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Chu Xisheng had a nightmare.
In the dream, he stood before a grand and magnificent tomb.
Before the tomb stood a huge Han white jade stele, approximately thirty feet tall, with a line of bright red characters on it, as if made of iron and silver hooks, firm and powerful, striking the heart.
It read, "The Tomb of the Daning Dominating Martial King, General of Northern Peace Qin Muge"!
On either side of the stele, a large group of men and women in ancient white mourning clothes wailed and wept, tears streaming down their faces.
In the distance, a vast array of soldiers with hemp-covered heads, dressed in white clothes and white armor, stretched from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, dense like a sea.
Only Chu Xisheng was out of place, wearing a bright red robe traditionally worn by ancient men during their wedding.
For some reason, though Chu Xisheng was alive, he couldn't move his body.
He was placed into a coffin by several burly men, who were as strong as iron towers.
To his right lay a female general.
She wore imposing red gold armor, her face covered by a mask, her hands clasped over her abdomen, motionless and silent.
Chu Xisheng saw, outside the coffin, a solemn-faced middle-aged man of about forty, who looked at him with a guise of sorrow.
But in the middle-aged man's eyes was an infinite chill, enough to freeze one's heart.
— He seemed to be Chu Xisheng's uncle.
Behind the middle-aged man was a mass of shadowy figures, seemingly crying but with no tears in their eyes, instead with lips curved upwards as if in secret laughter.
Chu Xisheng felt boundless anger and hatred welling in his chest.
He wanted to rise, to create a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood and slaughter these heartless beings.
But he still couldn't move, only watching helplessly as the coffin lid pressed down heavily.
At that moment, Chu Xisheng awoke with a start.
He gasped for breath, panic-stricken, his clothes soaked through.
Over the past three months, he had dreamed this scene every few days, experiencing indescribable despair.
Chu Xisheng took deep breaths, calming his emotions.
He looked out the window and saw the first signs of dawn, hearing bells toll in the distance.
Chu Xisheng hastily changed into the disciple robe he had only received yesterday.
He walked out and saw Chu Yunyun washing up under the eaves.
The girl had also changed, her tight-fitting disciple clothes highlighting her figure, slim waist, long legs, and a face that aligned perfectly with Chu Xisheng's aesthetic.
In the morning light, the girl's beauty seemed otherworldly.
Chu Xisheng was momentarily lost, his eyes showing surprise: "General, you seem to be in a good mood today, is there a happy event?"
Chu Yunyun, brushing her teeth with a willow branch, looked back in surprise, speaking unclearly: "How do you know I'm in a good mood?"
"I can just tell."
Chu Xisheng picked up a carrying pole from the corner and walked over: "Every morning you woke up with a frown, burdened with worries, but today you seem different."
Chu Yunyun touched her brows and then laughed.
These past three months of hard work had finally shown a sliver of hope.
This guy was quite observant.
As she thought this, Chu Xisheng handed her the carrying pole: "After you finish washing up, help me fetch two buckets of water, I want to take a bath."
One drawback of this courtyard was that it had no well.
Fortunately, there was Chu Yunyun.
Though she had no talent for chores and looked sickly, she was strong and efficient.
Occasionally, she broke carrying poles and buckets, but in this ancient world, wooden items were far cheaper than porcelain, clothes, or ironware.
Chu Yunyun puffed out her cheeks but took the pole and fetched two buckets of water.
As she set down the buckets, she remembered something: "By the way, when you go to the dining hall for breakfast, remember to give the serving grandma one tael of Demon Silver and ask her to prepare two days' worth of food and water."
Chu Xisheng winced at the thought of giving up one tael of Demon Silver.
All that for two days' food and water? Too expensive!
A bun outside cost only three coins, couldn't he just buy outside?
Seeing his expression, Chu Yunyun guessed his thoughts and smiled: "You'll know when the time comes."
Chu Xisheng put down the willow branch, thoughtfully looking at Chu Yunyun: "I've always wondered, why are you so familiar with the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall? The Legend says General of Northern Peace Qin Muge inherited his father's title and stayed in the military, never joining any Immortal Martial Sect or visiting Xiushui City."
The so-called Daning Dominating Martial King, General of Northern Peace Qin Muge, was actually his sister.
She had originally been twenty-eight years old, what modern terms would call an older unwed woman.
But after their resurrection, Chu Yunyun's appearance had somehow reverted to that of a fourteen-year-old.
"Why believe in Jianghu myths?" Chu Yunyun chuckled, a look of reminiscence on her face: "At sixteen, before inheriting the Tieshan Qin Family, I had changed my name and joined the Formless Divine Sect, but was later expelled when my identity was exposed."
Chu Xisheng nodded in understanding.
That explained why, after escaping the tomb, Chu Yunyun insisted on coming to Xiushui County.
The siblings quickly finished washing up and went to the Eastern Courtyard of the Martial Arts Academy for morning practice.
The Inner and Outer Sect disciples of the Eastern Courtyard totaled seven to eight hundred.
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