Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 48 Lord Yu, whose Feet Don't Touch the Ground

Peng Jing turned to look at Zhang Min, whose face was streaked with tears, and asked with a gloomy expression, "Is it true?"

Zhang Min did not answer, but pointed at Yun Ce and said, "When he killed my father, he shouted 'Give me the seal.' I heard it clearly. He killed my father and took the seal."

Peng Jing turned to look at Yun Ce and asked, "What do you mean?"

Liang Kun organized his thoughts and said, "On the way to Sheyang City, we saw four corpses. This seal came from one of the corpses. Judging from the remaining clothing, I dare to guess that these four corpses should be Zhang Gongyaliang's four sons."

Liang Kun paused here, looked at Zhang Min whose face was not good, and said: "Lady, can you tell us why the fourth son of the city lord has fallen to the point of having no clothes, no food, no carriage, no guards, and being eaten by dog ​​skins, while you not only arrived in Sheyang City smoothly, but also lived a life of luxury?"

Yun Ce smiled maliciously, "It seems that he secretly took away the carriage servants in the middle of the night, leaving his four stupid older brothers to feed the dogs."

Alternatively, he could drug his four elder brothers, kill them, and then become Zhang Gong's sole heir, thus inheriting all of Zhang Gong's wealth.

Zhang Min was about to retort when Peng Jing's fierce gaze made her swallow her words, tears streaming down her face as she glared menacingly at Yun Ce.

Feng An chuckled and cupped his hands to Peng Jing, saying, "This is a matter for the city lord's family, and we juniors should not get involved. Now that the seal has been returned intact, we can say that we have put our minds at ease. We will take our leave now."

Zhang Min shouted, "Don't leave!"

Peng Jing remained silent, watching Yun Ce and the other two leave leisurely. Only after their figures disappeared from sight did he look at Zhang Min and say, "My dear niece, you really need to explain why you were able to arrive in Sheyang City with guards and servants, while none of your father's and brothers' wives, concubines, and children survived."

Zhang Min screamed, "Uncle, why are you questioning a young woman like this instead of pursuing the murderer who killed my father?"

Peng Jing was furious and shouted at the constables standing outside, "Interrogate each person who returned from Pingyuan City!"

Zhang Min shouted, "How can this be?"

Peng Jing sneered, "I am also very interested to know the two questions raised by that scholar."

After Yun Ce and the other two left the place, Feng An frowned and asked, "You killed Zhang Yaliang?"

Yun Ce said, "Zhang Yaliang is the culprit behind the fall of Pingyuan City. If he doesn't die, the wronged souls in the city will not be at peace."

Liang Kun sneered and said, "This Zhang Min is no good either. Although she is beautiful, she has a heart of a snake. Now that she has been targeted by Peng Jing, let's see how she can protect the family fortune she has worked so hard to acquire."

Feng An seemed indifferent to Yun Ce killing Zhang Yaliang, chuckling softly, "What goes around comes around..."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Isn't the point that I killed Zhang Yaliang? I'm a pig demon!"

Liang Kun laughed and said, "You're not a pig spirit."

Yun Ce said, "Alright, since you trust me so much, I'll make you chicken drumsticks today."

What's a chicken leg?

"Bird legs!"

"it is good."

Yun Ce hadn't noticed this before, as he rarely saw live chickens when he lived in the city. Now, hearing that Feng An and the others seemed to have no concept of chickens, Yun Ce realized that he hadn't seen a chicken since Hekou Village.

Not only have I never seen chickens in human settlements, but I've also never seen pheasants when I was wandering in the wilderness. I just don't know if I can cook those bird legs in a short time today.

When buying ingredients at the market, Yun Ce found the prices to be incomprehensibly high. A bag of beans cost eight green coins, and the vendors didn't seem very willing to sell to him.

When he was a grassroots official, Yun Ce was very sensitive to prices, especially the prices of several items that were closely related to people's lives. Whenever he had the chance, he would habitually look into them and compare them.

Today, the price of wild beans has reached eight green coins, which he feels is completely unrealistic. Wild beans, red berries, and green berries are the four main food sources for the people of the wilderness, which are collected and processed from the wild. As for precious foods like wheat, only nobles can afford them.

If the price of wild beans rises, the prices of the other three foods should also be high. If the prices of these things are still within the range of people's income, then there is no big problem. We can test it a few more times until we find out the limit of what people can afford, set it as a red line, and make sure that we never touch it.

After Yun Ce inquired about the prices of the four types of grain, he discovered that the grain owners were making their final business deal...

Yun Ce carried a bag of wild beans, while Feng An carried a lighter bag of red armor. These things were about the size of a fist, and once their hard shells were cracked open and roasted, they made a good ration.

Liang Kun carried a bag of tree powder. None of the three of them had any interest in talking. The street was still bustling with people, as if nothing had happened. However, the three of them couldn't help but cast their gazes toward the dark path beyond the bushes. They felt that the people there had such anxious eyes that they could ignite a fire.

"Shouldn't the master provide food for the slaves?"

Yun Ce asked Feng An cautiously.

Feng An looked up at the sky and said quietly, "Guess why they're called slaves?"

Liang Kun sneered, "When the master needs them to work, he'll give them a bowl of rice. When the master doesn't need them, they have to find their own food." "They're at least tools, aren't they?"

"When you have too many tools, they become less important."

Yun Ce placed the wild beans from his shoulder onto Liang Kun's shoulder and said to Feng An, "I'll go take a look over at the path."

After saying that, he disappeared into the bushes, and after walking a dozen steps, he arrived in another world.

Under the same sky, on the other side of the bushes, the sun shines brightly, the air is dry, and the streets are wide and clean. But after passing through the bushes, the sky here appears somewhat gray. There's no way around it, because there's no rain, and with so many people and livestock walking around, the dust is so thick that you can't see very far.

The people here wear clothes that are either gray-black or gray-white, their faces are dark, and their limbs are thin and long. Even women who are naturally fond of beauty look disheveled and dirty, showing no beauty whatsoever. The same is true for young girls.

Yun Ce saw a two- or three-year-old girl with a bulging belly, naked. She was sitting on a mound of dirt by the roadside eating dirt. Yun Ce picked her up, pretending to take her away, but no one paid any attention.

He pulled out a handful of green coins, and then a lot of people surrounded him, each claiming to be the little girl's parents.

Yun Ce casually tossed the money in his hand and led the little girl back to the main road.

Feng An and Liang Kun had long since disappeared, and Yun Ce, amidst the stares of the crowd who were looking at him as a monster, led the little girl back to the inn.

Along the way, he was very grateful for the lessons of hardship that the old thief Yun Linchuan had taught him, which allowed him to remain calm after witnessing the hell on earth.

According to the old thief, the poor are a treasure. He didn't understand the meaning of this sentence before, but now he does. As long as you give those poor people something to eat, they will do whatever you ask them to do. If they are unwilling, it means they are not poor enough.

Poor people are very bold and dare to risk their lives. Many times, they wish they could die early and be reborn, hoping to have a less bitter life after reincarnation.

While Yun Ce was compiling his investigation report, E Ji washed the little girl clean. She was a pretty child with clear features, but her belly was big, probably from eating dirt.

Eji fed the little girl some Yishu powder paste. In less than ten minutes, the little girl started having diarrhea that she couldn't stop. Her belly visibly deflated. When the little girl's big belly was completely gone, all that was left in the small cloth bag was a thin, bony skeleton. Her bones were very delicate, and in many places, they were only the thickness of chopsticks.

The child was perfectly fine when she ate dirt and developed a big belly, but after drinking half a bowl of yam powder paste, her life was immediately extinguished.

Without the slightest hesitation, it seemed that the reason she was born and lived was to wait for this bowl of porridge.

The group of people stared at the tiny corpse in the small cloth bag, unable to cheer up at all. Even though Yun Ce cooked the four large bird legs until they were fragrant, it couldn't bring them a smile.

“I saw Pei Chuan when I was waiting for you outside the inn today,” Eji whispered.

Yun Ce suddenly turned his head and looked at E Ji, asking, "Have you seen Miss Hong?"

"I didn't see him. I think that since Pei Chuan appeared in Sheyang City, Miss Hong should be here too."

Feng An and Liang Kun couldn't understand who Pei Chuan and Hong Guniang were; they were still immersed in the tragic scene that had just happened to the little girl.

Yun Ce wrapped her in a small cloth bag and tied her tightly with strips of cloth so that she would be a little warmer when she was buried underground.

Then, Yun Ce began to wolf down his food.

During the meal, Yun Ce suddenly asked, "Who is the richest family in Sheyang City?"

Feng An put down his chopsticks and said calmly, "In Sheyang City, Lord Yu is the richest."

"How rich?"

"It is said that Lord Yu was born into wealth and nobility, and from the moment he was born, his feet never touched the soil."

"Floor tiles are also made of mud."

"That's right, the floor tiles are indeed made of mud, so people have never stepped on them. Someone as ignorant as you wouldn't even know that there's such a thing as a carpet."

"Going out?"

"There were carriages and palanquins, and the places you stepped on were covered with brocade and carpets. There was even a ladder for beauties to go upstairs."

What is a "beauty ladder"?

"I don't know either. I heard that Lord Yu's feet are as clear as jade, with veins crisscrossing like dragon patterns. They are the most beautiful feet in the world."

Upon hearing Feng An's words, Yun Ce felt a sense of longing. He swallowed the last bite of his meal and said to E Ji, "I want to go and see tonight."

(End of this chapter)