Chapter 222: Looks Chaotic, But Nothing’s Actually Happening
“Tan Shou is now being squeezed into Pingcheng by heroes from all sides, with destruction imminent. Aren’t you planning to get involved?”
Cao Kun beat around the bush.
“Liu Changsheng sent a letter specifically mentioning the dragon matter. He must have made some discoveries. If you’re interested, I can write to ask for news.”
Cao Kun frowned and said, “If Tan Shou is executed, the Pingzhou trade route will be clear. If you’re not interested in Pingzhou affairs, Xiangcheng is yours to decide with a word.”
Yun Ce looked at the serious-faced Cao Kun and said, “I’ve actually seen a dragon, at Tianzhu Mountain. If Liu Changsheng doesn’t have accurate news, you can go to Tianzhu Mountain in Chuyun Prefecture to check.”
Cao Kun splashed water on his face and looked at Yun Ce, saying, “The caravans to Jingkou Pass will be cut off, and it can only be Xiangcheng.”
Yun Ce sighed and said, “I still have a few friends in Chuyun Prefecture. Though their status isn’t quite right, with my connections, you should be able to enter and exit Chuyun Prefecture safely. But be careful after entering the Tianzhu mountain area—there are many poisonous insects, and one kind of centipede has extremely potent venom. Once wounded, you’ll die without a burial place.”
Cao Kun sighed and said, “The caravans arriving at Jingkou Pass are only small ones because the trade volume isn’t enough.”
Yun Ce laughed and said, “Also, spirits are rampant there. I encountered a Pig King and a Bear King there. Those two great kings were killed by spies from Panxing Tower. Otherwise, I wouldn’t advise you to go to Tianzhu Mountain.”
“That’s good. The caravans to Jingkou Pass can have the right to acquire materials, but I hope that at least six-tenths of the harvest from your Yun Clan land is delivered to the Cao Clan Caravan.”
1 Yun Ce nodded and said, “Whether it’s Pingzhou City or Tianzhu Mountain, I won’t go. I can’t go anyway. In two more months, harvest time will arrive. This is the vast region north of the Great Wall, the first human-planted harvest. I need to watch from start to finish without slacking for a moment.”
1 Cao Kun nodded and said, “I know you want to send part of the Yun Clan land’s output to Iron Enclosure Pass, so the Cao Clan Caravan must receive four-tenths of your Yun Clan land’s output. When harvest time comes, the Cao Clan will send a steward to supervise.”
1 “When we eat noodles later, I’ll use small fragrant pork as topping, paired with Yun Clan specialty tofu cubes, egg skin, and two kinds of mushrooms. Do you want it spicy?”
1 Cao Kun nodded and said, “I haven’t been eating meat lately; I prefer vegetarian. But put more egg skin.”
1 The off-topic answering segment ended, and their conversation finally intersected again on the noodle-eating topic.
1 Yun Ce asked puzzledly, “Do we have to talk like this? It’s too weird.”
1 Cao Kun sighed and said, “Since it’s an exchange, isn’t it bad to say it bluntly? I go find the dragon, you get rich locally. It’s pretty good; we both have things to do.”
1 Unfortunately, my martial arts aren’t good. Originally, the things we two should do ought to be swapped—you should go find the dragon, and I should be the one getting rich locally.
1 Neither Yun Ce nor Cao Kun were people who liked being attended to while bathing. The first time was an attempt, and after trying it, they lost interest in such overly superficial matters.
1 With the matters discussed, the bathing process also ended.
2 Cao Kun stayed to eat a bowl of noodles. Before boarding the albatross, Cao Kun said to Yun Ce, “If your family background were a bit better, we’d be true friends with nothing unspoken.”
2 Yun Ce shook his head and said, “If my family background were equal to yours, we’d only be enemies. Even if we chat amiably, under the current situation, we’ll eventually cross blades.”
2 It’s pretty good now—one strong, one weak, with this hierarchy allowing us to coexist. People must know contentment.
2 Cao Kun laughed and said, “True, it’s pretty good now.”
2 When the albatross took off, it still soared through clouds and pierced the sun with grandeur, but Cao Kun’s mood wasn’t great. The albatross didn’t fly away immediately but circled above the Yun Clan Villa.
2 The changes at Yun Clan Villa weren’t great—just many people planting Yi Trees, a new variety of Yi Tree that, even in the cold north of the Great Wall, could produce good tree bark and provide cheap Yi Tree Powder and Yi Tree Fiber.
2 Others were driving tall cattle herds to plow the land. This plowing wasn’t for planting but for creating ditches. The ploughshare broke open the soft soil, and people moved the soil away, then continued driving the cattle to plow until the ploughshare dug up underground water, giving the ditch a layer of water.
2 This bit of water naturally wasn’t enough, but when Cao Kun saw some ditches extending toward Qingshui River, he understood. When Qingshui River floods in autumn, these ditches—below the riverbank but above the water surface—could draw in the floodwater, ultimately turning those ditches with just a bit of water into moats.
2 For Cao Kun, who understood military affairs, though he didn’t yet grasp the purpose of planting Yi Trees, those ditches appearing on the wasteland were crystal clear to him.
2 When a cavalry force entered this wasteland, due to the ditches, they could only follow the planned routes. And on both sides of the routes cavalry could take were hills, mountains, or woods perfect for ambushes.
3 Currently, the defensive works at Yun Clan Villa were far from complete, but once finished—once finished—this vast wasteland would be under Yun Clan’s control.
3 Such actions seemed slow and clumsy, but only a young man with strong confidence in his future would make such long-term investments.
3 This kind of investment lasting decades or centuries was something only true great families would do, and only they had the confidence to wait for the returns.
3 Yun Ce, at just twenty years old, was already doing it—he was doing these unimaginable things for the Yun Clan thirty years from now.
3 Seeking the Dragon!
3 Seeking the Dragon was something all great nobles must do whenever they had the opportunity.
3 The dragon was the foundation of the Great Han people’s existence on this land. They knew clearly that the Yellow Emperor rode a dragon here, borrowing the dragon’s power to survive on this land for three thousand years and rule it for three thousand years.
3 Later, Huo Qubing also rode a dragon here. He ended the Yellow Emperor’s decadent inheritance and single-handedly established the Great Han, which had now stood for two thousand years.
3 If one could find the dragon, if one could bypass the Great Han imperial family to communicate with the dragon, wouldn’t that give hope of taking its place?
3 Don’t forget, on the day of the last Divine Dragon’s descent, it didn’t descend on Chang’an, nor on the alternate city Luoyang, but ultimately appeared in remote Chuyun Prefecture.
4 If the Divine Dragon had continued descending on Chang’an last time, the Grand Marshal absolutely wouldn’t have dared to challenge the Emperor in Chang’an, and the world wouldn’t have so many ambitious figures.
4 Scholars in Luoyang say: When Heaven unleashes killing intent, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth unleashes killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land.
4 This destined a chaotic era to arrive, also the critical moment when all nobles could no longer maintain their existing glory. Cao Kun felt that even if this trip to Tianzhu Mountain ended empty-handed, under his uncle’s operations, he would surely gain more prestige and benefits.
4 Yun Ce had said it clearly—his best situation now was to sit and collect money.
4 His, Cao Kun’s, best course of action was the dragon soaring in the sky.
4 Yun Ce stood at the gate with hands behind his back, watching Cao Kun’s albatross flying erratically above Yun Clan Villa. If this had happened before being told the dragon’s whereabouts, there might have been some trouble.
4 Now, even if Cao Kun was somewhat worried, it would surely be overshadowed by the dragon news. After all, seeking the dragon was urgent; guarding against him, Yun Ce, wasn’t.
4 The Cao Clan was currently gaining momentum fiercely—not only monopolizing Qiu He Prefecture, but now also taking Pingzhou. Given the Cao Clan’s personality, He Tian of Lingzhou, who sought help from their family, probably wouldn’t fare well. Once Pingzhou was stabilized by the Cao Clan, their tentacles would inevitably reach toward Lingzhou next.
4 This visit by Cao Kun was to deliver him an invitation.
4 Cao Kun planned to get engaged, and the bride was He Tian’s legitimate daughter from Lingzhou, He Rou.
5 Just from the name, she sounded like a rather clueless woman. During the bath, Cao Kun told him what He Rou looked like—he hadn’t seen clearly—but he had truly taken a liking to the Huben Guards in that old fox He Tian’s courtyard.
5 According to Cao Kun, those Huben Guards were generally over two meters tall, with tiger backs and bear waists, and reportedly refined by some expert with a secret method. In battle, they fought without fear of death and were utterly loyal to He Tian, with no worry of betrayal.
5 This immediately reminded Yun Ce of the beast supervision methods for Thunder Smoke Beasts… So many years had passed; such a useful method should have improved by now.
5 When Yun Ce was home, Yun Clan Villa became a bit livelier than usual, even the cooking smoke behind the houses rising straight to the blue sky.
5 It was just that the sun was a bit too scorching, and some unknown insects kept chirping nonstop from behind the leaves.
5 Yun Ce lay on his side and slept. When he woke, he felt the clothes on his left side, pressed by his body, soaked with sweat, so he turned over and continued sleeping.
5 Doggy kept nagging in his head, thinking Yun Ce was too lazy. At this time, he should go to the fields or villagers’ homes to visit the poor and spread more care to them.
5 Yun Ce naturally wouldn’t do such brainless things. Now, all the able-bodied men at Yun Clan Villa were working as hard as donkeys. The children at home had all gone to the children’s courtyard to study, practice martial arts, and learn crafts.
5 The manor was left with some women who hadn’t gone to the fields. If he went to their homes with things now, it might cause misunderstandings—that he, Yun Ce, had his eye on the family’s slaves.
5 “Age of Great Strife, Age of Great Strife. We must strengthen ourselves.”
6 Doggy’s nagging voice rang out again, this time in a hoarse, grating tone. Yun Ce suspected the thing had a virus and didn’t know how to deal with it.
6 It was indeed the Age of Great Strife, but no one was making a move yet. If you rush out to strive first, who are you striving against?
6 Yun Ce actively blocked out Doggy’s voice, yawned, and continued sleeping.
