Chapter 152: When Out And About, Identity And Persona Are What You Make Them
When Cao Kun met Yun Ce, he had an extremely favorable impression of this man.
It was mainly because this young man with a bit of a beard had a straight and upright figure, and his face bore a gentle smile. This kind of smile was clearly trained from childhood. No matter whose gaze he met, it made you feel his heartfelt sincerity and friendliness.
If it were only this signature smile of a scion of nobility, it would not be enough to make Cao Kun value a young man who only held the Grand Master Rank.
What truly made him value Yun Ce was the set of old armor on his body. This set of armor was very old; the breastplate and shoulder armor had many scratches, and some places were obviously dented. These were either from hammer strikes of heavy weapons or from volleys of crossbows.
The armor was very old, but the quality was very good. Every mark on it was left from battle.
He was carrying a horse spear that also had some years on it. The rope wrapped around the spear shaft was snapped in many places, with obvious repair marks. On the other side of his waist hung a quiver of arrows, and under his ribs hung a slender curved knife with a very small arc.
What surprised Cao Kun the most was the Thunder Smoke Beast behind Yun Ce.
Cao Kun had naturally seen many Thunder Smoke Beasts. The one he himself rode was also an extremely large Thunder Smoke Beast, even a full size larger and taller than the one behind Yun Ce.
However, his Thunder Smoke Beast stood rigidly behind him like a sculpture. The Thunder Smoke Beast behind Yun Ce was far too lively: now it would rest its big head on Yun Ce’s shoulder, now it would bite Yun Ce’s clothes and snort for food. Most excessively, when this Thunder Smoke Beast saw its master talking to him for too long without paying attention to it, it would bump its big head against his back repeatedly.
This was a humble scion of a noble family, also a warrior who had truly been on the battlefield. Moreover, seeing that he still rode a Thunder Smoke Beast that had not been processed by the Beast Supervision into battle, it was enough to show that this man had a kind heart.
1 Cao Kun felt that such a person was very suitable to become his friend.
1 “Since Shao Fu has ordered it, the safety of the provisions from Jingkou Pass to Iron Enclosure Pass along this road now rests on Grand Master Yun alone.”
1 Seeing Cao Kun say this, Yun Ce smiled and said, “Brother Cao, this is embarrassing me. If Brother Cao still can’t see that I’m here to freeload on merits, I certainly wouldn’t believe it.”
1 Cao Kun feigned surprise and said, “Ah? This military order…”
1 Before Cao Kun could finish speaking, Yun Ce stepped forward, took his hand, and said, “I dare not deceive Brother Cao. A few days ago, this little brother earned some insignificant merits. Shao Fu Wu Tong originally wanted to pull his brother up, but in the end, those minor merits I earned in the past were not enough to let me soar into the sky.
1 Shao Fu heard that Brother Cao is righteous and raised a large amount of grain for Iron Enclosure Pass. If I can help Brother Cao safely deliver the provisions to Iron Enclosure Pass, then the merits on my body will be sufficient.
1 Speaking of which, it is Brother Cao who has given me the opportunity to continue building merits and achievements. Along this road, if there is anything you need, please, Brother Cao, do not hesitate to ask. I have come this time precisely to accumulate merits.”
1 Hearing Yun Ce’s words, Cao Kun was very happy and gripped Yun Ce’s hand in return, saying, “Along this road, I ask Brother Yun for your full support.”
1 Standing on the city pass, Zhang Min and E Ji watched the two men below the pass chatting and laughing amiably. E Ji puzzledly said, “Why did Young Master wear this set of old armor and talk for so long with someone he doesn’t like?”
1 Zhang Min sighed and said, “This outfit of his is precisely the most popular one in Iron Enclosure Pass. Plus, he has inner abilities that others don’t possess at all. This trip to Iron Enclosure Pass will definitely allow him to make many, many friends.”
2 E Ji then said, “What about this Cao Kun? He looks like someone without real ability.”
2 Zhang Min said, “Young Master doesn’t want to endlessly send grain and supplies to Iron Enclosure Pass. He plans to see if this Cao Kun can take over and complete this task for him.”
2 “If he can?”
2 “Then Young Master plans to sell grain to this Cao Kun at Jingkou Pass from now on. That way, Cao Kun won’t need to transport grain from the distant Qiu He Prefecture, and the grain we grow will have an outlet. Wouldn’t that be a great thing?”
2 “Mm-hmm, that’s right. Young Master is really smart.”
2 Zhang Min very much wanted to say this wasn’t smart, it was cunning, it was sleazy, but thinking that Yun Ce was about to set off on a long journey, she couldn’t bring herself to say the unkind words.
2 Eager to establish merits, Cao Kun completely ignored the small Jingkou Pass before his eyes. Passing straight through the city pass, in a moment, the wasteland north of the Great Wall appeared before him.
2 The Thunder Smoke Beast’s hooves stepped on the thick wild grass. After looking at the wasteland, Cao Kun sincerely said to Yun Ce, “This is the place where real men go to war and earn merits.”
2 Yun Ce smiled and nodded, saying, “Brother Cao’s words are praiseworthy. A true man should step out of the shelter of Shehuo and Ancestral Fire, fight the most real and fiercest enemies, and win, to live up to the aspirations of a great man.”
2 Along the way, Yun Ce transformed into a qualified guide, constantly introducing the mountains and terrain of the area to Cao Kun. Especially when speaking of the Qingshui River, he emphasized that this river would have a brief freezing period in deep winter, and because the river was shallow, it would freeze solid. The grain transport convoy could completely follow the river all the way north…
3 Yun Ce only offered suggestions; whether to accept them was up to Cao Kun. Yun Ce absolutely would not do anything to steal the show at this time.
3 The roads on the wasteland were rugged and hard to travel. Even though the great horned horses Cao Kun chose for pulling the carts this time were all fat and strong, with the wheels often sinking into the grassland, after Cao Kun sent men to scout, he gladly adopted Yun Ce’s suggestions.
3 “So, Brother Yun came north of the Great Wall this time actually for land reclamation?”
3 Yun Ce nodded and said, “Brother Cao may not know, our Great Han is rich in resources and people; we don’t need land reclamation. It’s just that Iron Enclosure Pass is too far north. This is not the fertile Qiu He Prefecture where you can gather enough provisions just by foraging in the wild.
3 The turf under Brother Cao’s feet, if lifted, would reveal many stiff poisonous insects. Don’t think these poisonous insects are now in a state of stiff death. When the first spring thunder cracks, these poisonous insects will come back to life, turning this land of abundant water grass into a poisonous insect zone impassable to humans.
3 Gathering is not feasible, so naturally, time-consuming and laborious land reclamation is the only option.”
3 Seeing that every word Yun Ce said to his own eldest son was about wasteland experience, a middle-aged man who had been closely following his eldest son deliberately slowed his horse, waiting until the two had gone ten steps ahead before catching up again.
3 Seeing that the old butler had left, Cao Kun suddenly asked Yun Ce, “Brother Yun, have you ever fought the Gui Fang people?”
3 Yun Ce was silent for a moment and softly said, “As brothers, I very much hope that this time we can safely deliver the provisions to Iron Enclosure Pass without encountering the Gui Fang people.”
3 Cao Kun looked back at the old butler and asked again, “Are the Gui Fang people very formidable?”
4 Yun Ce sighed and said, “Very formidable, but not that formidable. The main thing is their fearless-of-death fighting style, which is extremely headaches-inducing.
4 Brother Cao, have you ever seen an enemy who, in order to chop you once, ignores you chopping off his head?”
4 “What? To chop me once, he doesn’t care if I decapitate him?”
4 “Exactly, even after you chop his head off, he’s still grinning at you.”
4 Cao Kun sneered and said, “With my precious armor, even if he chops me once, I’ll still decapitate him.”
4 Yun Ce shook his head and said, “Absolutely not. Who knows what ghostly thoughts that Gui Fang person harbors. If that chop truly harms you, then you’re exchanging your life for a worthless one. Brother Cao, that would be far too much of a loss for us.”
4 The Cao Clan butler, clearly ten steps away from them, suddenly said, “Young Master Yun is absolutely right. Young Master, if you encounter Gui Fang people around Iron Enclosure Pass, you must be cautious.”
4 Rebuked by the old butler, Cao Kun said somewhat awkwardly, “This is the old servant from home. Even my father treats him with respect.”
4 Yun Ce sighed and said, “Actually, listening to the old servant from home is still good. No matter what, he won’t whip you, beat you with a plank, or lash you with a chain. But if it’s your dad teaching you a lesson… I heard in Chang’an they use wolf-tooth clubs.”
4 Cao Kun looked at Yun Ce somewhat guiltily and said, “Have you been hit?”
5 Yun Ce gave Cao Kun a sideways glance and said, “As if you haven’t been hit.”
5 “Heh heh heh, the only beatings in my life all came from my father.”
5 “Hahahaha.”
5 The old butler, listening to the two ahead exchanging stories of being beaten by elders, smiled and said to the warrior leader, “He is a scion of a noble family with very good family education.”
5 The warrior leader also smiled and said, “When we encounter the Gui Fang people, I don’t ask these two young masters to establish merits and achievements; I only ask that they remain safe under the warriors’ protection.”
5 The old butler shook his head and said, “Our young master might be like that, but that Yun surnamed young master is no chick on the battlefield. Look at the armor on his body, and you’ll know he has been through fierce battles.”
5 Finally, after a long day of travel, Yun Ce left the convoy. Not long after, he brought back a few small beasts. After skinning and cleaning them by the waterside, he marinated them with seasoning for a while, then barbecued them over the charcoal fire.
5 Cao Kun came over and said, “What’s this?”
5 Yun Ce smiled and said, “You have a treat today. This is the Gale Beast that people in Iron Enclosure Pass rave about. I didn’t expect to encounter it when I went out earlier.”
5 Hearing this, Cao Kun excitedly said, “Gale Beast, Gale Beast, warms my heart; Gale Beast, Gale Beast, swift and light in flight. Uncle Cai, Uncle Cai, come take a look. Is this a Gale Beast?”
6 Hearing Cao Kun shouting, the old butler whom Cao Kun called Uncle Cai came over. He first looked at the animal hide Yun Ce had skinned, then sniffed the meat just placed on the fire, and smiled at Cao Kun, saying, “Young Master, this is indeed Gale Beast meat. I didn’t expect Young Master Yun also has the skill to bow-hunt a Gale Beast.”
6 Yun Ce enviously looked at Cao Kun and said, “I’m different from you. You have family shelter; I can only rely on myself. You shouldn’t envy me either. Don’t believe me? Ask Uncle Cai: behind every exceptional skill are blood and tears.”
6 Cao Kun hesitated but still asked, “Uncle Cai, I also want to bow-hunt a Gale Beast.”
6 Uncle Cai looked troubled at Yun Ce, sighed, and said, “To hunt a Gale Beast, you must at least practice your archery to the point where your hand is faster than your eye.”
