parentshiftbook Chapter 29: Songping County
Chapter 29: Songping County
The flags flitted in and out of view among the trees as the massive caravan silently traversed the increasingly dense jungle.
The air was filled with the damp smell of decaying leaves and a faint odor of sweat.
The guards seemed to be whispering to each other, but their eyes were scanning the surrounding dense forest warily, and their hands gripping their weapons never relaxed.
"Brother Zhang, your barbecue skills... are a bit off today?" Qin Hu said, riding on his horse, tearing into a roasted chicken, juices dripping down his beard.
He was craving something sweet when we stopped to rest earlier, so he insisted on having Zhang Ping make it for him. The taste is much worse than it was a few days ago.
"Ever since we left Lishan Town, you've been like a silent gourd?" Qin Hu swallowed a mouthful of meat, turning his head to look at Zhang Ping, who was walking silently beside him.
"You can't even utter a fart after all this time, and I have to go through all the trouble of talking to you, Sister Hongyan?"
Zhang Ping snapped out of his daze and forced a smile: "...It's nothing."
My thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to that enigmatic old man and young boy.
"It's still... my cultivation level is too low."
"Tsk tsk tsk," Qin Hu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets upon hearing this.
"With your training speed, who in the martial arts school can compare? And you still think it's too slow?!" He shook his head, giving him a look that said, "You're the one who got the better deal and is still acting innocent."
Zhang Ping simply shook his head, knowing that Qin Hu could hardly understand the heavy anxiety and apprehension in his heart.
It has been more than half a month since I left Lishan Town.
Looking back now, he was almost certain that the old woman and the girl had used a method of concealment that was far from simple.
It was a more mysterious power that distorted his perception without his awareness, causing him to subconsciously ignore many obvious contradictions.
And then, recalling the old woman's ambiguous use of the word "fellow clansmen"...
A spirit fox! It must be a spirit fox!
But they are clearly humanoid! They also use a power similar to that of a spirit fox, but a more advanced one!
A fox demon in human form? Zhang Ping searched his memory thoroughly but had never heard of such a horrifying thing.
"Brother Qin," Zhang Ping shook his head, dispelling the gloom in his mind.
"How far is Songping Prefecture?"
Qin Hu squinted at the sky, then estimated the terrain: "Almost there, almost there. Judging by the sky, we should arrive before dark!"
Zhang Ping breathed a long sigh of relief.
After days of living outdoors in the wind and rain, he was finding it hard to take it anymore.
During these seven days, in order to keep moving forward, Master Chong hardly allowed the group to stop and rest in any towns along the way.
The Lu family caravan was equally eager to return home, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement. Apart from replenishing their necessary water and food supplies, they traveled day and night. This kind of bumpy and arduous journey was also a first for him.
……
As the setting sun cast its golden rays, a majestic city wall finally came into view, bathed in the soft twilight.
"Songping County... truly lives up to its reputation!" Zhang Ping reined in his horse, gazing at the city wall, which was even more magnificent than that of Lingchuan County, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.
The city towers stand tall, and the city gates are as deep as the mouth of a giant beast.
Armored soldiers stood solemnly on both sides, their armor reflecting the last warmth of the setting sun.
The city gate was bustling with activity, with a constant stream of vehicles and people. What was even more striking was the ring of low but neat wooden houses extending from the base of the city wall, from which the faint scent of cooking fires could be seen.
"What a huge county!" A martial arts student who rarely travels this route couldn't help but exclaim.
"Songping County benefits from its flat terrain, with plenty of arable land and forest land, enough to support its people." Qin Hu sighed upon hearing his junior brother's envious words.
"It's a pity that our Lingchuan County is tightly bound by the Lingchuan River. If we could bring in that fertile land on the other side of the river, we might not be any worse off than Songping!"
Zhang Ping silently observed the crowds coming and going at the city gate, keenly noticing something different.
The martial artists here, whether they are bodyguards dressed in tight-fitting clothes or wandering swordsmen, pass by ordinary people carrying baskets and loads with a surprisingly peaceful and natural demeanor, and sometimes even have brief conversations with them.
This is rarely seen in Lingchuan County, where there is a strict hierarchy and a clear distinction between warriors and commoners.
"Brother Qin, the atmosphere in Songping County is rather unique, isn't it?" Zhang Ping couldn't help but chime in.
Qin Hu grinned: "Hey, you don't know this, do you? Decades ago, this place was even more dilapidated than our Lingchuan!"
He became interested, lowered his voice, and began as if to tell a legend.
"I heard a remarkable person emerged from here, surnamed Xiao! He was originally just a poor boy who toiled in the fields, but hey, he was born with the perfect physique for martial arts! He struggled and fought his way up, had a stroke of luck, and at the age of fifty, he actually broke through to the Bone Forging Realm! This shook the entire Lanjiang Prefecture!"
"And then?" Qin Hu asked, spitting as he spoke.
"He climbed up to a big shot in the prefectural city, became a son-in-law of a dragon, returned home in glory, and directly took the position of magistrate of Songping County! After returning, he started to make great changes: not only did he kill demons and kill corrupt officials and cruel bureaucrats, but he also mobilized all the people in the city to reclaim wasteland and cultivate fields, and ordered martial artists to regularly clean up demons and monsters outside the city!"
The good land that was cleared was distributed to displaced people and scattered households. Taxes were reduced, irrigation canals were built... Within a few years, the lives of ordinary people improved, and the population flourished!
Qin Hu's eyes held a hint of admiration: "What's even more ruthless is that this Lord Xiao, relying on his Bone Forging Realm cultivation, has established ironclad rules to keep the martial artists in Songping County under tight control!"
You think you can run rampant here using force? Hey, the county government doesn't care if you're skinned or fleshy! That's why you see, there's no distinction between slums and rich areas here; the county government's word carries more weight than the Demon Exorcism Bureau! It's unique in the entire Lanjiang Prefecture!
Zhang Ping was stunned and blurted out instinctively, "Then...did he ever create something called a 'steam engine'?" This development path is too similar to the silly online friends in his previous life!
"Steamed...steamed chicken?" Qin Hu looked bewildered. "What breed of chicken is that?"
"Cough cough... um, it seems to be some kind of pheasant, it doesn't taste good." Zhang Ping awkwardly touched his nose, then chuckled to himself, realizing he had indeed been overthinking things.
As night fell, the large group found two adjacent inns and booked them for rest.
The next morning, Chongxin returned in a hurry, his face quite gloomy.
Zhang Ping learned the truth from Quan Hongyan: the Gou family of Songping County, who had originally entrusted the escort, had hired someone else because the martial arts school was late. Their trip had been in vain.
"Wouldn't that be a losing proposition?" Zhang Ping frowned.
"It's not like I lost everything," Quan Hongyan said helplessly, spreading her hands.
"Master has reached an agreement with the head of the Gou family. We will travel with the Gou family's caravan and be responsible for their protection, but the reward... will only be three-tenths of the original amount."
Zhang Ping blinked. Wasn't this still a loss? But then he thought again. The fox corpses in Lishan Town were quite valuable, and with the income from the Lu family, the martial arts school should still be making a profit overall.
Another day passed, and the Sitong Martial Arts School's group met up with the Gou family's large merchant caravan outside the city. Zhang Ping observed the Gou family's leader from afar through the crowd.
A portly, smiling middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion stood beside him, looking every bit the wealthy businessman. Beside him stood a lean, wiry man in a long robe, his eyes sharp. Chongxin was exchanging pleasantries with him, his expression quite solemn. This man possessed a deep, resonant aura; he was clearly a master of the Refining Realm!
Noticing that the Lu family caravan was unusually quiet due to the noise of the Gou family's caravan, Zhang Ping paused for a moment, but ultimately did not go forward.
He held the title of martial arts school apprentice, but on the surface, he still had to maintain a proper distance.
The caravan that set off again was even larger, its vibrant energy like lights in the night, attracting countless greedy eyes from the dense forests along the way.
Fortunately, with the presence of three powerful figures—Chongxin, Lu Qiang, and the tall, thin, and dirty-looking expert—clearing the way, most of the scattered demons encountered along the way only dared to covet them from afar and did not dare to approach and harass them.
......
After a two-week trek, the surrounding scenery gradually changed.