Who would have thought that even ten thousand miles away, Great Liang still wielded such influence?
Su Che shook his head and followed Lü Zheng into the city.
There was no desolation to be seen in the streets. Merchants trading goods and performers putting on roadside acts could be found everywhere; the crowds surged like a bustling sea, and noise filled the air.
A shadow passed through Lü Zheng's eyes.
"Back when I was at home, Father often took me walking through the streets. He told me never to look down on these common folk. Even immortals came from ordinary people. It was their every brick and tile, every cup of tea and bowl of rice, that made a world like this possible."
At the mention of that father, Lü Zheng's heart was a jumble of emotions.
"My father was said to be a battle-hardened general, but in truth, he was a hunter. With the sect sheltering us, other countries did not dare make a move against our Solitary Bamboo Kingdom. Our true enemies were the demons in the northern mountains. No one knew when a pack of Beasts might come rushing out, hunting everywhere for bloody prey."
"Whenever that happened, Father led troops to guard the border. He took great companies of cavalry to patrol the mountains. Each time he left, he would be gone for months. Though I could not see him, I knew he had gone to war for the kingdom. My mother was always teaching me lessons, saying my father was a towering hero who held up heaven and earth."
As Lü Zheng spoke of that father, his gaze was filled with complicated emotions.
"But such a great hero could not even protect his own family. The ruler issued an edict saying he was guilty. Back