“Once, I was one of them as well.” Henry Young said calmly, “Only, I was more fortunate...”

Chapter Two: Hall of Blazing Fire

Nearing noon.

The sun was scorching, the temperature had risen high, no longer as refreshing as in the early morning.

Henry Young and Laura Clark left the orphan camp along the official road. There was a row of towering trees along the road, lush and green, providing shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. Walking beneath them had its own unique charm.

Several of Laura Clark’s guards followed behind.

The two soon returned to the outskirts of the shantytown in the Ninth Settlement Area.

“Brother Yun.” The chubby boy in black, Quentin York, ran over from a small path in the camp.

Seeing this, Henry Young couldn’t help but smile. “Youqian, be careful not to fall.”

Laura Clark stood to the side, smiling.

“Brother Yun, I’m at least a warrior who’s reached the fourth level of Body Tempering.” Quentin York joked as he came up to Henry Young and the two of them.

Henry Young asked directly, “Is everything arranged?”

“Don’t worry, Brother Yun, I’m very familiar with the process. The garrison has already taken over.” Quentin York said, “The camp we manage is definitely the most orderly and clean among all the camps.”

Henry Young nodded.

Disciples from the Martial Academy coming to manage disaster victims was a form of training for them, and it had been this way for generations. However, since the founding of Great Qian, this had become somewhat of a formality.

“Let’s go, time to eat. We still have to train this afternoon.” Henry Young said.

Quentin York and Laura Clark both nodded.

The three followed the official road and soon arrived not far from the east gate of Donghe County City. Although Donghe County had suffered a great disaster, it was still the only human city within several hundred li, with a population of several hundred thousand.

Donghe County City, though called a county city, was actually a major military and transportation hub. The city walls alone were over ten zhang high, and there were many soldiers guarding the walls, always on alert for possible monster attacks.

At this moment, merchants and peddlers were constantly coming and going along the official road.

All three—Henry Young, Quentin York, and Laura Clark—were disciples of the Martial Academy, and Laura Clark was the daughter of the garrison general. The soldiers at the city gate all recognized them, so they entered the city without any obstruction.

The three passed through the bustling and prosperous Feng’an Avenue and arrived at the Martial Academy.

The Martial Academy was located in the southeast of the county city, the most convenient area for transportation. Since the founding of Great Qian, there had always been only eight hundred disciples at a time, but the academy covered more than six hundred mu. In terms of area, it was even larger than the county government’s residence, second only to the garrison barracks in the city.

At the main gate of the Martial Academy, a huge character for “martial” was inscribed. Entering the academy, one would see rows of houses and several massive halls, each one enormous.

“Senior Brother Yun, Senior Sister Ye.”

“Senior Brother Yun.”

“Junior Sister Ye.”

On the Martial Academy’s training grounds, dozens of disciples were practicing. Most of them wore black, but when they saw the purple robes of Henry Young and Laura Clark, they all showed great respect.

Most of them knew Henry Young and Laura Clark.

One was a disciple of the Hall of Blazing Fire.

The other was the daughter of the garrison general.

Both were quite prominent within the Martial Academy.

“Hm?” Henry Young caught sight of three figures on a distant road and frowned slightly. “Miles Lewis?”

The three figures in the distance all wore purple robes, making them stand out in the crowd. The leader was a youth whose face still had a hint of boyishness, but he was nearly 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles, making him look extremely robust. In terms of physique, he could easily overshadow Henry Young.

This youth was one of only two disciples in Donghe Martial Academy who had reached the seventh level of Body Tempering—Miles Lewis.

The two beside Miles Lewis were both at the fifth level of Body Tempering, quite accomplished, and also elite disciples of the academy. Yet beside Miles Lewis, they seemed like mere followers.

It should be known that there were only about a hundred elite disciples in the Martial Academy.

“Henry Young.” Miles Lewis stared at Henry Young, who stood beside Laura Clark, a faint trace of wariness and a hint of anger in his eyes.

In the entire Donghe Martial Academy, if there was anyone Miles Lewis disliked the most, it was Henry Young.

It was simple: he liked Laura Clark.

First, Laura Clark was indeed beautiful. It hadn’t been obvious when she first entered the academy, but as she grew, she had blossomed into a true beauty. Second, Laura Clark’s background—she was the only daughter of the garrison general.

In a county, the magistrate held power, acting as the parent official of the people, able to command hundreds of thousands or even millions within the county.

Next in rank were the county deputy and the garrison general. The county deputy was to a county as a prime minister was to a nation, wielding great power.

The garrison general, in terms of influence, was even greater than the county deputy. In Great Qian’s system, military and civil affairs were separated, and in many cases, a strong local garrison general’s authority was no less than that of the magistrate.

Miles Lewis was born into a gentry family in Yangzhou, and his father served as the county deputy of Donghe, so he was well-versed in officialdom and clearly understood the benefits of marrying Laura Clark.

Yet, Laura Clark showed no interest in any of the boys at the academy, except for Henry Young, with whom she was very close.

In terms of background, Miles Lewis was the second son of the county deputy, and the Liu family was quite renowned in Yangzhou, far above the level of ordinary powerful families.

And Henry Young? He was just from an ordinary family in Donghe County.

In terms of martial cultivation, although Henry Young had defeated several disciples of the Hall of Blazing Fire when he first joined, including Miles Lewis himself—

But the past was not the present.