Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

After trekking two hundred li, the grand procession finally reached the border of Que Prefecture and Ding Prefecture. In the distance, the mountains rose and fell in jagged peaks, looking as if they had split heaven and earth in two, a truly magnificent sight.

“Is this the so-called Sanqi Mountains?”

Luo Yu asked curiously, “Why is one side of the mountain red and the other black?”

“Haha, that is exactly what makes the Sanqi Mountains unique.”

Han Shuo, who was familiar with the geography of Que Prefecture, explained with a smile, “The Sanqi Mountains are actually composed of three major peaks. To the east is the red Chiqi Mountain, and to the west is the black Heiqi Mountain. The towering peak to the north that pierces the clouds is called Qilian Peak, the primary summit of the three. Looking across the three provinces of Longxi, these are considered among the most formidable mountains.”

“One red and one black?”

Luo Yu became increasingly puzzled. A black mountain was understandable; usually, mountains covered in black pine or dark soil would appear black, but why was it red?

“No one knows why Chiqi Mountain is red. Folk legends say that in ancient times, fire fell from the heavens and scorched the mountain range red.”

Han Shuo continued, “I have never been here personally, but I have heard that among the three mountains, there is only a path for entry and exit to the south. Every other direction is a dead end, unless you have the ability to scale the precipices. So, even though this place sits on the border between two prefectures and seems to connect them, it is actually sparsely populated. No merchant caravans ever pass through here.”

Luo Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Was it really this desolate?

“Forget it, being remote is fine. It is not as if we cannot make a living.”

Luo Yu pulled himself together, a look of anticipation appearing on his face.

Regardless, this was his city. It was the territory hundreds of brothers had traded their lives for. As long as he managed Cangqi well and built a reputation, it would be enough to fulfill the Five-Year Pact.

“Look, there seems to be a city over there!”

Meng Hu pointed into the distance. At the foot of the mountain, the faint outline of a city wall appeared. Everyone’s spirits immediately lifted. That was their new home. They quickly shouldered their packs and set off again.

However, when they reached the outskirts of the city, everyone was stunned. Luo Yu, in particular, felt a chill in his heart, and only one thought occupied his mind.

Jun Mozhu played me!

The so-called Qicheng was clearly a complete ruin. Although it occupied a large area, not a single soul could be seen. There was only a heap of dilapidated city wall bricks, overgrown with weeds and thick with moss. It was impossible to tell how many years it had been abandoned.

Xiao Shaoyou sneered.

“It seems Jun Mozhu’s gratitude was not very sincere. Feels more like he is intentionally making things difficult for us.”

“I understand now.”

Luo Yu realized the truth in an instant.

He said he was letting me choose my own path and politely gifted me a city to show his thanks, but in reality, he wanted me to retreat in the face of difficulties and willingly submit to the Jun family.

What deep, calculating thoughts.

The seemingly elegant and refined Jun Mozhu had already been labeled as “cunning” by Luo Yu.

“What do we do now?”

Standing amid the ruins, Xiao Shaoyou smiled bitterly. “It is a total ruin. We cannot even live here.”

“Since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. What is there to fear? At worst, we start from zero.”

Luo Yu declared loudly, “Dong Chuan, Meng Hu, take everyone and set up camp. Shaoyou, Brother Han, let’s go scout the mountains!”

* * *

The mountain range was truly massive, so large that the three of them wandered for an entire day without finishing their survey. At night, they slept on the ground in the forest, eating a few bites of dry rations when they were hungry.

The terrain here was indeed peculiar. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the center consisted of vast, empty plains with an expansive area.

They first went to Heiqi Mountain. Just as Luo Yu had speculated, the mountain contained a large amount of hard black pine, and the soil was black, which was why it looked like a black mountain from afar.

But Luo Yu was more curious about Chiqi Mountain. Early the next morning, the three of them followed a mountain path upward, spending a long time just to reach the halfway point.

The vegetation on Chiqi Mountain was sparse, nowhere near as lush with trees and flowers as Heiqi Mountain or Qilian Peak. Large patches of rock were exposed on the mountainside, appearing dark red overall, with some areas even being so deeply red they looked black.

“How strange. Such deep mountains and old forests, yet there are barely any trees.”

Han Shuo expressed his confusion, but a sharp light flashed in Luo Yu’s eyes.

The group stopped at the waist of the mountain. Han Shuo stood with his hands on his hips, muttering, “Damn it all, this is the first time I have seen a red mountain. There really are all sorts of strange things in this world.”

Xiao Shaoyou also grumbled, “Do you feel that? There is an indescribable smell in the air, not that fresh scent of soil.”

Luo Yu ignored them. He drew the blade at his waist and began hacking at the rock. A series of crisp clanging sounds rang out. After a great deal of effort, he managed to break off a few fragments of stone.

Xiao Shaoyou was stunned.

“What are you doing?”

“Haha, hahahaha!! I guessed correctly!”

Luo Yu weighed the dark red stones in his hand, observing them closely. The corners of his mouth curled up.

“Jun Mozhu, oh Jun Mozhu, you really did give us a wonderful place!”

“What are you laughing at? What is there to be happy about over a few broken stones?”

The two were utterly bewildered, looking at him as if he were a fool.

“This is iron ore, iron ore!”

Han Shuo’s gaze changed instantly.

“Iron ore? How is that possible!”

Luo Yu spoke with absolute confidence.

“Usually, iron ore is buried deep underground, but a small portion of ore can be exposed on the surface due to geological changes. After iron ore oxidizes, it turns reddish-brown or dark red. Look at the cliffs or the cracks in the rocks; you can even see rust. I bet that the entire Chiqi Mountain contains extremely rich deposits of iron!”

The two were shocked. They did not understand terms like oxidation or geological changes, but they knew Luo Yu could not possibly be joking.

“We’ve struck it rich! Haha!”

The fatigue in the three men vanished instantly. Iron was far too important in this era.

Now that Luo Yu was building his own city and acting as city lord, no one would supply him with grain, fodder, or armaments anymore. Everything depended on himself. With iron ore, they could forge their own weapons.

“This matter is top secret. Not a single word must be leaked.”

“Understood!”

If other influential families found out about this, they would definitely do everything in their power to seize it. They were currently very weak; how could they possibly contend with those great clans?

An ordinary man is guiltless, but treasuring a jade makes him a criminal.

“The priority now is still to consider building the city and making a home. These hundreds of people cannot live in tents forever.”

Luo Yu walked to the edge of the mountain, gazing at the rolling peaks in the distance.

“My meaning is, we will abandon that ruined city. We will build a brand new one!”

“Build a new city?”

Han Shuo was stunned.

“Counting both soldiers and civilians, we only have a little over four hundred people. How long would that take? Just building the four walls would be exhausting.”

“No need. I have a better idea.”

“I know what you want to do.”

Before Luo Yu could speak, Xiao Shaoyou said softly, “You want to build Cangqi City at the mouth of the mountain pass, don’t you?”

“Exactly!” Luo Yu nodded heavily.

“We have seen the terrain of the Sanqi Mountains. Putting aside the small mountain trails, the only major road that can enter the mountains is indeed the one to the south. The peaks surround the area on three sides, with vast plains in the middle. Not only can people live there, but there is plenty of room for riding and training. Inside the mountains, there are also streams formed by mountain springs, sufficient for drinking water. We will build the city and walls along the mountain pass, blocking it from east to west. This way, we only need to build one wall. The other three sides have the mountain terrain as a natural barrier, which will save a massive amount of manpower and resources. If we cannot finish in one month, then two; it will be built eventually.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Xiao Shaoyou pointed toward the mountain pass in the distance.

“Let’s make an assumption. If one day the Qiang bandits enter the pass and fight all the way to the Sanqi Mountains, then Cangqi, surrounded on three sides by mountains, would be an excellent place that is easy to defend and hard to attack. We could concentrate all our forces at the southern pass. To put it bluntly, as long as we want to hold it, we can hold it for as long as we like!”

“Brilliant! You two really are the smart ones.”

Han Shuo slapped his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Then it is settled!”

Luo Yu waved his hand grandly.

“Starting tomorrow, we will build our city and our home!”

There was no dissatisfaction or discouragement in Luo Yu’s eyes. Instead, they were filled with fighting spirit and high morale.

No matter how great the difficulties, he would forge Cangqi into a great city that would shake Longxi. Then, he would find a way to obtain an imperial decree for an official appointment, become a fifth-rank official general, fulfill the Five-Year Pact, and enter the gates of the Wu family with his head held high!

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