"Meeting adjourned," Lin Feng said.

Everyone stood up one after another, and the sound of chairs moving echoed in the hall for a while.

Tie Dun walked at the very front with his shield on his shoulder, muttering, "Going back to sleep."

Zhao Hu and Wang Wu walked side-by-side, discussing the registration process for military dependents.

The members of the Moonflower Guild also rose in succession; Feng Qingyan yawned and was pulled outside by Feng Qingshuang.

Su Yuehua nodded slightly to Lin Feng before following them out of the hall.

Lin Feng didn't stand up. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, and then spoke: "Lord Jiang, Ye Lan, please stay back for a moment."

Jiang Yelan had just stood up, but upon hearing this, she sat back down, her gaze cool as she looked at Lin Feng.

Jiang Zhaoyue also returned to the first seat on the right. Her silver-white spear leaned against the chair as she turned slightly to face the main seat.

Zhao Hu glanced back but didn't ask questions, leading the others out.

The wooden doors of the Council Hall slowly closed behind them. Sunlight slanted in from the high windows, dyeing Jiang Zhaoyue's silver-blue armor and Jiang Yelan's black leather armor in a warm gold.

Lin Feng waited until the sound of footsteps outside faded before speaking: "Ye Lan, besides the two thousand County Soldiers left for Zhao Hu, take the remaining three thousand County Soldiers and two thousand Beacon Guards and depart after lunch to return to Hangu Pass."

Jiang Yelan pressed her right fist to her chest and bowed her head slightly: "Understood."

Lin Feng turned to Jiang Zhaoyue: "Lord Jiang, if you have nothing else to attend to, return with Ye Lan as well. The aftermath here can be left to Zhao Hu and the others.

These are turbulent times. It's safer for the three of us to be permanently stationed at Hangu Pass to prevent sneak attacks from foreign races. Thank you for your hard work."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded slightly, her voice clear: "I don't have much to do here anyway. It's fine to head back with Ye Lan."

She paused, "Lord Lin, you're not coming with us?"

Lin Feng shook his head: "I still have some business to take care of; I need to return to Fenghuo County."

Jiang Zhaoyue didn't pry and simply nodded.

The two of them cupped their fists toward Lin Feng simultaneously, then turned and walked toward the door.

The wooden doors closed again, leaving Lin Feng alone in the Council Hall.

He stood up, took the Wildfire Spear from beside the chair, slung it across his back, and strode out of the Council Hall.

Outside the south gate of Jingchuan County, the sun was fierce, bleaching the Brown Earth Plain into a pale white.

On the distant city walls, Beacon Guards were moving supplies. Zhao Hu crouched on the ground checking a register while Tie Dun helped nearby.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze, kicked off the ground, and soared into the air.

Air currents lifted him eight hundred meters high. The houses, streets, and city walls on the ground rapidly shrank, turning into a miniature sand table model.

Jingchuan County grew smaller and smaller beneath him. The grayish-brown Brown Earth Plain stretched out in all directions like a massive, crumpled piece of old parchment.

In the distance, Tianji Mountain rose from the horizon like a giant grayish-black wall, blocking the path.

The mountain was made of granite, its ridges as sharp as knife edges. The rock walls were covered in cracks and signs of weathering. A few twisted pines poked their heads out from the stone crevices, swaying slightly in the wind.

Above the mountainside, it was covered in perennial snow that shimmered with a piercing white light under the sun.

Lin Feng adjusted his direction, flying along the ridge line.

The height of eight hundred meters was still lower than the main peak; he needed to pass through a mountain pass between two peaks.

The wind was strong, pouring in from the north and making his clothes flap loudly, but the Wildfire Spear remained motionless on his back.

He didn't slow down, his speed of fifty-five meters per second pulling a sharp whistling sound through the air currents.

After crossing the main peak of Tianji Mountain, the terrain dropped sharply, and the golden waves of grass on the Golden Ear Plain spread out in his field of vision.

The city walls of Fenghuo County appeared faintly on the horizon, their blue-gray stone reflecting a cold light in the sun.

To go from Jingchuan County to Fenghuo County by land required a long detour, passing through several subordinate territories.

But cutting straight across Tianji Mountain, it was less than two hundred li.

To those who couldn't fly, Tianji Mountain was an impassable chasm; to him, it was a shortcut.

Over twenty minutes later, the city walls of Fenghuo County enlarged beneath him.

He flew over the east gate and landed directly in front of the stone gate of the Great Qin Elite Camp in the southeast corner of the Inner City.

The dark green stone gate was tightly shut, and the character 'Qin' on the lintel shimmered with a cold, dark green light in the sun.

He pressed his hand against the cold stone wall, and the operation interface unfolded before his eyes.

His resource reserves had shrunk significantly after the recruitment a few days ago, but with the five new counties joining and the capture of a batch of copper, tin, and crystals, the numbers had become substantial again.

In one breath, he maxed out all available recruitment quotas. The recruitment limit for Weakened Great Qin Elite rose from three thousand to five thousand five hundred.

Along the way, he also replenished the several hundred Beacon Guards lost in the battles over the past two days, restoring the unit to full strength.

Lin Feng stared at the ticking numbers, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Five thousand five hundred Great Qin Elite Soldiers would be arrayed at Hangu Pass in ten days.

Lin Feng withdrew his hand and turned to walk toward the Council Hall.

Crossing the bluestone path of the Inner City and turning onto the main street, the sun shone from overhead, casting his shadow at his feet.

The door to the Council Hall was wide open. Zhang Ping stood by the long table, holding a stack of registers and looking through them with his head down.

His hair was a bit messier than a few days ago, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, but his spirit was still good.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up. Seeing Lin Feng, he quickly set down the registers and came forward to greet him.

“Lord, you’re back. Is everything settled over at Chidori County?”

Lin Feng walked to the main seat and sat down. Without any pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

“Zhang Ping, you take people to manage those five newly annexed counties on the northern foothills of Tianji Mountain. Production needs to be restored, public order maintained, military dependents settled, and resources inventoried and stored. There’s a lot to do; do you have enough manpower?”

Zhang Ping was stunned for a moment. Giving him full authority to manage five counties—the weight of this trust was not light.

He straightened his back, his voice becoming a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) bit more steady: “Rest assured, Lord, it’s enough. Fenghuo County’s prosperity has been rising, attracting many Freemen lately.

A while ago, I recruited three Junior Life-Professionals myself. They specialize in territory management and have good abilities. They’ve been following me to learn for a while now; handing the new counties over to them will be manageable.”

Lin Feng nodded. He trusted Zhang Ping’s work and didn’t need to give further instructions.

He stood up, patted Zhang Ping on the shoulder, and turned toward the Lord’s Kitchen behind the Council Hall.

Li Gui was busy at the stove. The braised pork in the pot was bubbling, its fragrance filling the entire kitchen.

Two apprentices were crouching in the corner peeling garlic; they hurriedly stood up when they saw Lin Feng enter.

Li Gui set down his spatula, wiped his hands on his apron, and grinned: “Lord, you haven’t eaten yet?”

“Just something simple. I have to head out again soon.” Lin Feng sat down at a small table in the corner.