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Today... it seems like it’s the day we agreed upon...

Wei Gongzhan glanced at the sky, got out of bed early, and headed to the piece of farmland allocated to him.

There was more farmland in the Daqing Mountain than he had imagined, with nearly thirty acres assigned to each able-bodied person.

The amount of labor initially gave Wei Gongzhan a start, as he thought to himself: Is the well-being of the people in Lyuzhou City achieved by enslaving those outside the city?

However, after he took on the farming task, he discovered it was easier than he had envisioned...

Holding a bag of coarse chaff, Wei Gongzhan went to his terraced fields. He grabbed a handful of the chaff and slowly sprinkled it over the land. In no time, he saw the earth twisting on its own.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that large fat worms in the soil were attracted by the chaff, moving around to feed, and as they ate, they left behind a green liquid. This liquid, flowing into the land, made the black soil even darker and glossier.

"Truly wonderful..."

Wei Gongzhan marveled once again, having thought that coming here would be the most tedious of tasks, only to discover it was an experience beyond his wildest imagination.

These fat worms must be the perpetual source of meat for Lyuzhou, right?

He had no idea where the Magistrate of Lyuzhou got these creatures, but not only were they delicious and grew quickly, they also helped till the land. Their efficiency was even greater than that of real plowing oxen, making the work feel extraordinarily easy even for an amateur like himself.

And like him, the other local farmers also led quite leisurely lives.

Most would rise at dawn, like him, to guide the fat worms to work the soil.

Fields already sown with seedlings were loosened by smaller worms while, on a normal day, they would call upon a kind of blue bird to help with pest control.

The hardest task was to carry a couple of buckets of water from a nearby channel to water the fields.

They could return to their homes and cook before noon.

The hot afternoons offered a multitude of options: one could sleep the entire day in the house, pick wild fruits or golden mushrooms on the mountain, arrange with a few neighbors to fish by the river at the mountain’s base, or simply find a shaded spot to play a few rounds of cards carved out of wood, their leisure almost too good to be true.

In his quest for rapid intelligence gathering, Wei Gongzhan had actively integrated into the neighborhood and unwittingly fallen into this relaxing pace of life.

These past few days had been somewhat fleeting, but his body and mind had relaxed to an extreme.

He didn’t have to worry about family scheming, the troublesome paperwork of the young masters, military training – there was nothing to worry about at all.

All he needed to do was to complete the morning’s work well, and then he could carry a jug of sweet spring water, stroll through the mountains, tease the neighbor’s birds, watch Old Man Lu and others play cards or chess next door, or simply join the fishing enthusiasts among the neighbors and spend the whole day angling.

If the catch was good, they would prepare a feast with the fresh river produce.

Quietly, they would bring out the fruit wine brewed with the mountain’s Spiritual Spring, quaffing away the night.

Even if the chit-chat led to no purpose and they ended up sleeping through the next morning, missing the time to water the fields, it wouldn’t matter – they could simply make up for it in the afternoon. ..

It was hardly surprising that these farmers from Daqing Mountain, having been here a while, were reluctant to return to their houses in Lyuzhou City. Why bother with the hassle of the commute? With that time, wasn’t it better to play a few more card games?

But to say that life here dulled the spirit would be untrue; everyone could learn something new, a sort of mysticism known as "spiritual techniques", which it was said could only be used after paying homage to the Mountain God and receiving his blessing.

Every day when it was one’s first visit, one could receive blessings from the Mountain God. After receiving the Blessing Force, what one chose to do next was entirely up to them.

They could try planting some extraordinary species, try rearing some unusual birds and beasts, or use it to farm fish. In any case, whatever was cultivated with these spiritual techniques was quite different from ordinary mortal creations.

Wei Gongzhan received a kind of plant known as Red Precious Fruit.

Reportedly, the fully grown fruits would be as lustrous as rubies, excellent for brewing wine that not only tasted superb but also had health-boosting properties, specifically provided for fighters above the third rank in the Tiger Guard Army to cultivate their bodies.

Wei Gongzhan, under the hospitable invitation of his neighbors, stealthily tried it once and the taste was indeed superb, leaving him reminiscing about the flavor all night long.

Afterwards, he tried to claim some spiritual seeds and allocated an acre of land to plant them.

It had been ten days now, and it was only yesterday that he saw tiny sprouts breaking through the soil, which excited Wei Gongzhan so much that he spent the afternoon beaming with joy, looking at them as if they were his own children.

"Gongzhan, are you coming to fish in the afternoon?"

A booming voice interrupted his reverie.

Turning around to face a few familiar faces, Wei Gongzhan also showed a gentle smile.

He quite enjoyed dealing with these neighbors; they had no ulterior motives.

As long as one was willing to join them in fishing or playing cards, they would enthusiastically bring out their long-stored wines to treat you.

"I’ve got something to do in the city today, can’t make it," Wei Gongzhan said with a hint of regret.

His regret wasn’t feigned; truth be told, he was starting to enjoy fishing quite a bit. Sitting still allowed him to quietly think about many things, and occasionally, the fishing rod would give him a pleasant surprise. It was truly more interesting than being a busy right-hand man...

"Going to the city, huh?" The other man paused, then hurried into the house and soon after came out holding a jar of wine.

"What’s this?"

"This is a newly brewed fruit wine. If Brother Wei is going to the city today, could you bring some in for me? Take it to my two brothers in the Tiger Guard Army, they’ve been pestering me about it for a while," he said.

"Oh, sure!" Wei Gongzhan took it, sniffed it, and immediately laughed, "Brother Li, you are entrusting the sheep to the wolf. This is quite the test."

"Hahaha!" The men laughed heartily, and Brother Li handed over a vessel the size of a water jug, "This is for you. You have relatives in the city, right? Take this for them to try. Don’t always let them think their relatives from Daqing Mountain are useless.

Without us, where would their Tiger Guard Army get such good food and drink? Haha!"

"Alright!" Wei Gongzhan unceremoniously grabbed the wine pot, revealing a happy smile.

Doing business here was more relaxed than at the northern military camps.

Men in the army were said to be straightforward, but in reality, there was no shortage of scheming and rivalry.

Unlike here where if you want to drink, you drink, if you want to fish, you fish - how simple is that?

With a pot of liquor in tow, Wei Gongzhan hurried down the mountain, only reaching the city of Lyuzhou by noon.

After all, he couldn’t race down at full speed with his blood boiling, but more importantly, he wanted to take his time in the mountains and take in more of the sights.

The scenery of Daqing Mountain was truly beautiful, just like the magnificent mountains and clouds described in many scholars’ poems. Every few steps presented a new picturesque view that he couldn’t get enough of - the air was also much better, at least significantly better than in Lyuzhou.

Only after arriving in Lyuzhou City did Wei Gongzhan realize just how refreshing the air on Daqing Mountain had been.

Breathing it in felt like it could cleanse the lungs, it even had a sweet taste.

"Why have you only just arrived?"

His pleasant memories were interrupted by an annoying voice. Wei Gongzhan, feeling helpless, turned to look at the person hurrying him. It was the very face he least wanted to see. Suddenly rolling his eyes, he walked over and placed two wine pots down, immediately catching Wei Gongyan’s attention.

"Is this... wine?" Wei Gongyan’s eyes lit up. "You rascal, I sent you out to scout for intelligence, and you’ve spent the whole day on these trifles. Let me see..."

Slap!

Wei Gongzhan slapped away the other’s hand and placed the larger pot beneath the table, saying coldly, "This wine was entrusted to me by someone on Daqing Mountain to deliver to someone else; it’s not suitable for drinking."

"You..."

"Where is the young master?"

As Wei Gongyan looked at him with an impatient expression, anger bubbled up inside, ready to burst with reproach, but then a hurried voice arrived: "I’m late, so sorry for the tardiness."

Both Wei brothers were startled; the arrival was Weichi Feihu, but the tone of his words was unlike him. Having been with the young master for so long, it was the first time they had heard the word "sorry" from him.

"The young master? What’s wrong?" Wei Gongzhan asked, looking curiously at the sweaty Weichi Feihu.

"Oh, I’ve just finished training, and I am still a bit overheated..." Weichi Feihu said with a smile as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I saw the time and realized I was delayed, so I didn’t get a chance to cool down, which is why I’m a bit disheveled..."

Wei Gongzhan was startled and felt that the young master’s temperament had changed a lot after not seeing him for just over ten days.

"Training?" Wei Gongzhan looked at Wei Gongyan. "Why is the young master training when you are not?"

"Oh..." Before Wei Gongyan could reply, Weichi Feihu waved his hand and said, "The instructor for their reserve duty at the city wall hasn’t arrived yet, so there’s no training for now. We’ll be setting off for Yunzhou tomorrow, and naturally, intense training is in order."

"Yunzhou?" Wei Gongzhan stood up in shock. "The young master is going to Yunzhou? Why?"

"The military has assigned us to go to Yunzhou for a rescue mission; they’re already on the fourth wave," replied Weichi Feihu with an eager look. "I’m pretty excited too, curious about what’s actually happening there."

"Ugh..." Wei Gongzhan immediately glared at Wei Gongyan.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Wei Gongyan quickly protested. "I’ve said it multiple times, urging the young master to withdraw from the rescue team and join us at the city wall. He refuses; no amount of persuasion has worked. There’s nothing I can do."

"If you can’t persuade the young master, why didn’t you go with him?" Wei Gongzhan asked, frowning.

"Uh..." Wei Gongyan’s face turned red and he said irritably, "Someone has to stay behind to investigate the city wall troops, right?"

He certainly wouldn’t tell his half-brother about being eliminated; it was too embarrassing.

But the witness was right there, so Wei Gongyan felt guilty making excuses and sneaked a glance at the young master. Seeing that Weichi Feihu hadn’t seen through his ruse, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.

After a while, a slender figure arrived late - it was Shen Yuan, who had just rushed over from the academy.

"I’m really sorry for being late." The scholar apologized in a subdued tone, directly taking a seat to the side. This behavior was quickly noted by the observant Wei Gongzhan, who recognized the difference in the other man.

Shen Yuan’s demeanor... had also changed! Before, when he encountered them, the scholar still carried a hint of humility, but today... although he didn’t look very well, his eyes sparkled with vigor and newfound confidence.

"I apologize everyone, I have matters to attend to at the academy this afternoon and can’t stay out long.

Let’s keep this brief," Shen Yuan hurriedly said after sipping some tea.

"I trust you’ve all familiarized yourselves with Lyuzhou over the past few days.

Junior General, what do you think of Lyuzhou? "

Wei Gongzhan hesitated to share information about Daqing Mountain and instead looked at his young master for input.

"I think..." Weichi Feihu also took a large gulp of tea, then continued, "This Lyuzhou... has some big problems!"