Chapter 411: Promotion ( 4 )
After dinner, Yao Zhi and Fu Chen’an cleaned up the table and returned to the bedroom. As she had promised before, Yao Zhi let her husband hug her to sleep.
Fu Chen’an was tired, and the moment his head touched the soft pillow, he drifted to sleep. Even so, he still didn’t let go of his wife. Smelling her scent made him feel at ease.
At 3 o’clock the next morning, Fu Chen’an and Yao Zhi were woken up by the sound of an alarm. Both of them washed up and had breakfast together.
After breakfast, Fu Chen’an left the shared manor and reappeared in a secluded area near the military camp. As for Yao Zhi, she went to practice her swordsmanship and meditate for an hour.
Then, she asked her personal assistant to draw a design for a greenhouse suitable for the Northeast City and wrote down methods to solve the water shortage and potential avalanche before leaving the shared manor.
The moment she reappeared in her room, she walked out and saw her guards training in the yard. Although the yard was not large, it was not small either. It was enough for them to train.
Seeing that their Master had woken up, Ling Shi’er and his brothers cupped their fists and greeted her. "Greetings, Master."
Yao Zhi nodded at them and said, "Today, I will go check the area for planting crops with Ling Ershi. The rest of you will be responsible for investigating the situation in the nearby towns and cities."
Hearing this, they nodded and replied in unison, "Understood."
After they finished training, they washed up and changed into clean clothes. Their Master disliked them being dirty and smelly, so if the situation allowed it, they would take a bath at least once a day.
When they gathered again after bathing, everyone had breakfast together.
The supplies in the city were limited and were prepared for the people and the soldiers. So, Yao Zhi entered her shared manor and used the rice cooker to make several pots of chicken rice.
Besides the chicken rice, she also made some side dishes: egg drop soup, steamed eggs, smashed cucumber salad, and steamed tofu with soy sauce.
To ensure that her guards had enough nourishment, she also boiled a huge pot of milk and added a drop of spiritual spring water to it. As for the honey, she let them add it according to their preferences.
Everyone ate until they were full before leaving the General’s temporary residence on horseback. Yao Zhi didn’t visit Xue Ya’er and instead went directly to the Magistrate’s office with Ling Ershi.
Although Ling Ershi was the youngest in the Ling Squad, his martial arts level was above the others.
At first, Yao Zhi treated him like a child since he was only 16 years old. But after learning about his background, she no longer saw him that way.
Ling Ershi was the only heir of a martial arts family in Jianghu. His father was the head of the Wulin Alliance, and his mother was the famous Ghost Doctor.
The reason he had been caught by the government was that he had been framed by his senior brother and poisoned, making him unable to use his martial arts. To survive, he hid his background and pretended to be a sickly teenager.
It was only after he was bought by Yao Zhi and consumed the spiritual spring water that the poison in his body was dispelled. Now, not only had he recovered all his martial arts, but he had also made several breakthroughs.
As he walked behind his Master, he couldn’t help but realize that he and his Master were actually the same age.
Before leaving the mountain and wandering the world, he had always thought that he was the strongest. It was only after suffering setbacks and meeting his Master that he understood there was always someone stronger beyond the strongest.
After witnessing his Master’s capabilities and wisdom, he no longer thought about returning and inheriting the position of Head of the Wulin Alliance. All he wanted was to stay with his Master and grow stronger.
Yao Zhi didn’t know what he was thinking and asked, "Ershi, you said your family lives in the mountains near the northern border. Is it near this city?"
Coming back to his senses, Ling Ershi thought for a moment before replying, "The mountain is far from here. If we travel by horse, it will take at least a month. If we travel by carriage, it will take at least 3 months to arrive."
"Is the road there hard to access?" Yao Zhi asked again.
Ling Ershi nodded and explained, "If we use horses, we can take the mountain path, which is a shortcut. Carriages can only use the official roads or smaller roads. So, we would have to take a detour."
Rubbing her chin, Yao Zhi nodded and said, "After we finish our matters here, you can go back and visit your family if you want. It has been years since you left home. Your parents must be worried about you."
Ling Ershi thought for a while before nodding. He needed to go back and tell his parents about his senior brother’s betrayal and inform them about his decision to stay with his Master.
They talked about daily matters until they reached the Magistrate’s office. The soldiers had already been informed, so when they saw her, they didn’t stop her. Instead, they led her inside.
When Yao Zhi arrived, she saw that besides Lu Qianxuan, several other people were present. Seeing that everyone wore armor, she knew they were military officers.
Standing at the center of the hall, she cupped her fists and smiled. "Greetings, General. Greetings, everyone."
Wen Liyan and the others were surprised to see the young man. His looks were average, but he carried a mysterious aura that made them instinctively wary.
They had thought Lei Feng was a middle-aged man since he was the heir of a wealthy and powerful family. They never expected him to be this young.
