Chapter 6

“The order of the Nine Provinces is: Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Liangzhou, and Yongzhou.”

“Among them, the capital city we just left, where the emperor lives, is in Jizhou.” They were still in Jizhou now.

Zhao Kuo, sitting under the tree, touched his chin and said, “So, the capital city here is like Xianyang of Qin and Jinyang of Zhao. It is the capital of a country.” He then looked at the tall general beside Ying Yue and said, “Then we have to run farther away.”

After all, at the start of a rebellion, you shouldn’t cause trouble right under the nose of someone else’s ruler.

At the emperor’s feet, near the imperial city, this place must be heavily guarded and have a strong military presence. If you start trouble right in front of the royal gate, wouldn’t that clearly signal the court to send troops against you?

How many years of foolishness does it take to do such a thing?

Bai Qi thought for a moment and then asked Ying Yue, “How is the national strength?”

Ying Yue replied, “When I was studying, I heard from my teacher that our dynasty is a strong country, and small foreign countries pay tribute every year, presenting rare treasures. Every four years, they come to the Central Plains to show our national prestige.”

The young man asked again, “How is life for the people?”

At this question, Ying Yue paused before answering hesitantly, “It seems so. The taxes and labor service are heavy?”

Ying Yue raised her hand and twisted her hair, speaking uncertainly, “Because I am the daughter of a merchant. One year ago, when my parents were still alive, I heard them say in a sad tone that the government’s taxation had increased again.”

“But my parents never let me handle these matters, so I don’t know the details.”

After thinking for a while, the delicate girl added, “In some remote places, many people are hungry and poorly clothed.” She heard some servants in her family say that if they hadn’t been taken in by the master, they would probably have starved on the streets.

“Hey~” Zhao Kuo sang a long note, stood up from under the tree, picked a random grass from the ground, and turned it in his hand, saying in a somewhat unreliable tone: “If that’s the case, sister, your Zhou Dynasty doesn’t seem as good as the foreign countries claim.”

Bai Qi lowered his eyes and replied calmly, “I’m afraid it has many problems. Even though it looks magnificent and prosperous on the outside, the inside is decaying.”

But this is normal.

As a master training system, although the system aims to train its host to become a powerful ruler and dominate the world, it doesn’t casually turn other people’s beautiful and peaceful country into chaos to achieve its goals.

Though the system isn’t human, the one who created it is still human, even if they are from a very distant future. They wouldn’t want to make the world miserable and then create a “savior.”

The time periods the system can select all have various problems.

The nobles indulge in luxury while the common people suffer from long-term oppression.

From Ying Yue’s words, it seems this problem exists in her world. For the rest, they will have to learn more later.

Zhao Kuo sneered, a hint of mockery in his eyes. The grass in his hand was about to bloom. He said to Ying Yue:

“But then again, I just remembered something interesting. The country where my sister lives is also called Zhou.”

Hearing this, Ying Yue raised her head and looked at the young man. She softly repeated the key word from his sentence, finding it quite interesting, “Also?”

The pretty girl tilted her head, her eyes showing a bit of confusion.

“Ah,” Zhao Kuo responded and continued, “Sister, you don’t know, but back when we were alive, the country ruled by the common ruler of the world was also called Zhou. We called that ruler the Zhou Emperor, but he was just a figurehead, no real power. The seven strongest states were the ones in control, while smaller neighboring states survived in between. They gave us the title ‘Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period.’ Anyway, I don’t really like the title. One hero is enough for me.

But that’s not the main point. The main point is—”

Zhao Kuo, known as a chatterbox by the system, quickly got back to the serious matter, “We know the anti-Zhou movement well. Especially him.”

He pointed at Bai Qi and winked.

Bai Qi: “…”

It seems he has no bad feelings about being killed by me.

Although Bai Qi had received all of Qin Wu’an Jun’s ^[1]refers to a title for a general during Warring States Period. combat experience, he was still the 20-year-old who thought Zhao Kuo, despite his defeat and tragic death by Bai Qi’s hands, was a good person. His mindset was impressive.

Not long ago, he wanted to kill him, yet now he could get along without any grudge. This mentality is rare.

Zhao Kuo didn’t expect Bai Qi to respond when he looked at him. After teasing him for a bit, Zhao Kuo went back to his thoughts.

After a while, he sighed, not knowing what he was thinking about, and said with a hint of sadness, “Why can’t I find a good place where local security is bad and there are bandits?”

For their current situation, such a place would be ideal for developing a base.

In such a place, they wouldn’t attract too much attention. No need to worry about the court sending soldiers to “suppress the bandits.”

With a camp like that, they could grow and gather strength, or retreat if needed to another hill and start again.

“The place you mentioned actually exists… but…” Ying Yue spoke quietly, feeling that Zhao Kuo’s description didn’t match the word “good.”

When Zhao Kuo heard her, his eyes lit up, and he rushed to her, asking excitedly, “Where? Where? Sister, tell me!”

“Actually, I’m not sure…” Seeing how serious Zhao Kuo was, Ying Yue hesitated, her voice getting smaller and softer.

“I heard my mother say before that her ancestral homeland, Beidi County in Yongzhou, is similar to what you described. Uh… it seems the whole Yongzhou is like that?”

The young girl continued, “My mother once told me that no matter where I marry in the future, I must never return to Yongzhou.

It’s a place with harsh mountains, bad water, and unruly people. It’s cold, near the Hu people ^[2]refers to nomadic tribes., and if I go there, she’d feel like the sky is falling.”

With every word she spoke, Zhao Kuo’s eyes brightened. He exchanged a glance with Bai Qi, confirming this would be their next destination.

Bandits meant hills to take.

The cold borderlands meant the imperial court couldn’t reach them easily.

Being close to the Hu people was perfect for making a name for themselves.

People in harsh places were often tough. If they recruited soldiers, those from such places would be much stronger than those from wealthier areas. Survival of the fittest would prevail there.

As for what Ying Yue’s mother said, both Bai Qi and Zhao Kuo could understand her concerns.

With Ying Yue’s beauty, such a dangerous environment could lead to her being abducted by the barbarians, suffering humiliation, or even worse, being eaten like livestock.

Bai Qi then crouched down, leveling his eyes with Ying Yue’s, and asked seriously, “Miss Ying, based on what Zhao Kuo and I think, we plan to go to Yongzhou. Are you willing to go?”

Ying Yue blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering softly like butterfly wings, and gently asked the young man, “Will you protect me?”

Bai Qi didn’t answer immediately. After thinking for a moment under Ying Yue’s bright gaze, he said, “As long as I am by your side, I will never let you be hurt.”

Bai Qi did not really see Ying Yue, the very beautiful girl, as his “master,” so he always called her “Miss Ying” after learning her name.

Bai Qi was different from Zhao Kuo. While Zhao Kuo only noticed her characteristics after she got in the carriage and they began to “escape,” Bai Qi saw things more clearly. From the first moment he saw Ying Yue, her beautiful eyes made him realize she had no ambition.

To Bai Qi, who was from Qin State, known as the “land of tigers and wolves” ^[3]nickname for Qin’s fierce warriors., a person without ambition was not fit to be a ruler. Because of this, he did not plan to stay. After the “forced summoning time” from the system ended, Bai Qi was ready to return to the card pool and go back to sleep.

For now, since he had been summoned by Ying Yue, he would protect the girl who he had saved earlier. He would take care of her for one day, keeping her safe from harm. This was his “responsibility.” After that, someone else would be around to protect her. And if not, someone could be trained to defend the “master.”

Bai Qi glanced calmly at the young man beside him, and the boy felt a sudden chill down his spine like an instinctive reaction. But at this moment, Bai Qi had no idea that this weak girl, who seemed like a breeze could knock her down and who he thought wasn’t qualified to be a lord, would one day be the person he’d serve with unwavering loyalty.

In the future, he would bow his head for her, bend his back for her, step over piles of bones, and offer her all his loyalty. He’d even wash himself clean from the blood he’d shed, just to gently place a flower in her hair. Bai Qi was born into this world for her, and he would stay by her side until the end of her life, never abandoning her.