In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

The night was as dark as ink, and the courtyard was deathly silent.

Su Ming stood there, looking in the direction where the man in black had disappeared, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"To the Northern Barbarian King's Court?"

He muttered to himself, a cold smile curving his lips.

It seems that developing peacefully for three months is impossible. This dragon vein is even more flamboyant than he imagined.

The jade pendant in his arms still emitted a faint coolness, as if urging him on.

"Walk."

Without further hesitation, Su Ming turned around and put all the dowry chests in the courtyard into his [portable space].

After doing all this, he took one last look at the dilapidated courtyard that had witnessed all of Li Yueru's suffering, and his eyes turned completely cold.

He stepped out of the courtyard gate, and in a few leaps, his figure disappeared into the night at the village entrance.

He didn't see that after he left, under the old locust tree at the village entrance, Old Liu slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy eyes gazing in the direction of Jing'an City, and he let out a long sigh.

"A dragon emerges from the shallows; the weather... is about to change."

---

The next morning, at the Jing'an Army camp.

Su Ming, accompanied by Scarface and ten others, returned wearily.

"Boss, you didn't sleep all night?" Scarface asked in a low voice, noticing the bloodshot in Su Ming's eyes.

"Enough nonsense." Su Ming waved his hand. "Go back and practice your skills. I want to see progress in your techniques before dark."

"Yes!" The ten men responded in unison, their eyes filled with fervor.

After taking the Body Tempering Pill last night and digesting it during the night's journey, they could clearly feel the surge of qi and blood within their bodies, and the increase in strength was real.

Su Ming dismissed everyone and walked alone towards his captain's tent.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard the "whooshing" sound of wind coming from inside.

He lifted the tent flap and saw Li Yueru standing in the center of the tent, her face flushed and her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, practicing a set of boxing techniques meticulously.

It was the beginner boxing technique he had casually written down for her before.

Although his moves were still a bit raw, he was extremely serious about every move, and his eyes revealed a tenacious spirit that refused to admit defeat.

Su Ming stood at the door, silent, just watching quietly.

It wasn't until Li Yueru finished her practice and exhaled a long breath that she noticed him.

"Husband... Husband!" Li Yueru's face flushed red instantly, and she was somewhat flustered. "When... when did you get back?"

"Just got back." Su Ming walked over, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve, and smiled, "You played well, quite skillfully."

His praise made Li Yueru blush even more, and she lowered her head and whispered, "I...I'm afraid of being a burden to my husband..."

Su Ming's heart softened, and he pulled her into his arms.

"Silly girl." He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "I've told you before, you're my burden for life, and no one can take you away."

Li Yueru's body trembled slightly. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and let out a muffled "hmm".

[Ding! Li Yueru's favorability +5, current favorability: 190!]

[Detection indicates a deepening of the emotional bond between the host and their bonded character; reward: 1 draw chance!]

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, not in a hurry to draw the prize.

He released Li Yueru, took out the wooden hairpin carved with butterflies from his pocket, and gently inserted it into her hair.

"These are your things, I've taken them back."

Li Yueru raised her hand to touch the wooden hairpin she had lost and found, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She didn't ask Su Ming how he got it back, nor did she ask what happened to the relatives who had bullied her.

All she knew was that this man had found back, one by one, the things she had lost and cherished most.

"My lord..."

"Alright, stop crying." Su Ming pinched her cheek. "Go boil some hot water for me. You've been running around all night, and you're all sticky."

"Yes!" Li Yueru nodded emphatically, wiped away her tears, and turned to get busy.

Watching her revitalized figure, Su Ming's smile softened even more.

However, this warmth did not last long.

---

Logistics battalion, centurion's camp.

"Snapped!"

A fine porcelain cup was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Liu Tao's face was contorted with rage, and his chest heaved violently.

"He's back? And he fucking killed people from the Ministry of War, and Lord Wang from the Censorate left without even uttering a sound?!"

Beneath the tent, a trusted soldier knelt trembling on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

"Yes...yes, sir...the whole camp is buzzing with rumors that Captain Su...Captain Su is a celestial general descended to earth..."

"A divine general descended to earth?" Liu Tao laughed angrily, his scars contorting into a gruesome expression. "A mere peasant who got lucky by sheer luck dares to call himself a divine general?"

He could never forget the contemptuous look in Su Ming's eyes at the village entrance.

He could never forget how Su Ming, in front of the entire camp, used his archery skills to humiliate him.

He originally thought that if he sent Su Ming to Black Mountain Pass, a place where almost anyone could die, the kid would surely perish.

But not only did he come back alive, he also became a captain! A seventh-rank martial artist!

It was like one resounding slap after another, hitting him hard across the face.

"No... We can't let him continue to be so smug!" Liu Tao paced back and forth in the tent, his eyes almost overflowing with resentment.

In a head-on confrontation, he is definitely no match for Su Ming right now.

That kid dared to go head-to-head with even the White Wolf King at the peak of the seventh rank, killing an eighth-rank cultivator like him would be no different than crushing an ant.

"Power...yes, I still have power!" Liu Tao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"So what if he's a captain? In the Jing'an Army camp, rank matters! My uncle is the commander of the logistics battalion; dealing with a newly promoted captain like him would be a piece of cake!"

A sinister plan quickly took shape in his mind.

He turned to look at his confidant, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"Go and relay my orders. Tell them... the vanguard battalion suffered heavy casualties in a skirmish with barbarian scouts a few days ago and urgently needs reinforcements."

The confidant hesitated for a moment: "Sir, doesn't the vanguard battalion always select men from the new recruits?"

The vanguard battalion, despite its fancy name, was essentially a cannon fodder battalion. In every major battle, they were always the first to be sent to the front lines, consistently boasting the highest casualty rate in the entire army.

Liu Tao sneered: "The situation is special now. Lieutenant Su Ming is brave in battle and always leads from the front; he should be a role model for the entire army. Transfer him from his personal guard to the vanguard battalion as a centurion to boost morale!"

The confidant gasped in shock.

To demote a captain and transfer him to a cannon fodder battalion as a centurion?

This isn't just being difficult; this is practically trying to torture someone to death!

"My lord... this... this is against the rules..." the confidant whispered.

"Rules?" Liu Tao kicked him. "My word is the rule! This is a military order. If he dares to disobey, he's committing insubordination! According to military law, he should be executed!"

"Go quickly!"

"Yes...yes!" The confidant scrambled out.

Liu Tao watched his departing figure, a smug grin spreading across his face.

"Su Ming, Su Ming, let's see how arrogant you are this time! Once we get to the Vanguard Camp, I have a hundred ways to make you die without a trace!"

---

Just as Su Ming finished washing up and changing into clean clothes, the tent curtain was suddenly pulled open.

Liu Tao's confidant walked in arrogantly, holding a roll of sheepskin military orders.

"Captain Su Ming, receive the order!"

Li Yueru was startled and instinctively hid behind Su Ming.

Su Ming patted her hand reassuringly and lazily raised his eyelids.

"What is it?"