Cloudrise City

The Great Qian Dynasty.

With Zhongzhou, where the Imperial Capital stood, at its center, it had divided the surrounding lands into six provinces.

Cloud Province lay farthest north, bordering the Northern Barbarians.

Three days later.

"We're finally here."

Seated on the carriage, Li Dao gazed into the distance, where a magnificent city gate had come into view.

Three large characters above it read "Cloudrise City."

"Have we arrived, young master?"

Jiu'er poked her head out of the carriage and looked toward the distant gate, curiosity written all over her face. This was the first time she had traveled so far to somewhere completely unfamiliar.

"Yes, we're here."

Li Dao drove the carriage onward and soon reached the city gates.

Two rows of soldiers were checking the information of travelers passing through in an orderly fashion.

When Li Dao's turn came, the carriage stopped.

A gate guard stepped forward and asked, "How many of you are there?"

"Two."

"Please have whoever's inside come out. I need to check their identity."

"Jiu'er, come out."

Soon, Li Dao and Jiu'er stood together.

The gate guard opposite them held their Identity Plaques, examining them carefully.

A few minutes later, he asked, "What brings you to Cloudrise City?"

Li Dao smiled faintly and answered without hesitation, "Enlisting."

Enlisting?

The guard froze at those words, then looked the man before him up and down.

Only after a moment did he ask, "You want to enlist? Why?"

"Naturally, to earn merit and make a name for myself," Li Dao replied.

"There are plenty of places to enlist in this vast world," the guard said. "Why come to Cloudrise City?"

"I don't like the Northern Barbarians."

"???"

Li Dao shrugged. "Is there something wrong with my answer?"

"No."

The guard continued, "It just seems a bit of a waste for someone with your looks to become a soldier."

"There's nothing to waste," Li Dao said quietly. "However handsome you are, won't you still be a pile of dry bones a hundred years from now?"

"But if I can earn merit in the army and leave a name behind after my death, then this journey through the mortal world won't have been in vain."

"Well said!" the guard blurted out. "Looks like you've had some schooling, too."

He returned the Identity Plaques and offered a reminder. "If you really want to enlist, there'll be a recruitment drive here in Cloudrise City in three days. You can give it a try."

Li Dao looked puzzled. "You have to try out to enlist?"

As he remembered it, armies in ancient times would take anyone willing to serve. In more extreme cases, they would even conscript people during emergencies. Why did he have to try out?

The guard smiled. "That's for ordinary armies. They'll take anyone who's sound of body and has a clean background."

"But the recruitment drive in three days is different."

"What makes it different?" Li Dao asked curiously.

The guard looked proud. "Because the general recruiting in three days is Cloud Province's Marquis of Suppressing the North, Shen Zhong."

"Everyone in Cloud Province knows that those who serve under the Marquis of Suppressing the North are elite soldiers and fierce warriors. Their pay and benefits are among the best in Great Qian, too. More importantly, it's an honor you can boast of."

"If you want to marry in Cloud Province, just say you're a soldier under the Marquis of Suppressing the North, and you'll never have to worry about finding a wife."

The Marquis of Suppressing the North?

Li Dao sifted through his memories and soon found information about the marquis.

Shen Zhong, the Marquis of Suppressing the North, came from the Shen Family, a prestigious clan dating back to Great Qian's founding.

His ancestor had been a first-rank founding duke.

But the Shen Family had backed the wrong prince in a struggle for succession. After the Great Qian Emperor of that generation took the throne, he had demoted their title again and again, nearly kicking them out of the nobility altogether.

Then, in Li Dao's father's generation, the Shen Family had finally produced a dragon.

Born with exceptional martial talent, he was also well versed in military texts and skilled at commanding troops.

After joining the army, he had fought his way upward until the current Great Qian Emperor bestowed upon him the title of second-rank Marquis of Suppressing the North.

Before disaster befell Li Dao, rumors had circulated in the Imperial Capital that the marquis would soon be promoted to first rank.

Some even said the Shen Family had a chance of reclaiming the honor of a dukedom in this generation.

In short, judging by his life story, the Marquis of Suppressing the North could have been the protagonist of his own tale. He was a first-rate figure even across all of Great Qian.

Seeing no response from Li Dao, the guard said plainly, "Anyway, you won't go wrong listening to me. Recruitment will be at Cloudrise City's north gate in three days. Make sure you remember. Miss this chance, and who knows when the next one will come?"

Coming back to himself, Li Dao nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, brother."

The guard smiled. "It's hardly a reminder. Even if I hadn't told you, you'd have heard about it soon after entering the city."

"Even so, thanks should still be given where they're due," Li Dao said frankly.

The guard laughed. "If you really want to repay the favor, just give me a promotion when you become a great general someday."

"I'm not asking for much. Just transfer me up onto the walls. Guarding the gate down here takes a bit too much worrying."

His own words made him laugh.

After all, not just anyone could become a great general.

Though the man before him was pleasant to look at, his bearing marked him as nothing more than a wealthy young gentleman.

Judging from the guard's experience, young men like that were already impressive if they could stick out their training in the barracks.

Li Dao smiled faintly. "If I get the chance, I will."

Enjoying their conversation, the guard replied, "Then I'll be waiting for you. Don't keep me waiting too long."

"Don't worry. It won't be long."

Finally, the guard gave the carriage a cursory inspection and let them through.

As they left, he did not forget to remind them, "Don't forget."

Li Dao raised a hand and waved to show that he remembered.

Soon, the two entered Cloudrise City.

The moment they entered, countless vendors' cries reached Li Dao's ears.

Not far from the gates, a great many merchants were trading goods along the streets, with dozens upon dozens of freight wagons parked nearby.

"Young master, why is this place so lively?"

Jiu'er poked her head out and could not help asking at the sight.

Li Dao chuckled. "Do you know why this place is called Cloudrise City?"

"I don't."

"Cloudrise City was where Cloud Province began. Before the province existed, one of Great Qian's founding generals used this city as his base to expand the dynasty's territory, eventually establishing Cloud Province. This was where Cloud Province rose, hence the name."

Looking at the merchants, Li Dao continued, "Beyond Cloudrise City lies Fufeng Pass, one of Great Qian's seven renowned passes. It leads to the lands north of Great Qian. Since the pass is a vital military stronghold, ordinary people aren't allowed to stay there, so merchants in this northern region can only settle here in Cloudrise City. Over time, it grew into a thriving frontier trade hub."

Jade Gate Town, which he had visited before, was also something of a trading town.

But it was too close to the border and not particularly safe, so most people preferred to stay in Cloudrise City.

As long as Fufeng Pass held, Cloudrise City faced no danger.

More than two hundred years had passed since Great Qian's founding, and Fufeng Pass had never been breached since its construction. Many merchants therefore used Cloudrise City as their base and lived here permanently.

"Oh, I see. I understand now, young master."

Then another thought struck Jiu'er. "Young master, you said earlier that you wanted to enlist."

"What about it?"

"What am I supposed to do once you enlist? Are you going to leave me behind?"

Jiu'er hugged Yuanbao, looking deeply aggrieved.

Li Dao glanced over. "If you don't loosen your grip, you'll send Yuanbao to the next world."

"The next world?"

Jiu'er instinctively looked down and realized she had her arms tight around Yuanbao's neck. Yuanbao's tongue was already hanging out and eyes rolling back.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Yuanbao! I forgot about you!"

Jiu'er hurriedly released Yuanbao and set the little creature on the carriage's wooden boards.

Yuanbao lay there gulping air, taking a long while to recover.

When Jiu'er cautiously reached out again, Yuanbao darted away and hid behind Li Dao, small eyes showing an almost human lingering fear.

Li Dao stroked Yuanbao's head reassuringly, then looked up. "Your young master never said he was going to leave you behind."

"If I really meant to abandon you, I wouldn't have come to Cloudrise City."

In fact, while traveling toward the Imperial Capital earlier, Li Dao had already decided on his future path.

He would join the army.

There were three reasons for that choice.

First, he had inherited the title of Earl of Anyuan from his father, passed down through their family line. But now he had been stripped of it.

If the underworld truly existed, then having lost the title, he might someday find himself subjected to a round of greetings from all eighteen generations of his ancestors when he descended there.

Though he was a reincarnator, and according to the usual conventions of novels should have viewed the people here as natives and considered himself above them.

In his previous life, however, he had been an ordinary orphan. Beyond a numb existence, he had never experienced the affection of blood kin.

But in this life, he had a gentle mother who doted on him, a stern yet caring father, and a clever, adorable younger sister.

Compared with his previous life, this one felt far more alive, full of flesh and blood.

If anything, his previous life felt more like a dream to him-a dull, tedious dream.

He found this life far harder to let go of than his previous one, especially since this was the life he was living now.

It was precisely those emotional ties that had made him angry over what happened to the people of Peach Spring Village.

The reason was that he had become part of this era and now saw himself as belonging to it.

Thus, his first reason for enlisting was to reclaim the Li Family's title. Otherwise, he would be letting down his father, and even more so the Li Family's ancestors.

The second reason had to do with his experiences after his memories returned.

First came the Chancellor's Residence and certain nobles in the Imperial Capital, who had thrown stones at the Earl of Anyuan's Residence after it fell into the well.

Though he understood that this was human nature, he understood even better the courtesy of returning tooth for tooth.

Only by enlisting, reclaiming his title, and returning to the Imperial Capital could he slowly settle accounts with those people.

There was another reason, too: he wanted to stand before the Great Qian Emperor someday with great power in his hands, reveal his identity, and see how the emperor reacted.

Of course, when he truly revealed himself, it would only be once he could control his own fate.

He certainly would not go showing off before he had grown strong enough.

A mind a hundred times sharper than an ordinary person's would never let him be that foolish.

And the third and final reason was also the most important.

His growth.

His system's functions destined him to walk a road paved with white bones.

The trials he had endured in Death Row Camp were what had allowed him to reach his current level so quickly.

Thus, the battlefield suited him best.

In truth, if he had not brought Jiu'er along, his first choice after leaving the Imperial Capital would probably have been to seek out Wei Yun.

Wei Yun understood his abilities and could work with him to help him grow rapidly.

But with Jiu'er along, he had to consider her as well.

That was why he had chosen Cloudrise City.

He could settle her within the city while joining an army stationed nearby.

Though his initial progress might not be as fast as it would have been with Wei Yun's help, the difference would not really be that great.

In fact, in a certain sense, Cloudrise City might suit him even better.

After all, if Great Qian truly went to war with the Northern Barbarians someday.

Fufeng Pass, the closest pass to Cloudrise City, would certainly be their primary target-in other words, the main battlefield.

If that place beyond the border near Changgu Town was suited to guerrilla warfare against the Northern Barbarians.

Then the main battlefield here would be a true meat grinder.

The kind where hundreds or thousands of men thrown in would raise nothing more than a splash of blood.

Just imagining such a scene made Li Dao's blood boil with excitement.

After all, in his eyes, a meat grinder like that was not dangerous. On the contrary, he would be like a fish in water.

At that thought, he could only silently apologize to Wei Yun in his heart.

At that very moment.

Somewhere beyond Cloud Province's frontier passes.

After putting his Mighty Camp in order, Wei Yun prepared to lead his men elsewhere.

The Mighty Camp had suffered heavy losses recently, and he needed to return to the rear to replenish its ranks.

"Achoo!"

Riding his horse, Wei Yun suddenly sneezed.

Liu Neng, beside him, could not help joking, "Grand Commander, you're already a Xiantian Martial Artist. Surely you can't still get sick?"

Wei Yun rubbed his nose. "So what if I'm a Xiantian Martial Artist? I'm still human."

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and turned back. "It's been over a month now. Nine Five Two Seven should have reached the Imperial Capital long ago, right?"

Liu Neng worked out the timing and nodded. "Judging by the time, even if he took it slow, he should be there by now."

At the thought of Li Dao, Wei Yun's face filled with anticipation. "I wonder when that fellow will find his way here."

"If he joins us, the Mighty Camp's fighting strength will leap up a whole notch."

Liu Neng couldn't resist dampening his enthusiasm. "Aren't you worried he won't come and will go to someone else instead?"

Wei Yun gave a soft snort. "That kid has a new household registration. His old connections are no use at all. Where else could he go besides here?"

Liu Neng said, "As long as you're confident, Grand Commander."

Wei Yun gazed into the distance and couldn't help murmuring to himself, "I hope that fellow comes back soon. Things here are already getting a little restless."