Chapter 0001: The Eighteen Ghosts of the Blue Face

A pair of straw sandals reveals more than half of the feet.

Beside him were seven other men who looked just as much like beggars. The elderly third uncle, hunched over, struggled to drag his feet to keep up with the procession

Indeed, the grandfathers are the eighteen blue-faced ghosts who have swept through the various counties of Henan. Those who are wise should quickly hand over all their valuables!

The old man beside Luo Feng spoke to him, and the others also got up

Only no one knows that he is no longer that young Luo Wu now

This is utterly bizarre, yet so real; he had thought it was merely a long dream, but it has already been over ten days, and there is no possibility of waking from this dream.

Several people gathered in front of the old man, helping him to sit on a stone by the roadside, "Third Uncle, take a rest."

The other several beggar-like men also came over to plead, and for a moment, they were at a standstill. At this time, a woman's voice came from the carriage, "Zhao Bantuo, the young lady has spoken; let us rest here for a while before continuing our journey, as it is still early and there is no need to rush."

Uncle San sighed and said to the young man who spoke for him at the beginning, "Xiao Wu, I am very grateful for your care along the way; otherwise, this old bone of mine would have been left behind in Ji County and unable to return."

Looking at the elderly Uncle Luo San beside him, Luo Feng continued to request, "Head Zhao, Uncle Luo San has just recovered from a serious illness and truly cannot walk any longer"

He stopped in his tracks to support his third uncle and called out to a man in a black robe ahead, "Zhao Ban-tou, after several consecutive days of travel, my third uncle has just recovered from a serious illness and truly cannot continue. Let us rest for a while before proceeding."

In the past two years, the Blue-faced Ghost has gained quite a reputation, yet few know his name, Zhu Hua. It is unexpected that someone here is actually able to call out his name.

The Blue-faced Ghost Zhu Hua is not a memory of Luo Wu himself, but rather a memory from another life. The Blue-faced Ghost Zhu Hua refers to a group of bandits that roamed the eastern part of Henan during the Dà Yè period of the Sui Dynasty, known as the Eighteen Blue-faced Ghosts, with Zhu Hua as their leader.

Having just turned sixteen after the New Year, he, in accordance with government regulations, became a young man. Although the official stipulation is that one becomes an adult at the age of twenty-one, reaching the age of sixteen qualifies one as a young man, and thus he must begin to undertake certain duties.

The blue-faced ghost, Zhu Hua, laughed heartily, glanced at the two women, and turned to Zhao the Constable and Luo Feng and others, saying, "Today, having encountered two beautiful young ladies, we are in a good mood, so we will not make things difficult for you rough men. Hurry up and get lost"

He shook his head, losing interest in the young man. Perhaps he had overheard it from somewhere, after all, the Eighteen Blue Faced Ghosts are now a well-known presence throughout the various counties of Henan.

He became Luo Wu, sixteen years old this year, and this is in Henan, no, it is near Jinan in present-day Shandong. And now, it is the autumn of the fifth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty

Constable Zhao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gritted his teeth and ran off.

Wow, there are indeed women, and they are two young and beautiful ladies. This is a stroke of good fortune.

He examined himself, resembling a beggar, with a piece of straw rope binding his tattered and thin clothing at the waist. The clothes were both torn and dirty, and it was impossible to discern their original color and style.

"Little Five, we are leaving as well"

These individuals all have their faces covered with a blue scarf

The coachman also ran along with him

The labor of river excavation is very arduous, involving all-day work with a lack of clothing and food. Especially after autumn sets in, the weather turns cold, leading to even greater suffering from hunger and cold. In the final days of the service period, the work becomes even more exhausting as they rush to meet deadlines. Sixteen-year-old Luo Wu ultimately fell ill, but fortunately, it was not long before this group of people completed their service period, and his health quickly recovered.

Zhu Hua! He pronounced the name of the burly man standing at the front with his face covered

Sitting on the stone, Luo Feng's mind immediately conjured up relevant memories: the Eighteen Blue-faced Ghosts, a group of eighteen notorious bandits who committed every conceivable crime, from robbery to murder and arson.

This Luo Wu is the youngest among this group of people, at the age of sixteen. Like everyone else, he hails from Nanshan Village in Zhangqiu County, Qijun, Henan. He was previously summoned by the government to Hebei's Jizhou to dig a river; he left in early summer and returned when autumn had already set in. Luo Wu is the fifth son of the old blacksmith Luo Quezi from Nanshan Village in Zhangqiu. In recent years, the court has been heavily engaged in construction, building the eastern capital of Luoyang, excavating canals, and manufacturing warships and military equipment in preparation for the campaign against Liao. Consequently, the labor burden in the various counties of Henan, located in the heart of the Central Plains, has become particularly heavy.

While speaking, he surveyed the surroundings. This was a road winding through the mountains and forests, surrounded by continuous hills and dense woods. A flicker of unease crossed his mind, as there had been recent rumors of a notorious band of thieves roaming this area of the Changbai Mountains, spanning a hundred miles. He certainly did not wish to encounter them by misfortune

The burly man at the forefront, who was originally sizing up the carriage, turned his head in surprise upon hearing Luo Feng mention his name

He turned his head to stare at Luo Feng, only to feel a sense of disappointment upon discovering that it was merely a young man resembling a beggar, dressed in tattered clothes. Although he was quite tall, he was very thin, with prominent eyebrows and large eyes, a straight nose, and a wide mouth. However, a person like this should not even be aware of his name.

Constable Zhao nodded, and everyone then let out a sigh of relief

He is Luo Feng, and during university, his classmates liked to call him "Madman." Now at the age of twenty-six, he has completed his university education, graduated, started working, entered into a relationship, taken out loans to buy a house and a car, and is married with children. At twenty-six, everything is progressing along its course; although the pressure has increased after having children, life is still fulfilling despite the hardships.

The expression on Zhao the constable's face changed dramatically as he exclaimed, "Blue-faced ghost!"

Luo Wu's father and elder brother were both conscripted to Hebei Zhuojun to manufacture military equipment last year and have not returned; the second and third brothers were conscripted to the shipyard in Dengzhou for shipbuilding and have not returned; the fourth brother went to Luoyang for service

There were approximately seventeen or eighteen people, and the leader held a iron fork over a meter long in his hand. His gaze swept over the group resting by the roadside like a wolf's, finally landing on the cart, from which he uttered two words: "Robbery!"

The man in the robe walked alongside a horse-drawn cart, with a curved saber hanging at his waist. Compared to the seven or eight beggar-like individuals, his clothing appeared relatively clean and neat, and the sword added a touch of authority. He turned his head in dissatisfaction, saying, "There are just over ten more miles to the county town, why are we resting?"

As the curtain was lifted, two young women were suddenly revealed inside. Upon seeing the lewd grin of the thin man, the two women turned pale and screamed in terror

"Big brother, what a fragrant smell! I seem to have caught a whiff of a woman's scent; there is a woman in this carriage." A thin man wearing a blue scarf approached the carriage with a grin, while Zhao, the constable with a dagger at his side, did not dare to intervene at all.

Just as I was thinking, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the dense forest by the roadside

He called out twice, but did not see him move. The old man pulled him once, but could not budge him. Luo Feng still stood there motionless. "Third Uncle, we cannot leave!"

Known as Xiao Wu, he merely shook his head. Throughout this journey, he seemed like a different person, often remaining silent with a furrowed brow, as if he were constantly pondering something.

Throughout this journey, he was shocked, confused, anxious, and saddened, but after so many days, he has gradually come to accept this bizarre yet undeniably real fact before him

The sky is very cold, and the mountains are covered with red leaves