Ahead, the melodious sound of a bell drifted over—the signal to return home.
The old soldier of Green Willow Fortress no longer kept chickens. His provisions were supplied by the fortress, the same as the barbarian soldiers. Of course, he no longer needed to wield a sword in battle; his only responsibility was ringing the bell.
Fortresses in Yan, in truth, did not have many of the restrictions common to border fortresses, because the Qian army from the other side had never come before.
So, having a bell inside the fortress to tell time was no big deal.
The bell rang thrice, signifying it was three in the afternoon.
The convict caravan pressed on. At last, Green Willow Fortress came into view.
Since the caravan had encountered barbarian sentries from Green Willow Fortress much earlier, news of my lord’s return with the convicts had already reached the fortress.
On the flat training ground outside the fortress, Xiao Yibo and his men stood waiting with baskets.
In front of Xiao Yibo, dozens of barbarian soldiers were busy. Large iron pots had been set up, and a meaty aroma filled the air.
Meanwhile, in an empty area on the other side, armor and weapons were neatly laid out.
Blind Bei led Xue Three, Liang Cheng, and Fanli to stand at the very front.
When the convict caravan arrived, Ding Hao, Hongba, and others immediately came forward to make arrangements.
Everyone was given a large bowl, which looked more like a pottery basin.
"Oh, isn’t this Lord Zuo?" Ding Hao recognized Zuo Jiqian, as Zuo Jiqian had visited the fortress before.
Zuo Jiqian smiled at Ding Hao, without any airs, but he didn’t act subserviently toward Ding Hao either.
"Lord Zuo, here is your food basin. Please walk this way."
Zuo Jiqian nodded, accepted the pottery basin, and walked to the right. A barbarian soldier in front of the large iron pots scooped half a basin of soup into Zuo Jiqian’s basin. Another barbarian soldier beside him tossed a handful of meat slices into Zuo Jiqian’s basin and gestured for him to move on.
Further along, there were steamed buns and rice to choose from.
If you wanted a steamed bun, you picked one up yourself. If you preferred rice, you ladled the soup over it yourself.
After receiving their food, they found a place to sit and eat.
Zuo Jiqian sat down, took a sip of the soup, and bit into a steamed bun.
Born to wealth, what delicacy had he not tasted before?
He initially ate with composure, but gradually, he began to eat faster and faster, eventually wolfing down his food.
His clansmen, who had received their food and sat down with him, were the same.
Soon, it was the Huo Family’s turn. After receiving their food, they too ate with great excitement, clearly relishing every bite.
The barbarian soldiers responsible for the food all grinned when they saw this, seemingly reminded of their own past.
However, unlike the barbarian soldiers, neither the Huo Family nor the Zuo Family members had ever lacked good food. But since becoming convicts, although the escorting officials hadn’t deliberately mistreated them, the food provided during their journey was naturally far from refined.
Besides, what they were eating now was likely more than just food. It wasn’t just the meat soup and steamed buns that made them eat so excitedly and ravenously; it was... freedom.
"We have more people than expected," Blind Bei said.
"I thought you’d say that the more, the better," Zheng Fan responded.
"Heh, my lord, you flatter me. This subordinate is only suitable for ideological work. As for being a master of warfare, let Liang Cheng take on that role," Blind Bei said.
"Regardless, with you all here, I am very much at ease."
"Thank you for your trust, my lord. You’ve had a tiring journey. The bathwater has been prepared. Please go and rest first. We subordinates will handle matters here."
Siniang stood behind Zheng Fan and Blind Bei, silently watching the two men talking. At that moment, she suddenly had an illusion: Zheng Fan’s and Blind Bei’s silhouettes looked somewhat similar—not in physical appearance, but in the aura they exuded...
After being tormented by his father for so many years, Ji Chengjue had matured through the abuse and was starting to counter his father’s schemes. Zheng Fan, too, was a fast learner. After spending so much time with that old bastard, it was difficult to remain naive and innocent, especially since the trip to Yanjing had deeply affected him.
After seeing Zheng Fan enter the fortress, Siniang glanced at A Ming, who was standing beside her. A Ming nodded to Siniang, and only then did Siniang follow Zheng Fan into the fortress.
Blind Bei stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, resembling a loafer in a military greatcoat idly wandering the Forty-Nine City during an early winter years ago.
A Ming walked over to Blind Bei’s side. Newest update provıded by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝
"I’ve received all the intelligence."
With the Sixth Prince’s support, intelligence from Yan State, and even parts of Qian State, would be funneled to Green Willow Fortress.
"What I want to talk about isn’t the Yanjing affair," A Ming said.
"Oh?" Blind Bei sounded puzzled.
"Our lord may have already reached the Eighth Rank."
A hint of a smile touched the corners of Blind Bei’s mouth as he said, "But it seems that neither Siniang nor you have recovered your strength."
"That’s the problem."
Blind Bei nodded. "I understand. Let’s finish arranging things here first. We can have an open and honest talk with my lord after he’s had a good sleep."
"Alright, then I’ll head back too."
"Go ahead, you’ve worked hard."
"Our trip out this time was much easier than your last trip with San’er."
The only task had been to go and collect the bodies at the Tian Residence, as ordered by my lord. Of course, such a hellish scene might be a nightmare for others, but for people like A Ming and Siniang, it was truly no big deal.