20: mid-level civil officials

After Lin Yue finished giving his orders, he left the Military Camp and used the Earth-tier warhorse statue to summon the Earth-tier warhorse: the Night-Shining Jade Lion!

The statue then crumbled into dust and scattered with the wind. Immediately after, a flash of white light appeared, and a tall, majestic warhorse neighed as it galloped towards Lin Yue, finally stopping beside him and nuzzling his head against Lin Yue’s body.

The Night-Shining Jade Lion was pure white, without a single speck of other color, and looked truly magnificent!

“From now on, I’ll call you Big Yellow,” Lin Yue said with a smile, stroking the horse’s head.

The warhorse continued to rub its head against Lin Yue, who smiled and said, “Then I’ll take that as a yes!”

Seeing that Big Yellow didn’t object, Lin Yue took it as an acceptance of the name. He then mounted the horse and rode towards Heyecheng.

The Military Camp was only two hundred li from Heyecheng, and the Night-Shining Jade Lion was as swift as the wind. Soon, they arrived at the Mountain God Temple.

Lin Yue dismounted and walked inside. It was empty. He sighed and then turned towards Heyecheng.

The middle-aged Daoist priest and the strange old man had helped him so much. Although he had nothing to repay them with now, he wanted to thank them in person. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see them.

By the time they reached the city gate, the gruesome sight of blood flowing like rivers was long gone. The area below the city was clean and tidy, still awe-inspiring and imposing, as if everything had been a dream.

Lin Yue passed through the city gate and walked into the city. It was the same street, but there was no trace of the strange master and disciple anymore, which made him feel a little sad.

For a moment, he couldn’t distinguish between reality and dream, it was like a dream, yet the Miao Blade in his hand told him that all of this was real.

Lin Yue turned to leave the city, but unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure!

This made his heart pound!

“Record Keeper,” Lin Yue called out.

The Record Keeper turned his head, at first a little confused, then exclaimed with surprise, “Lin Yue! It’s actually you!”

“Long time no see, Record Keeper,” Lin Yue said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

The feeling of reuniting with an old acquaintance made his heart surge with emotion.

The Record Keeper was startled at first, then his face showed bitterness: “Because Heyecheng almost fell, I, as the Record Keeper, have already resigned and returned home.”

Lin Yue was momentarily stunned by these words. This was his first time back since he was injured, so he naturally didn’t know about these matters. He hadn’t expected the siege of Heyecheng by the outsiders to have such a profound impact, and that the Record Keeper’s final act of charging out against the Xiongnu Cavalry still resulted in his dismissal.

“This…” Lin Yue was speechless for a moment; anything he said now would be superfluous.

“If you hadn’t saved Heyecheng, I would probably be in jail by now,” the Record Keeper said with a smile, seeing his awkwardness. There was a hint of helplessness in his free-spirited demeanor.

“Haha, my last official act was to sign your transfer papers, which can be considered a fortunate thing,” the Record Keeper said, quite open-minded.

Great Qin’s laws were strict; merely being dismissed was already a very good outcome.

“What are you doing now, Record Keeper?” Lin Yue asked curiously.

“I am now a commoner, temporarily idle at home,” the Record Keeper replied.

Having spent nearly 30 years in the Military Camp, being idle at home for a while made him restless, so he could only wander around.

“What about the others?” Lin Yue asked cautiously.

“Alas, the Soldiers who went out were ambushed. Two of the three Military Marquises died, and one was injured. The Commander and the Town Chief died defending the city. The entire Heyecheng garrison suffered heavy losses,” the Record Keeper said with a sigh of melancholy.

Unlike Lin Yue, in his nearly thirty years there, there wasn’t a single military officer he wasn’t familiar with. Now, with most of them dead or injured, his feelings were clearly inexpressible.

For a time, both men were silent and somber.

Soon after, Lin Yue broke the silence and asked, “Record Keeper, would you be interested in doing something meaningful?”

“What kind of thing?” the Record Keeper asked with a perfunctory smile.

He had spent most of his life in the Military Camp, and now that he had been kicked out, what else could he do?

“Be a village chief!” Lin Yue said.

“Village chief?

I am an idle old man; you shouldn’t tease me,” the Record Keeper asked, very confused.

“Yes! I have a Fief for a village, and I need a village chief. I need a talented person like you, Record Keeper!” Lin Yue said with a smile.

General General Meng Tian would return to Shang Commandery after inspecting the border, and he would also return then, so he wouldn't be able to manage the village after it was built.

As the Record Keeper of a city’s Military Camp, he would surely be more than capable of being a village chief!

Now that the Record Keeper was idle, it was the perfect opportunity!

The Record Keeper was incredulous, then asked, “A Fief? Do you have a noble title?”

Lin Yue smiled and said, “I am not very talented, just a small baron.”

“Indeed, heroes emerge from the young!” the Record Keeper praised.

Although there were many young heroes, in the remote Heyecheng, it had been many years since a baron had emerged, especially such a young one!

To be granted a baronetcy at such a young age, his future development would surely not be bad. Putting all that aside, for an old man who had been dismissed from his post to become a village chief was simply the best possible outcome!

After considering these things, the Record Keeper did not decline. He took a step back, respectfully bowed, and cupped his hands in greeting.

“This old man Feng Cai greets his Lord!”

So, the Record Keeper’s name was Feng Cai!

Lin Yue also learned his name for the first time.

【Intermediate Civil Official: Feng Cai, is willing to follow the player. Does the player agree?】

“Agree!” Lin Yue said, and then he could view Feng Cai’s attribute panel.

【name: Feng Cai

Identity: Commoner (Great Qin)

Noble Title: None

Official Position: None

Martial Power: 28

Intelligence: 66

Command: 41

Politics: 63

Charm: 47

Loyalty: 60

Reputation: 700 (Unknown)

Talent: None】

An Intermediate Civil Official, this was a pleasant surprise!

“Good, from now on, our village will be entrusted to you!” Lin Yue said with a smile, helping Feng Cai up.

“This old man will not fail his Lord’s expectations!”

“There’s no time to lose, let’s depart quickly!” Feng Cai was full of vigor.

Once people get old, they can’t stay idle and just wander around all day. Suddenly having a good job, they wish they had wings to fly to their post!

“Hmm… I haven’t decided where to choose the Fief yet. Do you have any suggestions?” Lin Yue said awkwardly.

The Record Keeper pondered for a moment upon hearing this. When he opened his eyes again, the previous turbidity was gone, replaced by a sharp glint as he said, “Thirty li west of the city!”

Feng Cai’s military career, spanning most of his life, had made him intimately familiar with the topography around Heyecheng.

At this moment, he regained the imposing aura of his former position as the Military Camp’s Record Keeper: “Thirty li west of the city is a plain, near a river, with fertile land, and not too far from Heyecheng.”

“More importantly, there is enough open space around, which will be convenient for expansion if my Lord is promoted in rank and title in the future!”

“Good, then let’s go,” Lin Yue said.

In such a short time, Feng Cai could think of these things and even consider future development, which was enough to prove that his choice was correct!

He had also considered these factors before, but he was not familiar with the terrain, and maps were not intuitive. With Feng Cai’s recommendation, he saved a lot of time!

Lin Yue originally intended to rent a carriage for Feng Cai to facilitate his future movements, but to his surprise, Feng Cai directly picked a fine horse and galloped away, showing no signs of his previous fatigue!

Galloping all the way, Feng Cai was in high spirits, no longer showing any signs of melancholy.

The two soon arrived at the place Feng Cai had mentioned, where dense forests and a gently flowing river could be seen.

“My Lord, this is it!” Feng Cai said.

Soon, he would build a village on this plain, and his heart was filled with countless thoughts.

He had originally thought that after being dismissed, he would muddle through the rest of his life, but who knew that a new opportunity had arisen? Now that he could be a village chief, his heart was filled with uncontrollable joy.

【Feng Cai’s Loyalty +10】

Listening to the system’s prompt, Lin Yue smiled, saying that loyalty comes little by little; no one would be directly loyal to you.

Lin Yue looked at the river to the west of the village, the forest to the east, and the plains to the south and north, and he was quite satisfied.

Then, he took out the golden village building token from his spatial ring and chose to use it.