Chapter 143: Chapter 125: The Warm Hospitality of the People of Yizhou (Part 2)

Things are getting better, really getting better. No wonder everyone likes to show off in front of others; this feeling of hitting the mark is indeed very...

"You can’t bring these things inside."

"...Eh?"

Du Chengfeng’s smile froze on his face.

Fortunately, he had encountered a similar situation once before in Yanzhou. Back then, his soldiers also thought there was something wrong with his weaponry and wouldn’t let him into the city—so Du Chengfeng thought that as long as he did the same as last time, showing his official identity as the chief of Jizhou’s military armory, everything would be fine.

But who would’ve thought that even after he presented his seal, the soldiers of Yizhou City still shook their heads.

"This can’t go in, none of these can go in. The person can enter, but all these weapons must be left behind."

"...Are you serious?"

Du Chengfeng felt he must have heard wrong.

"I’m the chief of Jizhou’s military armory. Bringing some weapons with me is quite normal, isn’t it? How about reconsidering?"

"This is the rule in Yizhou City."

Seeing that Du Chengfeng still didn’t put down the weapons, the soldiers went as far as leveling their spears.

"Don’t make it hard for us."

"Then don’t make it hard for me either."

Du Chengfeng’s expression was already turning unfavorable.

Yizhou City has its rules, which he could understand, but being asked to leave his weapons behind was something he absolutely couldn’t accept—having spent some time in this world, Du Chengfeng already understood the importance of weapons. They are the most reliable comrades, the closest partners. Only when he had these weapons by his side could he feel certain that he could handle any danger by his own strength.

To be more serious, if he didn’t have these weapons at hand, he wouldn’t even be able to sleep at night.

What’s more, among these weapons, there was the halberd he was most fond of.

"Can’t there be an exception? I really am the military armory chief."

"Rules are rules, there’s no exception."

Just as tensions were about to rise at the city gate, and Du Chengfeng was prepared to take action, a man in a tight outfit with a sword at his waist stepped in past the soldiers.

Notably, at this man’s waist was also a rusty iron ruler set at an angle.

"Although there’s no exception, there’s an old barracks at the northeast corner inside Yizhou City, which is currently empty. As a military officer, it’s natural for you to bring weapons there, just don’t bring them out into the streets, after all, this isn’t the northern frontier."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Hearing that there was indeed a way to bring his things inside, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he thought he wouldn’t get any sleep.

In a good mood, Du Chengfeng struck up a conversation with the man carrying the iron ruler at his waist. After chatting for a while, Du Chengfeng came to know that this man named Jiang Wenyuan was the chief of capturers in Yizhou, in charge of the city’s security, and that what had just happened was right within his scope of work.

This made Du Chengfeng even more embarrassed.

The other side was just doing their job normally, and even went out of their way to find a suitable place where he could keep his weapons without breaking any taboos. Meanwhile, he almost resorted to violence over the matter of leaving his weapons behind, which was quite inappropriate.

"There’s nothing inappropriate about it; after all, you came all the way from the northern border, carrying weapons at all times is understandable."

The guy named Jiang Wenyuan remained friendly.

"And those captives you brought... don’t worry, just take them to that barracks. You can supervise them yourself, no one will steal your credit."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Seeing that even the nomadic warriors were taken into consideration, the capturer chief named Jiang Wenyuan became even more agreeable to Du Chengfeng.

This was a meticulous person, Du Chengfeng could tell, but this meticulousness wasn’t off-putting. Instead, it made people feel cared for—like now, Jiang Wenyuan not only greeted him but also brought along Cui Yuan and the others.

Of course, in Jiang Wenyuan’s eyes, these people were Du Chengfeng’s personal soldiers, having fought alongside him all the way from Yanzhou.

Du Chengfeng smiled but didn’t bother to explain further; after all, giving everyone a good status was a good thing.

As for the refugees, they were accommodated separately. Most from Yanzhou, and the refugees from Yiyang County, were taken away by the chief secretary of the Yizhou Governor’s Office. The Governor’s Office would find places for them and provide them with some livelihood, helping them settle quickly in Yizhou.

Only a few refugees, including villagers from Yangjiabao, insisted on entering the city with Du Chengfeng.

This seemingly unreasonable request was unexpectedly accepted by Jiang Wenyuan.

"Anyway, that barracks is big enough; even if all of you move in, it won’t be a problem."

Jiang Wenyuan smiled.

"This kind of situation can be understood. After all, you’re all from the same hometown, and having been with you for so long, they naturally don’t want to be separated... Everyone should go, we’re all family, after all, a reunion is the best."

"This phrase doesn’t really fit here, does it?"

Although he said this aloud, Du Chengfeng found Jiang Wenyuan even more pleasant.

Willing to help even with such demands; it seemed Yizhou City had quite a bit of human touch—originally, he thought the city rules were stringent, and he might find it uncomfortable to stay. But now, it seemed... perhaps not so bad?

Indeed, not bad at all. Jiang Wenyuan didn’t just help them find a solution; he even personally escorted them to the old barracks at the northeast corner of Yizhou City.

Just as Jiang Wenyuan had said, the barracks were indeed empty, but they didn’t seem dilapidated. The structures were merely a bit old, likely used for training new recruits, but now it perfectly suited their needs as lodging.

So, after a little cleaning, Du Chengfeng and those who followed him moved into this old barracks.

At sunset, as he sat outside the barrack assigned to him, he suddenly felt that the so-called peace and stability were surprisingly close.

Perhaps he could just stay in Yizhou, after all, the environment here seemed nice, and Jiang Wenyuan, the security chief, was easy to talk to. If everyone in Yizhou was as warm and hospitable, perhaps this place would indeed be suitable for an outsider like him.

At this moment, recalling the countless bloody battles from before, Du Chengfeng even felt like they were from a lifetime ago.

Just as everything had started without warning, this ending also came too abruptly for him. Du Chengfeng originally thought that to achieve his desires and live a stable life, he would have to go through a grand battle or face some terrifying adversary for three hundred rounds—he thought it had to be a very ceremonious event before he could fulfill his desires after defeating a formidable foe, and finally rest, waking up whenever he wished.

But now, it seemed everything didn’t need to be so troublesome.

Everything truly ended.

Those days of slaughter were really behind him, and he had truly reached the journey’s end.

"Finally, I can truly rest."

Thinking like this, Du Chengfeng had some cooked meat and fine wine sent by Jiang Wenyuan. Well fed and satisfied, seeing the moon climb the branches, he followed the example of the villagers who had worked hard all day, placing his weapons beneath his pillow and falling into a deep sleep.

For a while, indeed a long while, he hadn’t slept so soundly.

"So, what is this?"

Upon waking, Du Chengfeng stared at the huge iron cage that had enveloped his entire bed, dumbfounded.

"When did this happen?"

"While you were asleep."

Jiang Wenyuan’s voice came in from outside.

"You didn’t think others wouldn’t know about what you’ve done, did you?"