"After going in circles, I'm back again..."
Lu Xun sat in the ox cart, lifted the curtain, and gazed at the ancient city before him. Under the sunlight, the city walls bore mottled traces of age.
Though the realm had only recently been pacified, Ji Province had suffered relatively little from the ravages of war. After all, when Ji Province was taken, the Heaven-Answering Army's Momentum was already fully formed. Even though the Heaven-Answering Army had been ruthlessly harsh toward the local powerful clans at the time, compared with utter annihilation, more of those local magnates chose to obediently surrender and relocate.
The heart of Ji Province was Feather City—the city before his eyes.
As for the origin of its name, it came from an emperor of ancient times: the Feather Emperor.
Of course, the earliest Feather City had not stood here. Over the long years, seas had turned to mulberry fields; this city had been built over a thousand years ago, merely inheriting the old name.
At that moment, Lu Xun saw that a long queue had formed at Feather City's gates. These were all commoners waiting to enter the city, a mixed crowd: villagers visiting relatives in the city, merchants carrying great loads of goods, and more.
Unlike under the old dynasty, entering a city under the New Dynasty required no entry fee. However, as the court had only just been established, necessary inspections were still conducted to prevent thieves and bandits from causing trouble within the city.
Though he was still far away, Lu Xun could sense at a glance the killing intent that the soldiers guarding the gates unconsciously gave off.
These soldiers were no ordinary militia. They were regular troops transferred to local posts, and all of them were elite.
Still, that was only proper.