Ten days later.
Dou Ling Empire, southwest border.
On both sides of the official road are endless wilderness, and the mountains in the distance are looming in the mist.
The further you go southwest, the sparsely populated you become, and you can occasionally see a few low mud houses on the roadside.
Xiao Xiao sat in the carriage, opened the curtain and took a look outside, with a look of relief on his face as if he had returned home.
"Almost there."
The carriage was rented after entering the city.
Lin Yaoyang originally wanted to fly, but Xiao Xiao said, "How can you fly in when you return to my house? It's so rude."
So the four of them changed to a carriage. Xiao Xiao Family was at the border of the Dou Ling Empire, and the fiefdom was Shuoyang City, which was still some distance from the border pass.
Along the way, Lin Yaoyang gained a more intuitive understanding of this "border".
The land is vast and sparsely populated, the land is barren, the villages are dilapidated, and the faces of the people have a kind of numbness after being rubbed repeatedly by life.
Occasionally, a patrol taxi soldier passes by. His armor is old, but his back is straight.
When we arrived at the pass, the city walls were much higher than those of the previous towns, but the traces of time could still be seen.
The wall bricks are mottled, and the three characters "Shuoyang Pass" are engraved above the city gate.
Xiao Xiao directly took out a token from his arms and waved it in front of the gatekeeper.
"These are my friends who came to visit my father."
The soldier glanced at the token, immediately moved out of the way, bowed his head and saluted.
The carriage passed the border smoothly and continued along the official road.
Xiao Xiao put the token away, turned around and said to Lin Yaoyang and the others, "My father is Marquis of Zhenshuo of the empire. Although he is only a marquis, my father's status is very high in this southwest area."
There was pride and pride in her father's voice.
"And our manor is so big that it takes us half a day to walk from here to there."
Wang Dong'er asked curiously, "Isn't your family very rich?"
Xiao Xiao thought for a while and shook his head, "You are rich, but not the kind of rich you think. The border is vast and sparsely populated, and there is not much tax revenue. Most of my father's money is spent on raising soldiers."
"Raising soldiers?"
Jiang Nannan was slightly startled.
"Yeah,"
Xiao Xiao nodded, "One of Marquis of Zhenshuo's responsibilities is to guard the southwest border to prevent Soul Beast in Star Dou Forest from hurting people, and also to guard against... well, other things."
She didn't elaborate, but all three of them could understand the implication.
Who are you guarding against? Star Luo Empire is one, and Heaven Dou Empire is also one.
No one can say for sure what happens on the border.
The carriage walked for a while, and a huge group of buildings appeared on the horizon ahead.
Looking from a distance, it is a mansion that occupies an extremely large area, covering an area of about two thousand acres, with no end as far as the eye can see.
The gray-white courtyard walls are continuous, and the tops of the walls are covered with blue tiles.
The sign Lou Gao on the main entrance is five feet tall and magnificent, with four large characters engraved on the lintel.
Marquis Zhenshuo Mansion.
It's not a house, it's more like a small town.
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion.
The concierge is an old man in his fifties, wearing a used green cloth gown, sitting on a chair under the porch and taking a nap.
Hearing the sound of the carriage, he opened his eyes and first saw a young man getting out of the carriage, and then saw his own lady sticking her head out from behind.
The old concierge wiped his eyes, thinking he had made a mistake.
"Miss? Are you back so early?"
Xiao Xiao jumped off the carriage, patted the folds on her skirt, and said with a smile, "Well, this is my friend who came to visit my father. My parents are at home, right?"
The old porter stood up and replied respectfully, "The Marquis went to inspect the military camp this morning, and my wife is still in the house."
As he spoke, he pushed open the heavy iron door.
"Let's go." Xiao Xiao led Lin Yaoyang and the three of them inside.
Backyard garden.
Su Wanqing is arranging flowers.
She looks much younger than her actual age, with well-maintained skin, fair and delicate skin, dignified and beautiful facial features, and a gentle tenacity between her eyebrows.
She wore a light cyan dress with a plain white gauze cover. Her long hair was pulled into a loose bun with a hosta inserted sideways.
The whole person sat there, like a meticulous painting.
When she heard the message from the concierge that the eldest lady was back, she put down the flower branches in her hands, stood up, and returned to the hall.
Xiao Xiao walked into the hall with Lin Yaoyang and the others, and threw himself into the arms of Su Wanqing with a bright smile.
"Mom! I'm back!"
Su Wanqing hugged her daughter, patted her back gently, and looked over her shoulder at the three young people following her.
A young man with short orange-red hair walked at the front, with a tall and straight posture, a calm pace, and a pair of clear and bright golden eyes.
Behind him were two girls, one wearing a plain dress, with a gentle temperament and picturesque features.
The other one was wearing a blue and white dress, with long pink-blue hair hanging down to her waist, and a face that was too delicate to look like a real person.
Su Wanqing's eyes turned around on the faces of the three people, and he had an idea in his mind.
"Hello, aunt!" x3
She let go of Xiao Xiao and stepped forward with a smile.
"Have you had a hard time on the road? Come on in and sit down."
In the flower hall, the maids served tea and snacks.
Su Wanqing is sitting in the main seat, Xiao Xiao is sitting next to her, and Lin Yaoyang, Jiang Nannan, and Wang Dong'er are sitting in the guest seats.
Su Wanqing's eyes fell on Lin Yaoyang, looking up and down.
She thought that Xiao Xiao would like a talented young man who was outgoing and sharp. After all, she, as a mother, knew her daughter's nymphomaniac attributes best.
But the man in front of me was sitting there quietly, unhurried, like a deep pool of water with no depth.
"Are you the Lin Yaoyang that Xiao Xiao often mentions?"
Su Wanqing asked with a smile.
"It's me, Aunt Su."
Lin Yaoyang bowed slightly and said, "I'm sorry to bother you."
"Don't bother me. Xiao Xiao is in the academy, thanks to you for taking care of me."
Su Wanqing looked at Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong'er again with a gentle smile, "Don't be restrained, just treat it as your own home."
Jiang Nannan bowed politely. "Thank you, Aunt Su."
Wang Dong'er also nodded. Although he did not speak, there was a slight smile on the corner of his mouth.
Su Wanqing turned his head and looked at his daughter, with a hint of meaningful inquiry in his eyes.
Xiao Xiao lowered his head to drink tea, his ears slightly red, pretending not to notice.
Su Wanqing did not ask further questions.
As a daughter, she has always had ideas since she was a child. She has a clear mind about what she likes and what she doesn't like.
Several people chatted for a while.
Su Wanqing asked Xiao Xiao about his study and life in the college, and Xiao Xiao answered them one by one.
Su Wanqing listened with a smile, but his eyes fell on Lin Yaoyang from time to time.
The conversation turned to Lin Yaoyang.
"Yao Yang,"
When Su Wanqing called his name, his tone was natural and friendly, "What do you do at home?"
Lin Yaoyang thought for a while and said, "There are two sisters at home, both Titled Douluo. My family is in the north. It is inconvenient to reveal the specific location. I forgive you, Aunt Su."
Su Wanqing was slightly surprised.
Two sisters of Titled Douluo?
That was not something a small family could have. He didn't elaborate, and she didn't ask, but the scale in her heart had moved slightly.
"What are you doing now?"
"Soul Sage."
Su Wanqing's eyebrows moved slightly.
How much?! Soul Sage?!
How old is this child? Thirteen? Fourteen?
She looked at Xiao Xiao, and Xiao Xiao nodded, as if to say, "I didn't lie to you."
Su Wanqing picked up the teacup, took a sip, and suppressed the surprise in his heart.
She began to understand her daughter's decision.
Lin Yaoyang put down the tea cup and took the initiative to bring up business.
"Aunt Su, in addition to visiting you and Uncle Xiao this time, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you."
Su Wanqing put down the tea cup and looked at him.
"You said."
"I plan to establish a force. The location is Spirit City Ruins."
The flower hall was quiet for a moment.
Su Wanqing's eyes narrowed slightly.
Spirit City Ruins.
That was the core of the Spirit Hall back then.
Since the destruction of Ten Thousand Years before Spirit Hall, that city has been abandoned.
Although it is now within the territory of the Dou Ling Empire, no one dares to touch it. The place is too sensitive, and anyone who touches it will be in trouble.
Moreover, the small valley is close to Star Dou Forest, which is very dangerous, and over time no one cares about it.
A fourteen-year-old boy said he wanted to build his power and chose that kind of place.