Xiao Yunjing erged onto the newly constructed city wall, the air still thick with the scent of fresh mud and stone. Xiao Yunjing had nad this city Xiaocheng. It stood directly opposite the Daqian Kingdom, with only a river separating them. Over the river lood a naturally ford, arch-shaped mountain, crowned with a peak tower. When Xiao Yunjing had taken Xiaocheng, he had also seized this mountain and erected an impregnable tower upon its summit.
The next day, five thousand n from Blue Clouds Mountain were due to arrive. Once they arrived, Xiao Yunjing planned to conquer Wucheng, the tenth largest city in the Beijiang Kingdom. There were ten large cities and one royal city in the Beijiang Kingdom. Capturing these eleven strongholds would bring the entire Beijiang Kingdom under Xiao’s rule. The small surrounding tribes were of little concern. Once this region was secured, the Daqian Kingdom would be next.
「At the sa ti, on Tiger Head Mountain」
Yun No. 1 sat high on a commanding chair, flanked by ten black-clad mbers of the Secret Sect standing behind him. At his feet, Cao Hu and the second and third chieftains prostrated themselves, not daring to utter a sound. They had been dragged from their sleep and thrown here, still struggling to comprehend the power of their captors.
"Cao Hu."
A thundering voice resounded in Cao Hu’s ears.
"Here," Cao Hu replied, straightening up as if struck by lightning.
Yun No. 1 gestured to one of the Secret Sect mbers behind him. The man produced a contract and tossed it towards Cao Hu. The seemingly weightless paper flew straight and landed precisely before Cao Hu. This display of skill alone left the three bandits dumbfounded.
To be able to injure soone with a plucked flower or a tossed leaf would be no re legend for such a person; his internal energy must be incredibly pure, they thought in terror. And he’s just a subordinate to the one seated there. How powerful must that man be? They dared not dwell on it further, fearing the thought alone might scare them to death.
Cao Hu looked down at the paper, and his heart sank as he read its contents.
Damn it all, he realized, they’re here for a hostile takeover!
They had only just surrendered to the imperial court, and now these mysterious figures appeared, demanding Tiger Head Mountain.
Couldn’t they have co sooner or later? Why now, right after we’ve surrendered? Even if Cao Hu were as dull as a pig, he understood their intentions now. Damn it! After finally shedding our bandit identities to beco carefree mountain lords here, a bunch of top-tier experts show up. In the blink of an eye, we’re soone else’s lackeys again. This drop in status isn’t just big, it’s enormous!
He glanced up at Yun No. 1, whose profound gaze seed to pierce right through him, as if ready to swallow him whole.
Damn it! Cao Hu cursed inwardly, then bit his finger, pressed a bloody print by his na, and passed the contract to the second and third chieftains.
The second chieftain was a martial arts fanatic, already won over by the Secret Sect mber’s earlier display. Without even glancing at the docunt’s contents, he bit his finger and pressed his own print.
Only the third chieftain hesitated for a mont before also pressing his fingerprint. We are the fish on the chopping block, and they are the knife. A wise man submits to circumstances, he must have thought. Their nas were already written on the contract. Did they really have a choice but to add their fingerprints?
Yun No. 1, seeing their cooperative attitude, nodded in satisfaction. Now, it was ti to carry out the other task assigned by his master.
「In Qinghe Village」
Gu Qingli worked on the mountain during the day and made dicine in the Pharmacy within her Space at night. She had also started clearing the wasteland adjoining her land. Since I’m free anyway, she thought, I might as well clear as much as I can. She had also spotted a large tract of land at the foot of the slope, about twenty acres, which would also be good to cultivate. So, she and the other three won went to work on the mountain every day.
When the villagers saw how well the crops and dicinal materials in Gu Qingli’s fields were thriving, they were filled with regret. Many families with spare hands began to emulate her, and soon a land-clearing trend swept through the village. So even thinned out the misshapen, weaker rice seedlings in their own paddies. Though the fields looked sparser, the remaining robust seedlings were much more pleasing to the eye, especially after another application of fertilizer. A few days later, these rice seedlings had shot up noticeably, delighting those villagers so much they couldn’t stop smiling.
Gu Chang’an practically lived in the fields these days. His wrinkled old face would beam like a blooming chrysanthemum whenever he saw soone else adopting Gu Qingli’s thods. His family had twenty acres of land in total. After they too had thinned their seedlings and applied fertilizer, the growth was now truly remarkable. Gu Chang’an would even laugh in his sleep, dreaming of fields filled with golden, ripe grain.
Today, Gu Qingli received Xiao Yunjing’s third letter. He wrote that they had conquered the second city and were preparing to assault the third. Thanks to the dicinal pills she had sent, their casualties had been minimal.
After dinner, she closed her door and imrsed herself once more in the Pharmacy within her Space, busily preparing more dicine. Xiao Yunjing had said they weren’t short of grain, but of dicine. So, she focused on supplying him with large quantities of it. The dicinal materials in her Space couldn’t regrow fast enough to keep up with her production; otherwise, she would have spent twenty-four hours a day making dicine in the Space.
「The next day」
She erged from the Space exhausted and handed the newly made dicine to Yun No. 20, urging him to deliver it to Xiao Yunjing posthaste. These were mostly healing pills, the simplest to produce, so she could make a considerable amount each ti.
"Miss, you must rest," Wuqing said with concern, bringing water for Gu Qingli to wash up.
Gu Qingli shook her head. "It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after so sleep. You go handle things in the fields."
Wuqing nodded and then brought breakfast, to which Ms. Yang had added two fried eggs for Gu Qingli.
Gu Qingli savored the at and vegetable congee paired with the fried eggs. After eating her fill, she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep.
Wuqing shook her head softly, covered Gu Qingli with a quilt, lowered the bed curtains, and then cleared away the dishes before quietly leaving.
"Has she eaten?" Ms. Yang tiptoed over and asked softly, peeking in.
"Yes, Miss just lay down to sleep. Madam, are you still going up the mountain today?" Wuqing replied.
"Of course! Why wouldn’t I? Working on the mountain is great for losing weight!" Ms. Yang declared joyfully. I’ve finally found the perfect way to slim down! Eat my fill and then work it off on the mountain. I get to enjoy delicious food and not gain weight!
Wuqing pursed her lips into a smile. The Madam is becoming quite the character, she thought.
Nearby, Ms. Wang had already gathered the tools for the mountain. It was still early, a good ti to get a load of work done before the deadly heat of midday set in.
"Mother, where are you off to?" Ms. Yang asked, seeing Ms. Jiang dressed and ready to go out.
"I’m going to visit your Aunt Wu. After that, I’ll check on the fields," Ms. Jiang replied.
With everyone else out working, Ms. Jiang found it boring to stay ho alone and decided to do what she could. Knowing Gu Qingli was busy, she planned to visit Gu Qingli’s mother and then check on the fields. A quick round would pass half the day.
"Oh, alright, Mother. Please be careful. Don’t worry about lunch; we’ll co back early to prepare it," Ms. Yang said.
Ms. Jiang nodded and set off.
Ms. Wu, whose critical period of pregnancy had passed, was weeding the vegetable patch behind her house. Hearing Ms. Jiang call out, she imdiately ca back.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you over today?" Ms. Wu asked.
Ms. Jiang smiled, her gaze resting on Ms. Wu’s belly. "I’m idle most days, so I ca to see how you are. Even though this pregnancy seems stable now, you still need to be careful."
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