Building a Harmonious Song Dynasty

Chapter 26

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 052 - A Blessing, Not a Curse

Old Zhou's medicine was quite peculiar; after two doses, the girl woke up the next day. She opened her eyes, her dark pupils staring at the people around her bed, and remained silent for a long time.

The woman said, "Child, don't be afraid. We're not bad people. Tell me your name."

The girl cleared her throat and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Did you save me?"

The mother-in-law nodded and said, "It was my son who found you by the river. It's good that you're awake now."

"Thank you all for saving my life. I, Qin Zhen, will repay you tenfold in the future!"

Ah Fei smiled brightly at Qin Zhen from the side. Seeing that the person he had saved was safe and sound, he suddenly felt a little sense of accomplishment.

"So your name is Qin Zhen. You actually drifted across the Yellow River. You survived such a disaster; you're sure to have good fortune in the future."

The mother-in-law also said, "It's quite a coincidence that we and Qin Zhen are connected. When the Yellow River breached its banks, my son and I were also swept here by the water. We survived thanks to Uncle Zhou's rescue. Our experiences are somewhat similar."

As she spoke, Yue Niang found the things she had been keeping for Qin Zhen and returned them to her. Qin Zhen was overjoyed to see the things and said, "So none of them were lost. That's great."

She opened the porcelain bottle and swallowed several colorful pills, then put the various small boxes back into her person one by one. Finally, she opened the only sandalwood box, took out two tokens—one copper and one black—and looked at them, saying thankfully, "Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

Watching this series of actions, Old Zhou grew increasingly terrified. Finally, he asked urgently, "Who exactly are you? You not only possess the hidden weapons of the Tang Clan and the miraculous medicines of Medicine King Valley, but also the Beacon Fire Token of the Demonic Sect and the Qiankun Token of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader! How is this possible? How is this possible?"

His slightly manic appearance startled everyone; Ah Fei had never seen his master so out of control.

Qin Zhen looked at Old Man Zhou with curiosity, thinking to himself that he had been negligent. He had thought there were no martial arts practitioners here, but it turned out that wherever there are people, there is a martial arts world, and there are many discerning people.

The medicine she had just taken made her feel much better. She got out of bed, clasped her hands in greeting to Old Man Zhou, and said, "So you are also a member of the martial arts world. May I ask who you are...?"

"I am Zhou Tong of the Tianshan School."

Qin Zhen's eyes lit up, and he looked up in surprise, saying, "Senior, you are Senior Zhou, known in the martial arts world as 'Golden Bow Hou Yi'?"

Zhou Tong was somewhat surprised. He had retired from the martial world fifteen years ago, yet this little girl still knew his name! Hou Yi the Golden Bow... This name, which had been forgotten by the world, was heard again by a little girl after many years.

Qin Zhen turned to look at A Fei, who was full of confusion. She excitedly thought to herself, "This person is Yue Fei! I never expected to meet Yue Fei after falling into the water!"

Afei stared blankly at his master and Qin Zhen. He couldn't understand a word Zhou Tong and Qin Zhen had said, but he knew that what Qin Zhen held in her hand surprised his master, and his master's identity surprised Qin Zhen. And how could he not be surprised himself?

Faced with Zhou Tong's doubts, Qin Zhen said, "These items on me were all gifts from old friends, it was just a coincidence. I am not a person of the martial arts world, but a person of the imperial court."

Zhou Tong was even more confused. He stared at Qin Zhen, never expecting that this little girl would say she was a member of the imperial court.

Qin Zhen recounted her identity as a palace maid, Zhao Gou's mission to the Liao Kingdom, and how she fell into the water, causing a stir among the crowd.

"Alas, with no one in the court, you and your young children have to go through so much trouble and suffer. It's truly pathetic!" Zhou Tong lamented.

Yue Fei also lamented: "I am much older than you. You are able to do things for the country, while I have the enthusiasm to serve the country but you won't accept me into the army. It's really infuriating."

The Song Dynasty had a large army and no shortage of soldiers, so it's no wonder that no one would accept Yue Fei if he wanted to join the army before he was even twenty.

Qin Zhen suddenly seized the opportunity to suggest, "Why don't you come with me to find the Ninth Prince? He is eager to recruit talented people and will definitely keep you by his side!"

Yue Fei scratched his head and said, "I'm just strong, but I'm afraid the Ninth Prince wouldn't think much of someone like me."

"No, no, how could Senior Zhou's disciple be an ordinary person!"

Qin Zhen's words pleased Zhou Tong greatly. Zhou Tong said to Yue Fei, "Afei, don't underestimate yourself. I have taught you riding and archery skills as well as military strategy since you were a child. What you lack now is just training. Given time, you will surely become a great man!"

Yue Fei remained neither arrogant nor pleased, but secretly glanced at his mother's expression. His mother looked slightly worried, but seeing Yue Fei looking at her, she said, "My son has grown up. It's time for him to go out and gain experience. Once he becomes a useful person, he must protect our country and serve it loyally!"

"Yes, Mother!" Yue Fei replied, moved.

Zhou Tong then asked, "So, where are you going to look for the Ninth Prince?"

Qin Zhen said, "Going to Liao must pass through Daming Prefecture. They should rest there for a few days. We should be able to find them there."

Qin Zhen suggested that she wanted to go to a nearby town to gather information, but her mother-in-law was worried that she was not fully recovered and told her to rest for the day and have Yue Fei take her into the town tomorrow. Qin Zhen did not want to refuse her good intentions, so she nodded and continued to rest in bed.

After leaving the room, Yue Fei's mother said to him, "Come inside with me, I have something to tell you."

Zhou Tong thought that Yue Fei's mother was really reluctant to let him go out and make his own way in the world, and he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh that women lack foresight. Little did he know that Yue Fei's mother was a heroine among women, and she was no less righteous than men. It was on this occasion that she tattooed the four characters "Serve the country with utmost loyalty" on Yue Fei's right shoulder!

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There are still over thirty featured posts left from the old section. Please leave comments so I can feature them. The new site seems to be having some issues; I'm a bit confused and my head is spinning.

Also seeking votes (P votes).

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 053 Unexpected Events in the Weather

Knowing that everyone would search for her after she fell into the water, Qin Zhen was eager to set off after resting at Yue Fei's house for a day. Zhou Tong and Yue Niang knew that Qin Zhen had a mission to complete and there was no reason for her to stay any longer, so after a short rest, they packed their things and sent Yue Fei with her.

Yue Fei, carrying his bundle, looked at his mother's slightly red eyes, knelt down and kowtowed heavily, then patted his right shoulder forcefully, everything understood without words.

A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles... Yue Fei's mother nodded to Yue Fei. Mother and son understood each other perfectly and didn't need to say anything more. A gesture or a look said everything.

Looking back at the village that was gradually shrinking behind him, Yue Fei raised his head and decided to let go of all the sorrow in his heart. His path was under his feet, and the unknown world was waiting for him!

On the night before their departure, Qin Zhen and Yue Fei discussed their route. They were heading towards Tangyin County to buy horses before continuing on to Daming Prefecture.

After traveling for about half a day, the bustling county town came into view. However, they weren't in the mood to browse the market; instead, they kept asking around for directions to the horse market.

There were no horse ranches within the Song territory, and horses were extremely scarce, so their prices were naturally very high. Although Yue Fei had travel expenses given to him by his mother, it wasn't enough to buy a horse. Fortunately, Qin Zhen had the ring given to him by his senior brother, so they turned and headed towards the money exchange.

Qin Zhen took the gold-inlaid jade ring to the only money exchange in town. The money exchange owner carefully examined the ring, then looked at Qin Zhen suspiciously. After much deliberation, he finally gave her one hundred taels of silver. However, at the same time, he also wrote a letter to Bianjing. After all, one hundred taels of silver was a considerable sum for a small money exchange, and besides, a young girl like Qin Zhen could easily be mistaken for a runaway young lady, so sending a letter was quite necessary.

They successfully bought a horse and two steamed buns and set off, but fate is unpredictable. They had only ridden for ten miles when a light spring rain began to fall.

"Qin Zhen, you've just recovered and shouldn't get wet in the rain. Let's go to Shili Slope ahead to take shelter from the rain," Yue Fei kindly suggested.

Qin Zhen originally wanted to travel in the rain, but he was worried that if he fell ill, it would take even longer. So he agreed to Yue Fei's suggestion and rode his horse to an empty house on Shili Slope to temporarily take shelter from the wind and rain.

Just after they reached Shilipo, a small group of people appeared on the road they had been traveling on. On the chestnut horse in the middle of the group, a young man wearing a black cloak stood out.

"Master, the rain is getting heavier, and we're still more than ten miles from Tangyin. Let's wait out this rain first, and then continue the search," said the guard in plain blue clothes, his face full of anxiety as he stared at his young master.

Cold raindrops fell along the brim of the black cloak, landing on Zhao Gou's straight nose and sliding down his pale lips. He gazed resolutely ahead, offering no reply to Zhao Yong, but instead raised his whip and lashed the horse's rump again.

The mount broke away from the group and galloped forward, taking up its master's black cloak and disappearing into the misty rain.

Zhao Yong frowned slightly, said nothing more, and quickly led the group behind him to follow.

In less than three days, they had traveled down the Yellow River, searching in many places and asking countless people, but they had heard of no one who had rescued the drowning woman. The arduous journey had even caused some of the guards to groan, but Zhao Gou remained silent, continuing his relentless search. Since Qin Zhen's drowning, he had rarely spoken, and his silence only fueled the anxiety of those around him.

On another route, Liu Qi led the remaining civil officials towards the Liao Kingdom, their hearts filled with unease. Qin Zhen had fallen into the raging Yellow River, and after a day of searching on the shore, everyone believed she was beyond saving. The civil officials felt it was unreasonable to delay their journey for a palace maid, and seeing Zhao Gou's insistence on changing course to search for her, they naturally disagreed vehemently.

However, faced with Zhao Gou's domineering attitude, the group had no choice but to discuss the matter and, after some expediency, decided to split into two groups: one to search for Qin Zhen, and the other to continue north. Ten days later, regardless of whether they found him or not, Zhao Yong would bring Zhao Gou to the post station in Daming Prefecture to reunite with the rest of the group.

Zhao Gou firmly believed that Qin Zhen was not dead. He could not accept the "fact" that Qin Zhen had died. He had to find her; this was his only belief!

Time was of the essence; he couldn't waste it on things like finding shelter from the rain. He had to keep searching. Cold raindrops lashed against his face, and his cloak billowed in the wind.

The rain was icy; the wind was cold… The thought of Qin Zhen possibly being blown about and drenched in the rain somewhere made Zhao Gou's whip lash out uncontrollably. The horse, unable to bear the pain, could only turn and gallop, gallop, gallop…

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I went to see a friend today and rushed to finish one chapter when I got back tonight. The school lights are about to go out, so the word count might be a bit low. Please bear with me; at least it's two chapters!

Next, I'm asking for votes!

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 054 Human Fortune and Misfortune Can Happen in an Instant

The spring rain was as fine as butter, and it kept falling incessantly. Qin Zhen stood in front of the stone house in Shili Slope, looking at the gloomy sky, and sighed, "I'm afraid I can't leave tonight. I'll just have to make do here for the night."

Yue Fei stood up and said, "I'll go to the back shed to check on the horses."

“Brother Yue,” Qin Zhen called out, “I’m not a rigid person and I don’t care about the rules of gender distinction. It’s raining heavily right now, and the back shed is uninhabitable, so you should stay inside.”

Seeing that Qin Zhen had seen through his thoughts, Yue Fei said somewhat embarrassedly, "But it's not good for a man to be in a private room during the day without a reason. I'm strong, and I'll be fine staying in the back shed for one night."

That stubborn blockhead is so obstinate!

Qin Zhen quickly changed her mind and said, "Brother Yue, you are my savior. If you don't mind, I would like to become your sworn brother and sister. I wonder if Brother Yue would agree?"

Yue Fei was overjoyed and happily agreed, "I would be more than happy to have a clever sister like you!"

Qin Zhen pulled Yue Fei over, and the two knelt down in front of the stone house, saying in unison, "Heaven above, earth below, we, Qin Zhen (Yue Fei), hereby swear an oath to become sworn brothers and sisters, to share blessings and hardships together. May the gods bear witness!"

After they kowtowed and swore an oath, the two looked at each other, and Qin Zhen said with a smile, "Well, now you don't have to go out, right? You're my older brother!"

Yue Fei scratched his head and smiled, not knowing what to say. He simply turned around and carried the pile of dry grass from the corner of the room, spreading it out into a simple mat.

The brother and sister sat down side by side against the wall, watching the drizzling rain outside, and gradually began to talk about their past. Before they knew it, it got dark.

Qin Zhen had never been so exhausted as he had been these past few days. His strength gradually gave out, and he curled up in a corner, clutching his bundle, and fell asleep. Yue Fei took out a piece of clothing from his own bundle and covered Qin Zhen with it. Then he gathered a pile of dry grass, arranged it against the door, and sat down to rest with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the middle of the night, jolting Yue Fei awake. In the brief but bright flash of lightning, Yue Fei suddenly noticed two figures in front of him!

"Hey!"