Huaiyang Village.
Village Head Zhang Yu squatted by the field ridge, gazing at the grand house gradually taking shape before him. His face bloomed with smiles.
"Heh heh, hehehehe..."
For the past few days, whenever he had nothing to do, he would squat here and watch. No matter how long he looked, he couldn't get enough of it. He was in the best of spirits.
His aunt-by-marriage brought him a meal. Seeing him grinning like a fool, she couldn't help smacking him on the head.
"What are you grinning about?!"
Zhang Yu covered his head, still beaming. "A-Cheng earned a noble title through military merit—Fifth Rank Grandee! Just look at this big house. Oh, I've only ever seen the county's grand lord live in a house this big. Whenever I passed by, I'd secretly curse them in my heart."
"Now A-Cheng's become a grand lord too. Heh, that boy's even grander than those other lords."
But his aunt didn't look very happy. Her face was full of worry. "So what if he's a grand lord? He won that title by risking his life, didn't he?"
"Is going to war such a wonderful thing? No matter how big the house, you need to be alive to live in it!"
"On the battlefield, swords and blades don't have eyes, and that boy has no sense of his own limits. Whenever I think about how he charges forward without a thought, I can't sleep for night after night."
"Whenever I dream, it's all shouting and killing. I keep dreaming that A-Cheng is surrounded by enemies and can't break through. They're all thrusting spears at him, he's covered in blood, and he's shouting, 'Auntie, save me! Save me!'"
As she spoke, his aunt turned away and wiped her tears.
Zhang Yu stared at her in disbelief. "You woman, couldn't you dream about something good for once?"
"What's there to fear about fighting? Men are supposed to fight. You know our nephew better than anyone—he was born with divine strength, and he's built like iron. Everyone in a ten-li radius knows him as Little Iron Man. Who could beat him?"
"He killed more than two hundred enemies in a single battle!"
"Would the enemy dare surround him? They'd need five hundred men... eight hundred... at least a thousand before they'd have any chance of trapping him!"
"Women don't know a damn thing. A-Cheng joined the Central Army's Assault Cavalry Battalion. That's one of the best armies around. They're the ones who surround the enemy; how could they let the enemy surround them?"
"Just put your mind at ease. Nothing's going to happen."
Zhang Yu blustered away, sounding every bit the brave man, but his aunt's words had set his own heart fluttering with unease.
He'd become Village Head because he'd earned merit on the battlefield himself. He knew how quickly things could change in a fight. It wasn't as simple as he made it sound.
Fortunately, his aunt really was reassured by his words, and she seemed much calmer.
"You eat. I'll go inside and have a look. I don't know whether those household servants have ever built a house before. We need to get the cabinets and kitchen arranged properly, or A-Cheng won't be able to cook once he gets married..."
His aunt left. Zhang Yu ate, smacking his lips, and suddenly found that gazing at the grand house didn't feel quite as pleasant.
Just then, a man in a black embroidered robe walked over. "Sir, is this the new house built by Zhao Cheng, the Fifth Rank Grandee?"
Zhang Yu eyed him warily. "It is. What do you want?"
"Nothing in particular. I'd heard that this Fifth Rank Grandee is an invincible warrior, a fierce general who can take on ten thousand men. I admire his reputation, so I came to see what his life was like before."
The Secret Agent wore a look of admiration, and seemed quite sincere.
Zhang Yu took half a step back, still on guard. "Where are you from?"
"What's your name, and where do you live?"
The Secret Agent looked a little awkward, but kept smiling. "There's no need to be so nervous. I just wanted to have a casual chat with you."
Zhang Yu fixed his gaze on him. "You can't answer, can you? I think you're a spy who snuck in from the enemy army!"
It wasn't uncommon for enemy spies to infiltrate the country during wartime and threaten a general's family to get to him.
Besides, the battlefield wasn't far from here, and Zhao Cheng had become famous after a single battle. After what his aunt had just said, Zhang Yu was more vigilant than ever. Now everyone looked suspicious to him.
"No, how could I be a spy?"
The Secret Agent gave a helpless laugh. "I'm..."
He couldn't reveal his identity, so he decided not to say any more. Since he couldn't get anything out of this man, he'd just ask someone else. He turned to leave, planning to find other places to gather intelligence.
Zhang Yu was already on high alert. The moment he saw the man trying to leave, it confirmed his suspicions.
Openly wielded spears were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. He couldn't just let the man get away!
Without another thought, Zhang Yu summoned all his courage, rushed forward, wrapped his arms around the Secret Agent's chest and stomach, and tried to slam him to the ground, hoping to take him by surprise and subdue him.
The Secret Agent was startled. He stumbled, then regained his footing, anger surging in his heart.
The villagers here had no manners at all!
Though he held no official post, he was a Secret Agent of the Black Ice Terrace. Even ordinary ministers treated him with courtesy when they met. What kind of uncouth person lunged at someone without a word?
He really had no idea how close he was to death!
With a slight flex of his waist, he flung Zhang Yu away. Then he raised a foot and kicked at him.
The kick had some force behind it. It should keep this villager in bed for a few days—just enough to teach him a small lesson.
Zhang Yu landed on his backside in the field. As he watched the big foot swing toward him, he thought, I'm done for.
Thump!
A tremendous force suddenly crashed into the Secret Agent's lower back. His body bent as he flew away, rolling several times between the field ridges.
He clutched his back and scrambled to his feet, disregarding the pain of his fractured ribs, ready to spring up and strike back.
But halfway through reaching for his knife, he suddenly froze.
There was only one reason: the man standing before him was the head of the Black Ice Terrace.
Dun Ruo!
The warmth had vanished from Dun Ruo's expression. In its place, his eyes blazed with a cold light that chilled the Secret Agent to the bone.
The scene fell completely silent. All three men were drenched in cold sweat.
The Secret Agent was terrified.
He had never seen his superior look like this. Under that icy glare, he felt he could die at any moment.
He stammered out an explanation. "Chief, I..."
Dun Ruo was terrified too.
His subordinate's kick had nearly knocked his head off!
He'd come here hoping to cozy up to Zhao Cheng in advance, but instead of getting close to him, he'd nearly made an enemy of him first!
Anyone who blocked his path to cozying up to Zhao Cheng was practically begging to die!
"Go back and receive Heaven's Punishment."
Heaven's Punishment...
A punishment of the highest severity, a fate worse than death.
The Secret Agent turned pale, but obediently nodded.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was already sweating like a waterfall. He was terrified too.
That spy was so strong that he'd tossed Zhang Yu aside with a casual movement. There was no way he could fight him.
And the spy's leader had kicked him so far away—how much stronger must he be?
This was bad!
The other side had shown up with an entire gang!
He couldn't beat them, but his wife was still inside the house. He couldn't run away. What was he supposed to do?
As his thoughts raced, Zhang Yu tensed from head to toe and stared fixedly at Dun Ruo, searching for a way to defeat him.
In just a short while, sweat had already beaded on his forehead.
As the three of them stood at an impasse, Dun Ruo suddenly strode up to Zhang Yu and, while Zhang Yu watched him warily, bent at the waist and bowed deeply.
"I failed to discipline my subordinate properly. I hope you'll forgive us."
Zhang Yu was stunned. He stared at the "spy leader" before him, unable to recover for a long while.
The other Secret Agents of the Black Ice Terrace were stunned too.
Could this villager be some hidden big shot in the Qin State, a man who'd kept himself out of sight?
How else could the leader of the Black Ice Terrace treat him with such respect?
The Secret Agent who had offended Zhang Yu looked even more ashen. He'd never seen Dun Ruo show such courtesy to anyone other than the King of Qin.
And the other man looked like nothing more than an ordinary villager. Usually, it was just this kind of contrast that marked a truly great man who'd returned to simplicity!
Who had he offended?
"You're... not spies from Han State?" Zhang Yu asked doubtfully.
Dun Ruo smiled sincerely. "Calling us spies wouldn't be entirely wrong. But even if we are spies, we're spies for the Qin State."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dun Ruo. By His Majesty's command, I've come to investigate Zhao Cheng's life."
"Zhao Cheng distinguished himself through his bravery and military achievements at the battle of Fang City Pass. He's already caught the King's attention. His Majesty values him and has ordered us to investigate Zhao Cheng's life, background, and temperament so that he may be entrusted with important duties in the future."
He spoke with such sincerity. He also showed Zhang Yu the King of Qin's command, his Black Ice token, and the Household Register Bamboo Slip he'd obtained from the county office.
"I've just come from the county seat. I know Meng Wei. If you don't believe me, we can go speak with him."
Zhang Yu couldn't recognize the King's command or the Black Ice token, but he knew the Household Register Bamboo Slip.
Just a few days ago, he'd personally taken the ennoblement decree to exchange for a new household register. His own mark was on the bamboo slip, so it couldn't be faked.
"So that's how it is." When Zhang Yu learned that the King had noticed Zhao Cheng's bravery and intended to put him to important use, he immediately brightened.
He turned to the Secret Agent he'd misunderstood. "Sorry, young man. I got the wrong idea."
Then he looked at Dun Ruo. "I was the one who started it, so don't punish him."
Dun Ruo shook his head. "He's a newcomer. He didn't follow the rules, so of course he needs to learn his lesson."
He waved for his subordinates to withdraw, then squatted down beside Zhang Yu by the field ridge and started talking with him.
The extraordinary embroidered robe on Dun Ruo's back did nothing to diminish the earthy air of a farmhand about him.
Squatting beside Zhang Yu, he didn't seem out of place at all. He blended perfectly into his surroundings.
The two of them began talking about Zhao Cheng's life.
Zhang Yu was overcome with emotion.
"...The boy never even saw his father. Then, when he was in his teens, he lost his mother too. He lived all alone, poor and helpless. Luckily, he's a capable one. He can farm a hundred mu by himself, and still has the energy to help us with the farmwork."
"Everyone in the surrounding villages praises him as a boy made of iron! They're all waiting for him to come of age so they can marry their daughters to him!"
Zhang Yu puffed out his chest proudly, then grinned wryly. "It's just that he eats an awful lot. He can empty my family's rice jar in half a month. I had to take him hunting in the mountains all the time just to keep him fed."
"Even then, he still couldn't get enough. At fifteen, he started clamoring to enlist. But the Qin State has rules. They wouldn't let him join the army before he was old enough."
"Who knew war would break out again so suddenly? He'd already been wanting to enlist."
"Well, now the age limit's been lowered. Off he went to join the army, happy as could be. Then he earned a title, and scared his aunt so badly she couldn't sleep for several nights."
"My lord, you can rest assured. We're all law-abiding people. There's no one in our family who commits crimes."
As if afraid Dun Ruo wouldn't believe him, he even talked about himself. "I fought in several battles with the Central Army and killed five or six Han soldiers. I've taught Zhao Cheng loyalty and bravery since he was little..."
Dun Ruo kept responding softly, giving Zhang Yu even more reason to talk.
But when Zhang Yu finally paused, Dun Ruo naturally asked, "I believe he's a good boy. But to understand his background, I'll need to learn about his father too..."
Zhang Yu said nothing, looking rather sheepish.
Dun Ruo knew not to press the matter too obviously. If the other man didn't say anything—or didn't know anything—that would be even better.
"It's all right if you don't know."
Who would have thought that, after holding it in for a long moment, Zhang Yu would suddenly blurt out, "That son of a bitch..."
Dun Ruo shuddered. His heart leapt, and he nearly reached out to cover Zhang Yu's mouth.
My dear ancestor, you can't curse him!
Before you continue