The setting sun's afterglow cast a golden outline around the young figure on the training grounds. When Li Yuanhu received the news, he was practicing in the courtyard. He withdrew his fist stance, a surge of hot blood rushing to his head as he exhaled a long white breath. This was the life he desired! A true man born into this world should wield a sword and establish unparalleled merit! But that fervor dissipated by half the moment he saw Sun Zhi's reddened eyes.
At night, the room flickered with candlelight. Sun Zhi silently packed his belongings, carefully placing the winter clothes and medicine she had prepared long ago into the bundle, her tears falling uncontrollably onto the garments, leaving wet stains. Li Yuanhu's heart ached as he gently embraced her from behind. "Zhi'er, don't cry." Sun Zhi's shoulders trembled violently as she turned and buried herself in his chest. "I...I won't let you go..." Her voice choked with sobs. "On the battlefield, swords and arrows have no eyes. What if you..." Li Yuanhu stroked her long hair, his heart sour, but he forced a lighthearted laugh. "I'm a Postnatal expert. Ordinary demonic beasts can't even get near me. Besides, I'm going as a commander, not a foot soldier. It's quite prestigious!" He paused, cupping Sun Zhi's face with unprecedented seriousness in his eyes. "Zhi'er, wait for me. If I...don't return, remarry. Find a good man and live a peaceful life."
"Bah! Such inauspicious words!" Sun Zhi frowned immediately, making spitting sounds, then looked at Li Mengze. "You wait for him. Ten years, seventy years, your whole life, you wait. If he...you remain a widow for him, and when you reach the underworld, you can find him and scold that faithless liar!" Li Mengze could no longer speak, tightly embracing his newlywed wife. The room fell silent, only the crackling of the candle flame audible.
"Third Uncle." Li Mengze stepped out the door to see Third Uncle Liu Zhishi leaning against a pillar on the corridor. He hurried forward respectfully. "Come with me." Liu Zhishi said no more, turning toward his study. Though puzzled, Li Mengze followed immediately. Inside the study, the familiar elegant scent of ink lingered. Liu Zhishi motioned for him to close the door, then pulled out an assortment of items, covering the table. "Third Uncle, this is..." Li Mengze's eyes darted around in amazement. "You're going to risk your life. You can't go empty-handed, can you?" Liu Zhishi picked up a black inner armor and handed it over. "This is a Heart-Protecting Mirror. It can save your life at critical moments. Wear it close to your body at all times." He then pointed to a dozen white spheres wrapped in oil paper on the table. "These are 'Thunderbolt Pellets' I tinkered with in my spare time. Don't underestimate them—they can give even a Refined Energy cultivator a hard time at critical moments. Remember, only use them as a last resort. They make too much noise and can attract unnecessary trouble." Li Yuanhu accepted the heavy Heart-Protecting Mirror and Thunderbolt Pellets, his heart burning with emotion.
"And this." Li Pingcan handed over a jade bottle. "This is healing ointment, a hundred times more effective than the army's. Apply a little when injured, and it will stop bleeding and regenerate flesh within half an hour." After this, Li Pingcan pulled out a thick stack of papers and slapped them in front of Li Yuanhu. "Third Uncle, what's this?" "The key to whether you come back alive." Li Pingcan's expression turned deadly serious. "This contains your Second Uncle's intelligence, deduced battle maps of the border, the formation weaknesses of the Great Qian Dynasty's Crimson Flame Cavalry, and...'The Thirty-Six Stratagems: Running Away is the Best Policy.'" Li Yuanhu: "..." He looked at his Third Uncle's utterly serious face, momentarily at a loss for words. "Tiger Cub, remember this." Li Pingcan's gaze grew profound and sharp. "The battlefield isn't the training grounds in the backyard. You can't win with just passion. Lives are cheaper than grass there. Your bravery should be used to strike decisively, not to clash recklessly. Anyone can play the hero. But the real heroes are the ones who come back alive. Your father, mother, and wife are all waiting for you at home. What will they do if you don't return?" Li Pingcan's words weren't heavy, but they cooled Li Yuanhu's youthful recklessness. "Third Uncle...I..." Li Pingcan smiled and patted his shoulder. "Take all these things and keep them hidden. Remember, coming back alive is more important than anything." "Yes, Third Uncle!" Li Yuanhu nodded solemnly.
In Songling Prefecture's Academy Alchemy Hall, the place had become the busiest in the entire academy since news of the war arrived. The pill furnaces operated day and night, the thick medicinal aroma mingling with the disciples' exhaustion in the air. "This is outrageous! This isn't work fit for humans!" A pill-refining disciple slammed a batch of ruined dregs onto the ground, cursing furiously. "We have to get up before dawn every day, surrounded by herbs with no time even to meditate! What kind of immortal cultivation is this?" "Exactly!" Another joined in complaining. "The higher-ups just keep pushing! The success rate for Qi Gathering Pills is already less than fifty percent, and they give us mostly subpar herbs. How are we supposed to refine them? Just the other day, Senior Brother Zhang blew up a furnace from exhaustion and nearly burned off his eyebrows!" "Shh! Lower your voices!" Someone quickly warned. "Don't let Liu Zhishi hear, or he'll make life hard for you." This Liu Zhishi was the overseer sent from above, who usually threw his weight around, ordering ordinary disciples about. Now that war had broken out, he wielded his authority to the extreme, skimming high-quality herbs for himself.
Amid this gloom, one corner appeared unusually "relaxed." Li Mengze controlled the furnace fire unhurriedly, with over a dozen jade bottles labeled "High Quality" neatly arranged beside his furnace. His pill success rate and quality were already acknowledged as the best in the Alchemy Hall. "Junior Brother Li, you've exceeded your quota again today?" A record-keeping disciple approached, eyeing the row of bottles with a smile. Li Mengze nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Just luck, nothing more." "That's incredible." "No wonder he's Teacher Su's direct disciple." The alchemy students chimed in, their tones mixed with envy and admiration.
At that moment. "As imperial alchemists, you receive the emperor's stipend and should share his worries. With the war raging, instead of serving your country, you gather here to complain and make trouble. What kind of behavior is this?!" Liu Zhishi appeared at the doorway, hands behind his back, lecturing with righteous indignation. "If everyone slacks off like you, how will the war be fought? How will the frontline soldiers survive? You've grown too comfortable in peacetime and need some discipline!" His words left the group speechless, forced to swallow their anger and lower their heads. Liu Zhishi swept a satisfied glance over them, his brow furrowing slightly when his gaze landed on the figure in the corner intently processing herbs. "Li Mengze." He called coldly. "Disciple is here." Li Mengze set down the herbs and stood to bow. "Your 'Pure Source Pills' are in high demand now. The frontlines specifically requested them. Your daily quota is increased by twenty percent." "Understood." Li Mengze replied calmly without protest. His submissive attitude made Liu Zhishi feel like he'd punched cotton—frustrated but with no outlet for his anger. He snorted and left in a huff.
Once he was gone, the previously complaining disciples immediately crowded around. "Mengze, you're too tolerant! That Liu guy is clearly bullying you!" "Exactly! Why should your quota increase by twenty percent? Pure Source Pills are much harder to refine than Qi Gathering Pills!" "Mengze, don't be foolish. That old man just wants to exploit you. When you can't deliver, he'll have an excuse to dock your pay!" Li Mengze felt warmth at his friends' indignation but only shook his head with a smile. "Senior brothers, don't worry. I know my limits." He wasn't without temper—he simply refused to waste energy arguing with petty men. He approached a young disciple and said gently, "When you fused the Green Spirit Leaves and Red Flame Grass earlier, the heat seemed too rushed. Their medicinal properties conflict. Simmer them gently first to let their energies merge, then apply strong heat to form the pill." The young disciple, startled, followed Li Mengze's advice and actually produced a decent batch of pills. "Thank you, Junior Brother Li!" He said tearfully. "No trouble." Li Mengze smiled slightly, then moved to another frowning disciple, correcting his herb-handling technique. He shared his modified pill recipes unreservedly. Soon, the Alchemy Hall's atmosphere became noticeably more harmonious. Even disciples who had envied him now regarded him with admiration. Time reveals true character, as distance tests a horse's stamina. Even Chen Fuzi, who had once disliked him most, now greeted him amiably. "That child Mengze is truly promising." Chen Fuzi stroked his beard, watching the figure patiently instructing his peers. "Not only talented, but his temperament is rare—unmoved by glory or disgrace, kind to all. He will achieve great things."
The dynasty's second conscription order, like a death warrant, was posted on every bulletin board in Yunshui County. This nationwide draft covered the entire Great Yu Dynasty. All able-bodied men aged fifteen to fifty were summoned without exception. Where the iron hooves passed, mourning filled the land. Unlike the wails and despair elsewhere, Peach Blossom Village was eerily calm. When the conscription officers arrived at the village entrance, before they could speak, the newly appointed village chief Li Xiaoshan led the villagers out respectfully. "Officers, you've worked hard." Li Xiaoshan pressed a heavy money pouch into the lead officer's hand. "A small token of our esteem. We hope you'll be accommodating." The officer weighed the pouch and immediately smiled approvingly. He glanced at the imposing Li Family Mansion in the distance and understood. "Of course, of course." He cleared his throat and announced loudly to the soldiers behind him, "The Peach Blossom villagers are deeply righteous, enthusiastically contributing funds to support the frontlines. Their hearts are commendable! By law, they are exempt from this conscription!" "Thank you, officers! Thank you, Li family!" The villagers erupted into cheers, weeping with joy and bowing repeatedly toward the Li residence. They knew that without the Li family's backing, their fate would be no different from others'. While Peach Blossom Village escaped conscription, others weren't so lucky. An old woman clung desperately to her sixteen-year-old grandson. "Officers, I beg you! He's my only grandson! Just a child! Taking him is taking my life!" "Out of the way!" The officer kicked her aside and dragged the sobbing boy away without mercy. A newlywed young woman chased her conscripted husband for miles before collapsing exhausted in the mud, watching helplessly as his figure vanished into the wind. Some are born high above, looking down on the masses. Others spend their lives as insignificant specks in the turbulent currents of chaos, crushed and swept away unnoticed, fading silently into oblivion.The northern wind cut like knives as Li Yuanhu bid farewell to Sun Zhi and set off for the prefectural camp. His third-place finish in the military exams and the Li family's backing spared him the drudgery of a foot soldier. Upon enlistment, he was appointed a "Captain." Yet when he saw his fellow "Captain," he knew his military career wouldn't be peaceful. It was Wang Lie, the military exam's second-place finisher. "Stand straight, all of you!" A one-eyed general roared from the platform, his spittle flying thicker than snowflakes. "From today, you're soldiers! Whether you were dragons or tigers before, here you'll coil and submit! Understood?!" "Sir, yes sir!" The response shook the sky. Li Yuanhu and Wang Lie were each assigned to command a hundred-man unit. Wang Lie eyed Li Yuanhu, hefted his broadsword, and approached with a sardonic smile. "Captain Li." He emphasized the title. "To stand equal to me at such a young age, you must have heaven-defying skills?" Li Yuanhu knew the man resented him but played along. "Easy now, Captain Wang. We're comrades now—sharing fortune and misfortune, right?" "Hmph." Wang Lie snorted, displeased. Recalling their past duel, he suspected Li Yuanhu had held back, making him seem duplicitous, afraid of Wang Lie's background, lacking martial spirit—everything Wang Lie's straightforward nature despised. Most importantly, he believed that without Li Yuanhu yielding, he might not have lost, missing his chance for a proper victory.