Chapter 223: Tolerance? Impossible
Under the clear sky, there were only a few white clouds. Beneath the white clouds stood a broadleaf tree with lush branches and leaves, and lying under the tree was a man named Yun Ce.
Yet in Yun Ce’s mind, a colorful dream was weaving itself.
In the dream, there were no clashing armies, no crowds gazing in awe, no grand speeches—only a patch of green grass, a blanket, and a man soundly asleep.
Seeing oneself in a dream was truly a bizarre thing, but even so, they merely exchanged a smile, not even bothering to greet each other.
Everyone knew what sort of person the other was, unspoken but clear.
Then Yun Ce was startled awake, though he didn’t know if the other still had the mood to continue sleeping wrapped in the blanket on that patch of grassland.
He figured it was impossible to sleep now—his most filthy thoughts, the dirtiest things he’d done, were all known to the other. At this moment, the other must surely harbor murderous intent just like him.
Yun Ce tensed his left arm, and immediately an Azure Dragon with bared fangs and dancing claws appeared on it. The fist wind, carrying internal breath, rumbled through the air far away before gradually dissipating, finally weak enough to only lift the door curtain.
E Ji, who had just returned from the fields, was changing clothes in the room. Seeing the door curtain lifted by the wind, she hurriedly clutched her chest. Seeing that it was Yun Ce peeking outside, she resolutely dropped her hands and continued wiping her body with clear water.
E Ji had always simply believed that men loved women for their bodies. If their bodies were attractive enough, they could be liked by many people, thereby greatly increasing a woman’s value.
1 Yun Ce, of course, didn’t think that way. He did like E Ji, but not just her body… he seemed to like something else too, but when asked to say it, he couldn’t. So let’s just say he liked E Ji’s body—that way, it would make the girl happier.
1 This wasn’t just E Ji’s view; it was the universal view among the women in Yun Clan Villa. Men went out to work, bringing back either grain or money. When there was enough grain and money for their needs for several days, then at night, or when they weren’t busy, the men could obtain their bodies.
1 Reality was infuriating.
1 When E Ji walked over, her whole body was like a walking big orange, emanating a strong orange scent, as if she had just secretly eaten a basket of oranges.
1 Yun Ce had never seen oranges in the Great Han, perhaps related to his life always in the north—northern regions probably couldn’t grow oranges.
1 Yet miraculously, though the north had no oranges, there was a plant called orange grass. In summer, soaking this grass in water produced a strong orange scent, bringing a intense sense of refreshment. E Ji had just washed with this orange grass water.
1 “Smell it, doesn’t it smell nice?”
1 E Ji covered Yun Ce’s mouth and nose with her sleeve, wanting to share her pleasure with him.
1 She loved sharing secrets unique to just the two of them with Yun Ce, like last night, when she shared the corn that had just grown between the toes of her left foot.
1 They discussed it for a long time, considering whether to cut it out. E Ji was afraid of pain, so there was no choice—Yun Ce had E Ji lie down and called Doggy out to deal with the corn.
2 Yun Ce thought Doggy’s madness today, like it was infected with a virus, was probably related to using the tentacle yesterday to help E Ji deal with the corn. Anyway, last night it cursed Yun Ce very filthily.
2 Today, with the gauze sleeve covering his mouth and nose, Yun Ce’s gaze explored slightly upward along the sleeve and saw E Ji’s ample chest. He glanced once, felt it improper and wanted to withdraw his gaze, but couldn’t resist looking again. Then he heard E Ji giggle: “Isn’t it nice to look at? Don’t you really want me?”
2 Yun Ce withdrew his gaze and pushed away E Ji’s sleeve, looking at her annoyed.
2 “This is what An Ji taught me—a method for concubines in great households to seduce their master. I’m telling you, I won’t blame you for not knowing before, but now that you know, you must be vigilant and not let yourself be seduced.”
2 “No one is seducing me—you can completely rest assured about that.”
2 “How is no one seducing you? That Liu Ruyan, and that Shen Lexi—aren’t they both seducing you?”
2 Yun Ce was just about to ask how she knew when he saw a blue-faced, oily and slick figure all over carrying a fruit plate emerge from a small room next to the horse stable.
2 “Shu Tuo?”
2 Yun Ce lightly called out, and Shu Tuo slid into a kneeling glide right up to Yun Ce— the movement was exceedingly smooth.
2 Yun Ce looked at Shu Tuo, then at E Ji, not understanding why this guy hadn’t died and was instead appearing in the inner chamber.
3 “Feng An was originally going to squeeze oil out of this guy. I saw him crying and singing, very pitiable, so I took him from Feng An. Feng An said this guy has no gender distinction and could stay in the inner chamber as a laborer, so I arranged for him to live next to the red date horse.”
3 “In the future, any heavy labor in the inner chamber can be handed to him.”
3 Yun Ce said in surprise upon hearing this: “This guy was brought back by me—how come I never noticed he had no gender?”
3 E Ji laughed: “Feng An said a deep blue dad and a white mom together can give birth to a sky-blue Shu Tuo.”
3 Yun Ce nodded in understanding. Mules were born that way—it seemed Shu Tuo was a mule devil among devils.
3 “He’s a devil.”
3 “What devil? He’s just a pitiable creature only good for squeezing oil. He was looked down on by other devils at Heavenly Peak Mountain, and here he’s looked down on again, almost dead. This concubine kept him by my side, treating him like Doggy or Fledgling Eagle as a plaything. He might be useful in the future.”
3 Yun Ce was surprised by E Ji’s broad mindset. Others saw devils and wanted to kill them on sight, but she not only gave a devil a way to live but kept it by her side.
3 Actually, thinking from E Ji’s perspective made it clear. Yun Clan now lacked labor, and with the idea that even a monkey could add some strength, taking in Shu Tuo was not surprising.
3 “Since you took him in, you have to be responsible for managing him well.”
4 “Hmph, if he doesn’t behave, I’ll feed him to Doggy.”
4 The Han people’s talent was farming, and Yun Ce’s love for agriculture was genuine from the heart. However, the pastoral life he liked was absolutely not Tao Yuanming’s ‘planting beans at the foot of southern mountain, grass thick and bean sprouts sparse’ style, nor was it personally wielding a hoe to till the soil.
4 What he liked was standing in the countryside, watching others farm for him—the pleasure of seeing his own crops grow bit by bit, seeing his garden laden with fruits, personally picking some fresh fruit as afternoon tea dessert, personally picking some fresh vegetables, stir-frying a plate with just a little oil and salt, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation.
4 Lying under a fruit tree, gazing at the abundant fruits; sitting by the loom watching women weave silk threads into cloth bit by bit; listening to frogs croaking outside the window, gazing at the starry night sky.
4 In short, the joy of countryside life lay in enjoyment, absolutely not in labor—the former cleansed the soul, the latter exhausted the body and mind; they must not be confused.
4 Three hundred thousand mu of cropland was vast—extremely vast… the kind that stretched endlessly.
4 Standing in such fields, as long as one was human, it was hard not to feel a sense of satisfaction.
4 This sense of satisfaction was absolutely incomparable to that brought by money. Yun Ce stood alone in the fields, happily for a full half day. When he returned, he had gathered some immature bean pods.
4 After boiling them, as Yun Ce rubbed his hands preparing to feast, Qin Shu and He Qingfang arrived together. They seemed to have something to say, but upon seeing the freshly boiled bean pods, they immediately shut up and started eating first.
4 It had to be said that the crops here in the Great Han were far superior to those poor ones on Earth—not only higher yield, but better taste. Earth pea pods were somewhat astringent, but these bean pods had no bitterness, sweet upon entering the mouth, and with salt, the bean aroma became even richer. Especially the ping-pong-ball-sized beans—two bites per bean, with a sense of satisfaction far beyond pea pods.
5 “The Gui Fang people’s vanguard has approached Black Stone Plain. Those voluntarily guarding Iron Enclosure Pass, after receiving some support, fought several times with the Gui Fang people’s vanguard by Ghost King Lake, with casualties on both sides.
5 But from a month ago, the situation turned unfavorable. The battles became one-sided, with heavy casualties on the wandering knights’ side, and the reason unknown.
5 Until ten days ago, a team of wandering knights sent to scout Gui Fang movements at Ghost King Lake was suddenly ambushed. The entire team was instantly routed, with only one wandering knight knocked into Ghost King Lake surviving by luck.
5 From his mouth, people learned that the Gui Fang Mad Bull Knights had come down from Clear Water Plateau. They abandoned their mad bull mounts and mixed into Gui Fang small teams as ordinary warriors, inflicting heavy casualties on the wandering knights.”
5 Yun Ce bit into a bean and said: “What does this have to do with us? Iron Enclosure Pass has plenty of Thunder Smoke Beast fierce generals who can match Mad Bull Knights. The Gui Fang can do this, so can they. Don’t tell me Iron Enclosure Pass refuses to send people.”
5 Qin Shu said: “They sent, but too few.”
5 Yun Ce eyed Qin Shu: “You’re not hoping I’ll go, are you?”
5 Qin Shu shook his head: “Small bombs!”
5 Seeing Yun Ce pondering silently, He Qingfang hurriedly said: “Iron Enclosure Pass holding out one more day gives us one more day to prepare. I know exposing the bombs to the Gui Fang people early is bad, but opportunities to mass-kill Gui Fang Mad Bull Knights in a short time are rare.
5 To be honest, I want to try—see if small bombs can really deal with the Gui Fang elite Mad Bull Knights.”
6 Yun Ce nodded: “Not bad, you haven’t lost your head. You still know bombs shouldn’t be easily handed to others. The question is, how many people do you plan to bring to Iron Enclosure Pass?”
6 He Qingfang glanced at Qin Shu and said solemnly: “Ten people—just me and my ten guards. We’ll only join the fight for ten days, and return after ten days regardless of success or failure.”
6 Yun Ce shook his head, soothing Doggy who had started shouting in his mind again, and said to He Qingfang: “I’ll go instead. Just me alone.”
6 Chapter 1
