Lin Zhao walked for three full days from Fusu Great Wall to Shanhaiguan Pass, a distance of three hundred li. Enduring the elements, he finally arrived at this northern human stronghold amidst the mountains.
At noon, the gates of Shanhaiguan Pass opened.
Outside the pass, there were more than ten merchant caravans, each comprising at least a hundred people. They were escorted by warriors or cultivators of the Middle Five Realms, responsible for transporting supplies northward to Fusu Great Wall, and even further to the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Their livelihoods were precarious, but the rewards were substantial, hence the hefty investment in recruiting a few Middle Five Realm experts for protection and demon slaying.
Lin Zhao, a warrior of the Seventh Realm, suppressed his aura to the Second Realm. He carried an ancient sword and a Centurion's battle sword on his back, along with a bamboo chest that had become somewhat bulky and heavy during his journey. Despite the hardships, the young man's spirit remained strong. As a Seventh Realm warrior and a Second Realm sword cultivator, he exuded a vibrant presence.
He presented his travel permit.
A beautiful female officer glanced at the youth and asked, "Are you from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I'm from the Vanguard Battalion of the Heavenly Lake Army."
"Oh~~~"
The beautiful female officer smiled slightly and asked, "Have you seen our Lord?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "The Grand Marshal Shao Shi is stationed at Heavenly Lake Ridge. I often see her riding out of the camp."
"Mmm-hmm!"
The female officer gave a light laugh. "You may enter. Be careful on your journey. The Northern Three Provinces are currently rife with famine refugees, and it is quite unstable."
"Thank you!"
Lin Zhao entered the pass. The arrangements within Shanhaiguan were far superior to those at Fusu Great Wall. After all, it was a vital human stronghold. Within the city, inns, taverns, and cloth shops were readily available, catering to the needs of the army. From a distance, the military encampments appeared well-stocked with provisions and armaments, and even colossal stone-throwing trebuchets were under construction.
Ultimately, the majority of resources in the human realm were controlled by the Great Shang Dynasty, a vast empire overflowing with wealth.
Fusu Great Wall and the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, on the other hand, could only subsist on the scraps from the Great Shang Dynasty, and had to tread carefully. At this moment, Lin Zhao felt a pang of melancholy.
...
Upon entering the pass, one reached Yun Province, the largest province in the northern human realm. Its territory was vast, much of it being grassland, ideal for raising horses. Yun Province was known for its cavalry, a fact that was common knowledge.
Lin Zhao traveled at a steady pace, practicing his boxing while on the move. In his Sword Lake, he honed his flying sword, Ming Yue, and his aura grew increasingly robust. The burgeoning vital energy in his Spiritual Ruins suggested that his breakthrough as a sword cultivator was not far off.
He was not in a hurry to break through, preferring to let it happen naturally.
A day later, the young man with the ancient sword on his back arrived in the depths of Yun Province.
As he walked along an official road, he saw a group of gaunt-faced villagers trudging through the snow. They entered a patch of woodland, where an old man with a white beard, staggering, stumbled and fell to the ground, his breaths shallow, on the verge of death. His companions, however, paid him no mind, casting not even a glance, and continued on their way, leaving him to his fate.
"..."
Lin Zhao leaped forward in a flash, helping the elder up from the snow. He gently placed his palm on the old man's forehead and sent a trickle of gentle true energy into him. The elder immediately drew a deep breath and slowly came to.
"Are you hungry?"
Lin Zhao took out a large flatbread from his bamboo chest and handed it to the elder.
"Ah?!"
The old man's voice trembled. His cloudy eyes looked at Lin Zhao, and he stammered, "Thank you... thank you, young sir..."
With that, he grabbed the flatbread and began to chew ravenously. However, after eating less than half, the elder seemed to recall something. He tore off a circle from the edge he had bitten and ate only the torn portion, tucking the rest into his embrace.
His family was still starving.
"Elder."
Lin Zhao offered his water skin, which he had kept close and was still warm. "Have some water?"
"Oh..."
The elder’s hands trembled as he accepted the water skin. After taking a sip, he returned it to Lin Zhao. "Young sir, where are you from? You don't look like you're from Yun Province."
"I'm from the north."
"Oh..."
The elder's expression faltered, as if he suspected the youth might be from the legendary Fusu Great Wall. However, he would never have imagined that this young man came from even farther away.
Lin Zhao glanced at the sickle in the elder's hand and the bamboo basket behind him, asking, "Elder, what are you... going to do?"
"Cut grass..."
The elder sighed. "We're turning over the snow to cut the dry grass and even dig up grass roots from the ground. It's been three years of harsh winter, and no crops can grow. Our Yun Province is known for its five hundred thousand cavalry. These warhorses need fodder, but all the stored fodder has been consumed. The village elder has ordered every household to go out and shovel snow to cut grass, and each household must deliver one hundred jin of fodder every ten days, otherwise..."
He frowned. "My two sons are both Yun Province cavalry. My eldest son died in battle a year ago, and my second son was recently recruited. Now, I have a six-year-old grandson at home. I, this old man, am the only one who can still go out and struggle to complete the government's fodder levy."
Lin Zhao's heart softened.
He opened his bamboo chest and took out all the flatbreads, along with two strings of dried meat, placing them all into the elder's basket. He then covered them with the meager amount of grass fodder and said, "Elder, you're already exhausted. Hurry home."
"Young sir... how can I..."
The elder immediately knelt down.
Lin Zhao quickly helped him up. After sending the elder onto the official road, he continued on his way. The elder could no longer keep up with the group of villagers. If the flatbreads and meat in his basket were discovered, the famished villagers would instantly tear the elder to shreds. Moreover, Lin Zhao dared not give the elder money; a single Qingfu coin could cost his family their lives.
...
Treading through the snow, he journeyed swiftly.
The vast Yun Province took Lin Zhao nearly five days to traverse, entering the territory of Ji Province. Ji Province was home to the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty, the province where Bai Di City was located.
Ji Province, by all rights, should have been the most prosperous among the three central provinces. However, what Lin Zhao saw along the way was still scenes of widespread famine and cannibalism. He frequently saw the corpses of those who had frozen or starved to death by the roadside. So, when he passed a village, he spent ten copper coins to buy a short-handled shovel. From then on, whenever he encountered a corpse, he would dig a hole on the spot and bury it.
Thus, along his journey through Ji Province, where the youth passed, mounds of earth rose in the wilderness. But he did not know the names of the deceased, so he erected no tombstones.
One day, as the sun rose, the young man broke through. He was now a sword cultivator of the Third Realm, an Open Light Realm sword cultivator. It was said that Open Light Realm cultivators had a lifespan of one hundred years. This meant that as long as one entered the Open Light Realm, as long as they didn't court death, they would surely live to be a hundred years old. However, Lin Zhao did not exult in this. On the contrary, he cared little for how long he lived, only that he should live a better life. This way, his father and mother, watching him from the heavens, would be happy.
The next day, he arrived at Bai Di City.
A majestic and imposing city stood on the plains, surrounded by prefectural and county cities that bowed to it like stars surrounding the moon.
Upon entering Bai Di City, the scene of widespread famine finally disappeared, replaced by prosperity and liveliness. The citizens of Bai Di City had food and warm clothing. After all, it was the imperial capital. Two years prior, Marquis Wen had issued strict orders to scour the world for food, ensuring that Bai Di City would have ample provisions.
Outside the city, a large number of patrolling cavalry appeared. They not only protected the capital's safety but also drove away famine refugees from other regions, forbidding them from gathering and causing trouble around the imperial city.
Lin Zhao, dressed in a green robe and carrying his ancient sword and bamboo chest on his back, was clearly a warrior with a solid foundation. Therefore, no one tried to drive him away. After presenting his travel permit, he entered Bai Di City unimpeded.
This Bai Di City was not a place for cultivation, so Lin Zhao had no intention of lingering for sightseeing. Instead, he now only wished to return to the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake as quickly as possible. During his passage through Yun Province, the fifty thousand Yun Province cavalry had been fully mobilized. From that moment on, Lin Zhao knew that the north was about to change, and it would likely involve the Heavenly Lake Army of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
The young man inquired his way, heading straight for the Prime Minister's Mansion.
In front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, a centurion led dozens of armored soldiers, guarding the entrance. Upon seeing the youth carrying a bamboo chest and an ancient sword, the centurion frowned and asked, "Who goes there?"
Lin Zhao stated his purpose directly. "I am Lin Zhao from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. By order of Marshal Chu, I have come to request an audience with Marquis Wen and to deliver a complete map of the northern regions to him."
"A map?"
The centurion's heart tightened, knowing that this matter was undoubtedly significant. He said gravely, "Please wait here. I will go and inform the Lord Marquis."
"Yes, thank you!"
...
Shortly after, the centurion returned and led Lin Zhao into the Prime Minister's Mansion. This mansion was grand and occupied a vast area. Lin Zhao walked for a full five minutes before reaching a pavilion in the center of a lake. The pavilion was elegant and ancient, situated amidst the frozen, snow-covered lake. The legendary Marquis Wen, Wen Shuyang, was there, brush in hand, writing a doggerel poem.
"Lin Zhao of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake pays respects to Marquis Wen!"
Lin Zhao clasped his fists in salutation.
"Mm."
Wen Shuyang smiled faintly. "Lin Zhao, come and see how my calligraphy is."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao stepped forward. As he glanced at the poem on the snow-white Xuan paper, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss—
"The goose that passes plucks feathers, Lin Sanquan,
Crossing the Great Wall as if celebrating the New Year."
...
If this short poem was not about himself, then who could it be?
It was clear that this saying had spread around Fusu Great Wall after Lin Zhao had left. For Wen Shuyang, the Marquis Wen of Great Shang and the head of the Prime Minister's Mansion, to know such trivial matters demonstrated that this Marquis Wen truly paid attention to every detail. His spies were like a vast net cast out, and not a single ripple of movement anywhere in the world could escape this Marquis Wen's eyes.
"You amuse yourself, Marquis!"
Lin Zhao stood still and clasped his fists.
"Mm."
The Marquis turned, looked at the youth before him, and smiled. "You have a distinguished bearing. Chu Huaixi's judgment is excellent."
Lin Zhao felt even more uneasy, wondering what else this Marquis Wen did not know.