Training Militia

Gu Sheng led Chu Xin toward Teng Yunlong’s residence. From far away, they could already see rows of fine horses and burly men clad in armor and green capes.

"Miss!"

When the knights saw Li Jun, they withdrew their haughty, contemptuous gazes and also put away their hostility toward the people of Teng Village. This was all a ‘side effect’ of the incident involving Qin San.

"Mm~"

Chu Xin nodded without saying much. With her arm linked through Gu Sheng’s, she entered the courtyard. With the miss present, no fool would come forward to cause trouble. Thus, although the atmosphere was somewhat cold, the journey inside was peaceful enough, and nothing excessive occurred.

Gu Sheng and Chu Xin entered the main hall arm in arm. After greeting Teng Yunlong and Li Yuan, he turned toward Lord Li, who wore a sour expression, and said, "Uncle!"

"Hmph~"

Lord Li had no pleasant expression for Gu Sheng. He had an extremely poor impression of this ‘love rival’ who had stolen away his beloved daughter, his little sweetheart.

"Dad~"

Chu Xin could not stand this situation and called out in a coquettish voice.

"Qingyu…"

Lord Li hurriedly changed his expression, transforming into a doting father.

"My lord, congratulations are in order. The miss has already broken through to become a First-Rate Expert."

"What~"

Lord Li’s face was filled with disbelief. He turned around and asked again to confirm, "Li Yan, is what you said true?" Li Yan was originally a book boy in Lord Li’s household. He had grown up together with Lord Li’s grandfather and had served the Li family for nearly a century. He was the family’s trusted confidant, usually stationed in one region on behalf of the Li family as its ‘anchor’.

"Although this old man is advanced in years, I can still be certain of this much!"

Li Yan stroked his beard and clicked his tongue in amazement. He knew Li Qingyu’s (Chu Xin’s) cultivation very well. He had never imagined that a journey lasting less than two months could bring about such an enormous change.

"Your eyes are quite sharp, old man!"

Gu Sheng spoke with a smile, inwardly sighing at how many experts there were in the world. Although Chu Xin had not concealed her aura as completely as he had, she had restrained the sharp, revealing presence of a First-Rate Expert. Ordinary experts absolutely would not be able to see through her.

"My lord, be careful~"

Gu Sheng had just spoken when the one-eyed man suddenly twitched his nose. His entire body instantly darted in front of Lord Li, and he stared at Gu Sheng with extreme vigilance.

This man was named Cold Wolf. He had once been a lone wanderer who had roamed the martial world for many years. On one occasion, he had been ambushed and severely wounded, losing one of his eyes. He happened to be rescued by Lord Li, who was traveling on business.

After learning of his circumstances, Lord Li not only invited a renowned physician to treat him but also used his connections to help him take revenge.

After his grudges had been settled, he said that from then on, he would sell his life to the Li family. Together with Li Yan, he became Lord Li’s right- and left-hand men, stationed in charge of the Li family’s business in two important regions outside Yicheng.

"I never thought this old man would have misjudged you as well. To think you were actually such an expert!"

Li Yan also looked at Gu Sheng with a solemn expression. He sensed a certain quality in this young man, one he had experienced before. The last time he had felt it was from a Grand Elder of Green Lake Island. It was the feeling of being utterly unable to contend with him.

"Don’t be nervous!"

Gu Sheng smiled warmly and automatically retreated several steps to dispel their hostility. However, his next words made them feel furious beyond measure. "If I really wanted to attack you, I wouldn’t need to sneak up on you or resort to underhanded tricks. I could finish you in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Why would I go to all that trouble?"

"You…"

Before Li Yan and Cold Wolf could say anything, Qin Da could no longer endure the taunting from the enemy who had killed his junior brother.

"You want to fight?"

Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, and his entire bearing suddenly changed. He was like a ferocious tiger descending the mountain, radiating an intimidating might that could not be resisted. Though the four words had been spoken in an extremely soft voice, they sounded in everyone else’s ears like the angry roar of a giant beast.

"Hmph~"

Qin Da suddenly grunted. His face turned deathly pale. Facing Gu Sheng in his current state, he could not withstand even the pressure of his aura when Gu Sheng exerted himself fully. During his days in the wilderness, Gu Sheng had slaughtered countless creatures. He had killed an unknown number of Demon Beasts like the Iron-Arm Ape, whose strength was comparable to that of an Earth Ranking expert.

When he locked onto someone with his murderous aura, the powerful mental pressure alone could make even an ordinary First-Rate Expert suffer.

"That’s enough!"

Although Lord Li had not directly faced Gu Sheng’s aura, he knew that Qin Da was in a bad situation and hurriedly shouted several times to stop them. Qin Da had been an old subordinate at his side for many years. Although he had grown somewhat distant from him because of Qin San, he could not simply watch one of his men get injured.

"Hmph~ If you want to avenge Qin San, I’ll be waiting for you at any time. But I must warn you: your current self is no match for me. Once you attack, you’ll bear the consequences yourself!"

Gu Sheng snorted softly and withdrew the aura locking onto Qin Da. He returned to his previous warm and sunny demeanor, but no one now dared to underestimate him. Li Yan and Cold Wolf guarded Lord Li from either side, not daring to relax their vigilance in the slightest.

"You called me here. What exactly is the matter?"

Lord Li was somewhat impatient. He had plenty of affairs to handle in Yicheng! Gu Sheng was not someone he liked, either. If this brat who had stolen away his daughter had not possessed some ability, he would never have come to see him.

"How is the matter of the militia training going?"

Gu Sheng directly asked the question on his mind. Before leaving Yicheng, he had also pointed Lord Li toward a path—the militia training system.

The militia training system was a local militia system in ancient China that could effectively safeguard the interests of the ruling class.

The Gui Yuan Sect’s original administration reached, at most, the cities. The various mountain villages and settlements below were left to govern themselves, so the sect could collect very little tax revenue. If the main source of income for the various sects had not been something other than taxes, relying on this method would have starved the government long ago.

Gu Sheng had proposed that Lord Li use his connections to establish a militia training system, ordering local gentry to train village warriors, inspect households, fortify the land and clear it of resources that could aid an enemy, suppress bandits and criminals, and protect the local area. This would keep the roads in all directions open and allow resources and goods to circulate.

That was right. The plan Gu Sheng had previously given Lord Li was not to protect the borders and pacify the people. Instead, he wanted Lord Li to make use of the Gui Yuan Sect and his connections to pool the finances of the various businesses in the Yicheng branch of the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association and train a guard force belonging exclusively to Yicheng, ensuring the safety of all the businesses traveling on commercial ventures.

The plan seemed somewhat far-fetched, but it was actually quite feasible to implement. Not every business had the ability to support a large number of elite warriors, but hiring escort agencies would make each commercial trip too costly.

Gu Sheng’s plan was for Yicheng’s merchants to provide the silver to train a group of local militia warriors. In name, they would submit to the Gui Yuan Sect and be responsible for maintaining Yicheng’s local security. In reality, they would provide Yicheng’s traveling merchants with a truly reliable escort force.

Accomplishing this was neither difficult nor easy. First, they had to obtain the Gui Yuan Sect’s support. If the militia soldiers were not registered under the Gui Yuan Sect, there were some military supplies they simply could not purchase.

Moreover, getting Yicheng’s merchants to agree to contribute money was another difficulty. It was a good deed, but ordinary people could not accomplish it. Someone with prestige had to take the lead to suppress the dissenting voices.

As it happened, Lord Li, who maintained close ties with the Gui Yuan Sect, met both requirements. Thus, Gu Sheng had drawn up a general plan for him.