Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 133 Why Am I Always the One Who Gets Hurt?

To be honest, none of the people present really cared about this war.

Therefore, after chatting for a few minutes, Zhou Ye and the others quickly returned to their original topic.

Zhou Ye asked curiously, "Junior Sister, what does the old man think about your future marriage?"

"Old man—no, Grandpa's got a headache too." Du Juan rolled her eyes dramatically. "Either be straightforward, and Zhang Hu will just take me. Then Grandpa and I will agree. Or just reject me outright and give a clear answer. What's the point of this limbo? We already have the Song family, and now we have the Prefect's Mansion. How dare anyone else propose marriage?"

Xiao Cui, standing to the side, echoed indignantly: "Exactly. Miss's life is so miserable. Besides, marrying into the prefect's mansion isn't a good thing. Who knows, one day, her whole family might be wiped out."

"Cough cough cough."

Fine!

Zhou Ye had almost figured out what Du Keyuan and Du Juan, the grandmother and granddaughter, meant.

If Dujuan were truly forced to marry Zhang Hu, they wouldn't object. Even if she refused, Dujuan could choose to marry someone else. She didn't hold any conservative ideas about lifelong fidelity.

Ultimately, Du Juan may not have felt any aversion towards either Song Zhongqi or Zhang Hu, but she also didn't have much affection for either of them. It was a situation of going with the flow, where marriage was optional.

As for the lack of a clear answer now, it has become a form of torment.

What's even more interesting is that Xiao Cui's concerns are quite realistic. You see, in Fufeng County, being a county prefect has long been a high-risk profession. If she really married the young master of the prefect's mansion, it's hard to say whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing.

Zhou Ye smiled slightly: "Junior Sister, there's no point in thinking about this kind of thing. It's not something you and the old man can decide. You'd be better off improving your own strength and taking control of everything yourself."

"That's true."

"To put it bluntly, even if something happens in the future, you and the old man can still escape from the prefect's mansion."

"Exactly. Xiao Cui, did you hear that? All you ever think about is slacking off. How are you going to escape then?" Du Juan's eyes darted around, and she fixed her gaze on Zhou Ye: "And you, Senior Brother Ye! No matter how stupid you are, can't you even break through to the Ming Jin stage? Hehehe—"

"Alright, alright! I was wrong. Junior Sister, farewell!"

"Don't you dare leave! I'm doing this for your own good! Don't you know that honest advice is hard to swallow? Hmph."

"I knew it, that little money-grubber was about to cry because she didn't get the pearls." Zhou Ye whistled merrily as he spoke. He took out the two large pearls from the early-stage Ming Jin river mussels and played with them in his hands, refusing to hand them to the little money-grubber.

These two pearls are more than twice their original size. That's not something you'd find on the market; they could very well be priceless.

city.

"No, no. Senior Brother A-Ye, you're the best to me! Hehehe—" Du Juan was overjoyed, her voice so sweet it could kill flies. She pounced on Zhou Ye, snatching the pearl away with glee. However, after not seeing her for a while, the girl's figure had actually developed again. Two mounds swayed gently, making Zhou Ye feel dizzy for a moment.

Du Juan seemed to sense something as well. She glared at her fiercely, her pretty face flushing slightly.

"Hmph. Little Cui, see the guest out!"

"Junior Sister, I misjudged you. Is this how you repay kindness and then abandon me?"

"I don't care! Who told you to be so annoying! Hmph!"

Okay! In the end, Du Juan is two years younger than Zhou Ye, roughly 16 years old. If this were before she transmigrated, she would have been a middle school girl whose mind was not yet mature.

However, just as the three were joking and laughing, a loud commotion suddenly came from outside the martial arts school.

Caught off guard by the sudden commotion, Du Juan and Xiao Cui, the mistress and servant, were completely bewildered. They didn't realize that Zhou Ye was already tense, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He might erupt at any moment.

A moment later, several officials stormed in aggressively. The one in the lead shouted, "By order of the Prefect: Recruit a new army! Conscript men according to the city's household registration. At the same time, all martial arts instructors from the city's martial arts schools are being recruited; they will serve as officers leading the new army. Congratulations! Everyone from your Fenglei Martial Arts School has been recruited."

"Boom!" A commotion erupted among the inner and outer disciples who had gathered to watch the commotion. What was going on? Why were they being conscripted into the army out of nowhere?

An official standing nearby shouted to those around, "No unauthorized personnel allowed. Martial arts school disciples should go home. We are following orders, not conscripting people arbitrarily. All those being conscripted are from the martial arts school: four people in total! School Master Du Keyuan! Young Master Du Juan! One servant, Du Cui! And—one martial arts instructor, Zhou Ye!"

(—) (—) (—) ——

No, Zhou Ye felt his mind was a bit confused.

In principle, the government does indeed have the right to conscript civilians for military service, just like the earliest forms of corvée labor. In emergencies, it also has the right to conscript martial arts instructors from martial arts schools. These government orders are indeed legal and compliant.

Such recruitment simply involves each martial arts school assigning a few people, which the schools then arrange and recommend themselves. I've never heard of such a comprehensive recruitment effort.

Also—why am I on the list too?

Without a doubt, Du Keyuan and Du Juan are quite reliable. The lawyer's certificate they provided was genuine, and it had even been registered with the government.

But who would have thought that the government would suddenly launch a sweeping crackdown? Even Zhou Ye was unlucky enough to be on the list.

At this moment, Du Juan and Xiao Cui were pale-faced. They hugged each other, looking blank, and instinctively hid behind Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye didn't act rashly. He gave the two women a reassuring smile, then followed the officials outside. He immediately saw a large number of soldiers. These soldiers had completely surrounded the Fenglei Martial Arts School.

Driven away by the soldiers, the other disciples left one after another.

Zhou Ye remained silent. After all, even if the sky falls, there are always tall people to hold it up. Since Du Keyuan is the head of the martial arts school, and the government is clearly targeting Fenglei Martial Arts School, there's no need to rush. Let the old man handle it himself.

A short while later, Du Keyuan emerged with a grim expression. He pulled the leading official aside, and the two whispered among themselves. Du Keyuan even tried to slip him some money.

But the official shook his head repeatedly. He didn't even accept the money, and finally cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Master Du, I'm sorry to offend you. Are all the people here? If they are, take them all away!"

More than half an hour later, Zhou Ye and the other three were taken to a courtyard in the prefectural governor's mansion.

Du Keyuan looked helpless and said to Zhou Ye, "Ah Ye, you've been dragged into this by us this time. I never expected this—I never expected this—sigh!"

"It's alright!"

Zhou Ye smiled slightly. He had completely calmed down by now. Even if he were conscripted into the army to fight, he could still escape if he encountered any danger. It wasn't the first time, and he had escaped before. Besides, he was all alone, with no other ties. The authorities wouldn't be able to find him even if they wanted to investigate. As for that house by the city wall? That was Tian Zhong's property and his sister. What did it have to do with Zhou Ye?

And so it went. The four of them stood alone in the courtyard. No one spoke to them, nor did they let them leave; it was as if the whole world had forgotten them.

Seeing that Du Keyuan and Du Juan were becoming increasingly worried, Zhou Ye remained silent, mainly because he himself didn't know what to say. To be honest, Zhou Ye was also somewhat anxious inside.

And so, more than an hour passed. Zhou Ye was getting quite bored while waiting.

However, just then, a group of people rushed in through the courtyard gate. It turned out to be Zhang Hu and his large entourage.

However, Zhang Hu didn't approach. He simply stared at Du Juan from a distance, expressionless. It was as if he were sizing up prey that he could easily manipulate.

Upon seeing Zhang Hu, Du Juan's face lit up with joy; she seemed to have finally seen a glimmer of hope. She quickly ran forward a few steps, waving and calling out, "Hu Zi? Hu Zi? It's me!"

Unexpectedly, several attendants immediately stepped forward and blocked Dujuan's path.

Zhang Hu gave him a meaningful look, a slight smile playing on his lips. Maintaining his aloof demeanor, he turned and walked away without looking back—away, away, away.

Seeing Zhang Hu leave without a second thought, Du Keyuan and Du Juan were stunned and dumbfounded.

Good heavens! Is this what they mean by "Today you ignore me, tomorrow you'll be begging for my attention"?

This junior brother Zhang Hu seems to understand what a "feel-good" drama is like, huh?

However, in this satisfying drama, I'm actually on the side of being slapped in the face?

Zhou Ye couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This must be what they call love turning into hate—right?

So this was Zhang Hu's revenge. But judging from his appearance, it seems Ping still has feelings for Du Juan.

Not long after, just as Zhou Ye and his group were feeling uneasy, a man dressed as a butler walked in from outside the courtyard.

The butler, all smiles, bowed to Du Keyuan and said, "Master Du, I am so sorry! The master just found out about this and has already scolded the young master. The young master has been mischievous since childhood, please forgive him."

Du Keyuan's expression was priceless; he was equally bewildered. He quickly returned the greeting, saying, "It's alright, it's alright!"

The steward chuckled, "You are a senior master of Dark Force. You are the pillar of our Fufeng County and should stay in the county seat to oversee things. The two young ladies should also return together! The heroes of Fufeng County are not all dead, and it is not your turn to fight. So, this young man will stay! This time, your Fenglei Martial Arts Academy will only recruit you."

( )( )( ) —

Zhou Ye finally understood. This was a game of good cop and bad cop, designed to completely wear down Du Juan's stubbornness and make her obedient from now on.

But why is this happening?

Since you want to play, then play however you want, just have fun! But why am I always the one who gets hurt?