Chapter 55: The News Brought by Zhao Changming

Chen Wu was indeed just an ordinary uniformed guard. The monthly wages he brought home were only enough to sustain his family's basic living expenses.

However, his cultivation was a reality; over the past five years, he had managed to earn some military merits.

He would bring this money home to his mother.

What he did not know was that his mother handed most of the money over to Young Master Tao and Zhang Yuan, saying it was for them to use to help the families of their fellow comrades.

Young Master Tao converted this money into capital for the Red Fox Caravan.

Furthermore, regarding Chen Wu's assistance at the academy and Hu Chunniu's pharmacy, Young Master Tao and the others actually calculated remuneration for him, which was then factored into his shares in the caravan.

It wasn't just Chen Wu; in fact, Young Master Tao and his associates had set aside a portion for most of the comrades' families.

This was because Young Master Tao knew that Zhang Yuan could not stay long in a border town like Luyang Prefecture.

Once Zhang Yuan left, he would depart as well.

At that time, the Red Fox Caravan, along with some retired veteran soldiers, would look after the families of their comrades.

As Chen Wu was preparing for his wedding, Young Master Tao had calculated Chen Wu's total net worth and recorded it on a ledger.

This money was not meant to be withdrawn; it was simply to let the Feng family know that the Chen family had assets and could ensure the Feng family's young lady would live a life of comfort and security.

As Feng Dingfeng held the scroll, his expression slowly smoothed into calm.

A net worth of three hundred taels was nothing to the Feng family, but for a small household, it was enough to live a prosperous life.

Even within the Feng family, aside from the direct lineage of the main house, few in the collateral branches possessed such wealth.

What surprised him was not Chen Wu's wealth, but the name of the merchant house and caravan recorded in the ledger.

Red Fox.

That great caravan that dominated the borders, rumored to be led by a Xiantian-level expert, actually had Chen Wu as a shareholder.

Chen Wu certainly did not have such capability; the power behind him was undoubtedly Second Master Zhang.

Rumors claimed that although Second Master Zhang possessed a reputation for boundless righteousness, he did not know how to utilize it.

Now it seemed those rumors were entirely false!

The Red Fox Caravan was not only powerful, but more importantly, it had connections within the border army, allowing it to traverse trade routes that others could not.

He had not expected that Second Master Zhang had already woven connections through both the legal and underworld circles.

Looking at the ledger in his hand, a smile appeared on Feng Dingfeng's face.

This ledger was a matchmaking document that outsiders were not permitted to see, which was why Master Tao had brought it out for him to view.

Writing down the name "Red Fox" was intended to let the Feng family understand that Chen Wu had significant backing.

Fortunately, he had never looked down on the Chen family or Chen Wu before.

Now that the Feng and Chen families were forming a marriage alliance, if the Feng family had the opportunity to cooperate with the Red Fox Caravan, the commercial profits would surely far exceed anything in the past.

This was the exchange of interests.

Only by making the right choice could the Feng family see this ledger; otherwise, Feng Dingfeng guessed that Master Tao would have had another, extremely ordinary ledger tucked in his pocket.

"Rest assured, in marrying off our daughter, my Feng family will certainly not be stingy."

"For the same industry, my Feng family will also contribute a share."

Feng Dingfeng closed the ledger, placed it on the table, and spoke softly.

Although the surrounding Feng clan elders were curious about what kind of wealth Chen Wu possessed to make Feng Dingfeng say they would not be stingy, they were not qualified to see the ledger.

By closing it, Feng Dingfeng signaled that they were not to look.

"One more thing," Zhang Yuan's voice rang out.

"Feng Cheng should have already informed you regarding Chen Wu's dismissal from the Guard Bureau."

"He will be heading to the Northwest Army."

"Therefore, we hope that he and Miss Feng can marry sooner rather than later."

In the main hall, the clan elders looked at one another, but no one spoke.

What they valued was certainly not Chen Wu's status as a uniformed guard in the Guard Bureau.

A Ninth-Grade guard—how much money could one earn in a lifetime at most?

"The Northwest Army?" Feng Dingfeng pondered for a moment and whispered, "Why not the Crimson Scale Army?"

Had the two families not already been discussing the marriage, he naturally would not have raised such a question.

As the head of the Feng family, he needed to consider the future of his descendants carefully.

The relationship between Second Master Zhang and the Crimson Scale Army was significant, and Chen Wu's father had died during a mobilization by the Crimson Scale Army.

If Chen Wu joined the Crimson Scale Army, his promotions would be rapid.

When Feng Cheng had returned earlier to report Chen Wu's dismissal, the Feng family had discussed that Chen Wu would inevitably enter military service.

They just hadn't expected that Zhang Yuan had arranged for him to go to the Northwest Army, thousands of miles away.

"The Crimson Scale Army has not seen much combat recently. While joining them is stable, it lacks tempering."

"If Chen Wu wants to reach the Xiantian realm, he must go to a place of intense warfare."

"By going to the Northwest Army, he has the hope of reaching Xiantian before the age of thirty."

Zhang Yuan's voice echoed through the hall.

Feng Dingfeng and the various Feng clan elders opened their mouths, swallowing hard, but could not utter a single word.

Xiantian!

How distant a prospect was that?

What family did not wish to possess a Xiantian expert?

The Great Qin prioritized martial prowess; an existence in the Xiantian realm represented not just combat power, but the convergence and control of resources from all sides.

The Zhao family of Jiulin County had nearly monopolized the black and white trade routes of Jiulin precisely because of a Xiantian expert, Third Master Zhao.

If Chen Wu could become a Xiantian expert, given the thin lineage and influence of the Chen family, he would inevitably have to rely on the Feng family!

At that time, if the Feng family leveraged that influence, it would not be impossible for them to become the top family in Luyang Prefecture.

Moreover, if Chen Wu reached the Xiantian realm within the military, he would not lack military merits or official positions.

He had not expected that Second Master Zhang's arrangements for Chen Wu were so far-reaching.

"Very well, then leave this matter to the matchmakers. As long as the date is suitable, my Feng family will marry off our daughter," Feng Dingfeng stood up and spoke loudly.

In the common areas, there were professional matchmakers who held semi-official status.

From the exchange of gifts and the formal engagement to the completion of the wedding, they could arrange the entire process properly.

————————————

Walking out of the Feng family estate and boarding the carriage, Chen Wu sat inside, feeling somewhat dazed.

Establishing a family and a career.

Many things he had never thought about before were now arriving one after another.

"Don't overthink it. In the coming days, go to the Black Rider camp outside the city more often and learn charge tactics from them."

"Once you are in the army, these will be the skills you need to earn merits and save your life."

Zhang Yuan reached out and patted his shoulder, speaking.

Chen Wu nodded.

He never refused Zhang Yuan's arrangements.

He knew that with Zhang Yuan's foresight, what he considered for him was always for the long term.

...

When Zhang Yuan returned to Ding Alley, Guo Da approached him and whispered, "Manager Zhao is here."

Manager Zhao was none other than the former Deputy Commander of the Crimson Scale Army, Zhao Changming.

Now, he was the leader and manager of the Red Fox Caravan.

Zhang Yuan went to the backyard and saw Zhao Changming, dressed in a grey martial robe, sitting by a stone table, accompanied by Old Man Xu.

Seeing Zhang Yuan arrive, Zhao Changming stood up and said with a smile, "I heard Master Tao was settling the accounts, so I thought you might need money and specifically brought some silver. I didn't expect it was because that kid Chen Wu is getting married."

Zhao Changming had once been a Deputy Commander of the Crimson Scale Army, a Xiantian-level expert in the early stages, with a group of old brothers under his command.

With Zhao Changming's strength, he could live comfortably anywhere, held in high regard.

But in front of Zhang Yuan, he did not dare to be even slightly negligent.

It was not just because Zhang Yuan had saved his life and the lives of his brothers in Fengtian County, but also because Zhang Yuan's strength was so formidable that he did not dare to show even a hint of disrespect!

He had once followed Zhang Yuan into Northern Yan and witnessed with his own eyes Zhang Yuan slaying two Xiantian experts and two great demons single-handedly.

Those two early-stage Xiantian warriors had not lasted ten moves against Zhang Yuan, and the two demons with mid-stage Xiantian strength had failed to escape even in their desperate struggle.

That battle had opened the trade routes for the Red Fox Caravan, and it had also instilled a deep-seated fear of Zhang Yuan in Zhao Changming's heart.

As Old Man Xu and Guo Da departed, Zhao Changming glanced outside the courtyard and whispered, "While I was in Fengtian County this time, I ran into Ouyang Xu."

"He seemed to be waiting for someone."

(End of Chapter)