bookpub Chapter 29 Receiving
Chapter 29 Receiving
Although the guards of the medicinal field would recognize him in his tiger-riding armor, Fu Que was not one to put on airs. He immediately raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.
Seeing his actions, the two guards relaxed slightly.
Before they could ask any more questions, with the rumbling of wheels, a black tiger-head flag appeared conspicuously before them.
Immediately afterwards, the authority of the mountain king flag caused the poison ivy forest on both sides to part on its own, revealing the slowly approaching convoy.
......
The night was as dark as ink, and the mist from the circular pool quietly spread across the basin.
The receiving process lasted for about an hour. All the wagons were led to the back of the small mountain stronghold, and as the closed doors were opened, the goods inside were illuminated by torches.
Bags of polished rice, dehydrated fruits, vegetables and tea leaves, pale black pills in wooden boxes, bags of slightly yellowish-white salt, bundles of gleaming knives and spears, even two iron pots and dozens of sets of clean clothes.
An old man dressed as a clerk walked past carriage after carriage, inspecting each bag of polished rice, dehydrated tea leaves, dark-colored pills, salt, and weapons.
Chen Lu followed him from one carriage to another. The old man asked Chen Lu additional questions and confirmed with the doctor the ration and quantity of each supply item.
What drew special attention were the ten white crystals, which were stored in special jade boxes to protect the energy within them from dissipation.
A bearded man inspected all of this, the chief of the herb field guards following behind the old man and Chen Lu without uttering a word.
Occasionally, he would stop on his own, carefully examine a bag of rations or a weapon, and then silently follow the others.
Fu Que glanced at the silent Qin Lie, thought for a moment, and also remained silent, focusing his attention on the small mountain stronghold.
Before long, the old clerk nodded slightly to the bearded man.
By the time the campfire rose in the basin in the center of the pool, the supplies had been received.
"Was the journey safe?"
The bearded man handed Qin Lie a skewer of grilled meat and asked.
"There was a slight hiccup, but it went relatively smoothly. How about you? Were you attacked?"
Qin Lie took the roasted meat, took a bite, and mumbled out all the things he would encounter in the future.
"Huh? I didn't hear wrong, did I? The famous bottom-of-the-barrel student, Master Hu's precious nephew, Young Master Fu Que, actually broke through the bone barrier. Not only that, but he also possesses such combat power and spirit."
He fought three against one, refusing to retreat, and managed to have all three martial artists surrounded and killed?
The man with the big beard stopped drinking the wine glass he was about to bring to his lips.
"Why would I lie to you? I bet Old Hu has taken out all the savings he's accumulated. Fu Que's father was a Qi Refining Warrior back then, and he received a lot of compensation after he died in battle."
Anyway, in my opinion, Old Hu at least invested in a traditional martial arts technique and a medicinal bath that could only be obtained through the exchange of national fortune energy; otherwise, his foundation wouldn't be so good.
Qin Lie tilted his head back and downed the fruit wine he had seized from the gray-haired giant ape.
moment.
The refreshing sensation traveled down my throat and into my stomach, then seemed to ignite a raging fire that spread from my lower abdomen to my limbs and bones, making my whole body feel alive, and leaving a lingering sweet aftertaste of a hundred kinds of fruit in my mouth.
"Excellent wine!"
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled after a long while.
Seeing this, the bearded man hurriedly took a small sip himself, and his eyes lit up as well.
"Brother Qin, I must say..."
The big beard opened his mouth.
"Don't even think about it. I only brought it out to you to satisfy your craving since you're stuck in this godforsaken place. There's only so much monkey wine left, and I don't even have enough for myself. I won't give you any if you open your mouth."
Qin Lie moved the wooden tube to his lower back and said warily.
"mean."
The bearded man pursed his lips.
"Enough about me. How's it going on your end? Do you need me to mention it to the higher-ups and ask for more manpower to guard you? Otherwise, if you're in this remote corner and get surrounded by demons, there won't be enough time for reinforcements."
Seemingly afraid that the bearded man would continue to pester him for alcohol, Qin Lie changed the subject.
"In the mountains, unless we move the tiger's den here, if those beasts find out and are determined to destroy the village, it doesn't matter whether we add more people or not."
The bearded man shook his head, rejecting Qin Lie's suggestion.
He then forced a cup of monkey wine out of Qin Lie's hand and sipped it slowly.
His tone carried a hint of anger: "However, during several hunting expeditions, I discovered that those beasts possessed a strong aura of blood and even had refined iron weapons."
What's going on? What are the Tiger Cavalry officers on patrol doing? How can they not catch such obvious smuggling?
The task of guarding the medicinal fields is rotated every two years. When Big Beard left Gaoyang County, the town and its surroundings were closely watched by the Dragon Tiger Cavalry. Although powerful families and gangs still existed, they were not as unscrupulous as they are now.
"The matter is complicated. People from above came, and for some reason, the commander-in-chief ordered us to remain silent and not to do anything rash except to continue monitoring and collecting evidence."
And it's not just us; the Dragon Cavalry and the county government have also been subdued. Now, the surrounding counties are basically under their control. Every day, a cartload or two of corpses float out of the gutter.
"Holding a position without doing any work?"
"It doesn't seem like it. Although I've only met the people from above once, my intuition tells me that even if all the Dragon Tiger Cavalry in Gaoyang County were tied together, they wouldn't be a match for those three people."
I even suspect that the woman in charge alone could kill us all.
"For someone like that to come to our small town, just to hold a position without doing any work, I can only say you've got your head stuck in a door."
Qin Lie recalled the beautiful face of the woman in the bamboo hat, and the bright, clear, yet indifferent eyes hidden in the shadows, and said with certainty.
"No matter how powerful she is or how influential she is, can she really search the mountains and seas to help us wipe out the demons entrenched in the mountains? In the end, she'll just pack up and leave, leaving us to clean up the mess."
We already had little advantage against demons in the mountains; if we let those beasts grow stronger, it will be our own brothers who die during the subsequent extermination."
The bearded man said with a cold laugh.
"She must have her reasons for doing this. Don't forget, the Dragon Tiger Cavalry was created by His Majesty and is directly led remotely, not subject to the jurisdiction of any government office."
Only the Dragon Tiger Cavalry can command the Dragon Tiger Cavalry, and she must be a member of the Dragon Tiger Cavalry.
Allowing the smuggling of sacrificial offerings to erode the nation's destiny is unacceptable; without a valid reason, the imperial prison will not release her.
"Forget it, it's just a matter of being loyal to the emperor and eating his food. I started from humble beginnings, and all my skills are thanks to the imperial guards. I also have a son and a daughter. When the time comes, I'll just clear out the demons and fight to the death for the country."
Having said that, neither of them had any interest in continuing the conversation, and instead changed the subject to something else.
Beside another campfire, Fu Que picked up a porcelain bowl, sipped the thick porridge cooking in the hanging pot, and listened to every word of the conversation between the two.