Grinding to Martial Emperor from the Border Army

She waved her hand, dismissing the palace maids in the bedchamber. Then, she walked forward and said softly, "Mother, don’t overthink things. You should get some rest."

Xiao Hua was now dressed in a black robe embroidered with coiled dragons. As she stood there, her nobility was tinged with a stunning beauty, making her a truly rare sight to behold.

"Sigh. Your maternal grandfather passed away, and right after I ascended the throne, we went to war with Dayong. Although we’ve established a peace treaty now, we still ceded a large amount of territory.

Dayong may not have wanted that land, but we well and truly lost it. Now it’s become fertile ground for those great bandits from Beyond the Passes.

And Great Yu has placed a severe blockade on us as well.

I don’t know when my people, the Northern Barbarians, will ever be able to escape this bitter, frozen land." The Xiao matriarch rubbed her forehead.

She continued, "The Shengman Tribe and the Ancient Barbarian Tribe have also been restless lately. We’re beset by enemies on all sides. How can your mother possibly rest? As the Crown Princess, you need to start sharing some of my burdens these days. Grow up quickly.

Not just in your cultivation, but also in governing the court."

"I understand, Mother," Xiao Hua said softly.

Then she looked up, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Mother, what about Yuan? Are we really going to leave him in Dayong?"

"I hear he’s already been promoted to Captain. He’s doing quite well over there. Our situation here, on the other hand, is far from stable. Let’s wait a while before we discuss this again.

Don’t worry. Your mother has long seen him as one of our own, just like you. I would never let him be wronged. Dayong may be powerful, but it’s rotten to the core from within.

For Yuan to rise from the bottom will be fraught with difficulties. When the time comes, I will find a way."

The Xiao matriarch gently comforted her daughter. Of course, she knew what was on Xiao Hua’s mind.

And she very much approved.

Her daughter could be with Lu Yuan. She knew his character, and his talent was undeniable.

It was just that now was not the right time.

"Mm," Xiao Hua nodded obediently.

’She also understood in her heart that it was impossible to have Lu Yuan come over right away.’

...

Meanwhile, at the Zhang Family’s estate in Yunzhou, Zhang Hong was quite pleased that his nephew had successfully connected with Prince Polu’s Mansion.

He said to his second brother, "Zhe has really brought honor to the family this time. He’s already a Captain in the Imperial Guard and is about to marry a Commandery Princess.

His future promotions are guaranteed.

This path we’ve paved for him in the military is now a success."

Zhang He, who was sitting to the side, nodded. "Yes. Although Zhe’s cultivation is a bit lacking, becoming a Captain at his age is already quite remarkable."

He didn’t seem to care at all about the reputation of the Ninth Commandery Princess from Prince Polu’s Mansion, the "Zhi Girl."

Zhang Hong took a sip of tea and said, "That’s true. But it’s a pity that among our family’s younger generation, only Zhe has made something of himself. If there were a few more like him, then I could truly rest easy."

"Heh, Big Brother, you’re getting greedier and greedier. Zhe was only able to get promoted so quickly because he has the Prince’s Mansion backing him. If he had to rely on himself to become a Captain at this age, wouldn’t that be even more outrageous?" Zhang He said with a light chuckle.

"You’re right, you’re right. I was being greedy," Zhang Hong said with a grin.

For a small family like theirs, things like face were unimportant. The most important thing was for the younger generation to rise up and allow the family to prosper even more.

This was especially true for Zhang Hong, whose obsession ran even deeper.

The dead of night is always the best time to pour one’s heart out to someone close.

But Lu Yuan had no one by his side to talk to, so he simply slept until dawn.

When he woke up the next day, he first had breakfast with Zhou Hongling.

Then he started handling various matters at the Captain’s Mansion. Having just taken office, there were many things to manage.

As a result, Lu Yuan was completely overwhelmed.

Fortunately, however, Zhou Hongling had given him some pointers beforehand, so after a morning’s work, he was starting to get the hang of it.

After lunch, he returned to his room.

He opened a box and took out a Golden Essence Fruit.

This was one of the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures used for Refining the Lungs.

The medicinal power from yesterday had already been fully converted into Skill Level. Today, he planned to see if he could break through again.

’It would be for the best if I could raise my strength another step before deploying.’

After swallowing a Golden Essence Fruit, Lu Yuan instantly felt a massive amount of energy essence flooding into his lungs.

An extremely pleasant sensation spread throughout his entire body.

The breath he exhaled had now transformed into a faint, golden mist.

In just a moment, his Refining the Lungs reached the stage of Perfection, but the medicinal power didn’t stop there.

After breaking through, it continued to assault the bottleneck.

It didn’t stop until nightfall, making Lu Yuan sigh with emotion. ’These Heavenly and Earthly Treasures really are countless times more effective than those elixirs.’

He had now completely perfected the stage of Refining the Lungs.

This was the terrifying power of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. Their medicinal effects were far stronger than elixirs. Of course, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to withstand it. They wouldn’t dare consume it in such a way, nor could they absorb it all.

It was only because Lu Yuan not only possessed a powerful physical body but, most importantly, could convert these medicinal effects into Skill Level that he could do this.

If it were anyone else, even someone with extraordinary talent, they would likely have been overwhelmed to the point of collapse, or even shattered their foundation.

This was no laughing matter.

Lu Yuan paid this no mind. Feeling the powerful energy circulating within his body, he took out another item: a stalk of Geng Metal Grass. This Heavenly and Earthly Treasure also possessed the Gold Attribute.

It was said that it could only grow in the lairs of White Tigers that had become Demon Beasts, where it was nourished year-round by the Qi of Geng Metal.