Chapter 1 A Fine Day for an Axe

It was morning, a clear day, a rare cloudless sky in the Tianduan Mountains.

Yao Zizhan, being carried on Fan Li's shoulders, slowly woke up.

He said with some surprise, "Where are we?"

Fan Li turned his head to look at the old man and said, "I don't know, you were giving directions."

"But I just woke up."

"You were giving directions while you were sleeping."

Yao Zizhan looked questioningly at Chen Daxia, who was carrying Miss Su on his back.

Chen Daxia nodded, indicating that Fan Li was telling the truth.

"Tsk, this old brain of mine. Last night when we escaped, I had a nightmare, scared the hell out of me."

"Here, have some water."

Zheng Fan handed a water bag to Yao Zizhan.

Hearing Zheng Fan's voice, Yao Zizhan shuddered for no reason and then took the water bag.

He pulled out the stopper, didn't rush to drink, but put it to his nose and smelled it.

After confirming it was water, he raised his head and took a few big gulps.

After drinking the water, Yao Zizhan felt more energetic and looked around again before realizing, "It seems I did give directions. I remember where this is. Brother Zheng, look at the mountains in front of us, what do they look like?"

Zheng Fan looked at the mountains in front of him, thought for a moment, and said, "Like a saddle?"

Mountains, especially mountain ranges, look a bit like camel humps or saddles.

"Clearly, it's an axe!"

"Oh!"

Zheng Fan nodded, thinking to himself, how did you come to the conclusion that it looks like an axe?

"This mountain is called Falling Axe Mountain."

"Does it have a story?"

"Of course, it does. There are countless mountains in the Tianduan Mountains, but only a handful are recorded in official history. This mountain is one of them.

More than two hundred years ago, the great Jin general He Lianqing led 30,000 Jin elite as the vanguard, chasing the barbarians all the way here. The barbarians back then weren't as useless as they are now. The barbarians had a king.

He Lianqing defeated the barbarian army in this mountain and captured the barbarian king alive. Then, on that mountain, he personally wielded an axe and beheaded him!

This mountain has been called Falling Axe Mountain ever since."

"Oh, I see. Then what did you mean by asking me what the mountain looked like earlier, Yao-shi?"

The reason why this mountain is called Falling Axe Mountain is obviously because of a famous person's deed, not because it looks like something!

"Ahem..." Yao Zizhan coughed twice,

and said:

"To lead into the next part."

"I see."

"Brother Zheng, the He Lian family's treasury that you've been thinking about is actually inside Falling Axe Mountain. Back then, He Lianxiong Bi took me to see it. Hehe, there are three thousand sets of exquisite armor stored inside, as well as dazzling gold and silver jewelry."

Zheng Fan nodded, closed his eyes, and took a breath, as if he could already smell them.

However, Zheng Fan still joked:

"It seems that Yao-shi had a really good relationship with He Lianxiong Bi back then. Oh, I forgot, this is Jin."

"........." Yao Zizhan.

At this time, Xue San came back from the front and reported:

"Master, there's no one near that mountain."

Falling Axe Mountain is famous because the barbarian king was killed here, so there are no barbarian settlements near the mountain. Although barbarians give people the impression that they don't have a high level of culture, they also understand "bad luck."

The group continued to move forward and arrived at the foot of Falling Axe Mountain in the afternoon.

Zheng Fan looked at Yao Zizhan and asked, "Yao-shi, where is the entrance to the treasury?"

Yao Zizhan's old face turned red and he said, "It was so many years ago, how would I remember now? I only know that on the day He Lianxiong Bi took me there, we rode our horses to the foot of Falling Axe Mountain together.

There should be a door here."

Zheng Fan looked at Yao Zizhan with a half-smile.

Yao Zizhan said seriously:

"Brother Zheng, I've already led you here, there's no need for me to hold you back at this time. I really can't remember."

Zheng Fan nodded, thinking that you were with your lover back then, so you really didn't care about other things.

"Blind man, San'er, thank you for your hard work." Zheng Fan ordered.

The blind man put He Lian Baozhu on the ground, and then he and Xue San went up the mountain together.

San'er knows how to tomb-rob, and his figure is also suitable for this profession. After all, generally speaking, tomb-robbing holes are not very big, and in some places, they dare not open them too big for fear of causing a collapse.

In Xue San's original comic, there are many tomb-robbing plots.

As for the blind man, he is a detector.

Zheng Fan believed that as long as that treasury was in the Falling Axe Mountain area, with the skills of these two devils under his command, they would definitely be able to find it.

As for the others, A Ming went to the outer perimeter to guard and scout.

Chen Daxia put Miss Su down. Miss Su was still in a coma, and it was unclear whether it was Fan Li's kick that caused a concussion or the snake venom's effects hadn't subsided. She was always muddled.

But this was also a good thing. She didn't speak, and everyone was relaxed.

Fan Li then began to collect firewood nearby.

Zheng Fan and Yao Zizhan sat opposite each other. Yao Zizhan rubbed his forehead. Perhaps because he was revisiting an old place, the thoughts in his heart suddenly surged.

A literary master, without rich emotions, how could he write so many poems?

"Alas, such a large He Lian family, comparable to a country, is gone. I was still thinking of personally congratulating He Lianxiong Bi on his birthday next year."

"Please accept my condolences." Zheng Fan comforted, "After all, Qian might also be like this."

"............" Yao Zizhan.

At this time, Chen Daxia looked at Zheng Fan curiously and said, "You're already at the seventh rank?"

"Yes."

"Last time, you seemed to be only at the ninth rank."

"Yeah."

"Very fast."

"Yeah."

Chen Daxia finished his awkward chat and turned his head to continue looking at Miss Su.

Yao Zizhan took out a handful of fennel beans from his pocket and gave some to Zheng Fan, saying, "Brother Zheng, I think you don't seem to be a pure Yan person."

Zheng Fan put a fennel bean in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and asked at the same time:

"What makes you say that?"

"You want to swallow this old He Lian thief's treasury all by yourself."

"Yes." Zheng Fan admitted generously.

"It seems that Brother Zheng is an ambitious man."

"Hehe."

"Come, older brother, I can have a good talk with you. This He Lian family's treasury is one thing, but if you can get funding from my Qian country, then in the future..."

Zheng Fan didn't show any excitement on his face,

but said very calmly:

"Why would a wolf seek to cooperate with sheep?"

Although the Qian country has launched a vigorous military build-up since the last war, starting with the Qian Emperor, Zheng Fan doesn't think that in a few years, the Qian country can really have a million soldiers.

Even if the water content in the troop roster has become lower, elite soldiers and good generals cannot be mass-produced.

Yao Zizhan stretched out his hand to support his chest,

and said:

"Because sheep can produce milk."

"............" Zheng Fan.

Yao Zizhan scratched his arm again and continued:

"Sheep can also be sheared for wool."

"Um..." Zheng Fan.

"Brother Zheng, let's be frank. Don't look at how strong Da Yan is now, but it's ultimately built on those three people. Once something happens to those three people, who can say whether this momentum of prosperity will last?

Older brother, I don't believe that you, being in the Yan army, wouldn't notice this undercurrent;

To put it bluntly, my Da Qian only wants to maintain its own territory and protect itself. Cooperating with you is also hoping that you can establish your own territory in the future. It's best if Da Yan is divided into four or five pieces.

Even if my Da Qian has the heart to annex Da Yan and unify the world, but before it really starts, can't we be friends, can't we cooperate?

In the end, how things turn out still depends on our own abilities and destiny, right?"

The words were very straightforward, but Zheng Fan was still unmoved.

If they were to cooperate, they would definitely have each other's weaknesses.

The Qian country's imperial court doesn't care anyway, because it's the boss in its own country. If this matter is exposed, the Qian Emperor can just find a minor official from the Ministry of War to take the blame;

What about himself?

Would Tian Wujing come to clean house in a minute?

As long as Tian Wujing is still above his head, Zheng, the city guard, really doesn't have the courage to rebel. The psychological shadow that Tian Wujing gave him is too deep.

"Too far."

The distance is too far. He is in the northernmost part of the middle of Jin, and the distance to the Qian country is really too far, too far.

If he were the city guard of Nanwang City, he could secretly manage it.

"The journey is not a problem. As for the specifics, we can talk slowly after we return to Shengle City. My Da Qian has nothing else, but it has enough silver to support a vassal town."

"Yao-shi, you are a representative of culture, how can you do this kind of pimping business?"

"No matter how bright the window paper is, it's still just window paper, not as reliable as a door panel. We have to eat."

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it later."

"Okay, we have a long time to come anyway."

Fan Li picked up some dead branches and was about to start a fire when Xue San and the blind man had already returned.

Xue San darted forward,

rushing in front of the blind man, quickly came to Zheng Fan, and was about to report the good news first,

Who knew that just as Xue San braked in front of Zheng Fan,

Zheng Fan muttered to himself:

"Okay, I know."

"............" Xue San.

Damn it, blind man, you cheated!

The blind man, who was behind, showed a smile on his lips. Who can rob me to report faster, you're still too tender.

The blind man had already told the master the location coordinates in advance with his spiritual power.

Zheng Fan stood up and said:

"Yao-shi, the entrance has been found."

Yao Zizhan also patted his butt and stood up, "Okay, this old man will go in and take a look again."

Saying that,

Yao Zizhan pointed to He Lian Baozhu who was lying on the ground sleeping,

and said:

"Bring this girl along too. There's one thing I've always remembered. When He Lianxiong Bi took me in back then, he used his own blood to open the door. The door to the treasury should have a layer of formation restrictions."

Xue San said speechlessly:

"So you don't remember the place, but you remember this so clearly?"

The blind man added:

"I guess he was heartbroken at the time, so he has a deep impression."

"........." Yao Zizhan.