Edited by NZRose

  Lin Shu was stunned.

  He looked at Li Emao.

  The girl scratched the door frame, her eyes widened, and she looked behind him in fear.

  He turned around, there was nothing behind him, only the empty village.

  The aunt said: “Don’t be afraid, girl. They won’t catch this brother.”

  After this conversation, Lin Shu finally knew what had happened.

  He originally thought that the situation in the Academy was already extremely dangerous, but he did not expect that outside, in the mortal world, it had already reached this point.

  With the coming of war, the army needs to be expanded and a lot of workforces are needed for all kinds of fortifications. The government began to recruit soldiers and civilian men.

  According to Ling Fengxiao’s previous statement, Southern Xia originally implemented the “Law of Employment and Servitude”. That was, each family has the number of places and years required to serve, but it can be exempted by paying the corresponding money and food. A part of the money and food was used to recruit civilian men, who were willing to serve in military service, and the remaining part was used to fill the treasury. However, after the restoration of the “Law of Forced Service”, the people could no longer be exempted from labour by paying money and food. So they have no choice but to serve.

  ——What’s more, even if the “Law of Employment and Servitude” was still implemented, and there is no harvest during the severe drought, how can the people give up enough money and food to avoid labour?

  Looking at the girl with extreme fear, it was obvious that she has a deep psychological shadow. From this, we can imagine how ferocious the officials were when they arrested people.

  Their family was originally a harmonious family of five, but now only the aunt and the young girl were left. How can they survive in this war and famine?

  Thinking more about it, how many people like this should there be in the land of Southern Xia?

  I’m afraid there are countless.

  In this case, Lin Shu only read relevant poems in Chinese class.

  The specific words and sentences are too numerous to enumerate. It is clear that the war has not yet begun, but he has thought of the word “the people in utter misery and suffering”.

  When he was going to school, he was only endorsing it. In any case, he never thought that he would be in it one day.

  The aunt said: “Yamao is still looking forward to going to the Academy and learning immortality in the coming year……”

  Her eyes were bloodshot, the hand holding Lin Shu’s shoulder was trembling, and her eyes were full of pain.

  Lin Shu patted her arm gently, took out a bottle of Fasting Pill from the brocade bag, and said, “You can eat one pill and you can go without eating food or drinking for 30 days.”

  The aunt was stunned, then reacted by picking up the bottle and stuffed it into her arms, then looked out again to make sure that no one saw it.

  Lin Shu was led in by her.

  The aunt poured him a bowl of turbid water and said, “There is no good water. Hope you don’t dislike it.”

  “It’s okay,” Lin Shu said.

  If Li Yamao’s family is like this, so it must be more for other families. Eating and drinking water were all problems.

  The auntie watched him finish drinking the water in small sips, she wiped her tears and said: “A few days ago, Yamao was looking forward to learning immortality in the next year. I didn’t expect……”

  “Have they left?” Lin Shu asked

  Aunt: “What?”

  Lin Shu said, “The army.”

  “No,” said the aunt, “They have to go to other places for enlistment. It is said that they will be sent to the border by mules and horses in five days.”

  “Hmm,” Lin Shu said, “Wait for a minute.”

  After that, he picked up the jade talisman and went to the Dreamscape.

  Mr. Meng turned and said, “Taoist friend, you are here. Do you want to practice sword? “

  Lin Shu hesitated for a moment and said, “There is one thing.”

  Mr. Meng said, “What’s the matter?”

  Lin Shu said, “Do you know Li Yamao?”

  Mr. Meng said with a gentle smile, “Taoist friend, do you know him? He should have come to the Academy this year. When I was in charge of the entrance examination, I didn’t think I had seen him, so I went out of my way to look for him. If you know him, don’t worry, ask him to remember to come next year. ”

  “He was ill this year,” Lin Shu said.

  \r \r \r

  Mr. Meng suddenly: “So that’s why.”

  Lin Shu continued: “A few days ago, he was captured.”

  As soon as the voice fell, Mr. Meng frowned: “This……”

  “Why?” he continued.

  “To fight in the war.” Lin Shu said, then continued, “Can he come to the Academy?”

  Mr. Meng said: “He is not poor in talent. He has been regarded as a man of immortality. I just fear that he couldn’t keep up with the course, that is why I made him learn more words in the mortal world.”

  Lin Shu thought about the rescue character, which was written as “ball”. Although it was wrongly written, it was also written in part correctly on the whole. From not knowing one big character to being able to write, he really studied it carefully.

  “Taoist friend, if they haven’t left yet, go to their Garrison and look for the Village Head. I will show up and beg for help from him.”

  Lin Shu said, “Thank you very much.”

  “Taoist friend, tell me in detail what the situation is like.”

  Lin Shu told Mr. Meng about the situation in the village.

  “Where is this?” Mr. Meng said again.

  Mr. Meng has always had a mild temper, but at the moment he frowned and scolded, his tone was stern, and his eyes were very worried.

  After a long while, he said: “I know this is a helpless move…… It’s just that the situation is so severe that we are at fault after all.”

  Lin Shu doesn’t know who this “we” refers to.

  Mr. Meng sighed and said: “Taoist friend, please don’t worry about this matter, the reputation of the mortal world’s authorities is still equal to the immortal path.”

  Lin Shu said: “Thank you very much.”

  “You don’t have to thank me,” Mr. Meng looked at the sea of clouds. “Taoist friend, go and find the Village Head. First of all, I will go to Shangling to discuss this matter in detail. The enlistment policy must not be like this, otherwise, the national strength will decline within three years. Although I don’t care much about mortal affairs I can still speak in front of his majesty.”

  Having said that, Mr. Meng arched his hand toward Lin Shu, and his figure immediately disappeared.

  Lin Shu left the Dreamscape and saw that the aunt was looking at himself, and her eyes were full of expectation.

  “I told the Academy.” Lin Shu said, “You wait at home. I’ll go to find the Village Head.”

  The aunt’s lips twitched, she was speechless, and there seemed to be tears in her eyes.

  Lin Shu didn’t know how to comfort her, and only said, “Don’t worry.”

  After that, he asked about the Village Head, where he was and went out.

  In the Southern Xia Dynasty, one hundred households were set up as one Li, and each Li had a post of principal responsible for household registration and taxes.

  The aunt only knew the Village Head’s residence and the government office, but she didn’t know where the Village Head was at the moment. Lin Shu had to ask around several times, and then he found the Village Head and his men in another village ten miles away from the village.

  Two men were pulling a young man out of the courtyard of a family. It was a white fat middle-aged man who spat on the ground and said, “Hide in the cellar! cellar! I’ve seen that trick a lot!”

  The man’s family members, holding a child who could not walk, sat on the threshold and cried, “My Lord, we are already orphans and widows and can’t do any work. Will we drink from the North and the West later?”

  The Village Head said: “You are not the only one who drinks from the North and the West!”

  The woman burst into tears and was about to knock her head against the door, and the man was in agony.

  The Village Head said to her viciously: “You are hiding your man today, and he won’t be able to fight a good battle in the future. Then you will want to drink the northwest wind, and I am afraid that you will have no life!”

  After all this, the opponent said: “Go!”

  He turned around and looked up to see Lin Shu.

  Lin Shu knew that the clothes he was wearing were not mortal style, so he was not surprised to be examining his eyes and saluted him politely: “My Lord.”

  The Village Head stepped back a few steps, and returned his salute: “What advice can the Immortal Chief have?”

  Lin Shu said: “There is something.”

  As soon as the voice fell, the jade pendant on his waist flashed, and after a trance, he saw the phantom of Mr. Meng appeared in front of the Village Head.

  Mr. Meng made a bow to the Village Head. His words were polite and explained the whole story clearly. To this effect, Li Yamao was a disciple of Shangling Academy. He had to go to Shangling Academy and asked the Village Head to release the person. The other procedures should be handed over by the school, and the Village Head does not have to be afraid of being criticised by his superiors.

  The Village Head was looking at them for a long time and said that fairies naturally have the truth of immortals, but he, as a mortal, also has difficulties for ordinary people. This matter must be reported to the higher authorities.

  Mr. Meng said, “Good.”

  Lin Shu knew that the mortal world had its own mortal rules, not to mention that the immortal disciples never did anything to mortals. Even if Mr. Meng came personally, he had to abide by the mortal rules and could not rescue Li Yamao immediately.

  The Village Head said, “This immortal head will return to the camp with us.”

  Lin Shu gave a sigh of relief and was about to follow, but when he saw one of the Village Head’s men, the man suddenly fell to his knees and his voice trembled: “General!”

  He called out “General”, but his eyes were on Mr. Meng.

  Mr. Meng definitely looked at him and said, “I’ve seen you.”

  “Quyang City!” The man took a few steps on his knees and came to Mr. Meng, “General, you still…… You are still here!”

  He reached out to grab the corner of Mr. Meng’s clothes, but his hand went straight through Mr. Meng’s phantom and grabbed an empty space.

  ——He saw him in a daze as he looked up at Mr. Meng with a blank face.

  Mr. Meng was dressed in blue, with a broad robe and wide sleeves, and was immortal. His face was only more than 20 years old, and his subordinate was already wrinkled, he was 30 or 40 years old.

  Mr. Meng said: “It was just a false job back then. Just call me Mr. Meng.”

  The man looked at his hand that was obviously going to grab the corner of Mr. Meng’s clothes, but he didn’t catch anything, and said, “.……Mr.?”

  Mr. Meng said: “I am no longer alive.”

  The man said, “General, in Quyang city…… I was a small soldier in Quyang City. I have seen you several times. Later, I didn’t die in the war. After the war, I didn’t have much credit, so I was sent home and became a petty official.”

  Mr. Meng said in a warm voice, “It’s better to survive.”

  The man breathed heavily: “General, there will be another war.”

  Mr. Meng leaned down and helped him: “Everything is impermanent. Just accept it.”

  Lin Shu looked at this scene and thought, in this way, Mr. Meng was definitely the man who guarded the lonely city at night that the Big Miss said.

  It was said that the immortal world is different, but in this world, immortals are inseparable. After completing their studies, the disciples of the Celestial Academy either returned to their clan or sect to continue their training or served for the court and joined the army. Both the Celestial Sects and the family had close ties with the dynasty. Once the war ignited, the Celestials would not be able to survive alone.

  Mr. Meng comforted the man a few more words before returning to the jade talisman.

  Lin Shu followed the Village Head into the carriage, all the way back to the temporary barracks.

  The barracks are a row of low thatched houses with men ranging in age from 20 to 60.

  There are a lot of people, but Lin Shu didn’t see Li Yamao. He followed the Village Head to the other side and watched him asking for instructions. After asking for instructions for the last time, he finally crossed out the name of “Li Yamao” on the roster.

  A soldier went to the temporary barracks and yelled out his name. There was a commotion in the distance and then Lin Shu saw Li Yamao running towards him.

  He was wearing brown coarse cloth, he was much thinner, his face was pale, and his expression was very haggard, and he suffered a lot at first glance.

  “Brother Lin, you……” Li Yamao’s chest was heaving, as he took a few breaths. “The people here are watching closely, I can only scribble a word secretly while they can’t see, I didn’t expect you to really—”

  Lin Shu: “That word is also wrong.”

  Li Yamao was very embarrassed.

  The Village Head said impatiently, “Go quickly, do not shake the morale of the army!”

  Lin Shu took him away. Before he left, he looked back at the barracks and saw that countless men in brown short combat were looking at this side. Lin Shu couldn’t say what they were looking at. They were probably jealous.

  However, he can only bring out Li Yamao alone.

  Looking at this scene, Lin Shu vaguely recalled the argument put forward by Xie Zishe two years ago, that night when they were roasting rats in the snow.

  He didn’t feel much before, but now he finally realized something vaguely.

  Immortals and chivalrous men, of course, have superb force and are recognized by others. They have a considerable social status and can do things that ordinary people can’t do. However, this force or position can only save one person, but not ten thousand.

  To save or kill ten thousand people, what is needed is the power of kings and Confucianism, a political power that has no form but holds the power to kill thousands of people.

  However, this has nothing to do with him, he just came to “ball” a Li Yamao.

  After going back, Li Yamao was so happy and the aunt could not say how grateful she was. After two days of rest, Lin Shu took Li Yamao on the way back to the Academy.

  After the instruction of the great headmaster, Li Yamao can directly enter the school, and when the new semester begins, he can choose classes normally.

  Li Yamao, who had just recovered from a serious illness, had been tossed around for several days in the military camp. He was too weak to stand the horse galloping in the wind and the sun. They used another mortal carriage and returned to the academy for ten days.

  Lin Shu took Li Yamao to familiarize himself with the structure of the Academy again that day and returned to his bamboo house late at night.

  He began to practice the zither.

  Now, for him, practicing the zither is like practicing the sword.

  The spirit power swings out from the string like sword Qi, cutting off countless bamboo leaves.

  However, what happened during this trip down the mountain, maybe because he was familiar with Li Yamao and could not completely take himself out of the incident, which made his mind fluctuate and he was always unable to completely calm down to play the zither.

  After the song was finished, there were still hallucinations, and he felt that he heard the lingering and low sound of a flute.

  Unexpectedly, he heard the sound of the Big Miss’s flute, and he felt unstable.

  ——————

  TL’s corner:

  Zaki: Big Miss is coming out?