Sending Silver Home

After the great battle ended, sorrow shrouded the military camp, leaving it unbearably oppressive.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, with no new battles breaking out.

Only small Barbarian units frequently harassed them, while low-level demonic creatures often appeared in the mountains.

Li Xuancang led his squad on mountain patrols, guarded mountain passes, slew Barbarians, and butchered demonic creatures. His battle merits soared all the way.

The daily 1% increase in strength never ceased. Li Xuancang's power changed every day, and ordinary Early Body Tempering Stage cultivators were no longer his match.

Meanwhile, dust billowed at the entrance of Azure Creek Village. Two men dressed in government runner uniforms led their horses straight toward the Li Family's small courtyard, the most remote and dilapidated home in the village.

The villagers of Azure Creek Village had been working in the fields. At the sight of this, they stopped what they were doing and gathered around, their faces full of shock and suspicion.

In these chaotic times of Demons, when harsh taxes ran rampant, government runners never brought good news when they came knocking. They were either demanding taxes or forcibly conscripting labor, and every household avoided them like the plague.

"Those are county officials. Why have they come to the Li Family?"

"Could it be that the Li boy is dead? Are the officials here to report his death?"

"Government officials have come—something must have happened. Quick, let's go take a look."

"..."

The villagers whispered among themselves, consumed by curiosity.

Some people could not stand to see the Li Family's life improve. With malicious glee, they wondered whether Li Xuancang had died on the battlefield and the officials had come to announce his death.

They could hardly be blamed for thinking so. On the battlefield, death was the most ordinary thing.

Before long, the Li Family's small courtyard was surrounded by people.

Inside the courtyard, Father Li hunched over as he repaired worn-out farming tools.

Mother Li patched tattered clothes, while Li Ling'er busied herself laying wild vegetables out to dry.

Hearing the commotion outside, Father Li put down his tools and walked toward the gate.

The instant he saw the government runners, his heart skipped a beat. Fear rose instinctively within him, and he stepped forward anxiously, his voice trembling. "O-officers, what is this about...?"

The man who had come was Zheng Feng, the one who had led the group last time. He now wore a kind smile, without a trace of the superiority common to government runners.

"Uncle Li, congratulations!"

Zheng Feng's attitude was even gentler than before, carrying a hint of familiarity.

Previously, Li Xuancang had merely been a Battle Soldier. Although he enjoyed the Imperial Court's protection, he had not been worth currying favor with.

Now, Li Xuancang was already a Five-Man Leader. Though it was the lowest rank among military officers, he was still an officer, and his identity and status were entirely different.

Father Li looked utterly bewildered, not knowing where this joy had come from.

Zheng Feng did not beat around the bush. Smiling broadly, he said, "Uncle Li, Brother Li fought bravely and killed enemies at the border, earning merit in battle. He is now a Five-Man Leader."

Boom!

At those words, the Li Family froze instantly. Even their eyes seemed to stop moving.

They stood stiffly in place, their faces blank, thinking they had heard wrong.

The villagers gathered outside the courtyard all fell silent. Their eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.

Before anyone could react, the other runner handed over a heavy cloth pouch and a short military letter, then announced loudly.

"Li Xuancang, Five-Man Leader Li, has rendered meritorious service guarding the border, slaying Barbarians and demonic creatures. He has been exceptionally promoted to Five-Man Leader and has specially sent ten taels of silver home to support his family."

"Furthermore, by military order, the Li Family shall henceforth be permanently exempt from corvée labor and taxes, and shall receive the protection of Imperial Court military registration."

Ten taels of silver, permanent exemption from corvée labor and taxes, and protection under military registration.

Every sentence was as earth-shattering as a stone shattering the sky, exploding through tiny Azure Creek Village.

The villagers outside the courtyard erupted completely, nearly breaking down the courtyard walls as they pressed forward. The suspicion in their eyes turned into shock and envy.

In these chaotic times, ten taels of silver was enough for an ordinary farming family to live steadily for two or three years, without having to chew wild vegetables and endure hunger.

Exemption from corvée labor and taxes was even more like removing the mountain pressing over the Li Family's heads. They would no longer be squeezed dry by officials or seized for hard labor.

Protection under military registration meant that mountain bandits, minor Demons, and local tyrants would no longer dare bully the Li Family at will.

Although the Li Family had enjoyed these benefits before, they had come with a time limit. Now they possessed these privileges forever, and the surrounding villagers' eyes reddened with jealousy.

"How is that possible? That Li boy actually became a Five-Man Leader. He's already an official now."

"The Li Family has produced someone extraordinary. They're going to soar into prosperity."

"Even if the Li boy dies on the battlefield, the Li Family now has the Imperial Court to rely on and can still survive."

"..."

Who could have imagined that the youth once seized as cannon fodder would carve out a future for himself through slaughter at the border, becoming a registered military officer of the Imperial Court—a Five-Man Leader?

The Li Family gradually came back to their senses. Father Li received the heavy pouch of silver with trembling hands, and old tears burst from his eyes.

Mother Li sobbed even more bitterly. Worry and joy intertwined in her clouded eyes.

Father Li's voice caught in his throat as he held that brief letter from home, his hands shaking without stop.

"My son has earned merit at the border, become a Five-Man Leader, and even sent money home..."

Their Li Family had produced someone capable of earning military merit, someone capable of becoming a military officer.

From now on, they were no longer lowly commoners anyone could trample upon. They no longer had to live in fear, unsure whether they would survive the next day.

The villagers packed the Li Family's courtyard so tightly that not even water could pass through. Their gazes toward the Li Family were filled with reverence and eager flattery.

"Brother Li, you raised a fine son!"

"Five-Man Leader Li is truly remarkable. The border is so dangerous, yet he became an officer and even sent back so much silver."

"From now on, throughout these villages for ten miles around, who would dare bully the Li Family?"

"..."

Each word of praise fell upon the Li Family's ears, filling their hearts with glory.

Yet that pride was drowned in thick worry in the blink of an eye.

Mother Li wiped away her tears, her sobs brimming with concern.

"What does it matter if he has become a Five-Man Leader...? The border is in such chaos. The Barbarians are vicious, Demons eat people, and every time he fights, he is licking blood from a blade's edge..."

When a son traveled a thousand miles, his mother worried. She had not seen him for over two years, and she did not even know whether mother and son would ever meet again in this lifetime. Sorrow welled up from the depths of her heart.

"Yes..."

Father Li let out a long sigh. The joy faded from his face, leaving only boundless worry.

"Military merit is bought with one's life. The higher he climbs, the fiercer the battles become and the greater the danger... We would rather he return safely than trade his life for this silver..."

Mother Li held Li Ling'er tightly, her eyes red-rimmed and her heart full of longing.

Her son had made something of himself, and that was the pride of the entire family. Yet whenever she thought of him bathing in blood as he fought at the border, facing danger at any moment, her heart ached for him for no reason at all.

The pride was real, but the worry was carved even deeper into their bones.

Holding these heavy ten taels of silver and feeling the hard-won peace they brought, they missed their distant family member more than ever before.

Every step Li Xuancang rose at the border, every additional merit he earned, meant he had endured another life-and-death slaughter.

"My son, Mother does not want silver or fame. I only ask that you return alive and safe..."

Mother Li gazed in the direction of the border, pressing her hands together as she prayed silently again and again.

The villagers continued discussing it, their words full of envy.

But the Li Family knew that this glory and peace, sent from a thousand miles away, had been won by their son risking his life at the border.