The Skyfaring Tower Ship left the capital, crossed Jade Sun Pass, and flew for a long while before finally arriving outside a county town.
Ao Huang poked his head over the rail. Nunu stood atop the dragon's head, her little claws firmly pinning down the Inkstone Turtle, while Little Ink, no taller than a finger, stood upon the Ink Flood Dragon and hovered beside Nunu.
Yang Yuhuan held Fang Yun's hand as she watched with him.
The words "Ning'an County" had appeared again and again lately. Fang Yun was already incomparably familiar with them, to the point that although this was clearly his first time seeing Ning'an County, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Ning'an County was a transportation hub in northern Jing Kingdom. Nearly all provisions bound for the three directions of northwest, due north, and northeast passed through here, because a river running east to west lay outside Ning'an County. Using that river, grain could be transferred to the northeast or northwest.
That river was the famed Yishui River of the north, and Ning'an County was also known as Yi County.
Ning'an County stood several hundred zhang from the Yishui River. Water had been drawn from it to encircle the city, forming a broad moat.
It was nearly noon. Cooking smoke curled up from every corner of Ning'an County, and the place was peaceful and serene, not at all like a city bordering the front lines.
North of Ning'an County, there were no true cities, only fortresses and passes. For those places held nothing but war and life and death; the Demon Barbarians gave the Human Race no chance whatsoever to farm or raise livestock.
The city walls stood tall, with soldiers patrolling atop them.
Unlike the spring splendor south of the Yangtze, it seemed the spring