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

Chapter 3 Mother-in-law
I killed five people and got 800 points.

You should be able to exchange it for something.

After opening the system shop, a panel appeared in my mind, showing the items that could be redeemed at my current level.

[Ten-times-forged longsword, fifty points]

[Body Tempering Soup: 300 points]

[Dagger of Diamonds, 10 points]

[Armor-Piercing Crossbow: 500 points]

There were many good items in the store. The highest-grade items, and the ones that Lu Ming found most appealing, were the Body Tempering Soup and the Armor-Piercing Crossbow. Of course, there were even better items on the dark gray page, including legendary treasures like the Peaches of Immortality.

However, the points required made him hesitate.

With a final grit of his teeth, he exchanged for the Body Tempering Soup and an Armor-Piercing Crossbow.

My current cultivation level is at the mid-stage of Body Tempering. With the support of medicine, it won't be long before I reach the late-stage of Body Tempering.

In this Wind and Thunder Town, he's considered a minor expert.

As for the armor-piercing crossbow, it's reserved for dealing with experts. Even someone who has just entered the Bone Forging Realm can be pierced with a single crossbow bolt; its power is immense.

Especially when there are large quantities.

Even those who have undergone bone forging will die in the later stages.

As far as he knew, all three families in Fenglei Town had a peak late-stage Bone Forging expert in charge.

The Zhang family occupies half of the farmland in Fenglei Town.

They also ran gambling dens, brothels, and other establishments.

The Zhou family makes a living by going up the mountain to collect treasures. They have several hundred mountain hunters under their command. They may not be the strongest, but they are all strong and capable men.

Moreover, they also occupy several nearby mountain areas.

The Wu family, on the other hand, took over an iron mine, hired a group of desperados to protect it, and lived a prosperous life.

It can be said that back then, the several trades maintained by the imperial court in Fenglei Town all fell into the hands of these three families.

Lu Ming wouldn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on here.

Who knows who might be keeping those bandits on the mountain?

After finishing the wontons in a few bites.

Lu Ming stood up and said to Zhang Meng, "After you finish eating, dispose of the body and come to my house. Tonight is probably going to be tough, so everyone stay alert!"

"Understood, sir!" Zhang Meng grinned.

Lu Ming glanced at the people around him, nodded, and left.

On the way, he began to think about how to deal with the Zhang family's attack that night.

"Selling steamed buns!"

"Pig's head meat, freshly cooked pig's head meat!"

Street vendors were shouting.

The pot contained food they had made themselves, yet they were struggling to swallow the coarse rice buns they were holding.

Lu Ming felt inexplicably irritated.

After suppressing his anger, he lowered his head and continued walking.

What a terrible world.

I just arrived at the gate of the courtyard.

His eyes squinted.

There was a group of about thirty or forty men standing at the entrance, all of them strong and muscular, with knives at their waists.

There were even horses.

They were all top-quality horses, and each person was assigned one.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a full beard, large joints, and a strong physique. He was clearly an in-training martial artist and stood outside the courtyard gate, looking like a bear.

"They're from the Li family of Hongdu Prefecture," Lu Ming thought to himself.

In his memory, this was the attire of a guard from the Li family.

Looking at all this equipment, Lu Ming was truly envious; it was all thanks to these powerful families.

If I had such a force in Fenglei Town, even if it wasn't as powerful as the three major families, I could still show off my power.

"Should I go up and say hello?" He was a little conflicted.

"Forget it!" Lu Ming finally decided to give up, because these people hadn't even given him a second glance from beginning to end.

I forced myself through the crowd and just as I entered the courtyard, I could faintly hear sobbing sounds coming from the backyard, along with the sounds of things being rummaged through.

"My daughter, what can I say to you? You have seven or eight brothers and sisters, and you are the most beautiful and sensible. Why are you so stubborn? There is no rice left in this jar."

The clothes in the closet still had patches on them.

The sound of crying filled Lu Ming with mixed feelings.

It's no wonder he's unhappy. If it were his own daughter, marrying into such a family amidst the chaos of war, he would probably be even more upset.

"Mother, let's not talk about these things anymore. If my husband comes back, he'll be upset to hear this."

Li Xirou whispered, then looked towards the front yard somewhat guiltily.

They met eyes with Lu Ming, who had just walked into the backyard.

A blush crept onto her radiant face.

Just about to speak.

Lu Ming quickly stepped forward and bowed to a bejeweled woman in front of him, saying, "Greetings, Mother-in-law."

Lu Ming didn't have much of an impression of his mother-in-law.

When Li Xirou left, her father did not allow any family members to see her off; this was the first time he had seen this.

"Oh, oh, you child, don't be so polite."

Li's mother said, supporting him gently.

Lu Ming looked up and saw a noblewoman in a purple satin dress with gold thread embroidery. Although she was older, she was well-maintained and had a fair complexion. Her long hair, which was styled in an updo, shone with gold.

"She is quite handsome. Rou'er will marry you and we will be family. Everything else can be cut off, but this family bond cannot be severed."

Rou'er's father was stubborn and competitive when he was young, and Rou'er took after him.

But father and daughter should not hold grudges overnight, so please do not complain.

I just happened to be passing by today. I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything with me. You can take this bag of silver.

Now that they're all married, they've bought everything they needed.

As the woman wiped away her tears and spoke, she placed a bag in Lu Ming's hand, which looked to weigh about thirty taels.

Needless to say, this mother-in-law must have brought people over secretly.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken out such a large bag of silver.

When wealthy families from the prefectural city came out, they would use gold notes or gold beans, which were accepted by the imperial court, to reward their servants.

When they occasionally went out to buy things, a steward would accompany them, and they would go directly through the household's internal accounts.

They rarely take cash.

Moreover, this lady from the Li family.

It seems the father-in-law is keeping a close eye on his mother-in-law because he's worried about her financially supporting her daughter.

Lu Ming smiled bitterly to himself.

Sure enough, at that moment, the head guard outside the courtyard gate peeked in and said, "Madam, we should go back now. It's too late and the master will find out."

"Rou'er, I'm leaving now. You two should take good care of yourselves. I'll come to see you again when I have time." The woman wiped away her tears and walked out.

He didn't even dare to turn around and look at his daughter while he was speaking.

Walk through the front yard.

When they arrived at the carriage.

As if remembering something, he turned to Lu Ming, who had come out to see him off, and said, "Child, be good to Rou'er. We've spoiled her since she was little and she's never suffered. I'll put in a good word for you with the master. She'll be able to go back in a few years."

At this point, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Then they got into the carriage.

Watching the horse caravan gradually disappear into the distance, Lu Ming returned to the courtyard.

While wiping away her tears, Li Xirou took out the food from a food box.

"I knew Mother would cry, so I didn't go out and upset her. These are all my favorite foods. Mother brought some today. Husband, please try them."

Lu Ming looked at his wife, who was pretending to be strong, and felt a pang of heartache.

"We still have hope of returning to the prefectural city in the future."

"I know I can go back, I believe in my husband!" Li Xirou raised her head, her milky white skin glistening in the sunlight. Although she was smiling, tears were glistening in her eyes.

"Eat quickly, my husband, it won't taste good if it gets cold!"

Lu Ming sat down.

Seeing his wife's joyful expression as she enjoyed the food, he felt a pang of sadness.

It's time to think about my future.

At the very least, let the woman in front of you eat what she likes, instead of worrying about a bowl of rice.

It was already afternoon when we finished the meal.

After settling Xi Rou in, a commotion arose outside the courtyard gate: "My lord, we've arrived!"

Zhang Meng led the group in single file.

She didn't continue acting so carefree; instead, she stood obediently to the side, not daring to look around.

He knew that Lu Ming had brought his family.

There were thirteen people in total; the two young men from the morning did not come.

Instead, Sun Tian's daughter arrived. The girl was of average appearance, with some freckles on her face, but she exuded a youthful charm that was not unpleasant.

"Sun Tian, ​​have your daughter go to the backyard, everyone else come here."

As Lu Ming spoke, he stood at the door of an empty house in the front yard.

After the girl went to the backyard.

He took out a key and unlocked the door.

"Who among you knows how to use a crossbow, a large, armor-piercing crossbow?"

“I…I can.” Sun Tian stepped forward shakily.

He had served on the battlefield as a crossbowman, and after returning to his hometown, he was transferred to the centurion's office, where he remains to this day.

"Alright, it seems I didn't save you for nothing. Pull out the crossbow inside."

Lu Ming put the armor-piercing crossbow in there that afternoon.

He turned to the side, and several old soldiers poked their heads in.

"Oh my god!" Zhang Meng couldn't help but exclaim.

Inside the house, there lay a large crossbow, about half a person's height and three meters long, with a body made of black wood and a string made of animal sinew as thick as a little finger.

A bundle of crossbows lay to the side, their arrowheads gleaming coldly.

"An armor-piercing crossbow! It's been so many years since I've touched such a treasure. Even a master at the Bone Forging Realm can be pierced through once they're pinned down!" Sun Tian happily stepped forward and stroked the crossbow.

"You'll be using this crossbow today. If anyone comes, shoot whoever has the higher cultivation level."

"Don't worry, sir. With this thing, anyone who comes will die!" Sun Tian happily examined the crossbow.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he said, "Sir, there is one more thing. I can't operate this crossbow by myself. I need two helpers."

"Choose your own! Quickly familiarize yourself with the operating procedures! Everyone else, stay alert!"

After Lu Ming finished speaking, he went to the next room.

He took out the Body Tempering Soup from the system space and swallowed it in one gulp.

As the medicine took effect, a flush appeared on my skin, accompanied by a tingling, itchy sensation.

"It's working," Lu Ming thought to himself.

An hour later, the feeling finally disappeared completely.

"My skin has become 10% more resilient than before, but I haven't broken through to the late stage of body tempering yet!" Lu Ming muttered to himself as he pinched the skin on his arm.

However, it is indeed much firmer; if you apply force, it feels like pinching a piece of cowhide.

It was already dark.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Sun Tian's maidservant serving rice to everyone with a spoon. The bucket of rice was emptied in no time, and Lu Ming couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Xi Rou has scooped out all the rice from the bottom of the jar.

That was their food for five days.

Fortunately, my mother-in-law gave me thirty taels of silver, otherwise I would have gone hungry tomorrow.

"Sir, this is your meal." Zhang Meng walked over carrying a large bowl, which was full of white rice and a few vegetable leaves.

After taking the rice bowl, Lu Ming began to swallow large mouthfuls of food.

You need to eat your fill to prepare for what's to come.

After finishing a bowl of white rice, I was less than five-tenths full.

After drinking another bowl of plain water and touching his slightly swollen belly, he felt a little better.

It had completely darkened.

Lu Ming knew he had to get to work.

The cold moon hangs high, the night is deep, and the leaves of the sycamore trees surrounding the house have already fallen.

Only branches and twigs remained, resembling ghost claws.

The autumn wind blew by, and the sound of tree trunks colliding rang out.

The shadow cast upon it added to the sense of dread.

Sun Tian led the two men to hide on the roof, with the crossbow covered by a tarpaulin.

They hid inside, leaving only a tiny gap, carefully observing the outside.

Zhang Meng and the others dug the trap, nervously gripping their hoes, and hid in the shadows.

Tonight is exceptionally difficult to endure.

"Shh!" A lot of light, hurried footsteps sounded, very chaotic.

Sun Tian’s deliberately lowered voice came from the roof.

"Sir, people are coming. There are probably more than twenty of them. The first three are running very fast and look like they're trained in martial arts."

"Once they're within range, just use your crossbow to take them out!" Lu Ming said without turning his head.

"Boom!"

Then, the sound of someone climbing over the wall could be heard.

Even if it's very soft, it can be heard very clearly in the quiet night.

[Name: Wang Hu]

[Cultivation Level: Early Stage of Bone Forging]

[Personal Deeds: At the age of twelve, he wandered the streets and killed a girl of the same age in order to steal a steamed bun. After tasting the sweetness of robbery, he used stones and wooden sticks to beat twenty-one children of the same age and younger than himself to death in the same year.]

At the age of thirteen, he joined a gang and personally participated in eight cases of family annihilation.

At the age of fourteen, he gained the favor of the gang's higher-ups and was taught martial arts techniques. His behavior became increasingly rampant. In order to seize territory for the gang, he broke into his rival's house in the middle of the night and poisoned thirty-three people.

At 43 years old, after his gang was wiped out, he fled to Black Mountain and became a bandit.

At the age of forty-five, while raiding down the mountain, he encountered the Zhang family's cavalry and was captured by the Zhang family patriarch. To survive, he began working for the Zhang family, becoming their spy. He spent many years hiding in the Black Mountain, working for the Zhang family, eliminating their rivals. More than twenty families were wiped out by them, and they remain rampant to this day.

[Mission: Kill Lu Ming, the newly appointed centurion of Fenglei Town, and frame the Black Mountain bandits]

[Overall brutality level: 2000 points]

Killing it will grant 2000 Chaos Points.

In the blink of an eye, a string of data appeared before Lu Ming's eyes.

"Wow!"

The tarpaulin on the roof slipped off.

"collapse!"

The crossbow fired.

A cold light flashed.

Wang Hu had just taken a few steps forward when he was struck squarely in the abdomen. The crossbow pierced through his body and pinned him to the ground.

Blood flowed down the arrow shaft.

Wang Hu, who was not quite dead, struggled desperately.

It let out a low, mournful wail.

"It's an armor-piercing crossbow! There's an ambush! Let's go!"

The others who came in saw this scene and were so shocked they almost lost their souls.

Someone shouted and jumped over the wall.

Judging from his movements, he should be a martial artist who has entered the country.

Others followed suit.

After all, that was a military crossbow, and a high-armor-piercing crossbow used by the main army. Usually, only border troops would have it, and even the city guards in the prefectural city might not have it. In a small place like Fenglei Town, it would never appear.

Therefore, his first reaction upon seeing the crossbow was that the imperial court was coming to attack him.

Naturally, they had to escape.

After all, even if they were stronger, they were nothing more than bandits, a rabble.

However, not everyone possesses the skills of an inbound martial artist.

"Click!" The sound of the crossbow being loaded rang out. I had tried it in the afternoon, and it took three hundred breaths.

Lu Ming drew his sword and charged out.

"Swoosh!" A burly man who had just landed turned around to run away, only to have his throat slit.

"Ah!" Someone jumped into the pit that Zhang Meng and his men had dug, and was pierced through by the bamboo below.

"You son of a bitch!" The old soldier, who had been hiding in the shadows, ran out and smashed his hoe against the wall.

In the darkness of night, blood splattered out.

As soon as they met, four of the men who rushed into the courtyard died, including the leader, Wang Hu.

The remaining people were in the dark, unable to tell how many people were in the courtyard. They only heard shouts coming from all directions, and they ran headlong up the mountain, wishing they had two more legs.

(End of this chapter)