Especially since this handsome young man appeared and saved her during her most painful time, leaving a deep impression on Wan'er's heart.
Seeing Wan'er walk away dejectedly, Xu Le did not try to stop her.
He wasn't lacking in emotional intelligence; he knew Wan'er had feelings for him, but it was just a budding affection. She would understand love when she grew older. Besides, his feelings for Wan'er were merely pity. He had already decided to pursue power in his life; love held no meaning for him.
He had already learned about the basic situation of this world through the Shadow Warrior.
Based on the Shadow Warrior's lurking and intelligence gathering in the vicinity, he gained a general understanding of this world. Although the Shang Dynasty had seized legitimacy, its rule was no longer as powerful as before.
It seems that due to some of the policies of the founding emperor of the Shang Dynasty, which were similar to the feudal system in China, a group of princes now hold military power and are acting independently. Moreover, several small countries and nomadic peoples on the sidelines are also eyeing the Shang Dynasty, a behemoth. As soon as it shows the slightest weakness, they will pounce on it like hungry wolves and bite off a piece of its flesh.
As for the current emperor, named Yin Que, the previous generation of ten princes fought for the throne. The competition was so fierce that they even led troops into the Forbidden City. In the end, the emperor, who had a backup plan, killed nine of them, leaving only one who was imprisoned in the Prince's Palace, stripped of his military power, and imprisoned for life.
Yin Que, who had given up competing for the throne and was indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, was chosen by the emperor, which shocked countless people. It can only be said that fools are sometimes lucky.
That is why, although Yin Que was not a foolish ruler, he was not capable enough, otherwise he would not have given up competing for the throne. At the same time, he was fond of beautiful women and the arts of immortals, and often held beauty pageants among the common people and sent people to look for traces of immortals.
This was precisely Xu Le's opportunity. He felt that the immortal from hundreds of years ago had likely obtained a rare treasure of the world; otherwise, given the level of this world, it would be impossible for someone with extraordinary power to arise.
However, we cannot be hasty now. Humans have a weakness: they don't cherish things that come easily. Therefore, he wants the emperor to personally invite him, in a way that will shake the entire world.
But it's too early to say all that. Right now, Xu Le is thinking about how to create a sensation and get the emperor to pay attention to him.
As he was pondering, a shadowy warrior appeared and reported something to him.
"Just when I was feeling sleepy, you brought me a pillow. I'll use you guys to kick off my first battle in this world!"
Xu Le laughed loudly, his figure blurred, and he appeared on the white tiger's body. He woke up Shao Hao, who was still asleep, and told him to head east.
Although the white tiger was awakened from its sweet dream and felt indignant, it dared not vent its anger on its master. It could only growl angrily twice, startling a flock of birds.
…………
Not far to the east of Qingquan Town, a group of burly men dressed in animal skins with strange patterns painted on their faces rode on horseback, conversing in a strange language.
Wutugu was the vanguard leader of this operation. In autumn, food was scarce in the grasslands, and most of the cattle and sheep would die due to lack of food. This meant that his tribe would not have enough food to survive the winter.
Based on past experience, they had already accumulated a large amount of food. However, the largest tribe on the grassland had a very cruel and powerful leader who kept levying grain from these smaller tribes, supposedly in preparation for declaring war on the Shang Dynasty.
But for them, declaring war brought no benefit; they simply wanted to live peacefully. However, reality wouldn't allow it. For the sake of the tribe's survival, Wutugu had gathered all the able-bodied men, preparing a surprise attack on Qingquan Town, located on the border.
Wutugu looked at his men, who had finished resting, raised his arm, and shouted solemnly, "We are the warriors of our tribe. This time we will attack the Shang people and seize their food and women. Whatever we take is ours; I will not take a single thing. But you must remember, if we fail, our tribe will be wiped out."
"Captain, what are you afraid of? I've heard that women in the Shang Kingdom have fair and delicate skin. I've wanted to try it for a long time."
“I’ve seen the people of the Shang Kingdom before, and they’re all spineless cowards. One slash from my knife and they’ll be begging for mercy.”
"The people of Shang are all two-legged sheep. Shall we try some?"
A group of burly men rode on horseback, their words filled with disdain for the people of the Shang Kingdom. Some even suggested eating two-legged sheep.
The term "two-legged sheep" doesn't actually refer to sheep, but rather to humans. Originally, due to food shortages, people resorted to cannibalism. Thin, old men were called "Rao Ba Huo," young women were called "Bu Xian Yang," and children were called "He Gu Lan." They were collectively known as "two-legged sheep." But who could have known that a group of beasts actually enjoyed eating their own kind and even devoured people in numerous ways?
Just like how ancient Chinese officials cooked their own wives and children into soup for the emperor, or how Huang Chao used human flesh as military rations during his rebellion, nothing is more heinous than the human heart.
Wutugu seemed to care as well; as long as his tribe could continue, what did it matter to him whether the Shang people lived or died?
One's hero is another's enemy. Different stances lead to different thoughts. There is no right or wrong, only the struggle between different nations for survival.
Wutugu squeezed his legs together, raised his whip, and lashed it down hard. His steed reared up, let out a long neigh, and galloped towards Qingquan Town, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the air.
The other mounted men followed closely behind, not to be outdone, their hearty laughter echoing through the woods. But they failed to notice a shadowy warrior vanishing into a blur behind a large tree not far away.
Chapter Thirty-One: Slaughter
In the early morning, the people in the small town were already busy. The men said goodbye to their wives and children, picked up their hoes, and headed to the fields.
Every year they had to hand over grain to the landlords. If they didn't hand over enough grain, their land would be taken away, and their families would face starvation.
Er Gou was an ordinary vegetable vendor at the town's market. He would lift the vegetables in his hands with a scale he had tampered with, then collect the loose change and put it into a small cloth bag sewn inside his clothes.
Sitting on the dark red stool he brought from home, he wiped the sweat from his brow and said enviously to the butcher next to him, "You know, Yiming is really lucky. He actually met an immortal. If he keeps going like this, even if he doesn't achieve the same great things as our founding emperor, becoming a high-ranking official won't be a problem. He'll be able to eat meat every day then. It's really enviable."
"Who says otherwise? Why didn't I run into him after going to the mountains so many times? It's fate that I finally saw him." The butcher put down his pig-slaughtering knife, sighed, and replied with a hint of envy in his eyes and a sour tone.
"Did you see the immortal's face clearly yesterday? I was in the outhouse with a stomachache yesterday. If I had known an immortal was coming, I would have gone even though I was in pain." Er Gou hurriedly asked the butcher about the details of yesterday's events, his face full of regret.
"Come on, you little brat, you were so scared when you heard the tiger was coming that your legs went weak. When we came looking for you, you were nowhere to be seen." The butcher gave him a disdainful look, but didn't dwell on the matter, and continued, "You just wanted to brag to Cuiling, what's there to hide?"
Er Gou scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, then handed over a large cabbage and said in a low voice, "This is a small token of my appreciation. Please tell me what that immortal looks like."
Seeing how well-behaved Er Gou was, the butcher accepted the cabbage and picked up the water glass beside him.
He finished his drink in one gulp, moistened his throat, and then looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before saying with relief, "I'm telling you something, but don't go around telling anyone. It wouldn't be good if the immortals heard us and blamed us."
"Of course!"
"Yesterday, I initially only saw a white tiger, over two people tall, walking back with Yiming. Then, Sanshun, who has always been at odds with Yiming, encouraged everyone to go up and kill Yiming. And then..."
At this point, the butcher swallowed hard, looking somewhat frightened, and continued.
"A young man dressed in a Taoist robe sat up on the white tiger. His skin was even whiter and more delicate than that of the rich young ladies I had ever seen. He looked to be in his twenties. However, immortals live forever, so who knows if this is an old monster who has lived for thousands of years?"
Then he said that Sam-soon had offended the immortal's majesty. Just as he finished speaking, a gigantic fire dragon flew from his hand and burned Sam-soon to a crisp. "After the butcher finished speaking, he looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Immortals can even control flames? That's amazing! I want that power too!" Er Gou wasn't scared at all; instead, he fantasized about how he would lord it over others if he had that power.
Hmm, first we'll snatch Cui Ling into our home, then beat up Li the Rich Man, and take back his seventh concubine, that delicate fifteen-year-old girl. Thinking this, Er Gou couldn't help but drool.