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"Come on, brother, drink up!"

In the village of Daqing Mountain, a group of people sat in a circle, with fires fueled by firewood dotted around; they created a unique scenery in the night on Daqing Mountain.

Wei Gongzhan, facing a full cup of homemade fruit wine offered by a neighbor, was unusually shy and hung his head, "This. .."

"What’s the fuss about, for a big man? It’s just a pot of wine," said the neighbor.

"Heh heh..." Wei Gongzhan, hearing this, no longer demurred and took the wine, saying, "Nothing more to say, Brother Li, this time it’s my bad for not handling things properly. It’s just that the wine you brewed is too fragrant. Me and a few other brothers just couldn’t resist from the start.

Here’s what, I’ll make another trip tomorrow.

This time I’ll definitely take care of things.

Once my fruit harvest is in, I will surely return this pot to you. "

"Hey, talking like that is just too formal.

.." the big fellow called Brother Li laughed heartily, "As long as y’all enjoy my wine, it proves my skills are solid. Lately, many of the old bosses from my trading days have been asking about my production here. Looks like our Daqing Mountain’s fruit wine is gonna become famous. "

"Without a doubt!" Wei Gongzhan promptly said, "Our Daqing Mountain’s fruit wine beats those what-you-may-call ’snow brews’ from Capital City by miles. It’s bound to sell like hotcakes!"

"Oh? Brother, you’ve had some style, having tasted snow brew before?" The other party was suddenly interested, "I’ve only ever heard the name; isn’t that a tribute wine? You’ve tasted it, huh?"

"That... cough, got hold of some when I had a relative in high places.

.." Wei Gongzhan cursed himself inwardly for being too talkative and quickly waved his hands, "Back then I thought that wine was the best in the world, but after having our Daqing Mountain’s fruit wine, tsk tsk, I just feel that snow brew is nothing special! "

"Really? Hahaha!" Brother Li and the others burst into laughter, eyes brimming with pride.

The fruits of Daqing Mountain were incredibly fragrant.

They had discussed that the fruits were aromatic and the spring water was powerful, making it perfect for brewing wine, so they started their cooperative fruit wine venture.

Recently, it had become very popular within the Tiger Guard Army.

While the army was full of rough men and they didn’t know how it would perform when sold to the common folk or in better cities, hearing Wei Gongzhan say it was better than snow brew instantly boosted their confidence.

Although the other party might be exaggerating, the fact that he spoke so highly of it at least proved their wine was indeed of value.

"By the way, Brother Wei, are all your friends in Lyuzhou? What are they doing?" asked a dark-faced big man curiously.

Wei Gongzhan maintained a smile, but his heart was on guard. This dark-faced man named Liu Yong was one of the more stable characters among the neighbors, and Wei’s previous statement had probably aroused his suspicions.

It seemed he would need to think more carefully before speaking in the future.

Remembering this, he said, "I fled to Lyuzhou during the calamity, previously serving as a protector for a wealthy family.

During this great disaster, not many in that family made it out.

We escorted the young master into the city and met two fellow townspeople on the way.

After spending some time in Lyuzhou, we became somewhat acquainted. "

"I see..." The man nodded, "I was thinking, Brother Wei, with your physique, you don’t look like a farmer. Why didn’t you join the army? The Tiger Guard Army in Lyuzhou has really good conditions."

"Tired..." Wei Gongzhan shook his head with a wry smile, "Especially when escorting the young master back, I witnessed too much bloodshed. Hearing that being in the Tiger Guard Army means facing those undead willingly, I really am a bit... well... unable to persist..."

The others nodded understandingly, agreeing that indeed, not everyone could turn grief into strength, and many had their own shadows to deal with.

"No big deal, it’s good even if you don’t join the army.

.." Brother Li immediately smiled, "At first, I was quite disappointed not to have become a Tiger Guard, but after living in Daqing Mountain for a while, I found it quite nice. Now, if they asked me, I wouldn’t bother. Life here is so good that I wouldn’t trade it for an official position. "

"Hahaha, that’s right!" The others also laughed, "Come on, let’s drink to that!"

With a drink down their throats, the group’s faces flushed red. They quickly grabbed the cooked insect larvae from the fire rack, sprinkled some chili powder and pepper salt on it, and took a bite, savoring the rich, juicy flavor, their eyes narrowing in satisfaction, Ah, bliss!

Wei Gongzhan was also nodding in contentment. To be honest, if it weren’t for family ties, he would have really liked to stay here, if only he could bring his mother over... But that was just wishful thinking...

"So, brother, the young master you protected... has he stayed in Lyuzhou City?" asked someone curiously while munching on the meat.

"The young master is different from me; his relatives all died gruesomely at the hands of the undead.

He grew up in a wealthy family and had learned some martial arts, so he actively joined the Tiger Guard Army.

I met him yesterday and heard he passed the selection and joined some kind of.

.. support group and is going to Yunzhou for support. .."

"Wow, that’s big!" Brother Li quickly responded, "My good-for-nothing little brother told me once, only the tough guys get into the support group. You have to be picked by several team leaders to qualify. Your young master just got in and was chosen right away, impressive!"

"Heh heh, the young master is indeed formidable, he’s always wanted to join the army and his family hired several martial arts instructors for him."

"What’s the use of hiring martial arts instructors..." The dark-faced man chuckled and shook his head, "In the Great Jin Army, it’s of no use how well ordinary people train."

"Big Brother Peng, were you in the army before?" Wei Gong, curious, asked.

"I was, for a while..." The dark-faced man looked at Wei Gong, "By the look of you, brother, you must have been too."

"Yeah, I served in the past..." said Wei Gong with an honest smile, "I retired as soon as my time was up, then came to Jiangnan and worked as a guard. And you, big brother? Why didn’t you join the Tiger Guard Army?"

"I’ve seen too many comrades die before.

I don’t have much interest in the army anymore," said the dark-faced man, shaking his head before looking around cheerfully, "The Prefectural Governor of Lyuzhou is a capable man, managing this place so well. It’s a blessing for us common folks. If he needs me in the future, I can take up arms at a moment’s notice. "

|"Haha, exactly!" Several other men beside him also said, "Whoever dares to mess with our good days, we’ll fight them to the death!"

Wei Gongzhan was taken aback, nodding to himself in agreement, "This Chen Qing... really has the people’s hearts!"

But it was true, providing such good days for the commoners, it would be strange if he didn’t win their hearts.

"By the way, did all your other friends follow you into the Tiger Guard Army, Brother Wei? None went into the Daqing Mountain?"

"No..." Wei Gongzhan replied with a bitter smile, "I guess I’m the only underachiever. The young master and another guard joined the Tiger Guard Army, and a scholar friend we met on the road went to the academy."

"Oh, you even made friends with a scholar?" Old Li suddenly became interested, "I heard that the academy just opened. Do you know what its regulations are exactly, Brother Wei?"

"I don’t know much..." Wei Gongzhan briefly described what he knew about the academy.

The men listened with great interest, and after they were done, they slapped their thighs, "Our Prefectural Governor is really one of a kind, even starting an academy that’s different from the ones in other places, haha.

My second kid is weak and definitely not cut out for the military.

Maybe there’s a chance to send him to the academy in the future to make a scholar out of him. "

"Then you’ll have to work really hard, Old Li, schooling can be expensive."

"That’s true... Our brew has a great reputation now. I think sending a kid to school won’t be a big problem in the future."

"Wow, listen to you, getting all smug. Just because Brother Wei complimented you, do you really think your brew can compare with Snowflower Brew?"

"Hahaha!" The group burst into loud laughter.

Wei Gongzhan joined in the laughter but still said, "I’m serious, Brother Li’s brew really does taste better than Snowflower Brew."

"Brother, don’t flatter me too much, when the time comes for the kid to go to school, we’ll be counting on this brew."

"Absolutely no problem!" Wei Gongzhan promised confidently, "If Brother Li’s brew doesn’t sell well, I’d chop off my hand right here."

"Hey hey hey, don’t just say such things willy-nilly..."

And so, while slightly tipsy and after having filled their bellies, Wei Gongzhan asked casually, "By the way, Brother Li, when I was wandering aimlessly in the mountains on my way back, I passed behind a mountain and heard a woman’s voice in a cave. I’m not sure if I heard wrong?"

As soon as he said that, the men suddenly stiffened, their expressions turning strange.

"Eh, could there really be someone?" Wei Gongzhan was genuinely confused.

The men looked at each other and then carefully said, "Brother, you’d better stay away from that place. Indeed, there’s a woman in that cave, but she’s not really a woman, she’s the Fox Immortal!"

"The Fox Immortal?" Wei Gongzhan was instantly bewildered, "What is that?"

"Shush..." Someone beside him hastily lowered their voice, "You must not show disrespect to the Fox Immortal, or the consequences can be very serious!"

Light sparked in Wei Gongzhan’s eyes as he asked, "How serious?"

"Brother Wei, you really shouldn’t tempt fate..." The man surnamed Li whispered urgently, "Here in the mountains, if the Fox Immortal wills it, no one is safe....... Ey?"

Before he could finish, the man surnamed Li suddenly fell silent, covering his mouth, emitting a croaking noise that only a toad could make...

The key thing wasn’t just that his voice sounded like a toad’s, but his shape was becoming more like one as well, his throat swelling like a balloon, making him look like a human-sized toad!

Wei Gongzhan’s eyes widened alarmingly, and he instinctively rolled backward in defense. His neighbor of more than a dozen days turned out to be a demon?

Looking back, the dark-faced man had also changed into a strange shape, resembling a clay figure made of mud, emitting a rotting stench of swamp gas all over. His large, bell-like eyes stared at Wei Gongzhan, who took in a cold breath and didn’t hesitate to flee backwards!

Seeing this, the man surnamed Li hurriedly shouted, but the sound that came out was just like that of a toad, which made Wei Gongzhan run even faster.

On seeing this, the man surnamed Li looked at his toad-like palm and then at the clay figure with the dark face beside him, and he sighed, "There you have it... we’ve been spotted..."

"Hahaha..." The mud figure laughed heartily, and when he spoke, mud splattered everywhere, "Well, it’s good to experience different things. Our Daqing Mountain isn’t just about leisurely days; there’s plenty of fun to be had here, hahaha!"