Great Fog County didn’t have many Martial Artists. Two appearing at once meant something major was about to happen.
SWOOSH!
CLANG!
The three men hurried to the village entrance. They saw two whistling arrows piercing the sky above Wind Fighting Ridge, followed by the sound of a Copper Gong.
They breathed a sigh of relief. Two whistling arrows indicated two Martial Artists, and it meant they hadn’t attacked the village protection squad’s patrols. A strike of the Copper Gong meant the protection squad recognized them.
Sure enough, two figures descended like giant birds. Before they even touched the ground, laughter echoed across the fields.
"Haha! Brother Chen! Long time no see!"
Before Clan Leader Chen Xuan could reply, the second person falling from the sky spoke up.
"Chen Xuan of the Chen Family Village, hear this order. The Yuntai Pass Five Armies Commander’s Mansion is now conscripting your village’s three Martial Artists for seven days. Please depart with us immediately!"
The voice was crisp and clear, obviously belonging to a woman.
By now, everyone could see their faces clearly. The first to land was Great Fog County’s County Captain Li Jiaguang. The second was a young woman. Her tight-fitting martial attire accentuated her striking figure.
More importantly, this woman completely disregarded County Captain Li’s dignity, issuing the conscription order right as he was offering his greetings. For a moment, everyone was stunned.
"Greetings, Lord Li. May I ask this lady’s esteemed surname?" Clan Leader Chen Xuan was the first to cup his hands in a salute and ask.
Chen Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze shifted from the awkward face of County Captain Li to the second person, then he smiled and greeted the captain. "Greetings, Lord Li!"
The woman was clearly impatient. Without waiting for County Captain Li to exchange pleasantries, she spoke again in a cold tone.
"Which one of you is Chen Xuan? Your village has three Martial Artists, right? Gather them right now and depart with us immediately!"
Having practiced Qi Cultivation for over twenty years, Chen Xuan’s expression remained unchanged. However, the woman’s blatant rudeness filled Chen Changsheng with utter disgust. His face turned cold as he wondered how to retort.
Beside him, Chen Fusheng was already furious, his True Qi beginning to circulate. Observing the expressions and movements of the three from the Chen Family Village, County Captain Li reached out to stop Chen Fusheng and said awkwardly.
"Uh... Brother Chen, Chang Sheng, Fu Sheng, this Miss Qiuyue holds the Governor’s Token of the Yuntai Pass Five Commanderies Governor’s Office. You must obey the order. Go back and pack your bags now! Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
"We will depart from here in half a quarter of an hour!
"Oh, and there’s no need to bring warhorses!"
Clan Leader Chen Xuan sighed inwardly. He had been planning to spend the next few days healing his injuries, but unexpectedly, another conscription had arrived. Turning around, he said, "Chang Sheng, Fu Sheng, go back and pack! We’ll follow orders!"
Chen Changsheng turned and launched into a Flying Sweep. Unbidden, the restricted courtyard in the southwest corner of Chaoyang Town came to mind. He had a gut feeling that this conscription was almost certainly related to Zhu Baihu, and that this trip carried extremely high risks.
He thought about the five Martial Artists from the Northern Barbarians who had led over a thousand Iron Cavalry to assault Chaoyang Town. Their goal had obviously been whatever was inside that restricted courtyard in the Southwest. And then there was this inexplicable conscription.
Upon returning home, Chen Changsheng looked at Chen Yuyao, who was busy in the kitchen, and spoke softly.
"Eldest girl, there’s a county conscription, so I have to go away for a while! Take good care of your younger brother and sister. If anything happens, go find Uncle Four!"
Over the past two months or so, Chen Yuyao had been eating well and had started practicing martial arts. She had undergone a tremendous transformation. Her complexion was rosy, her skin was no longer rough, and she was much more confident.
Hearing his words, her heart skipped a beat. They had only enjoyed these good days for a short while, and now her father had to leave again. The county’s conscription of Martial Artists always involved life-and-death struggles. Otherwise, why would they need Martial Artists? Sensible as she was, she knew that once the county issued an order, her father had no power to resist and could only dutifully obey the summons.
Forcing down the worry in her heart, Chen Yuyao said in a crisp voice, "Dad! Stay safe! Put yourself first no matter what happens. We don’t care about the county’s bounties!"
Chen Changsheng nodded. He turned to find Chen Tongwu, who was practicing martial arts, and Chen Yuxi, who was playing nearby.
"Tong Wu, Little Yuxi, Dad is going away for a while. You must listen to Yuyao at home! Otherwise, you won’t get any of the gifts I bring back!"
Seeing the two little ones nod in agreement, Chen Changsheng finally went back inside to pack his bags.
A moment later, Chen Changsheng arrived at the village entrance, finding that Clan Leader Chen Xuan and Chen Fusheng were already there.
Miss Qiuyue was still the one giving the orders: "Let’s move out!"
The five of them vaulted into the air, executing Flying Sweeps toward the south. Along the way, as the Clan Leader and County Captain Li conversed, Chen Changsheng finally figured out the situation. It was indeed about the restricted courtyard in the southwest corner of Chaoyang Town. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
After the Northern Barbarians left, Zhu Baihu had delayed his departure for Yuntai Pass. Early this morning, a large group of Martial Artists suddenly arrived in Great Fog County, directly presenting the Tiger Talisman of the Yuntai Pass Five Armies Commander’s Mansion. They immediately mobilized two thousand County Soldiers and conscripted all the Martial Artists in Great Fog County, heading straight for Chaoyang Town to escort an extremely important cargo.
Because the Chen Family Village was close to Chaoyang Town, County Captain Li had brought Miss Qiuyue to deliver the order when the procession approached the town.
Chaoyang Town wasn’t far. The five of them pushed their Flying Sweeps to full speed, landing on the town’s walls in a little over a quarter of an hour.
"County Captain Li, according to the plan, you are to lead the Martial Artists of Great Fog County and the County Soldiers to escort us from the perimeter. Go organize your troops now!"
Miss Qiuyue seemed to never have a pleasant expression or a friendly tone. Dropping that icy command, she executed a Flying Sweep toward the restricted courtyard in the Southwest.
County Captain Li shook his head and said somewhat apologetically.
"Brother Chen, Chang Sheng, Fu Sheng, I’m really sorry about this!
"I simply can’t afford to offend the people from the Five Armies Commander’s Mansion. I can only make you suffer this indignity along with me!"
Clan Leader Chen Xuan wore a sympathetic expression and sighed. "Lord Li, when facing the people from the Five Armies Commander’s Mansion, we just need to obediently follow orders. There’s no point talking about suffering indignities!"
Continuous shouts rang out from a distance. Not daring to delay, County Captain Li quickly led the three of them in a Flying Sweep toward the West Gate.
Two thousand County Soldiers had already assembled outside Chaoyang Town’s West Gate. Great Yan revered the virtue of fire; therefore, the standard Armor of Great Yan Army soldiers always incorporated red. For example, Iron Armor was paired with a red Cloak, Leather Armor with a red sash, and the chest and back of Cotton Armor were entirely made of red fabric.
The two thousand County Soldiers were divided into four formations—front, rear, left, and right—neatly arrayed outside the town. In the late spring breeze, they looked like a sea of red.
Throughout the journey, Chen Changsheng kept his aura concealed. The Cultivation he displayed remained at the Middle Stage True Qi Realm. County Captain Li was quite interesting, though; he placed himself in the rear formation and also assigned the three Martial Artists from the Chen Family there. The front, left, and right formations each had two Martial Artists.
That made a total of ten Martial Artists. According to County Captain Li’s description, all the Martial Artists in Great Fog County known to the authorities were gathered here. Chen Changsheng carefully identified them and realized there was a significant discrepancy from the usual rumors. Thus, he asked in a low voice, "Lord Li, wasn’t it said that our Great Fog County only had six Martial Artists? How are there suddenly so many more?"
County Captain Li replied in a hushed tone, "The He Family and the Zheng Family have high-ranking officials in the imperial court. Their Martial Artists keep a very low profile. Ordinary people in Great Fog County have absolutely no idea about the situation of the Martial Artists in their two families!"
Chen Changsheng understood. He knew of the He Family and the Zheng Family; they were two prominent families in the southern part of Great Fog County.
Unlike the villages and towns around Yuntai Mountain in the north, the settlements in southern Great Fog County didn’t have deep mountains to rely on. Instead, they forged a different path. They utilized the water networks, establishing their villages, towns, and fortresses in the midst of lakes, swamps, and intersecting rivers.
Once the water began to freeze, these towns and fortresses would light fires on stationary platforms set up across the surrounding waters. This prevented the ice from setting, ensuring that the areas outside their walls remained a vast, impassable expanse of water. Therefore, over the years, the southern part of Great Fog County had suffered relatively less from the Northern Barbarians, allowing many families with millennial legacies to thrive there.