"Chieftain Guan Yuanshan of the Xiao family village is a semi-divine figure, you must not offend him."
Zhou Fugui and over five hundred other convicts were being exiled to the border fortifications of Xuelin City. After a full day of arduous travel, they finally arrived at Xiaojiabao, the only resting place within a hundred-mile radius. As they were about to enter the village, Yan army Deputy General Ji Duo'er warned Zhou Fugui and the others.
"Semi-divine? What does that mean?" Zhou Fugui asked upon hearing this.
"He can summon gods, invite divine possession, and divine fortune and misfortune, among other things. It is said he is also quite adept at the arts of the bedchamber. Everyone within a hundred miles regards him as a deity and no one dares to offend him," Ji Duo'er replied.
Zhou Fugui secretly shook his head upon hearing this, remaining silent.
In this desolate border region, people were mostly ignorant. Not to mention studying, there were few who could even read, perhaps none at all. In such times, some would inevitably emerge to play the charade of gods and spirits. Their intentions were clear: to enslave, deceive, and rule the populace.
Zhou Fugui had not believed in gods or ghosts before, but after experiencing reincarnation, he could not help but believe. Thus, this Chieftain of Xiaojiabao might indeed be a demigod, a semi-immortal.
Whether he was a demigod, a semi-immortal, or someone merely feigning divinity, what did it have to do with him? Zhou Fugui mused to himself. They would rest here for two days and then move on. Why should he care if the chieftain was a god, a man, or a ghost?
"Deputy General Ji Duo'er, it must not have been easy for the imperial court to establish an inn here," Zhou Fugui then said to Ji Duo'er.
"An inn? Where is there an inn?" Ji Duo'er asked.
"Hm? Didn't you say on the road? That Xiaojiabao has an inn..." Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"Oh, Xiaojiabao is the inn, and the inn is Xiaojiabao. Chieftain Guan Yuanshan is the official of the inn," Ji Duo'er replied.
So that's how it is, Zhou Fugui nodded to himself.
"Who's there? Halt, and don't move another step." As Ji Duo'er, Zhou Fugui, and the others approached the village gate, the Guan family guards on the wall shouted.
In the darkness, the guards could not discern who Ji Duo'er and his group were. If they were bandits or vagrants, arrows and stones would be prepared.
"Hold your hands!" Ji Duo'er quickly shouted back, "I am Ji Duo'er, Deputy General of Xuelin City. I am passing through this blessed land and request to stay for one night. Please be accommodating. I have also brought some local produce to offer to Chieftain Guan."
"Oh, Deputy General Ji? Open the village gate." Since Ji Duo'er was an old acquaintance, the guards opened the heavy gates, and Ji Duo'er, Zhou Fugui, and the others entered Xiaojiabao in succession.
The Xiaojiabao fortress was built by the mountains and by the water. A small river flowed before the village walls, which enclosed Xiaojiabao in a semicircle. Behind the village was a tall mountain. The area within the village was not large, but the roads were relatively flat. Over a hundred houses, large and small, were scattered unevenly within the village.
Many of the houses within the village could be better described as thatched huts than actual dwellings.
"Deputy General Ji..." a minor leader of the Guan family guards said to Ji Duo'er with a grin, "It's so cold today, haven't any of your belongings frozen? Heh heh, Deputy General Ji has worked hard! You've escorted so many prisoners this time, you must be rich!"
When convicts were exiled to Xuelin City, their families would often give money or goods to the escorting generals to ensure their care during the arduous journey. Those who were completely destitute would naturally suffer greatly during the journey, some even losing their lives because of it.
Zhou Fugui had also given a considerable amount of money and goods to Ji Duo'er and his men... Of course, Ji Duo'er had politely refused, but Zhou Fugui insisted on giving it, so in the end, Ji Duo'er and his men "reluctantly" accepted. This was also one of the reasons why Ji Duo'er and his men had taken good care of Zhou Fugui and his subordinates and brothers along the way.
"Wen Zansun, don't be so envious," Ji Duo'er said with a laugh, "If you're capable, try it yourself! Don't just hide in your warm room and make sarcastic remarks."
"Oh my, I'm not an official of the court, I wouldn't dare," the minor leader of the Guan family guards named Wen Zansun also laughed, "It's gotten cold early this year, my hands and feet are about to freeze off."
"May you freeze to death," Ji Duo'er cursed jokingly and then asked, "Is Chieftain Guan at home?"
"Alibu's family is getting married, the Chieftain has gone there," Wen Zansun replied with a smile. Several guards also suddenly started laughing.
Seeing this, Zhou Fugui and the others were perplexed. As the chieftain of a village, being invited to a wedding was a normal matter, so why were they laughing so lewdly?
"Oh, please arrange lodging and some food and drink for them," Ji Duo'er said to Wen Zansun and the others, "There will naturally be rewards for you."
...
"Old Yi, Old Wei, don't bother yourselves. Come, have some wine and meat to warm yourselves up," Zhou Fugui said as he carried some wine and meat outside the door to Yi Jisheng and Wei the Blind.
Ji Duo'er had arranged a banquet, but not everyone was qualified to drink and eat inside. Only Ji Duo'er and a few other Yan generals were eligible, and of course, Zhou Fugui was also invited. However, Zhou Fugui could not bear to see Yi Jisheng, Wei the Blind, and the others freezing and starving outside. So, after having a few casual drinks with Ji Duo'er and the other Yan generals, he excused himself and went outside.
Yi Jisheng, Wei the Blind, and the other villagers were, after all, implicated by Zhou Fugui, which led to their exile to Xuelin City.
Yi Jisheng, Wei the Blind, and other fellow villagers were tending to the horses and preparing fodder outside. The weather was freezing, and the snow on the ground was thick, making a "crunch, crunch" sound with every step.
"Thank you, Battalion Commander," Yi Jisheng, Wei the Blind, and the other villagers said gratefully upon seeing this.
"Why thank me?" Zhou Fugui simply sat down on a pile of hay in the stable, beckoning them to sit down. "I don't deserve your thanks. If it weren't for me, none of you would have ended up in this godforsaken place."
"Haha!" Yang Xinhong, a fellow villager, found an oil lamp and hung it on the wooden railing of the stable, laughing. "This place is indeed not as good as the south. At least it's not this cold in the south. It's so cold it hurts my bones."
"Have some wine, you won't feel the cold after drinking some," Yi Jisheng said, handing Yang Xinhong a cup of wine. Then, he asked Zhou Fugui, "Compared to this cold, Old Yi is most worried about the future. Fugui, what is Xuelin City really like?"
What Yi Jisheng was worried about was also what all the fellow villagers were worried about. They all looked at Zhou Fugui, waiting for his answer.
"What's it like?" Before Zhou Fugui could answer, Pan Jiugui said sarcastically, "The far north, and a border region at that, how good can it be? Perhaps worse than when we campaigned south. Not to mention the harsh weather, you might die in a foreign land and become a ghost of another place."
"Old Ghost, what do you mean by that?" Suo Dacheng said upon hearing this. "Are you blaming Fugui? What do you mean by dying in a foreign land and becoming a ghost of another place? Without Fugui, we brothers would have died in the south long ago."
"How am I blaming Fugui?" Pan Jiugui said angrily, "Am I not speaking the truth? Convicts exiled to the border, have you ever heard of any returning?"
"Hmph, you're just a coward yourself," Xu Mancang snorted.
"I'm a coward? I wouldn't have followed Fugui here if I were afraid of death," Pan Jiugui said indignantly.
"Yes, you old ghost, when you left Youzhou back then, you said you'd either die or live. How come you're not dead today?" Wei the Blind said with a laugh after taking a sip of wine.
"Haha, yes..." Suo Dacheng also laughed. "Fugui is a blessed person. Following him won't go wrong."
"Why did Changshun and the others die? Some even had their bodies scattered," Pan Jiugui was always sarcastic.
"Yes, what Old Ghost said makes sense," fellow villager Wu Tianqi nodded in agreement.
"Blackie, why are you like a mad dog, biting everyone you see?" Wu Tianqi said angrily, "Aren't you afraid of death? Go and die then."
"You villain who dies a violent death, how dare you curse me?" Xu Mancang was furious and stood up, grabbing Wu Tianqi, intending to fight him...
"Mancang, sit down, no fighting. And you all stop arguing. Dammit, you're all so irritating," Zhou Fugui quickly stopped Xu Mancang when he saw this.
Zhou Fugui was indeed feeling agitated. He took a sip of the strong liquor in his wooden cup, trying to suppress the annoyance in his heart. He said hatefully, "What Old Ghost said is the truth. As far as I know, Xuelin City is no less perilous than the south. At this moment, we brothers are in a dangerous situation again. Dammit, is there no end to this? My dear brothers, I say the same thing as before: as long as we are alive, there will be a day to turn things around. As long as we are alive, we can return to our hometown and reunite with our families. If heaven wants me dead, I will refuse to die! If you enrage me, I will pierce a hole in the sky."
"Fugui is right..." Yi Jisheng nodded upon hearing this. "It is what it is. What use are more complaints? Let's just listen to Fugui. Actually, dear brothers, Fugui is also having a difficult time."
"Old Yi is right," everyone nodded together upon hearing this.
"Fugui, you don't need to blame yourself too much. We are humble folk. Even if we weren't exiled to Xuelin City, we would be sent to our deaths by the court elsewhere," Wei the Blind also said.
Everyone nodded upon hearing this. Even the disgruntled Pan Jiugui secretly agreed with Wei the Blind's words.
"Battalion Commander, I always feel something is not quite right about this Xiaojiabao," said Wei Liang, who was only twenty years old, to Zhou Fugui after they had a few drinks.
"What's not right about it?" Zhou Fugui was desperately thinking about how to lead his brothers to survive. Interrupted by Wei Liang, he asked absentmindedly.
"There's too much gloom, and a chilling wind... Oh dear..." Wei Liang shivered as he spoke.
"Too much gloom, a chilling wind? What makes you say that?" Zhou Fugui looked at Wei Liang in surprise.
The other fellow villagers also turned to look at Wei Liang.
"Didn't you see that there are many women here in the Chieftain's residence? And they all act like ghosts, dodging and weaving whenever they see someone," Wei Liang said.
"He's a demigod, the local emperor of this region. What's strange about him having a few wives and concubines?" Zhou Fugui had also noticed this, but he dismissed it.
"Wei Liang, they are women. If they don't run away from you, what are they supposed to do, throw themselves into your arms?" Hong Wei laughed.
"Hahahaha!" All the fellow villagers couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I... I... I..." Wei Liang's face immediately turned red.
"Deputy General Zhou, Deputy General Ji Duo'er requests your presence!" At this moment, a Yan army soldier ran over and said to Zhou Fugui.