Chapter 183: Escaping the World Like Peach Blossom Spring

When it was said that the Duke of Chengguo had arrived, the conversation halted.

"And then?"

A girl's voice shouted eagerly.

In early winter at noon, under the big tree at the entrance of Zhangqing Mountain village, Big Green Stone was piled with straw and hay, a tradition for elders to sit and enjoy the sun.

This place is also where the villagers love to gather in winter. At this moment, many people were standing or squatting under the big tree, but those sitting on the Big Green Stone were not the old men from the village, but the Shopkeeper of De Sheng Chang from Qingyuan Prefecture.

He was telling everyone about the siege of Xiongzhou City that had occurred a few days ago. He paused, grabbing a small teapot to take a sip and moisten his throat.

Liu'er was already eagerly urging him to continue.

"Then, naturally, the Duke of Chengguo repelled the five thousand Jin thieves, lifted the siege of Xiongzhou, and saved the people," Miss Jun, sitting on a wooden stump beside, said with a smile.

The Shopkeeper nodded with a smile.

"Yes, the Duke of Chengguo is certainly invincible," he said with a hint of pride, "All of us from the northern lands know this."

He said so, looking around, expecting to receive confirmation from the villagers.

Lei Zhonglian and the other guards were outsiders, so their feelings about the Duke of Chengguo might not be as profound, only those living in the northern lands genuinely knew and appreciated him.

But the scene was silent, the villagers standing or squatting around had calm expressions, seemingly not hearing what he had said.

Are the mountain people here too isolated?

The Shopkeeper paused in surprise.

But now it's wartime, life is not like before, the victories and losses of the Duke of Chengguo are matters of life and death for everyone.

He sighed softly.

"It's good that the Duke of Chengguo arrived in time, otherwise Xiongzhou City would have been doomed. You know, more than half of the people in Xiongzhou territory were hiding in the city, Jin thieves in transit means burning, killing, looting, even massacring villages and cities," he continued, "The life and death of the people is one thing, more importantly, the strategic location of Xiongzhou is crucial."

While saying this, he drew a few lines on the ground with a twig.

"Here's Baozhou, Mozhou, Bazhou, and the position of Xiongzhou…"

"This position is wrong."

A villager suddenly said, interrupting the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper paused, what's wrong?

A smile appeared at the corner of Miss Jun's mouth, she cleared her throat softly, and casually pulled a straw from Big Green Stone and pointed to the position of Baozhou drawn by the Shopkeeper.

"This is wrong, Baozhou is here," she said, drawing another circle on the ground.

Ah? Oh, over here? He has been to Baozhou, but knowing the way and drawing the exact location of a place are different, otherwise why would maps be so valuable?

The Fang Family would certainly have one, it's not surprising that Miss Jun has seen it.

But that villager…

The Shopkeeper was somewhat dazed.

"The position of Xiongzhou is very important, but it must have been difficult for the Duke of Chengguo to rush over and save Xiongzhou, right?" Miss Jun suddenly asked.

This comment jolted the Shopkeeper, causing the thoughts he had to be set aside.

"Yes, indeed," he replied hastily, sighing again, "On his way here, the Duke of Chengguo really forged a path through slaughter, with ambushes ahead and pursuits behind, many advised against going any further to the rescue, fearing that Xiongzhou might have already fallen, to mention nothing of the fruitless effort. A weary Duke of Chengguo arriving would have been an easy target for the Jin thieves occupying the city."

Liu'er nodded continuously upon hearing this, Lei Zhonglian and the other guards were also tense and excited, although they were guards for escort, this was different from fighting on the battlefield.

Men, especially those trained in martial arts, always have a bloodthirsty, belligerent nature.

"How did he fight his way through?" Miss Jun curiously asked.

Legends of the Duke of Chengguo's battles are stories from ten years ago, and as a child, she hadn't paid much attention to those long-gone stories, especially after meeting the Duke of Chengguo.

The Duke sitting in the study wearing a fine blue cloth robe; although his complexion was not particularly fair and delicate, he exuded a gentle and modest air with a slight smile. His figure was a bit taller than the cultured bureaucrats often seen in the court, but he was not the heroic giant described in the books, like a fierce Zhang Fei.

He was more like a scholar.

"Of course, the Duke can be considered a scholar as well," her father had answered her query, "To be a good general, one inevitably needs to read a great deal."

She hadn't expected to actually hear about the Duke of Chengguo really fighting in battle now. Of course, this kind of thing is not hoped for by anyone.

But stories of the Duke of Chengguo fighting, especially those about finding a lifesaving path in desperate situations, are indeed treasured and comforting to everyone.

The Shopkeeper drank a few more sips of tea water, cleared his throat, and was about to continue.

"The foal is about to be born."

A child suddenly shouted from a distance.

The horses Liu'er requested had already been smoothly delivered, including several mares. The Shopkeeper considered that farming always requires raising some animals—raising cows and pigs, so why not horses.

The villagers were delighted by the arrival of the horses, treating them like rare treasures.

Upon hearing that a foal was about to be born, the crowd around the big tree rose up with a boom.

"So soon?"

"Wasn't it supposed to be tomorrow?"

"Is it okay, is there any danger?"

"What's there to fear, we've tended to horses before, and Old Six is here."

Laughing and chatting, everyone rushed toward the stable, leaving only Miss Jun and her party under the big tree.

The Shopkeeper looked flabbergasted.

"But, I was about to talk about how Duke of Chengguo besieged and fought the Jin thieves..." he muttered.

Could it be less appealing than the birth of a foal?

A few elderly men, walking slowly, heard his muttering and looked back.

"Fighting is always the same old story," said an old man, "nothing exciting about it."

Fighting is always the same old story?

What stories?

Not exciting? As if they had seen so many battles.

The Shopkeeper glared, watching as the group walked away.

Maybe these people really had experienced battles, considering they claimed to be government soldiers, possessed weapons, set up arrays, not to mention their master's handwritten notes about armor, weapons, and battle formations.

What exactly is their origin? What is their past? And why do they seclude themselves here? It surely wasn't because of Zhao Hanqing's illness.

"Ah, never mind them," Liu'er urged, "please continue, how did Duke of Chengguo defeat those besieging Jin thieves? Was he really that formidable?"

As long as Miss Jun enjoyed listening, it didn't matter if the others listened; the Shopkeeper, reinvigorated, continued speaking in an expressive tone about how Duke of Chengguo commanded his men to arrange the troops and how they battled the Jin thieves in the open field. Despite covering a long distance fighting all the way, they were as fast and forceful as a tiger descending a mountain, pushing back the Jin thieves stage by stage until they ultimately fled in a panic.

Liu'er, Lei Zhonglian, and others listened with rapt attention, and Miss Jun seemed to visualize the battlefield where Duke of Chengguo sat inside a circular formation. Although he did not personally slay any enemies, his soldiers, acting as his limbs, moved in and out as commanded, smashing through the enemy's armor and courage with each strike.

The setting sun was like blood, Miss Jun raised her head to look at the sun hanging over the mountain without knowing when it had risen.

"It sounds easy and beautiful, but it's actually not that simple," she said to herself.

The Shopkeeper nodded slightly and sighed softly.

"The war is getting more intense," he said in a low voice, also glancing at this mountain village.

In the distance, a cow leisurely followed a herdsman back, smoke was curling up from the kitchen chimneys, and a cheer burst from the village as a foal was born.

Compared to the outside world, this place really is like a paradisiacal haven.

As time progresses, the war intensifies more and more, many once-bustling and lively towns of the Northern Prefecture have seen their businesses stop, shops close, fields abandoned, and people flock to relatives. Those with money are dragging their families southward to escape.

But those who can flee to the south are indeed in the minority; many people cannot bear to leave their homes or afford to leave, and everyone is waiting for Duke of Chengguo to drive away the Jin thieves and restore peace and prosperity to the northern lands like before.

"I believe Duke of Chengguo can do it."

Standing in the forest, Miss Jun said, releasing the bow in her hand.

With a buzz, the crude arrow she made herself firmly hit the grass target.

Zhao Hanqing made a sound of acknowledgment. To her, Duke of Chengguo meant nothing special, much like all the villagers here who were indifferent to the ongoing wars outside, she pulled out the arrow and tossed it back.

"Again," she said seriously.

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Thank you to Southern Ice for rewarding He's Bi, (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～

Thank you all.

It's Friday, time really flies like lightning, regrettably.