My cultivation techniques can be infinitely fused.

At this time, Lu Zheng was unaware of all this. After returning home, he swallowed the pills, applied the tendon-refining ointment, and began his cultivation.

After his cultivation technique was upgraded, his cultivation speed was much faster than before.

Moreover, Lu Zheng could feel that his strength had also increased significantly.

Based on his observations over this period, although Lu Zheng's cultivation technique was only a third-grade technique, it was specially integrated into his system, so it was very suitable for him and its power was comparable to that of other people's fourth-grade techniques.

Once the first caravan is dispatched today, this profitable business will officially begin.

He wanted to use his power to make Fufeng County impenetrable.

At the very least, no one can stop me from doing my thing here.

Of course, Xiao Ling was an exception, because Lu Zheng knew that all his power came from her.

If he wants to gain a foothold here, he can't get around Xiao Ling.

At least for now, that's how it is.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and as darkness fell, Lu Zheng appeared at the city gate.

  

The merchant caravans of the aristocratic families slowly headed towards the border region.

Lu Zheng didn't pay much attention to these people until late at night when the caravan that had paid him the money arrived, at which point Lu Zheng stepped forward to begin his inspection.

The items were mostly porcelain, silk, and some things that weren't available in the north.

Moreover, Lu Zheng didn't sense anything amiss from these people.

As his cultivation technique advanced, his spiritual perception became stronger and stronger. He could immediately sense whether someone was from a sect or not once they got close.

All thirteen caravans passed without any problems.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the street, quite a few people were actually observing.

People from the Tianluo Sect were among them.

Li He, the leader of the Tianluo Sect, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing all the caravans leave the pass. He turned to Zhang Wu and said, "Zhang Wu, it should be true. Someone from the Hundred Cavalry Division couldn't resist making money. Go and contact them tomorrow."

"We'll give you any amount of silver, we absolutely have to get this person out of here, otherwise things will get out of hand if we keep hiding them any longer."

"Okay, I'll arrange it tomorrow," Zhang Wu said immediately.

Then, the two figures disappeared from the spot.

Now, the area beneath the city gate has fallen completely silent.

After glancing around, Huang Yan approached Lu Zheng and said respectfully, "Sir, another caravan has come to see me today. Here is the silver."

Lu Zheng took the money and counted it; it totaled 110,000 taels.

He took out 50,000 taels of silver: "You can divide half with your brothers and give the other half to the border troops. If you have time these next few days, please ask around to see if there are any estates for sale outside the city."

Manors outside the city are generally controlled by local powerful families and aristocratic clans.

These smaller estates cover several hundred acres.

Some areas cover tens of thousands of acres and employ a large number of tenant farmers.

These tenants were essentially the private property of the landowner.

The powerful families and wealthy clans accumulated their enormous populations through these estates.

They cultivated a large number of talented individuals who became an indispensable part of the imperial court.

However, this estate is not something that ordinary people can buy, much less something that ordinary people can keep.

The number of manors a family owns actually reflects a portion of its power.

Now, Lu Zheng is indeed barely qualified to buy the estate.

He held tens of thousands of taels of silver in his hands, was the commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division, and had an excellent relationship with the border troops.

With his own estate, he entered the ranks of local powerful figures, albeit the smallest.

But their status has already distanced them from that of ordinary people.

Take the Lu family for example. Although they have considerable wealth, Lu Xiong doesn't own a manor. It's not that he doesn't want one, but even if he had the money to buy one, he wouldn't have the ability to protect it.

No matter when, land will always be the most valuable asset.

Without status and position, it is absolutely impossible to get your hands on it.

"Alright, sir, I'll go ask tomorrow. Don't worry, when we, the Hundred Cavalry Division, do things, we dare not touch anyone except those powerful families. We'll definitely choose a good estate for you," Huang Yan said, patting his chest.

At the same time, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.

Lu Zheng arrived much later than me, but he's already a captain and is even planning to buy a manor.

There's really no way to compare people.

With a estate, and after a few more years of development, he'll definitely become a powerful local tyrant.

This will ensure that future generations will have a place to live.

Lu Zheng, unaware of Huang Yan's thoughts, nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. Also, if any caravans contact you tomorrow, just ask for a sum of silver and let them continue to pass through. We'll all make some money before the New Year."

I reckon if I walk for a few more days, I won't have this much silver left.

"I'll listen to you, sir," Huang Yan said quickly. After the money was divided today, plus what he got last time, he could make several thousand taels, something he never dared to dream of before.

With this money, not only him, but all his brothers should be able to break through to the Bone Forging stage before the end of the year.

By then, we'll have finally made it through.

Then, Lu Zheng patted Huang Yan on the shoulder and went home.

The next morning, as usual, he went to the Hundred Cavalry Commandery's post.

At the same time, Xiao Ling sat in the backyard, looking at the letter sent from the prefectural city, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

"Snapped!"

Lost in thought, my elbow bumped into the teacup.

She only realized what was happening when the sound of the porcelain hitting the ground rang out.

Jiangzhu quickly said, "Miss, I'll take care of it."

Then she squatted down and began picking up the broken pieces, asking involuntarily, "Miss, has something serious happened?"

"The Tianluo Sect wants to rebuild beyond the borders. Recently, they have abducted many young men and women and are preparing to send them to the border for training. The imperial court has issued an order to strictly guard the border checkpoints in various places and to ensure that these people are not allowed to leave the border."

"Things are getting complicated. Each checkpoint has a quota; we have to stop one team, otherwise our evaluation this year will be B-class. It's not about how easy it is to catch them, but at the very least, the Tianluo Sect needs to come here. I heard someone has already killed Liang Maogong and been arrested and beheaded," Xiao Ling said, rubbing her forehead.

As a centurion stationed in a fortified city, there is an annual evaluation by his superiors. If he is rated as top for three consecutive years, he will have the opportunity to be promoted even without merit, which is very attractive to people.

Since Xiao Ling arrived this year, she has made two outstanding contributions. If she can be rated as a top-tier performer, she is very likely to be promoted.

She heard that recently, the Hundred Cavalry Commandery was short-staffed and was preparing to add another centurion in the northern frontier to directly oversee the affairs of the three cities of Fufeng Pass, Bingyuan Pass, and Huangsha Pass.

Many people are eyeing this position. Although Xiao Ling has just taken office, her performance is outstanding, making her a hot candidate for promotion.

If one were to truly become a centurion, that would be considered a real step into the middle ranks of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

Her influence within the family will also increase significantly.

Just after she finished speaking, Jiangzhu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Miss, I... I heard that Lu Zheng has released quite a few merchant caravans these past two days."

Although she didn't want to marry Lu Zheng as arranged, she didn't hate him to the point of hatred. Therefore, after hearing about his taking money to let caravans leave the country, she didn't plan to file a complaint.

But now that it concerns whether my daughter can be rated, I have no choice but to say it.

Upon hearing Jiangzhu's words, Xiao Ling frowned slightly, but then relaxed. She believed that Lu Zheng wouldn't be so foolish as to let the sect members go; he would only earn some money, which she would allow.

However, I still wanted to give him some instructions, so I said, "Bring him here so I can ask him."

"Yes, Miss." Jiangzhu quickly packed her things and walked outside, sticking out her tongue as she went out.