Volume 2 Chapter 17 (1/2)
Book 2: The Infinite Heart
Chapter 17 - So That Must Be Done (Part A)
East wind blew, battle druhteen clans of Southern Rong formed an encirclement
Long having submitted under the rule of the Infinite E, orshi+ped the human-head bird-bodied sun God Ge, had been somehow provoked to war this tiions allied to rise up in rebellion The sturdy and valiant soldiers of the two regions of the Rong province rushed out of thewater, quickly taking over the neighboring Ping City and Yellow County They then threatened to charge into Zhongzhou, wanting tobefore the great Chang'an Gate The King of Rong dispatched Guo Pingrong's vanguard troops to garrison the city of Jing, while the king's main camp was entrenched at the Sui River thirty li away The two armies mirrored each other's move and Yellow County
Meng Fuyao and Zong Yue, however, left the main ar city This was because according to sayings, in the vastthe Rong clans, there existed the rarest and most diverse types of ions Continent Zong Yue, being a medical practitioner, naturally would not miss out on this chance, while Fuyao also hoped that he would suddenly strike it lucky and be able to discover a cure for herself
Since Yao city was the city closest to the Rong clans, both Rong and Han[1] lived within the city The iesture of peace, had always created two positions of authority in the city - central and vice The central adistrate in the name lists of the imperial administration depart to local Rong customs the position would be called city master Responsibilities included the household census, taxation, justice, irrigation, agriculture, civil ad official The vice administrator oversaw the warehouses, the prison and official docuzhou Frohest executive position and had great power, yet they also sent out a detachhest ion, three thousand soldiers were garrisoned at White Pavilion Village twenty li away from the city of Yao, not subordinate to the commands of the main camp The E people could be said to be both kind and stern - the dynasty had put overning
Before coe of Yao city frouide that led the way for- it was beautiful and peaceful, with Rong and Han coexisting in harround was filled with colorful and vibrant flowers
However, upon walking into Yao city, Fuyao suddenly sucked in a cold breath
Dilapidated alleyways Burnt-out buildings that were scorched by s low in the audy,around in the winter sun Snow-bright sci with every brash, swaggering step The Rong looked around with narrowed eyes, their gazes surging with murderous intent, as if even rocks that dared to obstruct their paths would be immediately be chopped into rubble
In contrast, the domestic citizens hadto avoid others Even their paths would avoid those Rong people ere clearly looking for trouble
The air was charged with brutality,tension of a gunpowder barrel about to explode This atmosphere er
The ners” entered the city, they i over fros Even all the city's open inns were closed to outsider Hans Meng Fuyao and Zong Yue originally could directly move into the national office due to their token fro, and wanted to search for a family residence to take the several households, there were none that dared to lend them residence; only when it was very late did they finally find a family of elderly who took them in
That night, they ate a simple but clean meal at the elderly's house The old e belly and would likely give birth soon Under the sly used chopsticks to move food into the two travelers' bowls, his whole face wrinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum ”This is a small city in the s Here, eat up, eat up”
As Fuyao sat in front of the little table filled with cracks and black dirt, she hugged her bowl in a daze It had been seventeen years Seventeen years, since she had sat together with someone in front of a table, to enjoy a family supper; since she had felt a little rooht; since someone had pinched over food for her with chopsticks; since she had accoreens and rice that was a little bland
That dumb old Daoist had onlyhis disciple, everydown a coupleat the sa to her previous world, had traveled far, far away, a long tio They were akin to a wisp of cloud on the distant horizon, and it seeust of wind, they would disappear without a trace
There was one brief second where she panicked She see her vegetables, turn into a pair of slender, sickly hands, so pale the veins shone through the skin - the hands that belonged to her mother Yet, that vision vanished in but an instant She was still sitting in that alien and strange world's little city, in a certain roo doed to someone else
As she sat there, staring at the bowl full of food, tears suddenly started to flow
She instantly lowered her head and started to shovel food at flying speeds One of her teardrops suddenly landed on a green vegetable, and Fuyao unhesitantly grabbed it, ready to devour the taste of her own tears
But at that moment, a pair of chopsticks appeared froe
The snow-clothed Sir Zong had previously been eating using his ol and chopsticks, taking a couple greens and standing far away by the hile h, he suddenly walked over As if he didn't e had already been touched by her chopsticks, he leisurely took away the piece of vegetable, saying, ”There's a bug”
Fuyao was speechless She watched flabbergasted as he aardly picked up another piece of vegetable with unaccustomed movements, then placed it into her bowl
”You're too fat, eat this to get skinnier”
She looked at the piece of wild vegetable, revealing an odd expression After a second she let out a scoffing chuckle
”Can't you not be so poison-tongued all the tily by you”
In the depths of her eyes still reinally dark pearl-like pupils seeht as they reflected both the firelight inside the room, and the bitter frost outside of it
Zong Yue's chopsticks halted intowards the ht outside the
His eyes fluctuated indiscernibly His side figure in this moment seemed a little lonely, like a stalk of ba
Fuyao observed this eneration, and fell into thought Despite the honor and respect that he enjoyed from the various states due to his important status, in his heart, he was probably still lonely
It was because of his loneliness, that he could understand her own loneliness
She bit her lip, then moved a chopstick full of leeks into his bowl, even evilly etables deep into the rice She then bad-heartedly laughed ”This stuff is good for you, helps build up your yang”[2]
A thick-faced fellow has no match
The poison-tongued Zong YueFuyao, and could only concede defeat and pretend he heard nothing He lowered his head to eat, not even fussing about the cleanliness of the food anymore
Fuyao busied herself with her own food and no longer paid attention to Zong Yue In her mouth corner, however, floated a faint smile
After living there for several days, Fuyao had already gotten quite farown to love the peaceful life of bringing a s the day, and returning to the house to eat dinner and enjoy a faht She passed these chaotic days of southern rebellion by living a life full of local flavor
Unfortunately, Meng Fuyao's luck wasn't too good Her peaceful ti On this day, as she journeyed out and passed a certain street, she heard a claate, she sawwith colored cloth at sos were all packing their things and locking their doors as if trying to escape!
Fuyao looked on astonished, as she said, ”What's happening? They're dressed so garishly like colonists or sos and asked, ”What's that? A bunch of national flags?”
”Little brother please stop kidding around,” another passerby said in a low voice, ”That's the e If there is a debt that needs to be settled, they will hang this cloth to warn outsiders fro harmed in their personal disputes”
”So openly?” Fuyao narrowed her eyes ”Wasn't it said that Rong and Han lived together harmoniously in the past couple years? How coe?” ”The circuether peacefully'” Yao Xun suddenly interrupted ”The Rong are people with battle and arrogance in their blood, their whole lives dedicated to the pursuit of freedoer than them, they will submit, but won't be loyal forever The moment there is an opportunity they will all assuredly rebel and fight! In the history of the Infinite Eraphic has revolted a total of thirteen ti wiped out; yet the indoe Because of this, they are like the southern Qiang who live in the territory already split into the Upper Yuan, and called ' war chariots' by citizens of the Infinite Empire!”