Soot Alley has long ceased to be called Soot Alley. The name has been changed, a stone road has been paved, and an archway has been erected at the entrance of the alley.
Heavenly Craft Workshop has moved away, and a new house has been built on the old site of Qin Household Blacksmith Shop, with red bricks and green tiles, and a stone lion in front of the door. Only the old locust tree at the end of the alley is still there, its bark is rougher than in memory, and its branches are covered with snow.
He stood at the entrance of the alley, holding his two-year-old great-grandson in his arms and holding a wooden toy hammer tightly in his hand. Fang-shi stood beside him, his hair was completely white, wearing a simple bun, and his face was full of wrinkles, but the two dimples were still there when he smiled. The three sons stood behind him, and the Art of War's granddaughters gathered in a circle, including more than a dozen children, big and small, chattering.
The plaque at the entrance of the Qin Mansion is inscribed by Ministry of Works, the official script of the Qin Mansion, in gold-lacquered official script. The copper ring of the door is shiny, and the threshold is polished as smooth as a mirror. There are hammers and iron tongs that he has spent his whole life working on in the yard. They are just there to look at now, and they are no longer needed.
Zeng the Art of War was babbling in his arms and reached out to grab his beard. He lowered his head and rubbed his soft little hand with his cheek. The family stood in a row and looked at him. Fang-shi straightened the collar of his brocade robe for him and whispered that there was snow on his collar.
The scenery is endless, the population is prosperous, and success is achieved.
But Qin Tiexin stood at the door of the Qin Mansion, holding Zeng the Art of War in his arms, looking at the words written on the gold lacquer plaque, and suddenly there was an emptiness in his heart. He couldn't tell where it was, he just felt like a piece of something had been dug out somewhere in his chest, and the wind poured in from the hole, making him panic.
A blacksmith walked from Soot Alley to the capital, from the blacksmith shop to the Artisan Manufacturing Bureau, married a virtuous wife, and gave birth to three promising sons.
But that's not right.
He didn't know what was wrong. Everything was right and everything was logical. But he looked down at his old hands. All the fingers were covered with calluses, not even one finger missing.
He stared at his fingers for a long time, and one thing kept thinking in his mind: his hands shouldn't look like this. They shouldn't have five fingers. His fist should be something that only his left hand can hold, and his right hand should have been gone a long time ago, cut off by something, he couldn't remember.
He couldn't tell where this feeling came from, but it was there, as if someone tapped him lightly on the back of the head. It wasn't painful, but he couldn't ignore it. He raised his head and saw that the branches of the old locust tree in the yard were bent by the weight of snow, and saw Fang-shi's smiling face was full of wrinkles. He saw his sons standing respectfully, saw the gentle the Art of War in his arms, saw the stone lion at the door of the Qin Mansion, and saw the gold characters written neatly on the plaque.
He shook his head.
Then he turned his head and looked at Fang-shi beside him.
Fang-shi was using her wrinkled hands to adjust his collar. She looked up at him, pursed her lips and smiled, with her dimples slightly peeping out. The sons next to her were still discussing who would send New Year's gifts to the Shangshu Mansion tomorrow. The third child said that he should also give the Shangshu a gift. A set of knives. The second brother said that he would buy a few more pieces this year and take them to a newly opened shop in the south of the city for consignment. The boss took over the conversation and said that he would contact the government office of Ministry of Works to approve the note. The family was busy, with New Year's goods piled in the yard and red lanterns hung on the porch.
Qin Tiexin opened his mouth, his voice was very soft, as if he was speaking to himself.
"This is not what I want."
The Art of War's hand was still holding his white beard. He slowly opened the little hand and gently put it back into Fang-shi's arms. Fang-shi looked at him in confusion and asked him what was wrong. He shook his head and gave no explanation.
The first illusion was shattered.
The Qin Mansion, the plaque, the old locust tree, Fang-shi, three sons, and more than a dozen the Art of War granddaughters all turned into fine dust in the sky with a very subtle cracking sound. Silver-white light poured in from the crack, engulfing the snowy scene, Soot Alley, Qingzhou City, and the capital in front of them into a chaotic white.
Qin Tiexin was suspended in the white light, his hands empty, but he knew that it was an illusion. He knew who he was, which arm he was missing, and he also knew that he would face a new illusion next.
He looked at the slowly flowing silver-white light without closing his eyes or retreating.
The white light comes on again.
This time, the wind was blowing head-on, dry and cold, with a strong smell of blood and rust. The sun was dazzling, shining on the blue-grey city wall of Xinyang Pass.
Qin Tiexin stood on the high platform in the center of the school grounds. The platform was newly built, and it trembled slightly when you stepped on it. The platform was crowded with people, including generals in the front row, soldiers in the back row, and civilians who came after hearing the news. Everyone's eyes were focused on him, and thousands of gazes were as hot as soldering irons under the scorching sun at noon.
General Li Xun stood in front of him.
Li Xun wore a full set of Mingguang armor today. He held a roll of yellow silk imperial edict in his left hand, and took a silver seal from the deputy general beside him in his right hand. The silver seal was not big, about the size of a fist, and the seal button was carved with a crouching tiger, holding a seal ribbon the size of a copper coin in the tiger's mouth, which glowed coldly in the sun.
"Qin Tiexin, beheaded the general, captured the flag, and captured the enemy chief alive. The Holy One has decreed that Subordinate Fifth Rank Cavalry Commandant be given the silver seal of the tiger talisman. Stay in the army and serve the country."
Qin Tiexin knelt down on one knee and took the silver seal with both hands. The silver seal was pressed into his palms and was heavier than any iron block he had ever struck.
"The last general's decree."
A burst of cheers erupted from the audience. The generals in the front row were clapping their hands, and the soldiers in the back row were banging their shields with the backs of their swords, making a clanging sound. Some were shouting his name, while others were shouting "Captain Qin", and the voices were mixed together.
Zhao Ling stood in the crowd, smiling so hard that his back teeth were exposed. Tu Dazhu stood next to him, his body like an iron tower motionless, his eyes already moist.
Qin Tiexin put the silver seal in his arms. When he stood up, he glanced at the veterans with missing arms and legs in the crowd. There was a voice in his heart saying: Stay, there will be wars to fight, food to eat, brothers by your side, and you can always inquire about the whereabouts of Lin Feng. It is better than returning to Ink City and being bullied by Heavenly Craft Workshop.
He left behind, Subordinate Fifth Rank Cavalry Commandant, commanding three hundred elite soldiers.
In Qin Tiexin's first year as a captain, he was led by veterans drawn from Formation-Breaking Camp. All of them crawled out of the dead. They were the most difficult and easiest to manage. They were difficult to manage because they only obeyed their abilities and not their official titles. They were easy to manage because They have all seen Qin Tiexin's abilities with their own eyes. In the battle of Black Wind Valley, he captured Yelü Hongshan alone to establish victory. Finally, he used a cart to dig out the bodies of all the brothers who died in the battle from the snow and dragged them back to Xinyang Pass.
No one dislikes this man who is both capable and loyal to his brothers.
In the winter of the first year, the remnants of Northern Di were harassing the border. In the name of revenge for Yelü Hongshan, Qin Tiexin led 300 people to set up an ambush by the river and annihilated 800 elite Diqi with less than 20 casualties. The momentum of Northern Di was repelled in the first battle. The victory document was sent to the capital, and the emperor personally approved it with four words: Brave and commendable.
In the third year, he was promoted from captain to general, commanding 3,000 men. In the autumn of the same year, when General Li Xun was debriefing his duties at the Ministry of War in the capital, he praised him in front of a group of veteran generals, "This son is brave and resourceful, fierce and aware of justice. He will definitely become a general within ten years."
In the eighth year, Qin Tiexin was promoted to general, commanding 12,000 men. He fought in dozens of battles, large and small, and was victorious. He pushed Xinyang Pass's territory a full three hundred miles north, and made the Northern Di tribe flee in all directions and never dare to gather again.
He was twenty-five years old that year and was one of the youngest generals in the Great Xuan Dynasty.