Translator: Henyee Translations
Editor: Henyee Translations
Although Nanli was a self-sufficient kingdom in a remote corner of the continent, Qin Yi knew it didn’t mean the kingdom was without enemies.
The kingdom of Xihuang was one of Nanli’s old enemies. Unlike Nanli, which had been established for thousands of years and had integrated itself into the mainstream culture of the continent, Xihuang was only founded over a hundred years ago by some barbarian tribes. Their uncivilized and ferocious armies invaded Nanli repeatedly. Of course, the people of Nanli weren’t to be trifled with, and led by their generals, they would fight back and even invade Xihuang instead. The two kingdoms had been at war for the past century.
Nanli had just repelled another attack from Xihuang over a month ago, and Li Qinglin had been the one in charge of deploying forces from the capital city. Qin Yi was surprised that the man was here with his sister on an immortal-seeking trip as soon as he chased away the intruders.
Moreover, Li Qinglin himself had fought in battles multiple times before and had killed countless enemies with that spear.
Qin Yi didn’t have much aspirations himself, but he admired those who had. It was no wonder that Li Qingjun considered the conflict between her brother and the master teacher a war between good and evil. It did feel like a competition between a loyal general and a treacherous official who was ready to destroy a kingdom for their own benefit.
“So, is Brother Li the crown prince?” Qin Yi didn’t know much about these things.
“No, I’m not. I have an older brother. He’s the oldest son of my father and the crown prince,” Li Qinglin said casually. “My brother has been learning how to rule the kingdom since he was a child, whereas Qingjun and I are mere soldiers, and the only thing we’re good at is fighting.”
Qin Yi studied his expression carefully, but he couldn’t read anything on his face.
Li Qingjun said, “What do you mean by ‘mere soldiers’? Leading armies to protect our people and travelling to annihilate the evil forces are what we truly want. Do you want me to stay in my bedchambers to learn needlework and pretend to be as weak as all the other girls?”
Li Qinglin explained to Qin Yi with a smile, “The ancestors of the kings of Nanli used to be rangers, so it’s written in our family rules that all young members of the royal family have to travel the world as commoners to gain experience. Although some unspeakable things have happened over the years, overall, this practice has benefited the royal family greatly, which is why it’s still being practiced to this day. However, because of that, the husbands of the princesses haven’t been all that happy…”
Qin Yi couldn’t help but chuckle. That was why the prince and princess had been travelling on their own. Come to think of it, that was a really interesting rule. However, not many men could handle a princess that had been brought up in that way.
Li Qingjun snorted. “Why should I get married at all? When I find those immortals, I’m going to travel the world with them and eradicate evil from this land. How wonderful that would be!”
Li Qinglin only smiled and made no comment.
Qin Yi smiled as well and thought this girl would be much happier if she had been born as a ranger rather than a princess.
He then wondered how the girl would react if she could talk to Liusu, since she was so eager to meet an immortal man. With the stark contrast in their worldview, they would probably fight more than he and Liusu had.
By then, they had ridden for quite a while and could finally make out the outline of a city in the distance.
“We’re arriving at Hengshan Shire. From there, Li Fire is only less than two days’ ride away. We can get some rest here.” Li Qinglin got off his horse and walked into the city like a commoner. Qin Yi followed suit and led the horse behind him. He studied the big city as he walked.
It had only been two months since he transmigrated here, and the county town was the furthest place he had travelled to. This was the first time he had a chance to enjoy the view of a big ancient city.
Nanli wasn’t a highly populated kingdom, so the city didn’t seem very busy. Most of the people on the street carried swords or sabers which showed how fierce the people were, and the atmosphere here was very different from that of the little village Qin Yi had come from. Various public posters were on the wall next to the city gate along with some rewards posted by individuals. However, everything seemed to have been there for so long that the passer-bys walked past them without so much as a glance.
Qin Yi stopped and read all the posters. Some were for conscription, and others offered rewards for specific objects, one of which was a flaming flint. The seal on it was different from the conscription one, and it looked rather like a Taoist talisman. Needless to say, it was a request by the master teacher and not the court. That was to say, the material was probably not for the making of the king’s pills but the master teacher’s personal benefit.
However, when things went wrong, people would blame everything on the king. A part of the commoners’ resentment was also attributed to the greedy local officials, who either wanted to suck up to the master teacher or had taken the opportunity to fill their own pockets.
All in all, something was wrong in Nanli.
Li Qingjun gave him an indescribable look.
Qin Yi knew what she meant. When she tried to “recruit” him earlier, she had told him that she could find him any rare materials he needed. Given her status, she was actually telling the truth. Just like the master teacher, she could have everyone in the kingdom look for the material for him, which would be so much more effective than if he tried to do everything all by himself.
Li Qingjun said quietly, “If you really can help us, we may be able to help you take his place.”
Qin Yi shook his head without saying anything. He saw that Li Qingjun was reading other posters as she spoke, so he followed her gaze.
The one Li Qingjun was reading was posted by the local government. Apparently, the Zhang Manor outside the city was haunted, and the people living there kept disappearing. Even the owner of the manor had dropped dead recently for no obvious reason. The poster was asking for capable people to examine the place, and they would receive a reward.
They had heard it from those travellers as well. According to them, some priest named Cangsong had checked the place and concluded that it wasn’t haunted.
As a matter of fact, Qin Yi also felt that the rumors were deeds committed by human beings, not monsters.
Judging by the eager look on Li Qingjun’s face, he could tell she was curious and wanted to do the right thing. However, they were so close to Li Fire now that Li Qinglin should be preoccupied with his conflict with the master teacher. Would he have any energy to spare for this request?
“Shall we go have a look?” Li Qingjun finally asked her brother.
To Qin Yi’s surprise, Li Qinglin only pondered it for a little while before he turned to Qin Yi. “Brother Qin, do you mind staying here for another day?”
It seemed he actually thought Qin Yi was the non-meddling type.
Qin Yi asked, “Isn’t the master teacher supposed to take care of these unusual things?”
“I’ve never seen him do one decent thing.” Li Qinglin smiled sarcastically. “Plus, things like this are more likely to be caused by men rather than ghosts.”
“So let’s go have a look.” Qin Yi nodded. “The capital city can wait for a few days.”
Li Qingjun grinned.
Liusu was very surprised, for it knew better than anyone else that Qin Yi really wasn’t the meddling type, especially when it was evident that men were behind this. It couldn’t help but ask Qin Yi: “Hey, please don’t tell me that you’re into this princess. I thought you said simps were miserable.”
Qin Yi ignorted Liusu. The three of them then turned around and headed for the manor outside the city.
It was dusk when they arrived at the manor. Looking up, they could make out the mourning decorations inside the house, giving the place a bleak look.
Some farmers were wrapping up their work in the fields. Seeing the Li siblings’ spears, they gingerly stood aside with their heads lowered to make way for them. They seemed too nervous to breathe.
Li Qinglin said meaningfully, “That’s how normal villagers would react.”
By that, he was alluding to the strange behaviors of the villagers in Immortal Deeds, but Qin Yi walked right into the manor without replying. There another dimension in Immortal Deeds, and there was Liusu and his own transmigration. He didn’t know what was so special about those villagers, but his own appearance was the strangest occurrence. So, he decided he’d better steer clear of the subject.
The front gate was open, and a guard was at the door. Qin Yi said, “The city gate has closed, and we don’t have anywhere else to stay. May we stay here tonight?”
The guard looked baffled. “If you’re not here to catch the ghost, you should leave now. This place is haunted. Why do you want to live here?”
Li Qingjun said, “But you’re still here, so why should we be scared?”
The guard stomped his foot. “I would’ve left if my farmland wasn’t here! Even the master has passed away. This place really is haunted!”
“Laifu!” A soft, melodious voice rang out. “It’s so rude of you to block the way. Show our guests inside.”
Laifu bowed at the person. “Yes, madam.”
Qin Yi didn’t expect how stunning Mrs. Zhang would be.
She couldn’t be more than 20 and was dressed in a white mourning robe. She wore no makeup, but her face was already as pretty as a picture. She looked sad, but when her eyes moved, the light in them was mesmerizing. The white robe only accentuated her beauty.
Moreover, she was wearing a lot of perfume, which had overwhelmed the refreshing scent of Li Qingjun…
Mrs. Zhang looked past Qin Yi. Obviously, his thin frame and coarse clothes didn’t interest her at all. She smiled a little when she saw Li Qingjun, but she made no comment.
When her gaze landed on Li Qinglin, Qin Yi noticed that her eyes lit up immediately, and her voice was so soft that it reminded him of running water. “People can run into all sorts of inconvenience when travelling. If you don’t mind the current state of this manor, feel free to stay here tonight.”