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

Chapter 4 Formal Incorporation
Lu Ming did not order a pursuit. There were only some elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in the courtyard. If their secrets were discovered, it would be no joke.

A moment later, Zhang Meng, who had climbed up the courtyard wall to check for a while, returned to the courtyard.

"Sir, they've all run away!"

Zhang Meng waved his arms, his large vest swinging wildly.

He seemed very excited.

"Okay, clean up the bodies. They'll all stay here tonight. Sun Tian, ​​stay upstairs and don't come down, in case the Zhang family launches another sneak attack."

"Yes, sir!"

After Zhang Meng responded, he began to give orders to his people.

Lu Ming went to the backyard.

"Squeak!"

As soon as she opened the door, her soft body jumped into his arms.

"Husband, are you alright?"

Li Xirou was trembling, and the moonlight shone on her face, making her look very pale.

Her little hands were especially cold.

"It's alright, don't worry. These are just some stupid thieves; I can handle them with one hand!" Lu Ming calmly pulled his wife to sit on the edge of the bed.

After watching the other person fall asleep.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Today's victory seemed like a big win, but it was actually very dangerous.

It was all because the Zhang family underestimated their opponents; if more experts had come...

Everyone in the courtyard must die.

We still need to improve our strength as soon as possible.

This time, four people were killed, all of whom were long-time notorious bandits. In particular, Wang Hu contributed two thousand points.

Including the other three people, they have a total of 3,100 points.

There should be quite a few things that can be exchanged.

After witnessing the power of the armor-piercing crossbow today, he did not hesitate to exchange for two more.

The three armor-piercing crossbows should be able to stabilize the current situation temporarily, at least deterring the various families.

This will make them less likely to act recklessly towards you.

Then, I browsed the online store again.

There were quite a few things inside, but what excited him the most was a Body Tempering Pill.

These are pills given to younger generations by powerful sects and aristocratic families for cultivation.

Ordinary people don't even have the opportunity to come into contact with them.

He was already at the peak of the mid-stage of Body Tempering, and with this pill, it would be no problem to push him to the late-stage of Body Tempering.

However, it requires 1,000 points.

Lu Ming gritted his teeth and exchanged it anyway.

In the blink of an eye, I only had 1,100 points left.

He did not continue using it.

Keep some points on hand to deal with unexpected situations.

With a flick of his hand, the pill appeared before him.

After swallowing the Body Tempering Pill in one gulp, Lu Ming began cultivating outside the courtyard.

A moment later, the skin began to vibrate like a drumhead.

It was covered with fine beads of sweat.

"call!"

An hour later, Lu Ming stood up and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Late stage of Body Tempering!"

Then, he picked up the long sword in his hand and began to wield it.

His blade was extremely sharp and his movements were wide and sweeping, clearly indicating a battlefield style.

The technique, titled "Sixteen Forms of Breaking the Edge," is not only a sword technique but can also temper the body, ensuring that he can complete the Blood Transformation Realm without any problems.

The cultivation techniques that Lu Ming knows so far are divided into, from lowest to highest: Body Tempering, Bone Forging, Blood Transformation, and True Essence.
His family had been in the military for generations, and they used to be quite wealthy.

But by my grandfather's generation, it had declined.

However, he still had some connections within the Da Yu border army; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the means to buy an official position.

However, lacking powerful backers, he had no choice but to be assigned to Fenglei Town, a tough place to deal with.

After practicing a set of sword techniques, I was drenched in sweat.

At this moment, the sky began to lighten with a white tinge.

After picking up the bucket of water from the yard and rinsing himself, he...

Then Li Xirou came out, holding a bag of silver that her mother had given her yesterday.

"I'm buying some food for everyone, and also some rice and flour, because we're out of rice at home."

"okay!"

Lu Ming accepted the silver.

They headed towards the front yard, where Zhang Meng and the others had already gotten up and were discussing something.

When they saw Lu Ming approaching, they all gathered around and bowed, saying, "My lord!"

"Go buy some breakfast, and use the rest of the money to buy rice and flour."

Lu Ming took out a silver ingot and stuffed it into Zhang Meng's hand; it was about three taels.

"I'll go right away."

After Zhang Meng responded, he prepared to leave, but paused when he saw the gazes of the people around him.

He turned around and asked with difficulty, "Sir, we're going to work in the fields today. Should we let everyone else leave first?"

After all, if the imperial court doesn't pay salaries, everyone still needs to make a living.

Moreover, there are elderly people and young children in the family.

Lu Ming's heart sank. The thing he was worried about had happened. If all these people left...

The Zhang family will certainly not let go of the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Feeling the weight of the silver in his arms, he couldn't care less about anything else now.

"From today onwards, you are soldiers of the centurion's garrison. You will receive one tael of silver per month initially, and your pay will increase monthly as you earn more. I will distribute the silver now!"

Thirteen people, thirteen taels of silver. Although Lu Ming felt a pang of regret, he had no better solution.

These people all have families to support, and they need money for food, drink, and daily necessities.

Zhang Meng's face visibly showed surprise.

"Thank you, sir!"

Lu Ming didn't say much, and immediately distributed the silver.

One tael of silver isn't much, but if you buy some brown rice and add some wild vegetables, it's enough to keep a family from starving.

As for the work in the fields, the family members can just work a little harder.

Even if they went, they wouldn't earn a penny by toiling in the fields.

"Sir, from now on, we'll do whatever you say. Anyone who dares to oppose you, I'll pierce them with a crossbow!"

Sun Tian waved his arms.

His otherwise gaunt body revealed a rare display of fierceness.

"Do you want to save your son?" Lu Ming turned around.

He seemed to be considering something.

He has no money and only a dozen or so men under his command, so he can't do anything.

Moreover, if this month's salary has been paid, what about next month's?

Therefore, we must acquire money as soon as possible to expand our influence while the Zhang family is still hesitant to take large-scale actions.

Only in this way can there be a glimmer of hope.

Others are plotting to kill you, yet you're still hesitant and timid—that's not Lu Ming's way of doing things.

It is only natural for the Baihu (a local administrative unit) to collect taxes from merchants on the street where they live.

raiding a gambling den shouldn't be a problem, right?

As for how to deal with it afterward, we can simply exchange for a few more armor-piercing crossbows.

Even a master at the peak of Bone Forging would have to think twice.

"Thump!" Sun Tian knelt down on the ground.

"Sir, if you can save my son, you will be our family's second parent from now on!"

Sun Tian's head hit the ground, creating a large crater.

My forehead turned red instantly.

"Alright, Zhang Meng, go buy the food first. There should still be some elderly people in our Hundred Households Office. Everyone else, go find people and gather here in a while. Tell them that as long as they come, I will give them a salary of one tael of silver per month."

It'll be sent tonight!

Lu Ming tossed a silver ingot into Zhang Meng's hand, gesturing for him to go buy food.

"We'll all listen to the adults!" a group of people shouted, and then they all went their separate ways, clearly to find someone.

Many of the original elderly residents of the Hundred Households Office are still alive, but because their wages and rations haven't been paid, they've all gone on to make a living on their own.

If you tell them they're getting paid, most of them will be willing to come back.

Lu Ming looked out at the street and licked his slightly chapped lips.

So what if there's a master of bone forging? I have crossbows and soldiers; I refuse to believe I can't fight him.

It's not too late to develop after things have stabilized.

Things have come to this point, and we have to create a breakthrough.

Otherwise it will be a dead end.

After exchanging the two crossbows, they were placed in the warehouse.

Then he went out.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

Before setting off, he prepared to do one more thing.

(End of this chapter)