Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Bribery

"Our Da Sheng Dynasty is on the brink of collapse!"

The Raincoat Fisherman also looked to the sky and sighed heavily.

But though he sighed, he said nothing more.

Zhu Ge could only remain silent, following the two as they landed on the border pass.

The sallow-faced, emaciated Soldiers who saw them land showed no reaction.

They neither came over to salute nor gave them a second glance, instead continuing their patrol duties.

After landing on the fortress wall, the three of them walked into the narrow, cramped, humid, and hot space inside.

This border pass had no civilians, only military.

And it seemed that because camping in the wild was more dangerous, all the Soldiers ate, slept, and relieved themselves within the fortress walls.

The walls of this border pass must have been reinforced with something like Arrays or other mechanisms, which was how it remained standing.

Inside, under the weak light of torches, the air was a mixture of all sorts of foul odors.

Some wounded Soldiers sat amidst it all with numb expressions, as if they couldn’t smell the stench, just sitting there blankly, their thoughts a mystery.

Some of the Soldiers were clearly not even ten years old, while others were simply white-haired old men.

"Here at River Mouth Pass, we don’t have much food to offer our guests. We only have some fresh meat from Fish Demons, and even that is scarce. I hope you two can forgive our poor hospitality," Li Zhongguo said as they walked.

"Our quarters are just ahead. We live right by the wall so we can always be on guard against attacks from River Demons or the Barbarian Race."

"You’ve worked hard, Li Zhenshou." The Raincoat Fisherman put on an expression of deep concern for the country and its people.

"Alas, the people around my Yuan Yang City can barely survive either! On this trip, I was only able to collect three thousand *shi* of grain. Along the way, we even lost a Second Realm Cultivator at Mengla Slope Third Village, and I had to give them two hundred *shi* of grain to help them through the hardships of Jingzhe."

"I had wanted to leave them another five hundred *shi*, but this time, Yuan Yang City is plagued by pestilence, and grain is already in extremely short supply. My superior ordered me not to return with less than five thousand *shi*... I... I... sigh..."

The Raincoat Fisherman raised a hand to wipe away the nonexistent tears from the corners of his eyes.

Zhu Ge kept his head down, silent.

"The Human Race is truly in a difficult position." Li Zhongguo shook his head, his expression growing even graver.

The two men walked in front with Zhu Ge following behind, arriving at a place that was slightly cleaner and cooler.

Here, the torchlight wasn’t as dim as before, but a bit brighter. There were even a few simple cots next to the wall.

"Please, have a seat," Li Zhongguo said, gesturing to the cots. "Fisherman, if you would, please tell me about the state of affairs in Yuan Yang City."

"Of course." The Raincoat Fisherman nodded, then looked at Zhu Ge. "Zhu Ge, there must be many people here who need help. Go walk around and lend a hand."

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Ge cupped his fist.

"Wait, I’ll have someone show you around," Li Zhongguo said with a sigh. "Just do what you can."

Li Zhongguo then called over a slightly more robust-looking old soldier, who led Zhu Ge away.

Zhu Ge’s heart was heavy as he walked.

Outside the Da Sheng Dynasty, there were many in the Barbarian Race.

In a sense, these Barbarians could also be considered part of the Human Race.

But their slaughter along the borderlands was even more brutal than that of other non-human races.

On one side was war and slaughter; on the other, the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest.

No matter which side, to some degree, in some sense, and under certain circumstances, they were all enemies of the Da Sheng Dynasty.

"Are you the attendant of that Jingzhe Official?"

After they had walked some distance, the old soldier beside him spoke up.

"I am." Zhu Ge nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"I have something to ask you. Follow me..." The old soldier’s face was a roadmap of deep wrinkles; he looked like a man who had been a farmer his whole life, only recently conscripted.

"Ask me?" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow, but subconsciously followed the old soldier through a series of twists and turns until they reached a quiet place.

In the corner stood four stone statues carved in the likeness of unknown beasts.

The old soldier lightly touched an indistinct spot on one of the statues, and a curtain of light immediately rose around them.

"There." A smile appeared on the old soldier’s deeply wrinkled face. "Mr. Zhu, now neither my Zhenshou’s nor your master’s Divine Sense can penetrate this place."

"What is this...?" Zhu Ge’s expression froze, his mind instantly on high alert.

"My Zhenshou wishes to ask you..." The old soldier looked at Zhu Ge with a grin. "This Jingzhe Official... has he done anything wrong along the way? Don’t you worry. My master is a Third Realm Martial Artist. A mere Fisherman is no match for him."

"If you tell the truth and make this Jingzhe Official spit out everything he’s swallowed, my Zhenshou will naturally protect you!"

"Spit out what he’s swallowed?" Zhu Ge was taken aback.

"But my master hasn’t swallowed anything! The roads are littered with the bodies of the starved. The villages themselves barely have anything left!"

An indignant Zhu Ge retorted, "We faced countless dangers, passed through the lairs of many Great Demons to finally get here, and you dare to speak of us like this?"

Seeing Zhu Ge’s reaction, the old soldier couldn’t help but frown. "This year’s Jingzhe... is it truly this difficult for every household?"

"Could I be lying?" Tears streamed from Zhu Ge’s bloodshot eyes. "Almost everyone in my village is dead! Only five of us survived! Do you have any idea what it’s like in the other villages? If you don’t know, then don’t make wild accusations!"

These tears from Zhu Ge were real, at least.

But his words were false.

’It’s simple. I don’t trust this old soldier!’

’And I don’t trust that Li Zhongguo, either!’

’A person’s appearance, no matter how square-jawed and righteous; their posture, no matter how tall and proud; their name, no matter how loyal and dependable... none of it can prove what’s in their heart!’

’That’s why I can’t just trust someone after a few words.’

’Besides, the claim that these four statues on the ground could block Divine Sense could be a lie for all I know.’

However, an idea began to form in Zhu Ge’s mind.

Throughout his journey, he had been laying all sorts of threads, just waiting to draw in the net.

And now, this Li Zhongguo... while he might be a genuinely good person, he could also be an enemy in cahoots with the others, part of the system where officials protect their own.

Therefore, even if Zhu Ge couldn’t reveal the truth directly right now, he could still make use of Li Zhongguo.

It didn’t matter if Li Zhongguo was good or bad for him. At the very least, he could serve as one more thread in the web to eliminate the Raincoat Fisherman.

’As for the border pass?’

Thinking of those people he had seen along the way, who could hardly even be called Soldiers, Zhu Ge sighed inwardly.

"I’m not familiar with your master, which is why I asked." The old soldier’s face suddenly broke into an apologetic smile. He then flipped his hand and produced a pale white fruit from somewhere.

"This is a small token of my respect for you. It’s a Mercury Fruit from the nearby river. Taking it with warm water can help heal injuries. Please, accept it."

"Oh?"

At this, Zhu Ge’s expression shifted. He quickly took the Mercury Fruit with his right hand, then gave a dry cough and said in a low voice, "Ahem. I won’t report this matter to my Jingzhe Official. You can rest assured."

"Thank you!" A smile spread across the old soldier’s face. He then went to touch each of the stone statues on the ground again, deactivating the mechanism as he spoke.

"By the way, I’m from Chicken Street Village. There’s a street there that specializes in selling chicken."

The curtain of light dissipated.

The old soldier’s face returned to its original silent and stern expression. "In that case, I won’t ask any more questions. I just hope my old mother can stay alive."

Hearing this, Zhu Ge understood the unspoken message.

"Next time I pass by your Chicken Street Village, I’ll keep an eye out," Zhu Ge nodded.

Afterwards, the old soldier led Zhu Ge along, and whenever Zhu Ge saw something he could help with, he would lend a hand.

Things like carrying supplies or helping up the wounded.

He helped with genuine sincerity.

After all, no matter what, these "Soldiers" guarding River Mouth Pass were truly suffering, and their cause was a truly righteous one!

By the time Zhu Ge and the soldier returned, the sky had already grown dark.

"Zhu Ge, let’s head back."

"Back to Yuan Yang City!"

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