Chapter 1206

First Volume, Chapter 1206: Rare Animal

Looking around at the dozens of eyes watching him, Qin Feng felt deeply uneasy, silently wondering if every villager in Maguan Village had come just to stare at him while he slept.

Could they be afraid he'd steal their corn?

Qin Feng sighed and shook his head, rising from the stone roller; he'd forgotten to remove his armor last night, and his body had been crushed under it all night, nearly falling apart.

Qin Feng immediately stripped off his heavy armor, stretched his limbs, and finally exhaled in relief.

At that moment, the murmurs around him began drifting into Qin Feng's ears.

"Wow, so the legendary Vassal King is no different from an ordinary person."

"What kind of thing is that to say? Does a Vassal King have to have three eyes?"

"I asked a Military Master before—this Vassal King isn't ordinary at all; he's the Northern Border King!"

"What's a Northern Border King? Could it be… a Vassal King?"

"What Vassal King! I heard from brothers in the army that a Vassal King is just a detained waste—while the Northern Border King… is… is someone even His Majesty fears!"

"Especially in Beixi County under Qin Feng's rule—it's so rich it drips silver. Even Master Zhang the landlord? In Beixi County, he's just a Common Person."

"Really? That's exaggerated! Master Zhang's family has at least a few hundred taels of silver!"

"How could this be false? Don't you know how much wealth each refugee family brought back when they returned to Beixi County to visit relatives? They've all become wealthy."

At that moment, the village militia spoke up solemnly: "You don't even know the name of the Qin Vassal King?"

"His reputation in the army is even louder."

"Heh heh—he's the one who defeated the Di, and marched all the way to the Di Wang Du! It's this very man before you."

Upon hearing this, the people of Maguan Village gazed at Qin Feng with even hotter eyes.

If you asked them directly who Qin Feng was, they might not know—but if you mentioned the First Marquis Under Heaven who crushed the Di and stormed straight to the Di Wang Du, everyone knew him.

Especially Little Mazi—the last remaining heir of the entire Ma Family—his only path now was to join the military; though young, he could still handle laborer duties, hauling materials and supplies.

He clenched his fists tightly, desperate to rush forward, kneel before Qin Feng, and beg him to take him in.

Feeling the scorching gazes around him, Qin Feng grew even more uneasy; he waved his hand and summoned the Vice Commander over.

"What's going on?"

"I was just lying here sleeping—why did all the villagers come running over? Anyone would think they're gawking at some rare beast."

Hearing this, the Vice Commander bit back a laugh and whispered: "Your Highness, please forgive me."

"I've driven them away twice already, but as soon as I sent them off, they came right back. Seeing they were quiet, I figured they wouldn't disturb Your Highness, so I stopped chasing them off."

Qin Feng looked helpless: "I'm asking why they came here to stare at me while I sleep? It's creepy!"

The Vice Commander's smile widened: "Probably never seen a Vassal King before—just curious to take a look."

Isn't that still treating me like a rare animal?!

But since all the villagers of Maguan Village are here anyway, it saves Qin Feng the trouble of summoning them separately.

Qin Feng cleared his throat, looked at the simple villagers around him, and feigned ease: "My friends, Chen Yanzong and his rebel troops have all been executed."

"From now on, I will spare no effort to prevent such incidents, ensuring the people of Nan Jing live in peace and prosperity."

"If any of you have requests, speak freely—I will not refuse any help I can offer."

For the people of Maguan Village, Qin Feng's having ridden a hundred li through the night to save them was already more than enough to earn their gratitude—how could they dare ask for more?

Yet they realized this Vassal King was remarkably approachable, especially toward Common People—utterly unlike the man on the Battlefield.

After much hesitation, an elder stepped forward.

"If I must ask for something, there is one thing."

"Little Mazi, come here."

The elder called Little Mazi to his side and gestured for him to kneel and bow to Qin Feng.

Little Mazi moved swiftly—without hesitation—he dropped to his knees with a thud and began pounding his head against the ground before Qin Feng.

The elder sighed deeply: "The entire Ma Village Chief family nearly perished protecting the villagers."

The entire Old Ma Family now has only Little Mazi left; his mother remarried long ago, and now he has neither father nor mother, no one to rely on."

"If he stays in the village, eating from the communal pot, he'll grow up fine—but this boy will likely never amount to much."

"Please, Your Highness, show mercy—give this child a meal."

In truth, even without the villagers bringing it up, Qin Feng had already planned this.

He'd noticed Little Mazi long ago—his family were true men, dying honorably.

And Little Mazi himself was incredibly resilient; his pockmarked face proved he'd survived smallpox as a child—surviving that alone was a miracle, and now he'd faced Chen Yanzong's brutality and still walked away unharmed.

As the saying goes: good fortune follows the blessed—this boy will surely rise to greatness.

Qin Feng called Little Mazi forward, studied the child from head to toe, and smiled: "How old are you?"

Little Mazi clenched his fists, beaming with excitement: "Your Highness, I am twelve years old."

Twelve… still a child…

But Liang has suffered endless wars; the people live in misery, lifespans are short, and to preserve bloodlines, many marry and start families by twelve or thirteen.

Teenagers of thirteen or fourteen joining the military are commonplace.

You can't expect such boys to fight on the front lines—but hauling and carrying supplies in Logistics? Easily manageable.

"Do you wish to join the military?"

Without hesitation, Little Mazi nodded firmly: "Yes!"

"My father, my uncle, and my grandfather all served in the Army—I want to continue the Old Ma Family's tradition."

"Please, Your Highness, take me in."

As he spoke, Little Mazi dropped to his knees again and bowed his head three times before Qin Feng.

Qin Feng reached out, yanked Little Mazi to his feet, glared at him, and signaled him to stop bowing—talk plainly, don't keep kneeling; I'm not a clay idol, no need to worship me like that.

"Currently, there are three forces on the Nan Jing Front Line."

"One is the Jingji Imperial Guard Elite Troops, another is the Central Plains Army, and the third is the Beixi Light Cavalry."

"Choose where you want to go yourself."