Chapter 362

Great Xia Year 7, October 5, Fourth hour after nightfall

Xia City, Inner City Residence No. 10

Dong dong dong...

The main door was knocked on by someone from the outside. The hostess, Shi Lu, who was directing the maids to set up a banquet with her big belly, heard the sound and a smile instantly appeared on her face.

"It must be Father who has arrived. I'll go open the door."

"Lady, you are inconvenienced. I'll go!"

Shi Lu intended to go open the door but was snatched by the maid beside her. She touched her seven-month-old pregnant belly, smiled, and nodded.

"It must be Grandfather who has arrived. I'll go open the door, I'll go open the door."

But before the maid could walk out of the main hall door, she was snatched by a tiger-headed and brainy little child on the exercise field outside, who rushed to open the door.

That child looked to be only five or six years old, but his height was about the same as an eight or nine-year-old child. He was clearly just practicing boxing on the exercise field. At this moment, he was bare-chested. Although he was still too young to see any muscles, his burly physique could already be seen as a beginning.

"Stinky brat, run slower!"

Seeing this, Shi Lu reminded him, fearing that her son would fall. However, seeing that his body was as strong as a little calf, she estimated that it would be fine if he fell, so she couldn't help but lower her head and smile.

Yuan Shao is the eldest son of her and Yuan Cheng, born on October 5th of the second year of Great Xia. Today is exactly his fifth birthday.

Great Xia is now prosperous, and celebrating birthdays for children in the family has become a trend. Preparing more food and wine on birthdays and inviting family members to gather together can not only let the child feel the care of the elders but also let the adults who are busy on weekdays take a rest and feel the warmth of family reunion, which can be considered killing two birds with one stone.

"It's a pity that A-Ping is in Longyou. If he could also come back, it would be great!"

Thinking of her younger brother Shi Ping, Shi Lu sighed slightly and secretly thought: "Shouldn't have taken that bitter job of Guardian Envoy in the first place, making it so that he can't even return home a few times a year now. Sigh..."

Shi Ping is a member of the Cloud Dragon team, who worked beside Xia Chuan earliest, helped manage the Camp Needs Department for a period of time, and later became the Deputy Si Zheng of the Jurisdiction Department, becoming Yuan Cheng's deputy.

Theoretically, walking this path is quite good. Even if he doesn't get promoted to Si Zheng, as long as he helps Yuan Cheng manage the Jurisdiction Department well and continues to be this Deputy Si Zheng, it's quite good. After all, it's a third-rank official, and many people in Xia City are begging for it.

Unexpectedly, five years ago, after the Longshan New Policy, Shi Ping resigned from the position of Deputy Si Zheng of the Jurisdiction Department to Xia Chuan and actively requested to guard one side in Longyou.

Deputy Si Zheng is third-rank and can be stationed in Xia City for a long time; while Guardian Envoy is sixth-rank and has to stay outside for a long time, far away from Xia City. In Shi Lu's view, her younger brother's request was simply inconceivable.

At first, she thought it was her husband who gave her younger brother some anger, making Shi Ping unable to stay in the Jurisdiction Department. She originally intended to have a quarrel with Yuan Cheng, but later found that it was completely not like that; everything was requested by Shi Ping himself.

She tried every possible way to dissuade Shi Ping and also tried to pull her husband and father to persuade him together. Who would have thought that after Yuan Cheng and Shi Qing learned about it, they not only didn't dissuade him but also agreed, and even praised Shi Ping's behavior.

Shi Lu is not someone who hasn't seen the world. Although she couldn't understand her husband's and father's behavior, she also realized that there must be some inside story she didn't know, so she didn't continue to persuade him.

Shi Ping was finally appointed as the Wu Shuang Guardian Envoy. Two years later, he was transferred to be the Zhaoyang Guardian Envoy. By now, he had been in Longyou for a full five years.

Shi Lu is no longer the little girl from the Great Stone camp back then. Her eldest son Yuan Shao is already five years old, and the one in her belly is about to be born. As she gets older, especially after becoming a mother, she attaches more and more importance to family affection. Her only younger brother has been gathering less and parting more for five consecutive years, and she naturally misses him more.

"Mother, Uncle is back!"

However, today seems to be a day when wishes come true.

Hearing Yuan Shao's shout outside the door, Shi Lu stood up in shock, looked up toward the outside, and her face was instantly filled with surprise.

A crowd of people walked in from outside the door. Her father, Shi Qing, who was leading, was holding her eldest son Yuan Shao. Beside him stood a young man wearing a crimson casual robe—if it wasn't her younger brother Shi Ping, who else could it be!

Behind Shi Ping was his wife Lu Xiu'e. She was holding a boy of four or five years old in her left hand and holding a baby who hadn't reached one year old in her arms. They were Shi Ping's two younger sons, her two little nephews.

"Sister, long time no see!"

Hearing her younger brother's long-lost voice, she didn't know if it was because of the pregnancy reaction, but Shi Lu's eyes turned red all of a sudden. She rubbed her eyes lightly before smiling: "Stinky brat, why didn't you send a letter in advance? You just came back suddenly."

Seeing his sister's eyes turn red, Shi Ping's expression was also slightly moved, but he was a man after all, so he quickly adjusted his emotions and said with a smile: "The Jurisdiction Department issued the transfer order during the day, and the time was rushed, so I didn't have time to send a letter."

The Jurisdiction Department issued the transfer order during the day?

Shi Lu was stunned upon hearing this and hadn't opened her mouth yet when she was interrupted by the laughter of Yuan Cheng, who had just walked down from upstairs.

"So fast! I haven't had time to tell your sister yet!"

Shi Lu turned to see the smile on her husband's face and knew that he had deliberately hidden it from her. She first rolled her eyes at him, then greeted her father and younger brother's family to sit down quickly.

A lively birthday banquet began like this.

Today's protagonist was originally Yuan Shao, but Shi Ping's arrival clearly stole his limelight. However, he was young and didn't care. He casually shoveled a few mouthfuls of food and soon went to play on the exercise field with his cousin Shi Da.

Seeing that her son and nephew had walked away, Shi Lu couldn't suppress the confusion in her stomach. While giving her younger brother food, she asked: "You were doing fine in Zhaoyang, how did the Jurisdiction Department suddenly transfer you back?"

Hearing this, Shi Qing also looked over curiously. Clearly, even he didn't know why his son had suddenly returned.

Shi Ping first looked at Yuan Cheng, and after seeing him nod, he opened his mouth to answer: "Xiao Kangcheng has already succeeded me as the new Guardian Envoy of Zhaoyang. I am transferred to Wuyuan starting today, serving as the Wuyuan Guardian Envoy."

"Wuyuan Guardian Envoy, this is a promotion! Then Sister must congratulate you!"

Shi Lu reacted immediately, her face full of smiles.

Wuyuan is a large outpost with Eight Departments set up, and the Guardian is a fourth-rank official. Shi Ping has been promoted two levels at once, which is indeed a great joy.

Hearing that his son had been promoted, Shi Qing's face was also full of joy. However, he clearly knew a little more, pondered for a moment, and looked at Yuan Cheng: "A-Cheng, how is Guardian Xu's situation?"

Shi Qing's injuries from his early years were cured by Xia Chuan three years ago. Now his base strength has exceeded thirty thousand jin, and he is in the stage of remodeling his skin membrane. Some time ago, he was appointed as the Ancestral Temple Manager. Last time when Xu Ning had an accident, it was he who first detected it through the Ancestral Spirit Token and reported it to Xia Chuan.

Yuan Cheng shook his head, revealing a trace of worry: "I've been to see him these past few days, but he's still confused, can't speak, and doesn't recognize people."

He, Xu Ning, Watching Yue Feng, Lin Kai, and a group of others were all the earliest to follow Xia Hong from the dirt slope period, so the feelings between them naturally didn't need to be said. Plus, he lived at No. 10 and Xu Ning lived at No. 15, so their homes were close. On weekdays, whoever had any movement in their family, everyone knew clearly.

Shi Lu also reacted at this time and sighed slightly: "No wonder Guardian Xu's wife has rarely come out recently, and Xiao An and Xiao Ping haven't come to find A-Shao to play for a long time."

Thinking of Xu Ning's current state, Yuan Cheng sighed slightly and said in a low voice: "I don't know what means that Great Awakening Temple's strange monster used to turn Xu Ning into this. Fortunately, he picked up his life. The Lord said that no matter what method is used in the future, he will be cured, and he will definitely be fine."

Hearing this last sentence, everyone in the hall nodded slightly, clearly having confidence in the Lord Xia Hong.

"Wuyuan is a critical position now. Going east past Songyang Ridge and Bai Yang, two small outposts, is Qinghe Ferry where the Great Awakening Temple is located. Serving as Guardian there, not only must one be responsible for the affairs inside Wuyuan, but also take over Xu Ning's previous deployment for Qinghe Ferry, and there is also the Nine..."

Speaking of this, Yuan Cheng stopped immediately, realizing that he shouldn't say too much here, and changed his words: "After Xu Ning had an accident, that side has had no one in charge. The Deputy specially asked me to transfer you back from Zhaoyang, which shows his trust in you. You must pay more attention."

"Understood, Brother-in-law!"

Hearing this exhortation from Yuan Cheng, Shi Ping's expression became solemn, nodding heavily, his eyes containing both heaviness and intense excitement.

As soon as he returned, he went to the Political Affairs Hall for the first time. The Deputy Xia Chuan basically introduced the situation to him. He now had a clear idea of what matters he needed to focus on after going to Wuyuan.

"Wuyuan is the only large outpost on the north bank of Xing River at present, basically Great Xia's first outpost going east. Qinghe Ferry is past that, and then it's the Jiuzhen. The Deputy said very clearly that the Great Awakening Temple is currently at war with the Jiuzhen, and Great Xia's great cause of going east is highly likely to begin immediately. Serving as Guardian in Wuyuan here, there is absolutely a lot of opportunity to make contributions. I must grasp it well. My ninth-rank title is also time to move up!"

Shi Ping pondered secretly, unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes. He picked up his wine cup and drank it in one gulp, finally calming down after a long time.

In the Longyou great battle of the second year of Great Xia, he only participated in the Beehive defense battle, but because he broke through to the Cold-Resisting level during the war, the military merit he accumulated was not much, and he didn't catch up with the first batch of titles.

After the Longshan New Policy, the reason he resigned from the position of Deputy Si Zheng of the Jurisdiction Department was, first, he didn't have a title and felt he didn't deserve the position; second, he recognized that his qualifications were still shallow, and continuing to be this Deputy Si Zheng wouldn't convince the public; third, it was because during the Longshan discussion that year, Xia Chuan's proposal to let him be the Longshan Guardian was personally denied by the Lord and changed to Watching Yue Feng.

The first two things could be considered subjective reasons, but the third thing truly made Shi Ping realize that in the eyes of the Lord Xia Hong, he clearly still lacked the experience of training outside, which truly prompted him to make up his mind to resign from the position of Deputy Guardian and request to guard one side outside.

Now it seems that his choice was clearly not wrong.

During the two years as Wu Shuang Guardian, he not only maintained the Wu Shuang surplus value ranking at the forefront for a long time but also actively planned all traffic thoroughfares within Longyou territory by utilizing Wu Shuang's core location advantage; he also put forward suggestions to the Craftsman Department that straight roads should be divided into two specifications of five meters and eight meters according to the importance of the outpost, which were successfully adopted and are now applied to the entire Great Xia.

Two years as Wu Shuang Guardian Envoy allowed him to successfully obtain the recognition of the Jurisdiction Department and successfully transferred to be the Zhaoyang Guardian Envoy.

Zhaoyang is also a small outpost, but it is at the foot of North Mang Mountain, and its resource endowment is clearly much better than other small outposts, so its status is naturally more important.

During the three years as Zhaoyang Guardian Envoy, his performance was even better. The surplus value was long-term in the top five among all external outposts of Great Xia, and even for several months, the ranking exceeded Hanqiong, a large outpost, and squeezed into the top three.

With good performance, he would naturally be seen by the Eight Departments and the Deputy. Being transferred by Xia Chuan to Wuyuan, such an important place to be in charge, is the proof.

The key is that the Lord didn't deny him this time.

Does this also mean that he has obtained the Lord's recognition?

Shi Ping clenched his fists slightly, and a trace of excitement flashed in his pupils.

"By the way, there is one more thing I forgot to tell you..."

Yuan Cheng suddenly thought of something and continued to Shi Ping: "The Lord's family seems to have gone to Wuyuan three days ago. The Lady and the two Highnesses are temporarily unclear, but the Lord is estimated to be stationed in Wuyuan for a period of time. Don't make any jokes, or you'll lose face for me and the Deputy."

The Great Awakening Temple and the Jiuzhen are about to be at war. Wuyuan is the closest, so it's not hard to deduce that Xia Hong wants to be stationed there to prevent any accidents.

Shi Ping was stunned upon hearing this, then his expression became even more solemn, and he nodded: "Understood, Brother-in-law. I will work hard."

He was able to take up the post of Wuyuan this time, which was definitely decided by Xia Chuan. The transfer order given to him by the Jurisdiction Department, Yuan Cheng, this Si Zheng, naturally also contributed. If something really goes wrong after he takes office, these two people will definitely have to bear the responsibility.

"Must work hard, can't lose face for the Deputy and Brother-in-law!"

Mo Ao Calendar Year 131, October 9

"Heh... heh... ah..."

Hexia Village, inside a wooden house near the main building.

Xiang Liang sat in a wooden basin, letting out an incomparably painful and suppressed roar. As Bai Shanqiu kept pouring beast blood on him, his roar became increasingly painful, and his entire skin membrane was continuously tearing and remodeling.

Bai Shanqiu looked at the bulging veins on Xiang Liang's body, and there wasn't a single muscle on his body that wasn't trembling and shaking. Although he didn't speak, there was full shock in his eyes, and he even wanted to stop several times.

"Enough, right? Why are you risking your life like this, kid? It's already five jin."

Hearing Bai Shanqiu's words, Xiang Liang forced himself to open his eyes, trembling and opening his mouth: "Con... tinue... continue... I must... break through... tonight... ah..."

Bai Shanqiu hesitated for a moment, then scooped another spoonful of beast blood and poured it directly on him.

Chi...

Xiang Liang's entire skin membrane was cracking and smoking. The remodeling progress couldn't keep up with the speed of destruction, clearly already exceeding the limit.

But he was still gritting his teeth and persisting. Worried that he wouldn't be able to hold on, he put the iron block he had prepared long ago directly into his mouth and bit it.

"Last spoonful. If you persist, it should be possible!"

Bai Shanqiu was already terrified at this moment, but looking at Xiang Liang's firm gaze, he still poured the last spoonful of beast blood directly on him.

"Heh heh..."

The ten-forged iron block in Xiang Liang's mouth had already been bitten through by half. He could only let out a roar with his throat, clearly reaching some critical point. He swung his fists and smashed them fiercely into the bottom of the wooden basin.

Bang!

The wooden basin shattered directly. The strong shockwave made Bai Shanqiu retreat one or two meters. And after all the strength was vented, Xiang Liang's entire person instantly lost strength and collapsed onto the ground.

Bai Shanqiu stepped forward to support him. Looking at the blood qi continuously seeping out from his body's pores and the skin membrane recovery speed being several times faster than before, the worry on his face instantly turned into joy.

"Good kid, you really made it. This is the first time the old man has seen the birth of a superior battle body. You kid, you will definitely have a bright future!"

Xiang Liang had already fainted, so naturally, he couldn't hear these words.

Bai Shanqiu looked at Xiang Liang, who had his eyes tightly closed, his face full of shock.