To My Lost Youth
After sighing for a moment, Jiang Ming suddenly reacted and asked in confusion, “That’s not right. Even if this is approved by the emperor himself, Great Cloud City is far away from him. The various major forces have their own thoughts. They even dared ‘rob’ the herbs sent to the army time and time again. Will Great Cloud City really listen to the emperor’s orders and do his best to build Peace County? I don’t think the families in Peace Town are playing around these days.”
Guan Feng glanced at him and said, “Of course, I’m not lying. Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest is rich and fertile. Who doesn’t want to build their own power at the foot of the mountain? However, Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest is known as the Dragon’s Vein of the country of Yan. The emperors of each generation cherished it very much and thought that it could affect the fate of the country. Therefore, they forbade any large-scale construction nearby. The straw huts in Peace Town aren’t much, but whoever dares overstep their boundaries will be killed. Even the Shi family wouldn’t dare provoke the emperor! However, now that the emperor has personally approved it, the families in Great Cloud City are naturally actively building it. For example, with the branch in Peace Town, the speed of our hunting transportation will increase by several times. The extra money will be shining silver. And as for the Shi family, not only do they want to take away our hunting business, but they also want to take away the Wang family’s herb business. With a stronghold in Peace Town, things will be easier.”
“There are many mineral deposits in the mountain. In the past, no one dared touch them. Now that they are taking advantage of the chaos of this large-scale construction, I am afraid that a few families have already set their minds on it.”
Guan Feng shook his head and chuckled. “It’s ridiculous. The emperor placed more importance on the Dragon’s Vein than he did on training his soldiers. The rebel army ravaged the three prefectures and 17 counties in the north, but he was not in a hurry to do anything. It was as if his throne would always be stable as long as the Dragon’s Vein was not destroyed.”
“However, when it comes to his own life, the Dragon’s Vein is nothing but bullsh*t,” Jiang Ming said faintly. “Now he has the audacity to build Peace County. If an alchemist tells him that he can become an immortal by cutting off Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest, I’m afraid he won’t even hesitate!”
The cause and effect were finally clear, but Jiang Ming did not feel it was absurd anymore. Perhaps the world was like this. The interests of all parties, the stupid emperor, and the unpredictable and absurd opportunity of “an immortal encounter” could create extreme chaos.
After sighing for a moment, Jiang Ming felt bored and did not want to think about it anymore. Anyway, Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest was vast. He just wanted to go deep to practice, drink tea, study medicine, hunt, and do other absurd things. Let those absurd people do whatever they want.
* * *
Jiang Ming went back to the city after hunting. It would take a few days to deal with the sales, so he was completely relaxed. Every day, he would eat, drink, and have fun with Peng Lu, Wang Dong, and the others in the city, listen to the opera troupe’s songs and go to Qinghe Tower to watch the girls dance.
When he was in the mood, he would bring roast chicken and old wine and go to the clinic to discuss martial arts with Dr. Sun, ask for medical advice, and drink a bowl of secret medicine to regulate blood Qi.
Dr. Sun’s secret medicine was different from the one in Tiger Hunting Village. It could regulate one’s blood Qi. After drinking it, one would feel relaxed when practicing fist techniques. It was also beneficial for the comprehension of fist momentum.
Jiang Ming even felt that this secret medicine was more precious than the one he got from Pharmacist Feng.
Although Pharmacist Feng’s secret medicine could speed up the improvement of blood Qi, its main purpose was to avoid damage to the body caused by practicing the Leather Tiger Bone Technique.
However, for Jiang Ming, this main role was completely unnecessary.
“It would be best if you could get the prescription!” Jiang Ming’s eyes flickered, “But this is Dr. Sun’s food; it’s not good to ask for this. However, there are still many days ahead. I can wait!” He sat in his cramped dormitory and sipped on his tea unhurriedly.
At night, Great Cloud City was still bustling with activity.
The two sides of the river became noisier and noisier. The lights of the attics on the bank reflected in the river, like pieces of gold floating in the river. Enchanting singers were posing seductively by the window, revealing their curvaceous figures.
Jiang Ming suddenly sighed and remembered the poems from his previous life.
However, the poem was about the depression and decline of Great Cloud City outside of the prosperity. There were endless internal worries and gradually rising foreign aggression. It was impossible to be as peaceful and stable as usual.
“What can a mere martial artist do?”
Jiang Ming shook his head and threw these emotions to the back of his mind. He walked into Qinghe Tower with Wang Dong and the others, shoulder to shoulder.
He had just received the silver he had earned from hunting the tiger today, and he was going back to Peace Town the next day. He invited a few familiar people to Qinghe Tower to have fun.
“Officials of Tiger Hunting Village, please come in!” The brothel madame’s face was full of enthusiasm as she welcomed everyone into the building.
Peng Lu sat down in the front row with a golden saber and said loudly, “Why aren’t you inviting Miss Shuang’er out for a dance? What’s the use of smiling so brightly!”
The brothel madame quickly apologized and went upstairs to invite people.
Miss Shuang’er was the most popular girl in Qinghe Tower. Only when people from first-class forces like Tiger Hunting Village came would she be invited to be the finale.
Jiang Ming glanced at a corner where a woman was panting in the arms of a fat man. That was the former courtesan, Miss Xue’er. She used to be cold and arrogant, selling her art rather than her body, but now she was doing everything she could for a few pieces of silver.
Jiang Ming remembered this time last year Master Zhou, Ah Fei, and many other sweaty and smelly herb gatherers would squeeze into Old Jiang’s bar, drinking and bragging. Their biggest dream was to make a lot of money and come to Qinghe Tower to do something with Miss Xue’er.
“To my lost youth!”
Soon, Shuang’er walked down the stairs with light steps. She began to twist her waist and dance with all her might on the platform in front of her. Her long and smooth legs swayed under the light gauze dress, revealing a large area of her soft and smooth skin.
“This dance is really epic!” Wang Dong’s eyes were fixed on the dance as he muttered unconsciously.
“This song is so well-sung!” Peng Lu clapped his hands in agreement. “Fang Lie, that bore, he’s been studying so much that he’s become a fool. He doesn’t come every time. Do you know what kind of treasure he’s missing?”
Jiang Ming was also lying on the chair, enjoying the song and dance. A sweet maid was sitting on his lap, peeling grapes and feeding him from time to time. Every time, it would make Jiang Ming feel a warm and soft sense of suffocation.
Everything was so beautiful.
An arrogant and noisy voice suddenly sounded outside the door, which made Jiang Ming and the others frown.
“Hmph, what trouble can Peace Town have? I can crush those country bumpkins to death with one little finger.”
“Master Hong is so domineering. From now on, I’ll have to rely on you to do anything in Peace Town!”
“That’s right, those lowly people even found it dirty to carry Master Hong’s shoes, yet they still dared provoke Master Hong. They really don’t know what’s good for them.”
“Well said, well said. Tonight, find two girls that I’m satisfied with to spend the night with. The Shi family will definitely not mistreat you when we get rich!”
With a few compliments and an arrogant voice, the few of them walked into Qinghe Tower and sat down at the other end.
The leader of the group was a tall, thin young man. He had long, thin eyebrows and eyes. He was still loudly boasting about what he had done in Peace Town as if it was a great achievement to take care of those old farmers who had no money.
“The Shi family!” beside Jiang Ming, an old man from Tiger Hunting Village whispered, “But he looks a little weak, so he shouldn’t be a martial arts expert.”
Peng Lu’s line of sight followed Miss Shuang’er’s dance, and he said with a smile, “Ignore them. When the imperial court was collecting herbs, they ‘lost’ the most. Now that the rebel army has taken down three prefectures, their momentum is at its peak.”
A moment later, the tall, thin young man had already left those boot-licking guys behind and walked upstairs with two round and slightly chubby women in his arms. He bragged to the two of them, “Hmph, you guys haven’t seen me teach that old martial artist a lesson yet. F*cking hell, I took his field because I think highly of him, but he actually dared stop me. I kicked him to the ground with one foot!”
“A martial artist?” The two women were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and their bodies went soft as they wrapped themselves around the tall, thin young man.
“I’m so scared that I’m sweating. Master Hong is really powerful. Even a martial artist is no match for you.” The two women’s voices were soft and alluring. They pulled the tall, thin young man and disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Jiang Ming was enjoying Miss Shuang’er’s dance, and the smile on his face seemed to have become more brilliant. He suddenly waved at the brothel madame, “I’m very happy tonight. Does Miss Shuang’er have time to accompany me?”