After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

As the night faded and the east grew brighter, the clattering sound of horses' footsteps broke the tranquility of Floating Cloud City.

A tall young man sat on the leading horse. When the soldiers guarding the city gate saw the man, they hurriedly and respectfully called out, "General Ye," and then quickly opened the gate of Floating Cloud City.

As the door opened, the first ray of sunlight finally broke through the clouds and shot straight to the earth like a sharp sword.

In an instant, everything was coated with a layer of gold, and birds began to sing on the branches, playing the music of a new day.

Facing the golden morning sun, Su Cheng'an galloped out of Floating Cloud City on his horse and raised the corner of his lips to Ye Jinxuan who was not far behind him: "General Ye, take care of yourself. We will meet again in the future!"

After saying this, he rode away on his horse, and several Qingyun Guards followed closely behind him.

Ye Jinxuan stared motionlessly at the figure that was getting farther and farther away, until the figure in his sight turned into a few small black dots. Then he sighed softly, lifted the reins, turned his horse's head and galloped towards Fuyun City.

After about half an hour, Su Cheng'an and his party arrived at the grove outside the city where they had agreed to meet. Eight hundred soldiers in disguise were already waiting there quietly.

The leading young man stepped forward and saluted Su Cheng'an: "Your subordinate Zhang Lian and eight hundred brothers are here to welcome the Crown Prince."

Su Cheng'an rode forward and shouted to everyone, "Brothers, you have worked hard these days! Today, I, Su Cheng'an, will take you back home!"

"We will follow the prince back to his hometown!" eight hundred soldiers said loudly.

Everyone dressed up again and pretended to be a caravan again. They divided into three or four groups and moved in coordination with each other, heading towards the northern border.

We traveled in the mornings and slept at night, and finally arrived at a small town called Jiayue in the northwest at dusk four days later.

This place is less than two hundred miles away from Baoying City on the northern border. If we set off early tomorrow, we should reach the northern border before dark!

After marching for several days, the soldiers had obvious signs of fatigue on their faces, so Su Cheng'an ordered everyone to separate and find a few inns to have a good rest tonight and set off back to the northern border tomorrow.

After the agreement, he took several Qingyun Guards to a nearby inn.

After opening the room and putting the horses in place, Su Cheng'an, with an empty stomach, took the three Qingyun Guards to the lobby on the first floor and sat down. He asked the waiter for a few of the inn's signature dishes.

While waiting, he glanced at the crowd around him.

The spacious lobby of the inn was filled with travelers coming and going from all over the country. The guests were playing drinking games, chatting and eating. The waiters were busy shuttling between the tables and chairs carrying wine and food, and the scene was bustling and noisy.

Thinking of what he had seen along the way, the vast expanses of cracked and barren land, and the people with miserable faces and skinny bodies from hunger, Su Cheng'an suddenly felt a mixture of emotions.

Outside, people are starving and struggling to survive, but here, the wine is warm and fragrant.

What a sharp contrast it is: "The rich have wine and meat, while the poor freeze to death on the streets."

"Sir, your meal is here!"

The waiter came over quickly with a tray. The aroma of the food aroused Su Cheng'an's appetite, so he suppressed his thoughts, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

When he was about eight-tenths full, he put down his chopsticks, took the tea and sipped it slowly.

Suddenly, a sharp scolding sounded from the kitchen: "You little bastard, you're looking for death!"

The bustling lobby suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked towards the source of the sound.

"You little bastard, I'm going to beat you to death today!"

The vicious voice rang out again, accompanied by the distinctive sound of a stick hitting someone.

With a creak, the door of the back kitchen was pushed open and a skinny figure rolled out in a panic.

The man's hair was disheveled like dead grass, and his clothes were tattered, with overlapping patches ripped open again, revealing his skinny, red, swollen skin from being beaten.

Because of long-term hunger, his eyes were sunken, but at this moment they burst with infinite light. He stared happily at the steamed buns tightly held in his arms, as if they were the most precious treasures in the world.

Looking closely, it turned out to be a young boy who looked about the same age as Zhao'er!

The young boy took a deep breath, endured the pain in his back, and uttered a few words in a barely audible voice. Then, at the same moment the shopkeeper came out, he got up and rushed out as nimbly as a monkey.

"You filthy thief! How dare you steal my things? Bring him back to me!"

The fat shopkeeper looked at the young boy who ran out, and gave instructions to the two young waiters on his left and right while panting.

The waiter was ordered to chase after him, but everyone in the store started whispering.

Someone kindly advised: "It's just a few steamed buns. Just let him be. He still looks like a child!"

"Even a child wouldn't do that! He actually dared to break into a store and rob it in public. Where does this kind of behavior put the majesty of the law? If we don't catch him and punish him severely, it will only lead to the decline of morality in the world. We must not tolerate this evil!"

This is the righteous statement made by people with limited means who can empathize with the situation.

"I see that this child is still young, but he is so skinny that his bones are visible. I guess the adults in his family must be having a hard time." Some people were also very thoughtful and shook their heads with emotion.

"The emperor is unconscious, the court is in turmoil, and yet Heaven shows no mercy to the poor! The northwest has been suffering from drought for many days, the crops have failed, and with the war rampant, if this continues, how will we, the people of the northwest, survive?"

A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar sighed softly.

There is still someone who is compassionate to the world!

Su Cheng'an couldn't help but glance at the man, and his eyes met the other person's.

The man then bowed to him and asked with a smile, "Where are you going this time, little brother?"

"Thank you for asking, brother. I am going to Baoying City to visit my relatives." Su Cheng'an made up an excuse to reply.

"Baoying City is great! The world is in chaos now, and only the northern border under the jurisdiction of King Dingbei is relatively stable. Little brother has found a good place for himself."

The middle-aged man opened up the conversation and said a few more words.

Seeing him praising the Northern Territory so highly, Su Cheng'an was slightly surprised, but remained calm and asked, "Where are you going, brother?"

"As for me, I'm all alone, and the world is my home. I'll just take it wherever it takes me!"

The middle-aged man spoke in a low tone with a wry smile on his face.

Su Cheng'an was about to say something else when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Looking closely, it turned out that the two young guys had caught the boy back, one on each side.

Even though the two men were holding down his shoulders, the young boy still bent his body desperately, trying to protect the buns in his arms.

"You little thief, keep running! Run!"

The fat shopkeeper couldn't wait to take a few steps forward and kicked the young boy with all his strength, causing him to fly straight backwards and then fall heavily to the ground in the lobby.

The steamed buns that he had been protecting tightly also fell beside him.

"My steamed bun, my steamed bun!" The boy was sweating profusely from the pain, but he still struggled to crawl over and pick up the steamed bun on the ground.

Just as the boy's hand was about to touch the steamed bun, the fat shopkeeper stepped on it.

The big, greasy feet rolled on it twice with great force, and the snow-white bun immediately broke into several pieces, with black footprints on them.

The fat shopkeeper showed a sinister smile and said viciously, "Steamed buns? I'd feed these steamed buns to a dog, not a cheap one for you, a thief!"

"I earned this myself. You black-hearted shopkeeper, you have to compensate me for my steamed buns!"

Seeing that the steamed bun could no longer be eaten, the young boy was so angry that his eyes turned red and his whole body was shaking.

He didn't know where the power came from, but he suddenly stood up and pounced on the fat shopkeeper.

The next moment, the fat shopkeeper let out a shrill scream, and the young boy was thrown out again. This time, he couldn't get up for a long time, and his eyes were staring at the person opposite with hatred.

The fat shopkeeper held his bitten arm with one hand, pointed at the young boy on the ground, and shouted hysterically: "Beat him well today, beat this bastard to death!"

The guy's arm-thick stick was about to hit the young boy. If he didn't die, he would be half dead.

Everyone's heart was in their throat. Some of the timid ones even turned their heads away. Even the young man on the ground closed his eyes in despair.

The middle-aged man shouted urgently: "Wait a minute!"

Unfortunately, it was still not as fast as the stick that was about to fall on the boy.