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

The 1.2-meter-long Xuanhua axe looked like a short axe in Cao Man's hands.

Cao Xiong looked at Old Lu and said, "Make a 2.3-meter-long Xuanhua axe, with a 1.7-meter-long handle and a 60-centimeter-long axe head. The heavier the better."

Old Lu looked miserable. "Looks like you're really going to work this old man to death."

Then his eyes lit up. "Although Cao Man is your man, I don't know him. I've never forged a two-and-a-half-meter-long Xuanhua axe before. It will definitely take some effort."

"So, we have to pay more!"

"Otherwise, you should find another expert."

Old Lu turned his head, as if he had suffered a great loss.

"Hey, you've messed with my face."

Cao Xiong's face immediately darkened.

"You, Commander Cao, own hundreds of acres of fertile land and are a pillar of the imperial court. What's wrong? Paying a little more money won't make you poor!"

"Okay, okay, I'll pay more, and the weapon will be forged within two weeks."

Cao Xiong paused for a moment before continuing, "You heard it too, his surname is Cao. My Cao family has gained another member. As my close friend, shouldn't you do something to show your appreciation?"

"Giving away a set of armor isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Old Lu suddenly turned his head, stared fiercely at Cao Xiong, and gritted his teeth, "Cao Xiong, get out of here and never step into this door again."

"Look, you're in such a hurry again. When are you going to change this temper of yours?"

Seeing that Old Lu was no match for him, Cao Xiong smiled smugly.

In the end, Old Lu couldn't resist Cao Xiong's persistent pleading and finally gave in.

Old Lu reluctantly had his apprentice measure Cao Man's height and build.

After discussing some design details of the Xuanhua long axe and armor, Cao Xiong left the Lu family blacksmith shop with Cao Man.

Perhaps having gotten used to the gazes of the people around him, Cao Man became much less reserved, and his eyes began to focus on the various snacks sold on the street.

"Selling steamed buns~ Big, fragrant, and soft steamed buns."

"Candied hawthorn berries~"

Cao Man followed behind Cao Xiong, his nose twitching constantly. When they passed a vendor selling candied hawthorns, Cao Man reached out, grabbed a few skewers, and threw them directly into his mouth.

The vendor was dumbfounded, furious but unable to speak out. He hadn't gone far because he saw that the giant hadn't done anything to harm anyone, but he never expected to suffer such an undeserved disaster.

Cao Xiong reluctantly took out a piece of silver from his pocket. "I'll buy all these candied hawthorns."

Then, Cao Xiong looked at Cao Man and said, "From now on, you are not allowed to touch other people's things without my permission."

Cao Man swallowed the candied hawthorn that he hadn't finished chewing and nodded quickly.

Cao Xiong smiled helplessly and decided to take Cao Man out as little as possible until he found a teacher to teach Cao Man about human rules.

Finally, Cao Xiong went to a clothing store and made two outfits for Cao Man.

After changing his clothes, Cao Man kept tugging at his collar, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

From birth until now, he has only ever worn one animal skin at most, and has never worn clothes.

"Haha, you'll get used to it."

Cao Xiong felt a little uncomfortable looking at Cao Man, who was dressed in a white robe. However, as a human being, Cao Man had to integrate into human society.

Next is the issue of accommodation for Cao Man. Neither the barracks nor the Cao family residence are suitable for someone as large as Cao Man.

On his first day back, Cao Man made a huge hole in the roof of the barracks.

He quickly found someone to build a separate barracks suitable for Cao Man to live in, next to his general's barracks, overnight.

Today, the barracks built specifically for Cao Man have been completed.

After settling Cao Man in, Cao Xiong began to deal with the affairs of the centurion's office.

After returning injured from the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains, Wei Qiang actually became a complete hands-off manager.

Given Wei Qiang's excessive desire for power, this is truly unusual, indicating that his injuries have become so severe that they are affecting the very foundation of his martial arts.

Cao Xiong first tallied the casualties in this bandit suppression campaign: 132 soldiers were killed in action, and 48 were seriously wounded.

Seventy-three officers and soldiers were killed in action, and seventeen were seriously wounded.

Cao Xiong spent two and a half days dealing with the issue of compensation alone.

After settling all the wounded, Cao Xiong once again went to Wei Qiang's residence.

Although Wei Qiang was seriously injured and the officers and soldiers suffered heavy losses, the bandits still needed to be eliminated.

"This humble official pays his respects to the centurion!"

Cao Xiong looked at Wei Qiang. Compared to three days ago, Wei Qiang's complexion was getting worse and worse, and two doctors were taking care of him.

"Commander Cao, thank you for your hard work!"

Wei Qiang forced a smile.

"You're doing great, just keep it up."

"This humble official will certainly do his best to stabilize the garrison for the centurion."

"Sigh~"

Wei Qiang sighed.

"The responsibility of wiping out the bandits now falls on your shoulders."

"Recruit soldiers if necessary, but be careful of monsters."

"Rest assured, Commander, I will do my utmost."

Cao Xiong hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question he was curious about.

"I wonder what kind of monster the centurion encountered that was so powerful."

Wei Qiang's face darkened as he fell into his memories. "It was like the legendary mountain demon, with a human face, a monkey's body, red hair, and one leg."

"That monster is incredibly powerful. Although muskets can pose a threat to it, the monster is extremely fast and has strong attack power, so the musketeers don't have many opportunities to replenish their gunpowder."

"I tried to stop it, but I was seriously injured in just a few moves. Commander Xue was killed by the monster while covering my retreat, and his body was never found."

Wei Qiang's face showed a look of regret.

"Please accept our condolences, Lord Baihu. In this world of demons and monsters, we, as officials and soldiers of the imperial court, shall fight them to the death."

"For a soldier, dying on the battlefield is not without its honor."

"I know. By the way, what has Fang Zheng been doing these past few days?"

Wei Qiang didn't say much, but instead steered the conversation toward Fang Zheng.

These past two days, Cao Xiong has been busy dealing with the aftermath of the bandit suppression and hasn't really paid attention.

"Commander, I haven't paid any attention to this matter these past two days."

"These are turbulent times."

Wei Qiang sighed and closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing this, Cao Xiong stopped bothering Wei Qiang and took his leave.

After leaving Wei Qiang's residence, Cao Xiong returned to the garrison barracks and began recruiting soldiers.

That afternoon, the Baihu Office of Guobei County posted another notice announcing that it would begin recruiting soldiers in five days and invited martial arts practitioners to participate in the suppression of bandits.

After arranging the recruitment, Cao Xiong freed himself from the complicated affairs of the garrison and focused on cultivation.

These past few days, the affairs of the Hundred Households Office have exhausted his time and energy, causing his cultivation progress to stagnate.

With his current mid-stage Bone Forging realm, he would probably only be able to run for his life if he faced the mountain demon.

Furthermore, the time for Zhuquanzi to leave the pass is drawing ever closer.

Over the next three days, Cao Xiong practiced for more than ten hours each day. Although he was exhausted, he also made significant progress.

[Tiger Stance - Bone Forging Chapter (Minor Success) 135/200]

Cao Xiong looked at the progress on the panel and a relaxed expression appeared on his face.

After taking a quick hot shower and changing his clothes, his subordinates came to report that Magistrate Guo Bei had something important to discuss with him.