With virtue

The group left the foot of the mountain and headed east along the official road. Chen Wanchuan led the way, the three children walked in the middle, and Zhao Yunshu brought up the rear, leaning on a tree branch that served as a walking stick.

The wound on the sole of his foot had stopped bleeding after a simple bandage, but he still felt a dull pain with every step he took.

After walking for more than an hour, it was already broad daylight and the sun was rising in the east.

When the sunlight shines down, ghosts and monsters have nowhere to hide.

Under normal circumstances, the scene should be: "Golden light shines on the official road, sweeping away the chill of last night. The fields beside the road are laid out neatly like a chessboard, and early-rising farmers are already working in the fields."

However, what we actually saw was completely different.

As the sun sets, the fields along both sides of the official road lie barren and desolate.

Some weeds stood withered in the cracked mud, the field ditches were silted up, and only dried mud crusts remained at the bottom of the ditches.

Several villages in the distance were shrouded in the morning mist; no roosters crowed, and no smoke rose from chimneys. Occasionally, a dilapidated earth god temple would appear by the roadside, most of its roof tiles collapsed.

Zhao Yunshu walked at the back, leaning on a tree branch, his gaze sweeping over the barren fields as he silently planned the route.

The old trees beside the official road are still there. He remembered that when he went down the mountain to catch ghosts two years ago, there were old farmers selling tea under the trees when he walked along this road with his master.

The locust tree still stands, but the tea stall is long gone. Only a piece of blue stone, polished smooth by the bottoms of passersby, remains under the tree. Decades of war have passed, and the world is now sparsely populated. I haven't encountered a single passerby along the way.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, war has raged for many years. Regional warlords have carved up the land, and the fighting has never stopped. Most able-bodied men have either died on the battlefield or been conscripted, and the fields have been abandoned year after year. The remaining elderly, weak, women, and children either hid in the deep mountains or fled to prefectures that still had city walls to defend. Less than one in ten remained in their original hometowns.

Those villages that were once bustling with activity, now mostly become dens of foxes and rabbits, their populations dwindling. Even during the day, walking along this official road, it's rare to encounter a single passerby.

Looking around, all that could be seen were the distant green mountains and the lush grass nearby; it seemed as if only the footsteps of the five people remained in the world.

Chen Wanchuan led the way, his steps light and quick. Having been a peddler who traveled the country for years, he was used to long journeys, and although he was still shaken from the night's ordeal, he had largely recovered his spirits. He glanced back a couple of times as he walked, and seeing that the three children, though exhausted, were following closely without falling behind, he felt relieved.

He was used to traveling the trade routes between the north and south, and was no longer surprised by such desolate scenes. However, as he walked, he was thinking about how to settle the children in the city. He knew a few shopkeepers, and if he shamelessly asked them, he might be able to get one or two of the children to be his apprentices.

Lost in thought, he walked somewhat absentmindedly, stepping into a puddle and splashing mud all over his trousers. Zhao Yunshu came up and helped him up, and he smiled and said, "Thank you, Daoist Master."

"It's alright." Zhao Yunshu smiled and continued walking forward.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly turned around to look.

Behind me was the southeast, where the sun was rising, a bright red, not yet dazzling, like a giant salted duck egg yolk.

As dawn broke, the shadows of the group stretched long along the gray official road. Looking back, the mountain peak from the previous night was now hidden in the thin mist and could no longer be seen.

Only the warm morning sun shone on his face, making him squint slightly.

There used to be a Taoist temple on the mountain.

That's probably it for the rest of the time.

The three children walked side by side. Wang Haiting, the oldest, walked in front with his back straightest, and he already looked like a little adult.

The remaining two children followed on either side. The younger one had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red, and she was tightly gripping the older one's sleeve.

"Uncle," Wang Haiting suddenly asked, "Where are you going after we enter the city?"

Zhao Yunshu withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and said, "First, I'll find you a place to stay. Then..." He paused, "I still have things to do."

"What is it?"

"Children shouldn't ask about adult matters," Chen Wanchuan said, reprimanding Wang Haiting.

Chen Wanchuan witnessed the Taoist priest exorcising the ghost last night and was already deeply impressed by him.

But he was an old hand at this, and he knew that asking too many questions about such extraordinary people was not a good idea, so he scolded Wang Haiting and forbade him from asking any more.

A gentle morning breeze stirs the roadside weeds, causing them to sway and undulate.

They continued walking for another half an hour.

Upon arriving here, although most of the fields along the roadside were still barren, one could occasionally see a few patches of freshly turned soil. Piles of ashes from burning stubble lay on the field ridges, with wisps of smoke still rising from the ash heaps, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt wood ash. A few vegetable plots were sparsely planted with radishes and cabbages, their leaves riddled with holes from insect bites.

On a distant hillside, a man was plowing the land, a wooden plow and rake strapped to his body, moving slowly with each step.

Plowing is usually the job of oxen, but it doesn't seem so strange when people do it.

Behind him was a thin woman carrying a child on her back. There was nothing particularly special about her; she was just carrying the child and holding the plow as she followed behind.

Chen Wanchuan glanced at the hillside and said, "We're almost in populated areas. The area ahead should be the territory of Dingzhou City."

The children were visibly delighted, and although they were out of breath, they even quickened their pace.

After traveling another two or three miles, the road surface gradually became smoother.

The weeds on both sides of the official road had been cleared, revealing the gravel roadbed underneath. Scattered houses began to appear along the roadside, first a few mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, with several coarse cloth clothes patched upon patched hanging in front of them.

In the distance, the outline of the city wall rose from the horizon, initially just a gray line, but gradually the city towers became clear.

Although some of the blue bricks on the city wall are mottled and peeling, and a few crenellations are missing, it is still largely intact.

The closer you get to the city gate, the more people there are on the road.

Vegetable vendors carrying loads, porters pushing wheelbarrows, merchants driving skinny donkeys laden with goods, village women carrying baskets, and elderly people leading children—all gathered in twos and threes from various side roads, forming a human stream that surged toward the city gate.

The rumbling of wheels, the creaking of carrying poles, the snorting of mules and horses, the cries of vendors, and the greetings of acquaintances all blended into a cacophony of noise.

A line of people stood at the city gate, and several old guards were checking each person's travel permit.

The inspection was just for show—an old soldier was dozing on a bench, another was picking his teeth against the city wall, and yet another was haggling with a vendor carrying a load, probably wanting some fresh vegetables but not wanting to pay.

Zhao Yunshu and his group did not have travel permits, but Chen Wanchuan went up to the old soldier picking his teeth, greeted him, and slipped a few copper coins into his hand. The old soldier waved his hand and let them pass without asking any questions.

"It really is loose," Zhao Yunshu said with a smile.

Chen Wanchuan immediately chimed in, "In this world, all those travel permits, transit passes, and customs documents are just worthless pieces of paper. Whatever this military governor issues today, another one will disregard it tomorrow. If you bring a document from Youzhou to Dingzhou, the gatekeeper won't even look at it. But if you're carrying real gold and silver—" He patted the heavy money pouch at his waist and chuckled, "you're a king wherever you go!"

"Is this your first time in Dingzhou, Daoist?" He stepped aside to let a man carrying dung pass, then turned back and said, "Dingzhou is quite a place. Don't be fooled by how desolate the road looked when we arrived; once you enter the city gates, it's a completely different world."

He pointed north, where a majestic rooftop could be vaguely seen, towering above the houses, its green tiles like scales, its rooftops resembling menacing beasts. "Look at those rooftops," he said, "that's the government office of the Yiwu Army's military governor. This Dingzhou City is now part of the Yiwu Army's territory. The governor's surname is Wang, and it's said that his ancestors were famous generals of the Tang Dynasty, loyal and brave for generations. They've been guarding this place since the Zhonghe era, which is quite a few years."

"The Yiwu Army has tens of thousands of soldiers under its command, and they have managed Dingzhou like an iron barrel. They don't care what happens outside, but if anyone wants to invade Dingzhou, they will fight to the death. So in recent years, while everyone outside is fighting each other, Dingzhou has become a peaceful place, and many refugees have come here! We often pass through here too."

Wang Haiting and the two children listened attentively because they genuinely didn't know that they had never actually traveled more than ten miles outside the village in their entire lives. This was the farthest they had ever gone, and their curiosity even outweighed their fear.

He said this with a hint of pride in his voice, after all, only a few people in this world can travel all over the country.

But he quickly suppressed his smile and sighed, "On the other hand, you can't blame those guards. Their pay is so meager that they probably don't get paid for half a year. So, while Dingzhou City is peaceful, it's only superficially peaceful. Those with money are fine, but those without are just over there."

He gestured toward the street and saw seven or eight ragged people, some old and some young, but no men, all women and children, their faces pale and weak, barely able to beg.

Zhao Yunshu did not reply, but simply nodded.

He actually knew all of what Chen Wanchuan was talking about.

He was taken in by his master when he was five years old. For the next twelve years, he followed the old Taoist priest and traveled to various places. Although he could not be said to be very knowledgeable, he was not a clueless young man who had never been out of the world. Besides, he had more than twenty years of life in his previous life, so he was much more mature than he looked.

In the last few years of his life, the old Taoist priest set up his Taoist temple on a desolate mountain outside Dingzhou City. It seemed casual, but it was actually a decision he had made after much deliberation. At that time, the world was in turmoil, and the warlords were fighting each other. The old Taoist priest took Zhao Yunshu and traveled through the various prefectures of Hebei before finally choosing Dingzhou as his place of residence.

Although the local military governor was not particularly benevolent, he was at least capable of defending the territory and did not allow his troops to plunder, which was almost human-like. The old man was cautious throughout his life, so he must have carefully chosen the place where he would spend his old age and die.

Unfortunately, despite all his scheming, he couldn't enjoy a few years of peace. His grave was dug up just two hours after his death, which made Zhao Yunshu both angry and amused. Fortunately, he had already killed the ghost general, so he had avenged himself.

But the one who's most angry is actually myself.

Although he knew that this was definitely not the original world, and that the original world could not possibly have magic, visualization techniques, or even visualization diagrams, the general direction was actually similar.

He should have known more. If he had read more books or remembered more years in his previous life, he wouldn't be completely clueless about the current state of affairs.

But unfortunately, in his past life he was someone who didn't like studying. He would either sleep or daydream in class, and he would guess on all the exams. Now, to make matters worse, he can't even tell you which five dynasties were in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period...

I really wish I could go back and slap myself. If I had known I would time travel in my past life, I would have memorized the Records of the Grand Historian no matter what.

As for why it's the Records of the Grand Historian, never mind, he just knew that this book existed anyway.

But he didn't dwell on it for long. After all, things had already come to this, so what could he do?

Just then, Wang Haiting looked at the ragged people, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

The child, who was clearly precocious, immediately asked Chen Wanchuan, "Uncle Chen, you said you wanted us to be shop assistants, but where are we going to be shop assistants?"

"Well, I know a few well-known trading posts where you can apprentice and get a full meal. Once you've completed your apprenticeship, you can work as a shop assistant or become a traveling merchant like me, no problem," Chen Wanchuan said immediately.

But Zhao Yunshu spoke up at this moment: "I do have another place to go, I wonder if you'd be willing?"

"Uncle?! Where are you going?" Wang Haiting immediately asked.

In his view, the Taoist priest was more capable than the peddler, and the places he could introduce were definitely better.

Zhao Yunshu then said, "The most famous thing about Dingzhou is naturally the 'Dingzhou Kiln'."

Zhao Yunshu possessed this basic common sense.

After all, he had heard of the five famous kilns: Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun, and Ding. And Dingzhou, as the name suggests, is home to the "Ding Kiln".

Although Ding ware does not have the same prestigious status as it did in later generations, it is still a well-known and excellent kiln in the region.

"I've met a craftsman from the Ding kiln once before; perhaps I should go ask him? If that doesn't work, I can always go to the warehouse then."

Wang Haiting quickly followed up, "What kind of place is Dingzhou Kiln?"

"Porcelain making." Chen Wanchuan, who was also knowledgeable, immediately explained, "Dingzhou white porcelain is indeed famous. It is said that the glaze is as smooth as jade and as white as paper. The best ones are known for their 'extreme simplicity and lack of harshness'. Even ordinary bowls and plates made in Dingzhou are finer and whiter than those from other places."

He had no objection to this destination, and was even a little envious. If he could learn the craft at Dingzhou Kiln, it would be much better than staying at the warehouse.

To put it bluntly, being an apprentice at a warehouse means selling your physical labor, learning to observe and talk a good game. It's true you can make a living, but that's about it for your whole life. But if you join the Ding kiln, it's a different story. That's a craft, and once you learn it, it's a livelihood for life. No matter how chaotic the world is, there will always be someone who wants porcelain.

However, Chen Wanchuan immediately looked the Taoist priest over and said, "But I've heard that the masters at the Dingzhou Kiln have very high standards and are extremely strict in accepting apprentices. Ordinary people have to pull strings to even get a menial job there. Do you really know any of the masters there, Taoist priest?"

Zhao Yunshu laughed and said, "It's hard to say whether we know each other or not, but we can go and ask."