Chapter 447: Even in a Fallen Nation, There Are Good Men |
Liao Daqiu looked at Ji Yuan and Chang Yi with excitement.
“Gentlemen, are you sure it’s accurate? I mean, I mean, is what you’re saying true? Xiao Bao, he, he’s still alive?”
When ordinary fortune tellers gave divinations, the Liao family would just listen passively. Although their emotions might fluctuate, they would not have reacted in this extreme manner.
For some reason, the words of these two gentlemen were surprisingly convincing, as if they were the absolute truth.
Therefore, Liao Daqiu’s emotions suddenly surged, as did the woman’s on the kitchen threshold. It felt as if they hadn’t just had their fortune told, but rather that an official had delivered a message saying that their eldest son was still alive.
The youngest son of the Liao family, standing on the threshold, looked at his parents with some confusion and tugged at his mother’s sleeve.
“Mom…”
Mrs. Liao finally came to her senses, caressing her youngest son’s face, but still kept her gaze in the direction of Old Liao and the two gentlemen.
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi naturally understood the elderly couple’s excitement. The former nodded solemnly again and replied.
Upon hearing this, Liao Daqiu stood up abruptly, nearly dropping the bowl of porridge in his hand. The precious white porridge, which was a treasure for farmers, spilled onto the ground.
After scalding his hand with the porridge, Liao Daqiu quickly put the bowl down on the stool and then knelt down in front of Ji Yuan and Chang Yi with a thud.
“If you two gentlemen can help us find Xiao Bao, we will never forget your kindness!”
The woman on the kitchen threshold also put down her bowl and ran to Liao Daqiu to kneel together.
“Please, gentlemen, help us find Xiao Bao! Please, gentlemen, we beg you!”
The two even tried to kowtow, but Ji Yuan and Chang Yi each reached out and held them back. They accepted the bow without flinching or blocking, but there was no need for them to kowtow.
“Please rise, both of you. We will naturally do our best to help you. There is no need for such grand gestures.”
Old Liao raised his head and looked up at Ji Yuan and Chang Yi.
“But how can we repay you both? We have no money or power, how can we possibly repay you?”
Even farmers like the Liao couple knew that finding and retrieving people from various military units would cost a lot of money. They had heard that even a lawsuit in the county required a fortune in bribes. Half a year ago, two families from a neighboring village went to court over a horse, and in the end, neither the winner nor the loser received the horse; it was all given to the government.
The Liao couple knew very well that they were unable to afford anything, but could they really let the two gentlemen bear the burden? Not to mention, regardless of whether Ji Yuan and Chang Yi would actually do such a thing, the Liao couple would feel uneasy. But how could they give up this chance to save their son?
Ji Yuan seemed to see through the couple’s thoughts. After thinking for a moment, he pointed to the black jade hairpin in his hair and said.
“Mr. Chang and I are not short of money or connections. Besides, it is worthwhile to help you.”
Looking at Ji Yuan’s black jade hairpin, even though the couple weren’t experts in jade, they knew it was definitely worth a fortune. If this favor was truly just a small matter for Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, then they would feel much more at ease.
“Well, if you really want to repay Chang Yi and me, please give me another bowl of porridge.”
“Hehehe, yes, I’d like another bowl too, with extra pickled vegetables. These pickled vegetables are so flavorful, they’re delicious!”
The Liao couple looked pleasantly surprised.
“Alright, alright, I’ll serve you both, I’ll serve you both, gentlemen!”
The couple quickly stood up, not even bothering to brush off their clothes, and took the empty bowls from Ji Yuan and Chang Yi. They hurriedly went to the kitchen to refill the porridge, all the while mentioning their own pickled vegetables.
“These pickled vegetables are homemade, made from our cabbage. We just opened the jar recently, and they’re at their freshest and most delicious. They’re also great for making soup!”
The woman served porridge, while Old Liao added vegetables to the two bowls. Both of them were beaming with joy, but tears kept flowing down their faces. However, they could only wipe their tears with their sleeves as they continued to work.
However, by the time they came out of the kitchen, their tears were gone. They carefully carried the two bowls of porridge, piled high with pickled vegetables, to Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, as if the porridge they were carrying was incredibly heavy.
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi exchanged a glance, the former nodding slightly to the latter. Chang Yi seemed to see the coldness and warmth of human relationships reflected in Ji Yuan’s pale eyes.
The two only had breakfast at Liao Daqiu’s house before leaving Maotan Village ahead of schedule amidst the expectant and anxious gazes of the couple, leaving the old village head, who had come specifically to look for Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, empty-handed.
…
When Ji Yuan and Chang Yi left, they refused Liao Daqiu’s offer to send them off in an oxcart and chose to walk instead. After leaving the village, they flew away.
With Liao Zhengbao’s information, and having taken away a wooden sword that Liao Zhengbao had played with as a child from the Liao family, finding Liao Zhengbao would no longer be difficult for Ji Yuan and Chang Yi.
The two flew towards the southeast of the country of Yuanzhao with a clear purpose, scanning the land as they went. They found that many farmlands had been abandoned, and some villages and even towns were empty.
This was very similar to the scene Ji Yuan had seen when he had visited the country of Zuyue. Although Zuyue was in a very bad state, as a country, they had been able to stand against Dazhen for so many years, so they still had some foundation and a large territory. The country of Yuanzhao, on the other hand, was much smaller and was already beset by internal and external troubles. This plague had already covered one-third of its territory. It seemed its fate was truly sealed.
About an hour and a half later, Ji Yuan and Chang Yi arrived at a desolate area in the southeast of Yuanzhao. This place could already be considered the border of the country of Yuanzhao, but this border city was somewhat dilapidated, and there few people living in the surrounding area. Although there were some farmlands, they were all cultivated by the soldiers themselves to alleviate the shortage of military rations.
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi of course did not fly directly to the city wall, but instead landed in the desolate outskirts of the city, then approached the city along the farmland behind it.
“Mr. Ji, Liao Zhengbao should be in the city. How can we take him away? Perhaps we can put him to sleep and then fly back to Maotan Village with him?”
Chang Yi questioned Ji Yuan as he walked. Ji Yuan was observing the border city. With his supernatural eyes, he saw that the city walls were filled with the aura of soldiers, but there was also a hidden, special aura that solidified within the city. It was not at all like the aura of a “doomed country” like the country of Yuanzhao. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Chang Yi.
“That depends on Liao Zhengbao’s thoughts.”
Chang Yi frowned and looked towards the city, somewhat confused by Ji Yuan’s meaning, but he didn’t ask any further questions.
As the two approached the city, they were quickly spotted by some sentries. They were still walking on a path flanked by fields when a loud shout of “Halt!” rang out, and five soldiers sprang out from the nearby bushes.
“Shiiing—“
“Shiiing—“
“Shiiing—“
“Shiiing—“
“Shiiing—“
All five men drew their swords and pointed them at Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, looking at the two men with wary expressions. The leading soldier scrutinized Ji Yuan and Chang Yi closely before demanding:
“Who are you? What brings you to this strategically important border region? Speak quickly and do not conceal anything!”
The other soldiers nearby also echoed the shout.
“Speak quickly, and do not conceal anything!”
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi showed no signs of panic. Ji Yuan, due to his poor eyesight, saw only the soldiers’ high morale, while Chang Yi saw only the soldiers’ worn-out armor, with many places showing signs of repair using homemade twine. Even their weapons had nicks, but apart from the large chips in them, the rest were polished to a shine, and the blades were clearly sharp.
“My name is Ji Yuan, and this is Mr. Chang Yi. We have been entrusted to deliver a message to a soldier in this city. We hope that you gentlemen will grant us this favor.”
“Deliver a message?”
The leading soldier paused for a moment, taken aback, and the other soldiers around him exchanged glances.
“Who is this message for? Do you have any official documents or tokens?”
Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then made a gesture with his left hand to reach into his right sleeve, and hurriedly replied.
“I have official documents, sir, please wait a moment.”
Chang Yi looked at Mr. Ji beside him with curiosity, wondering when Mr. Ji had obtained these official documents. He then saw Ji Yuan take out a blank sheet of Xuan paper from his sleeve and hand it directly to the leading soldier.
The leading soldier carefully took the “official document” from Ji Yuan’s hand and examined it carefully. Two other soldiers beside him also peered over.
They looked at it from top to bottom many times before nodding and returning it to Ji Yuan.
“You do have official documents, but I don’t know if they’re genuine. Keep them safe for now, and show them to the military commander when you see him. Now come with us!”
“Alright, thank you gentlemen for leading the way!”
Ji Yuan nodded slightly to Chang Yi and stuffed the Xuan paper back into his sleeve. The latter immediately understood that this was just a small trick: the “official document” that the soldiers saw was just what they wanted to see.1
As they approached the city, they saw that even the gates they passed through were only partially open, and roadblocks were set up outside. After at least two checks, Ji Yuan and Chang Yi finally met the military officer in charge of the north gate.
In a room near the city gate, the officer also carefully examined the “official documents,” and even took out several old official documents to compare. After confirming that the official documents were genuine, he did not return them to Ji Yuan, but instead placed them in a wooden box alongside other official documents.
“You’re here to deliver a message? That’s strange. Those good-for-nothings up top can’t even pay our full wages, yet they’re approving official documents just to deliver a message…”
The military commander muttered to himself, then turned to Ji Yuan and Chang Yi expectantly.
“How many letters are there? Is mine among them? My name is Li Qiuyang, from Neihe County. Do you have any?”
Upon hearing this, some of the soldiers inside the room looked expectantly at Ji Yuan and Chang Yi, clearly eager to receive their own letters.
But Ji Yuan could only shake his head helplessly.
“There were no other letters, only a message for Liao Zhengbao some keepsakes from his home.”
The military officer sighed, nodded, and turned to a soldier beside him.
“Take the two gentlemen to see Commander Liao.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi followed the soldier through the city. They saw many other soldiers, some of whom were injured, others of whom were training. Without exception, all their armor was tattered.
“What do you think, Mr. Chang?”
Hearing Ji Yuan’s words, Chang Yi shook his head and sighed.
“A battle-hardened soldier, a true hero, what a pity!”
- T/n: the good old psychic paper trick! Any Doctor Who fans here?
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