth two taels of silver and grants some merit points. But generally, we cooperate with other squads and only kill small groups of horse bandits; their equipment is poor, and their strength is lacking.

Over ten days or so, we can earn quite a bit."

Hearing Wei Yong's words, Lu Yuan nodded. This did indeed seem like a way to make money.

"Fine, I'll go take a look in the morning." Lu Yuan nodded.

Hearing his words, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

They had been worried that Lu Yuan wouldn't want to leave the city, and if it were just Wei Yong, who had entered the realm, they wouldn't have the advantage while operating outside.

It was a different story with a squad leader leading them.

If they could form a military formation, their combat effectiveness would double.

Not to mention that Lu Yuan's own strength was so formidable.

As the sky gradually brightened, Lu Yuan and his men welcomed the comrades coming to relieve them, then dispersed.

Only he, Wei Yong, and Zhang Gun headed toward the Merit Pavilion in the barracks.