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

Chapter 7 Family
"Ha, the Zhang family has a lot of blood on their hands. They've gained another 3,500 points, which, combined with the 1,100 they already had, makes them 4,600!"

Lu Ming thought to himself.

It's unlikely that he'll break through in the short term.

Then, my gaze fell on an item in the online store.

[Golden Bell Cover - 4000 points]

Upon seeing the cultivation technique, Lu Ming's eyes were glued to it.

A very good external martial arts technique.

In this world, cultivation techniques are the rarest of things.

Most of them are inherited from families or sects.

For the average person, obtaining this is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

This has led to the creation of various social classes.

Lu Ming promptly redeemed it.

Then, a large amount of information appeared in his mind.

This is precisely the cultivation method of the "Golden Bell Cover".

Then, I exchanged it for a bowl of body-tempering soup.

After finishing the drink, he began practicing the "Golden Bell Cover" technique.

Because of the prior knowledge, getting started wasn't too difficult.

After a short while, you can feel a slight warmth on your skin.

The effect is very good.

By the time they finished their cultivation, it was already afternoon.

I tugged at the skin on my arm and it felt tighter.

Lu Ming opened his eyes and found his wife looking at him. "Is there something you need?"

"Husband, quite a few people have come to the front yard, saying they are waiting for you!" Li Xirou said softly.

"Okay, you stay home, I'll go check on things!"

Lu Ming stood up and walked outside, realizing that it must have been the old soldiers who had summoned the people.

Sure enough, when we arrived in the backyard...

I saw a lot of people discussing something.

They only stopped when they saw Lu Ming arrive.

"Sir, we've found them all—fifty-three men, all veterans of war!" Sun Tian said proudly.

He's quite popular; he's found over a dozen women on his own.

With the original thirty-two, the current number of people in the Hundred Household Office is exactly eighty-five.

For now, it's enough.

"Sir, is it really three taels of silver per person?"

A burly man stepped forward. He was around thirty years old, with dark skin and a scar on his forehead. He looked quite fierce, but years of poverty had made his spine slightly hunched, and he spoke haltingly.

"As long as you work for a full month, you'll receive three taels of silver!" Lu Ming assured him.

"Okay, we'll listen to the adults."

The man rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Sun Tian stepped forward and explained, "Sir, his name is Zhang Xun. He survived the Battle of Heihe. He is skilled with a knife and even served as a squad leader. Unfortunately, he was unable to enter the country, so he returned."

He was worried that Lu Ming would be displeased.

"Oh, then that's considered elite."

Lu Ming immediately became interested.

The Battle of Heihe was the most devastating war the Great Yu had fought against foreign powers in the past century, with a million men going and only 20,000 returning.

It can be said that those who returned alive were all veterans of countless battles.

Although he hasn't mastered martial arts, his combat experience is definitely not lacking.

His gaze fell on Zhang Xun, and after sizing him up for a while, he said, "From now on, you'll be a captain in the centurion's office. You know the personnel, so you can nominate five junior captains. You'll be in charge of the daily drills!"

Then, he said to Zhang Meng, "You too, from now on you will be the captain of the centurion's garrison. Discuss with Zhang Xun and each of you will be assigned thirty men to your command. You can choose your own men!"

After a brief pause, he continued, "Sun Tian is in charge of operating the armor-piercing crossbows, as well as the security of the centurion's garrison. You will be in charge of twenty-five men!"

"Yes, my lord!"

The three of them immediately stood up and spoke.

Now that he has more manpower, Lu Ming naturally wants to find ways to make money.

After all, with so many people to support, he doesn't have enough money on hand to last for several months.

"Master!"

Lu Ming had just finished giving his instructions.

She heard someone call her softly, and when she turned around, she saw that Li Xirou was already standing to the side.

"Husband, my cousin's caravan is passing through outside the town today, and I'd like to go and take a look."

The voice was very low; if Lu Ming hadn't been so close, he would have barely heard it.

There is a trade route outside Fenglei Town.

It can be described as a hub for various places, which is one of the reasons why it is so bustling.

However, it is now under the control of bandits.

However, in most places, merchants will let the other party pass if they pay the money.

Therefore, quite a few people are still willing to walk this route.

Lu Ming nodded, then said to Zhang Meng and the others, "Now that everyone's here, let's draw up some rules. Starting tomorrow, everyone will come in to report for duty every day and begin patrolling the streets. That's all!"

After he finished speaking, he did not wait for anyone to reply.

He then pulled Li Xirou outside.

As soon as they left the hospital, he smiled and said, "I'll go with you!"

His relationship with the Zhang family is now very delicate, so naturally he won't let his wife go out alone.

"Ok!"

Li Xirou nodded. She knew about the family business and would pass through the trade route every three days. This time, it should be her cousin passing by. The two were the closest when they were young.

So I want to go take a look today.

As they walked, the two bought some vegetables along the way, planning to have their cousin stay for dinner that evening.

Once you leave the town, you'll see a straight road in front of you.

Caravans passed by in an endless stream. As evening approached, the Li family's caravan slowly arrived, accompanied by a number of guards, about thirty or forty in total, with small flags bearing the character "Li" hanging above them to indicate that they were members of the Li family.

Two carriages followed behind. As the caravan approached, Li Xirou, who was usually quiet, suddenly brightened up and shouted.

"Cousin, cousin!"

Sure enough, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a delicate face.

She wore a red silk dress and her hair was adorned with sparkling pearl hairpins.

His eyes lit up when he saw Li Xirou.

“Stop, stop now!”

The woman called out to the driver.

Then he jumped down without hesitation.

Holding Li Xirou's hand, he looked her over before smiling and saying, "Xirou, I almost didn't recognize you. How have you been?"

“Cousin, Fenglei Town is small, but it’s lively. My husband is good to me, and I’m getting used to living here.”

Li Xirou was worried that her cousin would say something that would make Lu Ming uncomfortable, so she quickly spoke up.

Then, she pulled Lu Ming aside and said, "This is my husband, Lu Ming, and this is my cousin, Li Xiyue."

She linked her arm with Lu Ming's, looking very happy.

Hello, cousin.

Li Xiyue is probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, so calling her "cousin" isn't a bad thing.

"Xi Rou is spoiled by our whole family, you can't let her suffer."

Li Xiyue looked Lu Ming up and down and said half-jokingly.

"Of course not, it's my good fortune that she married me."

Lu Ming smiled.

He could sense that Li Xiyue genuinely cared about her younger sister.

"Cousin, why don't you stay here tonight? I've already bought groceries." Li Xiyue quickly changed the subject, worried that her husband would feel awkward.

"it is good"

"Ahem, Xiyue, we absolutely have to go to Heishan County today!"

The carriage curtain was pulled back again, revealing a rather handsome face.

Li Xirou hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother-in-law, let's just have one meal."

"Xi Rou, we'll have plenty of time to get together again. Today, there's something really important to discuss," the man said seriously.

"Xi Rou, I'll come to see you next time. Take good care of yourself. If anything happens, have someone pass on a message to your sister."

Although Li Xiyue wanted to stay, she still listened to her husband.

Then, he waved and got into the car.

Li Xirou had no choice but to wave her hand.

Watching the convoy gradually disappear into the distance.

"Let's go back, it's getting dark." Lu Ming said softly, but his hands were already slowly clenching.

Li Xirou's eyes were a little red. "My sister and brother-in-law used to treat me very well, especially my brother-in-law, who was like an older brother to me. Every time he went out, he would bring me all sorts of fun things."

Lu Ming patted his wife on the shoulder.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two people in the twilight.

The chirping of insects filled the air, and the leaves of the trees along the path rustled softly in the breeze.

Inside the carriage, Li Xiyue looked at her husband and said, "Can we go to Heishan County tomorrow?"

"Xi Yue, the patriarch said that Xi Rou is not allowed to receive any help. You know this, so it's best to see each other less in the future."

The man said softly.

Li Xiyue didn't speak. After a moment of silence, she seemed to have thought of something and looked at another young man beside her, saying, "Zhang Yue, doesn't your business also pass through Fenglei Town? Xirou's husband is the centurion of Fenglei Town. If you need anything, you can go to him. I'll introduce you to him next time."

Her husband was from the Zhang family of Hongdu Prefecture. Although they were not as wealthy as the Li family, they were still well-off.

Zhang Yue is a distant cousin of Li Xiyue's husband.

They often transported cloth through the area, but because they couldn't afford the tolls, they usually hitched a ride with the Li family's caravan.

He could only transport some goods each time Li Xiyue set off with her husband's caravan.

Although this means that deliveries won't be very frequent and the business won't be able to grow very large, it's more secure.

"Forget it, you know the situation in Fenglei Town. The Hundred Household Office here is just for show. I heard they can't even afford to eat. Didn't you see the patches on your sister's clothes? If we send Zhang Yue to find Lu Ming, he'll probably have to provide her with food."

"Just remember to avoid contact with them in the future!" Li Xiyue's husband frowned. His wife's repeated mentions were making him unhappy.

Zhang Yue kept his head down and didn't say anything, but he was clearly not interested in finding Lu Ming.

He was at least from a moderately wealthy family, while Lu Ming was nothing more than a down-on-his-luck centurion.

Li Xiyue looked out the window without saying a word.

But a pang of sorrow welled up in my heart.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming and Li Xirou had already returned to Fenglei Town.

However, he did not go straight home.

"Husband, would you like to come with me to see someone? After you returned to Fenglei Town, during the few days you were unconscious, we didn't have any money at home. An old man borrowed money to buy medicine. Now that we have money, I want to pay him back."

The original owner of this body fell seriously ill as soon as she arrived in Fenglei Town, which led to Lu Ming's transmigration.

Even after he regained consciousness, his wife never mentioned it.

However, remembering the family's past hardship, and knowing that Li Xirou didn't want her to worry, she quickly said...

"That's only right, let's buy some food while we're at it."

“Okay!” Li Xirou nodded.

Then, the couple browsed around the street and bought some snacks.

Li Xiyue then led the way to a house on the east side of the town.

The storefront is low, and through the outer fence, you can see vegetables growing inside, lush and green, which looks quite nice.

An elderly man with gray hair was weeding inside.

The undershirt was washed clean.

Her hair was also neatly gathered up, with a wooden hairpin inserted at an angle.

He didn't look like an ordinary farmer; he seemed more like a scholar, exuding an air of refinement and even a touch of nobility.

In his previous life, as someone who came from a secret service unit, Lu Ming believed that he was good at judging people.

After all, he had protected many high-ranking officials, and his temperament was almost identical to that of the old man in front of him.

"Boom!"

Just then, Li Xirou knocked on the courtyard gate.

(End of this chapter)