The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

After having dinner, the scouts should have been resting and recuperating, but instead they gathered in the barracks of the two junior officers, Xu Rong and He Shouli, unable to sleep.

Xu Rong, Sun Xueming, and Chang Heng, the three junior officers, hid in a separate room and talked quietly.

"Those guys from Qierzhuang are really lucky. They didn't have to take any risks and they even got military merits."

"That leaves only five men under Commander Li. How can they complete the reconnaissance mission?"

Xu Rong glanced at the sky outside and said worriedly:

"It's already past midnight, and we haven't seen many scouts return. This trip has indeed been dangerous."

Sun Xueming lowered his voice, his excitement barely concealed:

"Commander Li only took five men with him on the scouting mission; I fear the odds are against him. If something were to happen to him, who do you think would take over as commander of our scout team?"

Chang Heng looked at Xu Rong and flattered him:

"Among Commander Li, He Shouli and Brother Xu are the most skilled. If something were to happen to him, I'm afraid even Commander He would not be able to return, and Brother Xu would naturally succeed him."

Xu Rong still wore a worried expression, subtly scrutinizing the two junior officers in front of him.

"I only hope that Commander Li is blessed with good fortune, but if something really happens to him, I will need your two brothers to take good care of him."

"Of course, of course!"

The cubicle was quiet for a moment. The three junior officers each had their own thoughts. Just a moment ago, they seemed to have a "bright future." After complimenting each other, they all had complicated expressions on their faces.

Chang Heng stood up abruptly, his voice low with resentment, "He Shouli insisted on being the one to stick his neck out, and now look what's happened! For a moment of pride, he's about to lose his life!"

The other two junior officers both let out a soft sigh, pulled Chang Heng down, and exchanged a few words in hushed tones from time to time.

The three spoke amiably, but there was little intimacy in their expressions.

When cowardice meets heroism, only by using foolishness to slander can one appear right enough.

When utilitarianism dominates the discourse, morality is often labeled as foolish.

Xu Rong swirled his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's getting late, we need to get some rest for tomorrow..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly looked out the window; Sun Xueming and Chang Heng looked out almost at the same time.

Just then, Xu Rong heard several familiar voices outside the barracks. He peeked out and looked in the direction of the voices. He saw a group of people carrying lanterns walking towards them. He was stunned for a moment, and then quickly put on a look of joy.

"Commander-in-Chief! And Brother He, thank goodness, you are both safe and sound!"

Chang Heng's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but wonder if the noise he had made was too loud. He hurriedly rushed out of the cubicle and loudly called out to the group of sentries.

"The Commander-in-Chief is back! Aren't you going out to greet him?"

Seeing that the barracks had suddenly become chaotic, Li Yi quickly tried to stop it.

"It's almost midnight. Let's talk about this tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Li Erhu glanced at Xu Rong, then suddenly exclaimed "Hey!" and turned to He Shouli with envy, saying:

"He Xiaoqi accompanied Yi Ge'er this time and scouted out the northeastern border of the Muxing territory. He also helped us capture a troop of enemy cavalry. Commander Meng will surely reward him handsomely tomorrow. I'm offering my congratulations in advance!"

Although He Shouli had only spent one day with Li Erhu, he was already familiar with the latter's character and understood the implications. He smiled wryly and said:

"It's all thanks to Commander Li, there's no credit for me; Brother Erhu, just say less."

Li Erhu pursed his lips, then glanced meaningfully at Xu Rong, Chang Heng, and Sun Xueming before humming a tune and heading back to his barracks.

Xu Rong and the other two forced smiles until they saw the six people outside off. They immediately closed the window and then slapped their thighs in frustration.

"This man is utterly despicable! Isn't he just a pawn under Commander Li? A dog relying on its master's power!"

"I never imagined that not only Commander Li would return safely, but all his soldiers would also be safe and sound. Could it be...?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Xu Rong shouted in a low voice.

Sun Xueming looked distressed. "What should we do now?"

"What else can we do? It's a great joy that Commander Li and Brother He were able to complete their important mission. Everything will proceed as usual tomorrow."

Xu Rong's face was gloomy. Even after he took off his military uniform and lay in bed, Li Erhu's undisguised mocking face kept flashing through his mind.

The next day.

Li Yi got up at dawn and, before daybreak, sat by the window to practice breathing exercises, preparing to accumulate some wood energy before the large influx of incense offerings in the early morning.

Otherwise, if you consume Blood Qi Pills or Qi-Boosting Pills every day, no amount of military merit will be enough to exchange for them.

"I am now proficient in standing, sitting, and walking stances, but I am still struggling to master sleeping stance. It seems I still need to refine the first three stances."

Once the "Life-Refining Body Method" is mastered, one can train their body at any time, no longer fearing the inconvenience of consuming incense offerings and thus enduring the pain of body shaping.

When Li Yi gathered his Qi at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), he opened his twenty-first spiritual acupoint, "Jianjing." Just as he was about to go out to practice the "Jia Mu Sheng Yang Ji" (Collection of Jia Wood Rising Sun), hoping to gain insights and refine his stance training, someone knocked on the door of the barracks.

It turned out that the garrison messenger had come to summon all the garrison's sentries to the garrison's official residence located inside the pass to meet Commander Meng and Commander Liu Tianyun.

The government office was located on the west side of the barracks, facing the street. Li Yi led his men on foot and arrived in a short while.

Upon entering the main hall, one would see Zhong Ming and Ma Lian'er already sitting on the west side, waiting.

Those who did not participate in yesterday's duties were all lined up in the courtyard waiting.

Liu Tianyun, who was seated at the head of the table, raised his eyebrows and said, "Please sit down."

After Li Yi, He Shouli, and the other five people were seated on the east side, he continued:

"Thank you all for your hard work. Last night, Commander Meng and the two captains, Wang and Meng, led their men to meet the scouts and gather intelligence. We finally confirmed the territory of the Great Yan Land God. It's time to reward them for their contributions."

Upon hearing this, all the scouts perked up. The target of this reconnaissance mission was a group of local deities. Although there was no need for battle, they would still have to make contact, and the military merits should be considerable!

Meng Yunjie looked everyone over and said with a smile:

"I briefly fought that monkey spirit, and I was indeed not weak. Therefore, my military merit this time is of a high rank, set at the fourth grade."

Li Yi and Zhong Ming exchanged a glance, both clearly surprised.

Although yesterday's mission was dangerous, it was still within the duties of the scouts, and they were not required to engage in battle with the landowners of Da Yan.

Even so, the military merit was still set at the fourth rank, no wonder many in the ranks were eagerly anticipating the expedition.

Fourth-grade military merits can be exchanged for rudimentary Foundation Establishment techniques, which are usually only available to cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage.

Li Yi, Zhong Ming, Ma Lian'er, and He Shouli, the four scouts, were all overjoyed, and the crowd outside the hall had an even more interesting expression.

Meng Yunjie observed for a moment, then silently opened the roster.

"All scouts who went to the Great Yan yesterday will receive one fourth-rank military merit for ordinary people, five points for cultivators in junior ranks; ten points each for Liu Yunzhi and He Shouli; and twenty points each for Li Yi and Zhong Ming, the two captains."

The commander closed the register and said again:

"The military merits were personally drafted by the Marshal last night and have been reported to the Governor. If you wish to redeem your military merits, you may go directly to the Governor."

The military merit roster lists all kinds of Taoist magic, spiritual treasures, elixirs, and rare and precious materials, all of which are carried by the army. If anything is missing or needs to be replenished, it only takes two or three days.

Li Yi secretly calculated that twenty points of fourth-rank military merit would amount to two hundred points of third-rank military merit!

We couldn't gather enough money before setting off, but we never expected to earn so much on the very first day!

The "Jia Mu Shao Yang Jing" has finally been found.