Lu Ye raised his hand, and the crowd below immediately fell silent.
"All who enter my Ye Sheng Men shall be protected with all our might. Those who betray Ye Sheng Men and harm fellow disciples will be hunted down relentlessly, with no survivors."
"We will never betray Ye Sheng Men! Betrayers shall die!" The young men in the front shouted loudly, and the rest immediately followed suit.
Lu Ye glanced at Qing Yu, his gaze filled with approval. These youths must have been arranged by him. Good, the ideological education was very successful.
Gua Bao was right. To build a united team, ideological education was crucial. With unified thoughts, hearts would gather.
After Lu Ye left the training ground, the boys behind him were buzzing with gossip.
A round-faced boy in the front row grinned and asked Qing Yu, "Master, did the Master's mother make that little cloth bag for the Master?"
Qing Yu clasped his hands behind his back and replied, "Likely so."
Another tall and lean boy, with his arms crossed, confidently stated, "The Master must really dote on the Master's mother, to the point of disregarding his ethereal image and carrying that little cloth bag."
Qing Yu playfully smacked the tall boy's arm, "You rascal, are you itching for a beating? To speak of your Master's mother like that."
The tall boy chuckled, "What I mean is, the Master's mother must be very lovely, to have made such a cute little cloth bag."
The boys burst into laughter.
Qing Yu cast a sidelong glance at the tall boy, raised his hand in a mock gesture of striking, then called out to everyone, "Stop chattering! Train hard, whoever slacks off will run twenty laps!"
The boys yelped a few times and immediately returned to their positions, sparring with each other.
After leaving the base, Lu Ye lightly patted Heng Heng inside the cloth bag, "Brother Pig, now you know what I'm doing, right?"
"You... you founded a martial sect, Ye Sheng Men?" Heng Heng inside the bag trembled slightly. It hadn't expected the 'second idiot' to have such a fierce side. It usually saw him acting as docile and obedient as a puppy in front of his Master.
Lu Ye rode his horse towards the capital. "Do you know why I founded this sect?"
"You want to start a career?" After all, human men's pride was strong, and being supported by their wives would feel undignified.
Lu Ye smiled faintly, "I am but a commoner. My lifelong career is to protect my wife and children, to create a happy life for them. Now that my Gua Bao is very capable and can support me, I must cultivate the most outstanding martial forces to protect her. I will ensure no one dares to easily harm her! Including the Emperor!"
Heng Heng said, "But you are putting yourself in danger, provoking too many people. Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster to my Master? After all, the martial world and the court are so treacherous, and people's hearts are not as they used to be."
Lu Ye smiled calmly, "I, Lu Ye, never do anything I'm not confident about!"
After a moment of silence, he added, "Brother Pig, I used to have a recurring strange dream for a long time. I've told Gua Bao the first half of that dream, but I've never revealed the latter half to anyone. You are the first to know."
Heng Heng's pig ears twitched, "What dream?"
Lu Ye sighed heavily, "I dreamed of a vast, dark army advancing towards Bai Sheng, and Bai Sheng was being paraded on an execution platform, her body pierced by a hundred blades. The crowd below roared with laughter, shouting to kill the demoness..."
Heng Heng's skin tightened in fear, "You... you have this dream often?"
Lu Ye nodded, his gaze deep, "For four consecutive years, starting at the age of 13. It wasn't until I consummated with Gua Bao that the dream stopped. However, I cannot take chances. If, one day, everyone in the world becomes Bai Sheng's enemy, I will become the enemy of everyone in the world. And I must have the capital for that."
Heng Heng seemed to understand Lu Ye's intention. Compared to Lu Ye, it felt a sense of inferiority. It enjoyed comfort too much and had never considered what would happen if a crisis arose. Lu Ye wouldn't have such dreams for no reason. If the Master truly encountered such danger, what should it do? As the guardian of the Master's space, it could only protect the Master to protect the space.
"Alright, Lu Ye, I will join you in this endeavor to protect the Master! Tell me what you need me to do," Heng Heng felt it should stand tall from this moment on, to be a heroic male pig.
Lu Ye chuckled, "First, let's not tell my Gua Bao about what we saw and talked about today. I only wish for her to live a carefree and happy life. And then, convey a message to her from me: I miss her dearly, but I have an urgent matter that will delay my return home by a few days."
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. Just because I talk a lot doesn't mean I'm a blabbermouth," Heng Heng sent a message to its Master telepathically: Master, your man says he misses you dearly, but has been delayed by an urgent matter and will be a few days late.
On the other side, Bai Sheng, lying in the space and admiring the bamboo forest, smiled sweetly.
It was good that Lu Ye was out and about, preventing them from being too clingy and unable to resist intimacy. Now that she was pregnant with four cubs, Bai Sheng decided not to indulge in carnal pleasures for the entire pregnancy. For the sake of her cubs, she would sacrifice her own happiness.
"Second idiot—Lu Ye, I have a request too," Heng Heng said.
"Speak."
Heng Heng stammered, "When you're out, you must protect me. I... I'm afraid of dying, and even more afraid of becoming... pork."
Lu Ye grinned, "Don't worry, you are a part of my Gua Bao, and I will protect you accordingly."
"Also, don't let me see you killing people, I... I faint at the sight of blood."
Lu Ye touched his forehead, "Brother Pig, your eyes are on you. You can choose to close them at any time."
...
The capital city was situated on one of the few oases in the Great Xia Kingdom, and it was extremely prosperous.
Lu Ye rode Black Wind into the city gates.
The guards at the gate, seeing his extraordinary appearance and distinguished bearing, and his fine horse, assumed he was the son of a powerful official in the capital. They glanced at him and let him pass, their faces displaying solicitous smiles.
Mini Heng, peeking out from two small holes, was dazzled by the throng of men, women, old and young passing by. It was no wonder the Emperor paid little attention to Ta Sha County. The capital was so prosperous, with no lack of food or clothing. Who could imagine the drought in the border desert?
Lu Ye, seated on Black Wind's back, drew the attention of pedestrians on the street. Some bold young women and matrons stared intently at him, exclaiming "What a handsome young man" under their breaths.
When they passed the Chun Feng Tower, the touts at the entrance and the girls observing from upstairs immediately lit up. They called out "Young man, young man" with great enthusiasm, waving their handkerchiefs as if driven mad.
After all, they were going to sleep with men anyway, so why not find handsome ones? At least they would derive some pleasure from it.
Lu Ye kept his gaze straight ahead, nudged Black Wind's flanks with his heels, and the horse instantly quickened its pace, leaving Chun Feng Tower behind.
Watching the 'second idiot' being flirted with by numerous women all the way, Heng Heng suddenly felt fortunate to have accompanied him. The 'second idiot' was indeed very handsome, and the girls in the capital were very bold. With it by his side, watching over him for its Master, it was unlikely he would dare to misbehave.
Despite the capital's prosperity, there were still many beggars on the streets.
When Lu Ye saw particularly young beggars, he approached and reined in his horse, casually tossing a few copper coins.