Chapter 1 A Legend's Stepping Stone

Situ Lei was a legend. Even accounting for his late-life defeats at Xuehai Pass, which allowed the wildlings to enter the pass, his life was still undeniably brilliant.

But the emergence of a legend always requires stepping stones, and always requires foils.

Situ Lei's rise to prominence began at Zhennan Pass.

This initially overlooked illegitimate son relied on successive victories against the Chu at Zhennan Pass to accumulate significant military achievements and prestige, which allowed him to return to Yingdu and compete with his two older brothers in the court's power struggles.

Zhennan Pass corresponds to the Chu's Shanggu Prefecture, which was the battlefield where the Chu and the Situ family clashed numerous times. Due to frequent warfare, Shanggu Prefecture was not particularly developed in terms of population or industry. In many places, it could even be described as extremely desolate.

Not only would the Jin people invade and plunder them, but the Chu army would also frequently conscript local people to serve the army during their expeditions. Under this double exploitation by both sides, it would be truly miraculous if Shanggu Prefecture could prosper.

Originally, when the Chu people captured Zhennan Pass and the Azure Luan Army entered Jin, the people of Shanggu Prefecture were overjoyed, believing that they would finally be free from the suffering of constant warfare and be able to enjoy the treatment of people in the heartland as border residents.

Who knew that news of defeat on the front lines would arrive? The Yan people, who had been in decline, suddenly defeated the wildlings, captured Jade Plate City, and finally, the Yan army's advance pointed directly at Zhennan Pass.

The imminent outbreak of the Yan-Chu War completely extinguished the people of Shanggu Prefecture's confidence and enthusiasm for their future lives.

The most obvious sign of this was that,

In this inn located beside the post road, the owner was listlessly tapping on the abacus, while the waiter was dozing off.

It wasn't that there were no customers in the inn, but the customers in the inn were in the same mood.

The imperial court ordered the requisition of grain to support the army at the front.

To save trouble and costs, they adopted a method of exchanging salt permits for grain. This meant encouraging Chu merchants to purchase grain from various places and organize its transportation. After arriving at the border, the imperial court would give you a salt permit in exchange for the grain, essentially giving you a certain quota to sell salt.

This naturally attracted many merchants to organize caravans to transport grain, but when everyone worked hard to transport the grain, the imperial court suddenly changed its mind. The originally agreed-upon salt permits were reduced by nearly 40%, and the remaining 60% had to be filled with other items.

Good heavens, this meant that after deducting costs, these merchants would actually suffer a net loss!

The reason for this was that, nominally, the Chu state had a monopoly on salt and iron, but in reality, the great nobles in various fiefdoms had the right to develop salt and iron themselves, and some could even privately mint coins.

The Chu court had just recovered from the succession struggle, and the national treasury was already empty after the internal strife. Minister of Revenue Mi originally wanted to use this method to reduce the pressure on the imperial court to support the front lines, but the salt permits allocated by the Ministry of Revenue were nominally from the imperial court's salt fields, but in reality, most of them were within the fiefdoms of the great nobles.

The nobles were unhappy with this and immediately began to stir up trouble. Under pressure, the Ministry of Revenue had to modify its strategy.

The great nobles felt that they could "sacrifice their families for the country's sake" and acknowledged half of the permits, which was already incredibly conscientious and loyal to the emperor. It also gave face to the imperial court and the Regent.

After much mediation by the Ministry of Revenue, it managed to retain half of the salt permit quota, which was considered a way to continue the matter and maintain the dignity of the imperial court.

As for whether the merchants responsible for transporting the grain made a profit or loss, that was not something the great lords cared about.

Loss, it was definitely a loss, but you really had nowhere to complain. Did the imperial court need your consent to change its orders?

At the same time, you couldn't refuse to sell, or you'd have to transport the grain back, which would be an even greater loss!

And this inn was currently filled with merchants who had transported grain, and everyone was very dispirited.

"Is this food to your liking?"

Sitting in the corner, a man asked the handsome young servant beside him.

"It's alright, I'm not that delicate. Didn't I eat the cornbread you used to bring me?"

The food was something between stir-fried dishes and steamed rice, and it wasn't even hot. It must have been steamed in a large pot long ago and served in bowls.

The rice was covered with a layer of thick soybean paste, which was incredibly salty.

When asked if there was any other food, the waiter said no, and smiled saying that their boss was planning to close the inn in another ten days or so, and had even fired the cook. The waiter was still here because he and the boss were from the same hometown and had to go back together.

Therefore, the inn now only provided this kind of food and tea. There was no wine either, because the grain was expensive and the prices at the wineries had gone up. The owner was worried that he wouldn't be able to sell it in time after buying it.

Fortunately,

The princess really wasn't delicate.

From Zhou County all the way here, first hiring people to walk, then following other grain transport caravans, it wasn't exactly roughing it, but it was still tiring. The princess didn't complain at all.

Every night before going to bed, she remembered to get Zheng Boye some water to wash his feet.

The princess ate slowly and gracefully,

Looked up at Zheng Boye,

And asked:

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not used to it."

"........." The princess.

At this moment,

The princess really wondered who was the princess between herself and him?

After eating, the sky outside was getting dark, and Zheng Boye took the princess upstairs.

Because the inn was about to close and the owner was preparing to take refuge, the rooms no longer had bedding. You had to bring your own. As for the room fee, it was only a token amount.

After spreading out the bedding, Zheng Fan took out his iron box, pulled out a cigarette, and held it to his nose.

"Just smoke it if you want."

The princess knew it was tobacco.

Zheng Boye shook his head and said, "It'll leave a smell on my body."

"You're really cautious."

"Isn't it all so we can go back safely?"

"Yes, my Boye."

"Tomorrow morning, I'll find someone to hand over the grain we brought, and then we'll go into the mountains."

Zhennan Pass is the throat connecting Jin and Chu, but it's not as if you can't pass through at all without going through Zhennan Pass.

You can still pass through, but the road is very difficult and not suitable for troops to travel.

"Okay."

The princess obediently lay down and began to rest.

Zheng Boye also lay down and closed his eyes.

Because there were no other Demon Kings besides the Magic Pill, Zheng Fan had to consider and arrange many things himself. This identity as a grain merchant was arranged by the Fan family beforehand, but on the way east, Zheng Boye had not contacted the Fan family again.

Firstly, the further east they went, the more the Fan family's influence decreased; secondly, Zheng Boye didn't trust anyone now.

At this time, the princess, with her eyes closed, said, "It's said that there are many wild animals in the mountains, and bandits too."

"Not a big problem," Zheng Boye said.

He still had this much confidence. In any case, he was also a sixth-rank martial artist.

"Mm."

The princess really began to rest, and her breathing became even.

Zheng Boye also put aside the other thoughts in his head and fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Zheng Fan got up, found a merchant who was also on the road, handed over his grain, settled the accounts with the laborers who had followed him from Zhou County, and let them return.

Then, Zheng Boye took the princess directly north instead of east, and entered the mountains.

They rested occasionally along the way, but mostly they were on the move. By nightfall, Zheng Boye found a cave to camp in.

The Azure Python slithered over, opened its mouth, and dropped a large chunk of deer leg meat.

In the past few days, while Zheng Fan and the princess were traveling on the road, the Azure Python followed far away in the forest. Now that they had entered the mountains, it could show itself, but it really didn't like Zheng Fan, so after dropping the deer meat, it turned around and slithered away again.

Zheng Boye lit a fire, simply processed the deer meat, and began to grill it.

The princess was checking her soles;

"Blisters?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Yeah, a little."

Zheng Fan took out a needle, heated it over the fire, and handed it to the princess, saying, "Be careful picking them yourself."

The princess took the needle and couldn't help but complain:

"We should have walked slower today."

The princess was a lady of noble birth, and this was her first time entering the mountains. The mountain road was difficult to walk, and she needed a process of adaptation, but Zheng Fan had been pulling her along today, walking very fast and urgently.

"I didn't want to create any extra problems. Didn't we hand over the grain we were carrying as a disguise to our同行 (tóngxíng - fellow travelers) today?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Handed over some silver, who knows..."

"It wouldn't come to that, would it?"

"These days, those who dare to do business, where do you find pure and honest people? You don't actually think your Great Chu has simple and honest customs, do you?"

"You say that as if it wouldn't be like this in your Yan."

"It's all like this, it's all like this. I got rich early on by robbing people like that."

"I didn't expect 平野伯 (Píngyě Bó - Earl of Pingye) to have such a history?"

"Actually, it's always been like this. It's just that it sounds embarrassing to rob some fortified village owners and local tyrants, but in reality, I was still robbing later, except it became robbing a country and robbing an imperial family, and then I became a great overlord."

"That seems to make sense."

"The deer meat is grilled, wash your hands and eat."

At this time,

The Azure Python returned, opened its mouth, and a human head fell out.

The princess's eyes narrowed, but she wasn't frightened into screaming.

Zheng Boye, while gnawing on the deer meat, walked over and turned the head over with his foot;

"It's actually the owner of that inn. Looks like he knew I had money on me and wanted to make a fortune before closing the inn and going home."

The princess said while eating the deer meat, "Then he really followed closely. We walked so fast today, but he still managed to catch up."

"Yeah, so I have to go take a look. Have your snake lead the way."

"Xiao Qing, lead the way," the princess ordered.

"Xiao Qing?"

Normally, Zheng Boye would call it "your snake." He didn't actually know the snake's name.

"What's wrong?" the princess asked, puzzled. "Is there something wrong with the name?"

"Is there also a White Snake?"

"Haven't seen one."

"Then you can ask it later."

The Azure Python led the way, and soon found two corpses in a low-lying area.

"Take the crossbow and hold it tight, I'll go down and take a look."

The crossbow was something Zheng Boye had picked up along the way. Although Chu had regulations on salt and iron, many nobles were profiting from selling weapons because the great nobles had greater autonomy in their fiefdoms.

This kind of crossbow was modeled after the military version. Although it was a bit worse than the regular crossbow, it was good enough. Earlier, in one place, a merchant who was transporting grain together wanted to buy one for self-defense, so he specifically asked around and purchased a few more to bargain, and Zheng Boye had taken one.

Zheng Fan pulled out his knife and slid down through the cracks, surprised to find that there were also weapons and bows and arrows beside the two corpses.

One headless corpse should be the inn owner's. The other corpse still had its head. It was the waiter.

Zheng Boye silently put the bow on his shoulder, and at the same time reached out and groped the inn owner's body. This was a subconscious habit. Killing someone and not searching their body always felt like something was missing.

As a result,

As he groped,

Zheng Boye groped out a token.

In the moonlight, the mark of the Fire Phoenix was faintly visible on the token.

Zheng Boye shook his head helplessly. He could only say that his luck was too bad. When he had walked ninety-nine steps out of a hundred, he actually ran into a hidden stake of the Phoenix Nest.

Throughout the journey, it could be seen that the Chu people were doing their best to surround and intercept the two armies from Mengshan and Qishan, and there was basically no pursuit in the eastern route.

Zheng Boye originally thought that this trip would be safe and stable, but trouble arose again.

He could only hope that the inn owner only felt that his temporary sale of grain was a bit suspicious, so he brought his men to come and take a look, and had not sent a message to the Phoenix Nest servants behind him.

"Hey, tell your big snake to come down and see if it can eat them all. A bowl of porridge and a meal should be cherished, how can we waste it?"

"It's already full. It can't eat anymore. If it forces itself, it can't travel and has to hibernate."

"Then come down, we'll dispose of their bodies together."

The princess came down, and then Zheng Boye dug a pit, and she dragged the corpses into it.

After everything was dealt with, Zheng Boye put his hands on his hips and gasped for breath.

The soil was frozen hard in winter, and digging a pit was really tiring, especially with a knife, which wasn't easy to use.

"After we go back, I have to ask someone for some bone-dissolving water or something, so I don't have to work so hard to destroy the corpses next time."

"Bone-dissolving water?"

"Yeah, the kind that Duke Wei uses."

"Who's Duke Wei?"

"A viscount in our Yan, who married dozens of wives."

"Then you can't learn from him."

"Heh."

"The names in the imperial edict wouldn't even fit," the princess joked with a smile.

Well,

The words that Zheng Boye had used to "shake his tiger body" had now become a gag that the princess used to tease him.

"Let's go further ahead and find a place to rest again."

They couldn't stay here temporarily, they had to get further away.

The princess didn't complain and followed Zheng Boye on the road through the night.

"Boye, I've noticed that you're very careful with your life. Are you like that on the battlefield too?"

"The ever-victorious generals on the battlefield all have one thing in common, do you know what it is?"

"They're good at strategy?"

"No."

"Their martial arts are strong?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"They didn't die in battle."

"........." The princess.

"When people die, they lose everything."

"If you cherish your life so much, why did you come to the villa to see me?"

"Because I'm willing to give up my life for you."

"Although I know it's a lie, it still sounds quite pleasing to the ear."

"Whatever makes you happy, okay. Let me carry you on my back."

Zheng Boye bent down,

And the princess obediently climbed onto Zheng Boye's back.

"Am I heavy?"

"Not light."

"You said you liked them a little plump, a little pure, you can't dislike me."

"When men say a little plump, they mean the flesh grows in the right places; when they say a little pure, they mean they look good even without makeup."

"Twisted logic."

"It's logical, somehow."

In the forest at night,

Zheng Boye carried the princess and continued to walk,

The Azure Python seemed to sense some danger and began to dart around from time to time, as if it was escorting them.

By the second half of the night,

Although Zheng Boye was covered in sweat, he still didn't intend to stop, because he instinctively wanted to get further away from where those two Phoenix Nest servants had died.

"Help, help, help............"

Ahead, there was a cry for help.

Zheng Boye was stunned, and the princess said, "I heard a sound."

"I'm not deaf."

Because this was a canyon, it wasn't possible to go around it. It would be like going back the way they came, so Zheng Boye decided to continue moving forward.

Finally,

A burning bonfire appeared ahead. A woman was hanging from a tree beside the bonfire, her clothes were a little tattered, her hair was disheveled, and she was struggling there.

At this time,

The woman discovered Zheng Fan and the two of them, and quickly shouted for help:

"Hero, help me, save me, save me; my family was attacked by bandits, they killed my husband and my in-laws, and tied me up here, please, hero, save me, save me, save me..."

The woman looked very anxious. Seeing Zheng Fan, it was as if she had seen a savior, and she struggled and shouted even more vigorously.

Zheng Boye looked at the bonfire,

Then looked at the woman hanging on the tree,

Then listened to the woman's cries for help,

And said with emotion:

"Clichéd."

"Buzz!"

An arrow shot out from above Zheng Boye's head.

"Puff!"

The woman hanging on the tree was shot by the arrow, her head lowered, and she died.

Zheng Boye praised from the bottom of his heart:

"Not bad."

The princess on his back put away the crossbow and said:

"I wanted to shoot the rope to let her down, but I didn't expect to miss."

"Well done."

Zheng Boye reached out and lifted the princess on his back, and pinched her hard in the supporting position with both hands,

And said:

"No need to explain, you did a good job."

After saying that,

Zheng Boye planned to continue on his way, completely ignoring what had happened to this woman appearing here.

The woman was tied up, her hands and feet and head drooping, her body swaying slightly under the tree.

The wind was a bit strong in the canyon, blowing up some echoes, like the low moaning of a 胡笳 (hújiā - a reed pipe instrument).

However,

Just as Zheng Boye was passing under the tree with the princess on his back,

The woman, who had clearly been shot dead by the princess earlier,

Slowly raised her head,

Looked at Zheng Boye and the princess diagonally below with a pale face,

Her mouth split open,

Her tongue protruded extremely exaggeratedly,

And asked in an extremely suppressed and hoarse voice:

"Why... why didn't you save me?"

——————

I overspent these past few days, and I'm a bit listless today, so just one chapter for now. I'll try to write more tomorrow.