The first chapter, the ancient capital of yesteryear, today a frontier garrison

In this city, there are only so many people, and Military Doctor Liu Shu had actually been alerted long ago, standing among the crowd watching the commotion. Suddenly, upon being shouted at like this, Liu Shu's legs trembled, and he ran to the front of the young leader

The soldiers on the city wall were engaged in animated discussions. At this moment, the large man was less than one hundred meters away from the city wall

The young leader stood frozen in place; was this burly man asking him to open the city gates

Mirror Kingdom, early autumn of the 144th year of the New Calendar

The young man focused his gaze, and the black dot was rapidly approaching the city wall. He did not know whether the other party was friend or foe, so he took a wooden bow from the hands of a soldier guarding the city, raised it, drew the bowstring taut, and aimed the tip of his sword directly at the giant who was howling and rushing towards the city.

As he spoke, he coughed again, and after coughing, he gasped for breath in pain. It took him half a stick of incense to finish recounting the entire incident. The luggage was lost, and it happened in the dense southern mountains. Ah Mang, with his low intelligence, did not know how to take care of others. This child was already frail; how could he withstand the sun and rain in the wilderness? Soon after, Yun Qing fell ill, and in a daze, he entrusted Ah Mang to find a town to seek medical treatment for him, before falling into a deep sleep.

We are from the south, my name is Yunqing, and this is Amang. On our journey, we encountered some unscrupulous individuals, cough cough... Although the child was coughing heavily, his speech was clear and coherent, "Amang is strong and defeated those villains, but he could not withstand the sheer number of opponents. Cough cough... We lost all our luggage, but at least we managed to save our lives."

The burly man shook his head a few times before slowly standing up, patting his back only to find that the person was gone. It was then that he noticed the long spear in the young leader's hand was pointing at the person he had been protecting. The burly man was filled with shock and anger, letting out an extremely mournful howl that left listeners with aching ears and blurred vision, the pain and sorrow within it tightening their hearts

Liu Shu took away the child of unknown origin, while Commander Song personally oversaw the Han. The others who were watching took their positions and went about their own business.

There is a reason for this action. This peculiar giant appears to be out of his mind, yet his destructive power should not be underestimated. If he were to break down the city gate, it would be a significant loss. Furthermore, despite his large size, he is also extremely fast; once he burrows into the vast forest, the soldiers would no longer be able to catch him. If we could lure him into the city, it might even allow us to catch him in a trap.

At that moment, the giant raised his head and met the young man's gaze, his eyes shining with a beast-like intensity. The young man was momentarily stunned by this unexpected flash of light, feeling as if something had crushed his chest.

"Yes, I will go right away!" Liu Shu lifted the blanket onto his shoulder. The child was very light, probably weighing less than this animal skin blanket.

In a tea house near the city gate, an elderly shopkeeper poured a few cups of coarse tea for himself and several young soldiers on patrol duty. After drinking the tea in one gulp, the old man sighed and said, "It is truly lamentable that the ancient capital of the Tianzhu Kingdom has become a desolate border town today, its former prosperity vanished like smoke and dust..."

The young commander still did not lower his spear and shouted, "Send for the military doctor!"

The young man seemed to want to say something more, but upon seeing the elder's hand, his expression dimmed slightly, and he fell silent. It is said that this old man has also experienced the past conflicts between the Tianzhu Kingdom and the Dajing Tribe, and in terms of seniority, he is far older than the young man. Unfortunately, even heroes have their twilight years, and now he can only spend his days in solitude, guarding the tea shop until the end of his life

The young commander remained silent, but a few young recruits beside him were indignant; how could this old man from the shabby tea shop go against their leader? One recruit stood up, ready to curse, when suddenly a heart-wrenching wail echoed from outside the city gate

Among the young soldiers, there was a youth with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an impressive aura, and judging by his rank, he was a junior leader. Such a presence seemed out of place in this dilapidated tea house of the desolate city. Upon hearing the elder's words, his expression changed slightly: "Uncle Tea, do not speak carelessly! Without the ruin of the old city of Tianzhu, how could there be the prosperity of Jingdu today?"

The young leader seized the opportunity, climbed over the wall, snatched a spear from a soldier's hand, and pointed it directly at the person who had fallen to the ground

The young commander took a few steps to shake off the new recruits, employing his lightness skill to directly step onto the city wall using the uneven surfaces of the wall. From the vantage point of the city wall, the vast expanse of sky and earth unfolded before him, under a clear blue sky. On the scorched earth, a small black dot was rapidly approaching from the south. Despite the great distance, it stirred the people in the city, suggesting that the approach of the other party would not be simple.

The young leader felt a slight confusion in his heart, but he did not dare to move his spear. If he were to shift the spear even slightly, this strong man might very well break his neck.

Is he a madman

It appears to be large in stature, yet in reality, it is as timid as a mouse

Is there no anomaly?" the young leader asked in a low voice

He appeared respectful on the surface, but inwardly he couldn't help but have doubts: "The commander wouldn't be asking me to treat this child, would he? If I can't cure him, won't that big guy tear me apart?"

The young leader was about to shoot an arrow to signal, but suddenly paused. It seemed that the big man was carrying something on his back

It is likely that he caught a chill in the mountains, and the severe illness is a result of both exposure to the elements and the shock experienced during the ordeal

In a desolate ancient city in the south, a sense of bleakness has gradually emerged. Amidst the crumbling walls, soldiers clad in thorny armor can occasionally be seen patrolling. This thorny armor is made from a type of resilient grass found in the south, and although its effectiveness in battle against enemies is unknown, it is ultimately inexpensive and made from readily available materials. The presence of these soldiers wearing thorny armor indicates that the military strength in this area is quite inadequate

Upon hearing that person's voice, the burly man suddenly fell silent, gazing at the young leader without uttering a word, as if he had transformed into a different person compared to his previous frenzied state

It seems like someone is chasing him based on his appearance

However, the burly man paid no heed, charging forward amidst the billowing dust, the wails growing ever clearer.

Is there perhaps a nine-foot giant outside the city gate ... ? ... crying ?

"This elder brother, please put down the spear... cough cough... put down the spear." The speaker's voice was hoarse, yet he was quite young, "A-Mang means no harm."

The person behind him was so shaken that he rolled off him and fell a few steps away

"Amang, do not worry, it will be fine soon," the child who called himself Yunqing softly reassured him

Seeing that the young leader had not responded for half a day, the burly man roared once more and charged straight towards the city gate

Both parties found themselves in a stalemate, and those nearby did not even dare to breathe.

An abandoned city, a group of fools. The schemes of the older generation are far from over.

Go take a look

"Reporting to Commander Song, there is nothing! It is merely a common cold," Liu Shu replied with a lowered gaze and a compliant demeanor.

Alas... what a pity..." The old man, however, seemed not to have heard, leisurely repeating the words once more. After finishing, he poured himself another cup of tea, tilted his head back to drink it all, and his hand that poured the tea trembled uncontrollably.

Except for the young commander, the other soldiers all sat down on the ground, trembling and unable to utter a single word.

Everyone was taken aback and quickly got up to run towards the city wall, with no one having the time to pay attention to that old man.

A-Mang, not knowing the way, recklessly ran northward, and within half a day arrived at the foot of Jiu Ming City, which led to the scene just witnessed

Cough cough... A faint coughing sound emerged between the two.

You take him down for treatment

Aman let out a low howl, feeling somewhat restless.

"Who are you? Why have you intruded into Jiuming City?" The young leader stood motionless with his spear, his expression grave as he inquired.

The young leader's thoughts shifted, and he quickly issued the order to open the city gates

Moreover, the Tianzhu Kingdom, which originally occupied this place, has long been defeated by the four major tribes of the Northwest, and at this moment, those remnants are likely unaware of where they are fishing and playing on some island.

The young leader was startled, causing his hand to tremble, and the voice that emerged was that of the hostage he had been pointing at with his spear. This hostage was wrapped in a fur blanket, making it impossible to discern whether they were male or female, old or young

Liu felt goosebumps all over and thought to himself, this kid feels so cold, could he be dead? He checked again, and fortunately, although his body temperature was low, his pulse was still relatively normal

The Han soldier intended to rush in, but suddenly the city gate opened, and he lost his balance, falling forward onto the ground and creating a large pit.

However, to speak frankly, it seems that after the capital was established, there was no city in the south that had sufficient military strength

A century ago, the late emperor descended from the northern grasslands, and after a lifetime of iron horses and golden spears, he incorporated the central plains of the Southern Wind Continent into his territory. The Great Mirror Tribe was renamed the Mirror Kingdom, and the new capital was established in Fan City, which was renamed Mirror Capital.

The wailing was truly earth-shattering, akin to a waterfall crashing down beside one’s ear, the thunderous sound causing one’s eardrums to ache. Yet this sound was far from the clarity of a waterfall; rather, it was muffled and deep, resembling the noise made by a strong man pinching his nose.

The tall man was wearing a fur coat, the lush fur on his shoulders concealing the person he carried on his back. He seemed to be oblivious to the need to care for the person behind him, as he ran without any protective gestures. Thus, even with the keen eyesight of the young man earlier, he had not been able to discern that he was actually carrying someone.

The tea master at the tea house observed as the chaos gradually subsided, his old eyes narrowing slightly as he took a sip of water

The young leader steadied himself and observed closely that there was a look of painful pleading in the giant's eyes. He resembled a wild beast trapped in a dire situation, pacing back and forth in place, at times raising his hand to point at the person he was carrying on his back, and at other times pointing at the city gate

The great mountains and rivers have already been established, and the saying "Those who plant trees benefit future generations" perfectly encapsulates the prosperous and peaceful times. Who would be willing to waste such a splendid time in this remote and desolate city?

As expected, the short-statured military doctor had no choice but to grit his teeth and reach his hand into the filthy fur blanket, and as soon as he did, he touched a cold hand.

At the moment when the young man's face turned pale, the burly man suddenly stopped in his tracks and let out a long howl towards the sky. This wailing echoed throughout the entire Jiuming City, the lingering sound resonating and trembling, enough to frighten one’s very heart and lungs.

Who goes there? State your name, and I shall spare your life