Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 532 Someone has to look after the lights of every home for those who can't go back.

"Those who establish a life for the people should forge a Great Wall with their blood and flesh." Zhang Hengqu's voice was filled with emotion.

"Rest assured, Headmaster." Baili Xi, riding his horse, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and spoke solemnly.

As the last Xuanjia Dragon Riders disappeared into the snow, the expressions on the faces of countless people slowly turned solemn.

Over the years, the Qin Dynasty launched countless military campaigns.

Of those who eventually return, how many will actually come back?

Outside the imperial city, a deafening roar of thunder echoed, blasting the swirling snow into mist, paving a silvery path of frost for the army.

On the city wall, Zhang Hengqu looked up at the snow falling in the sky and whispered softly.

"It turns out to be heavy snow."

"They were afraid that the Qin people's passionate blood would melt the mountains and rivers..."

Zongren Mansion.

"Girl, why don't you go see him off?"

Zhao Yu, who was looking down at the account books, looked up and saw that her aunt, Princess Fengming, had come to her side at some point.

Zhao Yu shook his head and pointed to the account books in front of him.

"Yu Yuan Trading Company's accounts are so numerous that it's impossible to keep track of them all. Once the army is mobilized, what will happen to Liang Yuanyu—"

Before she could finish speaking, Princess Fengming stepped forward, reached out and rolled up Zhao Yu's left sleeve. Seeing that the bright red mark of virginity was still there, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Yu blushed and whispered, "Aunt, what are you thinking? My feelings for him are just that—feelings—but we've kept them within the bounds of propriety..."

"Pah! You didn't get back until the third of the night. If I hadn't had someone leave the door open for you, you would have had to spend the night outside the Imperial Clan Court." Princess Fengming stared at Zhao Yu. "Don't think I don't know, you have quite a few erotic pictures in your study."

Even with her thick skin, Zhao Yu blushed deeply and covered her face.

Princess Fengming looked at her, sighed softly, and said gently, "I regret teaching my husband to seek fame and fortune. My girl, you still have a long way to go..."

Zhao Yu stiffened slightly, wrapped his arms around Princess Fengming's waist, and buried his head in her body.

Feeling the girl in front of her sobbing, Princess Fengming sighed softly and reached out to stroke Zhao Yu's hair.

Looking up, Zhao Yu wiped away the tears on her face.

"I want to make money, and make more money."

"I'll take care of him when he comes back."

……

The 22nd year of the Yuankang era.

New Year's Eve.

Jiujiang Prefecture, Linshui Prefecture.

Jingyang Town.

The wind and snow outside the inn pounded against the windowpanes with a crisp "pitter-patter" sound, while the stove in the lobby made one's back burn with heat.

Zhang Yuan wiped the oil stains off the rim of the wine bowl with his thumb, listening as the scarred man at the next table slammed his knife on the table: "Damn it, the other day when we were crossing Luoyan Gorge, we encountered an avalanche, and the entire caravan was buried!"

"This year is really unbearable."

This year's snowfall is heavy; such heavy snow is rare in the Eastern Territory.

Zhang Yuan understood that this was probably due to the climate change after the power of heaven and earth advanced.

Such immense power of heaven and earth, even the slightest change, is an unbearable burden for living beings.

"Shopkeeper, please heat two more pots of wine!"

The middle-aged martial artist sitting opposite Zhang Yuan had one hand pressing down on the thick scabbard of his sword, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

The old man behind the counter had just looked up when three pieces of silver were embedded in the wood grain in front of him, startling the black cat that was dozing by the brazier into leaping onto the roof beam.

The middle-aged martial artist's words drew the attention of everyone around him.

The bodyguard who had spoken earlier frowned and whispered, "Brother, judging by your build, you seem to be from the military. You haven't gotten into trouble, have you...?"

“There are an unusually large number of wolves in the Qinling Mountains to the north this year.” The middle-aged man opposite Zhang Yuan sipped his wine, watching the liquid shimmer with tiny golden light in his bowl. “Last month, seven cellars in Lijia Village were raided, and the number of displaced people who froze to death at the county government office is piled up against the south wall.”

County government office?

Officials?

The bodyguards shrank back.

Someone in the corner sneered: "The officials naturally have to sit by the charcoal brazier and drink."

“Sir?” The middle-aged man opposite Zhang Yuan tapped the edge of the table lightly with his finger, causing the seal of the wine jar to fall off. “At this time last year, I was eating ice in the Qinling Mountains, with half a moldy cake in my arms, which came from a frozen corpse…” The bodyguards all fell silent, their eyes fixed on the calluses on his hands.

Those were clearly marks from years of holding a knife.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, and the oil lamp on the counter flickered.

Everyone slightly pulled their necks back.

Those military officers who just coast along are different from those who actually have martial arts skills.

Zhang Yuan took out a few copper coins and placed them on the table: "Shopkeeper, please add a mutton hot pot for this brother."

The shopkeeper accepted the copper coins, a smile plastered on his face, and went to fetch the pot.

The middle-aged martial artist opposite him looked up, a hint of confusion on his face.

People in the martial arts world have always kept their distance from officials like him.

His words just now were deliberately meant to be chilling, to intimidate the martial arts practitioners around him.

"Just consider it a New Year's Eve dinner for my brother," Zhang Yuan said, shaking his head.

Although the middle-aged man opposite him was wearing a military robe, the black garment underneath was the uniform of the Martial Guard Office.

Wuwei, the battalion commander.

Zhang Yuan's conversation with the martial artist opposite him caused the expressions of the surrounding martial artists to change.

The bodyguards all turned their heads away, no longer looking at Zhang Yuan.

People in the underworld generally look down on the act of currying favor with government officials.

The middle-aged man opposite Zhang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then picked up the wine jar and poured a bowl of wine for Zhang Yuan.

"My name is Luo Dashan. I work in the Wuwei Yamen. In your Jianghu terms, I'm a government lackey in dog skin."

The court's lackeys.

Luo Dashan spoke loudly, and the people at the other tables in the hall lowered their heads slightly.

"Brother Luo, since you are a government official, why don't you go home on New Year's Eve?" Zhang Yuan asked, picking up his wine bowl.

Across from him, Luo Dashan gripped his scabbard tightly, the broad, thick blade humming softly. He turned to look at the pitch-black night sky: "Three years ago, I buried twelve brothers outside Qingsong Fortress. Last New Year's Eve, their families sent twelve jars of wine. This year..."

He ran his fingertips along the crack in the wine bowl, his Adam's apple bobbing clearly in the silence: "Someone has to look after the lights of every home for those who can't go back."

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Although Luo Dashan was an official, his words shook the hearts of the martial arts practitioners around him.

When traveling the world, most people, unless they are villains, have a sense of morality and righteousness in their hearts.

Punishing the wicked and upholding justice, who hasn't dreamed of a life in the martial arts world?

The clanging of metal came from the shadows in the corner. Suddenly, the drunken old man slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Well said! I should have died in the Chishui River twenty years ago. Every year I live now is a bonus!"

The bodyguards exchanged glances, then one of them suddenly raised his wine bowl: "A toast to those who cannot return!"

"Damn this world!"

"Toast to this damned martial arts world!"

Zhang Yuan picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against Luo Dashan's, and said softly, "A toast to Great Qin."

Luo Dashan was slightly taken aback, then spoke in a low voice: "Respect, Great Qin."

Luo Dashan drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp and then fell silent.

Only when the shopkeeper brought over the steaming stove and pot did he pick up his chopsticks and begin to eat the meat heartily.

He ate quickly, seemingly unafraid of the heat or the spiciness of the mutton.

The aroma of wine and mutton wafting through the hall made several lightly dressed people in the corner sniff involuntarily.

"Even Zhang Dalang can't go home?" The bodyguard who had spoken earlier suddenly came over, his sheepskin coat smelling of horse manure, and his eyes involuntarily glanced at the steaming mutton pot on the table.

Zhang Yuan and the caravan's镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) had been stuck in this town for two days. They had exchanged a few words, and the merchants who had come to the inn had all left one after another.

After all, it's New Year's Eve. Who wouldn't go home if they could?
"I was planning to go to the Mountain Sect to participate in the initiation trial, but with the heavy snow blocking the roads, I don't know if I'll be able to make it in time," Zhang Yuan shook his head and answered calmly.

His words made the eyes of the two people sitting at a table not far away light up.

"Brother Zhang, are you also going to the Mountain Sect?" The young man in the blue martial robe looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with a wispy mustache and a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Then we can travel together."

(End of this chapter)