Traveling with the Army

Before dawn, the North Gate was already bustling with noise.

A long line of horse-drawn carts, laden with various goods, stretched out towards the city gates.

The escorting cavalrymen stood on both sides of the road, their Qi and Blood at least at the level of Seventh Grade Battle Soldier, and each squad had two Sixth-Rank Strongman.

There were many people like Fang Yu who needed to go to the Border Wilderness with the army. The area outside the city was bustling with people, including martial artists full of Qi and Blood and farmers with their families who were preparing to go to the Border Wilderness to reclaim land.

At this moment, these people were standing in a long queue, having their travel documents and Wilderness Permit for the Border Wilderness checked.

Fang Yu arrived at the back of a group and slowly moved forward, using his Divine Thought to probe the situation ahead.

He discovered that most people in the crowd possessed only a simple document stating their name, place of origin, and reason for going to the Border Wilderness. After verification, they could receive a wooden tag to collect food along the way.

Some people also possessed Wilderness Permit, but Fang Yu examined several and found that their Wilderness Permit were different from his own. They only had the ability to verify identity and did not grant the right to obtain intelligence or purchase supplies; they were essentially just a slightly higher-level travel permit.

Soon it was his turn. He handed over the fish-shaped tally and asked, "I wonder if Inspector Feng is here?"

The military clerk in charge of the inspection took the fish tally and smiled as he looked at Tang Meng. "So it's Miss Tang. Inspector Feng already gave instructions. Please come with me."

The clerk got up and left, completely ignoring the crowd still queuing behind him.

Fang Yu followed the document through the crowd to a camp guarded by soldiers. There were a large number of vehicles being inspected and preparing to set off, including many freight cars and horse-drawn carriages.

The clerk led Fang Yu to a carriage and said with a smile:

"The Border Wilderness is remote and the roads are long, with many inconveniences. We'll have to trouble Aunt Tang to ride in this carriage!"

As he spoke, he handed the fish-shaped tally back to Fang Yu, and at the same time took out a palm-sized token and handed it over as well.

"My name is Feng Wan, and I am in charge of all miscellaneous matters during the march. If Miss Tang needs anything, she can bring this token to the army's administrative office to find me!"

"Thank you for your trouble!" Fang Yu, accepting the token.

Feng Wan then turned to the two men beside the carriage and said, "You two listen carefully. Serve Miss Tang well the whole way, and don't slack off."

The two men immediately nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with flattery as they looked at Fang Yu.

"They are just general laborers accompanying the army. Please let them do whatever chores the young lady needs. I have military duties to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer!"

After Feng Wan left, Fang Yu lifted the carriage curtain and peeked inside. The carriage was very clean, with a long bench on one side and new bedding on the other, indicating that he would be sleeping in the carriage on the way.

Turning to the two men, he casually asked, "What are your names?"

"My Liu Da, and his Liu Er. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

Fang Yu smiled. "Do you know when we're setting off?"

Liu Da replied, "Our Bing Battalion probably won't be able to set off until after noon."

"Oh!" Fang Yu glanced at the other carriages. "Are all the carriages occupied?"

Liu Da shook his head and said, "Miss is the first one to arrive so early; the others will probably have to wait several hours."

"Okay!" Fang Yu nodded. "I'm fine. Call me when we're ready to go!"

Fang Yu spoke, he lifted the carriage curtain and entered the carriage. After sitting down, he closed his eyes to rest.

The Wilderness Permit that Xiao Ji got for him seemed somewhat different; at least the army had provided him with a carriage and two servants, so he didn't have to walk anymore.

His ten thousand taels of silver weren't wasted; at least he had a place to sleep.

Before long, it was midday, Fang Yu heard Liu Da shouting outside the carriage, "Miss Tang, it's time to break camp!"

Fang Yu lifted the curtain and glanced outside. She saw that the surrounding wagons had already started moving, and it would be her turn in no time.

Behind him, several other carriages also started moving. Fang Yu glanced at them with his Divine Thought and saw that the Qi and Blood artists sitting inside the carriages were all quite strong, with the strongest being a Fourth Grade.

After several horse-drawn carriages set off, the civilians accompanying the army followed behind. Most of them walked, while a small number of women and children sat in simple handcarts, pulled by the men of the household.

Fang Yu watched for a moment before sitting back inside the carriage, then took out pieces of dried meat and chewed them heartily.

He had nothing to do along the way, so he could only eat meat in large quantities and try to store up as much Primordial Qi as possible. After all, the Border Wilderness was not within his territory, and although dangers were everywhere, they were definitely not insignificant. Storing up more Primordial Qi would provide him with more protection.

Days passed by, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye.

The days of traveling with the army were simple. Every day, besides sleeping and eating, it was all about traveling. Fang Yu had a carriage to ride in, so he wasn't too tired. However, the carriage was too bumpy. When he encountered bad roads, he had to get out and walk to avoid feeling nauseous from the jolting.

On this day, they encountered another roadblock. Fang Yu got off the carriage and followed the carriage on its way.

"Ta-da..."

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves rang out from ahead, and two riders galloped towards them. Fang Yu didn't pay much attention at first; these days, the cavalry accompanying the army on patrols would conduct a patrol almost every half hour.

But as the sound of hooves drew closer, Fang Yu realized that one of the men was Feng Wan, the clerk who had arranged for him to accompany the army. Although he did not recognize the other man, he could tell from his armor that he was a high-ranking officer in the camp, and his cultivation level was that of Fifth-Grade Inspector.

As they pondered, the two riders slowed down and stopped nearby. The two men dismounted and walked towards Fang Yu.

"My name is Feng Tie, and I greet Miss Tang!"

Feng Tie smiled and said, "There are many miscellaneous matters in the army, and I haven't had a chance to visit you, young lady. I'm truly sorry for the neglect!"

Fang Yu cupped her hands and said, "Inspector Feng, what are you saying? I am so grateful for your kindness; it should be me who goes to pay you a visit."

"Hahaha!" Feng Tie chuckled, then said in a deep voice, "I have a matter I would like to trouble you with, young lady. Would you mind if I took you there?"

"Of course!" Fang Yu said, and followed Feng Tie to the side of the road, away from the group.

Once they reached a distance, Feng Tie looked at Fang Yu and said, "Ning'an Prefecture is just ahead. I purchased a batch of supplies from local merchants, but the quantity exceeded my budget by quite a bit. Therefore, I would like to borrow your Wilderness Permit, young lady. Is that alright?"

Fang Yu didn't speak, he just looked at Feng Tie.

The other party continued, "Of course, I won't use your Wilderness Permit for nothing. I'm willing to pay you a thousand catties of meat as compensation."

"A thousand catties of meat coupons!" Fang Yu's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.