He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"Master, Master!"

"My senior brother is back."

Magnolia ran loudly into the yard from outside, shouting.

The master quickly came out of the room, while Jingxian and Huangying, who were cooking porridge with many women and children in the courtyard, quickly got up and ran outside.

Leyou rode a tall horse at the front, followed by a guard company that kept approaching the porridge distribution yard from afar, while the rest of the troops remained outside the city.

Children kept running around the amusement park, shouting:

"Guangdong and Ji'an, a place where chivalrous men roam freely."

Rescuing people from suffering and distress, with unparalleled benevolence and righteousness.

Fight bravely to kill the enemy and avenge the blood feud.

With twin swords drawn, a thousand enemies crumbled.

……

"Brother"

"Senior Brother"

"You're back"

Jingxian and Huangying ran out and saw Leyou approaching the courtyard gate. They hurriedly shouted loudly.

Leyou quickly jumped off his horse and said to Jingxian:

"came back"

"Thank you for your hard work during this period."

Then he patted Huang Ying's head and led the two of them into the courtyard.

The guards, including the one who was waiting for him to return, stood outside the door with guns.

"Master"

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

The master held Leyou's hand tightly and said excitedly.

"Senior brother, please have some tea first."

"I'll also send some to my younger brothers outside."

Mulan walked over carrying a pottery jar and looked at Leyou, saying...

Leyou also looked at Mulan and said:

"Thank you for your hard work, Mulan."

"Hehe, senior brother, isn't this what I should do?"

Mulan answered happily.

"Alright, what's the situation with your return this time?"

The master interrupted their conversation and asked, while the three women beside him also stared intently at Leyou.

"Sigh, I made a mistake this time. The higher-ups have ordered me to lead troops directly to Chengdu, and I also need to hurry up and enroll in school."

"Let's go then, it's safer at school."

"Master, how are the people in the surrounding area doing now?"

"Sigh, the drought is getting worse and worse. A few days ago, there was a sudden locust plague, and many people have already made plans to go to Jiangxi and Henan provinces. This world is tough."

After listening, Leyou hesitated for a moment and then asked Huangying to call Pangui and the people in charge from among the common people.

After taking a sip of tea, Leyou hesitated, unsure how to begin.

The master immediately said

"What is it?"

“Master, when I led a team to provide support in Yunnan years ago, I accidentally entered a mountain. There was a huge snake on the mountain with eyes as big as lanterns, a body as thick as two cartwheels, and four fleshy lumps under its body. There was also a ring of hair under its head, and it could fly through the clouds. Later, it was verified that it was a snake that had transformed into a dragon.”

"Just a few days ago, I encountered a female ghost in red, a corpse beetle, and a zombie in a tomb."

People from Changsheng Mountain say that this item is found in most large tombs.

"Master..."

Looking at Leyou's thirst for knowledge, the master sighed and said:

"I didn't want to tell you these things, but since you've already encountered them, I'll tell you."

"Qi cultivators appeared as early as the pre-Qin period. They possessed immense power, capable of conjuring soldiers from beans, soaring through the clouds, controlling universes within their sleeves, and overturning rivers and seas with ease. Some could even transform into various shapes and animals, with perfect accuracy."

"Some can even manifest the laws of heaven and earth, transforming into enormous figures."

"However, later on, the world underwent strange changes, and the spiritual energy in the human world continued to decrease. As a result, many Qi cultivators fought each other for rare and precious materials, which increased the consumption of spiritual energy."

Finally, the Heavenly Court retreated to the Thirty-Third Heaven and hid there. Only in the event of a major incident would they send people down to the mortal realm through the Southern Heavenly Gate. The other gates, such as the Eastern and Western Heavenly Gates, were guarded by the Heavenly Emperor and Buddha, and they generally did not descend from there.

The underworld has also closed many palaces; only the cycle of reincarnation and the judges and underworld officials are still functioning, while the others are barely operating.

"We are now in the Dharma-ending Age. Coupled with the wars at the end of the previous dynasty, many spells and books were lost. The human world is filled with malevolent energy, and some demons and monsters have come out to cause trouble, making the spiritual energy even thinner."

"Twenty or thirty years ago, you could still witness the power of drawing lightning with one's own hands and various talismans. When I was young, I witnessed the legendary Senior Brother Shi from Maoshan. His Thunderclap Fist, which could conjure lightning with his hands, was truly invincible. It's a pity that we can't see it anymore. Some things are becoming increasingly rare."

"Don't even think about it. It's impossible now. Look, there are basically no capable people or extraordinary individuals around these days. Many of them were killed in the past few years, and many others died fighting against foreign enemies in the previous dynasty."

Now you might encounter shamans from the north, as well as witchcraft and sorcery. Some might even possess a few traces of supernatural abilities passed down through their bloodlines, such as fire-breathing, water-breathing, infinite power, or mind control over objects. However, these are all descendants of powerful beings, and very few have awakened these abilities.

"As for Changsheng Mountain, which you mentioned, it belongs to the Xieling lineage of the tomb raiding world. There are three other lineages: Mojin Xiaowei, Faqiu, and Banshan Daoren."

They are mainly divided into two factions, one in the north and one in the south. Besides these, there are many other tough opponents, such as the Guanshan Taibao, the Zhang family in the northeast, and so on. Their relationships are very complex, and some are mortal enemies.

The Guanshan Taibao traces its lineage back to Zhu Yuanzhang, relentlessly suppressing tomb raiders and excavators, whose lineage can be traced back to Cao Cao of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Mountain-Moving Taoist was cursed, closely related to the northwest and connected to demons.

As for the Unloading Ridge faction, they were reckless men who would blast mountains in their path, and their sheer numbers made them powerful.

According to the mountain's secret records, the Zhang family were merely guardians, but they possessed an unusual form of immortality, having bloodlines bestowed upon them by a Qilin.

"The world is vast, and even I haven't explored it all. You should also travel more and make more friends."

Leyou listened to his master's words in a daze, while Mulan, listening from the side, spat out words as she stared at the teacup on the table and shouted:

"Get up! Rise up!"

Leyou stared speechlessly at Mulan. It was the end of the Dharma era.

However, he didn't notice that the teacup in front of Mulan had moved forward slightly, and the once calm tea immediately began to ripple.

Seeing this, the master turned his head and looked deeply at the magnolia flower that was constantly calling out beside him.

Just then, Huang Ying and several old men entered, having waited for his return. Le You stood up, offered each of them a cigarette, lit it, and said:

"Fellow villager, I've returned this time intending to take my family to Chengdu. Military orders are absolute, and I have no choice. Therefore, I will leave half of our regiment's rations for you, hoping it will help us weather this famine."

"I'm sorry."

Upon hearing this, several elderly people also cried and said:

"With so many of you and so much food, how will it be enough for you to eat, given how far it is from here to Chengdu?"

"Enough said, my mind is made up, that's it."

"Please take the elderly folks to Saizhou and Ping'an to unload the grain. After that, we'll be leaving."

……

Sitting on his horse, Leyou looked at the excited people surrounding him and shouted loudly:

"Go back, folks."

"Keep the guns and ammunition we left behind safe. That way, we'll have some protection if the enemy returns."

After saying that, he whipped the horse hard and galloped out of the city. Mulan rode the horse, and Huang Ying sat in front with Nianmin in her arms, following Leyou away.

The boys stopped the villagers who wanted to follow and immediately started running.

At the very back were Master and Mulan.

"Magnolia flower, how long have you been with me?"

"Sir, it's been three years."

"You're a good kid, and I shouldn't be so selfish, but I want to ask you, are you willing to follow your senior brother and protect him?"

"Master, shouldn't my senior brother be protecting us? But if he's in danger, I'd risk my life to save him."

Mulan looked at her master with a determined gaze and said.

"Alright, from today onwards, you will meditate with me. I will give you a painting later. Every time you meditate, you must think about the content of the painting."

"Ah, sir, will doing this every day really protect my senior brother?"

"Yes, you have the bloodline of a great being, and your spiritual power is several times higher than that of ordinary people."

"Oh my god, so I'm the extraordinary person the master was talking about! Haha, that's great! From now on, I'll protect my senior brothers and the masters."

……