Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 106 Shehuo Escaped
The month of Hana-cho (flower-themed moon) is the time when food is most plentiful on Mount Takara. Every year at this time, everything on Mount Takara comes back to life. Edible tender grasses, medicinal herbs, and spices all sprout up at this time, welcoming people with their plumpest and most tender appearance.

Yun Ce pulled a thick, tender sprout from the soil, about the size of a peanut sprout. When he broke it open, juice splattered everywhere. One bite revealed a crisp, sweet, and milky flavor.

"Golden sprouts used by women after childbirth are a holy medicine for promoting lactation; just two doses can make a woman's milk flow like a tide."

Upon hearing what Lao Chou said, Yun Ce immediately threw the thing away and spat twice; he didn't want to produce breast milk.

Today, the mountains and fields are teeming with hunters, and almost the entire royal hunting grounds have been mobilized.

There was nothing we could do but let these people come to Gaoliang Mountain to collect it. Dog skin meat is very tough. Eating it once or twice is fine, but if you eat it too often, it will make it hard to have a bowel movement.

Seeing that many people in the camp had swollen bellies, even the strict Longtai Guard had no choice but to let them go to Gaoliang Mountain for a large-scale collection.

"If they let everyone out, does that mean they won't kill us anymore?"

Eji and Zhang Min got together. Yun Ce didn't want any of the golden buds, but Eji didn't want to let any go.

"The Dragon Terrace Guards are the ones who do the dirty work for His Majesty. They don't usually go out easily, but once they do, the land will be scorched for miles around, which is considered mild."

"Shehuo is useless, so why would anyone want to steal it?"

"You don't know anything. Only a woman from a poor family like you would think that Shehuo is useless. Those ambitious men would not feel bad even if they sacrificed their whole family to get a share of Shehuo."

"Why? Just for a ball of fire?"

"Back then, in order to establish the Han Dynasty, King Huo forcibly collected all the Shehuo (a type of folk performance) of the thirty-six states passed down by the Yellow Emperor and then scattered them among the three hundred military states. In this way, the Han Dynasty could rightfully become the ruler of the world, and the Han emperor could command the three hundred military states."

Without Shehuo (a traditional folk performance), neither Heaven, Earth, Dragons, Gods, nor Humans would acknowledge the Han Dynasty.

Eji looked up at Yun Ce, who was chatting and laughing with Lao Chou, and her eyes lit up when she saw a plump golden sprout. She pulled it up by the roots and threw it into her basket.

"This stuff won't make your breasts bigger; it's for women to promote lactation."

"It's none of your business. But these past few days, there's something I've been wanting to say to you. Tell me, should I ask you or not?"

"Ask away, what can't you ask?"

"Alright, then I'll tell you. Did you come back this time to spy on my husband again?"

Zhang Min's expression changed for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal. She put a piece of sweet grass in her mouth, took a couple of sips, spat out the residue, and said, "No, it's to help Longtaiwei find Shehuo (a type of folk performance)."

"You've searched the whole house these past few days, have you found the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) yet?"

"No."

"Does that mean my husband has absolutely no connection to Shehuo (a traditional folk performance)?"

“But your husband is just too normal, so normal that it seems abnormal. I always think that maybe he is the one who did all the bad things in the world, so that it would be reasonable.”

Then, Yun Ce saw E Ji and Zhang Min fighting. Zhang Min must have lost her mind. She was clearly very skilled in martial arts and could beat a hundred E Ji, but the two of them were grabbing each other's hair and fighting fiercely on the mountainside.

Yun Ce finally managed to separate them. E Ji spat at Zhang Min angrily without saying a word. Zhang Min also spat at Yun Ce angrily. E Ji was furious and tried to pounce on him again, but Yun Ce carried her down the mountain.

"Don't be so impulsive in the future. Without dog skin, you can't beat her."

"I just can't stand him throwing mud at you."

Yun Ce carried E Ji on his back and whispered, "Are you scared?"

Eji pressed her face against Yun Ce's back and whispered, "That rainy night, I was terrified."

"You also think I did it?"

“It was you who did it. When I lie with you at night, I always dream that I am lying by a fire pit, and there is always a ball of fire jumping in the fire pit.”

Yun Ce patted E Ji's bottom and said, "This only means you can rest assured when you sleep with me."

"What a load of bull! I never dreamed of the hearth before, but other people's folk performances were lost on rainy nights, while I dreamed of the hearth when I slept with you after a rainy night."

"If you felt at ease, why didn't you want to sleep with me later?"

“I’m afraid that if I stay here too long, I’ll become tainted by the scent of the hearth and bring you disaster.”

Yun Ce whispered in E Ji's ear, "The Shehuo performances in Chuyun Prefecture will belong to our family after that."

Eji nodded heavily.

After Yun Ce descended the mountain, he saw a burly man beating Lao Cao. The man was extremely ruthless, kicking Lao Cao so hard that he coughed up blood and was unable to move.

As for the Longtai Guards, they stood not far away with their arms crossed, watching the spectacle. Yun Ce asked Gouzi to assess the battlefield, and Gouzi said it was ordinary. Yun Ce then abandoned Eji and pounced on the burly man like a hungry tiger, pinning him down.

Seeing this, Lao Cao struggled to his feet, picked up a rock, and smashed it down on the strong man's head.

The burly man's neck was extremely agile. Old Cao struck him seven or eight times in a row, but he nimbly dodged them all. It wasn't until Yun Ce used his knee to press against his chest and grabbed Linghuo's neck with one hand that Old Cao was able to land a fatal blow.

Old Cao struck once, and Yun Ce released the burly man. Pointing the stone at the burly man with a bloodied head, he said, "Huang Du, our grudges are settled."

Huang Du was furious and said, "You smashed my things and now you say it's all over? Where were you before?"

Old Cao laughed and said, "Stop arguing. Whatever you want, you can take whatever I have. Even if you want my wife, she's in the hunting palace right now. You can take her with you. If that's not enough, you can sleep in her room from now on, and I'll move next door. How about that?"

Huang Du wiped the blood from his head, sat down on the ground, looked up at Yun Ce and said, "Is this your brother? He's got some strength."

Old Cao said to Yun Ce, "This is Old Huang from the Daizhou Patrol Inspectorate. We've known each other for decades. Ever since I slept with one of his concubines, he's been angry until today."

Huang Du, who had calmed down, jumped up again and cursed, "You beast! That's my daughter-in-law!"

Old Cao chuckled and said, "Then how did it end up in your room?"

Before Lao Huang could continue speaking, Lao Cao pulled him aside and said bluntly, "This time we've fallen into your hands. Pull us out of this mess, name your price, and we'll accept it."

Huang Du's previous embarrassed and angry look disappeared instantly. He coughed and said, "This time we're in trouble. Chen Lin, the prefect of Daizhou, is here. He'll be here tonight. The disappearance of the Shehuo people in Chuyun Prefecture this time is too shocking. We won't let this go until we find out the truth."

Old Cao gritted his teeth and said, "There are still at least ten million people in Chuyun Prefecture. How are you going to investigate so many people?"

Huang Du laughed and said, "Actually, Shehuo is connected with the common people. Although the common people can't express the exact feeling, there is a big difference between having Shehuo and not having it."

Look, even in this crisis, the people here still have the mind to collect things and enjoy themselves. To put it bluntly, this is proof that the folk performances are still going strong.

Now, we need to use the process of elimination. We need to send some of the people from Chuyun Prefecture away, one group at a time. If a group leaves and the people of Chuyun Prefecture remain unchanged, we can say that Ming Shehuo is still in Chuyun Prefecture. In that case, the group that left is naturally fine.

But if a group of people leave, and the hearts of the people in Chuyun Prefecture are completely plunged into darkness, then it means that the group of people Ming recently sent away were problematic. If we investigate thoroughly, we'll surely find the guy who took the Shehuo (a type of folk performance).

Yun Ce's heart pounded as he listened, while Lao Cao beamed with joy, pulling Lao Huang's hand and saying, "We're in the first batch, brother, you must arrange for us to be in the first batch to leave."

Old Huang laughed and said, "That depends on what price you're willing to pay. Forget about your wife, she's too old. Give me a younger one in return, and I'll let you go first. But let me make this clear: if any of you manage to take the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance), and you get beheaded by everyone, don't blame me."

Old Cao turned to look at Yun Ce and said, "We must examine them carefully; we cannot miss a single one."

Yun Ce nodded and said, "Everyone take off your clothes and go through the water gate, including you and me."

Old Cao nodded and said to Old Huang, "Make the arrangements. We'll be the first to leave. Once we cross the Longmen Bridge and enter Daizhou territory, the Shehuo festival in Chuyun Prefecture won't affect us anymore. Instead, the Daizhou Shehuo festival will take care of us, right?"

Old Huang nodded and said, "Let's leave this place of trouble as soon as possible. It'll be better if we stay far away. This Chuyun Prefecture is really not a place for good people to stay."

This time, His Majesty has shown great compassion and pardoned the ban on the sons of criminals from Izumo Prefecture entering the Han mainland. You have finally turned your luck around, provided, of course, that you find the Izumo Prefecture Shehuo (a local folk performance).

Yun Ce glanced down at the wristband on his left hand and couldn't help but sigh slightly. It seemed that this time, he would be separated from Gouzi and Longzhu for quite a long time.

"Dog, you take the Dragon Balls and let the folk performance go first, okay?"

"My legs are short, so I can't walk fast."

Can you control the carrier bird?

"Okay, but do you really trust me that much?"

"I trust you completely."

"Alright, I'll fly away in a bit."

Just as Lao Huang and Lao Cao finished discussing the first batch of personnel, Yun Ce's wristband was gone.

After a messenger bird flapped its wings and took to the sky, it flew like an arrow towards Daizhou.

In the afternoon, the people who went to Gaoliang Mountain to collect materials returned and were happily preparing dinner when they heard a series of thunderclaps in the sky.

Everyone looked up at the sky and realized that the once clear blue sky had been instantly filled with dark clouds. The dark clouds, accompanied by a strong wind, flew over the top of Gaoliang Mountain, and lightning bolts, like golden snakes leaping wildly, pierced through the thick dark clouds and struck the towering peak of Gaoliang Mountain one after another.

With a loud crack, countless huge rocks broke off from Mount Gaoliang and cascaded down the mountainside with tremendous force.

Old Huang witnessed the peak of Gaoliang Mountain break in half and plunge into the deep canyon. He couldn't help but shout, "The Shehuo of Chuyun Prefecture has escaped!"

(End of this chapter)