135: Chapter 135 Retrieving Medicine from the Ice Cave, Lu Hu Breaks Through the Level (3)

Lu Hu stood up. He looked down at his hands—his palms opening and clenching, clenching and opening. As he formed a fist, his knuckles popped in a series of extremely crisp cracks—the sound of residual turbid Qi in his joints being crushed, which was different from the usual cracking of knuckles.

"Heavy. My entire body feels heavy—it's not that my body is sluggish, but that spiritual energy is boring into my bones."

"That is normal—after Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy washes through your bones once more. For the next three days, drink a bowl of marrow-replenishing soup prepared by Gu He every day—let him figure out how. Just tell him the Young Lord ordered him to make it." Lu Changyuan flipped the empty jade box on the table over and closed it. "I won't play the emotional card with you—you have followed me for so long, and my expectations of you have not changed: you are my blade. If the blade dulls, I will provide Spirit Stones. If the blade breaks, I will mend your bones. Now that you have achieved Foundation Establishment today—this blade meets the minimum standard of a Rank 2 general."

Lu Hu knelt on one knee—the sound of his knee hitting the floor was heavier than before. When a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's knee hit the ground, a hairline crack split the floor tile.

"Young Lord—this life is yours."

"Your life is your own. But you are strong—I will fulfill the promises I made to you one by one. Cui'er's Spiritual Root Awakening requires a Rank 3 spirit-awakening grass—I have already had Chen Mo add it to the purchase list of the Star Pavilion." Lu Changyuan walked to the window and pushed it open. Outside on the Pier, Leng Feng's commanding shouts could still be heard—the personal guard's first joint formation training was still underway. The swords of the Sword Ray Cavalry were not unsheathed; they were using wooden swords for the formation.

Su Qingli's voice came from outside the door—her footsteps were very hurried. They rushed to the door, paused for a breath, and then the door was pushed open.

"Young Lord—the assembly flying vessel from the Zhenhai Fortress has already arrived at the Outer Port."

Lu Changyuan turned around. On the table, the third cold marrow ganoderma—the one only eighty or ninety years old—still had a slow, flickering blue light on its leaves. He closed the jade box, placing it back in its original spot along with the roots and stone.

"Tell Leng Feng to dismiss the troops. Call Lu Hu—prepare the armor. Send this ganoderma to Chen Mo's side—have him try to see if he can use the juice from the tips of the cold marrow ganoderma leaves to improve the cooling slot of the fifth cauldron." He fastened the sword on the table to his waist. "Su Qingli—discuss and handle all matters on the island with Leng Feng. Continue laying down the third phase of the Killing Array—lay it all the way to the end. Keep stockpiling goods—do it until Chen Mo says he can't do any more."

A deep horn sounded from the Pier outside—it was the departure signal of the Zhenhai Fortress's conscription flying vessel. Blue Moon Island's horns were not this deep—the sound of the horn was pitched very low, and standing on the floor of the side hall, one could feel a slight vibration underfoot.

The fortress assembly order. The army was setting out. It was time for Blue Moon Island to depart.

The assembly flying vessel of the Zhenhai Fortress flew over the sea for two days. The flying vessel was not large—it was a military-standard light troop carrier, with about sixty people squeezed into the cabin. Lu Changyuan brought Lu Hu and five men from Leng Feng's personal guard—Deng Yue's left shoulder had not had its stitches removed yet, so he remained on the island, while Wei Chuan, Jiang Shi, Pan Haisheng, Fang Yan, and Duan Xiaoshi accompanied them. The remaining cavalry and Dao soldiers were temporarily placed under Leng Feng's command—the first order of the Blue Moon Grand Commander was to defend the island.

Before noon on the third day, the flying vessel entered the outer guard waters of the Zhenhai Fortress. Looking out from the porthole, hundreds of warships of various sizes were densely packed across the sea—three-decked spiritual cannon warships, two-decked ramming speedboats, flat-bottomed troop carriers, and massive logistics supply ships. The distance between ships was less than twenty zhang, and the military flags atop the masts formed a continuous wave of dark red in the sea breeze. Every military flag was printed with the emblem of the Zhenhai Fortress—crossed sea swords, tips pointing downward.

Surrounding the fleet was a vast expanse of military tents. These were the spirit-patterned tents uniformly distributed by the military—the canvas was woven with an extremely thin layer of waterproof Array Patterns, gleaming with a cold, grayish-white light in the sea fog. The tents were arranged by camp numbers, with open spaces about thirty zhang wide separating each camp—the open spaces were paved with gravel, which looked dark after being rained on.

The flying vessel dropped anchor beside a temporarily constructed Outer Port jetty. The jetty was assembled from rough logs and pontoons—the wood was unplaned, and one could feel the scars on the bark underfoot. A pale yellow oil slick floated on the seawater on both sides of the jetty—it was Spirit Beast grease leaked from a nearby supply ship, spreading several zhang wide across the sea surface. Several smells mingled in the air: the fishiness of Spirit Beast grease, the mustiness of damp hemp ropes, and the cooking smoke drifting from the tent area further away—the smoke was black, from burning firewood, not from Spirit Stone stoves.

Lu Changyuan walked down the gangplank. Just as his feet stepped onto the jetty, an officer wearing the standard short shirt of the Logistics Department came forward to meet him. Pinned to the collar of the officer's short shirt was a dark red badge—the badge of the Unified Coordination Department, which was different from the blue-green of the Logistics Department. The Unified Coordination Department—under the jurisdiction of Vice Commander Han Yi.

"Lu Changyuan of Blue Moon Island?" The officer looked down at the register in his hand—the register was a bamboo scroll, its edges painted with the red lacquer seal of the Unified Coordination Department. He flipped the register to a certain page, his finger sliding down from the top—stopping halfway. "Blue Moon Island is assigned to the Reclamation Vanguard Left Battalion. Take your men, walk west from the jetty—report to the third row of gray tents on the west."

Lu Hu took a step forward. Lu Changyuan reached out to stop him.

"Vanguard Battalion?" Lu Changyuan looked into the officer's eyes. "Blue Moon Island's conscription order has already been commuted with funds—thirty-two thousand Spirit Stones, and the receipt has been stamped by the fortress's Logistics Department."

"Commuted with funds?" The officer closed the register, his lips twitching upward—the curve carrying a pre-prepared, perfunctory air. "Wartime Regulations, Article 17, Supplementary Clause—commuting with funds only exempts the labor quotas of Mortals. The quotas for Cultivators—especially those at the Late Stage of Qi Refining and above—are not within the scope of exemption. How many Qi Refining Late Stage Dao soldiers do you have on your island?"

"Thirty."

"Then that is thirty Vanguard Battalion quotas—plus yourself. You report today—tomorrow you will be incorporated into the first squad of the Vanguard Left Battalion." The officer tucked the register under his arm and fished a token out of his sleeve. The token was wooden—painted red, with the word "Vanguard" carved on the front. He shoved the token into Lu Changyuan's hand.

A horse's hoof stepped onto the jetty. The iron shoe on the hoof pressed the rough wooden planks of the jetty down—the pontoons beneath the planks sank half a foot into the water under the weight. The horse was a Rank 2 Spirit Horse—a bona fide army warhorse, completely different from sea mounts like the Sword Ray. A person sat upon the horse's back.