In chaotic times, skill points are added: from hunter to martial saint, only killing and no mercy!

"That's right, this is indeed an Akhal-Teke horse!"

General Guan looked at the blood-red steed with admiration, his eyes full of affection.

For any soldier, a fine warhorse is even more important than a good weapon.

Although Li Yi had a tall, green warhorse, it was nothing compared to this Akhal-Teke horse.

With the speed of an Akhal-Teke horse, Li Yi could run from Yanmen Pass to Huangyang Plain and back to Yanmen Pass in a single day.

Seeing Li Yi's expression, General Guan nodded, fully understanding Li Yi's thoughts.

"Go ahead, this horse is yours now!"

Patting Li Yi on the shoulder, General Guan then signaled to the horseman to bring out the Akhal-Teke horse.

Li Yi took the reins and carefully examined the precious horse.

The horse in front of us was blood red, with glossy fur and muscles all over its body. Its hooves were even the size of a human head!

"Lieutenant Li, although this horse has been tamed, it is still difficult for ordinary people to ride. Please be careful, sir."

Listening to the stable boy's instructions, Li Yi nodded slightly and then began to practice his breathing technique in preparation for any eventuality.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Yi first patted the neck of the Akhal-Teke horse, then fed it a few mouthfuls of fine feed to soothe it. After that, Li Yi took a deep breath, stepped into the stirrups, and mounted the horse.

Call ~

As soon as Li Yi mounted the horse, the Akhal-Teke horse became restless, constantly jumping and twisting its back, trying to shake Li Yi off.

"Be good~ Listen to me~"

Li Yi clenched his fists and pulled hard on the reins, keeping himself firmly locked to the horse's back.

Li Yi, trembling from the shock of the Akhal-Teke horse, looked down at the horse's neck with satisfaction in his eyes.

As expected of the famous Akhal-Teke horse, its strength is unlike that of ordinary horses!

Previously, Li Yi's mountain horse was already considered one of the best horses in the Chen Kingdom, but compared to this Akhal-Teke horse, it was simply not worth mentioning.

After stabilizing himself, Li Yi forced the Akhal-Teke horse to run on the track. Seeing that it could not shake Li Yi off, the Akhal-Teke horse ran wildly on the track, trying to shake him off.

"Well done!"

After an incense stick had burned, General Guan watched as Li Yi gradually adapted to the speed of the Akhal-Teke horse and even began to intentionally guide it, and he clapped and cheered repeatedly.

Before long, the restless Akhal-Teke horse gradually slowed down and, under Li Yi's control, strolled over to General Guan.

"Thank you, General!"

Seeing the Ferghana horse that had already submitted, Li Yi was quite satisfied. After dismounting, he repeatedly thanked General Guan and entrusted General Guan to convey his gratitude to the Grand General.

As a warhorse bred in the Chen army, this Akhal-Teke horse is not as fierce as a wild horse. As long as you can pass its test, it will submit.

After chatting idly around the horse for a while, Li Yi asked:

"General, this horse seems somewhat different from ordinary Akhal-Teke horses. What could it be?"

When taming this Akhal-Teke horse, Li Yi discovered that the horse was faster, more agile, and even more intelligent.

Li Yi even felt that this horse possessed a strange power, and even martial artists at the third or fourth level of body refinement would not be its match!

Upon hearing Li Yi's question, General Guan laughed heartily and patted Li Yi on the shoulder:

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, kid!"

"This Akhal-Teke horse is just five years old, and you are its first owner."

"And the horse's mother was the great general's steed!"

After a pause, General Guan continued in a low voice to Li Yi:

"The general's Ferghana horse is a strange beast with extremely strong strength. Even some martial artists at the True Qi Realm cannot defeat it."

"The horse the General gave you is born from the legendary Akhal-Teke horse, possessing the bloodline of this beast. Naturally, it is stronger and faster than its ordinary counterparts!"

Born from the general's steed?

Li Yi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the general to be so generous, even giving away such a fine horse.

Based on its mother's performance, this horse will at least possess the strength of the True Qi Realm in the future!

In other words, with Li Yi as the head of the Li family, the Li family is guaranteed to have at least one True Qi Realm combatant in the future, ensuring the Li family's wealth and prosperity for decades to come.

Thinking of this, Li Yi looked solemnly at General Guan again and said in a deep voice:

"Your subordinate will certainly not let down the great general and General Guan!"

"When we face the Qing Kingdom in the upcoming battle, I will certainly deliver a satisfactory victory!"

This is an investment the general is making in himself, so he can't be lacking in attitude!

Hearing Li Yi's words, General Guan was quite satisfied, but he didn't make Li Yi sign any military pledge. He simply instructed him:

"Military achievements are nothing compared to you. Remember, your safety comes first!"

"The general gave you this warhorse not just so you could achieve merit."

Li Yi nodded repeatedly, then led the Akhal-Teke horse out of the racecourse.

Li Yi had long harbored a thought about this Akhal-Teke horse.

This horse is entirely blood red, with a lithe and agile physique, and unparalleled speed.

Since that's the case, then let's call him Red Hare!

Back then, Lu Bu, Guan Yu, and others rode the Red Hare steed, achieving great feats and becoming renowned far and wide. As a junior, I should take them as my role models and not fall behind!

After bidding farewell to General Guan, Li Yi returned to Fenghu Village with his Red Hare horse.

Due to pressure from enemy forces such as Qingguo, the Yanmen Pass military camp was in dire need of supplies.

The Zhao family, whose property had been confiscated, had tens of thousands of acres of fertile land under their control. General Guan bestowed some of this land upon Li Yi, while the remainder was designated as military farmland, with Li Yi in charge of the land reclamation in preparation for war.

The Fenghu Village, built on these fertile fields, is home to three thousand Fenghu soldiers and several thousand auxiliary troops. The former tenants of the Zhao family have now become tenants of both the Fenghu Village and the Li family.

"My lord, you're back!"

As Li Yi rode Red Hare back to camp, squads of soldiers who were training or on missions stopped and looked at him with admiration.

Li Yi nodded slightly, dismounted, and walked to inspect the condition of the fields.

Before long, Li Yi arrived at a military town.

This is a military town built on the site of the burned-down Zhao Family Compound, for the living and residence of the soldiers of the Fenghu Battalion.

Trade and commerce from dozens of miles around this military town were inadvertently drawn to it.

In the center of the military town, there were several grand mansions.

After inspecting the military town, Li Yi arrived at the largest residence.

There was a plaque hanging in the courtyard.

"The Li Residence".

Li Yi silently read the name on the plaque, feeling that life is unpredictable.

After taking over the important task of land reclamation, he ordered the construction of this military town, and his family members were moved here from Yanmen Pass.

Now, Li Yi's Li family is like local tyrants in Fenghu Village.

With a creak, the gate of the Li residence opened wide.

Upon receiving the news, many family members emerged from the mansion, looking at Li Yi with delighted expressions.

"Big brother!"

Li Yue, carrying a longbow on her back, with a few beads of sweat on her forehead, was looking at Li Yi with a joyful expression.

"Brother Yi~"

Behind Li Yi were the Liu sisters, Liu Fang and Liu Ru. The two women, dressed in traditional Chinese dresses with fox fur coats over them, were smiling brightly as they quietly watched him.

"Ah~"

"Ah~"

In Liu Fang's arms, a chubby baby wearing a tiger-head hat looked at Li Yi curiously.

Looking at the child, Li Yi smiled and quickly stepped forward to carefully take the child.

"Has Zhuang'er been behaving well these days?"

While teasing his son, Li Yi asked in a low voice.

Supported by her older sister Liu Ru, Liu Fang looked at Li Yi with a shy expression, her eyes filled with affection for Li Zhuang.

"Zhuang'er is very well-behaved and has a big appetite."

Surrounded by the crowd, Li Yi entered the hall and sat in the main seat.

Currently, the Li family mansion, including Li Yi's relatives, maids, and servants, has over a hundred people in total.

Wang Tao was officially promoted by Li Yi from a personal guard to the chief steward of the Li residence, responsible for assisting Li Xin and Liu Fang in managing the Li residence and overseeing all miscellaneous affairs and security.

Along the way, Li Yi could tell from his eyes that the courtyard was decorated in an extremely exquisite and grand manner, which was very much in line with his status and position.

"Wang Tao, you did a good job."

Li Yi hugged Li Zhuang and praised Wang Tao.

He never expected that Wang Tao, the son of a hunter, would have such a high talent for managing his home.

Now, Li Yi owns a thousand acres of fertile land, hundreds of slaves, and a fief of two hundred households.

Wang Tao manages all of these, and including the tenant farmers who cultivate the land for Li Yi, he has to manage thousands of people!

"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, adults. I dare not take credit!" Wang Tao said respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi gestured for Wang Tao to sit down below and then asked:

"When I was promoted to village head, I took you, Liu Ye, and Li Hao with me from the village."

"Now Liu Ye and the other man have both made many military achievements and have their own subordinates, while you have been living in a secluded mansion, dealing with servants and landowners day and night. Have you ever had any complaints about my arrangements?"

Upon hearing Li Yi's words, Wang Tao was immediately shocked and stood up from his seat, saying in a panic:

"My family were originally hunters in the mountains. If it weren't for your kindness, sir, that you taught my father how to hunt, I would have starved to death long ago."

"I will always remember this kindness. When I left my hometown with you, I also had the idea of ​​repaying your kindness."

"It is only that I am inferior to Liu Ye in military strategy and tactics, and to Li Hao in prudence. It is already a great honor for me to be able to share your burdens in this mansion. How could I dare to have any complaints?"

After saying this, Wang Tao paused, then pulled up his robe and chuckled at the crowd in the hall:

"If it weren't for Brother Yi bringing me out of Blackrock Town, I would never have been able to wear such nice clothes in my entire life!"

Hearing Wang Tao's words, everyone in the hall, including Liu Ye, Han Jia, Li Hao, and the Liu Fang sisters, couldn't help but laugh.

As one of Li Yi's core team members, Wang Tao used to call Li Yi "senior brother".

Although their statuses are now vastly different, their friendship remains unchanged.

With Wang Tao's witty remarks, the hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

After a moment, Li Yi waved his hand, gesturing for Wang Tao to sit down, and then looked with emotion at Liu Ye, Li Hao, and the others beside Wang Tao.

"When I brought you out here, I promised to help you get promoted and make a fortune."

"You won't get a promotion now, but I can still make you rich!"

Li Yi paused for a moment, then continued:

"I've seen all that you've done these past few days."

"Today, in front of everyone, I bestow upon you fifty acres of fertile land, ten slaves, three hundred taels of silver, and allow you to choose any martial arts manual you wish to practice!"

Hearing Li Yi's words, Wang Tao stood up again, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Li Yi.

Liu Ye and his companions had followed Li Yi through thick and thin and had received many rewards. Now, seeing their good brother who had come out with them also receiving many rewards, they were all genuinely happy for him and congratulated Wang Tao.

After repelling the Xiongnu, the Qing Kingdom was unable to invade Yanmen Pass for the time being, and Li Yi had a brief period of rest.

That night, Li Yi hosted a banquet at his residence and even sent people to cook beef and mutton to reward his soldiers.

Even the tenants of Fenghu Village received some wine and meat as a reward.

Everyone in Fenghu Village was grateful for Li Yi's generosity.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Li Yi put down his wine glass, turned to look at the child in Liu Fang's arms, and reached out to play with the child a few times.

"Is Zhuang'er almost 100 days old?"

Liu Fang nodded and replied:

"Five more days until the 100th day!"

Time flies!

Li Yi was deeply moved, and then summoned Wang Tao, giving him instructions:

"Get ready, I'm holding a 100-day celebration for my eldest son in five days!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tao, who had anticipated it, readily agreed.

After explaining some requirements, Li Yi raised his glass and looked at everyone:

"Five days from now will be my son Li Zhuang's 100-day celebration. Please don't forget to attend."

Li Yi now commands 5,000 elite soldiers from the Fenghu Camp and Polu Camp, and owns Fenghu Village, directly controlling tens of thousands of people. He is one of the top generals of Yanmen Pass.

Moreover, the Wind Tiger Camp was built from scratch by Li Yi, who invested a large amount of his spoils and rewards into its training. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the Li Family Army.

Within the Yanmen Pass camp, a military interest group has effectively formed with Li Yi at its core.

Therefore, Li Zhuang's 100-day celebration can, to some extent, enhance cohesion among superiors and subordinates.

Even if Li Yi were to pass away one day, these military interest groups formed around him could still elect Li Zhuang as their leader and continue the glory of the Li family army.

Han Jia and others, having followed Li Yi through countless battles, were no longer the naive newcomers they once were, but had developed a certain political acumen and competence.

The group paused for a moment, then quickly agreed, promising to attend the banquet on time.

For a time, the guests in the Li residence were all in high spirits.

As the moon rose high in the sky, the banquet that had been held in honor of Li Yi's return finally came to a close.

Han Jia and the others, escorted by their respective guards, returned to their residences in the military town.

As high-ranking core officers under Li Yi, they were also allocated a house in the military town.

After everyone left, only Li Yi and the Liu sisters remained in the hall. Li Yue had already tactfully returned to her room.

As for Li Xin, he was still dealing with some matters concerning the farming of the tenants in Fenghu Village and wouldn't be able to return today.

Looking at Li Yi, who was all muscles and strong, Liu Fang and her sister's eyes were almost overflowing with tears.

"Brother Yi, let your sister stay with you today. I need to take care of Zhuang'er."

Hearing Liu Fang say this, Li Yi laughed heartily:

"Zhuang'er can stay with the wet nurse; I want to sleep with him tonight!"

Immediately, amidst the two women's gasps, Li Yi picked them up and carried them into the bedroom.