darknovel Chapter 91 The Danger of Transforming into a Dragon
Chapter 91 The Danger of Transforming into a Dragon
Chapter 91 The Danger of Transforming into a Dragon
Hongfeng Pass.
This is one of the most important cities on the route from Changmingfu to Kyoto.
Every May, the mountains and fields are ablaze with red maple leaves, as dazzling as wildfire.
The Ma tribe of the previous dynasty invaded several times, but all their attempts were thwarted at Hongfeng Pass, and they ultimately returned empty-handed.
Now, the refugee army has also arrived here.
The attack was also unsuccessful after a prolonged siege, resulting in significant losses.
Inside the makeshift tent, a dozen or so generals of various ranks, dressed in light armor, were discussing countermeasures.
Faced with the heavily guarded and easily defensible Hongfeng Pass, many people considered retreating.
If the fighting continues like this, even if we manage to breach the city gates, the casualties will be enormous.
"If we retreat, we can still occupy a small portion of the territory, so it's not a loss for us."
"That's right, I doubt they'd dare to easily leave the pass and attack!"
These people were talking all at once. Standing in front of the military map that they had seized from other Jing Kingdom armies, a man who was also wearing light armor and carrying a long sword turned around.
His eyes were like a dragon's, and his voice was deep.
"No refunds!"
The others looked over, and the tall, middle-aged man standing on the left advised, "General, why be angry? If we retreat, we can preserve our strength and prevent the Jing Kingdom from counterattacking."
"Yes, Commander, the loss is too great; it's not worth it!"
The man known as the Commander-in-Chief did not speak immediately, but looked over at each of them.
His gaze was so sharp that everyone who saw him involuntarily fell silent.
Only when everyone fell silent did he say, "It seems you have all forgotten what we did when we rose up in Changming Prefecture in the name of the salt workers."
"To seize power?"
"I, Huang Qi, offended the provincial education commissioner and failed the imperial examinations for many years. I became a salt worker to make a living."
"And you?" He pointed to the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier. "Your land was seized by a local tyrant, forcing you to flee here."
.
"You were a village schoolteacher, but you were falsely accused of colluding with bandits by local gentry, your residence was ransacked, and you almost became a victim of their violence."
"And you, after the war you returned to farming, but you have no land to cultivate."
One by one, people were given reasons for joining the uprising.
Everyone has experienced being oppressed and humiliated.
"Our uprising is for the purpose of equalizing wealth and alleviating the people's suffering, not for becoming emperor!"
The middle-aged man said, "But I've heard that the two Ministers of Revenue have now issued national policies, which have been applauded by the people."
He meant that since there were already solutions to the crisis of the people's hardship, they might not be willing to continue fighting alongside them.
Huang Qi shook his head, his gaze resolute, and said, "Don't you understand that if we retreat now, our so-called national policy will only be abandoned halfway?"
"During the uprising, someone told me that I probably wouldn't be able to get into Kyoto through the exam, but it might be easier to take it by force."
He also said, "If you're going to hit someone, hit them hard. Only when you hit them hard will they know the pain."
"Only when you feel the pain will you change!"
"Families, nobles, and imperial relatives that have never been beaten will never change."
"For the sake of the people, Hongfeng Pass must be taken! Tomorrow I will personally lead the vanguard, vowing never to retreat!"
In a secluded little courtyard.
Chu Xun slept in the room all night, and when he woke up, he felt refreshed.
A faint fragrance wafted to my nose. I got up, opened the door, and went outside, only to be momentarily stunned.
Overnight, the old locust tree in the courtyard was covered with white blossoms.
The sweet fragrance of locust blossoms attracted a large number of bees.
The tree branches swayed without wind, and the locust blossoms fell like white snowflakes.
Chu Xun reached out and took a few blossoms, putting them in her mouth. She found them even sweeter than she remembered.
He chuckled and said, "You're too kind."
I walked slowly to the old locust tree and looked up at its thick canopy.
"It's only polite to reciprocate, so have some too."
Wood Sprout Technique +1
It provides a small amount of help to the plant's growth, that's the explanation.
However, in reality, it depends on the specific level of cultivation.
If one is still in the Qi Refining stage, such a large tree would obviously have very little effect.
But now that he's in the Foundation Establishment stage, he's naturally extraordinary.
The spiritual energy continuously flowed into the roots of the tree trunk in an incomprehensible way, transforming into nutrients and being transported to all parts of the body.
The leaves are greener, and several more branches have sprung up out of nowhere. Even the fragrance of the locust blossoms seems stronger than before.
"Now that we have locust flowers, let's make some steamed dishes to go with our drinks at noon."
As Chu Xun spoke, he turned around, walked to the wall, passed through it, and headed towards the nearby vegetable market.
In the courtyard in front of the alley, the little girl dragged her father out, pointing to the secluded little yard and shouting, "Dad, look, I told you the locust tree was in bloom!"
Wei Ting didn't believe it at first, but after being pulled out by his daughter, he took a closer look and was immediately stunned.
The old locust tree, which hadn't flowered for many years, actually bloomed.
Many neighbors came out to see the spectacle and marveled at it.
The little girl had sharp eyes and saw Chu Xun carrying oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar into the alley, so she quickly went to find her father.
"Dad, that hero is back! Shall we go find him?"
Wei Ting wasn't interested in so-called heroes. Having traveled the martial arts world for so many years, he had seen countless heroes.
Most of them are not worthy of their reputation; they are either seeking fame and fortune, or they are hypocrites.
But his daughter insisted on going, and he was also curious about the old locust tree in the yard, so he followed her.
When I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, I could see through the crack in the door that there were indeed people talking inside.
"Fall down, fall down a little more."
Wei Ting hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the brass lock on the courtyard door. With a little force, he pulled it off the door panel.
The courtyard gate slammed to the ground with a loud crash, kicking up a little dust.
Wei Ting saw a boy of about sixteen or seventeen standing in the courtyard, holding up a clean cloth to catch the falling locust blossoms.
The boy turned his head and looked on, his expression seemingly somewhat surprised.
Wei Ting felt a little embarrassed, coughed, and said, "I didn't expect this door to be so flimsy; it collapsed with just a touch."
The little girl ran over quickly and saw that Chu Xun's hand was already full of locust blossoms.
"Why did you take this?" the little girl asked.
Chu Xun replied, "Eat."
"Huh? Can I eat this? Can I try some?" the little girl asked, tilting her head back.
"Of course," Chu Xun nodded.
Wei Ting walked over and chuckled, saying, "My daughter is very outgoing and can chat with anyone."
"fine."
"May I ask why you have entered this courtyard? I recall that this is official property?"
"I've been here before, but I didn't want to bother anyone, so I just came in."
Wei Ting listened and thought for a long time, but still couldn't remember when the young man had come.
Thinking that asking further might only make things more awkward, he looked up at the old locust tree and said, "This is the first time I've seen it bloom in all these years. I wonder what's so special about it."
Chu Xun said, "Maybe it's because I want to eat it."
Wei Ting looked over in surprise, and seeing that Chu Xun showed no embarrassment, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "You have a very interesting way of speaking."
Chu Xun knew he didn't believe her, so she didn't explain further and said, "I'll make some steamed dishes and also bought some wine. Shall we have a drink together?"
Before Wei Ting could speak, the little girl jumped up and exclaimed, "Great! Great! Great!"
Wei Ting himself did want to have a drink, so he readily agreed.
I just felt that eating steamed dishes and drinking wine seemed a bit too plain, so I said, "Eating your steamed dishes and drinking the wine you bought makes me seem stingy. I'll go buy some braised dishes to go with the wine."
These words sounded somewhat familiar, and Chu Xun laughed: "Okay."
The little girl watched the whole time while I was making steamed dishes.
With big, curious eyes, Wei Ting had already moved a table and set out the food and drinks by the time the steamed dishes were ready.
"Today I'll also try to emulate those scholars and indulge in a bit of refined taste."
"By the way, are you a scholar?"
Chu Xun brought over a chair and shook his head: "I'm a farmer."
Wei Ting glanced at him, but didn't say anything. He just thought to himself, "Such a young age, yet so dishonest."
He's so fair-skinned he looks like a rich young master. What kind of peasant would look like that?
But he didn't pay much attention to it, assuming that the other party had a background that couldn't be revealed.
Upon learning that Wei Ting was a bodyguard, Chu Xun asked curiously, "Where have you been?"
Wei Ting said with a hint of pride, "I've been to all the surrounding countries, and the furthest I've been is the Great Yan, three thousand miles away. That one trip alone earned me several hundred taels of silver!"
Chu Xun was surprised; three thousand miles might be a lifetime's distance for most ordinary people.
He asked curiously what the surrounding countries were like, and Wei Ting answered him in detail.
There are no officially recognized gods in the northern deserts, only various evil worship practices.
Beyond the desert and grasslands lies the Yue Kingdom.
Famous for its weaving skills, it is especially skilled at making rattan armor that is impervious to swords and spears and water and fire.
He preferred to live in a thatched hut and appointed the door gods as righteous deities.
Southwest of Jing Kingdom lies the mountainous forest of barbarian tribes, which is now the area where Han Shizhong is entrenched.
Although it has many small tribes like the northern desert, it surprisingly has a mountain god as its main deity.
Beyond the mountains and forests lies the Kingdom of Wu, renowned for its weapon craftsmanship.
The righteous god of that country is the Kitchen God.
Beyond the Wu Kingdom lies the Great Yan, which is far more powerful than the Jing Kingdom.
The deity it appointed was the Thunder Department.
To the east lies the Kingdom of Wusun.
There are very few people, and thick fog often falls. Once you get lost in the fog, you may never find your way back.
Legend has it that a monster lurks in the mist, ready to devour anyone it finds.
The officially appointed deity is the Earth God.
The women there are quite beautiful, and many high-ranking officials and nobles are willing to pay high prices to buy them.
To the due south lies a great river, eight hundred feet wide.
Although it is not a kingdom, it still has a Dragon King as a righteous god.
This great river runs through the Jing Kingdom, and one of its branches is the Songliu River.
Wei Ting said, "Have you heard of the Songliu River's 'Water God' that has emerged in recent years?"
Chu Xun nodded: "I've heard of it."
Wei Ting said, "Whether there is a true water god or not is hard to tell. But the giant python in the river is something that many people have seen with their own eyes."
"If this giant python were to transform into a dragon in the future, it would cause a great flood, and countless people would suffer."
Wei Ting said with a hint of pride, "I once saw a python transform into a dragon, with thunder rolling in the sky. It was quite a sight."
"The python was wearing a tortoise shell that it had somehow acquired. Unfortunately, although it survived the lightning tribulation, a gust of wind blew its flesh and bones apart, and it failed to succeed."
"I've heard that even if the wind doesn't kill it, it still needs to be combined with Ren water and pass the test of the righteous god before it can truly transform into a dragon."
The little girl, while putting steamed vegetables into her mouth, asked curiously, "Why transform into a dragon?"
A timid voice came from behind: "The python transforms into a dragon so that it may one day become a dragon."
Chu Xun turned his head and saw a six or seven-year-old boy standing at the door, too afraid to come in.
The little girl immediately snorted, "You know that now?"
The boy's face flushed red: "It's all written in the book! You don't read it, of course you don't know!"
"Oh, you only know a few words, you coward!"
The boy was both angry and anxious, his eyes reddening and he was about to cry again.
Chu Xun's heart skipped a beat, and he asked with a smile, "Since you say it's all written in the book, does the book say how to counteract the wind that disperses the python?"