Azure Heaven Saber
Chapter 1183 - 1183 56 Reading History for 3000 Years

Chapter 1183: Chapter 56: Reading History for 3000 Years, Comprehending the Dao over 90,000 Li [2 in 1]_3 Chapter 1183: Chapter 56: Reading History for 3000 Years, Comprehending the Dao over 90,000 Li [2 in 1]_3 The Great Qin had not slackened its vigilance, and instead shifted from overt military campaigns to long-term espionage work.

Catching mice.

To discerning eyes, this was a deliberately preserved contingency plan.

It was not quite about nurturing a threat for self-importance, but through continuous, innocuous conflicts, it definitely served the purpose of identifying and recruiting talent.

Rumors from the Jianghu circulated assassination lists of the rebels.

Meng Fang slid from the top three, gradually falling out of the top ten, the top thirty…

And as new talents emerged continuously, replacing old hatreds with new grudges, combined with the difficulty of hunting Meng Fang,

his name on the assassination list kept dropping, slowly out of the top hundred…

Thirty-five years of unification.

Meng Fang was now sixty-three years old, his health declined with each passing day, particularly the lingering effects from the many battles he fought in his youth, which were now all too evident.

His wife, Yu Rou, who had never practiced any form of cultivation, was in even poorer health than Meng Fang, already showing signs of advanced age.

The loyal guards were anxious, but Meng Fang and his wife seemed to take it all in stride.

“If we were still farming in the countryside, by this time we’d probably already be resting in peace.”

Meng Fang consoled his brothers-in-arms.

“Sixty-three, in our hometown, truly counts as a ripe old age.”

Meng Fang stood at the door, glancing intentionally or otherwise at the shop across the way, a fried cake shop.

Traditionally, doing business was strictly prohibited around the ducal residences, especially one like the Duke of the Kingdom’s residence, which was second only to the imperial palace in prestige, after all too many eyes could lead to trouble.

Even more so since Meng Fang was a target of remnants from various countries.

But Meng Fang was not concerned about such things; he actually took the initiative to communicate with officials, allowing many civilians and merchants to settle in, offering the reason that he intended to cultivate land, grow grains and vegetables, and having merchants nearby would facilitate trade.

What could the officials say or dare to say? Naturally, they arranged for merchants to move in as quickly as possible. Of course, they were thoroughly vetted, being native Qin people for at least three generations with no issues before they could enter the selection.

Yet over the course of several decades, the area around the Duke of the Kingdom’s residence had gradually become a well-known commercial street in the Great Qin, with not a single dispute arising day after day, bustling yet without chaos.

Directly across from the Duke of the Kingdom’s residence, the fried cake shop was managed by a young man, busy year-round with his young wife.

Meng Fang whispered softly, “The first time I ate the fried cakes from this shop, they were made by his grandfather; that old man made them authentically, and I would always eat five or six cakes each time.”

“Later on, his father took over, and then this young man. A few days ago, there was a celebration in their family, offering free cakes for a day because his wife was pregnant, accumulating blessings for future joy by giving back.”

Meng Fang’s voice was somewhat bewildered, somewhat hollow.

“Do you think, their child will also make fried cakes in the future?”

A few veteran soldiers had no answer, many things could not be changed.

Given the current situation, it was highly likely that the young man’s child would continue making fried cakes, following in his father’s footsteps, or rather, carrying on the family business with unbroken continuity.

“Life is full of hardships; chances to change one’s destiny are but few.”

Meng Fang sighed, “You guys, bearing no mean cultivation, have already changed your fates, yet you insist on keeping company with this old fool in retirement, isn’t that just wasting your good fortune—a fortune many yearn for but rarely obtain?”

The captain of the guards chuckled and said, “The great general speaks wrongly.”

Meng Fang was no longer a great general, but over the years, these guards had always continued to address him with the title of great general.

“We have learned a great deal from the great general and have had many realizations. Life, in the end, is about living day to day. Whether changing our fates or charging into battle, having survived countless wars to this day, the ultimate goal is really just to return home and live a simple life.”

“This is also every living person’s dream.”

“High officials and rich rewards are such, and so are the poor and common folks.”

“Even emperors and high officials, within their lifetime, holding power to rule the world when awake, lying drunk on the knees of beauties, upon closer scrutiny, are still at heart the same.”

“What about the recluses aloof from worldly affairs, don’t they still need to live their lives all the same!”

“Ultimately, who among all the beings in this world isn’t living just to live their lives.”

“Living day to day is good.”

The captain of the guards smiled, responding with a touch of sentimentality.

Back then, he, or rather they, truly could not understand Meng Fang’s choices.

But as the decades passed… he was amazed to find that if he were to leave his current comfortable life to achieve merits or fight on the battlefields, he would be reluctant to do so.

All the hard work, for what if not for the comfort that lay before them?

Meng Fang sighed deeply, a phrase inexplicably coming to mind.

“Three thousand years of history are but a quest for name and gain; ninety thousand miles of enlightenment eventually leads back to poetry, wine, and the idyllic countryside.”

The close guards quieted down.

They carefully savored the two lines.

All feeling a profound connection.

“So many years have passed, and we have stayed out of all the idle affairs,” Meng Fang said lightly, his voice tinged with wistfulness, “Even when many old comrades have come seeking help, I’ve never lent a hand, merely watching from the sidelines; have you ever resented me for it?”

The captain of the guards fell silent for a moment and said, “The great general was right back then, they chose a different path, enjoying a completely different kind of splendid life and power from us… Having parted ways at that time, the consequences that followed should naturally be borne by them.”