Chapter 193: The Unlucky Ones

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A day after the battle, Liu Jin and his men arrive at Ox Storm Fortress, one of the nine fortresses on the border. The one in charge is a Thousand-Man Commander, but Liu Jin doubts there are that many people in this place. Colonel Peng had told him that each fortress only keeps just enough men to function. The rest are spread over the border, in constant lookout for enemy attacks.

There are no orders from Colonel Peng waiting for them in the fortress, so Liu Jin and his men are to continue as they have been doing after resupplying. It is not something Liu Jin had to worry about in the Dead Plains, where their high level of cultivation and the abundance of Spirit Beasts kept them all in fighting shape, but Colonel Peng’s men are weaker, and the border is considerably less rich in resources. Even the Spirit Beasts they fought the other day, once split between all of them, barely counted as a meal. They had been gaunt and lacking in meat. Only their marrow was good.

Liu Jin puts Old Qing in charge of handling their supplies. The old man is far more knowledgeable about the procedures of Colonel Peng’s army than he is. Thankfully, their weapons and armors are still in good condition, so there is no need to replace them. Even so, it will take some time until everything is ready. It gives the men an opportunity to rest and properly clean themselves.

It also gives Liu Jin the opportunity to leave the fortress and see how people in the border territories live.

Black Stone Village is a collection of a little over a hundred houses arranged in crooked rows and columns located about a hundred yards away from Ox Storm Fortress. The houses are all made of wood and stone. Most of them look like they only have one room and not a single one has been painted or decorated in any way. The grass is the most colorful thing around.

“This place is a pigsty,” Ni Cai says as he and Liu Jin enter the village. There are no walls and no guards to keep them out. There are no cobblestone roads either. Just dirt and houses and dirty houses.

It is a bleak place.

“That’s too harsh,” Liu Jin says as he looks around. “There’s no mud.”

“Because there’s no water!”

“There’s a perfectly usable river that way,” Liu Jin says, pointing to his left.

“…That’s barely a creek, Brother Qing.”

Ni Cai isn’t wrong. The village’s only source of water is a sad, pathetic creek. Still, even that is better than nothing, especially since the people who live here need water to survive. To call their cultivation lacking would be an understatement. Liu Jin cannot sense anyone in the Nascent Realm.

“You’re being awfully judgemental for someone who has been to the Dead Plains,” Liu Jin says.

“That’s not the same,” Ni Cai replies. His distaste is plain to see as his gaze sweeps over the houses. “The Dead Plains are not expected to house people. This place is, yet even Outer Disciples have better living conditions. Even the lowliest peasant in Ember City lives better than this. I cannot understand why anyone would subject themselves to this. And it’s not just them. The accommodations for the soldiers, even in their own fortress, are pitiful.”

“Even Outer Disciples have better living conditions?” Liu Jin shakes his head before it dawns on him. “Ah, that’s right. You’re a second-generation disciple.”

Liu Jin remembers Ni Cai mentioning it in the Dead Plains.

“I am.” Ni Cai looks a little confused but nods. “My parents are disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan. What of it?”

“It means you don’t have much experience with people from lower classes,” Liu Jin replies.

As a second-generation disciple, Ni Cai is someone who was born into the Eternal Flame Clan. Even if his family is not prestigious within the boundaries of the Eternal Flame Clan, that still sets him apart from most of the empire.

“The Eternal Flame Clan is one of the greatest powers within the empire. There are City Lords and Sect Masters who would kill for the resources an Outer Disciple has at their disposal,” Liu Jin explains. “Even Ember City, though not officially part of the Eternal Flame Clan, is a fantastic place to live. It is not a large city, but the people there don’t have to worry about crime or poverty.”

The biggest danger in Ember City is getting caught in a fight between the people who come to join the Eternal Flame Clan. One happens every time a Selection Exam approaches. However, since it isn’t uncommon for there to be disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan in the city, the fights never last long.

“Other places are not as lucky,” Liu Jin continues. While he hasn’t seen every city in the Crimson Cloud Empire, he has seen more of them than Ni Cai. Even in Eastern Port City, there was a marked difference between the people who lived in the city’s inner districts and those who lived outside the walls in shabby, rundown houses. “Of course, this place is especially unlucky.”

“Why do people live here then if it’s so unlucky?”

“Can you not feel their power?” Liu Jin asks while looking at the rundown houses. Nearly all the people inside are in the Foundational Realm. Only a few are in the Inner Realm. “They are too weak to be elsewhere. They live here because they seek the protection of the fortress.”

If these people tried moving elsewhere, they risked all sorts of dangers like being attacked by bandits or Spirit Beasts. Even the lack of food and water during the journey could kill them. Should they reach another town safely, there is no guarantee they will be able to achieve anything there.

Without power, one can’t protect their property and so is left at the mercy of the strong.

“I cannot imagine living that way,” Ni Cai says. His gaze lingers on a starving dog by the side of the road.

“Some would call that fortunate,” Liu Jin says.

Ni Cai tears his gaze away from the dog. He rubs the sleeve of his robe.

“I wanted to thank you,” Ni Cai says after a while. “For choosing to bring me along and even putting me under your command. I know there are other people who you’d rather have at your side, Brother Qing.”

Ni Cai is most likely referring to Lu Mei, Huang Shing, and Fan Bingbing. Rather than keep them with him as one group, Liu Jin decided to split them up. The plan had been to have each one in charge of a different group, so they would be in a position to smooth out any issues that might arise. However, Huang Shing’s mental state was uncertain, so Liu Jin put him with Lu Mei so that she may keep an eye on him.

Lu Mei hadn’t been exactly happy about that, but she was used to handling Bei Hong. Handling Huang Shing shouldn’t be much different.

“I know I can rely on you,” Liu Jin tells Ni Cai. “That’s all there is to it.”

Ni Cai is one of the disciples who helped him take down Qu Rou in the Dead Plains. He had more than proven himself.

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Besides, as a member of the Medical Pavilion, his skills are of great importance. Liu Jin has done his best to ensure every group has at least one disciple with medical skills. While it could be argued that having Ni Cai in his group is redundant since Liu Jin is a doctor, it never hurts to err on the side of caution. One never knows when an emergency may arise, especially when Liu Jin has so many headaches to keep track of.

Headaches like Yi Jiao.

Huang Shing’s former fiance is one of the disciples who came to the border territories under his command. Liu Jin put her in his group to better keep track of her, but that doesn’t mean he is happy with the decision. Ever since they left Colonel Peng’s fortress, the girl keeps trying to meet his gaze, often looking like she wants to approach him only to back out at the last second.

Liu Jin is content to let her keep hesitating. Whatever conversation she wants to have, it is bound to be awkward.

“I will not betray your expectations, Brother Qing,” Ni Cai says. He frowns at his sleeves and rubs them.

“If the stains bother you so much, you should use your Qi to burn the dirt off,” Liu Jin says. Ni Cai has been fidgeting since yesterday, constantly checking his robes for stains and trying to rub them off.

“Not everyone has Brother Qing’s Qi control,” Ni Cai replies. “If I tried to clean my robes like Brother Qing does, it’d probably burn them.”

He wouldn’t. The robes Inner Disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan wear are made of extremely valuable materials that won’t damage easily even if they are hit by attacks from other Inner Disciples. Ni Cai could easily use his Qi to purge himself of dirt. It is something many disciples do, not that they have much need to. Their robes are hard to stain. Whether it is blood or dirt, it all washes off easily.

Ni Cai’s robes have been clean all this time.

“Is it really so distracting?” Liu Jin asks. “You’re from the Medical Pavilion. You should be used to blood.”

“Don’t compare the two!” Ni Cai snaps at him. His face pales as he realizes what he’s done. “I am sorry, Brother Qing. I didn’t mean to shout.”

“It’s fine,” Liu Jin says, trying to stop Ni Cai, who has already begun bowing his head. “I am the one prying into a subject you are clearly uncomfortable with.”