Chapter 160: I Burned Incense Paper for You

"Ah, it seems I was swept away by the water and woke up at a farmer's house," He Lingchuan vaguely replied. "Time passes unmarked in the mountains; how long has it been?"

"Nearly a month, I'd say," Hu Min responded. The Dragoncoil Wasteland is vast, so it wasn't surprising for He Lingchuan to be swept downstream and remain there for ten or twenty days. Hu Min didn't think much of it. "We all thought you were gone and even burned paper money for you twice. If you don't show up soon, we'll burn more for you on the fifteenth of next month."

He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Thanks!"

"So, did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"When I burned the paper money, I told you why Governor Sun ran off with those animal traps. Remember our agreement?" Hu Min was also chewing on cracklings. "You didn't hear?"

"I knew it! I kept feeling like someone was chattering in my ear," He Lingchuan realized with a start. "It was you! But I really couldn't make it out."

At that time, when the Ba Ling reinforcements arrived and their last barricade of wagons was about to be breached, He Lingchuan and Hu Min made a pact: whoever survived would find out why Governor Sun fled with the animal traps and inform the other by burning paper money.

It was just a spur-of-the-moment joke, but Hu Min had taken it seriously and followed through.

He Lingchuan wasn't sure how he felt inside; it was certainly a sensation he hadn't experienced in the auxiliary army. He picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. "What exactly did Governor Sun do it for?"

Those two animal traps weren't light; made of solid iron, each weighed several hundred pounds. When the city fell, Governor Sun had spent manpower and horse power to drag these two massive iron lumps along. What was the point?

"It's genuinely hilarious!" The pickled goose leg arrived at the table, and Hu Min picked up a piece, gnawing slowly. "When Governor Sun arrived in Dragoncoil City and took inventory of his belongings, he threw a fit because those two animal traps were missing. He even demanded that we go back to the river valley to find them for him!"

"Heh heh, Wecheng is gone, yet he still thinks this is his territory where he can lord it over everyone! Commander Xiao didn't even bother with him. I don't know if Governor Sun eventually sent people to look for those two iron lumps himself."

"But I asked his subordinates. Governor Sun's family originally came from a line of hunters. His grandfather used these two iron traps to catch two fierce beasts: one was a wolf demon, and the other, even more absurd, was the White Demon King who had roamed the western Dragoncoil Wasteland for years!"

"The White Demon King?" He Lingchuan had no recollection of such a figure.

"Sixty years ago, the White Demon King was the terrifying bear king of the western Dragoncoil Wasteland. It was said to be a powerful demon, a man-eater who had devoured the inhabitants of several villages. Wecheng sent out demon-extermination teams three or four times, but only one or two ever returned alive. When Governor Sun's grandfather found the White Demon King, it had already died, covered in wounds. The animal traps had clearly delivered the final blow."

"The White Demon King's hide, gall, paws, and fangs all fetched high prices, and the Sun family got rich from it, buying land. The old man consulted a fortune-teller who said their luck came entirely from those two iron beast traps, so they carefully hid them in the ancestral temple. Later, Governor Sun's father bought an abandoned mine that the government had decommissioned, only to find that the iron ore it produced was surprisingly pure. As you know, weapons and grain are the hard currency in the Dragoncoil Wasteland, so his family undoubtedly made another fortune. By Governor Sun's generation, it goes without saying he became a governor himself. So, tell me, aren't those two iron traps incredibly lucky charms?"

Catching Hu Min's knowing look, He Lingchuan refrained from blurting out "lucky" and simply chuckled. "They certainly are useful items; they even saved our lives, by the way."

If not for the powerful traps, which snapped Meng Shan's leg bone, they would have paid a heavy price to stop that formidable man.

"Exactly! That's why Governor Sun took them with him when he fled, hoping good fortune would continue to follow his family." Hu Min slapped his thigh. "Oh, perhaps his troubles started precisely because he lost those two things."

"What happened?"

"His family bought a very grand mansion south of Dragoncoil City, only to discover after moving in that the original owner had used it to offset a lot of debt and then fled. Now, creditors are showing up with promissory notes, demanding money from Governor Sun, threatening lawsuits if he doesn't pay." Hu Min took a sip of wine. "Also, he arrived with three or four hundred city guards, but Dragoncoil City doesn't permit private citizens to command so many armed men. They only allowed the Sun family ten house guards; the rest had to be disbanded and incorporated into the city's regular defense force."

He Lingchuan shook his head. "Governor Sun must be sending people all over the river and valley to find those two iron traps now."

"He's clamoring to seek Lord Zhong's judgment, but unfortunately, this isn't Wecheng, where his word was law," Hu Min said lazily. "Over the years, many wealthy and influential people from nearby areas have moved to Dragoncoil City seeking a safe haven. There are still plenty who wish to throw their weight around. Heh heh, they're dreaming!"

"Are houses in Dragoncoil City very expensive?"

The waiter brought over some smoked and braised pork head, mixed with coriander. Overhearing their conversation, he interjected with evident pride:

"Indeed! It's the safest place in the entire Dragoncoil Wasteland, and large numbers of outsiders move here every year!"

Who wouldn't long for a peaceful and stable life?

As Dragoncoil City was the safest, it naturally attracted the most people.

He Lingchuan asked curiously, "With so many people, can they all be settled?"

"For now, yes. The city itself is full, but the Red Plate Plateau is vast, and more people are good for reclaiming land and opening mines. Lord Zhong once said that Dragoncoil City would only be in danger if its population dwindled."

The primary factor in warfare is always people.

Hu Min continued, "Houses in Dragoncoil City are divided into fifteen categories. There are five grades of luxurious residences, though even the top-grade ones cannot exceed ten mu in area. Common dwellings have nine grades. These are mostly allocated by the government for officials, soldiers, and ordinary citizens. Only fourth and fifth-grade luxurious residences can be freely bought and sold."

"What about the other one?" He Lingchuan had only heard about fourteen categories.

"The last one is called a 'snail-dwelling,' which is where slaves and prisoners of war reside."

He Lingchuan understood. After all, Dragoncoil City was constantly in a state of war, unlike ordinary regions where people, money, and goods flowed freely. The laws enacted here were compulsory and restrictive.

He sighed. Simply surviving was difficult enough, and Dragoncoil City was forced to play on a higher difficulty setting.

Hearing his sigh, Hu Min looked over. "I heard you're from Tusu?"

He Lingchuan had indeed told Commander Xiao that, so he nodded.

"You'll settle down in Dragoncoil City, won't you?" From Hu Min's perspective, there was no reason to say no.

He Lingchuan took a bite of meat and a sip of wine, vaguely replying, "I'm thinking about it."

He had just entered this place in a dream; could that be considered settling down?

"That's easy then! You performed meritorious service assisting the Wecheng civilians with their retreat. Commander Xiao said at the time: a promotion, more rations, and land! Dragoncoil City has always been fair with rewards and punishments, and these rewards are still waiting. I'll take you to claim them later!"

After several drinks, the two grew more familiar, and Hu Min readily promised to handle things.

He Lingchuan was stunned. "I'm going to have rank and property here too?"

Promotion, a raise, and land all at once? It was too fast, beautiful like a dream. In his previous life, this was all he ever pursued.

Oh, wait, he was in a dream right now.

Hu Min patted his shoulder. "In Dragoncoil City, military merit means everything!"

Achievements earned with one's life certainly deserved significant rewards.

"If you want to make a name for yourself, is fighting the fastest way?"

"Of course!"

The two clinked their cups, and He Lingchuan suddenly remembered someone else.

"By the way, what happened to Meng Shan?" That fellow caused a lot of trouble for the Great Wind Army, but after the animal trap broke his leg, he couldn't move. The Great Wind Army disarmed him and then left him alone, likely being too busy at the time. He Lingchuan wondered how Meng Shan was handled afterward. "Did they just chop him up?"

"Oh, not at all," Hu Min chuckled. "General Hong saw him, considered him a man of potential, and had him confined to recover from his injuries. His leg was caught in the trap for so long that it almost had to be amputated, which made his recovery even slower."

"Will he surrender?"

"He's unwilling for now, but you never know later," Hu Min said. "Dragoncoil City has accepted many surrendered generals and has its own methods."

"Have none of them ever defected again?" He Lingchuan asked, curious. "People's loyalties can change easily; there might be a turncoat among them."

Hu Min smiled. "Not so far."

At this point, He Lingchuan still had a question that had bothered him for a while. "By the way, when I entered the city, I noticed the guards at the gate were lax, and people, goods, and valuables passed through very easily. Isn't Dragoncoil City afraid of spies infiltrating?"

The strongest fortresses are often breached from within. This had been proven at least twice at Woling Pass.

Yet Dragoncoil City had stood firm for thirty-two years without such an incident. Not only He Lingchuan, but nations in later generations were also curious how it managed this.

"No, we're not," Hu Min said, picking up a piece of pork head and chewing slowly. "Anyone with ill intentions towards Dragoncoil City will be exposed as soon as they pass through the city gate. Nobody knows what method is used, but it's enough for you to know this: spies and scouts simply cannot enter through the main gate."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh," appearing to grasp it only partially.

Of course, three words came to his mind:

Three Corpse Worms.

At this time, Zhong Shengguang had successfully propitiated the gods, and the Great Heavens God had bestowed upon him the Great Square Vase. Therefore, the Three Corpse Worms would be an extremely powerful tool with various uses.

If used properly, Dragoncoil City would be greatly strengthened.

He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. "By the way, when did General Hong appear?"

"Hmm... about three years ago."

This meant that the Dragoncoil Wasteland had become an enclave again three or four years prior. If one were to calculate time from when Zhong Shengguang took charge of Dragoncoil City and began resisting external aggression, then it would currently be around the fifteenth or sixteenth year of the Dragoncoil Calendar.

He Lingchuan secretly shook his head. Their motherland was too weak, which was a tremendous source of pain and hardship for the soldiers and civilians guarding the frontier.

Hu Min added, "Speaking of which, many new regulations in Dragoncoil City were also enacted only three or four years ago. For instance, the land categories I just mentioned, which used to have only three or four grades, have now been expanded to fifteen. There are many such detailed rules; you'll learn them in time."

"I've always wondered, what kind of person is General Hong?" He attentively refilled Hu Min's cup, adopting an eager-to-learn posture.

Hu Min raised his cup and drank. "It's hard to say. In any case, you'll know when you meet her."