Chapter 99: Career Mind Over Love Mind

No one can know the answer to this question.

However, facts prove that Chinu is almost demonic in his cleverness.

Sometimes, he can't even be considered human.

Chinu had remained silent all along; upon hearing her speak, his gaze fell upon the rain-washed shining stone tablet at the village entrance, and he calmly said:

"This village is located at the river mouth, surrounded by water on three sides, with only north and south roads."

"In the northern Big Gate Village, no one mentions this matter; it seems these people can only head to Dun Cheng."

He lowered the brim of his straw hat a bit, then pointed at the wheel ruts on the muddy road.

The ruts are deep; the soil at the bottom has been compacted, rainwater collected inside, forming two narrow pools.

Although it's raining heavily now, with these pools one can still clearly see that the ruts all point in the same direction...

"Dun Cheng."

Du Shanü followed up on that.

Chinu barely nodded.

He had been unusually silent all along; rainwater dripped onto his eyelashes as he moved, and he did not wipe it away.

Du Shanü's mind raced—

For an entire village's villagers to all move to Dun Cheng, this cannot be a voluntary act.

Thirty or forty households, at least a hundred or two hundred people, supporting the elderly and carrying the young, dragging families— to have them all leave their ancestral homes at once and move to another city, how could that be easy?

【17) Moreover...

What's more......

"Why would Dun Cheng accept villagers from outside the city?"

She asked, her voice lower than before, as if speaking to herself.

Chinu did not answer immediately.

He turned his body, facing Dun Cheng, his gaze piercing the rain and falling on the distant, blurred horizon.

Rain strands struck his face; his expression remained faint, from beginning to end, he simply lowered his eyes.

As if...

Like a drowned wildcat that had just gotten a taste of sweetness, only to be abandoned.

"There are two possibilities."

Chinu finally spoke, his speech slower than usual, as if thinking while speaking:

"First, Dun Cheng encountered some change that requires manpower— repairing walls, digging moats, transporting grain and fodder all need people. If villagers outside the city are driven to desperation by excessive taxes and levies, they would work without wages, just for food."

Du Shanü's fingers circled the strap of her straw raincoat once, her joints tightening slightly.

"Second......"

Chinu tilted his head to look at her; his eyes held something indescribable, like something moving beneath deep water, yet his face revealed nothing.

But the words he uttered were more shocking than thunder across the sky:

"... Dun Cheng is recruiting soldiers."

Du Shanü's eyelid twitched, and the strap she had been holding snapped into two.

Chinu's fingers twitched, but recalling how Du Shanü had abandoned him mercilessly, he still did not step forward to help her straighten herself, and only continued:

"A village of thirty or forty households could easily yield thirty or forty able-bodied men."

"If these people are incorporated into the army, they become ready-made troops. When the world falls into chaos, those with grain, city, and ambition will not merely seek to defend."

The rain outside suddenly grew louder.

Wind poured in from the south, bringing a damp, cold, freshly turned earth scent, making the brown fur on the straw raincoat rustle.

Du Shanü's brows and eyes grew solemn, her heart gradually growing heavy—

In fact, she should have thought of this earlier.

When the world is about to fall into chaos, powerful warlords easily arise.

In this world, those with ambition are certainly not only her.

Officials as muddled as Qian Youde are ultimately the minority; nowadays, anyone with a bit of sense, even if just to preserve themselves wisely, will begin cultivating their own power.

Her complexion was not good.

Chinu barely glanced at her a few times, yet he relaxed his tightly furrowed brow.

That gloomy undertone between his brows and eyes remained, merely hidden deeper.

Du Shanü was lost in thought when she saw a shadow loom before her; before she could react, she felt a slender figure bend down, slip into her embrace, and lean against her shoulder.

Chinu embraced her and whispered:

"Actually, there's no need to worry..."

"As long as you don't abandon Ah-nu, Ah-nu will surely help you."

In this world, those who want to be emperor number far more than countless millions.

But those who can actually accomplish things are destined to be few.

Others only know that this world lacks a master.

But he, long ago, knew he could choose this master for the world.

As long as, as long as one does not abandon him...

"How come you're talking about abandonment again?"

Du Shanü felt somewhat bewildered, patting Chinu in her embrace, and asked doubtfully:

"Nobody wants to abandon you!"

You were fine when we left this morning!

Afang only said Chinu could be subdued by sleep, but never said he was this sensitive and suspicious!

Could it be because I didn't finish the last step last night, so I only took half a dose?

Du Shanü didn't quite understand; she had still wanted to coax, but Chinu had already withdrawn, gritting his teeth and said:

"...... Or, let's go."

Indeed, he still wants to hate her.

He hates her fickleness, he hates her lack of understanding.

He hates that she won't fill her heart and eyes with him.

He hates it the most!

He hates her the most!

Du Shanü felt somewhat dazed, while Chinu held back a surge of anger and swung onto his horse.

The two rode one after the other, following the faint wheel tracks on the muddy road, galloping southeast.

The rain kept falling, neither heavy nor light, neither urgent nor slow, as if it had decided to accompany them all the way.

Before nightfall, the outline of Dun Cheng finally appeared in their view.

It wasn't the dull, aging look of Ju Cheng.

Dun Cheng's walls were higher, the bricks bluish-gray with sharp edges, looking as if they'd been recently repaired.

Every few dozen steps along the wall a flag was planted, hanging wet in the rain, their colors indiscernible.

The gate was more than twice as wide as Ju Cheng's, the gateway deep; despite the heavy rain, many people still came and went.

A few soldiers stood at each side of the gate, swords at their waists but no spears, their demeanor not fierce; they even nodded and exchanged a few words with townsfolk entering.

Du Shanü and Chinu urged their horses toward the gate, slowing down.

A young soldier stepped forward, glancing at their horses and rain cloaks; unlike the short, stout soldier from Ju Cheng who would put his hands on his hips and shout, he clasped his fists and spoke politely.

"Where are you from? Do you have a travel permit?"

Having experienced the Ju Cheng incident, hearing mention of a travel permit made Du Shanü's heart skip.

She kept her composure and shook her head:

"No. We came from Cang Cheng; we left in a hurry and didn't have time to get one."

She waited for his expression to change.

But the young soldier merely frowned, glancing back at an older soldier inside the gateway.

The old soldier had a straw between his teeth, leaning against the gateway wall; hearing this, he took the straw from his mouth, sized them up, then waved his hand.

"From Cang Cheng? That's not far. Forget the travel permit, go on in. The magistrate said, outsiders coming to Dun Cheng to make a living are all welcome as long as they're not fugitives."

"Who hasn't had a time away from home? Don't make things difficult for them."

The young soldier acknowledged, stepped aside, and even reached out to block a protruding wooden post at the gate's edge for them, smiling as he said:

"You've had a rough journey; once inside, turn left—there's a grain distribution shelter, today's the last day, late and it'll be gone. Our Magistrate Ouyang is truly a good person......"

Du Shanü was about to walk past the two, but hearing this she slightly narrowed her eyes, noticing a word——

"Ouyang?"

"This surname is supposed to be rare, right?"

"And now it's everywhere?"

?? coming coming (*^▽^*)

? Shasha: At home there are two Ouyangs, how come another shows up here! Speechless. jpg