Chapter 107: Life Is Hard

The little river outside Willow Fort had already frozen over.

Winter’s bleakness had covered everything, and only the sun could still offer the living creatures upon this land a final measure of comfort.

A’Ming leaned against a tree beside the river with a dried stalk clenched between his teeth.

On the opposite bank, Liang Cheng rode past on horseback.

When he spotted A’Ming, he pulled on the reins.

A’Ming closed his eyes and pretended not to see him.

Before long, a shadow blocked the sunlight warming him.

With some helplessness, A’Ming opened his eyes and looked at Liang Cheng standing in front of him.

“I heard them say you’ve been accompanying Master while he practices archery all month?”

“What about it?”

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Then, Liang Cheng reached into his pocket, pulled out a small bag filled with raisins, and handed it to A’Ming.

Warm winter sunlight spilled across the scene.

Beneath the frozen river lay a restlessness longing for spring.

The cold wind carried a faint almond scent, as though one could taste the slightest sweetness amid the bitter chill.

Raisins.

Two men.

One sitting.

One standing.

The image seemed almost frozen into an oil painting, inviting endless interpretation.

A’Ming looked at Liang Cheng.

Then said, “Are you sick in the head?”

“Fangcao asked me to bring these to you.”

A’Ming did not take them.

“Do you know that after raisins finish drying, people scoop them up with shovels and sweep them together with brooms?

“You think they wash them again afterward?”

“You don’t want them?”

“No.”

Liang Cheng did not care.

He grabbed a handful himself, sat down beside A’Ming, and began chewing.

“You’re not bothered by how dirty they are?” A’Ming laughed.

“In this world, there probably aren’t many things dirtier than the two of us.”

One was a vampire.

The other was a zombie.

Both were sinister, unclean creatures.

A kind of “dirty” far beyond ordinary filth.

“I didn’t know you suffered from an inferiority complex.”

“I admit I have one.

“I’m genuinely afraid of the dark.”

“Are you actually sick today?

“Trying to make me laugh myself to death?”

“Fangcao said you’ve been in a bad mood recently.

“She asked me to comfort you.”

“You like her?”

“No.”

“Right.

“A Military Commissioner’s daughter threw herself at you and you still sat there like a saint.

“Hey, are you not interested in women?”

“Usually when they discuss this topic, you and I get grouped together.”

“…”

A’Ming.

“Siniang told me she thinks Fangcao has a lot of potential.

“She asked you to find some time to talk to the girl and make things clear.”

“There’s nothing between me and her.”

“You killed her father.”

“You say that like you didn’t kill that other girl’s mother.”

“The Demon Child did that.”

“Oh.

“Sorry.

“No, wait—what exactly does Siniang mean?”

“She isn’t telling you to date Fangcao.

“Even though this is ancient times, a young girl having a one-sided crush isn’t that serious.

“In later times, confessions and heartbreak were everyday things.”

“Those were Siniang’s exact words?”

“Yes.

“Siniang thinks you need to help cut off the girl’s feelings.

“Say it clearly and that will be the end of it.

“She wants to train Fangcao.”

“Fine.

“I’ll find Fangcao in a few days and talk to her.”

“Mm.”

“And?

“I said I’m not eating the raisins.

“If you want them, take them away and eat them yourself.

“Why are you still sitting here?”

“I was merely curious.

“What does it feel like accompanying Master while he practices archery every day?”

“Oh, I understand.”

A’Ming suddenly realized.

“You came to laugh at me?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll speak to Master.

“Tomorrow he can replace me with you.

“Then you’ll understand.”

“It wouldn’t be the same.”

“What’s different?

“You’re hard to shoot dead too.”

“For the archer, when an arrow hits its target, there is an enormous difference between having the arrow bounce off and having it sink directly into flesh.

“Arrow after arrow biting into meat—the pleasure is worlds apart.”

“Hehehe.”

Liang Cheng handed his waterskin to A’Ming.

“The air is dry.

“Drink more water.”

“Shameless.”

“I want to see it.”

“Despicable.”

“I’ve already laughed once.

“Why not let me laugh a little harder?”

“Heartless.”

“Hurry up.

“I still have things to do.

“I need to make a trip to Nanwang City to collect weapons, supplies, and provisions.”

A’Ming accepted the waterskin.

He removed the stopper.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp.”

He swallowed several large mouthfuls.

While drinking, A’Ming did not spill any water from his lips.

Yet before long, his clothes were already growing wet.

When Liang Cheng saw it, he shook his head.

“How miserable.”

“Satisfied?” A’Ming lowered the waterskin.

Liang Cheng shook his head again.

“Next time, let’s have you drink from a whole water vat.

“I want to see a fountain.”

“…”

A’Ming.

“Even if you’re accompanying Master for archery practice, wearing heavy armor wouldn’t be suitable.

“But a suit of soft armor should be fine, shouldn’t it?

“At least then you wouldn’t get shot full of holes like a honeycomb briquette.”

“I wore leather armor.”

“And he still shot you like this?”

“Master infused blood qi into the arrowheads.”

“Oh?”

“That tone sounded a little strange.

“I think I heard excitement in it.”

“Looks like Fangcao really isn’t suitable for you.

“You’re not depressed at all.

“The more Master shoots you, the happier you get.”

“I know the two of us are dirty.

“But could you not say something that ambiguous?

“You’re making me feel too filthy even for myself.”

“If I remember correctly, Ding Hao once said that externalizing blood qi is the mark of entering Eighth Grade as a Martial Artist.”

“Correct.”

“In that case, Master really is a martial cultivation genius in this world.”

“He still has a ways to go, but he’s already touched the doorway.

“I feel that in another few months he should be able to externalize blood qi steadily.

“At that point, he’ll more or less enter Eighth Grade.

“Compared with the cultivation speed of ordinary people in this world, Master truly is a genius.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Indeed.

He still had to keep getting shot for several more months.

At this rate, he would be getting shot from winter until the beginning of spring.

“There’s no helping it.

“Aren’t we all waiting to level up?”

“Right.

“There’s one more thing.”

“Say it.”

“I heard from someone that the reason Master chose you as his archery target is because you eavesdropped on his private monologue?”

“Does walking into your bedroom, sitting beside your bed, leaning against it, and talking to you count as… eavesdropping?”

“I don’t know the exact circumstances.

“But I can more or less guess.

“At the beginning, you were pretending to sleep and deliberately didn’t warn Master he had entered the wrong room.”

“So that was my fault too?”

“Master cannot possibly be wrong.”

“Yes.

“It was my fault.”

“I’m a little curious.

“During Master’s monologue that day, did he say anything about us?”

“You know something?

“You’re the first one to ask me that.”

“Oh?”

“Fan Li would never think to ask.

“Xue San knows he has a big mouth, so even if he asked, I wouldn’t tell him. That’s why he didn’t bother asking.

“Siniang is close to Master, so she has no need to ask me either.”

“What about the Blind Man?”

“He used to be a psychologist.

“He didn’t ask because he understands something.

“While something remains inside a person’s stomach, it may genuinely be completely true.

“But once it comes out through the mouth, even the truest thing inevitably gets mixed with falsehood.

“Sometimes, people deliberately mix lies into it.

“Other times, they may have already deceived themselves without even realizing it.”

“You’re saying Master…”

“I didn’t say anything.

“You’re a zombie.

“Tell me something.

“Does Shatuo Queshi still possess consciousness?”

“He does.”

“Exactly.

“Fan Li can say anything that comes to mind without thinking because that’s simply his character setting.

“But we aren’t the same.

“From now on, we should still be a little more polite toward Master.

“The Blind Man was too impatient when he forced Master to cultivate before.

“And you even stabbed Master with your fingernails.”

“So you’re just washing your own hands clean of everything?”

“I have always been utterly loyal and devoted to Master.

“If I weren’t filled with loyalty, would I willingly accompany Master through an entire month of archery practice?”

“Have the arrows finally shot you stupid?

“Why are you suddenly lying even to yourself?”

A’Ming raised his head.

He sighed.

Looking up at the sun overhead, he said with emotion, “To survive.”

……

“Brother Zuo, what happened to you?”

Zheng Fan spoke in astonishment.

“Brother Zheng, could you perhaps wipe the smile off your face before asking me that with concern?”

“Sorry.”

“Sigh.”

Zuo Jiqian leaned on a crutch and signaled for the two subordinates behind him to carry the gifts they had brought inside.

“Brother Zuo, come in and sit.”

Zheng Fan welcomed Zuo Jiqian into the fort.

Fangcao brought two cups of hot tea and some snacks, then withdrew.

Zuo Jiqian curiously surveyed the room’s arrangement.

“Brother Zheng, you really are a man of refined taste.

“Even the interior of a military fort has been decorated so elegantly.”

The furnishings and decorations in Willow Fort’s reception hall could be called luxurious.

There were even paintings and calligraphy by famous figures hanging on the walls.

This was not some “Zheng Residence.”

This was Willow Fort!

Furthermore, Zuo Jiqian had noticed on the way in that the funds and construction materials for his own fort had only just been approved.

Real construction would have to wait until spring thaw.

Yet Willow Fort was already built.

And its footprint was enormous.

Forget housing several hundred people.

Even accommodating more than a thousand would pose no problem.

Still, Zuo Jiqian was ultimately the scion of a great clan and understood discretion.

He assumed Willow Fort’s construction probably had something to do with connections to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s estate.

So he did not ask about its construction directly.

Instead, he focused on the decorations in the reception hall.

“I’ve always thought life needs a little sense of ceremony.

“Especially for soldiers like us who carry our heads tied to our belts.

“Who knows what day we might suddenly die?

“That’s why we should live every day properly.”

“Exactly, Brother Zheng.

“This time, I nearly never got to see you again.”

“I was just about to ask.

“Brother Zuo, what happened?”

“It’s embarrassing.

“Because Brother Zheng set the example, quite a few forts and stockades around here recently sent troops south on their own initiative to take a little stroll.

“Nothing happened to the others.

“They went over, wandered around, and came back.

“Most even made some gains.

“Of course, none could compare with Brother Zheng’s astonishing feat of taking a city with a hundred cavalrymen.

“As for me, I got itchy too.

“I took several hundred cavalrymen and wanted to cross into Qian to raid for some spoils.

“Brother Zheng, you should understand.

“As a military man, watching other people lead troops and charge into battle while you shrink behind the lines—it’s unbearable.”

“I understand.

“I understand.”

Zheng Fan nodded very seriously.

It sounded as though Zuo Jiqian had gotten crushed.

“But my luck was damned awful.

“Not long after passing through the beacon-fort line, I happened to run directly into a Chenzhen cavalry force.

“They had more than a thousand riders.

“I wasn’t frightened at the time.

“I thought I’d finally gotten the chance for a real fight.

“When it comes to cavalry battle, Great Yan has never feared anyone.

“But who could have guessed that after the fighting began, another Qian cavalry force appeared and hit me completely by surprise?

“I’m not afraid of Brother Zheng laughing at me.

“I nearly left my life behind in Qian.

“I barely managed to escape alive.

“Of the several hundred riders I took out, fewer than a hundred came back.

“The losses were enormous.”

Zheng Fan sighed along with him.

Inside, however, he was calculating.

The losses themselves probably were not Zuo Jiqian’s greatest problem.

Given the Zuo Clan’s background, replenishing those troops should not be especially difficult.

The real problem was that the Marquis of Jingnan had evidently been turning a blind eye to the forts and stockades privately sending troops to provoke Qian.

He wanted border friction.

He wanted pressure placed on Qian.

He wanted Qian to reinforce the frontier.

So going out and running wild was fine.

Run wild all you liked.

But Zuo Jiqian had gone out, completely screwed it up, and come home beaten black and blue.

Were you supposed to be pressuring Qian, or giving the Qian people confidence?

In truth, Zheng Fan’s earlier feats had given these men excessive confidence.

Qian’s military preparedness really was lax.

Qian troops really were poor fighters.

But even a rotten ship still had three nails left in it.

Besides, compared with the Jingnan Army, Qian’s frontier forces might indeed appear useless.

But the soldiers belonging to the various forts and stockades, together with Yinlang Commandery’s commandery troops, were not actually part of the Jingnan Army system.

It was rather like the difference between a central government army and local security regiments in the Republican era.

The same situation existed in Beifeng Commandery.

The gap between the Zhenbei Army and ordinary local garrisons was simply enormous.

And the barbarian soldiers under Zheng Fan’s command, whether in equipment or mounted archery, were so good that even if you threw them into the Jingnan Army, an equal number of Jingnan troops might not be able to outperform Willow Fort’s little “police station.”

Watching Zuo Jiqian sit there sighing endlessly, Zheng Fan wore an expression of concern.

Inside, however, he was rather enjoying the man’s misfortune.

Served you right for genuinely not treating Qian soldiers as human beings.

At last, Zuo Jiqian explained why he had come.

“Brother Zheng, I heard that in three days, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of Nanwang City will arrive and take office.

“When the time comes, all of us Garrison Commanders must go to Nanwang City to report for duty.

“I committed this mistake and disgraced the men of Yan.

“I truly feel guilty.

“But I’ve always wanted to recover my honor on the battlefield.

“If this new Commander-in-Chief arrives and decides to establish authority by making an example of someone, I ask Brother Zheng to put in a few good words for me.”

Zheng Fan looked somewhat surprised.

“Brother Zuo, that’s far too formal.

“You and I have drawn blades together and gone through life and death.

“If you need anything from me, I certainly won’t hesitate.

“But my rank is low and my words carry little weight.

“If this new Commander-in-Chief won’t even give face to your Zuo Clan, what use would anything I say beside him possibly be?”

The Zuo Clan should possess considerable status.

Back then, after learning that Zuo Jiqian belonged to the Zuo Clan, even the Marquis of Jingnan had chatted with him for a while.

Regardless of how the Yan Emperor intended to deal with the aristocratic clans next, and regardless of the Marquis of Jingnan’s true attitude toward those clans, Zheng Fan did not believe that a Commander-in-Chief willing to ignore the Zuo Clan’s face would somehow give face to him instead.

Garrison Commander Zheng loved waving tiger skins around and claiming he had powerful people backing him.

But that was meant to fool other people.

He certainly could not fool himself so thoroughly that he actually began believing he was already some important figure.

“Brother Zheng, you really must help me.

“Otherwise…”

Zuo Jiqian suddenly left his seat, walked in front of Zheng Fan, and made as though to kneel.

Zheng Fan looked extremely shocked.

So shocked, apparently, that he forgot to reach out and stop Zuo Jiqian from kneeling.

Zuo Jiqian’s knees bent halfway.

“…”

Zuo Jiqian.

What the hell?

Why aren’t you helping me up?

Zheng Fan continued looking astonished.

He remained astonished for quite some time.

Zuo Jiqian grew awkward.

The atmosphere inside the hall became stiff.

“Thud!”

Zuo Jiqian closed his eyes and dropped to his knees.

Only then did Zheng Fan immediately rise and exclaim, “Brother Zuo, what are you doing?

“You and I are brothers who have gone through life and death together.

“What can’t we simply discuss properly?

“Why must you do this?”

He sounded shocked.

His hands still did not reach out to help.

Zuo Jiqian drew in a deep breath.

“This time, Brother Zheng truly is the only one who can save me.”

As a member of a great clan, if your family selected you to take up an official post outside and poured clan resources into you, only for you to lose that office, then you had effectively wasted the family’s investment.

Forget the elders.

Even the same-generation relatives who were jealous of you would never let you have an easy time afterward.

“Brother Zuo, explain this clearly.

“Who exactly is the new Commander-in-Chief?

“Who would dare give so little face to your Zuo Clan?”

The previous Commander-in-Chief of Nanwang City, Xiao Dahai, had died under bizarre circumstances.

Even Zheng Fan could not say whether the man had died naturally or…

Then the Prefect of Nanwang City had been assassinated at Xiao Dahai’s funeral.

By the formal system, the Commander-in-Chief of Nanwang City was the direct superior of all local Garrison Commanders, including Zheng Fan.

The present situation was simply unusual because the Marquis of Jingnan had moved the Jingnan Army into Nanwang City and taken overall control, somewhat resembling a field army interfering in local authority.

But the Imperial Court’s newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of Nanwang City was still coming.

His responsibility would be commanding those local “security regiments.”

“The new Commander-in-Chief has been transferred here from Beifeng Commandery.”

“Brother Zuo, I genuinely am not making excuses.

“I actually don’t know many people in Beifeng Commandery.”

“Brother Zheng, only you can save me this time.

“I caused this disaster, yet the Marquis of Jingnan hasn’t sent down a single word of punishment.

“He is obviously waiting for the new Commander-in-Chief to arrive so he can give the new man face and let him handle it.

“This new Commander-in-Chief was famous in his previous local post for being absolutely impartial.

“He especially loved punishing the children of powerful and noble families.

“My identity as a member of the Zuo Clan won’t help me this time.

“It may actually make things worse.”

“Brother Zuo, I really…”

“Brother Zheng, I heard that you once served as Lieutenant Commander of Merchant Protection in Tiger Head City, Beifeng Commandery?”

“Yes.”

“Then that settles it.

“This newly transferred Commander-in-Chief once presided over the yamen in Tiger Head City as well.

“Brother Zheng, you should know him.”

“Wait…”

Zheng Fan stopped Zuo Jiqian.

He inhaled twice and asked, “Is the new Commander-in-Chief surnamed Xu?”

“Exactly.

“Xu Wenzu, courtesy name Mingzheng.

“Because he most loves disciplining and punishing the children of the powerful, people call him Lord Mingzheng.”

“Hiss…”

Comrade Deep Sea.

You’ve been transferred here to become my direct superior?

Joy immediately appeared on Zuo Jiqian’s face.

“So Brother Zheng really does know Lord Xu Mingzheng?”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“I know him.”

“Then there’s hope for me?”

Zheng Fan sighed.

“Brother Zuo, you could actually send someone to Tiger Head City and ask around.”

“About what?”

“Everyone in Tiger Head City knows that Lord Mingzheng and I… are mortal enemies.”

“Ah!”

Zuo Jiqian immediately collapsed onto the floor.

He had thought he had finally grabbed hold of a savior and advocate.

Instead, he had apparently grabbed hold of a walking disaster.

“Then… then, Brother Zheng… doesn’t that mean I’m doomed?”

Zheng Fan rubbed his face.

His expression turned equally miserable.

“Brother Zuo…

“I’m doomed too.”

(End of Chapter)