Chapter 115 - 102: Celestial King Stronghold’s Enemy

Chapter 115: Chapter 102: Celestial King Stronghold’s Enemy

Lu Yuan’s military record in the Northern Border was nothing short of legendary.

You could ask any general, and they would all know of him.

The faster Zhang Hong flipped through the papers in his hand, the tighter his brow furrowed.

"Hmph!"

A moment later, he let out a cold snort and slapped the letter onto the table.

Looking at Zhang He, he said, "Your precious son. Lu Yuan has earned so many military merits. I refuse to believe Zhe didn’t know. What was going through his mind?"

A man like Zhang Hong, who had fought his way up in the cutthroat world of officialdom, immediately understood after reading the report. Zhang Zhe had hidden the news because he was worried Lu Yuan would usurp his position in the family.

Zhang He had also seen his son’s intentions and could only say awkwardly, "Big Brother, it’s too late to be angry now. Besides, from the moment we sent Yuan to the Northern Border, this was irreversible."

"Let’s think about the future. Although Zhe and Yuan are both Captains now, there’s a world of difference between them. Zhe is a Commandery Prince Consort. Once he’s married, he’ll be a true noble."

After he finished speaking, the dark expression on Zhang Hong’s face softened slightly. He said slowly, "Of course I know that. I have always considered Zhe the most important of the younger generation to cultivate."

"What angers me is his narrow-mindedness. As his younger brother, Yuan could have become his greatest asset."

Hearing this, Zhang He breathed a sigh of relief. "Big Brother, don’t worry about it anymore. At Zhe’s level, having that asset or not is no longer important. Among all the nobility, although Prince Polu isn’t the most powerful Prince, he is by no means weak. He will surely make arrangements for Zhe."

"Mm." Zhang Hong’s expression finally relaxed.

At his side, the knot of anxiety in Zhang He’s chest finally loosened.

He knew that an important reason Zhang Zhe’s marriage arrangement had gone so smoothly was because the Zhang Family had an Innate Expert like Zhang Hong.

Otherwise, even if that Zhi Girl had a bad reputation, the marriage would never have been arranged so readily.

At this moment, Lu Yuan was unaware of the Zhang Family’s investigation into him. But even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.

He was now in the Northern Border, a great distance from the Zhang Family.

Even if they wanted to cause trouble for him, they couldn’t. And more importantly...

He now had people backing him.

Setting others aside, the Zhou Family alone was enough to protect him, and if something really happened, the Marquis of Jiuse wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

Therefore, all Lu Yuan needed to do now was handle his own affairs.

In the dining hall of General Zhou Hongling’s mansion, a large table was laden with delicious dishes, most of which were specialties of the Northern Border.

This spread was specially prepared to welcome Lu Yuan’s mother.

"Auntie, please try this. It’s scaled ox, freshly hunted yesterday. The meat is exceptionally tender, and most importantly, it’s very good for your health." As Zhou Hongling spoke, she placed a piece of meat into Madam Lu’s bowl.

The latter chuckled. "Alright, I’ll listen to Hongling and try this scaled ox meat."

As she spoke, she picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

The flavor was indeed excellent.

Lu Yuan drank a bowl of wine, then looked at his mother and said, "Lord Zhou is not just my superior; she’s also my best friend. When I first arrived here, I relied on her care. You can just treat her as one of our own."

Hearing him say this, a hint of delight unconsciously appeared on Zhou Hongling’s face.

Madam Lu nodded emphatically.

She could naturally see that her son’s relationship with Zhou Hongling was unusual.

However, as for whether the two of them had any intention of being together, she couldn’t really say much right now.

But in any case, the more she looked at Zhou Hongling, the more pleased she was.

By the time the meal was over, the two women seemed to have grown very close.

After settling his mother in a courtyard within the Captain’s Mansion, Lu Yuan headed for his own residence.

However, just as he reached his door, he saw Zhou He already waiting for him.

"What are you doing here so late at night?" Lu Yuan asked as he pushed the door open.

Zhou He rubbed his palms together sheepishly. "Here to report on what’s been happening, of course. But, uh, don’t get mad, okay?"

After entering, Lu Yuan turned his head to glance at him. "Give me the details."

He led the way inside and lit a candle. The flickering flame cast their long shadows across the room.

Zhou He wore a pained expression. "You didn’t answer me. Looks like you’re getting ready to be mad."

Lu Yuan gave him a light kick and chided with a laugh, "Just spit it out. Why would I get mad at you? Is it even worth it?"

Only then did Zhou He grin. "The silver in your Captain’s Mansion’s Inner Treasury... it’s almost all gone."

As he spoke, he glanced cautiously at Lu Yuan. After all, that was no small sum.

Nearly a million taels of silver, all spent in five months. It was outrageous.

However, Lu Yuan didn’t show any reaction. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and said, "I told you to give me details. Is that it? Where did it go?"

Lu Yuan wasn’t afraid of them spending silver, but there had to be results.

Only then did Zhou He explain, "You know how all those factions are moving into the buffer zone now, right? Well, even though Wu Han and his men are numerous, not many of them could be considered truly elite. They were bound to be at a disadvantage in a fight. So, he used the money to recruit and train a batch of elites, about a thousand men. To build this elite force, the silver from the Inner Treasury, as well as the wealth and Elixirs seized from Vulture Ridge, were all used up. About two million taels of silver were poured into it."

"He formed a thousand-strong Iron Cavalry, all at the Entry Level and equipped with iron armor."

Since ancient times, maintaining an army has always been the most expensive endeavor.

Spending two million taels of silver was only possible because the Celestial King Stronghold already had some Entry Level experts, which saved a lot of money.

Otherwise, the cost would have been even higher.

After hearing Zhou He’s explanation, Lu Yuan took a light sip of tea. "And this is what you were worried about?"

"Yeah, that’s it. I know we were impulsive, but those nobles were pushing us too far. They came in and immediately tried to absorb the Celestial King Stronghold, and when we refused, they constantly caused trouble nearby," Zhou He said hurriedly. "Besides, they’re rich and powerful, and they’ve recruited a lot of people. The Celestial King Stronghold has relatively few elites and suffered many losses, so the two of us discussed it and decided to build an elite force."

Lu Yuan nodded. "This was a job well done. Why would I be angry?"

He then continued, "To get anything done in the buffer zone, you need a strong force. Tell me, who has been opposing us? If we have to, we’ll ride out and destroy them."

The Celestial King Stronghold had now become the foundation for Lu Yuan’s rise to the top. He would absolutely not allow anyone to destroy it.

"It’s people from the Zhao Family of the Imperial City—the same family Zhao Yu belongs to. The one in charge is a Zhao Family disciple with a cultivation at the Gang Qi Realm. He also brought an elite force of about a thousand, which has supposedly grown to several thousand now," Zhou He said quickly.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly. ’So it’s a Gang Qi Realm expert.’ No wonder they needed to form an elite unit. A force of a thousand Armored Warriors could indeed pose a threat to such an expert.

If they could tie him down in battle, they might even be able to kill him.

"Mm, I understand. I’ll figure out a way to deal with this soon. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else, really," Zhou He said softly.

Lu Yuan nodded. "Alright, if there’s nothing else, you can head back. I have a handle on the situation in the buffer zone."

"Okay, I’ll be leaving then."

With a quick reply, Zhou He took his leave.

As for Lu Yuan, he tossed a Meridian Opening Elixir into his mouth and resumed his cultivation.

These days, the buffer zone had truly become a massive battlefield.

Raising his strength as quickly as possible had become his top priority.

Meanwhile, a frazzled Marquis of Jiuse, Hong Cheng, had yet to rest. He was in his living room discussing how to eliminate the members of the Charm Demon Sect with his adopted son, Hong Zheng, when—

FLAP!

A pigeon flew straight in and landed at Hong Zheng’s feet.

Not daring to delay, he immediately picked it up. After opening the letter tied to the pigeon’s leg, he merely glanced at it before his pupils contracted. He then carefully passed it to Hong Cheng.

"Foster Father, it’s a message from Icefield Pass."

After Hong Cheng took the letter, a look of joy instantly spread across his face.

What was written on it was none other than the news of the Charm Demon Sect’s Hua Niang being brought to justice.