Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 194 Old Friends

The conversation went much more smoothly than Zhu Ge had imagined.

Only after chatting did I learn that Ding Ding was only in his eighties.

He is much younger than Mr. Langhao, the lord of Jianshui City, but he has a sincere heart.

She directly assigned half of her personal guard to Zhu Ge.

Five thousand people!

Moreover, they were all soldiers from the Bingdao Liebing realm.

In addition, she also sent one hundred of her students from the Yunnan Tin Industry Institute to accompany the army.

These are all disciples of the Mohist school, led by a second-realm cultivator, who can forge patrol puppets, scout puppets, and combat puppets for Zhu Ge.

In addition, there are five low-grade spirit-level sewing masters, five low-grade spirit-level blacksmiths, and five low-grade spirit-level prospectors.

A truly grand gesture!

Leaving aside the soldiers, the Mohist disciples themselves are a great addition to the team.

When the troops are exhausted, all that is needed is to use scout puppets and patrol puppets to keep watch at night.

It's quite troublesome to carry around puppets on ordinary days.

But what if we build it on the spot?

That makes things simple and easy.

According to Ding Ding, it's not difficult for a Mo family disciple of the first realm to create a powerful puppet, let alone a small one or two.

If each of the one hundred disciples makes a small earthen puppet, that would make one hundred puppets.

These puppets, spread out for guard duty, are far more effective than soldiers.

Not to mention the craftsmen.

Like chefs, these professionals cannot directly increase combat power, since they are not combat professions.

However, for an army, damaged leather armor and clothing, damaged armor and weapons, etc., all need to be repaired.

So Zhu Ge decided to conduct military drills directly in Eagle City.

However, when he arrived at the underground training ground, he couldn't help but rub his eyes upon seeing the person in front of him.

"Scholar?? You've come here."

'

Inside a stone house.

Zhu Ge and the white-haired scholar Yu sat on opposite sides.

The tea is a wild tea from Laoying Mountain, treasured by Ding Ding. It is bitter at first taste but has a sweet aftertaste.

Zhu Ge isn't very good at appreciating tea, but he just finds it pleasant to drink.

Yu Xiucai, however, was different. He picked up his teacup, smelled it first, took a sip, closed his eyes to savor it for a moment, and then slowly swallowed it.

"Good tea," he said. "Much better than the bitter tea from Jianshan Village."

Zhu Ge smiled.

He knew that Scholar Yu wasn't talking about tea, but about the past.

However, at this moment, the scholar really did look like a handsome but melancholic man.

However, Yu Xiucai's white hair was not dyed, but rather a result of losing too much of his lifespan.

The lifespan of a second-realm cultivator is usually two to three hundred years, but Yu Xiucai's hair turned completely white. One can imagine how much of his lifespan he sacrificed to kill the fisherman in the straw raincoat.

"Scholar, what are you doing here?" Zhu Ge asked. "How's it going at Mengla Slope?"

Yu Xiucai put down his teacup and shook his head: "Mengla Slope—it's gone."

Zhu Ge's heart sank.

"The beast tide came too fiercely," Yu Xiucai said slowly. "Not long after you left, the monsters from the south surged north like madmen."

"The Hekou Pass has fallen, and large numbers of demons from the southern Yue and Myanmar wilderness have entered. Although Menglapo is guarded by mechanical masters, they cannot withstand it. Wave after wave of demons cannot be killed or driven away."

"The mechanic—is that the son of that big shot?" Zhu Ge asked.

"Hmm." Scholar Yu nodded: "His name was Mo Yun, a second-realm mechanical master. He guarded the area for seven days and seven nights with his puppets. In the end, when the puppets were all destroyed and his literary energy was exhausted, he went in by himself. He—died in battle."

Zhu Ge remained silent.

Mo Yun, the young man whose father was killed in public by the fisherman in the straw raincoat, and the mechanic who joined forces with Zhu Ge to kill the fisherman in the straw raincoat.

He remembered Mo Yun's eyes filled with anger and resentment, but she never backed down.

"In the three villages of Menglapo, less than two hundred people survived in the end," Yu Xiucai said. "Duan Lei and Ji Fuhui were both alive. We led the remaining people and fled north. Dozens of them died along the way. When we finally reached Laoying City, there were only more than one hundred and twenty people left."

"Lord Ding took you in?" Zhu Ge nodded slightly.

"Yes," said Scholar Yu. "As fellow members of the Mohist school, she took us in, provided us with lodging, food and medicine, and even had people treat our injuries, which continues to this day."

Zhu Ge nodded.

He didn't have much contact with Ding Ding, but from her words and actions, he could tell that she was a person who valued relationships and loyalty.

It is rare to find an eighty-year-old Mohist mechanic with such a broad mind.

"What about Duan Lei and Ji Fuhui?" Zhu Ge asked. "How are they?"

"Duan Lei is in the barracks," Yu Xiucai said. "He has practiced the martial arts you taught him and has now reached the first level of the Resentment Realm. Although he is not strong yet, he is much stronger than ordinary people."

"Ji Fuhui—that kid is an apprentice in Lord Ding's workshop, learning the Mo family's mechanical arts. He's quick-witted and learns fast. Lord Ding says he's very talented."

Zhu Ge smiled.

Big-bellied Dog and Little Black Egg, one practiced martial arts and the other studied the Mohist school, both found their own paths.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Ge remembered someone: "What about Sui Niang? Any news about her?"

Scholar Yu shook his head.

"It seems she's in Mengzi City—" Zhu Ge frowned slightly.

As one of the few remaining people in Jianshan Village, Sui Niang has suffered many misfortunes.

After killing the fisherman in the straw raincoat and witnessing his death, Sui Niang fainted and was taken away by her family.

"I hope she's alright." Zhu Ge shook his head. "My next stop is Mengzi City. Their village is right next to it. If things get bad, they'll probably go into the city."

Originally, all the cities were overcrowded and no one was allowed to enter.

However, during wartime, population consumption and turnover are rapid, and cities have no reason to refuse the surrounding population.

Mengzi City was one of the few remaining cities that had not been captured, which reassured Zhu Ge somewhat.

"Mengzi City—" Yu Xiucai murmured, repeating it over and over, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "I heard that it's also besieged there, and the situation isn't much better than that of Eagle City."

Zhu Ge nodded: "That's why we have to go. The sooner we go, the more people we can save."

Yu Xiucai nodded and said nothing more.

The two remained silent for a while; the tea had gone cold.

Zhu Ge picked up the teapot, poured another cup of hot water, and pushed it in front of Yu Xiucai: "Xiucai, what are your plans for the future?"

Yu Xiucai picked up his teacup, staring at the tea leaves floating in it. He remained silent for a long time before raising his head, his eyes bright and resolute: "I'll go with you. You saved my life, and you avenged the fisherman in the straw raincoat."

"If you want to recapture Honghe Prefecture, I will follow you and do my part."

"But your body—" Zhu Ge looked at his white hair, hesitating to speak.

"I won't die." Scholar Yu smiled. "Although I've lost a lot of my lifespan, I can still last a few more years. A few years is enough for me to do a lot of things for you."

"Who knows, I might just break through to the third realm? Don't underestimate my talent."

Zhu Ge nodded.

He knew Yu Xiucai's temperament; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.

Moreover, he didn't want Scholar Yu to die an obscure old age.

He wanted to help the scholar break through the third realm!

"By the way, scholar, let me tell you about my situation."

"I created a faction called the Six Paths Palace!"

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