Chapter 14: Status

"I'll handle this, Brother Mo, you go busy yourself with other things." Ma Cai took the initiative to take the manure cart from Chen Mo's hands.

"Alright, go and return quickly." Chen Mo did not decline further.

Ma Cai pushed the small cart and hurried out of the military camp.

Chen Mo went to steam corn buns in the shack as usual; this was already a very practiced task for him.

By the time he had finished all the odd jobs that needed doing that afternoon, Ma Cai and Ding Bao had returned.

"Lord Chen, Commandant Wang has set up a banquet and invites you and Ma Cai to attend together," a soldier walked to the outside of the barracks where Chen Mo lived and called out softly.

Chen Mo currently held no official post or rank, but in terms of status and standing, he was certainly higher than the soldier.

After all, a Personal Soldier of General Sun could converse on equal terms with a Commandant.

The soldier dared not address Chen Mo by his name, nor did he know how to address him, so after much thought, he could only use the title "Lord."

Using this title might not be strictly correct, but it was definitely not wrong.

"Very well, we shall go at once," Chen Mo walked out of the barracks and replied.

He was not familiar with the Commandant, but since the other party had sent someone to invite him, he could not refuse.

Ma Cai followed honestly behind Chen Mo; he knew the Commandant was primarily inviting Chen Mo, and he was only going along as a foil.

Walking all the way into the barracks where the Commandant resided, the eight-immortal table was already set with four cold dishes—two meat and two vegetable—four hot stir-fries, and two substantial dishes: braised pork knuckle and braised mutton.

Not counting the wine, just setting up a table of such a spread would cost at least seven or eight qian of silver.

"Chen Mo is here! Come, take your seat quickly!" Commandant Wang's tone was enthusiastic and intimate; if one didn't know better, one might think he and Chen Mo were very close.

The reason he invited Chen Mo today was truly without much ulterior motive; he simply wanted to get to know and befriend Chen Mo.

Chen Mo's natural strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, and he had become a Personal Soldier of General Sun; if he achieved something in the future, then befriending him today would be a massive profit.

He didn't need a deep relationship, just knowing him was enough; that way, if he ever needed to ask a favor of Chen Mo, he could go and present a gift.

Even if Chen Mo achieved nothing or simply faded into obscurity, it didn't matter, because befriending him now didn't require much cost.

"Commandant," Chen Mo cupped his hands in salute before taking his seat.

Aside from him and Ma Cai, Commandant Wang also brought a Personal Soldier to accompany them; the group was not very familiar with each other, so they only chatted about trivial matters at first, but as a few cups of wine went down, the atmosphere became lively and harmonious.

…………

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Chen Mo walked out of the Commandant's barracks with a flushed face and the smell of alcohol on him, Ma Cai following behind, his figure swaying slightly from side to side.

"Blegh!" Ma Cai had only walked a few steps from the barracks when he grabbed a large tree and couldn't stop vomiting.

Although Chen Mo carried the scent of alcohol, his eyes remained clear; he hadn't dared to drink too much, and while he felt tipsy, it was at most five parts drunk.

He had eaten quite a bit of meat this time, and the food was converted by him into wisps of Qi and Blood; after supplying a portion to his own body, the rest flowed into the Transformation Pearl to be stored.

Now that his physique had undergone one rebirth, the Qi and Blood required for a second one would be several times that of the first.

Furthermore, his body was strong, and the amount of Qi and Blood he consumed daily was also greater.

Relying solely on eating ordinary corn buns and coarse grains to accumulate enough Qi and Blood would take a very long time.

Only by eating more nutritious food, such as meat—lots of meat—could he accelerate this process.

Having eaten a meal of meat today, he could clearly perceive that the speed of accumulating Qi and Blood had increased.

If he could eat meat every day in the future, even if not a lot, the speed would be much faster than eating grain every day.

"Let's go, if we don't leave now, the curfew will start soon," Chen Mo walked to Ma Cai's side and lifted him up with one hand.

He didn't want to spend the night outside for anything; hurrying back to his room before the curfew and staying safely inside was the right path.

Ma Cai looked up in a daze; Chen Mo carried him back to the barracks with quick steps, tossed him onto the bed, and sat back on his own bed.

He took two five-tael silver ingots from his Huai; one was given to him earlier by Mo Hu, which was the settlement fee instructed by General Sun.

If he had family, Chen Mo could use this five taels of silver to settle them first.

In the current times, five taels of silver could buy an acre of land. Of course, this five taels could only buy medium-grade fields; high-grade fields and paddy fields were definitely unaffordable.

But even so, this was not a small sum.

As for the other five taels of silver, it was what Commandant Wang had stuffed into his hand earlier, with no requests made; he only said that since Chen Mo was leaving his military camp, he was giving him some silver so he could make arrangements and settle in under General Sun's command.

Chen Mo understood Commandant Wang's meaning, so he did not refuse this money.

If he really managed to make a name for himself in the future and Commandant Wang came to ask for help, considering the silver, as long as it wasn't too difficult a problem, he would help him out.

Touching the silver in his hand, Chen Mo couldn't help but feel moved; a few months ago, he was still a disaster victim, worrying every day that he would starve to death.

Who could have predicted that in just a few short months, he would become a Personal Soldier of General Sun and have a full ten taels of silver in his Huai.

Chen Mo didn't plan to save this money; ten taels of silver wasn't enough to redeem Zhao Yu, he was still short a full ten taels.

Wanting to scrape together another ten taels of silver was not an easy task.

Rather than letting it sit in his hands and worrying about losing it, it was better to spend it and convert it into his own strength as much as possible.

As long as he underwent another rebirth, his physical strength would inevitably increase again; at that time, making a name for himself in the Personal Soldier camp or securing an official post would make redeeming Zhao Yu much easier.

It might even be possible to redeem Zhao Yu directly without spending a single tael of silver.

Besides, he couldn't afford not to spend money; if he didn't buy things, he wouldn't even make it through this winter.

If he didn't buy shoes, he would be walking barefoot soon.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—which one didn't cost money? As long as a person is still breathing, they have to spend money!

As for the money needed when one stops breathing, that depends on one's descendants.

Putting the two silver ingots into his Huai, Chen Mo lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, as the sky grew slightly bright, the sound of the Gong and Drum rang out in the military camp again, urging the soldiers to get up.

Chen Mo carried the silver with him, washed up simply, and saw two unfamiliar soldiers standing honestly outside the Stable.

"What are you two doing?" Chen Mo asked in confusion.

"Replying to you, Lord, the Commandant said that you and Ma Cai are leaving soon, and ordered us two to come and take over your horse-tending duties," one soldier replied hurriedly upon hearing his question.

Feeding horses is a technical job, but it is also a laborious one; since Chen Mo and the others are leaving, someone must immediately fill in to help with the hard labor.

"Brother Mo, leave these two to me," Ding Bao said, leaning in.

Chen Mo nodded slightly and did not concern himself with the matter further.

"Brother Mo, since we don't have to busy ourselves anymore, how about we go to Baiqiao Town for a stroll today?" Ma Cai suggested with a smile.

With someone coming to take over their two positions, the two of them were naturally free.

"Alright," Chen Mo nodded; even if Ma Cai hadn't mentioned it, he had intended to find time today to go to town to buy some things.

Seeing him agree to the matter, Ma Cai could hardly suppress his excitement; having been at the military camp for so long, the most he usually did was visit the market, and even then, only when it was about to close.

But today he could finally make a trip to town, which made him exceptionally happy.

The two informed Horse Official and then left the military camp together.

(End of this chapter)