Starting as a centurion, he fought his way through the chaos of the world.

Chapter 13 Another Trial
Inside the Hundred Households compound, veteran soldiers led a group of strong men in drills in the front yard.

Smoke rose from the enormous chimney.

The newly recruited personnel, though lacking the experience of veterans, have the advantage of being young and strong.

After all, everyone knows now that the conditions at the Hundred Household Office are not bad.

They all desperately tried to squeeze in, choosing only the best and strongest young men from respectable families.

Lu Ming sat in the backyard, taking out the trial scroll in his hand. After ten days of cultivation, thanks to the continuous supply of pills, his cultivation level had reached the mid-stage of Bone Forging.

Now, he only has one Bone Forging Pill left, and he plans to try it out to see if he can break through to the late stage of Bone Forging.

Once he reaches this level, he will truly be able to contend with the three major families of Fenglei Town.

The scroll vanished from my hand.

He returned to the battlefield, once again to the Battle of Changping.

The army stretched as far as the eye could see, and amidst the blood and fire, he raised his spear.

It was much easier than the first time I came in.

After killing more than ten Qin soldiers, he encountered an Iron Eagle Warrior who was about the same age as him. Although their cultivation levels were comparable, the Warrior's skills and understanding of power were superior to his. In the end, Lu Ming's throat was slit.

After the blood trickled down the collar.

He appeared on the battlefield once again.

After killing thirteen Qin soldiers, he was pierced through the back of his body.

In the following few attempts, he was lucky and did not encounter any strong opponents. He killed dozens of enemies before being killed himself. He charged towards Bai Qi again and again, but found that he could not get close to him at all. He was killed on the battlefield every time.

Until the very last time, when he faced a Qin centurion, he was easily beheaded in a head-on battle.

Once he regained consciousness, Lu Ming's eyes burned with fervor. He longed for the day when he could become a fierce general who could take the head of a general amidst a vast army, but he didn't know how long that would take.

Of course, the gains this time were also significant. My understanding of the art of killing has deepened, and that feeling of weakness has returned.

He took the Bone Forging Pill without hesitation.

Every cell in the body seemed to be nourished, constantly cheering and jumping for joy.

"Phew!" He exhaled a breath of stale air.

His cultivation level broke through, reaching the late stage of Bone Forging.

Even the momentum was showing signs of a breakthrough.

He believed that with another trial, his power would reach a minor level of mastery.

"Crack!"

After standing up, his bones cracked all over.

As soon as he stepped out of the inner room, Li Xiyue came to greet him. Lu Ming, who had just finished his trial, was still somewhat terrifying, but it was broad daylight, and Li Xiyue was already used to it.

Therefore, there was not much fear.

"My lord, Old Man Li has sent someone to invite us to dinner."

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so many days have passed, it really is time to go and see them. Let's buy some gifts on the way."

"Mm." Li Xirou nodded gently.

She stepped forward, took Lu Ming's arm, and walked out of the courtyard.

"Huh!"

As soon as I arrived at the front yard, I saw Zhang Xun leading his men in drills.

The bones in the big pot were bubbling and sizzling with oil.

The soldiers in the Hundred Households Garrison are now undergoing full-time drills, and Lu Ming is in charge of their lunch and dinner.

The town's pig bones and offal were almost entirely monopolized by the Baihu (Hundred Households).

The soldiers train hard, so they need some extra money.

Meat was too expensive and they couldn't afford to feed the animals. Bones and offal were cheap; a lot could be bought for just a few dozen coins. So Lu Ming had people buy them every day.

It was used to improve the meals of the households.

And you know what? The results were really good. In just over ten days, those emaciated old soldiers gained some flesh and their hair wasn't so dry and yellow anymore.

Everyone was full of energy.

"My Lord, Madam!"

As soon as Lu Ming came out, Zhang Xun ran over to greet him.

"I'm going out for a bit. You take your men and train hard."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Xun replied and then withdrew.

Lu Ming and his wife continued walking outside.

The streets were still bustling, but there were many more homeless people begging on the streets.

They were frequently driven out by the shopkeepers on the street.

Seeing this scene, Lu Ming frowned. This year was another year of severe drought, and refugees were flocking to various places. It was said that in many places, rebels were emerging one after another.

With his wife by his side, Lu Ming didn't want to cause any more trouble.

After buying the things, I headed towards Li Yan's house.

As soon as I arrived at the courtyard gate, I could smell the fragrance.

Li Yan's wife is busy.

Li Yan continued to tend to his vegetable seedlings.

Seeing Lu Ming enter, he chuckled, dusted off his hands, and stood up.

"Our centurion has arrived, come in quickly."

"Mr. Li, you are too kind. You are an elder, how could I dare to mention official rank in front of you?" Lu Ming hurriedly walked in, put down what he was carrying, and helped Li Yan to a chair.

"Hehe, I'm just an ordinary citizen now. In this Fenglei Town, you're the only big shot who acknowledges me as an elder."

Li Yan went to study in another place when he was young. So few people in Fenglei Town know about him.

His mother was a loner and disliked being disturbed. She had always lived in this small courtyard, and Li Yan had no other way to protect her except by secretly sending people to protect her.

Over the years, no one in Fenglei Town really knew that such a big figure had emerged from there.

Those disciples who were occasionally promoted, knowing this master's habits, never dared to say a word.

Once, a subordinate accidentally leaked some information, which almost led to the discovery of Li Yan's mother's identity.

When a letter reprimanding Li Yan was delivered to Li Yan's desk.

That prized student was banished to the border and never returned.

Therefore, when Li Yan returned this time, no one in Fenglei Town knew his identity.

"I'm hardly a big shot; I'm just working for the imperial court." In front of Li Yan, Lu Ming never forgot to mention the imperial court.

“That’s well said, but nowadays many people have forgotten their roots. They don’t serve the court; they only think about harming the people.”

Li Yan sighed after sitting down.

The palms, covered with age spots, gently patted the armrests of the rocking chair.

"I heard that some bandits attacked your garrison a while ago? I hope it wasn't anything serious."

"More than twenty people died, but I have already killed the bandit leader."

Lu Ming sat down next to Li Yan.

His voice was somewhat low.

The veins on his palms were clearly visible.

Li Yan patted him on the shoulder.

"When you want to get things done, people always have to die. What are your plans next?"

“Gather the merchants of Fenglei Town together and talk to them about the commercial tax.” Lu Ming didn’t hold back and shared his plan.

To have soldiers, you need money.

Although he made some money, he spent a lot of it recently and also supported more than a hundred people.

The money was spent like water.

Now there are only a little over eight thousand taels left, which seems like a lot.

However, once you become a thousand-household commander, you still need to recruit more people.

This is not enough.

Therefore, we must first find a way to make money.

Commercial taxes are the first step.

"Yes, commercial taxes should indeed be collected. Fenglei Town is the last of the lower-level counties, and it's been controlled by a few powerful families. What kind of situation is this!"

Li Yan sounded somewhat indignant when he got to this point.

"Alright, come and eat. You're all back now, why are you still worrying about the court?"

The woman came out and said with a smile.

Li Yan didn't say anything more, but he was clearly in a good mood today, and even drank two glasses of wine with Lu Ming.

Before leaving, I gave the couple some vegetables that I had grown myself.

"Master, it's just Fenglei Town. Didn't you say that we would send people to deal with it after we returned to the capital? Why were you so indignant just now?"

The woman muttered to herself as she tidied the table.

Li Yan glanced at his wife and said, "I'm not going to get involved in this matter. I'll leave it to Lu Ming and see what kind of mess he can make of Fenglei Town."

Are you testing him?

"I suppose so. It's rare to see such a talent in Hongdu Prefecture. His family lives in the next village. His father and I even attended the same private school, though we didn't know each other back then!"

Li Yan said with a smile.

Clearly, he had someone investigate Lu Ming's background recently.

"You never forget your fellow villagers." But this time, the woman didn't say much, because she also had a good impression of Lu Ming. The boy was polite and handsome, much better than the people the old man had promoted in the past.

At this moment, Lu Ming had no idea that Li Yan had investigated him thoroughly in such a short time.

I walked down the street with my wife.

However, the couple then noticed the crowd ahead.

"I'm new here and I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself in front of you gentlemen. If you have money, please support me financially; if you don't, please show your support by being there. Thank you all."

"There's someone performing for money, let's go check it out."

Li Xirou said with sparkling eyes.

Lu Ming readily agreed, and pushing through the crowd, he saw a burly man wielding a stick.

At that very moment, a data panel also appeared in his mind.

Name: Zheng Yong

[Cultivation Level: Early Stage of Bone Forging]

[Personal Deeds: He joined the army at the age of sixteen and became a fierce soldier. In that year, he killed eleven enemies.]

At the age of twenty, he participated in foreign wars and was promoted to platoon leader for his bravery in killing the enemy.

At the age of 23, he was sent back to his hometown after offending his superior.

At the age of twenty-five, a natural disaster struck his hometown, and rebels ran rampant. Refusing to join them, he fought his way out of the encirclement, single-handedly killing nearly a hundred rebel soldiers. On his way to Fenglei Town, he killed nearly three hundred more.

[Mission: Earn money to heal his injuries (After breaking through the encirclement, he endured a long and arduous journey, sustaining severe injuries)]

[Overall brutality level: 3000 points]

Killing them or recruiting them into your ranks will grant you 3000 Chaos Points.

(End of this chapter)