The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 37 Troubled Times
"Here, take it! I always keep my word." He said, tossing the small medicine bottle to Han Qing.

"Thank you, Master Fang." Han Qing took the medicine bottle and bowed slightly.

He glanced at the panel and saw that his Nine Yin Manual skill had reached the Great Perfection stage, not the Lesser Perfection stage, with a proficiency rate of 91.3%.

Yang Wu's support was one of the reasons why things progressed so quickly.

There are other reasons as well, such as diligent study and practice, or the assistance of the Seven Killings Stele.

He executed only one prisoner in the past month. The prisoner's martial arts skills were not low, which provided him with a significant amount of practice.

Even Master Fang showed a rare look of pain on his face, as he himself didn't have many Blood Nourishing Pills left.

However, he was genuinely happy that Han Qing's martial arts had improved so quickly, and the pain in his heart was only temporary.

Han Qing opened the bottle, and a bitter smell entered his nose, causing a faint surge of blood and qi within him.

"Not bad, it's a genuine Blood Nourishing Pill." He thought to himself. The quality of the pill was also good, pure purple, which was of good quality. "Master Fang is an honest man."

He carefully put away the medicine bottle and asked again, "Master Fang, shall we still make the bet?"

Fang Ye's face twitched, thinking to himself, "You're addicted to taking advantage of people."

"If you can master the Nine Yin Manual next month, I'll give you another Blood Nourishing Pill. If you don't, you'll owe me one, and I'll put it on your tab!"

Master Fang ultimately decided to take the gamble. First, he was curious about the limits of Han Qing's potential. Second, he no longer practiced martial arts much, and several Blood Nourishing Pills were about to rot, so he might as well find an opportunity to use them to train a younger generation.

He probably won't meet another martial arts prodigy like Han Qing, who knows how to be grateful and has such extraordinary talent, in his lifetime.

"Good." Han Qing was overjoyed; he had obtained another Blood Nourishing Pill.

"Alright, have a couple of drinks with me at noon today, then you don't need to go back to the soap-making compound," Master Fang added.

Over the past month, Han Qing's medication has proven remarkably effective. He has noticed a significant reduction in the frequency of his headaches and has even been able to enjoy a small glass of wine again.

"Okay." Han Qing did not refuse.

The soap-making team also provides meals, but they are not as plentiful as the private meals that Master Fang prepared for him. However, he does receive a bowl of nourishing soup every day.

He could choose to have lunch at Master Fang's place and then go to the Zaoban Courtyard for dinner.

Master Fang went out and shouted.

"Let's eat!"

By this time, the snowfall had stopped, and the servants in the courtyard were still working. Upon hearing this, they all felt a great sense of relief.

Master Fang's sharp gaze swept over the group of servants.

"All of you, get your act together! If any of you had even half the effort of a mute, you wouldn't be stuck here as my servants for three to five years," Master Fang shouted.

Most of the teenagers did not refute this, because Han Qing was indeed very crazy about practicing martial arts, often staying up all night, which was something most people could not do.

"Hmph, what, can't you endure this hardship? When I was young, I practiced martial arts with more madness than a mute! How can you become a talent without suffering?" Master Fang shouted again.

He looked a little awkward when he said this, but he quickly masked it.

The boys were all skeptical, thinking, "You're even more hardworking than Brother Han? What? You stay up all night every day?"
Of course, they kept these thoughts to themselves and dared not say them aloud; they only grumbled in their hearts.

While they were chatting, all the boys received their food and gathered in small groups to eat and chat in the corner.

After scolding him, Master Fang didn't say anything more. He turned around and went back into the house to drink and eat meat with Han Qing.

Han Qing remained the same as always, ignoring Master Fang and stuffing whatever he could grab into his mouth, wanting to eat his fill first.

Master Fang took a sip of his wine and said with a smile, "Han Qing, stay in the yamen for the time being and try not to run around. It's very chaotic outside."

"Something happened?" Han Qing asked, taking a big bite of chicken leg. "Yesterday I heard Yang Wu say that a large group of refugees came from outside the city. They came from the south. It is said that the rebels have captured another county, called Yunchuan County. There are all sorts of people among these refugees. The security in the city will definitely deteriorate, and it is easy for trouble to break out," Fang Ye said unhurriedly.

Han Qing nodded, then tore off a large piece of chicken, his mind still lingering on what Master Fang had said.

Since becoming a minor official in Baiyun County and getting to know Master Fang, he has become well-informed and has gained a better understanding of this world.

This world is not peaceful; it can even be described as a world of conflict and chaos.

To the north of Dayu lies a vast ice plain called the Northern Lands, where demons are said to dwell.

The south is a vast ocean with thousands of island nations, including some powerful countries.

To the west lies a vast grassland, upon which dwells the Mangting Kingdom, where the Great Yu Dynasty waged war year after year.

To the east lies a desert, home to numerous nations, the most powerful of which is the Holy Desert Empire. Now, with its strength at its peak, it is eyeing the Great Yu with covetous intent.

Surrounded by powerful foreign enemies, the country was not peaceful either, with uprisings breaking out in various places. Not to mention the distant lands, there was a rebel army in Shu, whose leader was named Liu Yue, a very famous figure throughout the world.

Despite numerous attempts by the Dayu army to suppress the rebellion, this rebel force only grew larger and larger.

Han Qing suddenly felt a great sense of crisis. As the saying goes, it's better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos.

If the world descends into chaos, his current strength is still insufficient. He must continue to work hard and become stronger as soon as possible in order to protect himself and those around him.

While he was pondering, Han Qing had already devoured the food in front of him, finished his drink, and then got up and walked to the bookshelf. He took out a book called "Miscellaneous Talks at Yuelu Academy" and began to read it carefully.

He has been reading this book all week. It contains a variety of handwriting styles, suggesting that it was written by many people. It includes martial arts training experiences, various strange and unusual stories, and daily notes.

Han Qing watched with great interest. Every day when he came to Master Fang's place to prepare medicine and eat, he would watch for a while.

These books won't improve his martial arts skills, but they will broaden his horizons.

A person's knowledge and experience are also very important, but Baiyun County is too small and too isolated, so he felt it was very necessary to spend some time studying.

When he read the last page of the book, he saw a few lines of neat handwriting.

"The great ruler of the Great Yu Dynasty swept through the Central Plains and established his rule over the world!"

"The chaos began with the Second Emperor!"

"Now, the third generation of enlightened rulers is ambitious and has conquered the world. He has suppressed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Legalism. He has imposed harsh laws and severe punishments, imprisoned the people's minds, and sought to sever the roots of all other schools of thought so that he could become an emperor for all ages. This is truly a calamity for the people!"

Han Qing was shocked when he saw this. He had never expected that there would be such treasonous words in this book. If this were to get out, his family would surely be wiped out.

He closed the book, savoring the passage in his mind. Putting everything else aside, he strongly agreed with the phrase "severe punishments and harsh laws."

The prison in Baiyun County held many prisoners. He had read their files and found that many of them had been severely punished for minor offenses, while others were implicated because their neighbors had committed crimes.

He didn't have a deep understanding of the law, but his intuitive feeling was that the laws in Baiyun County were indeed very strict, so the number of death row inmates was also very high, almost every month, somewhat similar to a dynasty in his previous life, the Great Qin!

He got up and put the book back on the shelf. Fang Ye glanced at it and said with a smile, "Did you see the last paragraph in the book?"

Han Qing nodded. He hadn't expected that Master Fang knew about this. Normally, such books are considered forbidden, and possessing them privately is a serious crime.

"Remember not to say things you shouldn't, but I'm quite at ease with your nature of keeping your mouth shut," Master Fang instructed.

"Okay." Han Qing nodded, got up and went out. Fang Ye was even more special to him now, as if shrouded in a layer of mist.

Good evening everyone. Thank you to the student who stayed behind for the 90,000-point reward. This is the first patron of this book, which is very memorable. Thank you, boss. I will always remember your name. However, I can't write an extra chapter for every 10,000 points. Let's add five chapters for the patron.

I don't really have a concept of the rules for extra chapters. I'll ask other authors how to do it these next few days, or you can leave any suggestions in the comments below.

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(End of this chapter)