Chapter 438

Huh…………

In the northern region of Changqing Valley, it was daytime.

Snowflakes swirled through the air, howling winds raged.

A eight-meter-wide road paved with green wood stretched from south to north.

Though the air currents here were fierce, their direction was wildly chaotic.

It seemed as if they could not find an exit and were venting randomly, whipping the snowflakes into swirling vortices that howled; flattening trees on both sides of the road; occasionally snapping the ice stalactites hanging from the valley walls—some as long as ten meters, others three or four meters—whose crashes to the ground were unmistakably loud.

The dancing snowflakes, swaying trees, falling ice stalactites, and the silent, empty green wood road formed a striking contrast of motion and stillness, unintentionally creating a wondrous scene of a snow-laden ancient path.

“Silver dragons leap, cold light hangs over the land, ten thousand ravines carved with ice, a thousand cliffs tempered in frost…”

Suddenly, a slow, melodious song arose from the end of the road.

From the voice alone, one could tell it was a middle-aged man.

The first four lines clearly depicted the cruel, frigid snowscape of the Ice Abyss, so his tone was somewhat heavy; then he continued:

“Ice blades steep, frozen clouds slant, wind sculpts the bones of a thousand mountains, carving scabs…”

As the song paused, continuing to portray the harsh environment, it now carried a tone of defiance; the man’s voice gradually rose in determination, then soared high as he sang the final line:

Treading through the stormwind, sleeves flung wide, Mount Mao rises amid clouds and radiant light!

“Bravo, Uncle Hu, you sang beautifully…”

As the song ended, a clear, youthful voice praised him.

At the road’s end, a caravan slowly appeared.

The caravan totaled over thirty people; the first things visible were two wooden two-wheeled carts, each pulled by five men harnessed with iron picks and ropes—clearly their power source; then came a ten-meter-long, five-meter-wide iron-wheeled cart, fully loaded with cargo, pulled by ten men and pushed by five more—its weight clearly far exceeding the two preceding carts.

Around the lead cart, six people walked alongside.

All six wore cotton robes; slightly ahead were two middle-aged men in blue robes, about forty, wearing fur-lined felt hats, their faces resolute; the remaining three men and one woman, all around twenty, lagged a few steps behind, their hands steadying the cart’s sides to reduce its jolting.

These four youths could only be the Su siblings.

“Cough… cough…”

The middle-aged man carrying the black iron spear, hearing Su Xinger praise his singing, grew slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat twice, then smiled: “Miss Xing, this song ‘Mao Ao’ hides four names—you probably don’t know that, do you?”

Su Xinger blinked in surprise, then nodded, clearly puzzled.

Her elder brother Su Jing picked up the thread: “I know a bit. Uncle Hu means the four Fangbo Lords: Fangbo Chu Longteng of Cang, Fangbo Fu Wanhè of Hezang, Fangbo Cai Qianshan of Cai Qiu, and Fangbo Li Gangfeng of Wei Bo.”

Hearing Su Jing name the four, Hu Tiejiang nodded with a smile: “Correct. These four Fangbo Lords’ names. Of all the people in our four frontier towns, we’ve lived peacefully on the Mao Ao mountains for over two hundred years thanks to their protection…”

Here Hu Tiejiang paused, then quickly added: “Of course, since we’re from Cai Qiu, the one we owe the most gratitude to is certainly Fangbo Cai.”

The Su siblings said nothing, but the cart-pullers and travelers all wore expressions of strong agreement.

Huh…………

As the caravan entered the turbulent air zone, both the pullers in front and the pushers behind felt sudden, heavy pressure; their pace naturally slowed.

“Tiechuan, come help me push the cart!”

Hu Tiejiang, experienced as he was, called to his brother beside him, then hurried to the rear of the second cart and began pushing.

The Su siblings followed suit, walking to the rear of the cart to help push.

Su Xinger, watching the wind intensify around them, turned and asked: “Uncle Hu, why is the wind here so strong and so chaotic?”

Hu Tiejiang, clearly highly experienced, immediately smiled: “Because Changqing Valley has constant outward airflows; outside air, due to terrain and temperature differences, rushes inward. These two currents collide here, making the wind both fierce and erratic.”

Su Xinger wasn’t foolish; after a moment’s thought, she looked up, delighted: “We’re almost at Qinghuacheng?”

“Miss Xing, you’re sharp!”

Hu Tiejiang praised her first, then gazed northward, exhaling in relief, his eyes bright with joy: “Yes, we’re only five kilometers from Qinghuacheng.”

“Finally, we’re here!”

Hearing this, the Su siblings’ expressions instantly relaxed.

They’d set out on the night of the twelfth of Yuan Month; after five days of walking and pausing, they’d stopped only once en route—last night at Aikou Village.

This cart and its haulers were rented from Aikou Village.

As for Hu Tiejiang and Hu Tiechuan, they’d met them by chance last night at the Aikou Village posthouse; the brothers came from another village, and the cart’s cargo was clearly meant for sale in Qinghuacheng.

“Husband, the coal’s almost gone!”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from the second cart.

Hu Tiejiang immediately took several lumps of coal from a leather pouch hanging beside the cart, then slowly lifted the curtain, shielding the cold light with his body; when the opening was wide enough, he slipped inside carefully and swiftly pulled the curtain shut behind him.

Seeing his elder brother Su Jing’s curiosity, Su Xinger leaned close and whispered: “I saw yesterday—the cart holds Hu’s wife and children. Five kids, the oldest only seven, the youngest still in arms.”

No wonder!

Such young children would have no Qi, and couldn’t be exposed to light.

Su Jing’s confusion lifted; he nodded, then looked up at the glaring sky, his expression tightening, darkening.

Not just him—Su Xu and Su Zhi had also heard their younger sister’s words. Neither was slow; seeing their elder brother’s shift, they thought for a moment, then instantly understood, their own expressions sinking.

Meanwhile, inside the second cart.

Hu Tiejiang first laid the coal on the stove to ignite, then turned to his wife Fang Jing and his sister-in-law Wang Qing. Seeing their anxious faces, he leaned close and whispered: “Jing, sister-in-law, don’t be afraid—we’ll reach Qinghuacheng soon. Once inside, we’ll go straight to the jurisdiction office, shed our slave and low-caste status, and register as commoners. Fei and the other four have never seen the jurisdiction office; once we’re commoners, they’ll automatically become commoners too.”

Both women held infants, around thirty, with fine features—clearly not hunters who spent long periods outdoors.

Hearing their husband’s words, Fang Jing and Wang Qing’s anxiety eased considerably.

Hu Tiejiang pulled out two paper documents, stared at the words “slave status” at the top, clenched his fist, and said grimly: “Headman Zhang went too far. He promised we’d hunt for him free for two years, and he’d give us your slave papers. Now that two years are up, he refuses again.”

He did the first, so don’t blame us for the fifth. These slave papers were ours to begin with—I’m not afraid if he comes after us…”

He turned to look at the children in the women’s arms and the three six- or seven-year-olds behind them, his gaze resolute: “If we don’t shed our slave and low-caste status, Fei and the others will remain just like us—only by becoming commoners can they truly be called human…”

………………

“Fifth- Zong strength, yet still Jianji —Cai Qiu’s power is truly immense!”

Inside the lead cart, after hearing Hu Tiejiang’s words, Xia Hong’s eyes first flickered with disbelief, then he marveled at Cai Qiu’s strength.

Only this explanation made sense!

Cai Qiu clearly didn’t lack cold-resistant-level Qi—certainly not lacking those with Fifth- Zong strength.

“Not surprising. Four months ago, I saw those county guard soldiers—all had Sixth- Zong or higher strength. They were the weakest troops. With over three hundred thousand troops in Cai Qiu, Fifth- Zong strength here is nothing.”

Moreover, the minimum Qi requirement to register as a commoner is Fifth- Zong —meaning only those with Fifth- Zong or higher qualify to be ordinary people.”

Of course, merely qualifying wasn’t enough!

Registration cost money—lots of it.

From Hu Tiejiang’s earlier words, it was clear that shedding status was complicated: it required money and the master’s consent.

“So the Hu brothers are low-caste, their wives are slaves—likely servants of Headman Zhang. The brothers were tricked into two years of unpaid labor, grew furious, stole their wives’ slave documents, and planned to rush to Qinghuacheng to register as commoners…”

Xia Hong quickly pieced together the full story in his mind, glanced at his own black Xia uniform, and understood why the two brothers had joined him last night.

Hu Tiejiang had clearly feared Headman Zhang might pursue them—or that some accident might occur. At the Aikou Village posthouse, he’d noticed something in Xia Hong’s attire, and for safety’s sake, pretended to befriend Su Jing’s group to travel with him.

Xia Hong, after understanding, gave a faint smile. Hu Tiejiang’s actions were merely the survival wisdom of a small man—not truly malicious.

But the problem is…

“No one’s chased us at all. Either they haven’t noticed the slave papers are stolen yet, or they’ve already prepared a countermeasure and simply don’t care to pursue.”

The former would be fine. But if it’s the latter, the Hu brothers’ dream of shedding their status might end the moment they enter the city.

A caravan moves slower than a single person, and with the valley entrance’s harsh conditions, the five-kilometer journey took them nearly half an hour—until nightfall.

“We’re here!”

“Ahead is Qinghuacheng’s gate.”

“This is Qinghuacheng—what massive walls!”