THUD!

The three girls beside the carriage couldn’t help but shut their eyes, offering a silent prayer for Ling Wu. ’Poor man,’ they thought, ’I hope you don’t land too hard.’

The soldiers behind Ling Wu, on the other hand, were mostly praying. ’Boss, go easy on him! If you hurt this young master, we’re the ones who’ll be in for it!’

Uncle Fu’s expression was as tranquil as a still well, but his eyes held a faint hint of a smile.

Just as his refined steel sword was about to touch Ling Xiao’s body, Ling Wu subconsciously pulled back half his strength. After all, this boy wasn’t an enemy; he was the younger brother of the man he respected most! Even if this young man was as bad as they said, Ling Wu still had to protect him all the way to his fiefdom and remain there for a long time. In his heart, Ling Wu still yearned for the North, a place so cold that piss would freeze in midair!

It was precisely because Ling Wu had pulled back half his strength that the look in Ling Xiao’s eyes relaxed. In an instant, his body blurred, leaving behind an afterimage as Ling Wu’s powerful, heavy sword strike met empty air. His other hand, which had been grabbing for Ling Xiao, also missed. Ling Xiao had reappeared behind Ling Wu and slapped him on the back. The blow landed with a loud thud, sending Ling Wu stumbling forward a dozen steps before he finally managed to steady himself. He felt completely uninjured. Horrified, he spun back around to face Ling Xiao, his expression one of utter disbelief, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"You... How did you do that?" Even if Ling Wu wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he knew Ling Xiao had shown him mercy. ’If he’d had a dagger in his hand, I’d be a dead man right now!’

Ling Xiao had originally planned to send Ling Wu flying with a frontal kick. However, he remembered that he’d have to get along with this straightforward guy in the future. Besides, Ling Wu had also shown mercy by not using Sword Qi and then actively reducing his power. Because of this, Ling Xiao decided to let him save face, merely teaching him a small lesson.

"Power."

Ling Xiao tossed out the word, putting on a bit of a cool act. He had discovered there was absolutely no need to be subtle with such straightforward men. ’Just look at the way those grunts are staring at me now,’ Ling Xiao thought, suddenly finding it amusing. He couldn’t help but reflect, ’Power is everything. That’s true no matter where you go!’

Ling Wu stared at Ling Xiao, dumbfounded, his face twitching violently. Finally, he bowed his head and said respectfully, "Ling Wu greets you, Third Young Master." Then he turned and roared at his men, "Are you all stupid? Greet the Third Young Master!"

The entire troop of Ling Family private soldiers thundered in unison, "We greet the Third Young Master!"

Uncle Fu said softly, "We should be on our way."

The five hundred men followed behind the carriage, marching at a brisk pace. For this group of soldiers, a forced march was child’s play. The only problem was the sweltering heat of the region, which left them feeling somewhat ill-adapted. Before long, sweat was pouring down their cheeks, and their standard-issue military uniforms were soaked through, but not a single one of them uttered a sound. They were all gritting their teeth and enduring. Since Ling Xiao hadn’t mentioned disbanding their unit, they had to persevere—if only for the roaring Saber-toothed Tiger emblazoned on their banner!

Before long, the carriage suddenly stopped. The soldiers behind it, though a little confused, all halted and stood motionless. They then saw a devastatingly beautiful young woman step down from the lead carriage. She was holding a fairly large porcelain bottle and walking toward them.

Just moments before, the men’s minds had been on the duel. Although they had seen three exceptionally beautiful young women in the carriage, they hadn’t looked closely. Now that one of them was suddenly walking toward them, seemingly trailing a fragrant scent in the air, they couldn’t help but stare. Some of the shy, younger soldiers didn’t dare to look her in the eye and could only steal one quick glance after another.

Ling Wu gave the young woman a slight bow. "Excuse me... is there anything you need?" Although his forehead was covered in sweat and his cheeks were swarthy, Ling Wu remained calm and composed. To him, who had experienced environments ten times more hostile than this, a little heat was nothing to complain about!

"Just call me Qiuyue," the young woman said with a gentle smile. "I am the Young Master’s Maid. He asked me to bring these and distribute them to the soldiers. One for each man. After eating one, you’ll be able to ward off the summer heat." With that, she handed the large porcelain bottle to Ling Wu, her movement carrying a wisp of fragrance.

A rare blush appeared on Ling Wu’s rugged face. He took the porcelain bottle and said in a deep, resonant voice, "Thank you, Third Young Master!"

Qiuyue smiled. "Go ahead and hand them out now. We’ll wait for them to finish before we set off again."

Ling Wu had a soldier from the Fire Army bring over a small pot and poured the Elixirs from the bottle into it. Light-green, pea-sized pills came rattling out.

Ling Wu was filled with doubt. ’What is this stuff? Candy beans?’ He couldn’t help but find the thought amusing. ’If this can actually ward off the summer heat, then it must be some kind of divine miracle.’ But the devastatingly beautiful Maid was still standing there watching, so Ling Wu had no choice but to command, "One pill per person! Line up and take one! Don’t take more than your share!"

The soldiers ambled over with grins on their faces. Each took one pill, and after eating it, immediately felt as if they had just chugged a large glass of ice water. They couldn’t help but shiver as a wave of icy coolness washed over them from head to toe. The refreshing feeling was simply beyond words. Their somewhat dull eyes instantly lit up! They all turned their heads to look at the large pile of pills still in the pot, their eyes revealing a greedy glint.

Ling Wu instantly sensed something was amiss and roared, "Damn it, no taking extras! I’ll personally deal with anyone who tries to take more!"

Those at the back who hadn’t gotten theirs yet grew anxious, constantly muttering at the people ahead of them, "Faster, faster!"

Ling Wu walked over, casually pinched a pill, and placed it in his mouth. It melted the instant it touched his tongue. He immediately felt as if his entire body had been plunged into an ice chamber. This was completely different from the feeling of being in the North. In this deathly hot weather, the sensation was simply and utterly exhilarating.

"Ah, that hits the spot!" Ling Wu couldn’t help but cry out.

When all the soldiers had finished, every single one of them had a look of blissful intoxication on their face. Ling Wu looked at the dozens of Elixirs still left in the pot, then at the soldiers with their feverish eyes, and roared, "Alright, fall into formation, fall in! One pill is enough! Now, hurry up and thank the Third Young Master!"

"Thank you, Third Young Master!" The unified roar carried far into the distance. From the sound of their voices, it was clear that this time, their gratitude was truly sincere.

Ling Wu, however, shamelessly seized the opportunity to pour the remaining Elixirs into a small cloth pouch. He gave Qiuyue a foolish grin and said, "Um, we’re all done..."

Qiuyue giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. She took back the porcelain bottle and then turned to get back into the carriage.

As the soldiers followed behind the convoy, they looked at the lead carriage again, and this time, their eyes... held a great deal more gratitude!

The rest of the journey was extremely safe. With a large troop of elite soldiers for protection, even the most reckless of bandits would have to weigh their own strength before trying anything. And as for those who had been hiding in the shadows with designs on Ling Xiao, for some unknown reason, not a single one of them made a move.

Along the way, the soldiers’ attitude evolved from their initial resistance toward Ling Xiao to an acceptance of their new reality. They discovered their young master wasn’t as arrogant as they had imagined, and he was by no means an incapable person!

Although his personality was the polar opposite of Lingzhi’s, he possessed a compelling charm all his own.

When the group passed through Cameron Town again, the place had already returned to its former prosperity and liveliness. Not a single trace of the Beastman attack remained. The mayor of Cameron Town, Leiming, and the Grand Commander of the Defense Army, Paine, jointly hosted a banquet for Ling Xiao’s party. Even the five hundred elite soldiers were seated in the main hall of a restaurant and treated to fine wine and good food.

These two men were both trusted confidants of the Southern King. By being so enthusiastic toward Ling Xiao, they were, at least on the surface, demonstrating the Southern King’s attitude: ’I welcome your arrival!’

Leiming and Paine had both reaped sufficient honor and benefits from the last Beastman attack, so they naturally felt a sense of camaraderie with Ling Xiao, who had also benefited. Furthermore, neither of them had any reason to offend him. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After three rounds of drinks, Mayor Leiming seemed to remark casually, "Taxes in Penzes City have suddenly been raised recently. Heh heh, it looks like business over there has recovered!"

After saying this, he refused to elaborate further. Accompanied by some of Cameron’s local nobles, the meal proceeded cordially, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.

When they set out once more, Ye Zi said from inside the carriage, "It seems we’re not very welcome over there."

Chunlan sneered, "So what if they don’t welcome us? It’s not as if we’re afraid of them, are we?"

When the large contingent arrived outside Penzes City, they could see the metropolis from a great distance. Its walls were much higher than Cameron Town’s. Although it couldn’t compare to the Imperial Capital, it was undoubtedly one of the greatest cities in the South!

Just as the group was about to enter the city, they were stopped by a squad of soldiers.

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Ten thousand characters already? Ha... Don’t worry, the next part is even more exciting!