From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

At the end of July, with everything prepared, Chen Shi officially set off for Zhechongyuan.

Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and wear warm clothes in the morning and evening to avoid catching a cold. While your studies are important, don't overwork yourself; your health is the most important thing.

At the crossroads outside the city, Cui Nong checked Chen Shi's package again, and couldn't help but give him repeated instructions.

"Don't worry, I'm not a child."

Chen Shi smiled and then gave his instructions.

"You stay home and wait for me. I'll be back soon. If you're bored, go out for a stroll with the maid. If you encounter any difficulties, go to Du Yueming and the others for help."

"I know I'm fine at home, waiting for you to come back, so you don't need to worry."

Cui Nong nodded, and as she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

She saw him off from his doorstep all the way to the outskirts of the city, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

"Don't worry, the journey isn't too far. I'll come back to see you whenever I have time."

"Um."

Cui Nong nodded again. Although she was very reluctant, she looked at the time and realized that if she delayed any longer, the sun would be setting.

Traveling at night is dangerous; if we walk quickly, we can reach the town to rest.

"Let's go."

"Wait for me to come home."

Chen Shi pulled Cui Nong into his arms, whispered something in her ear, and then mounted his horse.

With a flick of the reins, it galloped straight toward the main road.

"Take good care of yourself."

Cui Nong ran after it for a couple of steps, but how could she possibly catch up with the fast horse? She stood by the roadside, waving her handkerchief and shouting.

Seeing Chen Shi walk further and further away, she couldn't help but cover her face and weep.

"lady."

The young maid stood to the side, reaching out to support Cui Nong, unsure how to comfort her.

It is said that a good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown, but the master often goes on long trips and spends less and less time at home. The mistress suffers from waiting at home every day, and she, as the maid, feels sorry for her.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked by the roadside not far away.

The curtain was lowered, and Xiao Fengxiao and Yun'er sat back in the carriage, wiping away tears.

They leave so suddenly, and who knows when they'll be back.

Cui Nong was able to prepare Chen Shi's luggage and personally see him off, but they could only watch him leave silently.

"You heartless bastard."

"He's already gone, and you're still cursing him."

"They clearly saw us here, but they didn't even say a word."

"If he could come over, why should we just watch from afar?"

Yun'er sighed, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.

Xiao Fengxiao was also feeling increasingly uncomfortable. After a moment, she looked in the direction Chen Shi had left, her slender fingers clenching her handkerchief tightly.

She silently made up her mind that no matter how far Chen Shi went, she would support him for the rest of her life!

In the distance, on a small earthen slope, beneath a solitary large tree, Zhe Liu stood silently watching Chen Shi depart.

Only after Chen Shi's figure had completely disappeared into the wilderness did he turn and leave.

She will definitely break through to the sixth rank within six months!

"drive!"

With a soft shout and a sharp jerk of the reins, Chen Shi couldn't help but look back. All that remained was the long road; Cui Nong and the others were long gone.

He turned his head, took a deep breath, and decided to stop thinking about it, staring intently ahead.

Similar to Zhechongfu, there were more than twenty Zhechongyuan (military administrative offices) scattered throughout the Great Qian Dynasty. Among them, there was only one in Jiangnan Road, located in Shengping Prefecture, where the road's administrative center was situated.

Yongqiu Prefecture and Shengping Prefecture are not adjacent; they are separated by Wuxing Prefecture. Chen Shi is riding at full speed and estimates he will arrive within a few days.

At this moment, heading straight north along the official road, which was also the direction to the capital, Chen Shi couldn't help but think of the young Qilin.

So many days have passed; it should have been sent to the capital by now, and perhaps even bled dry to make medicine. Chen Shi had previously agreed with the three-legged spotted ox to abduct and rescue the young Qilin on its way to the capital.

But so far, the three-legged spotted cow has not reappeared and has vanished without a trace, presumably due to some unforeseen event.

The young Qilin has already entered the capital and arrived at the palace, so there's no point in talking about a rescue; let's just drop the matter.

But for Chen Shi now, none of that matters anymore.

The problem with the Chilong has been resolved, and he no longer needs to rely on the power behind the Qilin.

Thinking of this, Chen Shi couldn't help but look towards the direction outside the sword again.

The Chilong should have already found Gu Hanying, and the problem in Gu Hanying's body should have been resolved. With the Chilong protecting her, there will be no more danger.

He could only feel at ease if Gu Hanying was safe and sound.

As he hurried along, his thoughts raced, and he spurred his horse on. Before he knew it, two hours had passed, and it was completely dark. Chen Shi reined in his horse and looked around; there was no village or shop in sight.

Since he was all alone, it didn't matter. After getting off the road, he simply decided to camp in the wild.

Let the horses graze, and Chen Shi also eats some dry rations and drinks some water.

Chewing on the meat pie, he couldn't help but pull out the black gold mask from his pocket.

"What exactly is the intention?"

Looking at the mask, Chen Shi couldn't help but ponder.

Gu Tingshu gave him this mask and made him wear it all the time, which obviously meant he had some purpose.

After much thought, Chen Shi concluded that the mask served only one purpose: to conceal one's face and hide one's identity.

Could it be that Gu Tingshu intentionally wanted him to conceal his identity?

But that doesn't make sense. Chen Shi is just going to the Zhechong Academy to study, so why should he hide his identity? Besides, his identity is really nothing special, so there's no need to hide it.

Even if we take a step back and assume he's hiding his identity, that's still not right. The name, place of origin, background, and so on he used when he entered the Zhechong Academy were all his real information.

If you're hiding your identity, shouldn't you change your name and surname?

This all makes no sense.

"We can only take it one step at a time."

After pondering for a long time, still without any clue, Chen Shi sighed softly.

He swallowed the last bite of bread, tilted his head back and gulped down half a pot of water, then put on the black gold mask.

Whether Gu Tingshu has any ulterior motives is still unknown, and whether he will be harmed is even more unclear. But if he doesn't do as Gu Tingshu says, Gu Tingshu might become enraged and kill him at any time!

So before he figured it out, he dared not disobey Gu Tingshu's instructions.

Although it is made of black gold and is extremely hard, it is thin and light, so it is not uncomfortable to wear on the face.

He has quite a few masks, including plain, unadorned ones and red-based, black-patterned scorpion masks. He's quite an expert in this field.

For the next six months, I probably won't be able to take off this black gold mask.

Chen Shi took a deep breath, stopped thinking about it for the time being, and quickly entered a state of tranquility, slowly nourishing his soul with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Thousands of miles away, deep within the capital city.

The Imperial Palace!

The night was deep, and the current Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty was still reviewing memorials from his court officials at his imperial desk.

While sketching with a vermilion brush, he suddenly asked a question casually.

"Has the Crown Prince already set off?"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince left the capital two days ago."

The chief eunuch attended to him, taking the approved memorials and handing over the ones to be approved, then quietly reporting to him.

The emperor didn't even raise his head, nor did he pause writing with his vermilion brush.

"Where are we going?"

"Jiangnan Zhechongyuan" (Jiangnan Military Academy).

"Jiangnan Road, humph, the place of the Marquis of Jing'an."

The emperor gave a soft snort, his gaze suddenly turning gloomy.

The chief eunuch stood motionless, his expression unchanged, as if he had seen and heard nothing.

After a moment, the emperor lowered his gaze and continued to review the memorials.

Deep within the palace, the surface still appears calm and peaceful.