Gao Wu Da Ming: Starting as a military household and ascending to the rank of Martial Saint

Yu Shaowu smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I just fed you two pills, and you've already taken one antidote. From now on, come to Yaomaodun to ask for the medicine at this time every month. If you behave, I will give it to you."

As he spoke, Yu Shaowu leaned close to Yang Xin's ear and said, "If you don't believe me, you don't have to come. But I advise you to stay away from your family when the poison takes effect. I'm afraid that under the control of the poisonous insects, you might eat them all alive."

Having fully grasped Yu Shaowu's methods, Yang Xin dared not disbelieve him, repeatedly kowtowing and saying, "Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandpa! From now on, I will obey Young Master Yu's orders without any disobedience!"

Yu Shaowu didn't want to kill Yang Xin, after all, he was a sixth-rank official in the imperial court, and it would cause a huge backlash. This time, he only wanted to control him.

Having achieved his goal, he was quite satisfied and asked, "So, what should we do with Zhang Qing?"

Yang Xin's mind raced quickly, and he immediately said, "Grandpa, don't worry, leave this matter to me. It just so happens that Master Zhang's murderer hasn't been found yet. This man murdered his master as a slave; his crime is heinous, and the Zhang family will certainly not let him go."

"Alright." Yu Shaowu nodded and said, "You're a sensible person. I'll be going now. Commander Yang, please stay. I'll contact you again if I need anything later."

"Grandpa, take care. Your humble servant respectfully sees you off..."

Yang Xin knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. When he looked up again, Yu Shaowu was nowhere to be seen.

He stared at Zhang Qing's corpse, then touched the wounds on his neck and shoulders, before collapsing to the ground, feeling as if his whole body was a lump of mud, utterly powerless.

After returning from Yangjiashandun, Yu Shaowu thought about what Yang Xin had said, and a sense of worry arose in his heart.

Although Yang Xin did not reveal the specific plan, Yu Shaowu could guess that the government seemed to be plotting something in the mountains, even at the cost of feeding the wolves with the lives of the people.

This group included not only officers from the garrison, civilian martial artists, soldiers from the prefectural city, but also secretaries from the prefectural government.

In other words, almost all the forces in Baode Prefecture are involved in this matter. It's an extremely troublesome situation.

Yu Shaowu didn't know whether Jiang Hong, the garrison commander of the prefecture, and Li Zhencai, the commander of the thousand-household garrison, were involved in this matter. If they were, then the people of Baode Prefecture would be doomed.

However, even knowing all this, Yu Shaowu, being merely a military household member, could not change anything.

All he can do is keep improving himself in order to cope with the major changes that may come next.

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Meanwhile, at the Juyi Martial Arts Academy in Shenshan Market, Ji Shouyi, Lin Li, He Huan, and several other key members of the academy were gathered together, discussing the academy's problems.

"Brothers," Ji Shouyi said in a deep voice, "the Prefectural Government's Patrol and Inspection Office and the Prefectural Garrison Office have issued a clear order that, in light of our previous heroic feat of hunting the wolf pack, we must organize more than one hundred hunters to go up the mountain on August 16th, which is ten days from now, to continue hunting the remaining wolf pack. Only after this hunt will we be officially allowed to open our new martial arts school. Not only that, they will also recommend our school to the Governor's Office for commendation, making our school the top martial arts school in Baode Prefecture."

Everyone was very excited upon hearing this. The most important thing in opening a martial arts school is reputation. If Juyi Martial Arts School can rank higher than other martial arts schools, then the student body will surely flow in continuously.

Furthermore, hunting wolves was originally a heroic act that benefited the local community. Once their fame spread, even if the government did not promote them, the people would still praise them.

Moreover, hunting wolves is a very lucrative business. Although the imperial court's reward hasn't been paid out yet, the profits from selling wild game alone are already substantial. It's far better than farming at home.

"This is great news!" one of the disciples said. "Senior Brother, we already struggled a lot to open this martial arts school. If the government really gives us another chance to hunt down the wolves, wouldn't we gain both fame and fortune?"

"But what if we encounter that giant wolf again this time?" someone asked.

Immediately someone replied, "Why not invite Young Master Yu to go along? I witnessed his archery skills last time; they are unparalleled in the world."

Listening to the conversation, Ji Shouyi suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Yu won't be going this time. We still have to rely on ourselves."

"Oh?" the man asked疑惑地, "Senior Brother, why doesn't Young Master Yu go for such a good opportunity?"

Ji Shouyi shook his head slightly but did not answer.

Everyone thought this was a good thing, but only he knew it was a terrible thing.

Ever since that giant alpha wolf appeared last time, he had a vague feeling that it might be a trap set by the government.

The reason I'm still standing here unharmed is entirely thanks to Yu Shaowu's miraculous strike.

The imperial reward hasn't been issued yet, but the order to hunt wolves has. Although the officials said that the government had troops involved, they weren't state troops, but rather garrison soldiers from the Baode Thousand-Household Garrison. They weren't soldiers at all, just a group of old farmers.

The state government's arrangement seemed to completely disregard whether their ragtag group could withstand the giant wolf should it reappear.

Ji Shouyi could predict that if they prepared the same way as last time, they would basically face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.

Having made this decision, he was unwilling to let Yu Shaowu take any more risks. After all, the other party had already saved him once; why should he pull him in a second time? He wasn't the prefect; he couldn't bring himself to knowingly lead someone into a trap.

This is also why he previously chose not to let Yu Shaowu join the martial arts school.

Yu Shaowu could have avoided this situation, but he himself was powerless to escape it. The government was closing in, more terrifying than a giant wolf; not going meant certain death. Going, however, might offer a glimmer of hope in the face of the giant wolf.

But this time, we must be well prepared no matter what.

Thinking this, he said in a deep voice, "We are just some country bumpkins. We were saved by Young Master Yu once, but we can't let him save us forever. We still have to rely on ourselves. However, this time, we must not be as hasty as last time. This time, we must prepare not only bows and arrows, crossbows, and muskets, but even cannons. We cannot afford to be negligent in any way."

"You mean there are giant wolves like the Wolf King in the mountains?" someone asked softly.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Ji Shouyi said. "These things should be provided by the government; it's their duty. Without them, we'd rather die than go up the mountain."

Seeing Ji Shouyi's caution, everyone realized that this matter seemed to be more complicated than it appeared, and their earlier excitement quickly dissipated.

Ji Shouyi observed their expressions and said in a deep voice, "You are all brothers, I will not force you. Those who are willing to come up the mountain with me can stay at the martial arts school, and those who are not willing should leave as soon as possible. I, Ji Shouyi, will never force anyone."

The crowd looked at each other, waiting for a long time, but no one left.

Lin Li waved his hand and said loudly, "We are all brothers here who value loyalty above all else. It is too hurtful for the brothers to hear you say such things, Master."

Looking at everyone, Ji Shouyi was filled with emotion. He said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, from now on we are brothers in life and death, advancing and retreating together, sharing life and death!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand, the back of his hand facing down.

Seeing this, everyone placed their hands on Ji Shouyi's and said in unison, "We'll advance and retreat together, we'll follow you to the death!"