knife

Chapter 361 Transformation
Ding Ergou was carrying a large bundle and walking hurriedly.

He was really unfamiliar with Tai'an City.

They walked and asked questions as they went.

Fortunately, the places he asked about were all familiar to the locals of Tai'an City.

The famous Deyiju.

Deyiju, Yingchunlou, and Maibafang are some of the iconic buildings in Tai'an City.

Of course, they each have different functions.

Deyiju is a restaurant that claims it can cook any dish you can order. Of course, Deyiju is also extremely expensive; a meal there can cost an average person a year's income. People without the means would never dare to set foot there.

Yingchunlou sounds like no respectable place. It is the largest and most famous den of iniquity outside the Great Wall, even surpassing Deyiju in its debauchery.

There's only one place called "Sell from All Directions," a place that ordinary people can visit. Because the things they sell are indeed very cheap, and they also claim that you can buy anything you want here. If you can't buy it on the same day, as long as you place an order, "Sell from All Directions" can quickly deliver the goods you need to your door according to your requirements.

Upon hearing that Ding Ergou was heading to Deyiju, the person giving directions became even more enthusiastic.

The young man in front of me looks imposing and is no ordinary person.

Jinbao stood at the entrance of Deyiju and saw Ding Ergou coming from afar. He immediately beamed and waved to Ding Ergou repeatedly, "Ergou, over here!"

Upon seeing Jinbao, Ding Ergou smiled, strode over, dropped his bundle, and the two hugged tightly before playfully punching each other's chests.

"I've gained weight around my waist!"

He reached out and pinched Jinbao's waist hard, and Jinbao cried out in pain.

“I don’t have your perseverance and determination. When I came back from the battlefield last time, I just thought I had been given a second chance at life, so I eat and drink as much as I can.” Jinbao laughed and said, “Let’s go, Old Lu and Old Hu are already waiting upstairs.”

"Really? How can I keep my elder brother waiting for me? Let's go, let's go, I'll have to punish myself with three cups!" Ding Ergou picked up his bundle and left.

As soon as the door opened, Ding Ergou was greeted by Lü You's enormous body, which was equivalent to three people.

"Welcome to Tai'an City!" Lü You laughed heartily and bumped fists with Ding Ergou and his companion, while Hu Kan and Cai Qi gave Ding Ergou a big bear hug.

It wasn't that Lü You didn't want to, but rather that he was too fat and couldn't wrap his arms around it.

However, he has no intention of losing weight.

This fat body had saved his life several times on the battlefield.

Especially in the battle of Yuan'an, Xia Zhi, whose martial arts cultivation was much higher than his, was seriously injured. He looked scary, but in reality, he was not seriously injured.

The doctor later said that it was his fat that saved him; otherwise, he would have died.

Hu Kan was a butcher who owned a shop in Tai'an City.

Cai Ming, however, was a playboy who would throw his money into brothels whenever he had it.

The richest among them is Jinbao, who is in business.

Sitting around the table, Lü You looked at Ding Ergou and said, "I've said it before, among our group, the most promising one is definitely Ergou. See? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

The crowd responded in unison.

After experiencing several major battles in the spring of this year, Ding Ergou's personal cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. After winter, he actually broke through to the Xuan Yuan level and reached the seventh rank of Xuan Yuan.

Then, he was summoned by the Protectorate to study martial arts in Tai'an City.

The martial arts academy was established in Tai'an City after the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate. It was a school specifically for training high-ranking military officers. The most basic requirement for entering this martial arts academy was that one must be under the age of thirty-five and have a cultivation level of the seventh grade of the Xuan Yuan realm.

The instructors at this martial arts school are all high-ranking officials from the Protectorate General's Office. They teach not only martial arts but also tactics and strategies.

It can be said that graduating from this martial arts school is equivalent to having a huge network of connections, which basically allows direct contact with the highest-ranking officials of the Beiting Protectorate.

Because Li Dachui and Xiao Changche are both teachers at this school.

Even Zhou Zhi, the city lord of Tai'an, was enrolled at the school. When he had free time and was in the mood, he would go to the martial arts academy and give pointers on martial arts cultivation to anyone he liked.

Such a school is naturally a place that everyone wants to get into, but just two conditions are enough to shut out 99% of those who want to get in through connections.

Those who can enter this martial arts school are all outstanding individuals from outside the Great Wall.

Of course, precisely because of such stringent admission requirements, martial arts schools have always had more teachers than students since their establishment. So, those who get in basically start hoping to graduate as soon as possible from day one.

Only six people entered the martial arts school this year, including Ding Ergou, who was the youngest and had just turned twenty.

After reaching the seventh rank of Xuan Yuan, Ding Er Gou's position will be directly promoted from regimental commander to captain of Zhechong Prefecture.

A captain is already considered a high-ranking officer.

When the soldiers were conscripted, they became soldiers. When they were on leave and not fighting, they did whatever they were supposed to do.

But Ding Ergou will leave this class and become a member of the standing army.

In other words, when they are conscripted into battle in the future, including Lü You and the others, they will all become Ding Ergou's subordinates.

"Ergou, next time you're drafted, remember to arrange a safe and easy job for your brother!" Jinbao said with a grin as he filled Ding Ergou's glass with wine.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Jinbao, you good-for-nothing!" Lü You smacked Jinbao and said, "Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together. When Ergou becomes a captain and leads troops into battle, can we brothers rely on anyone else but to help him? But you actually expect Ergou to show favoritism. Do you think Ergou is that kind of person?"

"Exactly!" Hu Kan said, "Besides, we've fought almost the most dangerous battle. The Yuan Kingdom doesn't have the same power it used to have. Fighting them again will probably be much easier. Jinbao, you've survived the hardest part. Now it's time to reap the rewards, but you're shrinking back. That's not like you. You've miscalculated, really miscalculated!"

"No battle is ever easy!" Jinbao shook his head and said, "Besides, even though we're about to dominate the area outside the Great Wall, things are only just beginning inside! Who knows when we'll have to set off for the interior!"

"What news did Brother Jin hear?" Ding Ergou asked curiously. He had just come from the countryside and his information was far less than that of these well-informed people.

Among them, Jinbao is the most well-informed because he is involved in business, and among the shareholders of Jinbao's business are not only Lü You, but also He Li and people from Zhi Qiu Yuan.

"Li Duhu secretly entered the pass some time ago and has already taken over Shu County." Jinbao whispered, "A large number of officials will be transferred to Shu to serve as officials soon, and many people have already received the notice."

"Shu County, what kind of place is that?" Ding Ergou asked.

Jinbao dipped his finger in wine and drew a rough map on the table, causing everyone in the room to gasp.

That's way too far.

"Isn't it said that the area is all plague-ridden land, with mosquitoes as long as fingers and cockroaches as big as fists? The mountains are endless, snakes and insects abound, and you could easily catch a disease!" Cai Qi stammered, "Who would want to go there?"

"Nonsense!" Ding Ergou shook his head and said, "It must be a lie. This place must be very important, otherwise why would our Protector General travel thousands of miles to plan for this place? I wonder if any of the officials mobilized this time are military officers?"

"Yes, but don't even think about it!" Jinbao laughed. "The list has been finalized. The civil officials will be led by Scholar Zhang, and the military officials will be led by the Yuan brothers, Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong. Most of the people selected have backgrounds within the Great Wall. You, a native of the area outside the Great Wall, might not adapt well there. You should go and study martial arts first!"

Ding Ergou nodded: "Brother Jin is right. Only by making ourselves stronger can we share more of the Protectorate General's burdens in the future. Our Beiting Protectorate General's main enemy right now is still the Yuan people. How can we move south with peace of mind if we don't completely wipe them out?"

The crowd responded in unison.

“Ergou, we’re different from you. The rest of us have reached the sixth rank of Qi Control, and besides, we’re getting old. In another three to five years, we’ll be leaving the ranks of the soldiers and won’t be conscripted anymore. As for going to conquer the world, I guess we won’t be able to catch up!” Lü You patted his big belly. “The world will be yours from now on. Come, come, let’s toast Ergou together. When Ergou becomes a great general, we’ll send our children to Ergou’s army. Ergou, is that alright?”

"We're all brothers, of course we have to take care of each other!" Ding Ergou raised his glass and said with emotion, "In the past few years, if it weren't for the support of you brothers on the battlefield, I don't know if I would still be alive today. I will always remember this kind of friendship! Come, let's drink to victory!"

"Cheers! Cheers!"

Several glasses clinked together, splashing wine everywhere, and laughter filled the air.

While Ding Ergou and his group were drinking and discussing how Protector-General Li had displayed his might in the Guanzhong Plain and seized Shu County, Zhang Ruo, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Inspector of the Guanzhong Plain, was preparing to depart for Chang'an.

They arrived in a state of utter desolation, not even knowing if they would survive the next day. Apart from their boundless enthusiasm and righteous spirit, they truly had nothing.

Three years, a full three years, Zhang Ruo felt completely transformed.

Looking back, his youthful idealism is truly both lamentable and laughable, especially after he learned the truth about his demotion.

The world shouldn't be like this.

Zhang Ruo now feels that she still has a sense of righteousness, but she is no longer as naive as she used to be.

What's done is done. This time, I'm going back to show my skills and vow to change the world and expose all that filth and despicable behavior to the light of day.

What is rotten should be left to rot.

He waved to Mao Daxian, who had come to see him off, and said loudly, "Chief Secretary, please convey my thanks to City Lord Zhou and Protector Xiao!"

(End of this chapter)