From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 37 Heading to Zhenbei City

Lin Yan looked up at him.

"Just now, when you were fighting the barbarians, I saw the plaque that was sticking out of your arms."

Lin Yan took the black jade tablet out of his pocket.

When the veteran saw the character "mountain," his eyes immediately welled up with tears, and the corners of his mouth turned down as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't.

He raised his hand and wiped his eyes: "The third squadron of the Mountain Battalion's supply train, Zhao Shitou, after twenty years, I can still see this sign."

"I'm not from the Mountain Battalion," Lin Yan said. "The sign was given to me by someone else."

"Where should I send it?"

"Qingzhou".

Zhao Shitou nodded slowly, and after a long while, he said, "I thank you on behalf of the brothers who died in the Mountain Battalion."

Lin Yan remained silent for a moment, then handed over the water pouch.

Zhao Shitou took the water, drank some, closed his eyes, and then opened them again after a while.

Once the wounded soldiers recovered, they all knelt down before Lin Yan and Ye Qingxue.

"My benefactor! My life-saving grace—"

"Alright, get up." Lin Yan pulled the nearest person up. "If you have the energy to kneel, you might as well eat some dry rations."

He distributed several porcelain bottles to the wounded soldiers, saying, "If you don't have enough medicine, give it to the most seriously injured first. Those who can walk should help those who can't. Head south, and after passing Qingyuan County, there's a checkpoint in two days. Just tell them that Lin Yan from Jimingling let you pass."

The young wounded soldier raised his head, "Chicken Ridge—you're the leader of the Bear Clan—"

"Stop asking now, save your energy."

Several wounded soldiers helped each other to their feet. When Zhao Shitou was helped up, he turned around and glanced at Lin Yan.

"Young man."

"Um?"

"Your brand."

He coughed, his voice lowering. Lin Yan took two steps forward and bent down.

"This token is the command token of the Mountain Battalion commander. Gu Changshan gave it to you to take over his duties. Once you accept this token, you're a member of the Mountain Battalion for life."

Lin Yan stuffed the jade pendant back into his bosom without saying a word.

Zhao Shitou gripped his wrist; the hand was as rough as old tree bark, but it was surprisingly strong.

"Take care of yourself."

The figures of several wounded soldiers slowly disappeared at the end of the narrow ditch.

Ye Qingxue sat on the rock, looking at the dried bloodstains on the knife.

"Lin Yan?"

Lin Yan responded.

"You're not someone from the government, are you?"

"The government? No way."

Lin Yan smoothed out the nicks on Zhao Yuanlang's knife and glanced back at her.

"The family that collects bones from the wanderings has had three generations of ancestors who were of low social status."

Ye Qingxue's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"You've mastered Body Tempering, and in such a short time you've managed to steal the Northern Barbarian Berserk technique and withstand a full-force attack from a True Qi Realm expert—with your strength, you could at least become a captain in the army."

"Those registered as exiles are not allowed to practice martial arts or join the army."

Lin Yan lowered his head and continued sharpening his knife. "If you're caught practicing martial arts, the lightest punishment is eighty strokes of the cane and exile to the border; the heaviest is execution."

"You can participate in the martial arts assessment," Ye Qingxue said. "The imperial court has decreed that anyone registered as a commoner who passes the martial arts assessment will be immediately released and allowed to become a free person. Didn't you know that?"

Lin Yan stopped what she was doing.

Where will the exam be held?

"The closest one is Zhenbei City, where the Military Selection Division is located within the military government office."

Ye Qingxue stood up and dusted off the corner of her clothes. "I also need to go to Zhenbei City on business. I can take you there."

What kind of place is Zhenbei City?

"The largest military town in the northern border region, the garrison of the Northern Army's Northern Camp. The city walls are four zhang high, and 20,000 border troops are stationed there. The Martial Selection Office is right next to the military government office, and it is in charge of martial arts examinations and changes in military registration."

Lin Yan sheathed the knife. "How far is it from here?"

"One day on horseback, three days on foot."

"Then wait for me a moment."

Lin Yan walked back along the ravine, searched the bearded man's corpse for a while, and picked up the thick-backed barbarian knife.

He examined the blade closely. The back of the blade was about the thickness of a little finger, and the blade was twice as wide as the Great Yan's blade. Some parts of the edge were curled, but the overall blade was intact.

Lin Yan tucked the barbarian knife into the bundle on his back.

Ye Qingxue watched him sheath his sword. "This sword can sell for twenty taels in Zhenbei City."

"I'm not going to sell it," Lin Yan said. "I'm going to use it to practice the Northern Barbarian Sword Technique."

The two walked out of Qipanling together.

The mountain path wound its way through the mountains. Ye Qingxue walked ahead, her steps light and barely making a sound as she stepped on the gravel.

Lin Yan walked behind, analyzing the battle as he went.

He figured out the principle of berserk mode—reversing the flow of qi and blood, exploding outwards from the dantian, bypassing the meridians and directly pressing into the skin, flesh, and bones.

But the cost of doing so was too high. He only lasted fifteen breaths before exhausting himself, and the second time he lasted twenty-five breaths. His control was still too rough.

The time it can actually be used to kill the enemy is at most about twenty breaths.

Ye Qingxue walked along a narrow path and suddenly spoke, "The Berserk form shouldn't be practiced too much. Less than half of the Northern Barbarians who practice this skill live past forty."

"Are you familiar with the martial arts of the Northern Barbarians?"

"We fought." She said calmly, "The Northern Barbarians don't have sects; their martial arts are passed down through tribal bloodlines. Each tribe has its own secret techniques, and berserk mode is the Blood Wolf tribe's signature skill. The one you just killed was the Blood Wolf tribe's scout captain."

Lin Yan quickened his pace to catch up with her. "What are you doing at Qipanling?"

"Just passing by," Ye Qingxue said. "I heard a noise and came to check it out."

She didn't say much, and Lin Yan didn't ask any more questions.

The two walked for most of the day, and only when it got dark did they find a dilapidated temple by the roadside to rest.

Lin Yan sat down against the wall to meditate and practice breathing exercises, clearing away the blockages left by the rampaging of qi and blood in his body during his berserk state.

Ye Qingxue sat opposite him, holding her sword, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.

Around midnight, Lin Yan opened his eyes and found that Ye Qingxue, who had been sleeping with her eyes closed just moments before, was gone.

He stood up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, and saw Ye Qingxue standing outside the temple, looking up at a waning moon in the sky.

"How many days does it take to get from Zhenbei City to Qingzhou?" Her voice was carried away by the night wind.

"Drive at full speed for three days."

He paused after speaking, then asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep and was asking."

Ye Qingxue turned around, the moonlight shining on her face, making her expression unclear; only the slight curve of her lips could be seen.

Then she went back into the temple, sat down against the wall again, and closed her eyes.

"Let's leave early tomorrow and reach Huifenggou before dark. Once we cross Huifenggou, we'll be in Zhenbeicheng territory."

The two set off as soon as it was light.

Huifenggou was originally a village, but now only ruins remain.

Most of the earthen walls collapsed, and the few houses that did not collapse were burned down to empty shells. The fire marks on the ground had faded to a dark brown.

A rotting corpse was still soaking in the well at the village entrance, and the stench wafted far and wide.

Along the way, they passed through three more villages like this.

They are all empty.

The village had been burned by the northern barbarians. Wells, village entrances, and dilapidated houses were filled with corpses, most of them rotten. Even the crows weren't afraid of people; they would perch on the walls and stare at people with eyes like black beans.

Lin Yan squatted by a well at the entrance of a village, used a knife as a shovel to dig a hole, and fished out the two children who were soaking in the well and buried them.

Ye Qingxue stood by and watched, without saying a word.

After digging the pit, Lin Yan filled it with soil and placed a stone on top.

"We can't bury them all, let's go."