Starting from the border troops, I've worked my way up to become a Martial Emperor.

Chapter 40 Cultivation Supplies

After leaving the house, Lu Yuan went to the armory with a cheerful smile. The officials there had already received instructions and were therefore very welcoming.

"Lord Lu has arrived. Please come in. The captain has given instructions that you may take whichever one you choose today." As he spoke, he invited Lu Yuan inside.

The other party is so young, yet has already made so many contributions and is highly regarded by the Zhou family.

Their future is sure to be bright, and now that we've made contact with them, we certainly can't afford to be careless.

"This is troublesome."

After Lu Yuan entered, he was led to a small, enclosed storage room.

"These are all the best things from our Icefield City."

"The armory official said softly."

Lu Yuan nodded and began to select items. Although he had already chosen a cultivation resource, the ones here were clearly better.

Finally, my gaze settled on a jar.

"Tiger bone ointment!"

"Lord Lu, this jar has a simple name, but its effects are anything but simple. It is made from the bones of the Xuanhu demon beast and various medicinal herbs. It has miraculous effects on those in the Bone Forging Realm."

"This is it," Lu Yuan said calmly.

The official standing nearby said with a smile, "Alright, I'll pack it up for you right away."

Five thousand merit points worth of cultivation materials, and they're only needed for the Bone Forging Realm. Usually, only disciples from aristocratic families would use them.

It's been sitting in this warehouse for who knows how long.

This time, someone finally redeemed it, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, tiger bone ointment is not easy to preserve, and if it expires, it will be difficult to explain to oneself.

Ignoring all that, Lu Yuan picked up the medicine pot and went outside.

As he passed by the outer room, he thought for a moment and spent another five taels of silver to buy a bottle of blood-nourishing pills.

Xiao was suffering from illness and her complexion had recently turned sallow, making her look quite unwell. So, some medicine was purchased to help her recover.

After leading the horse back home.

Lu Yuan first found a place to put the tiger bone ointment.

Then lock the silver in the cabinet.

Then he took the pills and went out.

"Bang bang bang!"

There was a knock on the gate of the neighboring yard.

A clear, crisp voice came from inside: "Hey, who is it?"

Because only the mother and daughter lived in the house, Xiao Hua would always ask a question beforehand whenever she heard someone knocking on the door.

"It's me," Lu Yuan replied.

Then, I could clearly hear the footsteps in the yard quickening.

"Sizzle!"

When the courtyard gate opened, Xiao Hua's delicate face appeared before them.

Her face was flushed with a smile, and her hands were a little damp.

"Brother Yuan is back. I was doing laundry, so I opened the door a little late," Xiao Hua said quickly, stepping aside to let Lu Yuan in.

After stepping into the courtyard, the other person said with a smile, "I came to see my aunt. How is she?"

"I'm much better now, I can get out of bed. Thank you so much, Brother Yuan. If it weren't for you, Mother would have really been in big trouble this time," Xiao Hua said, still a little shaken.

"Don't mention it." With that, he pushed open the door and went inside.

As expected, Madam Xiao was able to get out of bed and was walking out of the kitchen, placing a teacup on the table.

"Ah Yuan, have some tea. Before, when I came, I was always in bed. This time, I can finally serve you." Madam Xiao's complexion was noticeably better.

"Auntie, please sit down. You can do it yourself. I didn't get much from the spoils of war that you can use. When I came back today, I exchanged it for a bottle of Blood Nourishing Pills. They're better than the medicinal herbs outside. You can take them to help you recover."

As he spoke, he placed a bottle of pills on the table.

Looking at the pills, Madam Xiao said, "I owe you so much for buying this medicine. Otherwise, my daughter and I wouldn't have been able to come up with so much money. And you even bought me medicine to nourish my body..."

"Auntie, we're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony. Just take this and eat; it won't cost much."

Lu Yuan chuckled and then sat down to take a sip of tea.

Only then did they realize that Xiao Hua had disappeared.

Seeing his movements, Madam Xiao said, "That girl went to buy groceries. You've just gotten back, so eat here."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

A moment later, Xiao Hua came in with some meat and vegetables.

She threw the clothes aside without washing them and started cooking.

Lu Yuan chatted with Xiao Shi.

The latter seemed to know a little about everything, and sometimes he would ask Lu Yuan about the situation on the battlefield.

Upon hearing that a full complement of iron kites had arrived outside the city, his expression darkened.

Looking at Lu Yuan, he said, "The Northern Barbarian Iron Falcons have a rule: they will fight to the death with their enemies. If you kill any of their people, they will relentlessly pursue you, sparing no expense, until they kill you."

Unless absolutely necessary, please avoid leaving the city in the near future.

"Auntie, you seem quite familiar with the Northern Barbarians?" Lu Yuan asked with some curiosity.

"Having spent so much time in the Northern Frontier, I've become familiar with it even if I wasn't, but don't take my words lightly," Madam Xiao said solemnly.

His tone also became unusually stern.

Lu Yuan nodded: "I understand, Auntie. I'll try my best not to go out. If there's really no other way, I'll be careful."

"That's fine then." Madam Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Dinner's ready!" Just then, Xiao Hua's voice rang out, and then she came out of the kitchen, with steaming hot food placed on the table.

He also warmed a pot of wine for Lu Yuan.

I must say, this young girl is really efficient at her work.

"Ah Yuan, eat more." After putting a piece of meat on Lu Yuan's plate, Madam Xiao pulled Xiao Hua to eat as well.

They then stopped talking about the battlefield and started discussing interesting anecdotes from the fortified city.

After lunch, it was already afternoon.

Lu Yuan took his leave and headed home.

After entering the house, he first lit the stove, took a bath, and then prepared to begin his cultivation.

For the next few days, he practiced meditation at home almost every day and did not go out.

However, he would go to Xiao Hua's house and chat with the old lady when he had nothing to do. He mainly noticed that Xiao was very familiar with the Northern Frontier and had intentionally talked about things related to the Northern Barbarians on several occasions.

This is very important to him; some knowledge can even save his life.

During the days that Lu Yuan was resting, the area outside the three major fortresses had already been swept away by the Iron Falcons.

Yunmo reorganized a team, and only two days after leaving the city, he encountered the Iron Falcons. At the cost of almost wiping out his entire army, he only managed to kill less than ten of the enemy.

Moreover, he wasn't as lucky this time; his left arm was cut off, which was a major blow to his future military career.

Zhang Zhe of Huangsha City did not leave the city, but any other scouts who went out from outside the city were killed if they were touched by Iron Falcon.

Two villages were also massacred.

Both the Zhou family and the Helian family were extremely anxious.

Because they knew that if things continued this way, they would likely be punished by the Grand Commander.

On this day, having consumed all the pills, Lu Yuan finally found himself experiencing a sense of fulfillment.

Therefore, he immediately opened the system space to check the progress of his cultivation.

If possible, I'll break through to the Tendon Refining Realm today.

Then we can leave the city again.