---

Introduction
A strong wind blows from the tip of the green grass

---

Tonight, lights float on the river; the spirit returns home.

---

➖⭐
YìFù – 义父 which means: foster father.
➖

Chang Geng took the brewed medicine bowl and entered his father’s young room.

The Shen Shiliu room only has one dim oil lamp, the light is the size of a bean, similar to fireflies.

He sat by the window. Most of his face was hidden in the shadows of the lights. Only part of him was visible and he seemed to be sleeping. Shen Shiliu did not wear a hair crown⭐, her hair was spread everywhere. Two small signs of the beauty of the color of the cinnabar lie beneath the corner of his eyes and on his earlobe, looking like they were created by a needle.

➖⭐T/N :
Accessory for placing your hair on a bun or ponytail, as seen in ancient drama
➖

The only light source in the room was all taken by this pair of beauty marks, almost too blinding.

Watching him in the light, his charm seemed to triple three times more than usual.

Anyone will appreciate beauty even if he is familiar with it. Chang Geng’s breath still stopped; he blinked rapidly, as if to clean the enchanting blood-red dots from his sight.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice: “Shiliu, take medicine.”

The teenager is undergoing a period of change of voice. It’s a little hard to talk with this half-deaf. Luckily, this time Shen Shiliu had heard it, and the voice of hyun⭐ who had the ability to urge people to urinate had stopped.

➖⭐T/N :
Type of musical instrument with a hollow egg shape
➖

Shen Shiliu’s eyes narrowed to see Chang Geng standing in the doorway: “Where are your manners, who did you just call?”

In fact, he was only about seven to eight years older than Chang Geng and was not married. He is fully aware of his useless nature and is fully prepared to live this life alone without being able to marry a wife. But suddenly, he found a son he did not have to raise himself; he wanted nothing more than to hold on tight to that boy. Without anything else to do, he could only assert his role as a ‘father’ to emphasize that.

Chang Geng ignored Shiliu and carefully placed the medicine bowl in front of him: “Drink while it’s still hot, no longer morning, hurry up and lie down after you finish drinking.”

Shen Shiliu pushed aside hyun and took a bowl of medicine: “How ungrateful, isn’t a good life my son? I have wasted a lot of effort in treating you so well.”

He took medicine without difficulty, took it in one go, there was no mistaking using it. He took the two mouthfuls of water that Chang Geng gave him to rinse his mouth and waved his hand: “There’s a market in Changyang today, I brought home something interesting for you. Come here.”

Shen Shiliu then bent down to search around the table and because of his vision, the tip of his nose looked as if it could scratch its surface. Chang Geng had no choice but to answer: “What are you looking for? Let me look for you.”

Then he could not help complaining: “I’m an adult, don’t you have any other work besides continuing to bring me children’s toys?”

If you have so much free time on your hands, why not stop making it difficult for me and let me learn more useful things, Chang Geng turns these thoughts in his head, and when the words will come out, it feels a little painful, and he did not say it.

Throughout the years, Xu Baihu rarely stayed at home, he was a kind and honest man who was very kind to Chang Geng, even though he did not often communicate with his stepson. Thinking about that, Chang Geng had spent the most important years of his life with this inappropriate yifu.

Shen Shiliu is a bum; spending day after day wasting time is one thing, but he must always drag Chang Geng with him! If not going to a market meeting, then go riding.

On one occasion he even found a ‘puppy’ to raise Chang Geng, causing Teacher Shen to turn green due to fear. This blind man cannot distinguish between wolves and dogs and finally brings back a small wolf.

Of a boy growing up, how much will not be destroyed by Shen Shiliu’s bad habits?

Chang Geng really felt scared while remembering it.

Naturally he’s not the type to play around, everyone has his own plan which he will follow closely. He does not like to be disturbed by others; the constant interference from Shen Shiliu was very annoying.

But his quick temper usually doesn’t last long because Shen Shiliu really loves him as a son, and doesn’t take advantage of him despite what his words sound like.

That year when Chang Geng became seriously ill, Xu Baihu was not at home as usual. The doctor said that he was in danger. His young Yifu took him home and watched him day and night nonstop for three days.

Every time he left, no matter near or far, no matter what his business was, he would definitely give Chang Geng some small toys or snacks. Chang Geng doesn’t like these things, but he can’t help but like the fact that Shiliu keeps it in his mind anytime and anywhere.

In short, every day Chang Geng saw Shiliu, his anger would be very strong, but when he would not see the man, concern arose in him.

Sometimes Chang Geng thinks to himself: although Shen Shiliu is not a war man, he is also unscientific, nor is he someone who can at least work alone for bones, but in the future, there will be people who will be fooled by his good looks?

In the future, his yifu will eventually marry, giving birth to his own children; does he still remember this adopted son?

When he thought about this, an indescribable feeling arose inside. He found a square box on Shiliu’s table. He briefly shook the thoughts in his head. He brought it to Shen Shiliu: “This?”

Shen Shiliu: “This is for you, just open it.”

Maybe it was a slingshot, maybe a packet of cheese, however, it couldn’t mean anything – Chang Geng opened the box hopelessly and scolded: “You must learn to save money even if we have some reserves, moreover, I …”

The next moment, he saw the object in the box, and suddenly closed his mouth, his eyes widened.

There is an iron bracelet in the box!

The so-called ‘iron wrist buckle’ is in fact part of the light armor used in the military. It’s very comfortable because it’s just a circle around the wrist, therefore it’s often taken apart from the armor to be used separately.

The iron bracelet is about four inches wide and can contain three to four small knives inside. The knife is made with unique expertise, can be as thin as a cricket’s wing, and can also be referred to as Xiu zhong si⭐.

➖⭐T/N :
“Thread is hidden behind the sleeve”
➖

It is said that Xiu zhong si the best, when breaking away from an iron bracelet, can separate one hair apart within a few feet into two in the blink of an eye.

Chang Geng was surprised: “This … Where did you get it?”

Shen Shiliu: “Shh – don’t let Shen Yi hear, this isn’t a toy, she will start nagging again if she sees – do you know how to use it?”

Teacher Shen himself is watering the flowers in the yard. His hearing was not interrupted, he could clearly see the conversation inside the house. He did not know what to do with half-deaf people who used themselves to measure others.

Chang Geng followed Shen Yi to learn how to disassemble the armor, he skillfully wore an iron wrist buckle, only then did he discover the special features of this object.

Xiu zhong si is not easy to make, and there are very few that hover. Most of the iron bracelets on the market are used and secondhand items from the army. Its size, of course, also for adult men. The ones brought back by Shen Shiliu were clearly smaller in size, perfect for young teens.

Chang Geng was stunned, Shen Shiliu knew what he wanted to ask and slowly said: “I heard from the merchant that this is a broken item. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s just a little small. Still no one wants to buy it, finally he sell it to me cheaply, I can’t use it for anything, you can play with it. Just be careful, don’t hurt anyone. “

Chang Geng rarely let his excitement show: “Thank you …”

Shen Shiliu: “Thank you who?”

Chang Geng quickly cried: “Yifu!”

“Send it to whoever feed you⭐, bastard!” Shen Shiliu laughed and put his arm around Chang Geng’s shoulder, sending him away. “Go home, don’t go out late in the month of the Forsaken Spirit.”

➖⭐T/N :
有 奶 娘 娘: Chinese idiom = “The person who gave me milk is my mother.”
➖

Chang Geng listened for a while and pondered, apparently today is July 15.

He walked back to his house through the side door, when he entered the door, he suddenly felt that the tone that Shiliu blew on Hyun was a little familiar, even though it was completely out of tune, but it really resembled the tone of , a a song used as a funeral crying among people.

“Is that appropriate?” Chang Geng thought to himself.

•••••

Shen Shiliu sent Chang Geng home, lowered his head to search around for quite a while, finally found the door line, and carefully stepped to close it.

Teacher Shen, who was waiting in the courtyard, offered him help with a blank expression and brought him back to their place.

Teacher Shen: “Iron bracelets made from the best types of iron, the three blades inside were created by Master Qiu Tian Lin himself. After the Master died, they stopped producing and selling them … defective items?”

Shiliu did not answer.

Teacher Shen: “All right, don’t play with me – do you really want to raise him as your own son?”

“Of course I like it, I like this child, right and generous,” Shiliu finally said, “That person might also have this idea in his mind. If I really could make him my heir and give my name to him, those people would relieved He could also live a much better life. “

Teacher Shen was silent for a few moments, then whispered, “You must make him not hate you first – are you not at all worried?”

Shen Shiliu smiled, lifted the hem of his robe and pushed the door into the house.

He said with a shameless face: “There are many people who already hate me.”

•••••

Tonight, lights float on the river; the spirit returns home.

Chang Geng was stirred before dawn, his body in a fierce state, a thin layer of sweat on his back, his loincloth was wet.

Every teenager will experience such fear and confusion at least once – even if there is someone who taught them first.

But Chang Geng didn’t panic, he wasn’t confused either. He is indifferent. He sat on the bed for a moment, then continued to get up and wash leisurely. There was a hint of undetectable disgust left on his face.

He went out to get a bucket of cold water, rubbed his body that was still growing from head to toe, pulled out clothes neatly folded next to the pillow, drank tea that had been left there overnight, and began the study session that day as usual.

Chang Geng doesn’t know what other people’s dreams are like.

But he himself actually has no dreams of spring⭐. He only dreamed of a snowstorm that could freeze people to death.

➖⭐T/N :
春梦 chun mèng; light up “the dream of spring”;
erotic dreams / wet dreams (͡ ° ͜ʖ ͡ °)
➖

The wind that day was like white feathers, mercilessly passed, the blood from his wound had thickened into ice cubes before they could flow out, the roar of the wolf was far and near, he could no longer smell the rusty aroma, the blood, each breath brought more pain, and bitter aromas that cut deep into someone’s bones. Chang Geng’s limbs are stiff, his lungs are burning. He thought that this snow would swallow it completely.

But not.

When Chang Geng woke up again, he found that someone had used their outer coat to wrap it up and take it away.

He remembered that the man was wearing a white robe, the scent of bitter medicine stuck to his body. When he saw that Chang Geng was awake, he didn’t say a word, he just took out a jug of wine and gave him a sip.

Chang Geng didn’t know what kind of wine it was, he never had the chance to taste it again. He only remembered that even Shao Dao-zi⭐ that was sold outside the city was not this strong. It was like fire rolling in his throat – burning all the blood in his body with just one sip.

➖⭐T/N :
A type of wine
➖

That person is Shiliu.

That is very clear. The sensation of the dream of Shiliu’s hand that carried him was still attached to his body. Chang Geng still can’t understand, isn’t that person a sick person? In such frightening ice and snow, how could there be such strong and strong hands?

Chang Geng looked down at the iron clasp around his wrist. He did not know what material was made of it, even after pressing his body for one night, it did not heat up even the slightest. With the coolness of the cold iron, Chang Geng quietly waited for his heart and boiling blood to cool, sneer, and mock the silly thought of ‘seeing your yifu in a spring dream’, then went to turn on the light and turn on reading as usual …

Suddenly, there was a roar in the distance, the ground and small places shook and trembled. Only a moment later he remembered that counting the days, it should be time for the ‘Giant Kite’ from the North Patrol unit to return.

‘Giant Kite’ is a large ship with a length of more than 5,000 feet. The ship has two wings and consists of thousands of ‘flaming fins’. When the Giant Kite will take off, all the ‘flaming fins’ will emit a white vapor altogether, creating a dreamy image, each ‘flipper’ burning Ziliujin * the size of a bowl inside, emitting a faint purple-red light in a vast expanse of smoke. It looks like a million lights.

➖⭐T/N :
Ziliujin- 紫 流 金: lit =,”purple gold flow” – a type of oil that powers every steampunk gadget in the universe, from gears in the military to household items and more, very important and very Importantly, you will see this term appear throughout many books.
➖

Since fourteen years ago, the North Barbarians bent to pay tribute. Every year on the 15th of the first month, there will be dozens of Giant Layang departing from the border area. They will each take the set route, perhaps displayed for thousands of miles. They can also observe every barbarian’s movements.

In addition to prevention and inspection, giant kites are also responsible for sending tribute from various northern tribes back to the capital, especially Ziliujin.

The giant kite was filled with almost one million pounds of Ziliujin, the return step a little heavier than when it took off. You can hear the sound of the angry ‘flaming fins’ from twenty to thirty miles.

The North Patrol Unit will depart in the first month of this year and will only return within six months after departing.

↩↪

---