"Would you like some more?"
Inside Tong Pass, Cao Lin watched his old subordinate finish his second bowl of noodles and, in a rare show of consideration, asked.
"No, any more would bloat my stomach." Li Qingchen wiped his mouth, then picked up a bowl of water, rinsed his mouth, and drank it dry. "To accomplish great things, you must take care of your health. Otherwise, however dazzling your talents, you'll only be sewing someone else's wedding dress..."
"That makes sense." Cao Lin smiled and nodded, then returned to business. "How many days did it take you to get here? Which route did you take?"
"Less than four days." Li Qingchen answered plainly. "I took Fukou Road through Red Mountain, then followed the regular prefectural and county roads through Shangdang into Linfen, then took the main road along the Fen River across Hedong, straight here."
Cao Lin nodded again. "Thank you for your efforts."
"It wasn't too bad," Li Shierlang answered earnestly. "They were proper roads, after all, and I have my cultivation. I changed horses whenever I reached a city, so it wasn't strenuous. Without protective true qi, I did get a little cold, and a little hungry, but I wasn't sleepy..."
"Thank you for your efforts." That was all Cao Lin could say.
In truth, with matters having reached this point, this subordinate's continued loyalty essentially meant he had followed him to the very end. Cao Lin felt nothing but gratitude. At the same time, however, he did not know what use the man's arrival could serve. Gratitude seemed to be all he could offer.
"I came primarily to report on the situation in Hebei, Intendant." Without waiting for Cao Lin to ask, Li Qingchen continued, water bowl in hand, going straight to the point. "Zhang Xing first