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

Chapter 46 Armor Change
In just half a month, with the accumulation of elixirs and precious blood, Lu Ming's cultivation had reached the late stage of Blood Transformation, and he had even cultivated the Golden Bell Shield to the sixth level. His monstrous strength was terrifying, reaching an astonishing 70,000 jin.

This is something even True Essence experts don't possess.

Even at the peak of True Essence, when one gathers their strength and unleashes it, it only amounts to fifty or sixty thousand jin.

His blood and qi were abundant, and his whole body was like a giant furnace.

Once true energy is condensed, one can be considered to have entered the realm of true essence.

As for Shen Yun, there hasn't been much progress.

However, even if he were to face someone at the late stage of True Essence, he would probably be able to kill them now.

If they encountered Xu Xing back then, the other party might not be able to withstand a single blow from him.

"What happened outside?"

Lu Ming vaguely heard a commotion ahead and looked at the maid who was sweeping the snow.

The little girl quickly looked up; her round face was red from the cold.

However, she worked very hard because she knew how difficult it was to get into the general's mansion.

Besides, the master and mistress are very close and never make things difficult for them.

Some time ago, Lu Ming hired eight more maids in one go.

The backyard is quite large, and it doesn't feel so empty anymore.

"Reporting to the master, when I was buying groceries just now, I heard that the armor has been forged and has already been transported to the training ground."

After receiving the reply, Lu Ming nodded.

It just snowed, and it's at the perfect time.

As he spoke, he walked outside.

Upon arriving at the front yard, one could see that the snow on the ground had already been cleared away, and the dark armor was placed on top, which was quite a sight.

Upon seeing Lu Ming arrive.

The blacksmith hurried over and said, "Sir, the cotton armor has been finished. It was made exactly according to the blueprints. It has very high defensive capabilities and can also keep you warm. Each piece of armor is filled with seven catties of cotton and sewn into a padded jacket. After various tanning processes, it is forged with iron plates. I just tested it, and even a Body Tempering Realm cultivator might not be able to cut through it with one strike."

At this moment, Zhang Meng also walked over with a cotton armor.

After receiving it, Lu Ming patted it and found it to be sturdy.

"My lord, this cotton armor is inferior to not only the leather armor of the city guards, but even the iron plate armor of the border troops."

Wang Han said happily from the side.

He rubbed his hands together and asked, "My lord, when would you like us to change our clothes?"

"Let's change it now," Lu Ming said with a smile.

He also wanted to see what it would be like to see his men change into different clothes.

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Han's face lit up with even more joy.

Then he shouted to the soldiers outside, "All of you, line up and come over here to change!"

For a moment, the entire training ground was filled with noise.

The warriors, having received their armor, happily began to put it on.

Now, with the cultivation techniques under Lu Ming's command, coupled with the consumption of body-tempering soup and pills, their cultivation levels have advanced by leaps and bounds.

That's right, the Body Tempering Pill was also refined half a month ago.

Mo Daobing has taken it several times, and the effect is very good.

Now, they have basically all reached the late stage of body tempering.

As for the others, they have all entered the early stage of body tempering.

This power would be considered extremely strong anywhere.

Even if tens of thousands of bandits came, Lu Ming felt that he could still put up a fight.

Of course, this is assuming the opposing team doesn't have any top-tier players.

A morning passed in the blink of an eye.

All the soldiers have changed their uniforms.

Standing in the open space outside the mansion, he attracted the attention of many people.

The women of Dayu were known for their boldness; some even pointed and whispered among themselves, clearly discussing something unknown to others.

When Lu Ming glanced at it, a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

This is the army under my command.

Everyone was dressed in black cotton armor, wearing a conical helmet, and holding a sword at their waist.

They were all imposing and fierce. "Alright, let's eat after you've changed into your armor." He didn't launch into a long speech, but simply smiled and waved his hand, signaling them to go about their business.

Then, led by Zheng Yong, the Mo Dao soldiers went to the training ground inside the house to eat.

The others went to the nearby military camp.

That's right. After I told Zhang Meng about building the barracks last time, he didn't dare to be negligent and immediately led people to build a huge camp.

Although it was a bit rudimentary, it didn't interfere with training or rest at all.

With over four thousand people under his command, Lu Ming was undoubtedly a prominent figure in the entire Hongdu Prefecture.

After glancing at the dispersing troops, he realized they were all gone.

Lu Ming returned to the mansion, but instead of going to the inner quarters, he went to the training ground, filled a large bowl with bones, and then squatted down with a steamed bun to chat with Zhang Meng.

After a period of continuous cultivation, Zhang Meng's cultivation level has improved significantly, and he has broken through to the mid-stage of Bone Forging.

Although it still falls short in some aspects, its loyalty is its greatest asset.

Therefore, he was in charge of handling many things.

"Have all the grain taxes for this year been paid?" Lu Ming asked after taking a bite of his steamed bun.

In times of chaos, soldiers and provisions are the most important things.

Fenglei County covers such a large area that in the past, the imperial tax officials dared not come down to collect taxes, and they also knew that they could not collect much, as the people were all robbed by bandits.

Now that Lu Ming has taken over this place, the grain tax will naturally have to be collected again.

Moreover, after the money was bribed, the prefectural government did not mention the matter of handing it over.

These grains naturally ended up in Lu Ming's hands.

"Sir, the last batch of grain has just been harvested today, totaling 50,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed our people for two years," Zhang Meng said excitedly. This was the first time he had ever seen so much grain.

"So much? Did they collect all the grain from the people?" Lu Ming frowned.

"My lord, how could I dare? It's all the normal grain tax standard set by the imperial court. We take half and leave the other half for the people. That's enough for them to have a good New Year. In the past, when the mountain bandits came out to rob grain, they could take away 70 or 80 percent of the grain in one go."

What ends up in the hands of the common people is hardly anything left.

Zhang Meng quickly replied.

He knew Lu Ming's temperament.

The other party nodded. Although he couldn't bear to see the people starve to death, he wasn't a stubborn person. In times of chaos, keeping this grain in his own hands was crucial.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he said, "It's already winter, and I reckon those bandits on the mountain will probably come down to borrow grain. Since we've collected grain taxes from the people, we have an obligation to ensure their safety."

These days, we've increased manpower to patrol the towns and villages below. If any bandits raid the area, take care of them all!

Lu Ming's words were cold.

Zhang Meng shuddered and quickly replied, "Don't worry, sir. Every town has its own beacon towers, but they were never used before. Now they've all been put back into service. If any bandits come down, we'll make sure they never return."

"Okay, that's good!" Lu Ming nodded after swallowing a large piece of meat.

While he was chatting with Zhang Meng.

At this moment, Zhang Ming, who had just returned with his caravan, approached a centurion with a warm smile at the roadblock on the trade route. This centurion was selected by Lu Ming from the elite border troops who had initially joined him.

His cultivation level is now quite high, reaching the peak of the late stage of Body Tempering.

"Sir, my name is Zhang Ming. I wish to meet your general and have brought him some gifts. Could you please inform him?" As he spoke, he slipped a silver ingot into the centurion's hand.

The other person glanced at him sideways, then lazily asked, holding his waist knife, "Which family are you from?"

He then held the silver in his hand and weighed it; it was about three taels.

"The Li family of Fucheng," Zhang Ming replied. Clearly, after learning his lesson last time, he now had a much better attitude towards these forces that set up roadblocks.

"Wait here, I'll go back and ask first!"

As he spoke, he had a horse brought over, and then they galloped towards Fenglei County.

If he were riding a horse, the journey would only take about half an hour, and three taels of silver would be worth the trip.

During this period, he did many such things and earned a lot of money.

Lu Ming was unaware of all this. After instructing Zhang Meng on his matters and having dinner, he was preparing to go to the inner quarters.

A figure rushed in.

It was the centurion who had accepted the money. "Sir, the Li family from Hongdu Prefecture wants to see you. They say their name is Zhang Ming, and they've brought quite a few gifts."

This made Lu Ming stop in his tracks.

He knew this person; he was Li Xiyue's husband.

Thank you all for your support. I sincerely request that those who enjoy this book take a few minutes each day to read it. There are too many readers at the same time, otherwise we really can't keep up. Thank you.



(End of this chapter)