My cultivation techniques can be infinitely fused.

The maidservant did not delay and immediately withdrew, returning a moment later with an appointment letter.

After Xiao Ling wrote Lu Zheng's name.

He took a sip of tea and leaned back in his chair.

She had asked the Hundred Cavalry Commander stationed in Youzhou for this blank appointment letter when she arrived. She originally intended to select one of her trusted men to appoint, but all of them died on the way.

Now that Lu Zheng has rendered meritorious service, it wouldn't hurt to give it to him.

It must be said that although these big families are a bit arrogant, they are really willing to give generously to their subordinates if they can get things done.

After doing all this, Xiao Ling, unusually, stopped thinking about other things.

She is also very tired right now.

I still need to deliver this intelligence to the prefectural city in a while.

Just then, a maidservant said, "Miss, when we were retrieving the appointment letter, the guard at the door said that Lu Zheng is requesting an audience."

"Let him in," Xiao Ling said slowly.

The maid responded, and a moment later Lu Zheng walked in.

  

He clasped his hands in greeting to Xiao Ling, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"No need for formalities. You did a good job this time. Here, take this. The Hundred Cavalry Division is short of a captain to oversee the garrison in Fufeng City and search for any remaining members of the sect."

This position is for you; don't let me down.

Upon hearing Xiao Ling's words, Lu Zheng's eyes lit up with excitement, and he said, "Thank you, sir."

"You deserve it all. Don't disappoint me. The Hundred Cavalry Commandery is the Emperor's eyes and ears, with immense power. I won't interfere in small matters, but in important matters, you must not cross the line, understand?" Her meaning was clear: I don't care if you want to make money; just do what you think is right.

However, principles must be upheld when it comes to matters concerning sects and rebels.

After all, everyone knows that the salary issued by the imperial court is simply not enough to buy cultivation resources.

A rank-and-file officer in the Hundred Cavalry Division receives a monthly salary of ten taels of silver, which seems like a lot, but that's for ordinary people. For cultivators, it's simply not enough to buy elixirs.

As for the captain, thirty taels a month is still not enough.

So, you'll have to figure it out yourself.

After all, everyone needs to eat.

"I will follow your teachings, sir," Lu Zheng replied hastily.

Seeing that he had taken her advice to heart, Xiao Ling nodded and waved for him to leave.

Lu Zheng was a smart person, and she believed that the other party would not do anything foolish.

At this moment, Lu Zheng went straight to the treasury after leaving the backyard.

When he took out his appointment letter and his waist token, the clerk guarding the treasury didn't stop fawning over him.

He remembered very clearly when Lu Zheng came to collect his equipment.

It hasn't been that long, and he's already been promoted to the rank of general.

Moreover, he has now become his direct superior.

With this relationship, this background, this powerful backer, wouldn't it be foolish not to cling to him?

"My lord, please come in," the guard of the treasury said respectfully.

Then, Lu Zheng went back into the warehouse.

After raising the small flag, he distributed several more sets of battle robes, which were darker in color than before and had faint patterns.

The armor was also changed, and a breastplate was added to the chest area of ​​the lamellar armor.

It looks even more imposing.

After receiving the items, Lu Zheng also summoned the two squad leaders from the garrison for a meeting.

As for his own squad, Lu Zheng recommended that Huang Yan take over.

The latter's strength has already reached the late stage of the Entry Realm, and he will break through soon. Moreover, he has made some contributions this time.

Xiao Ling didn't care about this and immediately agreed.

In her view, as long as her subordinates can get things done, that's enough.

As for being sidelined, that's a joke. The power of aristocratic families is simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

To put it simply, their families make up 30% of the officials in northern Xinjiang.

The Empress also had the support of the court.

His uncle was a high-ranking general in the current dynasty.

Besides these, the Xiao family owns hundreds of manors and has hundreds of thousands, even millions, of hidden tenants. These are all members of the Xiao family, and they are not recorded in the imperial household register.

Who dares to sideline her? And who can sideline her?

All she had to do was reward those who had contributed.

After meeting with his subordinates, Lu Zheng went to the military merit building at the garrison.

There are various resources here, which can be exchanged with military merit points or purchased with silver.

Because of his meritorious service this time, Lu Zheng was directly awarded a second-class merit, which is worth one thousand merit points.

A third-class merit is worth 500 merit points.

Based on the numerical values, one point of merit here is equivalent to the purchasing power of one tael of silver.

It's still very valuable.

After Lu Zheng's breakthrough, he naturally needed to make a large purchase, and the Military Merit Building was filled with many items.

The necessary pills for each realm are available, and there are even plenty of cultivation materials for the True Essence Realm.

However, Lu Zheng wouldn't look at something too advanced.

He only focuses on what the Bone Forging Realm requires.

The first thing Lu Zheng chose was the Bone Forging Pill. He bought a bottle containing about ten pills, which cost him one hundred military merits.

These are the most basic cultivation supplies for cultivators in the Bone Forging Realm.

Then, his gaze fell on a jar of ointment.

"Dragon Blood Bone Tempering Ointment"

As his gaze fell upon it, a middle-aged man approached and said, "Sir, this Dragon Blood Bone Tempering Ointment is a divine medicine for the Bone Forging Realm, and it is generally only used by disciples of aristocratic families."

However, the price is a bit high.

Hearing the middle-aged man say this, Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Tell me the price?"

"This jar will cost 1,300 taels of silver, or military merit points." After saying this, the middle-aged man looked at Lu Zheng.

She looked cautious, afraid that the other person might be unhappy.

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "I still have nine hundred military merits here, and I'll give you four hundred taels of silver."

"Of course there's no problem," the middle-aged man replied with a smile.

After Lu Zheng gave the silver, he only had a little over a hundred taels left.

This made him realize that cultivation was truly a bottomless pit.

However difficult the practice may be.

This is the foundation of survival in this world.

Then, he left the camp and headed towards home.

As soon as Lu Zheng arrived at the courtyard gate, he saw a pretty woman standing outside. Upon seeing Lu Zheng, she quickly came forward and said, "Greetings, Young Master Lu. I am the young mistress's maid. She invites you to her home for dinner tonight."

Lu Zheng nodded: "Okay, I'll go over tonight."

After she finished speaking, the maid turned and left.

After taking a few steps, she couldn't help but turn back, looking at Lu Zheng's back as he opened the door, a hint of admiration appearing in her handsome eyes.

The lady's younger brother is really impressive; he's already an official in the Hundred Cavalry Command at such a young age.

If I could marry him, even as a concubine, I'm sure I'd have a good life.

Thinking of this, a blush crept onto her face, and she quickened her pace.

Meanwhile, at the Lu family residence in Fengling County, Fufeng County, Lu Xiong sat in the living room with a furrowed brow.

A look of worry appeared on his face.

Wang looked cautiously at her husband, then stammered, "Husband, my brother isn't familiar with the border troops and can't communicate with them. I'm afraid it won't be possible for our goods to get over there."

"I know. I just got the news. The second brother is in a similar situation to us. His in-laws are a centurion in Fufeng County, and they don't dare to let him go. Yesterday, the second brother personally led a caravan to Fufeng to try and pull some strings. I don't know if it will work out." After Lu Xiong finished speaking, he took a sip of tea, his face full of worry.

If the goods can't be shipped out this time, the family will suffer huge losses.

Most importantly, no one knows how long the imperial court will close the border. If the closure continues, he will be left with nothing but empty pockets.

Alternatively, they could reopen trade routes. Choosing the latter would greatly increase costs and extend the distance, making the risks extremely uncontrollable in today's world.

If things go wrong, the whole family could be ruined; how can we not worry?

Wang dared not speak at this moment.

After a moment, Lu Xiong gritted his teeth and said, "Let's wait and see if the second brother can find a way out. If he can, I'll go there myself. I'll just give the border troops more money."

Hearing him say that, Madam Wang nodded, and then sighed, "I wonder how A-Yun is doing. If he can graduate from the academy and take up a position in the army, at least he can give us some advice."