SFS Chapter 43: Skin Treatment
Chapter 43: Skin Treatment
That night, the carriages and horses eventually entered a simple pavilion to stay overnight.
The night was deep, with only a few cold stars faintly visible among the clouds.
As the night deepened and all was quiet, the sound of snoring gradually rose inside the pavilion.
In the darkness, Zou Yun suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and he was no longer sleepy.
Since the law is oppressive and officials stand idly by, no one is willing or able to control this cannibalistic behavior disguised as law.
Then——
Let him manage it in his own way!
Zou Yun quietly rose and drew the sharp sword from its sheath. The blade trembled slightly, emitting a very faint hum.
It seems to be responding to the determination of the one wielding the sword.
Pushing open the wooden door, Zou Yun's figure blended into the cool night.
The moonlight, like water, poured over his dark robes, as if draping him in a thin silver veil.
However, just as he stepped out of the pavilion's courtyard, he suddenly stopped.
On the dirt road not far away, a tall but unsteady figure was slowly walking towards them.
It was Meng Xuande!
At this moment, his armor was already soaked through with a viscous, dark red to black liquid.
Under the bright, clear moon.
Meng Xuande gripped his longsword tightly in one hand, the tip of which dipped to the ground, leaving a deep, winding mark. His other strong arm held a small, thin body close to his chest.
The moonlight sparingly illuminated half of his bloodied cheek, while the other half remained hidden in shadow, obscuring his expression.
His steps were unusually heavy, as if each step carried the weight of mountains, yet they also exuded a strange lightness, as if he had shed some invisible shackles.
Blood dripped down his arm guard, drop by drop, drop by drop, drop by drop...
It fell onto the dry dust, leaving small, dark craters.
"ha!"
Zou Yun watched this scene and let out a very short, soft laugh.
He didn't ask anything, didn't say anything, and simply turned around and went back to catch up on his sleep.
After all, it was still very late at night.
And the road ahead is still very, very long...
The next morning, the sun rose high into the sky.
The golden light dispelled the biting chill of the night, and seemed to dispel something heavy as well.
As usual, the team silently and quickly prepared to set off.
No one in the convoy seemed surprised or suspicious about the child who had suddenly appeared in the carriage, huddled in a corner.
No one asked why the child was there, no one investigated the dark brown stains on Meng Xuande's robes that had not yet been washed off, and no one mentioned the commotion that had come from the direction of the gathering last night.
Everyone kept quiet and continued on their way, without saying a word.
That night, along with all the questions, all the bloodstains, all the struggles, and all the redemption.
They were all buried deep, deep in the northern wilderness, beneath the ceaseless sandstorms.
"A Grand Master?!"
Meng Xuande's excited voice, like a thread, abruptly pulled Zou Yun's wandering thoughts back into the bumpy carriage.
"Um?"
Zou Yun looked up and gazed out the window with a slightly questioning look.
Meng Xuande's eyes shone brightly as he solemnly addressed Zou Yun, "Grand Master, we... have arrived!"
"???"
"Arrived? Where to?"
Having just come to his senses, Zou Yun was momentarily dazed and unable to react immediately.
Until Meng Xuande raised his hand and pointed firmly to the front of the carriage. Following his direction, Zou Yun opened the wooden door of the carriage and looked into the distance.
At the edge of the horizon, on the sand-swirling horizon, the outline of a majestic city suddenly appears!
The city was built entirely of thick rammed earth, and its walls appeared weathered and sturdy under the erosion of wind and sand.
Beneath the towering eaves of the city gate, a huge plaque hangs.
The two large, vigorous Qin seal characters above are clearly discernible in the wind and sand.
Skin application.
"Skin application..."
Zou Yun murmured the two words, "Finally... we've arrived."
"arrive?!!"
"Master, let my son take a look."
The people behind him, especially Wei Shuqing, excitedly squeezed past Zou Yun, looked ahead, and shouted excitedly.
"I guess I still... hate kids."
Feeling the weight coming from his legs, Zou Yun's face instantly fell, and he complained with dead fish eyes.
The unique winds and sandstorms of the North swept across the city walls, raising clouds of dust.
The mournful sound of sand pounding against the thick city walls added a touch of desolation and solemnity to this majestic fortress standing on the northern frontier of the empire.
The vermilion gates of the Fushi Prefectural Governor's residence were tightly shut, and the stone steps were cold and hard.
Zou Yun and his entourage entered the front courtyard under the guidance of the prefectural official.
The courtyard was spacious, yet it exuded a somewhat somber atmosphere, unlike the imposing presence of a typical prefectural governor's residence.
Unexpectedly, they did not find their target—Prince Fusu—there.
Meng Xuande's gaze swept across the courtyard steps, his expression suddenly freezing, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Father?!"
"Hmm? Father?" Zou Yun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and followed Meng Xuande's astonished gaze.
A man stood tall on the high steps of the prefectural governor's mansion.
He was tall and slender, like a lone pine tree on a cliff.
He wore a military cap, a dark robe underneath, and the tough leather armor characteristic of Qin generals, the plates of which gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.
His accessories were extremely simple, except for a simple Qin-style longsword hanging at his waist.
The scabbard was plain and unadorned, with visible signs of wear, clearly indicating that it had accompanied its owner through many battles.
This man has a unique temperament, unlike the rough and fierce generals of the past. Instead, his brows reveal a refined and elegant scholarly air.
His face was as smooth and lustrous as jade, and his eyebrows and eyes were clear and handsome, unlike Meng Yi who was so burly.
"Well, these Meng brothers are really something else."
"He's as burly as a bear, yet he's a high-ranking official in the empire; he's as refined as a bamboo grove, yet he's a general on the frontier," Zou Yun thought to himself.
"Xuande? What are you doing here?"
Standing on the steps, Meng Tian instantly caught sight of his nephew.
"Father, it's like this..."
Meng Xuande composed himself, quickly stepped forward, and bowed in greeting.
He briefly recounted his mission to protect Grand Master Zou Yun, using cautious language and not revealing specific details of his task.
Upon hearing that it was His Majesty who had personally given the order, and that he had not received a word of it, Meng Tian's expression turned solemn.
"Within the household, one should use official titles and not address one as 'Uncle' in private."
He knew his emperor all too well, so he addressed Meng Xuande with a stern expression.
"Yes, General."
Upon hearing this, Meng Xuande immediately understood and bowed deeply once again.
Seeing that his nephew understood what he meant, Meng Tian nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
Then, he turned his gaze to Zou Yun and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Great Master."
His attitude toward Zou Yun was neither warm nor cold, only conveying a businesslike tone.
Seeing the other party's cold attitude, Zou Yun didn't bother to say anything more and directly asked where Fusu was.
"General Meng, where is Prince Fusu?"
"this......"
Upon hearing this, Meng Tian's expression froze slightly.
He hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Zou Yun and his entourage, before finally choosing to be honest.
"Young Master Fusu is located in the northern border of Shangjun. I have come to Fushi today because I have important matters to decide with him."
"The Great Wall of the Northern Frontier?"
Zou Yun frowned slightly, showing some confusion. "How did Young Master Fusu end up there?"
Although Fusu's mission in Shangjun was to assist Meng Tian in completing the construction of the Great Wall, it was not in common sense that Fusu would be going to the Great Wall construction site.
So, he changed the subject, looking directly at Meng Tian, and asked, "General Meng, would you be willing to take us along?"
Meng Tian remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Zou Yun's face for a fleeting instant, as if weighing his options.
The wind swept through the courtyard, swirling up a few withered leaves.
Finally, he nodded slowly and said politely, "That is my wish, I dare not ask."