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

Chapter 28 Coming one after another

Chapter 28 Coming one after another
As night fell, a thin mist rose from the streets of Fenglei Town.

The autumn evenings were already quite chilly, and the streets were deserted.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Lu Ming went shopping with Li Xirou.

Winter cotton-padded clothes, hand warmers, bedding placed on horse-drawn carriages, etc.

Although they are all small things, they best reflect the sentiments of the younger generation.

After purchasing a whole carriageload, they headed towards the Li family's house.

In the courtyard, Li Yan, wearing a thick cotton coat, was reading a book in the sun.

After all, he's getting old and has no cultivation, so at this time of year, he can't put down his cotton-padded coat.

His wife, Zhang, was packing things up inside and out.

She was about to leave; after living there for three years, she was still a little reluctant to go.

“When I told Xi Rou a couple of days ago that I was leaving, she was quite down. These days, I’ve treated her like my own daughter. Didn’t you also test Lu Ming? What’s wrong with helping them out?”

She continued rambling as she wrapped the clothes up.

“Say something! Why are you silent? You’ve promoted so many fellow villagers, but now you’re not even in a hurry for your own child. He’s about to leave. Are you just going to let Lu Ming stay a centurion and not be appreciated by his father-in-law?”
How could you be so heartless?

Zhang spoke somewhat hastily.

Li Yan continued reading his book, occasionally taking a sip of tea; no one knew what he was thinking.

"Oh dear, old man, what are you thinking?!"

"boom!"

Finally, Zhang couldn't hold back any longer and snatched the teacup from her husband's hand, placing it on the table.

Seeing that his wife was going on and on, Li Yan put down his book, sat up straight, and said helplessly.

"You're still as impatient as ever. In the past, I did have the intention of using that kid Lu Ming to cause trouble for our opponents, but now I'm really reluctant to do it. I'm powerless and only have my current position because of the late emperor's trust. Half of my body is already in the ground."

Who knows how many days I have left to live? If I die, and Lu Ming is branded with my name, will those people in the court let him go?

We met too late; it's too late now. If it had been ten years earlier, with his abilities and my help, he could have risen to great heights.

At worst, he can still protect himself after I die.

But now, he is too young, and I am old and frail. When that day comes, I'm afraid we'll be devoured without a trace, unless he has extraordinary abilities and can accomplish in a few years what others take a lifetime to achieve, and can produce a respectable military merit amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. In that case, I'll risk my life to help him.

But that would be even more dangerous. If that's the case, I'd rather he stay in Hongdu Prefecture. After all, this is where I started my career. No one else can infiltrate the officialdom here. After he goes back, I can promote him without leaving a trace in a few years. Before I die, I can slowly hand over Hongdu Prefecture to him.

It's so obvious, this has ruined the child!

Li Yan spoke earnestly.

Then, his expression turned serious, and he said, "I know your temperament. I'm warning you not to go to your brother-in-law. I'll make arrangements for Lu Ming. If you recklessly help him, you'll only harm him, understand?"

"It's good that you remember these two children. I'm not stupid." After a moment of silence, Zhang nodded, seemingly somewhat unwilling, but she knew that the old man was telling the truth.

Li Yan had a student back then who didn't stay in the army and is still very depressed to this day.

Moreover, only they themselves know how dangerous their current situation is.

He may seem to hold a high position of power, but who knows how many people want him dead?

His biggest disadvantage was that he had no military power and could not control the army. Moreover, he had no cultivation and had a natural lifespan deficiency compared to the older guys of his generation. This was a real weakness for him.

They watched helplessly as the court gradually decayed, yet were powerless to change it.

Silence fell over the room. Zhang started tidying her clothes again, while Li Yan sat down to read.

But it was clear that his mind was somewhat unsettled, and he had lost his previous focus.

"Squeak"

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Lu Ming pulled Li Xirou in, carrying various things in his hands.

"Old man!"

Hearing Lu Ming's call, Li Yan put down the book in his hand and a smile appeared on his face.

"You're here! Come and sit down. You're eating here today, and you're not allowed to leave."

"Oh, you two are here, why did you prepare so much stuff?" Zhang Shi heard the voice, put down what she was holding, and came out.

"I didn't know what to buy, so I prepared some things for the trip, hoping that my parents will be more comfortable."

Li Xirou said with red eyes.

He frantically twisted his hands on his clothes.

Zhang wiped her eyes with her clothes and pulled her into the house.

Lu Ming sat to the side, unpacking some snacks and placing them next to Li Yan. The two chatted casually, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter.

"Grandpa, where are you going? Let me take you. The world is too chaotic these days, I'm worried about you."

After the meal, Lu Ming said while drinking tea.

A serious expression appeared on his face.

I heard that the prefectural city has already dispatched troops to attack Moyun Village in the past two days.

It's just that we don't know how the game will turn out.

"You go about your business. We have someone to escort you. Just focus on your own work. Hongdu Prefecture is alright in other aspects, but the bandits are too rampant. Even the imperial court can't do anything about it. You must be more careful in the future."

Li Yan waved his hand and said.

A barely perceptible hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

The group of people on the Black Mountain were the most uncontrollable factor.

Although he knew it was a spy planted by his old rival, he had no choice. His men were limited in their abilities, and he was already thankful that they could hold the city from falling.

They had tried to suppress bandits in the mountains before, but they were always completely wiped out.

Even he was having a headache over the situation here.

Without talented people in the military under his command, he was truly hampered.

"I'll listen to you."

Lu Ming did not insist further and nodded.

The two chatted for a long time afterward, and it wasn't until after dark that Lu Ming and Li Xirou had dinner before Lu Ming reluctantly left.

Because they know that they will have very few opportunities to meet in the future.

Holding Li Xirou's hand, he felt that his wife's palm was very cold.

This made Lu Ming sigh slightly.

She really sacrificed so much for herself.

"Tap!"

The two had just crossed the street corner.

Then they heard hurried footsteps.

Zhang Meng came running over, panting heavily.

He had a knife slung at his waist and wore a black cloth robe uniformly issued by the garrison.

"What happened?"

Lu Ming stopped the carriage.

He frowned at the same time.

"My lord, we have just received news that the city guards who came out of the prefectural city were ambushed by the people of Moyun Village before they even got close to Black Mountain. Less than two thousand of them managed to escape back."

Zhang Meng gasped for breath.

He felt a chill in his heart; the city guards' behavior would only embolden the bandits in the mountains.

This winter is likely to be even harder.

Lu Ming nodded solemnly.

Naturally, they knew what this meant.

The retreat of the army in the prefectural city will allow more Black Mountain bandits to rush down the mountain.

One wrong move, and it could even lead to major chaos.

"Let's talk about it when we get back!"

After Lu Ming finished speaking, he lashed the horse's back hard with his whip.

The carriage sped up.

The three of them headed straight for the Thousand Household Office.

Unbeknownst to them, a sense of desolation had suddenly risen over the misty town.