Chapter 1, Heading North

The Deer Eastern Tomb in the city resembles an inner city, with outer walls constructed of fired clay bricks reaching a height of five zhang. The official residences of the Tomb officials occupy only one-third of the buildings facing north, while the remainder consists of barracks and training grounds.

"Father, the farthest you've ever been in your life is probably just to that nearby tomb." Normally, Lin Xi might have said this, but today, Lin Xi nodded and spoke in a voice loud enough for the three people at the town entrance to hear, saying, "Understood, Father"

"Maid?" Li Xiping let out a cold laugh, his narrowed eyes appearing even more sinister. "You have also spent time in the border army, so you should know that the less you know, the fewer thoughts you have, and the easier it is to survive"

Black Marsh? The middle-aged man with thick eyebrows instinctively straightened his posture, but a look of shock quickly spread across his face. He hesitated and said, "My lord, is this perhaps a bit too heavy?"

The old man's hair was very gray, appearing uncombed and as messy as a ball of cotton. With the jolting of the wheels, the elderly man sitting at the front of the vehicle, with his back to Lin Xi, seemed to be dozing off

A short and stout middle-aged man and a beautiful woman were leading a lovely girl with red-rimmed eyes, all the way to the edge of the town, while an old yellow dog slowly trailed behind the three of them

The tears of the beautiful woman immediately began to flow. "You little brat!" The short, stout middle-aged man, resembling a merchant, seemed ready to scold Lin Xi, but after uttering a single curse, he secretly wiped the corner of his eye. As he watched the carriage gradually recede into the distance, this short and plump middle-aged merchant shouted, "Brat, don't speak nonsense after you go out; the outside world is not like Deer Forest Town!"

"Understood, sir." The middle-aged man with thick eyebrows felt a chill in his heart, bowed slightly, and prepared to exit. However, at that moment, Li Xiping pondered for a moment and said, "Please arrange for Uncle Liu to drive; I want to personally go to Lulin Town."

The cuffs of the gray robe worn by the unremarkable, thin, elderly man in his fifties even bore some greasy marks, yet at this moment, a heavy, almost suffocating aura of iron and blood emanated from him.

However, these two connected carriages shattered his peaceful and contented life

Only that which is unattainable appears increasingly precious. Therefore, upon realizing that he had arrived in this world, transformed into another person, and acquired some unique abilities, he did not entertain the thought of leaving this small town to explore the outside world or to embark on a grand and earth-shattering enterprise. Even his understanding of the Yunqin Empire was limited to the fact that it was a powerful empire with a rigorous rule of law, occupying almost the entire Central Continent, divided administratively into towns, mausoleums, prefectures, and provinces.

As the highest official of the 4 million people in Ludongling, Li Xiping, who is short in stature and has a long, slender face, is not particularly striking in appearance

Although he has fully integrated into this world over the past two years and has accepted his current identity, this situation inevitably reminds him of many things

The carriage traveled northward, until the figures of the two adults and one child, along with an old yellow dog at the town's entrance, were no longer visible in the distance. It was not until the entire outline of Lulin Town had disappeared that Lin Xi lowered the curtain of the carriage window, let out a faint sigh, and leaned back against the soft cushion in the carriage.

Apart from the momentary surprise of the soldiers at the sight of a delicate-looking girl around fifteen or sixteen years old driving the carriage, this vehicle continuing eastward did not attract any further attention from anyone.

... ...

Although I do not know the identity of the young girl who is younger than myself, it is evident that she has an inevitable connection with this carriage

Who exactly is that person, to have such demeanor even among a personal maid?" He nodded and could not help but ask again.

"Can you fly? Do you have flying swords? Magic?" In the astonished gaze of the elderly man with gray hair, the bloodied young boy, who had barely managed to get up, looked at him seriously and asked such a question.

His expression was calm, even carrying a look of curiosity and anticipation, as he silently approached the old man and stabbed him in the back with a dagger.

A chill suddenly ran through the heart of the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows. He was well aware of the kind of composure that Li Xiping, who had struggled and fought his way out of the Longshe Frontier Army, would possess. In the eight years since he had been in Duling, he had never seen Li Xiping display such a gloomy expression or speak in such a stern tone.

What kind of place is Qingluan Academy

This is nothing distinctive. Since the establishment of the Qin Empire, all mausoleums, aside from the area size determined by the provincial government, have followed this same pattern in terms of style.

The carriage was driven by an elderly man with graying hair, departing from Ludongling, passing through Wusuozhen and the Thirty-Mile Beach meadow, crossing the Heishuidu, and finally entering Lulin Town

In the bright spring light, this cart, on which nothing has happened, travels northward.

Li Xiping's expression darkened, and in that moment, a strong smell of blood seemed to fill the hall. "If it weren't for the fact that he spent two years with me in the border army, I wouldn't even need orders from above to throw him into a death cell after such an incident!" Li Xiping sternly reprimanded the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, "Severe illness requires strong medicine; don't you realize what time it is for our Yunqin Empire? If we don't send him to that kind of place, not only will it fail to quell that person's anger, but he will also end up in a worse situation, and we might all be implicated!"

The elderly man with white hair from the Lingdu Prefecture, after stopping for a day in Lulin Town, slowly drove his carriage out of Lulin Town the following morning

"Little bunny." The middle-aged merchant muttered another curse, yet his eyes were completely bewildered

During his last journey to school, when he boarded a train that people in this world could hardly comprehend, he was alone. His father, who had been running a tea business outside for many years, had only sent him the tuition fees for four years of university in one lump sum. As for his mother, who had been a compulsive gambler and had parted ways with his father five or six years ago, she was completely out of touch, perhaps even unaware that he had been accepted into university.

Lin Xi, who had not received an answer, helplessly shook his head at the book, and then he gently uttered two words, "Go back"

Swish!

A common cart that had just been fitted with new wheels left the inn west of Ludongling, spending half a day traversing the entire Ludongling. It exited through the eastern city gate and continued to move slowly eastward, disappearing from the sight of the soldier standing guard at the city gate with a spear.

Soon, Li Xiping, dressed in a dull gray robe, walked out of Lulin Town. After reaching the mound where the carriage driven by the girl in the green shirt had passed a few days ago, this official, who appeared older than his actual age, looked up at the sky. He then broke a branch by the roadside, using it as a support as he slowly made his way toward another small town. With each step, his silhouette grew more upright, and the branch in his hand increasingly resembled a knife dragging on the ground, a sword.

He held the glimmering dagger concealed beneath his sleeve and gently lifted the curtain of the carriage ahead.

Although he had never left Deerwood Town, he was not in a hurry to admire the scenery along the way. He was well aware that at the speed of this carriage, in this equally vast world, he would certainly see different places to the point of exhaustion over the next several days

Then Lin Xi truly returned to the carriage, back to the moment before he took out the dagger from the package. He leaned against the soft cushion in the carriage, his clothes clean, and there were no traces of blood on his face.

A strong wind swept through Ludongling

My lord... A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, standing upright and dressed in a black light leather armor, could hardly endure the prolonged silence and pressure. However, he merely bowed to the highest official of Lu Dongling and called out "my lord". Before he could say anything substantial, Li Xiping, who merely appeared to be an ordinary accountant of a merchant caravan based on his looks, furrowed his brows, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He glanced at the young man with thick eyebrows and said, "You go and bring Zhang Zhendong to Scarred Liu, to Heishui Marsh." Before he could say anything substantial, Li Xiping, who merely appeared to be an ordinary accountant of a merchant caravan based on his looks, furrowed his brows, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He glanced at the young man with thick eyebrows and said, "You go and bring Zhang Zhendong to Scarred Liu, to Heishui Marsh."

Lin Xi sat in the carriage cushioned with soft mats, vigorously waving goodbye to the three people and the old yellow dog who still wanted to follow him. His eyes were also red. "Dad, Mom, little sister, you should go back. Dad, the wine you lost has all been hidden under my bed; I've turned it into medicinal wine. If you miss me, just take a couple of sips every day. Mom, take care of your health and be careful not to catch a cold again. And little sister, be good; your brother will bring back more fun things for you. And Ah Huang, don't get any ideas about those two birds."

Subsequently, he took out a narrow cloth pouch from the package beside him and unfastened it

At this moment, in the central area of the Northern Tomb Supervisor's Office of Ludongling Prefecture, several large red candles are being lit

Wow... Lin Qian was fine at first, but the moment she heard Lin Xi's farewell shout and saw the carriage speeding up, she immediately pouted and began to cry.

The already bent dagger lay quietly in his package, while the gray-haired old man, who had just exuded a suffocating murderous intent and an aura of blood and death, still appeared to be an ordinary, frail old man, dozing off from time to time at the front of the vehicle, seemingly harmless.

However, within just a few dozen breaths, his unspoken anger had subsided. He did not change the gray robe that had been splashed with some tea, and walked out of the mausoleum office where sunlight had already poured in.

The rainfall this year is less than in previous years, so even after the strong winds, the sky of this remote border town still appears somewhat gray

As the thick-browed middle-aged man exited the gates of the Lingdu Prefecture, Li Xiping picked up the teacup from the table before him. However, his hand paused in mid-air for a moment, unable to contain the anger boiling within him. With a loud "bang," he smashed the teacup forcefully onto the ground.

Lin Xi finally managed to catch his breath, spitting out a dry leaf and some dust from his mouth. However, in the face of the chilling old man, he seemed to have found an answer, muttering to himself, "So there really are formidable masters in this world"

The air around the peaceful carriage suddenly turned cold. The old man did not turn back, but Lin Xi's heart abruptly contracted violently, a piercing chill instantly enveloping his entire body. He could not see clearly what was happening. His whole person was thrown out of the carriage, landing heavily in the bushes by the roadside, gasping for breath, feeling as if he had shattered into pieces, and the fall was exceedingly tragic.

These few red candles dispelled the last trace of darkness in this deep hall paved with green stone slabs, yet the flickering candlelight cast upon Li Xiping's face perfectly reflected his currently wavering emotions

There is nothing more infuriating than witnessing the downfall of a brother with whom one has shared life and death, and personally sending such a brother to his demise. Even Li Xiping, who had already cultivated an indifference to being spat upon during his time in the border troops, found it difficult to control this emotion, his chest heaving violently.

Puff!

A somewhat well-off family, free from worries about food and drink, with a shrewd and cunning businessman as the father who would kneel in a temple for two days and nights to pray for his seriously ill son, promising to donate nearly half of his wealth; a clever, adorable, and obedient little sister; a mother who appears strict but is actually gentle and kind; and a tranquil small town in a corner, he is quite content with such a life

Lin Xi remained silent for a while, then made an action that was difficult to comprehend

Whenever Lin Xi thought of the terror of that girl who always wore a serious expression, a strange look immediately appeared on her face

"Get in the car. If you do this again next time, I will break your hand." The elderly man with graying hair squinted at Lin Xi for a moment, then turned his head away and said coldly and decisively

The middle-aged man was taken aback, his eyes filled with an even greater expression of shock. However, this time he did not say much; after bowing respectfully, he withdrew.

Inside lies a dagger, finely honed and glinting with a cold light

After he walked out of the main gate, two soldiers dressed in yellow immediately entered the mausoleum supervisor's office, quickly starting to clean up, while he boarded a carriage that had already been prepared outside the door

What do you want to do? The carriage came to a stop, and the elderly man with graying hair looked at Lin Xi, who had fallen in a most tragic manner, his face filled with coldness. The dagger that Lin Xi had been holding earlier was pinched between the man's two fingers, bending in a strange manner.