Chapter 174
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Chapter 174: An Unusually Intuitive Person
The Ministers of the Six Departments, at the top level of the Great Yan imperial court hierarchy, held tremendous power.
The innkeeper didn’t suspect the possibility of this person impersonating someone else.
Because Anxi Pass is still in Zhong Province and is only a few hundred miles away from the Imperial Capital, impersonating the identity of a high-ranking official’s family member is equivalent to seeking death.
When the middle-aged man revealed his identity, the innkeeper repeatedly apologized, afraid of offending such a son of a high-ranking official.
However, the other guests at the neighboring table unconsciously glanced at each other and quickly got up to leave.
Qiao Mu witnessed this scene and said nothing, quietly eating his noodles on the side.
Although children of the privileged class tend to be spoiled.
But Hai Wuya is different. He was just recently rescued from the heavenly prison by Emperor Yonghe…
Other children of the privileged class can act spoiled because of their stable status and the power they possess, being chased after and praised by others.
However, Hai Wuya has already spent thirty years in the heavenly prison, and he has only been out for a few months. Yet, Hai Wuya’s son is already getting carried away with pride?
Furthermore.
This person is not a young person in their teens or twenties anymore. They already look like they are in their middle age. Is it a bit late for them to start acting arrogant and indulgent?
“Haha, it seems that the position of the Secretary of Great Yan still holds some authority… I have lived for half a lifetime and didn’t expect to gain a bit of reputation. It puts my mind at ease.”
The middle-aged person also noticed the departure of the guests at the neighboring table. They didn’t feel anything inappropriate, but instead felt pleased with themselves.
“Mr. Hai is just joking…” The innkeeper wiped off some sweat and became even more respectful.
After being praised by the innkeeper for a few more sentences, Mr. Hai gradually became bored.
After eating and drinking his fill, he was about to get up, but unexpectedly, the innkeeper hurriedly approached. After several hesitations, he finally made up his mind and said sincerely:
“Mr. Hai has a distinguished identity and is not an ordinary person. I believe even that strict Iron Lady who guards the pass will give you face, sir.”
“If Mr. Hai can really leave Anxi Pass, could you also help this humble person with a small favor?” The innkeeper hesitated for a moment and took out a letter from his pocket.
However, before he could finish his words, Mr. Hai impatiently interrupted him.
“Did you get it backwards?”
“I am the son of a high-ranking official, and you want me to help you? When did I have to run errands for you? Owe you?”
“I dare not.” These words almost made the innkeeper kneel down in fear, but then he quickly continued:
“Mr. Hai insists on going to Anxi Pass, I suppose he also lost relatives in that terrible war, right?”
“One of my brothers at home was actually a soldier in the army of a hundred thousand, perhaps he was a comrade of yours or someone related to you.”
“I only hope that, based on our comradeship, when you enter the desert to pay respects to the deceased, you can also take my family’s book and burn it.”
Speaking of this, the innkeeper looked earnestly and performed a deep bow.
When Mr. Hai was slightly surprised, several people arrived at the entrance of the inn, the same ones who had hurriedly left before.
“Sir, I also have a family book, please burn it on my behalf after you leave the border, as a way to express my mourning…”
“If the adults are willing to help me, I am willing to work very hard for them…”
“Actually, for the past few years, I have been having dreams of my brothers who joined the army back at home. I always feel like they are still there, their spirits lingering in the desert. I cannot leave the Anxi Pass, but since the adults can, please burn this family book on my behalf.”
At first, Mr. Hai was a bit impatient, but as he listened, he was slightly moved.
The customs in the Great YanZhong Province for commemorating the deceased are mainly in two ways.
The first one is returning fallen leaves to their roots.
It means that when alive, one should be seen by others, and when dead, one should be seen with a corpse.
Even if the family members who died in a distant place have to go through countless hardships, they still want to bring back their remains and bury them in their hometown.
The second one is burning family books in front of the deceased’s remains. It is said to send the letters to the underworld, a way of expressing grief.
Whether it’s Mr. Hai or many people in this inn, they all insist on crossing the Anxi Pass into the desert for these two reasons.
This is rarely done in other places.
After all, large-scale battles with a hundred thousand people usually only occur in the remote areas of Jiu Province.
Although Zhong Province has the custom of “falling leaves return to their roots,” practical situations still need to be considered.
The people of Zhong Province cannot possibly cross mountains and rivers to collect the bones of their relatives and bring them back to their hometown in the remote areas.
However, Anxi City is too close, not in the remote areas, but in the heartland of Zhong Province, and is only a few days’ journey from the Imperial Capital.
Therefore, over the years, many people have come here spontaneously to pay their respects, and gradually a small town has formed in front of Anxi Pass.
“They are all affectionate and righteous men…” Mr. Hai chuckled and helped the kneeling shopkeeper up from the ground, saying with a smile:
“Old Chen, I visited your inn over a decade ago, but at that time, I was stopped by that strict Iron Lady at the checkpoint. Remember?”
The shopkeeper was startled at first, then became embarrassed, and then had a sudden realization.
“So, you’re Brother Hai… It’s been a long time since we last met.”
These two people seem to know each other. Earlier, Mr. Hai purposely showed off his status, like friends joking around. But the shopkeeper didn’t recognize him and knelt down directly.
“No need for nostalgic talk. I came to Anxi Pass not to catch up with an old rugged man like you.” Mr. Hai smiled slightly.
“If anyone in the town has letters or other offerings, they can give them to me as well.” He patted his chest and said boldly.
Including the shopkeeper, everyone became emotional, and in Mr. Hai’s eyes, there was also a hint of sentiment.
He was already in middle age, with no time to show off his status in front of strangers and play these childish games of pretending to be important.
The words he said to the shopkeeper weren’t lies. He just wanted to see how much respect and power Minister of Rites Hai Wuya had.
Hai Wuya recently regained his power after coming out of the heavenly prison.
If Mr. Hai, a son of a high-ranking official, was truly a middle-aged dandy yearning for power, he should immediately rush back to Imperial Capital and experience the luxurious life of a top official’s child.
But he didn’t.
After visiting his old father in the Imperial Capital, he didn’t stay there and quickly arrived at this Anxi Pass.
When alive, one wants to see people; when dead, one wants to see corpses.
Even though his elder brother has been dead for many years, he still wants to explore the ruins of the sand city that disappeared in the desert.
“More than a decade ago, that female general guarding the pass was quite arrogant, saying that weaklings who couldn’t defeat her were not allowed to leave Anxi Pass.” Mr. Hai murmured to himself.
“My martial arts talent is mediocre. Even after practicing martial arts for more than ten years, I don’t consider myself her opponent. However, I didn’t expect a turning point to come now.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re not an opponent in martial arts, you can rely on power to suppress!
With this in mind, Mr. Hai stood up from his desk, tilted his head back, poured a bowl of sweet wine, and a few drops of wine trickled down his chin.
“Let’s go, to Anxi Pass!”
He angrily slammed his big bowl and walked out of the inn with big steps, full of confidence and pride.
“Another important person is here to pass through the checkpoint!”
“This time, this important person has a formidable background and doesn’t need to fight with that female general at all.”
“This time, we have hope to pass through Anxi Pass!”
“That female general is in charge of guarding Anxi Pass on behalf of the imperial court. Her high rank can crush people. Now, a son of a high-ranking official of the 2nd rank has arrived. Let’s see if she can still be dominant!”
Including the innkeeper, everyone else in the inn followed suit, their emotions gradually rising.
The townspeople have suffered under the long-time rule of the strict lady guard at the checkpoint.
Because of the existence of Anxi Pass, ordinary people cannot enter the Hundred-Mile Desert and can only stay in front of Anxi Pass.
At this moment, Mr. Hai stood up for them, and they immediately became excited, spontaneously spreading the news.
On the outskirts of the town, there was a huge cemetery.
Inside the cemetery, there were countless tombstones, tightly packed together.
The people from Zhong Province, before reaching Anxi Pass, were unable to enter the Hundred-mile Desert. They could only place tombstones in front of this checkpoint to pay tribute to the deceased.
Over time, the area in front of the checkpoint became filled with a forest of tombstones. It seemed endless, extending as far as the eye could see.
It was almost Qingming Festival, and many people were in the tombstone forest, mourning the dead. As someone started running to tell others, they became excited as well.
Soon, a large group of people crowded behind Mr. Hai, creating a bustling scene.
After finishing his noodles, Qiao Mu silently stood up and followed behind the crowd.
Dao Zhen, a disciple of the Great Dao Sect, gave him a Boundary Breaking Symbol. With this symbol, he could ignore the effects of the Hundred-mile Desert Array and enter the real Anxi City.
But before that, he had to leave Anxi Pass.
Since Hai Wuya’s son can do this, he followed along to make things easier.
Once they left the inn and approached Anxi Pass, Qiao Mu suddenly felt a bit uneasy, his instincts sensing something odd.
This feeling… he was very familiar with it.
His instincts pointed straight to someone inside Anxi Pass…
“Are there people who practice the ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique’ within Anxi Pass? The Wuji Association really is persistent.”
Qiao Mu instantly became interested.
If Wuji Association members are guarding Anxi Pass and refusing entry to ordinary people, things could become mysterious.
Forty years ago, the Martial Saint escaped from the desert alone.
And according to Dao Zhen, there are still remnants of the Great Yan army fighting hard within the desert.
And during these forty years, if there was really a member of the Wuji Association guarding the Anxi Pass, not allowing people from the Zhong Province to enter, then does this represent the attitude of the Martial Saint? Is the Martial Saint covering up something?
Qiao Mu followed the crowd and arrived at the Anxi Pass.
But the closer he got to the Anxi Pass, the more his intuition sensed something strange.
“Something’s not right, it doesn’t seem like the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique. What’s going on?” Qiao Mu frowned.
Along the way, he had encountered quite a few martial artists who practiced the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique.
But including Hai Wuya, Wu Qizheng, and even the Martial Saint himself, these practitioners of the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique had a slight difference in their intuitive senses compared to the people inside the Anxi Pass.
While he was pondering.
The gates of the Anxi Pass in front of him suddenly burst open, and two rows of heavily armored soldiers rushed out. Following them was a female general riding a warhorse, wearing a scale armor and with a face partially covered by a face mask. She held a spear and walked out surrounded by the soldiers.
And indeed, the intuition of Qiao Mu’s Martial Saint Spiritual Technique confirmed that she was among the crowd.
Translator: Volume 14 has been translated and published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3yrJ2ox);
