Border Pass

"Fire!"

At Li Yi's command, more than a hundred men released their bowstrings in unison, iron arrows slamming into the wooden targets.

"Fire!"

Whoosh!

Another rain of arrows poured down, rushing straight at the targets.

Looking at the mix of veteran and new soldiers before him, Li Yi nodded, slung the iron-backed bow over his shoulder, and stepped forward.

"Rest for a quarter of an hour. After that, I'll teach you how to fire two shots in succession!"

After nearly half a month of selection, only a little over a hundred men remained from the original two-hundred-man archery camp.

As General Guan's trusted confidant, the archery camp under Li Yi's command would be forged into an elite fighting force much like Gale Camp.

After being promoted to acting company commander, Li Yi's personal guard allotment had also increased to twenty.

Yet Li Yi still chose only the best of the best. Including Liu Ye and the others, his personal guard squad numbered only ten men.

"Sir, the army has approved your request!"

After handing his iron-backed bow to Li Tao, Li Yi accepted the military order and examined it carefully.

After taking over the archery camp, Li Yi had still relied on the same three strokes of the axe: Liu Ye enforced strict discipline, Han Jia drilled the troops relentlessly, while Li Yi himself provided ample rations, pay, and rewards.

The soldiers from the first company who had followed Li Yi to Wild Goose Pass had also been selected for promotion and assigned to the other three companies as squad leaders, ten-man leaders, and the like.

By now, Li Yi had forged the entire archery camp into an iron bucket. Not only had its combat strength grown, but it obeyed Li Yi's orders alone.

After checking through it and confirming the list was correct, Li Yi handed it to the personal guard beside him.

"Have Han Jia reorganize the second through fourth companies according to this transfer order!"

As the sun set, the day's training in the archery camp gradually drew to a close.

After making an inspection, Li Yi headed to the central army's main camp under the escort of his personal guards.

"General!"

A banquet was underway in the main tent. General Guan sat in the seat of honor, with Song Jie at the foremost seat to his left. The empty seat beside him had been reserved for Li Yi.

Everyone along the left side was part of General Guan's direct lineage, brought with him from Blackstone Town.

As for the right side, it was filled with the various units that Wild Goose Pass's military had assigned under General Guan's command.

Seeing that nearly everyone had arrived, General Guan raised his bowl of wine, signaling the start of the feast.

Worn out after a long day, Li Yi relaxed somewhat and drank with Song Jie.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, General Guan looked over the crowd and said with a smile, "With Qing Kingdom's army at our side, it would not be wise to drink heavily. Let the banquet end here."

"Thank you for the banquet, General!"

At once, the many company commanders and hundred-commanders rose to offer their thanks, then departed the main tent amid the escort of their personal guards.

"Company Commander Li, General Guan wishes to see you!"

Li Yi had just stepped out of the main camp when a soldier quietly approached him and spoke in a low voice.

Li Yi smiled apologetically and said to Song Jie, "Brother Song, I won't be heading back with you."

Song Jie laughed heartily and patted Li Yi on the shoulder.

"Why be so polite with me? The general is keeping you because he values you. So long as you don't disappoint his expectations, that'll be the greatest repayment you can give this old brother."

Song Jie could be called Li Yi's angel investor. Without Song Jie's many forms of help, Li Yi would have long since died at Cao Li's hands.

For that reason, Li Yi held Song Jie in high regard.

Besides, after following General Guan to Wild Goose Pass, Song Jie had taken command of the most elite heavy cavalry unit under General Guan.

In terms of importance, he ranked even above Li Yi.

After bidding Song Jie farewell, Li Yi followed the soldier back into the main camp.

General Guan was drinking hot tea at the time. Seeing Li Yi enter, he promptly set down his cup.

A personal guard at the side perceptively brought over a stool and placed it nearby.

Before long, only General Guan and Li Yi remained in the main tent.

"Li Yi, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Relax."

Outside Wild Goose Pass, the mutton was exceptionally tender and delicious. Cooked together with local goose-egg pebbles, it made for a famous delicacy.

General Guan held a boiled lamb leg in his hand and tore into it with hearty bites.

Before him sat a large pot of lamb cooked with goose-egg pebbles.

At General Guan's words, Li Yi did not stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he picked up the other lamb leg and began tearing into it as well.

As the saying went, the poor pursued letters, the rich pursued martial arts. Training in martial arts not only required vast quantities of medicinal herbs to temper the body, but also all manner of meat to replenish its deficits.

A man who could not even eat his fill could never throw a punch weighing a thousand catties.

"General, this boiled mutton is indeed quite good, but I know a method that makes the simmered mutton exceptionally delicious as well."

Li Yi thought of the ice-boiled mutton from his previous life, and his mouth immediately watered.

In his previous life, this had been his favorite dish.

After hearing Li Yi's description, General Guan was quite intrigued as well.

"Sure. When the time is right, make me a serving."

It was now late summer, and there were still many days before ice would be available. General Guan could only wait eagerly.

"Have you settled everything at home? How have you found your time at the Wild Goose Pass military camp?"

At this, Li Yi put down the mutton in his hand and said gratefully:

"Thank you for your concern, General."

"With the General's care, my family has already settled down properly in Wild Goose City."

As the borderland between the Chen Kingdom and the Qing Kingdom, Wild Goose Pass was not only an important military stronghold, but also a rather vital trade route.

Over time, a town had formed around Wild Goose Pass.

After taking up the post of company commander, Li Yi had used General Guan's token to select a residence in the city reserved exclusively for high-ranking military officers.

Land in Wild Goose City was expensive. With Li Yi's current means, he could not afford a house in the city center.

After briefly recounting some amusing matters from home, Li Yi said solemnly:

"Wild Goose Pass truly differs from Blackstone Town. Whether people or affairs, its waters run far deeper than those of Blackstone Town."

"The great aristocratic families, the imperial court's nobles and relatives, and the forces of the martial world all have people with their hands in Wild Goose Pass."

"But to me, this is an even broader world!"

In Li Yi's eyes, Wild Goose Pass could not only free him from the Cao Family's demonic claws, sparing him from having to worry about being watched at every moment, but also allow him to make use of the tangled web of relationships here and the Qing Kingdom's invasion to earn abundant military merits and grow even stronger.

"Good. Since you can adapt to this place, it proves I did not misjudge you!"

General Guan nodded and took a small cloth pouch from his robes.

"What is this?"

Li Yi was slightly taken aback as he looked at the small cloth pouch the General pushed toward him.

"I heard from Song Jie that you intend to use the sinews and bones of exotic beasts to forge a longbow. Inside this pouch is a piece of unusual metal I obtained by chance. Perhaps it may help you make your bow."

The pouch was not large, and the dark-blue metal inside was only the size of a fist, yet it weighed seven or eight jin!

Clearly, this was an exceedingly precious piece of divine iron!

"Thank you, General!"

Seeing this, Li Yi no longer declined. After putting away the pouch, he thanked him repeatedly.

After bidding General Guan farewell, Li Yi returned to his tent. He directly changed into a suit of armor, then headed straight for the city wall.

From midnight to dawn today was Li Yi's time to stand guard on the wall.

Standing atop the towering city wall, Li Yi gazed into the distance. The Qing Kingdom's camp ahead was brightly lit, with many soldiers constantly going in and out.

"This is where I belong!"

Looking toward the enemy army's pointed blades, Li Yi felt no fear. Instead, he found himself strangely at peace.

The next day, after going off duty, Li Yi returned to the main camp of the archers' battalion. After giving Han Jia a few instructions, he led his personal guard back into the city.

The next two days were Li Yi's days of leave.

Upon returning to his residence in the city, Liu Fang was moving about under a doctor's supervision.

Liu Fang's belly had grown ever larger, and the child within was developing very well.

For this reason, after his monthly salary rose once more, Li Yi hired a physician specializing in obstetrics to care for Liu Fang at all times.

This was his first descendant, and Li Yi attached great importance to it.

"Brother Yi, you're back!"

The instant Liu Fang saw Li Yi step through the gates, she was overjoyed and hurried toward him.

"Be careful. Don't fall."

Seeing this, Li Yi handed the things he had bought along the way to the personal guard beside him, then stepped forward to support Liu Fang.

"You're not in a condition to move around freely now. Don't disturb the fetal energy."

"I know. A few steps won't matter."

After receiving word from Dog Egg, Li Xin, who had been busy in a shop in the city, hurried back home as well.

This was Li Yi's first time taking leave since bringing his family to Wild Goose Pass, and also their first meal together.

For a time, the whole household brimmed with life. Liu Ru took Dog Egg with her as she arranged the feast, while Li Yi took this opportunity to keep Liu Fang company and offer further guidance in the martial techniques of Li Xin and Li Yue.

Li Xin possessed considerable martial talent; in cultivating the [Wind-Breaking Breathing Technique], he was advancing by leaps and bounds.

Judging by Li Xin's current progress, in at most five or six days, he would successfully step into the first level of Body Tempering!

Though Li Yue did not possess such outstanding martial talent, she bore more than a little resemblance to Li Yi in the way of the bow. By now, she had already mastered the double shot!

With several rooster crows, the whole of Wild Goose City gradually awakened. Hawkers pushed their carts through the streets and alleys, selling breakfast and the like.

After eating, Li Yi led Liu Ye and the others, carrying a box on their shoulders, toward the western part of the city.

The western side of Wild Goose Pass was home to a great many craftsmen. Smithies, clinics, and the like were mostly gathered there.

Led by Dog Egg, Li Yi soon arrived outside a smithy in the western district.

"Tang Family Smithy!"

Gazing at the enormous signboard, Li Yi walked straight in.

"Esteemed guest, what do you require?"

Li Yi had attendants with him and a box on their shoulders. One look told the shopkeeper that he was a major customer, so he hurriedly set down his abacus and came out to receive Li Yi.

"Shopkeeper, is Master Tang here?"

"Master Tang is busy forging weapons."

The shopkeeper wore an unsurprised expression at Li Yi's question.

This smithy relied on his uncle, the master blacksmith Tang Yiping!

Many people often came by reputation, hoping to invite Master Tang to forge something for them.

Hearing that Master Tang was present, Li Yi was immediately delighted. He said to the shopkeeper, "Please inform Master Tang that someone introduced by Old Zhang has arrived!"

Old Zhang?

The shopkeeper paused. But seeing Li Yi's imposing bearing and vigorous blood and qi, looking very much like a martial artist from the army, he said nothing further. He called over an apprentice to serve Li Yi tea, then headed straight for the rear courtyard.