True Martial World - Chapter 130: Settling scores

Under such circumstances, to be beckoned over by Yi Yun in front of so many people of the Lian tribal clan made Zhou Xiaoke extremely nervous.

Yi Yun laughed, "Xiaoke, come over. I have something for you."

Zhou Xiaoke looked blankly at Yi Yun's face. Zhou Xiaoke saw that familiar innocent smile that had been absent for a long time.

The smile made Zhou Xiaoke realize that Brother Yi Yun had not changed. He had never changed. Even after he had become a Kingdom Knight, he was still her favorite Brother Yi Yun.

"Oh!?" Zhou Xiaoke laughed. Dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth. She nodded and cheerfully ran towards Yi Yun, grabbing his hand.

"Brother Yi Yun!"

Zhou Xiaoke was not nervous standing beside Yi Yun. Yi Yun's hands were smooth but strong. Zhou Xiaoke felt a sense of security as if the cold and hunger was nothing with Yi Yun around.

"Xiaoke, this is for you." Yi Yun took out a bag. It was a cloth bag that emitted hot steam.

Xiaoke was stunned and sluggishly took the cloth bag. She did not open it, but she could smell the fragrance of food from within.

"This…" Zhou Xiaoke was stunned.

"Open it up," Yi Yun said with a smile. This was specially roasted by him for Zhou Xiaoke just before he reached the village. Although he had brought back a lot of food, he guessed that Aunt Wang's family was starving. So it was better to cook the food first.

And in the vast wilderness which lacked food ingredients, Aunt Wang's culinary skills was definitely not as good as his.

Zhou Xiaoke swallowed a mouthful of saliva before she opened the cloth bag carefully. Inside it was a bundle wrapped in a green lotus leaf. Opening up the lotus leaf, what greeted Zhou Xiaoke was red roasted meat that weighed about three to four catties.

This was the leg of the Seven Colored Deer chosen specially by Yi Yun. The meat of the Seven Colored Deer was delicious. The marbling on the meat was of the utmost quality. Although it was all lean meat, it was rich in fat. It was very fragrant when baked.

Yi Yun had prepared and marinated the meat previously. When he roasted it, he had basted it with honey, making it extremely appetizing.

Sitting beside the roasted meat were rice balls wrapped in green vegetables. The aroma assaulted the nostrils.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoke nearly swallowed her tongue. The surrounding people also stared at the food!

Even the tribal elders were in a daze. They could not help but stare unblinkingly at the roasted meat in Zhou Xiaoke's hands. Their saliva nearly flowed out.

The people of the Lian tribal clan had never seen such exquisite food. The meat they ate were 90% cured meats. The meat was salted and dried. Besides being hard and salty, what other taste did it have?

Occasionally, there was fresh meat. They would just cook and eat it, which was a great pleasure in life. How could they have ever seen such an exquisite method of roasting?

What's more, there was a severe shortage of food in the Lian tribal clan. Even the tribal elders had problems with their meals. Seeing the roasted meat in Zhou Xiaoke's hands, they turned envious!

"Brother Yi Yun, I…" Zhou Xiaoke swallowed a mouthful of saliva after another. She couldn't wait to bite down on it and give some to her parents so as to partake in this feast.

But, Zhou Xiaoke felt embarrassed to immediately eat in front of Brother Yi Yun and so many people.

Yi Yun could read Zhou Xiaoke's mind, and smiled, "If you are hungry, eat it. Aunt Wang, Uncle Zhou!"

Yi Yun called out to Zhou Xiaoke's parents and beckoned them over.

Aunt Wang was stunned. She felt like it was a dream. Was it real?

She kept pinching her hands, but the pain seemed to indicate that it was not a dream.

"Kiddo Yun, he really made it…he really made it…" Aunt Wang muttered to herself. The honest Uncle Zhou beside her was even more astounded. He did not react until Aunt Wang gave him a pat.

"Let's go, Kiddo Yun called us over," said Aunt Wang.

Uncle Zhou blankly replied. He was not accustomed to such scenes. Uncle Zhou turned stiff with so many eyes looking at him.

"Aunt Wang, Uncle Zhou, this is for you," Yi Yun cut two pieces of the roasted meat and gave them two rice balls.

"Just eat if you are hungry. Don't stand on ceremony."

"How…How can I…" Uncle Zhou scratched his head as he swallowed the saliva at the corners of his mouth.

Zhou Xiaoke laughed. She was just a child and extremely pure. Since Brother Yi Yun allowed her to eat, she began eating it.

When she bit into the roasted meat, she found that the meat was crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. The bone was smooth and the meat juicy. The deliciousness had exceeded Zhou Xiaoke's expectations.

Aunt Wang and Uncle Zhou could no longer bear it. They began picnicking right there. After all, there were starving.

But this caused misery to the surrounding people. Their stomachs twitched as they salivated. Their eyes were green with envy!

This was an absolute torture!

But with Yi Yun standing there, none of them dared to rob it from them.

Many looked at Aunt Wang's family with envy and longing. What would the taste of such fragrant meat be like?

Some of them were even resisting that act of biting their tongues for food. They stared at the roasted meat that slowly disappeared, wishing that the roasted meat had entered their stomachs.

They knew that being envious was pointless. After all, Aunt Wang's family had always taken care of Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou.

Yi Yun swept the crowd with his eyes and picked out a few children, "You… You… You… come out."

With that said, Yi Yun leaped up eight feet to his mount and took out a few large food boxes before coming back down.

Inside the food box were ready made meals. Of course, they were not prepared as exquisitely as the one Zhou Xiaoke's family was enjoying, but it was more than ten times better than anything the Lian tribal clan could cook.

Yi Yun placed the box to the side and said to those children, "It's yours. You don't have to fight for it."

Hearing this, the children were all excited and rushed forward with glee and opened the food box.

Poor and remote villages produced evil people, but most of the children were innocent.

But it was just the majority. The children Yi Yun picked were 70% girls. These children had seemed kind to Yi Yun.

The children grabbed and ate merrily.

As such, there were a few boys who turned envious. They realized that the children were given the privileges of eating.

"Yi Yun, why can't we eat?" A fifteen-year-old boy questioned Yi Yun. He was the village's child honcho and his grandfather was a tribal elder. Compounded with his strength, he would beat up anyone who did not please him. Hence, he established himself as boss among the children.

In the past, Yi Yun was also under his "jurisdiction", and he had bullied Yi Yun more than once. In fact, all the honest children in the village had been bullied by him.

Against Yi Yun, this child was a little afraid, but the temptation of food was too great, so he couldn't help but ask.

Yi Yun looked at him and sneered. How could he forget? Days ago, it was this boy who had led a bunch of children to lay siege on Jiang Xiaorou, throwing cow dung at his house.

Yi Yun had a very good memory. He remembered every boy that had thrown cow dung. Yi Yun would not condone their evil actions because of their age. He remembered everything and those who had done evil had to be punished.

In this food distribution, Yi Yun had excluded all the children that had thrown cow dung. Hence, the children Yi Yun had called out were 70% girls.

The boy felt nervous upon seeing Yi Yun's silent sneer. But he had always been bold and lawless in the village. The children had to worship him. Yi Yun from the past was not even qualified to hold his shoes; but now Yi Yun had become the master, making him extremely pissed.

But he knew he was no match against Yi Yun, so he could only endure.

The boy realized that the children that Yi Yun did not give food to were all his henchmen. This made him feel like Yi Yun had singled him out.

He endured and said, "Yi Yun, why are you singling me out? Why can everyone have food, but not me and my brothers?"

Yi Yun laughed upon hearing the boy’s words. Competing with a boy was meaningless, but… Yi Yun, was a child himself, so what if he competed? Also, who said that children had the right to break the law? Who said there were no repercussions when a child breaks the law?

Many of the evil people in this world were not angels when they were young.

These people were bullies when young, gangsters when in their teens, criminals when they were grown up, frauds when in their old age.

They were evil to the bone. It was right to love the young and respect the elderly but there was no reason to do so to these kinds of people.

Yi Yun looked as if he was looking at an idiot and said, "I brought the food. Who I want to give it to is up to me. Back then when you distributed rations, the distribution amount was determined by you. Now that I'm distributing the rations, I'll give more to whoever pleases me. Those who don't, I wouldn't give them a single grain!"

Yi Yun's words made it clear that he alone had the final say in the Lian tribal clan!

Yi Yun was not a merciful saint. In this world, there were people who believed that you could be bullied that no matter how nice you were to them. They would not hesitate to stab you when the opportunity arose.

Treating these kinds of people well when they ill-treated you would only be dumb. Yi Yun's principle was to return the favor severalfold to whoever was good to him. Those who had harmed him, he would demand everything back without missing a single one.

As for these children… so what if they were children. They were about fourteen-years-old, two years older than Yi Yun. Age was not an excuse. A person had to be responsible for his actions!

True Martial World - Chapter 129: Glorious Homecoming

Yi Yun held onto his Yanchi saber and walked forward a few steps and he stood in front of the Patriarch.

Facing Yi Yun, the Patriarch's body was trembling. He knew that it was extremely difficult for the Jin Long Wei to confer the title of Kingdom Knight. Since Yi Yun was conferred the title, it was proof that Yi Yun's strength was extremely terrifying, far beyond his imagination!

As for the near-horned beast mount Yi Yun had, the price of such a well-trained near-horned beast would be something the Patriarch did not dare think of!

The people of the vast wilderness worshiped and feared experts. If not for the difference in stature in the past, the Patriarch would have knelt down before Yi Yun. But now, he was barely keeping his dignity in front of Yi Yun.

"Lian Chengyu… was crippled by me." Yi Yun said it simply.

The Patriarch's brain buzzed. He subconsciously wanted rush up to Yi Yun and fight with his life. However, he came to a realization before he made an impulsive move, hence he stopped.

The Patriarch's body trembled. Behind him, the tribal elders looked at Yi Yun with disbelief and contempt.

As for the commoners, they were all stunned.

Lian Chengyu was crippled by Yi Yun?

Didn't Lian Chengyu break through to the Purple Blood realm? How could he be defeated by Yi Yun? Yi Yun had only cultivated for a few days, how could that be?

"You are so heartless; to think our Lian tribal clan brought you up, yet you did something so ruthless!" A tribal elder angrily accused Yi Yun. It was as if Yi Yun was someone cruel and unscrupulous.

Yi Yun sneered, "You brought me up? Wrong, it's us who brought you up! All you tribal elders are the parasites of the Lian tribal clan! It is a parasite like you that treat the people feeding and clothing you as slaves! This world is a life-or-death struggle. Lian Chengyu tried to kill me several times. Why don't you ask him why he was so heartless? So it is alright for him to kill me, but when I kill him, I'm in the wrong? What a joke!"

Yi Yun's words shut the tribal elder up.

That's right, if Yi Yun was a weak and poor kid, Lian Chengyu would have torn Yi Yun to shreds a long time ago.

Suddenly, a tribal elder jumped up in agitation, "You… You must have set up a trap for Chengyu! You can't be Chengyu's match. It's impossible! You must have used some underhanded means, you…"

Before he could finish his words, Liu Tie had already rushed forward and kicked the old man down!

Many of the Lian tribal clan's elders did not know any martial arts, so they were no match for Liu Tie.

The old man fell and nearly broke all his bones. He laid on the ground groaning.

"F**k, I'll make your dog eyes go blind! How dare you say that Young Master Yi had used underhanded means against Lian Chengyu!? Lian Chengyu is shit compared to Young Master Yi!"

"Do you know how dumb you are? You actually think Young Master Yi isn't strong? Young Master Yi stood in the arena to fight Lian Chengyu. Lian Chengyu was like some helpless poultry and he was utterly beaten to a pulp. It was not a battle, but Young Master Yi's abuse of Lian Chengyu!"

"Not even Lian Chengyu. Even the top genius of the Tao tribal clan, their third young master used the forbidden power of their clan's ancestral artifact, and he still got beaten terribly! Do you know what the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact is? I'm sure you have no idea. That sort of power is way beyond your imagination!"

Liu Tie sneered as he looked at the Lian tribal clan's elders with contempt and haughtiness. His expression was saying they were a bunch of idiots, shouting without knowing anything.

"You dare to say Young Master Yi plotted against Lian Chengyu, I can't even laugh. Wake up you retards! Your family's precious baby Lian Chengyu barely reached Yellow rank fifth grade in his assessment. Do you know what Yellow rank fifth grade is? There's so many in the vast wilderness, they’re nothing rare at all!"

"But Young Master Yi had been assessed as Mystic rank grade five, it’s an entire rank higher. Do you know what the Mystic rank grade five is!? This assessment was made by the upper echelon of the Jin Long Wei, and it is absolutely authoritative! What's the Mystic rank grade five? It means they will become a Human Lord, destined to become a high noble!"

"While demonstrating, Young Master Yi managed to shatter teacups a thousand feet away. He even caused Purple Air Comes From The East! Do you know what Purple Air Comes From The East is? Hehe! I'm sure you don't! That's a purple mist that filled the skies for hundreds of kilometers. That was beautiful! When Young Master Yi was demonstrating his skills, he was acknowledged by the heaven and earth to produce such a phenomenon! You bunch of retards, bumpkins who don't know anything, what the f**k are you shouting for!?" Liu Tie's words were said with great aplomb. His voice spread throughout the audience as if he was the one who had induced Purple Air Comes From The East.

In fact, Liu Tie found it rewarding to flaunt his knowledge in front of these unknowledgeable people.

Liu Tie had decided to dedicate himself to protecting Yi Yun's honor. By serving and satisfying Yi Yun beside him, Yi Yun might even bring him out of the vast wilderness!

Yi Yun, who was behind Liu Tie, was rendered speechless. The teacups he had shattered were just a hundred feet away, and his Purple Air Comes From The East was only a few kilometers at maximum. But Liu Tie had exaggerated it by more than ten times.

But the people of the vast wilderness had no concept of these numbers. They were all stunned by Liu Tie's words.

These phenomena didn't need Liu Tie to elaborate. They found it too great and terrifying. Could these phenomena appear from a normal person's body?

Coupled with the fact that Yi Yun had been made a Kingdom Knight, nobody suspected Yi Yun's strength. He was a dragon amongst the people. He had passed a competitive examination and attained great things. They were small fries who could not even look at Yi Yun anymore!

The tribal elders who hated Yi Yun did not dare speak as they were no longer qualified.

The people were silent.

After the atmosphere remained in silence for a while, Yi Yun walked into the crowd and scanned the audience.

"Your Young Master Lian had tried to kill me several times. He enslaved the population and caused harm to the people. He is guilt-ridden, so no matter what state he ends up in, he deserved it!"

"Lian Chengyu took away your food to exchange for martial arts resources. He bet on his wealth and gave you the promise of bringing you into the city. It was a lie. With Lian Chengyu's ability, he would need several years to become a Kingdom Knight; by then, you would all have starved to death."

"Lian Chengyu recruited able-bodied men to refine a desolate bone that was toxic. He caused the deaths of the able-bodied men. He also gave them pills that overdrew a person's vitality, making them die even faster!"

"After that, he pushed all the blame to me. He lied and said that I was possessed and had spread the plague. He instigated the people to lay siege on my sister, and burned down my house!" Yi Yun said it nonchalantly. The people then remembered that half a month ago, Yi Yun had said the same thing during the Lian tribal clan's selection match.

At that time, not many believed Yi Yun.

Today, Yi Yun had repeated himself and had virtually not changed anything. But this time, the result was completely different!

No one doubted Yi Yun.

This was what strength could bring!

A person's word was not determined by how assured he was when he spoke it, nor was it determined by saying it by swearing, but by their status, position, and strength!

Whatever the real king said, it was the rule and the law!

Who wouldn't believe? Who dared to doubt it?

And Yi Yun had reached that position. Did he need to lie to a bunch of ants?

So no one doubted Yi Yun's words. They all knew that they were previously tricked by Lian Chengyu!

Lian Chengyu had treated them as fools, using them as stepping stones.

The higher Lian Chengyu went, the lower the people were trampled!

Maybe, those who had close relations with Lian Chengyu could have gotten some benefits from Lian Chengyu's meteoric rise, but for the weak, they were destined to be abandoned!

Upon realizing this, the people were angry and at a loss. Yi Yun's words were like a loud slap in the face. It took them a while to recover from that hit.

At that moment, Yi Yun no longer wanted to deal with these people. He thought of something and scanned the crowd. Very soon, he found who he was looking for.

In the crowd at a corner, an honest and simple looking woman was holding onto a cute twelve-year-old girl.

They were Aunt Wang and Zhou Xiaoke.

Zhou Xiaoke's face was red. She wanted to come forward to greet Yi Yun, but she was afraid.

The current Yi Yun was completely different from the impression Zhou Xiaoke had of Yi Yun.

He was no longer the amiable Brother Yi Yun in linen clothes. Now, he looked high and mighty, Compared to Yi Yun, Zhou Xiaoke felt shame over her shabby clothes.

But at that moment, Yi Yun beckoned Zhou Xiaoke.

"Xiaoke, come over."

“Ah!" Seeing Yi Yun suddenly wave to her, Zhou Xiaoke was like a frightened rabbit.

True Martial World - Chapter 128: Heaven has eyes

The man in charge of leading the Jin Long Wei was named Sun Jingrui. He too was a Jin Long Wei elite. He was a stout twenty-three-year-old man that looked extremely powerful.

The near-horned beast he was sitting on was also very mighty. When his two-storey behemoth moved into the crowd, the people subconsciously stepped back. This behemoth gave off an immense oppressive feeling.

"Welcome Lord Ambassador! Lord Ambassador must have had a tough journey." The Lian tribal clan's Patriarch and several tribal elders, including Zhang Dali, and the rest of the members of the warrior preparation camp hurried out of the crowd to greet him.

Sun Jingrui gave the Patriarch a friendly and pleasant look.

On the way, Yi Yun had not told him his relationship with the Lian tribal clan's ruling class. Sun Jingrui only knew he had a feud with Lian Chengyu, but did not know that the people bowing before him were Lian Chengyu's supporters and henchmen, or he would never have treated them as such.

After the Patriarch bowed, he lifted his head and looked at the backs of the five behemoths behind Sun Jingrui. He expected to see Lian Chengyu.

As one of the members of the Jin Long Wei, Yi Yun's near-horned beast was fourth in line. As the near-horned beasts were large, he was a distance away from the Patriarch.

Although he was a distance away, he should have easily been seen.

But today, Yi Yun was wearing a flying fish robe with a Yanchi saber by his waist. He looked handsome and divine. After changing into this outfit, even Zhang Tan, who knew that the person in front of him was Yi Yun, was stunned before recognizing him.

The clothes make the man, so with a different outfit, his disposition looked completely different.

Naturally, the Patriarch did not recognize Yi Yun. It should be said that this youth in luxurious clothing riding on a behemoth was too different from that poor Yi Yun. So he never associated him with Yi Yun.

The old Patriarch just took a glance at Yi Yun. For an extraordinary youth like Yi Yun, he could only sigh. He reflected over the existence of all these promising men in the Jin Long Wei. This person was young and capable, making him filled with jealousy and envy!

Following that, his gaze concentrated on a few of the large baskets the near-horned beasts were carrying. From his experience, the contestants from the Lian tribal clan, who did not have the qualifications to ride the near-horned beast, would sit in the baskets. Watching from below, he could not see what was in the baskets from his angle.

As for the warrior preparation camp members in the basket, they looked back at each other, unsure of what to do.

Lian Chengyu had been reduced to such a state, and they had been eliminated in the first round. They had returned in utter defeat, so they were too humiliated to show their faces to the village.

If they had banked on Yi Yun's success, they could impress by being Yi Yun's henchmen. But Yi Yun showed no fondness for them, causing the situation they were in to be extremely awkward.

The Patriarch may not recognize Yi Yun, but there were some who saw him, such as Zhou Xiaoke!

As Zhou Xiaoke had been searching for Yi Yun, even though he was relatively far away, she had managed to notice him.

Seeing Yi Yun dressed in a flying fish robe, her tiny mouth opened up the size of a quail egg. That… Could that be… Brother Yi Yun!?

Zhou Xiaoke grabbed Aunt Wang's hand, unsure of her discovery.

At that moment, Sun Jingrui waved his hand and released two large baskets carried by the near-horned beast. The basket landed heavily with a dull thud.

Bags of grain and meat wrapped in oilskin rolled out from the baskets.

The Patriarch was stunned seeing all the food!

The surrounding Lian tribal clan people stared at it.

They were completely shocked.

Grain! Meat!

Heavens! Was this a dream?

These people had been starving for days, unsure of the moment they would starve to death. For them to suddenly see food, including meat, it was a critical hit of great temptation!

Starving people could do anything just for a morsel of food.

The Patriarch shook from excitement, "Lord… Lord Ambassador, this food, is… is it for us?"

Sun Jingrui said, "That's right, this is for the people of the Lian tribe. The Lian tribe has made a contribution to the kingdom by nurturing a genius. He was not only conferred the title of Kingdom Knight, he could even amount to much in the future, and becoming a Human Lord, one of the high nobles! This can be considered the good fortune of the Lian tribe! For your meritorious service, the Lord Thousand Households has rewarded food for all of you after hearing that the tribe is starving!"

When Sun Jingrui said those words, especially when he mentioned "conferred the title of Kingdom Knight", the Patriarch was shocked and trembled with excitement. He was close to tears.

Conferred the title of Kingdom Knight… I must have heard wrong!

The Patriarch really wanted to shout out loud.

"Chengyu…. has been made a Kingdom Knight!!"

The tribal elders who were behind him seemed to turn forty years younger from the excitement. It seemed like they had returned back to the night they had consummated their marriage on their wedding day.

A Kingdom Knight was a noble!

Although they were from the vast wilderness, they knew what it meant to be a noble. And the Jin Long Wei ambassador had already said that not only had Lian Chengyu been conferred the title of Kingdom Knight, he would even become a Human Lord! Only the noble ranks of dukes or princes could be considered a Human Lord!

Heaven sure has eyes!

The people were extremely excited. They all knew that as a Kingdom Knight, Lian Chengyu would be given some territory. As such, they could enter the cities to lead a good life.

Originally, it was said that being conferred a Kingdom Knight was difficult. They would have to continue leading their tough lives in the vast wilderness. But they did not expect that Lian Chengyu had immediately jumped to the rank of Kingdom Knight!

"Young Master Lian is too great!"

"That's for sure. Don't you know what kind of person our Young Master was? When Young Master was born, the entire sky was lit red, an extraordinary phenomenon! Young Master Lian is a star that descended, destined to riches in the future!" A Lian woman said while smacking her lips. She and Lian Chengyu had a bit of affinity, so she was naturally happy.

"Not only riches, did you not hear the Lord Ambassador? Young Master Lian will be made a high noble! Young Master Lian became a Purple Blood warrior at seventeen years of age, one cannot fathom what realm he will reach in the future!"

"The Lian family is going to be so rich! Last night I dreamed that their floor was filled with golden rice. This morning when I woke up, I saw a nest filled with magpies. They flew to the Lian's courtyard door and kept chirping. I say, it must have been a celebratory event! This is a great event that honors the ancestors. We too have benefited from association!"

Again, some women began chattering. Lian Chengyu's becoming of a Kingdom Knight made many girls hopeful. If they could be made a maid in the Kingdom Knight's territory, it was much better than starving in the vast wilderness.

Sun Jingrui, who was sitting on the near-horned beast, became dumbfounded upon hearing the people's chatter. He had never expected such a reaction from the Lian tribal clan's Patriarch and people.

He stroked his chin and glanced backward at Yi Yun.

Sun Jingrui had originally thought that with the near-horned beast-riding Yi Yun in his flying fish robe and Yanchi saber, wasn't it clear who had become a Kingdom Knight?

Now, Sun Jingrui finally understood; all these people did not recognize Yi Yun!

Sun Jingrui suddenly wanted to laugh. This kid Yi Yun had a total lack of standing in the Lian tribal clan.

"Your standing sure is miserable," read Sun Jingrui's expression.

Yi Yun could read Sun Jingrui's mind and gave him a helpless look.

The people and Patriarch of the Lian tribal clan could not be blamed. There were ten people from the Lian tribal clan who went to contest in the Kingdom's selection; but in their hearts, there was only Lian Chengyu. The others were there to fill the number.

They had never entertained the thought that any member of the warrior preparation camp or Yi Yun could have passed the kingdom's selection.

Therefore, when Sun Jingrui mentioned the conferment of a Kingdom Knight, all of them thought of Lian Chengyu, because there was only Lian Chengyu!

In the hearts of the people, Lian Chengyu was also a Purple Blood warrior! How could anyone else compete with him?

Besides, they did not know that the flying fish robe and the Qilin belt that Yi Yun was wearing were symbols of a Kingdom Knight. With their knowledge, they only believed that Yi Yun was one of the Jin Long Wei warriors like Sun Jingrui.

With those preconceived thoughts, it naturally led to this misunderstanding.

"Lord Ambassador, Lian Chengyu is my paternal grandson, uh… did he come back with you?" At that moment, the Patriarch's face was flushed with excitement, as if he had drunk a jar of wine.

Sun Jingrui looked oddly at the old man and nodded, "He's back…"

"Ah? Then where is he?" The Patriarch found it odd; since Lian Chengyu was back, where was he?

"So you want to see him…" Sun Jingrui looked sympathetically at the old man.

"Of course…" The Patriarch felt something amiss. But soon, he quickly thought of a reason to explain the situation. He said, "Lord Ambassador, is Chengyu still doing isolated training? It must be, as a Kingdom Knight, obtaining the kingdom's salary, resources, he has to work hard for the kingdom. If he does not cultivate well, then he will fail to live up to the expectations of the lords, sullying the name of a Kingdom Knight. Cultivation is what matters, I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait for Chengyu to finish his cultivation."

With Lian Chengyu working hard, the surrounding people were amazed. No wonder Young Master Lian had such great achievements, He was gifted with talent and was hard working. Even while traveling, he was still isolating himself for training. He's too powerful.

Sun Jingrui shook his head, "He isn't isolated. I say…those guys hiding in the basket, aren't you going to carry him out? What are you doing?"

Sun Jingrui shouted to the men hiding in the basket.

Just as an ugly woman could not avoid her husband's parents, they had to face reality.

The members of the Lian tribal clan's warrior preparation camp had no choice but to stick their heads out. They also carried out Lian Chengyu who had been jolted around all journey to the point of foaming.

The people of the Lian tribal clan were curious as to why the warrior preparation camp members carried out a half-dead person. Hanging by the basket, that person's eyes were dull, and he was foaming at his mouth. His body was limp, and he looked like a gunnysack of potatoes hanging out on the market for sale.

And his looks, why… why… did he look like… Lian Chengyu?

All the people of the Lian tribal clan were dumbfounded!

The numerous tribal elders were utterly stunned.

There was total silence!

After a moment of silence, a trembling and uncertain voice sounded out, "He… He is Young Master Lian?"

"Impossible! How could Young Master Lian become like this!" Someone said disbelievingly.

Even the Patriarch as Lian Chengyu's grandfather could not recognize Lian Chengyu in his current state.

"Chengyu! Chengyu!" The Patriarch panicked. He could tell that it was no ordinary injury. Even Lian Chengyu's mind wasn't normal!

"Chengyu, what happened to you?" The Patriarch's voice began to shake. "Chengyu, I thought you were conferred the title of Kingdom Knight? Say something!"

"Patriarch… Lian Chengyu wasn't conferred the title of Kingdom Knight…" A man from the warrior preparation camp carrying Lian Chengyu said reluctantly, "Lian Chengyu was crippled by someone. His meridians have been severed, all his martial arts have been destroyed. He has already lost the eligibility to be a Jin Long Wei."

"What!?" The Patriarch's head buzzed. He nearly collapsed! "Liu Tie, what nonsense are you saying!? Lord Ambassador just said Chengyu was conferred the title of Kingdom Knight!"

Being questioned by the Patriarch, Liu Tie was no longer polite. He threw Lian Chengyu down and said, "Lian Chengyu has been crippled! Patriarch, accept the fact… As for the Kingdom Knight, he's right in front of you. You just can't recognize him!"

Liu Tie said as his eyes motioned to Yi Yun.

Only then did the people's attention transfer to Yi Yun.

At first glance, he looked familiar. On a closer look, they were completely stunned.

There was total silence once again. After a while, someone said uncertainly, "Yi Yun! It’s Yi Yun!?"

"The Kingdom Knight mentioned by the Lord Ambassador is Yi Yun? How could it be?"

The people were horrified. The Lian woman who had said Lian Chengyu was a star from the heavens had received a big shock. With a shake of her head, she said incoherently, "Impossible! Impossible! He's just a useless villager! How could he be conferred the title of Kingdom Knight? Impossible!"

When those words were said, Sun Jingrui frowned. But before he could say anything, Liu Tie had jumped out of the basket on the near-horned beast.

"Fucking hell, who did you say was a useless villager!?" Liu Tie landed on the ground and in three steps faced the Lian woman and slapped her!

"Pa!"

With a sharp snap, the woman screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"You dare insult Young Master Yi? You must be tired of living!" Liu Tie said. Taking a step forward, he stepped on the woman's fat face. Another series of screams rang. This woman's face had been crushed to the point of being dyed red.

Everyone was shocked. Liu Tie was satisfied as he clapped his hands and looked towards Yi Yun. Immediately, he bowed with a fawning look, "Young Master Yi, please dismount."

Liu Tie was almost lying on the ground in prostration as if he was a stepping stone for Yi Yun.

Liu Tie had understood that even if Yi Yun did not want him as a henchman, he should not be discouraged. He had to show his determination at being a henchman. He wanted to sever ties with the Lian tribal clan's ruling class, do whatever Yi Yun wanted to do and let Yi Yun feel pleasant. Maybe he could, one day, become Yi Yun's henchman.

Yi Yun was speechless at Liu Tie's actions. This was the modus operandi of the Lian tribal clan's warrior preparation camp. They were all useless, but they were good at sucking up. They were naturals at that. The master determined the kind of slave.

Yi Yun jumped off the near-horned beast with a leap!

His body was light and landed without disturbing the dust. Only the Yanchi saber gave off a light metallic sound. This sound made the entire tribe, including the Patriarch, tighten up. He subconsciously took a few steps backward.

Seeing Yi Yun up close, his aura was oppressing. He was like a sword that had been unsheathed and no one dared to look at him directly.

An air of elegance, a noble aura, his stature, and strength gave an oppressive pressure. It made the tribal elder’s foreheads sweat.

Now, they had confirmation that Yi Yun had been conferred the title of Kingdom Knight! He was now a noble, and the gap between them was like night and day!

True Martial World - Chapter 127: Young Master Lian is back?

The clouds billowed as the sun rose and set.

In a blink of an eye, a few days had passed. While Yi Yun and company were on their way, the people in the Lian tribal clan were having it rough. The Lian tribal clan was really poor now.

Even the ruling class of the Lian tribal clan like the tribal elders had almost no more rice in their houses.

Over the past few years, Lian Chengyu had emptied out the Lian tribal clan. Especially in the last few months, he had gone even further. Currently, the Lian tribal clan had slaughtered all of their livestock and used up all of their grains.

But, even as the entire village was starving, they still had hope.

They were eagerly waiting, waiting for Lian Chengyu's return. They were hoping that he would bring them the good news that would excite them.

At that moment, in the few pieces of farmland the Lian tribal clan had, a few men were doing farm work. Without the cattle, farm work became extra hard. And beneath the trees, women were making arrows. These days, the arrows and armors produced by the Lian tribal clan would only be bought by the Tao tribal clan.

And the Tao tribal clan was not that close to the Lian tribal clan, so if the Tao tribal clan did not come to collect it, they had no way of taking the initiative to exchange their products for food.

It was late in the morning when the people of the Lian tribal clan were preparing to eat breakfast. As they were already hungry, eating a bowl of rice porridge with rice grains that could be counted on one's fingers was insufficient.

Now, the members of the warrior preparation camp were not given preferential treatment. They only ate two meals a day like the commoners.

A few members of the warrior preparation camp that stood guard in the mountains came down to eat. A new shift went up the mountain to replace them.

Why were they standing guard on the mountain? The main reason was that the Lian tribal clan's elders estimated that the results of the kingdom's selection would arrive one of these days.

So every day in the morning, the elders would send men to the mountain pass to watch. They wanted to know when the tribe's hope, Lian Chengyu, would bring back their tribe's warriors. That he would now be an official member of the Jin Long Wei, having a triumphant homecoming.

Under extreme hardship, they needed news to excite the hearts of people.

They had been waiting for days, but not a single shadow appeared from the vast wilderness.

Today, just as the members of the warrior preparation camp changed shifts, Zhang Dali was suddenly surprised. His eyes looked into the distance. "You guys look… what's that…"

Zhang Dali pointed into the distance. People started looking and what they saw was amazing.

In the distant horizon, a dust cloud had been swept up. Seeing closely, they could see huge behemoths running amongst those dust clouds!

They had seen those beasts before. They were the Jin Long Wei mounts!

"Young Master Lian… could it be that Young Master Lian is back!?" A man said uncertainly.

"It has to be. Looking at the direction those beasts are heading, they are coming right at our Lian tribal clan. It can't be wrong!" Zhang Dali slapped his thighs. His face was filled with excitement!

Back when Lian Chengyu led the elite members of the Lian tribal clan away, they had sat on such behemoths. It was the Jin Long Wei who had sent someone to bring them.

Now seeing those beasts, it was highly likely that Young Master Lian was back!

And looking at the scale, it was much more massive than back then, there were at least… six behemoths!

"How could there be so many?" A man said puzzledly.

When they left, there was only one behemoth, yet they returned with six behemoths? Why was there such a difference?

Zhang Dali thought about it and realized the reason. He proudly said, "How is this difficult to understand? Originally, Young Master Lian was an ordinary candidate, so there was no special treatment. But now, Young Master Lian must have shined in the kingdom's selection and he has become an official member of the Jin Long Wei. He is now greatly appreciated, so Young Master Lian is coming back on a greater scale! How can we compare Young Master Lian with others!?"

What Zhang Dali said enlightened the others!

"Brother Zhang is the clever one. He understood it immediately!"

"That's for sure. Brother Zhang can write and is different from us brutes." Another small-sized man sucked up. Zhang Dali could write. He could write his name, the main reason being… his name had fewer strokes.

"Let's go! Let's report the good news!" Zhang Dali waved his hand and the group of men ran towards the village happily.

They were originally very hungry, but with Lian Chengyu back, they were no longer hungry and ran with great haste!

At that moment, back in the Lian tribal clan's Patriarch’s courtyard, the Patriarch was smoking using a pipe. Actually, this pipe no longer had any more tobacco. In the vast wilderness, tobacco was expensive and the Patriarch had almost finished smoking his stash. So for the past few days, he had been using a tiny bit of tobacco, and with a few puffs, it would be gone.

Even if it ran out, the Patriarch carried on smoking. It seemed like it had turned into a habit.

"Second Brother, you say, it's been over ten days. There should be some news from Chengyu…" The Patriarch said to the old man not far from him. These words had been said by the Patriarch numerous times in the past few days.

The old man wore a half-new cotton robe. As he drank bitter tea made out of tea leaves foam, he said without much thought, "It should be one of these days…"

As the two old men spoke, the door to the Patriarch's courtyard slammed open with a bang.

The old man who was drinking tea jumped in fright. He nearly knocked over his precious teacups. After all, it was hard to find a set of porcelain cups in the Lian tribal clan.

They were about to rage when they realized that it was Zhang Dali and several men from the warrior preparation camp.

These people were those they had sent to man the mountain post.

As such, the tea-drinking old man didn't say a word and just stared at Zhang Dali with heavy breaths. He vaguely felt that there was a chance for him to be excited.

"He's here! He's here!" Zhang Dali said incoherently, "Six! Six!"

Zhang Dali gestured his six fingers and the two old men were shocked upon hearing it.

What the hell?

"Six behemoths! The… the kind the Jin Long Wei rides!"

Behind Zhang Dali was a panting member of the warrior preparation camp who explained. He had followed Zhang Dali all the way down, so he was panting heavily.

"Yes… I was the first to discover it!" Although Zhang Dali was out of breath, he did not forget to take credit. "So many behemoths heading to our village. For sure… For sure it's Young Master Lian!" panted Zhang Dali.

Seeing the old man with a cup of tea in hand, he grabbed it without any propriety and drank it dry. This was because he was excited. Usually, he would never have the courage to do so.

"Young Master Lian must have become a Jin Long Wei member, maybe even an elite! Why else would the Jin Long Wei send so many behemoths to send him back?" Zhang Dali explained his reasoning.

Lian Chengyu must have obtained great results. If he had been unsuccessful, the Jin Long Wei would have been kind even if they sent just a single person to bring him back. They might not even be bothered to send him back. At that point, Lian Chengyu would have to stay in the Tao tribal clan. He would then have to wait for the Tao tribal clan's Purple Blood warriors to come to the Lian tribal clan to do the exchange before he could come back.

By understanding this, the Patriarch turned radiant. His beard began to shake with excitement, "Great! Great! We have finally endured through it!"

"Chengyu has delivered the results, Chengyu has delivered the results!" The old man with the teacup was too happy. He began coughing after laughing and nearly died from excitement.

"Our Lian tribal clan will prosper. We will walk out of the vast wilderness into the central plains!" The Patriarch's beamed from ear to ear. He laughed till his wrinkled old face became like a daisy flower during autumn.

"Quick! Give the orders, get the tribe to prepare. We have to greet the Jin Long Wei ambassadors! We cannot let the ambassadors think that our etiquette is lacking as countryside villagers!"

Only then did the Patriarch remember what was important. He slapped his thigh and quickly ordered Zhang Dali.

After Zhao Tiezhu had been maimed, many things in the tribe were instead done by the "smarter" Zhang Dali.

"Alright!" Zhang Dali rushed out of the courtyard door, taking the members of the warrior preparation camp with him. Their approach to announcing the news was simple and direct.

They simply shouted at the top of their lungs in the village.

"Folks, come out!"

"Young Master Lian has passed the kingdom's selection! Young Master Lian has become a Jin Long Wei elite!"

"The Jin Long Wei ambassador is sending Young Master Lian back. They have almost reached the village entrance. Quickly prepare to welcome them!"

Zhang Dali voice was considered a loud one. So with one shout, it spread throughout the entire village.

The people quickly put down their work. Those who were eating stopped or preparing food stopped. All of them walked out their doors and looked at Zhang Dali.

"The Young Master is really back?"

"Could it be fake?" Zhang Dali said grumpily.

"Then we'll be going into the city?"

"For the city, not necessarily. I heard to enter the city, he will need to be a Kingdom Knight! It's not easy becoming one, but with the young master's strength, it's only a matter of time!" Zhang Dali said proudly. The villagers were all very excited upon hearing the news. They remembered that it was just a matter of time before they could leave the vast wilderness!

They put on some decent clothes, came out of their houses, and gathered near the village entrance, ready to welcome the Jin Long Wei into the village.

"Mom, Young Master Lian has been chosen in the selection…" In the crowd, Zhou Xiaoke held onto Aunt Wang's hands. Seeing the hustle and bustle of the crowd, she was confused.

I wonder how Brother Yi Yun did in the selection… Would he also be coming back?

Aunt Wang said, "Kiddo Yun should be quite good. He even defeated Zhao Tiezhu, he might even have been chosen too! But even he wasn't chosen, Kiddo Yun is only twelve. He still has a long way to go."

Aunt Wang touched Zhou Xiaoke's head. She brought Zhou Xiaoke to the side of the streets. From afar, the duo saw six behemoths running towards the village entrance. These six beasts' great momentum caused the ground to gently quake!

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 24 – Intermediate Village

In order to get food, this bandit village most likely did what the Outlander villages did: split into groups to hunt. As expected, four groups of around 10 people each soon departed from the village in different directions.

When Zhao Fu saw this, he also split his forces into four groups. He led one team and followed after them. He hid in the tall grass as he looked at the bandits swaggering along while holding their sabers. He called Bai Qi over and told him his tactic.

Bai Qi looked quite awkward, saying, “Your Majesty, unfortunately… I don’t think I can do it.”

Hearing this, Zhao Fu turned to look at Liu Mei beside him.

“What do you want?” Liu Mei immediately asked. When Liu Mei saw Zhao Fu looking at her, she couldn’t help but tremble and have a bad feeling about it.

After Zhao Fu gave Liu Mei a simple explanation, she looked quite cheerful. She brought along Bai Qi and three other people and openly walked towards the group of bandits.

“Oi! Stop right there!” Liu Mei called out in a loud voice as she and the other four walked up to the bandits.

Hearing this voice, the bandits turned around and saw a beauty in a red dress with four other people. Seeing that the other side only had five people, while their side had 10 people, they did not need to feel scared at all. One of the bandits lewdly smiled as he said, “What does this big beauty want from us? Do you want to play with these big brothers?”

Liu Mei enchantingly smiled, and in the next second, she brandished her whip and cracked it towards the 10 men. Bai Qi and the others also rushed up, and the battle finished in an instant. Bai Qi killed four people alone, the other three people killed one person each, and Liu Mei left three people alive.

At this moment, Liu Mei lightly waved her whip and charmingly smiled as she said, “What were you saying just then?”

The three bandits immediately knelt to the ground and begged, “Female hero! We’re in the wrong, so please spare us.”

“Arghhh!”

Just as the bandit finished speaking, her whip lashed his body, and Liu Mei said with displeasure, “Who’s a female hero? I’m your granny!”

The bandits immediately nodded and said, “Yes, granny, granny…”

“That’s more like it! Who are you all?” Liu Mei asked while smiling.

The three bandits quickly started speaking and said, “We’re from the Ferocious Tiger Village, and our leader is Wang Meng. There are also 200 or so brothers inside the village.”

The three bandits mentioned the Ferocious Tiger Village, their leader, and their numbers in order to scare Liu Mei into releasing them.

However, her whip once again lashed their bodies, causing them to cry out in pain. Bloody streaks appeared on the three men’s bodies as Liu Mei coldly harrumphed and said, “So what about the Ferocious Tiger Village? That man, Wang Meng, sounds like quite a useless fellow!”

The three bandits quickly nodded and agreed.

Pa! Pa! Pa!Her whip once again landed on the three men’s bodies. Liu Mei coldly harrumphed in displeasure as she said, “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

The three bandits cried out in pain and quickly said in a loud voice, “Wang Meng’s a coward, and he’s completely useless.”

“Hahahaha!” Liu Mei laughed, her large breasts rippling as she once again whipped the 3 bandits, and said, “I still couldn’t hear you!”

The three bandits could only endure it and continue cursing Wang Meng.

However, Liu Mei continued to laugh while whipping the three bandits.

Zhao Fu, who was hiding by the side, found that Liu Mei might have some secret interests and hobbies. However, she was still complying with his orders, so he didn’t say anything.

“Alright! You can piss off back to your village. Tell Wang Meng to come here and lick the bottom of this granny’s shoes, or I’ll cripple him.”  Liu Mei said happily. After whipping these bandits for a long time, she felt quite cheerful.

When the three bloodied and bruised bandits heard that this female demon was going to spare them, they felt overjoyed. They quickly crawled away, and after they returned, they added their own words. They told Wang Meng that the woman wanted to skin Wang Meng, make him mate with a sow, and told him to crawl over there and lick the bottom of her shoes.

Hearing this, Wang Meng was completely infuriated and his face became red. After being told that there were only 5 of them, he roared, “Brothers, come with me!”

Following this, Wang Meng took 50 or so bandits, nearly half of the village’s forces, to where Liu Mei had appeared.

Soon, Wang Meng came to a sparse area and found Liu Mei, yelling, “So you’re that bitch! You wanted your elder to lick your shoes? Today, your elder and his brothers will all take turns screwing you!”

Liu Mei did not get angry, and she instead calmly smiled – after all, there was not much point in saying anything to someone who was about to die.

“Release the arrows!!”

As the order sounded out, arrows rained down on Wang Meng’s 50 or so bandits. They were completely unprepared, and many of them were instantly killed.

Zhao Fu’s soldiers had long since killed the other 3 teams that had left the Ferocious Tiger Village and joined up with the others. Wang Meng’s 50 or so bandits were facing 40 Gnome Crossbowmen and 60 Archers, and they had been completely unprepared. Without any shelter, how could they survive?

After a few rounds of attacks, Wang Meng and the 50 or so bandits all died.

At this moment, Zhao Fu and his soldiers, who had been hiding in the grass, appeared. He ordered them to clear the battlefield and went over to Wang Meng’s corpse. After searching it, he found a small bag with tens of silver coins and Wang Meng’s Blue grade large saber.

Following this, they headed to the Ferocious Tiger Village. Liu Mei smiled as she followed behind Zhao Fu, and Zhao Fu turned around and looked at her, saying softly, “You did well this time!”

Zhao Fu had wanted Bai Qi to provoke and curse at the bandits as badly as possible. However, Bai Qi was a General – how could he say such things? As such, Zhao Fu asked Liu Mei, a former bandit, to do this, and she had done it excellently.

Liu Mei lightly harrumphed and said in a pleased manner, “But of course, this granny’s not weak at all!”

Zhao Fu laughed when he heard this, but he did not say anything. They arrived at the Ferocious Tiger Village, which now only had 40 or so people, and it no longer posed a threat to them.

Zhao Fu motioned at Bai Qi, who walked up and loudly called out, “You all must have been notified that your leader and the others have died. If you surrender now, I promise that we won’t kill you all.”

Seeing that there were 300 or so enemies outside, after thinking about it for a while, the bandits decided not to fight to the death, and they instead obediently surrendered.

Zhao Fu found the Blacksmith who knew how to forge plate armor – it was a dark-skinned fellow called Deng Li.

Following this, Zhao Fu went to the Village Hall and conquered it, awarding him 50 Achievement Points. Because this village was quite far away from the Great Qin Village, Zhao Fu chose to [Relocate] it, granting the Great Qin Village 280 EXP.

At this moment, a system announcement sounded out:

“Congratulations! The Great Qin Village has levelled up into an Intermediate Village!”

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 23 – Attacking a Village

Bai Qi’s figure blurred as he sidestepped around the left of the Skeleton Shieldbearers. He unleashed a Qi Slash with his full strength, his sword erupting with light as a 3-meter long arc of light slashed out from it.

BOOM!!

Bai Qi’s attack caused 3 Skeleton Shieldbearers and the Skeleton Infantry behind them to be sent flying, completely destroying their defense.

Zhao Fu hurriedly roared, “Hurry! Separate them!”

The Shieldbearers and Infantry immediately obeyed, splitting into two teams and separating the Skeletons that had fallen and the Skeletons that hadn't.

Now that the Skeletons’ defense had been broken, they immediately fell into chaos. Zhao Fu’s soldiers started to attack, but because of how close his own people and the Skeletons were, Zhao Fu could not use any Fireballs and could only shoot Rock Crushing Arrows.

While a Skeleton Shieldbearer was distracted, Zhao Fu shot an arrow at it, piercing into its head.

A ‘crack’ sounded out as the blue tongue of fire within the Skeleton Shieldbearer’s head was extinguished. Its body collapsed as its bones and the shield it was holding fell to the ground.

It was actually quite difficult to hit a Skeleton’s head because arrows were quite easy to dodge. Zhao Fu had only succeeded this time because the Skeleton Shieldbearer had been distracted.

However, he did not have time to celebrate when a scream sounded out.

“Arghhh!”

After being hit by a few arrows, a Skeleton Archer went all-out, rapidly shooting arrows, one of which had pierced into one of the Infantryman’s arm.

“Damnit!” Zhao Fu inwardly cursed as he yelled out, “Archers, suppress those Skeleton Archers! Bai Qi, be careful.”

Bai Qi nodded and rushed towards the Skeleton Archers while they were being restrained by Zhao Fu’s Archers.

Zhao Fu took the injured Infantryman out of the battle. Luckily, Zhao Fu had used the Refined Martial Soul from before, giving him a skill that he immediately became proficient at. As such, he had a good grasp of archery. Even though the arrows he shot out did not instantly kill any Skeletons like before, they temporarily stopped the Skeleton soldiers’ attacks, creating some opportunities for his soldiers.

The Skeleton soldiers seemed to detect that the battle was becoming more and more unfavorable towards them, and they started to ferociously attack with wild abandon. In the end, Zhao Fu’s side finally killed all of the Skeletons at the price of 3 of his people getting injured. Bai Qi also successfully dispatched the Skeleton Archers, obtaining a Soldier Soul from one of the Skeleton Archers.

This time, the 13 Skeleton soldiers had dropped 9 Refined Martial Souls, 13 Blue grade weapons, and 3 White grade weapons.

Altogether, they had obtained 1 Silver grade weapon, 55 Blue grade weapons, 10 White grade weapons, 38 Refined Martial Souls, and 2 Soldier Souls on this expedition. They were worth roughly 405 gold coins, which was 4,050,000 copper coins.

Zhao Fu didn’t know how much Soldier Souls were worth because he had never seen them on forums before. They seemed to be quite rare, and it was difficult for Zhao Fu to put a price on them, so he did not count their value into the total he had calculated.

The gains they had received today both surprised and delighted Zhao Fu. However, when he looked at the four injured soldiers, he inwardly sighed. They would have to stop here and go back to rest and strategize. If they continued on, they would keep sustaining injuries or even suffer deaths.

Zhao Fu walked over to the soldier who had the worst injury, the Infantryman who had been shot in the arm by an arrow, and asked in concern, “Are you alright?”

The Infantryman quickly nodded, showing that he was fine.

Seeing this, Zhao Fu said, “I’ll help you remove the arrow.”

The Infantryman said in a somewhat panicked manner, “Your Majesty, I’ll just go to Apothecary Zhang. How could I trouble Your Majesty?”

“Alright, don’t worry about it.” Zhao Fu bitterly smiled. Since these soldiers respected him so much, he felt quite guilty when he saw them get injured.

Zhao Fu tore the Infantryman’s sleeve and cut the arrow shaft before pulling the arrow out in an instant. Blood started to pour out from the wound, and Zhao Fu quickly used Blood Healing. This was the first time he had used it, so he was not sure what the effects would be.

As Zhao Fu placed his hand near the wound, a blood-colored light shined from his hand. The Infantryman’s bleeding stopped, and the flesh mended itself at a rate that could be seen by the naked eye.

Even though Blood Healing did not completely heal the wound, it was already half healed.

The Infantryman was almost moved to the point of tears. He had never thought that the incredibly distinguished Majesty, who would become the ruler of Great Qin, would personally tend to his wound. Everyone who saw this felt even more loyal towards Zhao Fu.

Following this, Zhao Fu brought everyone back to the surface. He told the injured soldiers to get medical treatment and then delivered the weapons to Blacksmith Wang Dawu to be repaired.

Zhao Fu and Bai Qi went to a room to discuss their experiences of the battles today. They discussed the shortcomings of their tactics as well as the weaknesses of their enemies and came up with new battle tactics.

After a while, someone came and reported that a bandit village had been discovered 10 kilometers south of the Great Qin Village. Hearing this, Zhao Fu and Bai Qi concluded their discussion and started assembling their soldiers.

“Your Majesty! I want to go too.”

Liu Mei was quite excited when she heard that there was a fight going to happen – evidently, she wasn’t one for peace and ran over to find Zhao Fu.

Zhao Fu looked at her and asked, “Can you completely obey my orders?”

Liu Mei quickly nodded, expressing that she would follow all of his commands.

Seeing this, Zhao Fu reminded her, “If you don’t follow orders on the battlefield and make trouble, I’ll definitely kill you!”

Liu Mei knew that Zhao Fu was someone who would stand by his words. However, she felt slightly displeased – after all, she was quite a beauty, so how could this fellow keep threatening to kill her.

“Forget it, I won’t bicker with him. I’ve been so bored in the Great Qin Village over the past few days, so I have to go with them to attack this bandit village,” Liu Mei thought to herself. She once again nodded, showing that she understood.

Zhao Fu did not say much after that. With Liu Mei’s skills, she would be a great help to them on the battlefield.

Soon, the soldiers had been gathered and they set off. After traveling for a little more than an hour, they arrived at the bandit village.

This bandit village was next to a small creek, and it was not very big. Its defenses were also quite poor, and there were around 150 people in the village. What surprised Zhao Fu was that 30 or so of them were wearing plate armor. Since they had so many pieces of plate armor, they most likely had blueprints for plate armor, which made him feel ecstatic.

Now, Zhao Fu had around 300 soldiers in his forces: 200 were soldiers from the Great Qin Village, 60 Goblins, and 40 Gnome Crossbowmen.

With 300 soldiers, Zhao Fu would definitely win if he directly attacked the bandit village, since the bandit village only had 150 people. However, Zhao Fu’s forces would still suffer injuries and casualties, and that wasn’t Zhao Fu’s style.

As such, he had to seriously look for any weaknesses or use a method similar to what he had used against the Wolf Village. Even though it was quite shameless, it was quite effective.

As Zhao Fu observed the village, he found that there was no cultivated land within the bandit village, which made sense – the bandits obtained all of their food by raiding other villages or hunting beasts. This village seemed to be the latter, so the situation was not as complicated anymore.

The Lord's Empire - Chapter 22 – General Armament

The arrow heavily slammed into the Skeleton Captain’s chest, and it was buried in its armor. The Skeleton Captain lost its balance, causing it to stumble back a few steps.

At this moment, the two large blood-colored fireballs slammed into him.

As two massive explosions sounded out, the fireballs exploded into fiery light, creating massive shockwaves and sending the Skeleton soldiers and Skeleton Captain flying.

Just as the Skeleton Captain started climbing up from the ground, a blood-colored fireball from Zhao Fu landed on its body.

Bang!!

An explosion rang out as the Skeleton Captain, who was trying to stand, was sent flying three or four meters.

By now, the other Skeleton soldiers were standing up. After losing the leadership of the Skeleton Captain, they instinctively rushed over.

“Archers, fire your arrows and suppress them!” Zhao Fu yelled.

The Archers continuously shot their arrows in order to stall for Old Logue. Soon, two blood-colored fireballs once again formed in the air and landed amidst the Skeleton soldiers, sending them flying.

Nearby, the Skeleton Captain slowly struggled to its feet when a normal Fireball landed on its body, blasting it back another three or four meters.

Seeing that they had successfully separated the Skeleton Captain from the Skeleton soldiers, Zhao Fu immediately said, “Bai Qi, I’ll leave the Skeleton Captain to you!”

Bai Qi nodded and ran towards the Skeleton Captain.

The remaining 11 Skeleton soldiers were held up by Zhao Fu and the others. Once three or four of them were gathered together, fireballs flew over, after which the Shieldbearers and Infantry wildly attacked the Skeleton soldiers while they were on the ground.

Soon, Zhao Fu was able to control the situation on his side. On Bai Qi’s side, because the Skeleton Captain had been weakened by Zhao Fu and Old Logue’s attacks, it was much weaker than before and was at a constant disadvantage. However, it was still quite powerful. The Skeleton Captain gripped its saber with both hands, attacking Bai Qi fiercely with each attack. Cold saber light continuously glinted as it continuously attacked Bai Qi.

Since his side was under control, Zhao Fu looked over at Bai Qi. Zhao Fu once again knocked an arrow on his bow and used Rock Crushing Arrow, causing strands of mystical yellow light to gather on the arrow.

The Skeleton Captain was currently spinning as its saber slashed towards Bai Qi’s waist.

At this moment, the arrow smashed into the Skeleton Captain’s waist, stopping its spin. Bai Qi grasped this opportunity, his sword radiating an incredibly sharp sword qi as it pierced into the Skeleton Captain’s head. The blue tongue of fire in the Skeleton Captain’s head gradually dwindled before it disappeared.

The Skeleton Captain’s body then collapsed, turning into a pile of bones. Bai Qi quickly turned around and came over to join the others, facing three Skeleton soldiers by himself.

Under Zhao Fu’s commands, his soldiers attacked with their full strength, and with Old Logue’s fireballs, the 11 Skeleton soldiers were quickly destroyed.

This battle lasted for half an hour, and everyone was completely exhausted. This was especially so for Zhao Fu and Old Logue, whose minds were extremely weary.

Following this, they started to collect the spoils from the battle. The 11 Skeleton soldiers dropped 11 Blue grade weapons and 8 Refined Martial Souls. After going over to the Skeleton Captain’s bones, Zhao Fu saw his large saber first:

[Hundred Vanguard Sabre]: Grade: Silver, Stats: Strength +3, Constitution +3, Description: An exquisite Gold grade weapon that has become rusty due to the passage of time, becoming an ordinary Silver grade weapon.

Zhao Fu was quite happy to find a Silver grade weapon, and he looked at the Skeleton Captain’s armor:

[Lapis Lazuli Armour]: Grade: Blue, Stats: Constitution +1, Description: A Gold grade armor that has become rusty after over 10,000 years, becoming a Blue grade armor.

After obtaining this armor, Zhao Fu gave it to Bai Qi for now. The Lapis Lazuli Armor’s defensive capabilities were definitely higher than that of Bai Qi’s current armor, so Bai Qi could wear it for now before going back to the village and repairing it.

As for the Blue grade armor that Bai Qi had taken off, Zhao Fu decided to put it on. Apart from those two pieces of equipment, the Skeleton Captain also dropped an orb that shined with a faint light. Within the orb, there seemed to be a soldier wearing armor and holding a large saber. Seeing this, Zhao Fu picked it up and looked at it.

[Soldier Soul]: Description: A powerful soul left behind by a soldier that can be fused into a City Heart to become a guardian spirit. It can also be fused into a weapon to strengthen it. (Note: 100 Soldier Souls can fuse to form a General Armament, and a Lord with 24 General Armaments can use 1000 Soldier Souls to fuse into a King Armament.)

Zhao Fu was pleasantly surprised and felt that the Soldier Soul was quite powerful. Because he didn’t know what a General Armament or King Armament was, he could only put the orb away for now, curiosity bubbling within him.

After resting and recovering their strength and spirit for a while, they continued onwards.

They did not meet any more troublesome enemies, and after killing 12 Skeleton Infantry and 5 Skeleton Archers, they obtained 13 Refined Martial Souls.

Zhao Fu had thought that they would be able to continue advancing easily like this, but the situation quickly changed due to the appearance of Skeleton Shieldbearers.

Zhao Fu had only been able to get so far by relying on the fact that he had defensive soldiers, while his enemies did not. Now that the enemy also had defensive soldiers, the situation became quite grim for him.

This time, Zhao Fu encountered five Skeleton Infantry, three Skeleton Archers, and five Skeleton Shieldbearers.

This situation was much more difficult than when they had faced 10 or so pure-offensive Skeleton soldiers. Every time Zhao Fu’s Archers shot arrows, they were blocked by the Skeleton Shieldbearers, and charging at them was not so easy either. Shieldbearers could only face off against Shieldbearers in a stalemate.

The only ones who could make a difference were Zhao Fu and Old Logue with their explosive attacks.

The Skeleton Soldiers were also in formation with the Skeleton Shieldbearers in front, the Skeleton Infantry hiding behind them, and the Skeleton Archers standing far behind them with arrows nocked on their bows.

Right now, Zhao Fu had no choice but to use his numbers advantage to go head-to-head with the Skeletons.

On Zhao Fu’s side, the Shieldbearers were also at the front, the Infantry behind them, and the Archers with their bows drawn at the back.

The two sides clashed together. Zhao Fu’s Archers’ main role was to suppress the Skeleton Archers, as Zhao Fu’s soldiers were all flesh and blood – when hit, they would be injured or die, unlike the Undead.

Right now, Zhao Fu could only vigilantly monitor the situation. He wanted to use Fireballs to attack the Skeleton Archers, but Magic-type attacks did not have a very long range, so he could only wait for an opportune moment.

However, the situation was always in Zhao Fu’s favor. There were always two of Zhao Fu’s Shieldbearers facing off against one Skeleton Shieldbearer, trying to knock them out of the way.

However, despite becoming Undead, the Skeleton Shieldbearers seemed to know that Shieldbearers could only remain effective by staying together. As such, no matter how Zhao Fu’s Shieldbearers shoved at them, the Skeleton Shieldbearers still remained tightly bunched up together.

The situation remained completely deadlocked, so Zhao Fu had no choice but to send Bai Qi.