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

Chapter 33 The Li Family's Crisis
Half a month is a lot of time to do.

The garrison had been cleaned up. Apart from a faint smell of blood and the hacking marks on the walls that proved that a battle had taken place there, nothing else could be seen.

The soldiers began their drills as usual.

The shouts were deafening every day.

In the past, although the local people dared not say it openly, they had many complaints in their hearts. After all, it was quite noisy early in the morning. The adults didn't say anything, especially those with children at home.

But ever since the incident of defending against mountain bandits occurred.

It's clearly different.

In the past, when a child cried, I would try to comfort him while secretly cursing the neighbors for being heartless.

But now, people often just slap their own kids on the bottom and then go about their own business.

Many nearby residents volunteered to bring vegetables early in the morning.

Don't underestimate these things; for the people of Fenglei Town who are struggling financially, they are the best they can offer.

With the help of elixirs, Zheng Yong and Wang Han successfully broke through to the Blood Transformation Realm during this period, making them quite skilled.

Zhang Meng, Sun Tian, ​​and their ilk had reached the Bone Forging Realm.

Now that they're out there, they're acting all high and mighty in Fenglei Town.

He is absolutely a top-tier figure.

Lu Ming's transformation was equally significant. After using two cans of the ferocious beast's blood, his Golden Bell Shield technique successfully broke through to the fourth level.

Having cultivated to this level, his strength reached a terrifying 30,000 jin.

It has already far exceeded the limits of the Blood Removal Realm.

It is almost comparable to the early stage of True Essence.

In terms of cultivation level, he is still at the mid-stage of Blood Refining, but his Qi and blood are accumulating every day.

The design also needs further refinement.

If he were to encounter Xu Xing from half a month ago now, he would probably kill him very easily.

"laugh!"

Lu Ming wielded the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) and swept it forward.

A harsh sound broke through the air.

It even produced a sonic boom, making the surrounding soldiers extremely envious.

After these days of training, almost all the warriors in the Thousand Households Garrison have reached the mid-to-late stage of Body Tempering.

Once they put on armor, their combat effectiveness will increase dramatically again.

"Bang!" After playing around for a while, he casually tossed the longsword in his hand to Wang Han, who was standing to the side.

Lu Ming asked with a smile, "How are your injuries, brothers?"

"My lord, it's all healed already, just some superficial wounds!" Wang Han shouted.

They all fought their way through the battlefield.

Two weeks is enough time for them to adjust their mindset.

"My lord, my lord!"

Just then, Zhang Meng ran in from outside.

He was wearing a black cloth robe and had a long sword at his waist; he looked much more energetic than before.

As soon as he came over, he clasped his hands and said, "Sir, we have investigated everything. There are only about a hundred people at the road checkpoint of Moyun Village. They are responsible for collecting tolls from passing caravans. The rest of the people are in the village. There is only one road up the mountain, but there is a hundred-foot cliff on the side. If we can climb up it..."

You can enter the village directly.

After listening to Zhang Meng's words, Lu Ming fell into deep thought. He decided to attack directly down the mountain. Although he could capture the stronghold, the casualties would be considerable.

Therefore, climbing the cliff is one way.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Wang Han and said, "Tell the brothers to leave Sun Tian's crossbowmen and a hundred strongmen to guard the house. The rest of you take three days' worth of food and come up the mountain with me tonight. Remember to bring long enough ropes."

"Order!"

Wang Han clasped his hands in greeting.

He then withdrew, clearly to instruct his subordinates to make preparations. Meanwhile, on the other side, inside the Li family compound in the prefectural city, the patriarch sat at the head of the main hall, below him were his two brothers and dozens of Li family managers, some of whom were even standing outside the door.

This shows how big the Li family's business is.

After taking a sip of tea, the head of the family, Li Ren, said, "You all know about the money the family lost, right? But it's a stroke of luck that we managed to save the business in the city guards. We'll be able to earn it back sooner or later."

The most important thing now is how to bring the goods back from outside, because Moyun Village no longer recognizes the Li family.

Now they've announced that if the Li family dares to pass by, they'll not only rob their goods but also kill them. What do you all think we should do?

His voice rang out, and the others whispered among themselves, seemingly talking about something.

Ultimately, they couldn't come up with a feasible solution.

Finally, Li Qi, the younger brother of the family head, gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, how about we put the goods in the caravans of other families? Although we'll earn less, it's still a solution. Otherwise, it's almost late autumn, and if we can't bring the cotton back before winter..."

That would really be bad luck.

"Second Master, as you know, we all rely on commissions from running caravans. This way, the brothers don't earn much after a hard trip."

We don't care, we've accumulated some wealth over the years working for the master, but the workers are risking their lives to earn money, and they're relying on this silver to get through the winter."

One of the shopkeepers stepped forward and said.

He was an elder of the Li family, having followed Li Ren since childhood. He had always been a very steady person, but today he spoke first.

However, what he said is true.

The other shopkeepers all nodded in agreement.

They were talking in hushed tones.

Li Ren remained expressionless, continuing to drink his tea.

Li Qi's face instantly fell. After glancing at his brother, he gritted his teeth and said, "The commission from other caravans will be paid by Zhang Ming. This big incident is directly related to him. If it weren't for his belief that he had gained power..."

"If it were a conflict with Moyun Village, this whole mess would have happened. However, I hope you will all give him another chance, considering his years of service to the family."

"Second brother, what are you saying? They're all our own children. It's settled then. No matter what, let's get the cotton wadding back first."

Li Ren gave the final summary.

Then, all the managers were taken down to have their meal.

After everyone had left, Li Ren turned and left as well.

The two remaining brothers exchanged a glance, then each turned and left.

That was the end of it.

However, everyone knew that placing goods with other families' caravans was not a long-term solution.

If your lifeline is in someone else's hands, trouble is bound to happen sooner or later.

Failing to do business is a minor matter; being schemed against, losing one's family, and even death are not impossible.

After all, if the goods are stored with someone else, it's really too easy for that person to scheme against you.

The fact that the Li family has now connected with the Blood Feather Captain should allow them to maintain their influence for some time.

However, no one can say for sure how long it can last.

As darkness fell in Fenglei Town...

Lu Ming parted ways with his wife and led his men toward Black Mountain.

He didn't want to give the town a single penny of grain, and he even wanted to meddle in the toll fees.

After all, raising an army is not easy.

Therefore, the only option is to strike first.

Moreover, the leader of Moyun Village is currently on the city's most wanted list. If Lu Ming kills him, he can see if he can be promoted another level.

When the store unlocks access again, the warriors will be able to change their armor.

Therefore, this is imperative.

Thank you to the user "糊涂人" in Fengchun Pavilion for the recommendation vote, thank you to the user "旅者娱乐" for the recommendation vote, and thank you to all the users who have followed and added this to their collections. Thank you!
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(End of this chapter)