Chapter 1 The Northern Land's Evening Wind

The northern land's evening wind carried a bone-chilling cold, like knives randomly and messily carving the earth;

Like those third-rate sculptors, proclaiming themselves as divinely gifted, but after a chaotic display, they could only pile up a blanket of white snow in the end, to avoid becoming a laughingstock.

Zheng Fan sat on a pile of rubble, no longer wearing the "blinding" armor from the daytime,

But a dark red sweatshirt sewn for him by Si Niang.

Zheng Fan had seen the Fire Worship cultists who had appeared in Huto City, said to have come from the Western Regions. His sweatshirt would fit in perfectly with them.

Ding Hao stood beside Zheng Fan, holding his long spear, a spear that had drunk its fill of blood today.

Zheng Fan reached out and patted the spot beside him,

Saying:

"Sit with me for a while."

Ding Hao put down the spear and sat down next to Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan took out a small iron box from his pocket, opened it, and took out two cigarettes, handing one to Ding Hao.

Then he took out a fire starter, lighting his own first, and then helping Ding Hao light his.

Cigarettes were still a bit ahead of their time in this world, but this world already had hookahs and opium pipes for tobacco products.

It was just that the Emperor of Yan hadn't taxed tobacco products, wasting a considerable source of revenue.

You had to know that in later generations, the country's smokers, while being discriminated against and suffering physical damage, contributed tobacco taxes to the country every year with a dauntless spirit of dedication, enough to offset the country's annual defense budget.

However, although cigarettes were a bit ahead of their time, Ding Hao, when faced with Zheng Fan helping him light the cigarette, still covered the fire starter with both hands, showing a look of trepidation.

Then, he took a puff and started coughing madly.

Looking back and seeing Zheng Fan comfortably puffing out smoke rings, he revealed a hint of incomprehension in his eyes, subconsciously asking:

"Master, is this stuff...good to smoke?"

Zheng Fan flicked off the ash and said something that had been active in QQ spaces and personalized signatures for a long time in later generations:

"I'm not smoking a cigarette, I'm smoking loneliness."

Ding Hao was stunned for a moment, a feeling of admiration arising spontaneously.

For someone to be able to say such a thing, their state of mind had to have reached a terrifying level.

He didn't know that if he said this in later generations, people would look at you like you were an idiot.

"Do you know why I came here tonight?"

Ding Hao thought for a moment and replied:

"To reminisce?"

"Reminisce?"

"Yes, actually, this subordinate also wants to go back to Tuman City, to take another look at the mansion where I slaughtered the entire family."

Zheng Fan shook his head helplessly.

What kind of group of perverts had gathered around him...

The Blind Man and the others were one thing, but this Ding Hao was a native of this world.

Could it be that flies really didn't bite seamless eggs?

"Actually, I don't even know why I came here, but I just wanted to sit here."

This was the Chen residence.

The ravages of war during the day had almost crushed the entire Chen residence, and everything in the house, including the basement, had been looted.

For the common soldiers, this was their revenge against Chen the Registrar;

But that didn't stop them from conveniently stuffing some good things into their own pockets.

Therefore, Zheng Fan's reputation among the soldiers of Huto City was quite good. Not only did he stand up for everyone, but he also led everyone to make a small fortune.

"What, you don't understand?"

Zheng Fan asked, seeing that Ding Hao wasn't speaking.

Ding Hao shook his head, then nodded, then a conflicted look appeared on his face, and he said:

"Master, to tell you the truth..."

"When you're telling the truth, you don't need to call me Master. I can call you Old Brother, and you can call me... Little Brother."

"Uh... This subordinate wouldn't dare."

"Then it's not the truth."

Sweat began to flow on Ding Hao's face, and he had to turn to Zheng Fan respectfully, saying:

"Little Brother..."

"Mm."

"Mas... Little Brother, actually, at first I thought you were very cold-blooded, but sometimes, I think you're quite humane. A lot of times, this brother of yours can't see you clearly."

"Pretentious, then."

"Pretentious?"

Ding Hao began to chew on this word, the more he tasted it, the more flavorful it became, and the more he tasted it, the more fitting it seemed.

"Little Brother, I heard people say before that the scholars and literati of Qian liked this kind of tune, one moment saddened by the autumn wind, the next moment feeling sorry for the evening glow."

Zheng Fan heard this,

And laughed,

He reached out and patted Ding Hao's shoulder,

Saying:

"I understand."

After speaking,

Zheng Fan stood up,

And stretched.

Ding Hao immediately got up with him, saying:

"Master, what do you understand?"

"I'm living too comfortably these days, so I'm being pretentious. Actually, when I was a kid, although my parents separated early and my dad didn't really take care of me, the money for food and school was never lacking.

I've never experienced famine, never really suffered. Everything is arranged for you when you wake up.

Every day, you don't actually have to do anything. Even if you do, it's just being a prince, with a bunch of people accompanying you to study."

If outsiders heard this disrespectful analogy, they might be shocked, but Ding Hao didn't take it to heart.

"In the future, I really can't be pretentious."

Zheng Fan looked around,

Looking at the Chen residence that had become ruins,

The world of later generations, no matter how cannibalistic, still had a bit of warmth in it. At the very least, in that era, it was possible to get a terminal illness and not have money for treatment, but it was unrealistic to say that you would really starve to death on the side of the road and no one would care.

But in this world, since he had chosen this path, he couldn't be pretentious anymore.

The two thousand civilians who were used as bait,

The Chen residence that was directly wiped out by the clerk's presumptuous "kill" order today,

Here,

It was countless times more bloody than those war-torn areas of later generations.

Zheng Fan took a deep breath,

Bit his lip,

And muttered to himself:

"I can't be a burden anymore."

At this time, Si Niang's figure appeared in front of him, and she walked over slowly.

Seeing this, Ding Hao immediately left on his own. He knew that Zheng Fan and Si Niang were master and servant, but he had also seen Si Niang come out of Zheng Fan's room in the morning.

Si Niang draped a cloak over Zheng Fan's shoulders and said softly:

"Master, shall this servant sit with you for a while?"

"No need, go back and pack up. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll serve you when we get back."

"Are you going to play with needles again?"

Si Niang gave Zheng Fan a coquettish glance, her eyes full of spring, saying:

"If Master doesn't want to play with needles, we can play cards, we can play dice, anything is fine."

"Are you good at gambling?"

"Yes, this servant is good at being the house."

…………

An ordinary person's birthday is just their personal birthday. To be a bit more artistic and stylish, you can buy a bouquet of flowers for your mother on your birthday:

The son's birthday is the mother's day of suffering;

Then, mother and son hug each other and cry.

Ding Hao had also said that Qian literati liked to do this, turning someone's birthday into something like a funeral, just to compete for a reputation for filial piety.

When your status and position are high enough, a person's birthday becomes a festival.

The Zhenbei Marquis's wife's fiftieth birthday was a festival for the entire Beifeng Prefecture.

From about eight o'clock in the morning, Zheng Fan and the disguised Si Niang and Ding Hao waited on horseback at the city gate.

Wang Duan and the five centurions and their soldiers arrived very punctually, and knelt down to Zheng Fan to report. Yesterday, at their first meeting, they had lowered their stance.

Today, it was: what was stance?

Nearly five hundred soldiers, each with a joyful look on their faces. They had made a small fortune yesterday, and today they were following that Master Zheng to the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion. Who knew what rewards they might receive? Everyone was in a good mood.

But as the gifts from each family gathered together, it was noon, and the gifts hadn't fully gathered yet.

Carriage after carriage, and servants sent by each family running back and forth to help transport them, the outside of Huto City was as lively as a market.

Finally, the last family's prepared gift arrived.

It was a large carriage. Of course, this was just the exterior of the carriage. Inside was an iron cage, holding a snow wolf that was red all over.

It wasn't a particularly powerful demon beast, but red snow wolves were indeed very rare. This was sent by the Xu Family Fortress, and it could be said that they had put a lot of thought into it.

Snow wolves were delicate, and there were people in the carriage taking care of it, ensuring that the wolf was still alive when it arrived at the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

Finally, everything was ready, and Zheng Fan, who had been waiting impatiently for a long time, immediately ordered the departure.

After traveling until nightfall, Zheng Fan ordered the camp to be set up.

Wang Duan and the others personally went to set up defenses, without Zheng Fan having to worry about it. Moreover, they had already encountered two patrols of the Zhenbei Army along the way, which meant that this was the direct coverage area of the Zhenbei Army's forces, and the safety level was very high.

Zheng Fan came to the side of the carriage. The two servants from the Xu Family Fortress recognized Zheng Fan. Seeing Zheng Fan also get on the carriage, they didn't stop him and obediently stepped aside.

Opening the car door, Zheng Fan first bent over to enter. When he looked up, he saw that a large part of the carriage was an iron cage. The red snow wolf in the cage looked a bit sickly and listless, lying there dozing off.

And on the side of the cage, leaning against the carriage wall, a big fat man was leaning there, eating roasted chicken with relish.

The smell in the carriage was definitely terrible, after all, the snow wolf's eating, drinking, and excretion were all here, but the fat man's appetite was still very good.

Seeing Zheng Fan come in, the fat man even broke off a large chicken leg and handed it over,

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "I've already eaten."

"Hehe, how did you know this official was here?" Xu Wenzu asked curiously.

"With your physique, sir, where else could you hide in the group without being discovered?"

"That's true, sigh."

Zheng Fan watched his surroundings out of the corner of his eye. He was confirming whether Xu Wenzu had bodyguards around him.

These big shots probably had experts around them when they went out. Kangxi even had Fayin and Sandezi by his side when he went on incognito visits.

Observation was observation, but good words still had to be said:

"It must have been hard for you to hide here, sir."

Xu Wenzu smiled without minding,

"Where, where, I've been an official for most of my life, a beast in clothes for most of my life. Now it's only right that I share a carriage with this animal."

"Your magnanimity is something I can't hope to reach."

"Hey, you're still young. When you've experienced more, you'll understand."

"That's right, I still have to learn more from you, sir."

At this time,

The door of the carriage was opened again,

And a middle-aged man with some slovenly clothes and messy hair came up.

After the man entered the carriage, he sat directly beside Zheng Fan, took off his shoes, and started picking his feet.

Zheng Fan glanced at the man, and his heart trembled slightly, and he became vigilant.

This should be Xu Wenzu's guard.

Dressed slovenly, hair messy, eyes turbid, with the smell of alcohol on his body, not caring about etiquette, picking his feet in front of him, and even bringing them to his nose to smell them,

What was this?

This was simply the standard image of someone who was deeply hidden!!!

Damn it, this was tricky.

Xu Wenzu handed the chicken leg that he had prepared for Zheng Fan to the man. The man didn't stand on ceremony, reached out and took it, and started eating.

This scene was seen by Zheng Fan, it seemed that the relationship between the two was very unusual, it had surpassed the boundaries of master and servant. Bribery was most likely not going to work. Xu Wenzu's personal bodyguard being bribed with money and turning against him, was he looking down on someone who had been floating in the official sea for most of his life too much?

After the man finished eating the chicken leg, he reached out to Xu Wenzu again.

Xu Wenzu smiled and gave him the remaining half of the chicken.

Only then did the man happily eat the chicken while getting off the carriage. Before leaving, he even farted, a very smelly fart.

"Pfft..."

Zheng Fan immediately held his breath;

"Cough cough cough..."

Xu Wenzu was choked and coughed straight, his eyes were watering from the smell,

While laughing:

"This animal stinks, but this official doesn't feel anything, but this person's fart, this official really can't stand it; don't you think it's funny?"

"Animals are supposed to be stinky, if they weren't stinky, they would become spirits."

"Yes, yes, that's the principle. One is natural, one is unnatural;

In fact, people stinking is also natural, but people living is not a natural thing in the first place. People have seven emotions and six desires, people have desires, people have attachments, animals, they have them, but they are far worse than people."

"Thank you for your teachings, sir." Saying that, Zheng Fan tentatively opened his mouth and said: "I'll have someone prepare another meal."

"No need, no need, this official is already full." Xu Wenzu said.

"Then what about that gentleman just now? I don't think half a roasted chicken is enough for him."

Xu Wenzu looked at Zheng Fan in astonishment,

And asked in confusion:

"Wasn't that just now your man?"

"..." Zheng Fan!

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