Chapter 728: Fighting and Killing Are the Most Fun

Chapter 721: Fighting and Killing Are the Most Interesting

Their daily routine involved eating in the wind and sleeping in the open, so they weren't afraid of traveling by night.

Of course, out of the sixty-odd bandits, six or seven escaped, nearly thirty were killed, and the rest mostly surrendered.

He Lingchuan then led dozens of Gale Army soldiers, escorting numerous captives, all the way to Yuheng City.

"Wow, this place has changed so much!"

As soon as they entered Yuheng City, everyone gasped in amazement.

Seven or eight out of ten accompanying Gale Army soldiers had followed General Hong eastward last year and shed blood and sweat in the Battle of Yuheng City, so they had a deep impression of the place.

This place was renamed only after General Hong captured it. Originally, it was a border pass of the Xiji Kingdom, also a military town, where border defense took precedence over economic development, and the population was not large apart from the garrison.

However, revisiting the familiar place after several months, He Lingchuan discovered that Yuheng City's area had expanded at least threefold!

The city walls were being expanded; though artisans didn't work on the walls after nightfall, scaffolding was erected everywhere.

The city was bustling, with people flowing like a continuous stream.

Half of the streets He Lingchuan had previously walked were being widened and renovated, while the other half were simply demolished and rebuilt.

The new roads, like those in Panlong City, were straight and perpendicular, wide and flat, very suitable for transporting troops.

The houses on both sides of the streets were either renovated or rebuilt, with uniform specifications and styles, looking exceptionally neat...

...and particularly characteristic of Panlong City.

Street signs would need to be put up quickly, otherwise these identical houses and streets could make one instantly lost.

This city had completely transformed, vibrant and full of energy.

Upon entering Yuheng City and handing over the captives, He Lingchuan announced, "Dismissed," and then went to help Master Sun with her luggage.

Liu Tiao and Hu Min would naturally handle the arrangements for the soldiers' food and lodging, so he, as their leader, didn't need to worry.

Master Sun had brought many books; in addition to filling two storage rings, she had also packed two full large carts.

All these were for the newly established Yuheng Academy.

As He Lingchuan helped her move the books, he accidentally dropped a box, from which over a dozen sets of papers scattered out.

He casually pulled out one set and glanced at it.

"Wow, that's hard. What kind of questions are these?!"

He truly pitied the students of Yuheng Academy.

"Do you want to try this paper?" Sun Fuling leaned over for a look. "Shall I save a set for you?"

"No, no, no!" He Lingchuan said with a serious expression. "How could I dare to take away the spiritual nourishment of children!"

Sun Fuling blinked. "These are examination questions for recruiting teachers, not for students."

"Oh?"

"Yuheng Academy needs to hire teachers, and these are the exam papers," Sun Fuling said, helping him pick them up. "If you pass, you can also become a teacher."

No wonder he found them so hard, insanely difficult; so they weren't for children! "Who set these questions?"

"Dean Xu," she said, glancing at him. "Interested?"

"No, no. I still find fighting and killing the most interesting."

Studying ancient immortal languages all day? His head would ache.

As they moved books into the library, He Lingchuan heard a commotion outside, seemingly the sharp voices of children. Master Sun ignored it and didn't even turn her head, but He Lingchuan went to the second-floor window to watch the spectacle.

It turned out to be a few boys fighting, surrounded by a circle of students cheering them on. Oh, they had bruised and swollen faces; the blows were quite heavy.

The academy proctor soon arrived, reprimanded both sides, and sent them to confinement.

By the time He Lingchuan came back to his senses, Sun Fuling had almost finished arranging the books. He quickly went to help. "At such a young age, are they already bullying?"

Sun Fuling smiled. "Who was bullying whom?"

"Wasn't the one who hit the hardest a Changhou student from Xiji?"

Xiji was a nation founded by the Changhou people, while the citizens of Panlong City were Xiluo people.

"You have it reversed; the child who hit the hardest was one of our Xiluo people," Sun Fuling said, placing books on the shelves. "In the past, Xiluo people were bullied in Xiji, either forbidden from attending school or bullied by Changhou students; now it's the other way around."

He Lingchuan suddenly realized. "No wonder Yuheng Academy is short-staffed and there are so many conflicts here." He wondered, "She didn't even look; how did she know who was fighting downstairs?"

The academic atmosphere at Panlong Academy's Suming Palace of Learning was very harmonious, as almost all students were Xiluo people.

"You're wrong again," Sun Fuling said, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. "Originally, there were more conflicts, but they've drastically decreased in recent months. Now, Yuheng Academy also appears harmonious on the surface; you're just lucky to encounter a quarrel today."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan was a bit surprised. "Why is that?"

These children were still young after all, and he thought the Changhou people would still harbor resentment.

"Because they have become people of a fallen nation."

Sun Fuling's simple statement sent chills down He Lingchuan's spine the more he thought about it.

With their nation gone, even such young children had lost their spirit and dared not resist.

"From now on, they are all Yuheng people, Panlong City people, distinguishable only by their character and different in their abilities."

He Lingchuan looked at the children below, whose eyes were almost spitting fire, and wasn't optimistic. "I don't think it will be that easy, will it?"

"Of course, it won't be easy, but by having them attend school and work together, there's still hope for integration over time," Sun Fuling said, uncharacteristically sighing. "Education for all, without discrimination—that's Dean Xu's hope. I, however, am not as optimistic as he is. 'Integration,' you see, is never as pleasant as it sounds literally."

At that moment, an orderly ran in and announced, "Master Wen requests your presence."

Sun Fuling pointed outside. "Go on, Mister Wen is looking for you."

He Lingchuan quickly asked her, "By the way, where are you staying?"

"The academy's faculty building."

So she was going to stay in a dormitory? "Uh, since you've finally come to Yuheng City, why not move into a larger house?"

Yuheng City was still rapidly expanding, and lodging here wasn't as tight as in Panlong City.

Sun Fuling paused her movements, then turned to look at him. "You mean...?"

Her eyes, like autumn water, shone astonishingly bright, making He Lingchuan feel a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat before saying, "I, I was thinking... being neighbors again would also be... nice."

Their eyes met.

Sun Fuling's lips seemed to curl slightly, and He Lingchuan couldn't tell if she was pleased or displeased. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Alright then, when you return, we can find a place to stay."

"Okay, okay!" Feeling the atmosphere was a bit off, He Lingchuan quickly followed the orderly.

Throughout Yuheng City, the official residence was one of the few buildings that hadn't been renovated. It remained as dusty and plain, small and dilapidated as He Lingchuan remembered.

It was common knowledge that officials didn't repair government offices.

The iron kettle on the charcoal stove was boiling vigorously. As soon as He Lingchuan arrived, Wen Daolun personally brewed a cup of hot tea and handed it to him.

"Mister Wen, you're too kind!" He Lingchuan said, taking the cup with both hands. "Oh, I should call you Master Wen now."

Wen Daolun had been appointed Assistant Commander by Zhong Shengguang, also overseeing the affairs of Yuheng City.

Compared to a few months ago, Wen Daolun had lost some weight but had regained his energetic spirit.

"After Commander Xiao returned, I kept wondering who Master Zhong would send over," Wen Daolun said with a smile. "I didn't expect it to be you. Excellent, excellent! As expected of Master Zhong, his judgment is as sharp as ever."