Chapter 7: Han Tie Dean
The city wall of Fangliao County is twenty meters high and majestic, like a giant beast crouching at the foot of the Wuyang Mountains.
The city walls and gates are patrolled and guarded by soldiers wearing armor and holding swords, spears and halberds, making the city look solemn and awe-inspiring.
At this time, the sun had just risen from the distant horizon.
A large number of people from outside the city who wanted to enter the city had gathered outside the city gate. Although these people were poorly dressed, they were much better than the refugees who were cowering and gathering on the official road, wanting to go forward but not daring to.
Those refugees were all ragged, unkempt, pale and thin, looking like they were displaced and malnourished.
Qin Ziling even saw several bodies of refugees lying on the roadside outside the city. A yamen runner was directing people to load those bodies onto a cart, which was then being pulled towards the mass grave outside the city with a creaking sound.
"Alas, when will this world end?"
"Yes, it is said that Wang Lang, the governor of Nanding Prefecture, has declared himself king and killed all those who disobeyed him, with their heads rolling on the ground and blood flowing like a river. Maybe one day he will come to our Xiyun Prefecture to kill us!"
"It is said that the vassal state of Luodian in the southwest also rebelled, and invaded the border many times, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities. Many people fled Heya County."
"I heard that Jiugao County has suffered from floods and locust plagues for many years, and the people in many places have no harvest. However, the government not only refused to open the granaries and distribute disaster relief supplies, but also continued to increase taxes, making life miserable for the people. Many places have risen up in rebellion. Now Jiugao County is said to have bones exposed in the wild, and no roosters crowed for thousands of miles. It's so tragic."
"Hmph, how good is our Fangqiao County? Who dares to travel far now? There are bandits everywhere. Only the area around the city seems to be relatively peaceful and has some people. Look how many households are there more than ten miles away? Those officials only know how to fight for power in the city, seek pleasure, oppress the people, and collect money, but no one is willing to lead troops to eliminate the bandits."
"Hush! Don't say that!"
"Alas, this world is not peaceful!"
“…”
Qin Ziling stood in the crowd, looking at the scene in front of him, listening to people's whispers, and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
In the past, he had only seen descriptions of the sufferings of troubled times, human lives being worthless, and even cannibalism in history books. But that was too far away after all. Any imagination of Qin Ziling, who was living in a prosperous era with highly developed civilization and technology, was pale.
It was not until ten days ago, when he was reborn in a world very similar to the feudal chaos described in history books, that he truly experienced what it was like to suffer in troubled times and how human lives were worthless.
In such a chaotic world, he has no power, his family is poor, his house is located outside the city, in a village protected only by a dilapidated low wall, he has no achievements in martial arts, and is just an ordinary martial artist at the muscle training level. He can only deal with three or five big men who have not practiced martial arts. Once the war spreads to the county town, or bandits spread to this area, he will have difficulty protecting himself with his ability, let alone protecting his family and saving the people. That would be just a joke.
So, a few days ago, after Qin Ziling realized his situation, he felt really desperate.
It wasn't until yesterday that hope ignited in Qin Ziling's heart.
Qin Ziling gently pinched and twisted a faint black skin line on the little finger of his left hand with the thumb and index finger of his right hand, and then walked into the city gate proudly.
The county town is divided into inner town and outer town.
The inner city has city walls and moats, and those living inside are all the wealthy and powerful families and high-ranking officials in the county.
The four east-west streets and the six north-south streets divide the city into neighborhoods of varying sizes.
After Qin Ziling entered the west city gate, he crossed two streets and arrived at a large house with two stone lions placed in front of the door in Xianyuanfang, XC District.
There was a plaque hanging on the lintel of the mansion's vermilion gate, with four large, vigorous characters written on it: "Hantie Dean".
Qin Ziling pushed open the vermilion door, and in front of him was a spacious martial arts training ground.
There are already about twenty people gathered in the martial arts training ground, both men and women, with more men than women.
These twenty or so people were very young. Some were practicing boxing and palm exercises, some were holding onto stone locks to train their strength, and some were surrounding wooden dummies...
There was a man sitting under a big tree in the corner of the martial arts training ground.
Although his temples were somewhat gray and his body was somewhat hunched and thin, he had a large frame, especially his hands, which were much larger than those of an ordinary person, giving him a feeling of majesty and might.
He is Zuo Le, the owner of the "Hantie Zhangyuan" martial arts school.
"Master, Ziling greets you." Qin Ziling entered the martial arts hall and bowed to Zuo Le first.
Zuo Le drank his tea by himself and waved his hand without raising his head, indicating that he should go practice by himself.
Qin Ziling was not at all surprised by Zuo Le's indifferent reaction.
Apprentices like him who are still in the process of training their muscles are just objects for Zuo Le to make a living and make money. A group comes today and a group leaves tomorrow. They cannot be considered his real disciples.
Only those who have reached the level of practicing skin membrane can catch his eye, become his disciples and the objects of key cultivation. Only they are qualified to call Zuo Le "Master". People like Qin Ziling can only be called "Master".
Qin Ziling had just turned around to retreat when a young man wearing a training suit made of high-quality fabric came towards him. He had narrow eyes, thin lips, and a hint of cold and ruthless temperament.
"Zi Ling, practice with me later." The young man walked up to Qin Zi Ling and stamped his feet. He looked at him with a hint of mockery and contempt with his slightly narrowed eyes, and said in a tone that brooked no resistance.
"Okay, Senior Brother Nangong." Qin Ziling replied with a slight bow, his expression calm, but a hint of coldness flashed in the depths of his eyes that no one else could detect.
Seeing that Qin Ziling showed no anger or panic, Nangong Yue couldn't help but flash a hint of surprise in his slightly narrowed eyes, but soon a sneer of contempt appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he passed by Qin Ziling.
"Master Zuo, good morning!" Nangong Yue quickly came in front of Zuo Le. The cold and arrogant look on his face had long disappeared, replaced by respectfulness.
"You're here!" Zuo Le's attitude towards Nangong Yue was obviously different. When he saw him coming to say hello, he not only put down the teacup in his hand and nodded at him with a smile, but also looked him up and down with sharp eyes.
"Your blood is surging like a tide, surging powerfully. It seems that your father lost money again yesterday. But with your talent and your current age, it's all worth it. As long as you can continue to seal your blood with the membrane, constantly compress and temper it, and practice diligently, you will have a good chance of developing strength. Only by developing strength can you truly unleash the power of the Cold Iron Palm, and only then can you be considered a master in martial arts, a martial arts teacher, and be able to stand on your own. In our Fangqiao City, you can barely be considered a figure." Zuo Le's sharp eyes seemed to be able to see through Nangong Yue's internal organs, and soon he said with a hint of joy on his face.
Nangong Yue saw his master praising him and saying that he had a good chance of developing strength, and a hint of pride appeared on his face. However, Nangong Yue quickly put away his proud expression and bowed respectfully again, saying: "All this is thanks to Master Zuo's careful teaching. Only then can I have what I have today."
"Haha!" Zuo Le couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard that. The more he looked at Nangong, the more he liked him. He invited him to sit next to him and whispered to him to prepare some private food for him.
…
"What? Nangong Yue wants to practice with you again?" On the other side, a big man who was holding a stone lock to practice strength, as strong as an ox, with an open dark chest as hard as iron, threw a stone lock to Qin Ziling who was walking towards him, and glanced at Nangong Yue who was talking to Zuo Le under a big tree from a distance, with a hint of disdain and disgust in his eyes.
This person's name is Liu Xiaoqiang, and he is an apprentice in the martial arts school who has a good relationship with Qin Ziling.
"Yeah," Qin Ziling responded and quickly stepped forward to take the stone lock.
But the stone lock was heavy. Although he caught it, his steps were a little unsteady. He took a step back before he could steady himself.
"He is deliberately trying to make things difficult for you!" Liu Xiaoqiang said with an indignant look on his face.
"I know!" Qin Ziling said with a wry smile, glancing at the young woman who was practicing boxing and kicking on the other side of the martial arts field.
