Chapter 39: I had a white banquet this year

Late autumn is not far away, but early winter has arrived.

The winter of the fourth year of Chu Ning is coming.

There isn't much to describe the ordinary days.

The development of Xiafeng Town has also reached a limit. There are only a few small towns and villages around it, and the population is limited.

In the past three months, Chu Ning did not go out to collect protection fees. This task was given to Jin Le.

Jin Le joined the police station and came to Xiafeng Town to serve as a constable.

Similarly, Jin Le was as casual as Chu Ning about collecting protection fees; he didn't need the commission money.

For Chu Ning, life is ordinary but fulfilling.

He practiced martial arts for four hours every day without fail, and went to visit his teacher when he went into the city. However, this middle-aged man who had been single for many years suddenly felt a little dull and unromantic after his first burst of love. Chu Ning could only give him some advice every time.

After seeing the teacher, if there is enough time, he would call Lao Liao to go and listen to Xiaoxiang sing. Xiaoxiang is now also a member of the opera house, and many people have become her fans.

Xiaoxiang was very happy that the people in the county finally recognized her singing skills. Many wealthy families even invited her to attend birthday banquets for their elders.

Every time Lao Liao saw Chu Ning, he would express his gratitude and then sigh.

Is Xiaoxiang's singing really that good? I'm afraid that the wealthy people in the county know that Chu Ning will come to listen to Xiaoxiang's singing every time he comes to the city. They can't figure out Chu Ning's feelings for Xiaoxiang, so they give Chu Ning face.

The reason for sighing is that Lao Liao knows that Chu Ning has no such thoughts about Xiaoxiang. If Chu Ning doesn't come one day, it won't take long for Xiaoxiang, the popular character, to return to her original state.

Chu Ning had no choice but to comfort Lao Liao, saying that at least Xiaoxiang had earned enough money and would be able to live a good life even if she didn't sing in the future.

Be content with what you have.

Xiafeng Town is also very peaceful. The only major event that happened in the town was that Yihongyuan from the county seat moved into Xiafeng Town last month, which caused dissatisfaction among many women in the town.

These women found Chu Ning, but Chu Ning could not do anything about it because brothels were legal in the Liang Dynasty.

In the end, Chu Ning could only persuade them to take care of their men's legs.

If that doesn't work, go to the blacksmith shop, make some pants, and then put a lock on it.

These women were really interested and went to Chu Ning to get the design drawings, but the owner of the blacksmith shop refused.

What a joke, if he really forged it, he would be put in a sack and beaten half to death if he dared to go out at night.

Ji Yang at the border still sends him a letter every month, in which Ji Yang mentions all his experiences at the border during that month.

Chu Ning knew that this was a way for Ji Yang to vent his emotions. He didn't need a reply from him, but just wanted to vent his numb emotions through the letter.

Ji Yang said in the letter that he would retire from the army after some time, when he had accumulated enough military merits and achieved a breakthrough to the level of a martial artist.

When the time comes, I will go to Xiafeng Town and become a constable to protect him.

The Liang Dynasty did not force soldiers who voluntarily joined the army to stay in the frontier for a certain number of years. As long as they had enough military merits, they could be discharged.

…

"Chu Ning, I'm back. This time I received 420 taels of tax silver."

"You didn't pay for it this time."

Chu Ning looked at Jin Le who had returned and collected his thoughts. Three months ago, Jin Le collected protection fees for the first time and collected a total of two hundred and twenty taels, and he even paid out fifty taels himself.

As soon as those vendors complained to him about their poverty, Jin Le simply let them pay the taxes. When he heard that some of the vendors said that their wives and children were sick and that they were living in extreme misery, Jin Le not only confiscated the taxes, but also donated ten taels of silver from them personally.

Chu Ning knew a lot about the rich second generation like Jin Le. Unlike the rich second generations in later generations who played around with a lot of flowers, people like Jin Le were relatively simple. It was just that their original living circle prevented them from coming into contact with too many lower-class people.

But it is obvious that Jinle was cheated by those merchants. It cannot be said that it was a cheat, but only that Jinle was too naive to believe it.

In the past, when he went to collect protection fees, these merchants would also complain about their grievances, and Chu Ning would just listen. Whether their families were really suffering or not, he had already heard it clearly during the banquet.

Those merchants also knew that it was useless, but they had become accustomed to it over the years and everyone just went through the process. Who knew that Jin Le actually took it seriously.

"How can I be so stupid every time? Today, only one merchant has not collected the tax silver. Wang the butcher dropped his purse. He said there were three taels of silver and fifty copper coins in the purse. He was so anxious that his lips were blistering."

Chu Ning had a strange expression on his face: "So you're exempted from this?"

If I remember correctly, one of the merchants who cheated Jin Le in the first month was Wang the Butcher, and the tax Wang had to pay every month was three taels of silver.

"Yes, I exempted it without hesitation."

"I'm afraid you've been fooled by Butcher Wang again."

Chu Ning was a little helpless. Jin Le was still too naive. How could such a coincidence happen?

This child has a short memory.

"No, I believe Butcher Wang, because I really found a money bag on the street, and there was exactly three taels of silver and fifty copper coins in it."

Chu Ning: ...

Jin Le looked at the letter in Chu Ning's hand and asked, "This is Ji Yang's letter. Ji Yang sent another letter back? This guy is partial to one person and not the other. I have been with him the longest in the academy, but he wrote to you but not to me."

"Although he didn't write to you, he mentioned you many times in his letters."

Chu Ning handed the letter to Jin Le. After reading it, Jin Le was surprised and said, "The Blood Fire Camp is so powerful that it can allow a warrior to break through to the Martial Master level within three months?"

Chu Ning could understand Jin Le's shock, because he was also curious about the Blood and Fire Camp mentioned in Ji Yang's letter.

According to what Ji Yang said in the letter, this is the most mysterious battalion of the frontier army, and the lowest-ranking soldiers in the battalion are all martial artists.

If it were just this it wouldn't be a big deal, but not all soldiers in the Blood and Fire Camp are martial artists upon entering the camp.

The captain of the Blood and Fire Camp would select soldiers from the army every once in a while. These soldiers were all those who had not yet reached the level of martial artists. Once they were selected and joined the camp, they would definitely become martial artists after three months.

Ji Yang mentioned the Blood and Fire Camp in his letter because two members of his team were picked up by the Blood and Fire Camp.

In the letter, Ji Yang expressed some envy towards his two teammates.

This is equivalent to being promoted to the martial artist level.

However, once you join the Blood and Fire Camp, you cannot withdraw just by accumulating military merits. You must stay for a full five years.

"I'm afraid this Blood Fire Camp is not that simple."

Chu Ning pondered in his heart, if a warrior can be pushed to become a martial master in just three months, then there would be no need for the eight major surnames to exist in the Liang Dynasty. Even if the eight major surnames had master warriors, as long as they trained tens of thousands of martial masters, they would be waiting for the masters to kill them all.

There must have been some price paid for this.

…

…

In the fourth year of Chu Ning's reign, there were still seven days until the end of the year, and Jin Le ran into the backyard with red eyes.

"Chun Ning, something happened to Ji Yang."

Chu Ning, who was practicing sword in the backyard, opened his mouth but in the end, nothing came out.

Jijia Town.

One family hung up white lanterns.

Chu Ning, Jin Le, He Jin and Zhang Song were standing silently in front of Ji Yang's mourning hall.

"How can we set up a mourning hall when we haven't confirmed whether Ji Yang is really dead yet?"

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Jin Le wiped away her tears and was a little angry. The news from the border was clearly that the city guarded by Ji Yang was suddenly attacked and breached by the Routu enemy army, and Ji Yang was missing and his whereabouts were unknown. Why did the elders of the Ji family believe that Ji Yang was dead?

"After killing someone, the soldiers of Routu would chop off the head and take it away as a trophy. If there were many dead people, there would be so many headless bodies that it would be impossible to tell who was who. The army would simply declare them missing and inform the family members."

A middle-aged man appeared beside Chu Ning and the other three. He was Ji Yang's uncle and also the Ji family's martial artist.

Missing is just another nicer way of saying death in the frontier.

The custom in Raozhou is that if the body is not complete, it will not be buried, and a cenotaph will be built. The Ji family did not plan to retrieve Ji Yang's body. This was unrealistic as the border was far away, so it was better to bury Ji Yang with other soldiers.

"Captain Chu, this is my nephew's relic sent back by the army. I found it in the lining of my nephew's clothes. It's written for you."

Ji Yuanshan took out a letter and handed it to Chu Ning, then turned around and left.

"Why do I feel like Uncle Ji Yang has some prejudice against us?" He Jin muttered as he watched Ji Yuanshan's departing back.

"I'm not prejudiced against you, I'm prejudiced against me."

Chu Ning sighed in his heart. Ji Yang's decision to go to the frontier battlefield to fight for a chance to quickly become a martial artist was more or less influenced by himself. As Ji Yang's uncle, Ji Yuanshan must know Ji Yang's inside story.

After leaving the Ji family, Chu Ning and the other three were in low spirits. They went home and Chu Ning opened the letter Ji Yang gave him on the way.

[Chu Ning, I have accumulated enough military merits and have broken through to the Martial Master level. I have already reported this to the General and will be able to return home next month.]

The ink on this line is darker than the following ones. Chu Ning could imagine Ji Yang's excitement when he wrote this first line.

[It would have been fine if I hadn’t set a return date before, but now that I have, I feel like every day is extremely long, and I wish this month would pass immediately.]

[The closer I get to my return home, the more I miss home. It’s a really bad feeling.]

[I didn’t want to write this letter because I will be able to go home next month. But I have something on my mind and I decided to write it down to make myself feel better.]

【……】

[It turns out that the Blood and Fire Camp is a death camp]

…

…

[Forget it, I won't write it. The military post will definitely not send this letter after reading it.]

[I really miss home. I’m afraid I won’t be able to go back for the Chinese New Year this year, but I should be able to make it back for the Lantern Festival. ]

…

…

Five days later, due to the New Year, Ji Yang was buried two days earlier.

Chu Ning went. This was his first time to have a meal with people of his own age.

Two days later, the New Year arrived.

This year, the people of Daning County were still bustling with activity. The death of a young man only made a few people sad.

…

The first month of the fifth year of Chu Ning.

On the first day of the first lunar month, I stayed at home with my aunt.

On the second day of the first lunar month, I went to my teacher's house to wish him a happy new year and received two big red envelopes.

On the third day of the first lunar month, my aunt's nephew came with his family to pay New Year's greetings.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, I accompanied my aunt to the temple to burn incense.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, I accompanied my old aunt to the Taoist temple to draw lots.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, after taking the meridian-opening pill given by Uncle Huang, he finally reached the level of bronze skin and iron bones and entered the realm of a seventh-grade martial artist.

His strength also exceeded 4,000 kilograms and reached 4,200 kilograms.

The "Splitting the Mountain" technique has been practiced to a small degree of success and can unleash eleven times the power.

However, after reaching the minor success stage, the progress of swordsmanship slowed down. Chu Ning knew that if he wanted to make another breakthrough he could not rely on individual practice but needed actual combat.

However, in the entire Daning County, except for the teacher and the new county magistrate, no one could withstand three of his moves, so he had to give up on this actual combat for the time being.

What surprised Chu Ning the most was his archery skills. He had mastered the "Seven Stars in a Row" to perfection. If he shot one arrow at a time, he would always hit the target within two miles. For farther targets, it was not that the arrow could not be shot that far, but that his eyesight could not keep up.

That is, he just shoots and leaves it to fate whether he hits the target or not.

On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Huang Xuan arrived in Xiafeng Town.

(End of this chapter)