Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Since Li Ping joined Cao Xiong in the hunt for the dog demon, he has been recuperating from his injuries. If it weren't for the current shortage of manpower, Li Ping wouldn't be able to return to camp yet.

In just over half a month, Li Ping lost a lot of weight, his face became sunken and pale, showing that he had suffered a lot during this time.

"Li Ping, how's your injury healing?"

Li Ping patted his chest confidently, "Don't worry, Commander, we can still fight."

"You still need to remember to get some rest."

Cao Xiong then looked at Wang Er, but before he could speak, he did so.

Wang Er spoke first, "Uncle Cao, I know what you want to ask. Don't you trust me, Wang Er, to handle things? I'll report to you right away."

"Cough cough~"

Wang Er moved forward slightly.

"I heard that a pack of wolves has appeared at Chipingpo outside the city."

"A few days ago, we attacked a caravan. That caravan was no ordinary one; it was passing through the county town and had many skilled fighters. I heard that the leader was a master of bone tempering. In the end, the entire caravan was wiped out."

"Not a single person escaped; they were all killed by the wolves."

"Later I heard that people from the county town came to try to clear out the wolf pack, but they failed. Everyone said there were wolf demons among them."

"Now, few people walk that road anymore, but some people have heard wolves howling from Chipingpo in the distance, so the wolf pack should still be there."

Cao Xiong tapped the table unconsciously with his finger. "Okay, I'll go take a look."

"Master Cao, the noodles are ready."

A short while later, the noodle stall owner herself brought two bowls of noodles and placed them in front of Cao Xiong.

"Sister-in-law Xi Shi, you only have eyes for Uncle Cao. Why aren't you as enthusiastic towards me?"

Although the proprietress was dressed in ordinary linen clothes, she had a graceful figure and walked with a swaying gait.

Wang Er's eyes were practically glued to the landlady. When he saw her walking over, he couldn't help but tease her.

"Tch, you shameless bastard, if you're in heat, go home and find your wife."

The proprietress has been running her stall here for many years and is familiar with Wang Er. She's long been used to his witty banter and can easily retort.

"Look at you, always in such a hurry!"

"Didn't you see that Uncle Cao is ignoring you?"

Cao Xiong didn't care what Wang Er was saying. He was too hungry. He had been drained of his yang energy by Nie Xiaoqian and hadn't recovered. He had also practiced martial arts for so long today.

Cao Xiong picked up the bowl of noodles, not minding how hot it was, and ate most of it in just a few bites.

After finishing two bowls of noodles, Cao Xiong felt that it was just the beginning, so he ordered three more bowls of noodles before stopping.

After hastily finishing his noodles, Cao Xiong parted ways with Wang Er and the others.

The next day, Cao Xiong got up very early and, unusually, did not practice his martial arts but instead brewed some medicinal soup.

Herbal medicine is an essential supplement for every martial artist.

Martial artists practice to improve their physical health, but everything has two sides.

Every medicine has its side effects; it can cure diseases but also harm the body. The same applies to martial arts training.

Martial artists at the Bone Forging Realm must use medicinal soups to properly relax and tighten their bodies, thus avoiding damage to their foundation.

"Panax notoginseng, safflower, salvia miltiorrhiza, chuanxiong rhizome, wolfberry, beef bone..."

More than thirty kinds of herbs, animal bones and other ingredients were added to the iron pot one by one.

After boiling the herbal medicine, Cao Xiong poured it all into a large wooden tub and added the appropriate amount of hot water.

Cao Xiong quickly stripped off his clothes and lay down in the wooden tub.

Before long, Cao Xiong felt warm currents flowing into his limbs and bones.

He couldn't help but let out a soft, comfortable groan, "That feels good."

The medicinal bath lasted for nearly two hours. Cao Xiong only stepped out of the tub after the murky liquid in the wooden tub gradually cleared.

After the medicinal bath, all the discomfort from having his yang energy absorbed by Nie Xiaoqian dissipated, and Cao Xiong felt refreshed.

Cao Xiong checked the time; it was already time for Wei Qiang to summon him.

He changed into his armor, hung the Evil-Sniffing Blade at his waist, and took the organized troop information as he headed towards the centurion's barracks.

"Cao Xiong pays his respects to the centurion."

"Please have a seat, Commander Cao. You've come at the perfect time."

Cao Xiong sat opposite Xue Ding as before, but unlike last time, there was one more person in the centurion's barracks.

Fang Zheng sat in the second chair on the left, clearly intending to participate in the discussion.

Cao Xiong remained calm and silently observed Fang Zheng.

Although it had faded somewhat, the faint aura emanating from Fang Zheng, which shared the same origin as the Corpse King, still remained.

Cao Xiong looked closely, scanning from Fang Zheng's head to his feet, but couldn't discern any features of the corpse monster.

"If we can confirm that Fang Zheng is still human, then how come he has the aura of a corpse monster?"

Cao Xiong was filled with doubts.

Fang Zheng didn't sense Cao Xiong's attention, but a voice appeared in his mind.

"That Cao Xiong was observing you just now."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng stared intently at Cao Xiong.

"Behave yourself. This Cao Xiong is not simple. If he wants to kill you, you won't last two moves."

Fang Zheng frowned, trying to communicate with the voice in his mind, "Master, I will be careful."

"Yes, but don't worry, with my guidance, the distance between him and you will only grow further and further."

"You will have the day to kill him. Anyone who dares to mutilate my body will have to pay the price."

No one knows the conversation between Fang Zheng and the voice in his mind.

If Cao Xiong could hear the voice in Fang Zheng's mind, he would definitely shout, "Corpse King, you really are not dead!"

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

Wei Qiang spoke, breaking the silence in the barracks.

"The first thing is about Fang Zheng's promotion to the position of Chief Flag Officer."

"Fang Zheng led the musket team in the battle to wipe out the horde of zombies, fighting bravely, and he is also a Bone Forging Realm martial artist."

"From now on, the Hundred-Household Office of Guobei County will be expanded into three General Banners."

"Congratulations, Commander Fang!"

"Thank you for your cultivation, everyone."

Fang Zheng quickly stood up, a smug smile on his lips, but realizing it was inappropriate, he regained his serious expression.

Congratulations!

Xue Ding also congratulated Fang Zheng, but Cao Xiong remained seated calmly, without uttering a word.

Upon seeing this, Wei Qiang didn't say anything, but instead continued discussing the second matter.

"Recruitment will officially begin in two days. Each person will be responsible for their own banner and will report the list of junior officers to be appointed to me separately."

"Does anyone have anything to say?"

Cao Xiong took out the prepared records, "Centurion, before me, most of my subordinates were hereditary military households."

"After the recruitment notice was posted, many military households asked me what would happen to their hereditary land if they failed the recruitment selection."

"Hmm... Chito did mention this issue, giving them two options."

"First, if a military household fails to enlist but still wants the land in their possession, they need to pay a military service fee of fifteen taels of silver per year."

"Secondly, if these military households choose to hand over their land to the centurion, they can still cultivate the land, but they will be employed by the centurion."

Cao Xiong hadn't expected that a solution had been devised for this problem. It seemed that the higher-ups still cared a lot about the military households.

He felt relieved, finally able to give an explanation to those military households. The annual military allowance of fifteen taels of silver seemed like a lot, but it was actually acceptable.

"Alright, if there are no other questions, go ahead and get busy!"

After giving his instructions, Wei Qiang ended the meeting.

After leaving the barracks, Cao Xiong found Yu Tong and Qiu Ming and told them about the measures to be taken regarding the military households' land.

The next morning, Cao Xiong left the garrison.

"The weather's perfect, time to slay the demon!"