The three of them exchanged glances and lifted the curtain to step outside.
The commoners did not know what was happening; they only saw the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army suddenly gather and surge toward the docks.
Many of them put down their work and gathered around.
“What... what happened this time?”
As they spoke, they wanted to follow and take a look, but they were stopped by the Zhenbei Army soldiers who had remained behind to guard the area.
Following the military orders from above, the Zhenbei Army soldier patiently comforted the commoners. “Folks, General Shen and General Feng are on official business. Rest easy and stay here. With our Zhenbei Army around, nothing will go wrong.”
“So that's how it is.”
The people nearby came to a sudden realization. “Then we shouldn't go and cause trouble for the Zhenbei Army.”
The crowd of commoners that had gathered dispersed in twos and threes.
Meanwhile, Shen Jue and the others had already arrived at the docks with three thousand Zhenbei Army soldiers, standing in tight formation and ready for anything.
Although the flood had torn several gaps in the docks, the structure was still largely standing. Three large ships were slowly pulling into the harbor, their high-flying flags fluttering loudly in the sea breeze.
Feng Chunya had always had excellent eyesight. After staring at the three large ships for a moment, she looked at Shen Jue and Pei Du. “The Zhenbei Army flags are real. The patterns match.”
“We still must be cautious.” Pei Du turned his head and gave a low-voiced instruction to the soldier beside him. “Have the crossbowmen remain in ambush. They are not to show their faces without my command.”
The soldier received the order and quickly disappeared from the spot.
With a loud bang, the gangplank of the largest of the three ships was lowered onto the stone surface of the dock. Following that, a young man wearing a moon-white long robe appeared on the deck in everyone's line of sight.
“Brother, General Feng, Zirang!”
Shen Yu waved toward them, his voice carrying over the sea breeze, laced with an undeniable trace of joy.
A year in the painting was but a single day in the mortal realm, but he had indeed stayed inside the painting for three years.
Having not seen his family and friends for three whole years, how could he not be excited to meet them again now?
“It really is Fuyan!” Shen Jue's pupils contracted slightly.
Feng Chunya naturally also saw clearly that the person disembarking from the ship was Shen Yu. Her eyes instantly turned red. “This is wonderful! We don't have to worry about running out of food anymore!”
With tears in her eyes, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
“They arrived just in the nick of time,” Pei Du also smiled.
As Shen Yu disembarked and strode toward them, many more people began filing out of the ship's cabins.
They were all dressed in the uniform of the Zhenbei Army. Though their faces were weathered, they were full of spirit.
They began carrying goods down in an orderly fashion.
Sack after sack of grain, tightly bound cured meat, neatly stacked blocks of salt, medicinal herbs...
“Brother!” Shen Yu walked up to them and suddenly hugged Shen Jue, who was standing frozen in place. “I missed you.”
Shen Jue was slightly taken aback. “Fuyan, what's wrong? Are you hiding something from me?”
He and Shen Yu were biological brothers, barely a year apart in age, and had grown up together since childhood. He knew him better than anyone.
Since he was a child, Shen Yu had disliked going out. He usually preferred to stay alone in the study, quietly reading books, completely unlike their lively and active sister, Shen Ying. This was the first time he had ever hugged him and called him “Brother” while saying he missed him, just like Shen Ying would.
“It's nothing.” Shen Yu released Shen Jue. He still did not tell him about his illness, only saying, “On our way to deliver the grain, we were fortunate enough to meet the Divine Lady. She sent us into a mural, and we stayed in that painted world for three years. Having not seen you all for so long, I missed you deeply.”
At this point, he looked at Pei Du and Feng Chunya again. “Is everything well with you all in Wuling Prefecture?”
Just as Shen Jue was about to say something, he saw an unfamiliar woman step off the large ship behind Shen Yu.
She wore dark purple martial arts attire with a leather belt around her waist. Her sleeves were neatly rolled up to her mid-forearms, and her face was bright and beautiful.
Shen Jue's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned to Shen Yu. “Fuyan, who is this?”
Shen Yu followed Shen Jue's gaze. Once he saw clearly who it was, he introduced her in a solemn tone, “Brother, this is the young mistress of the Fan family of Liaodong, Fan Miaozhen.”
“In delivering grain to Wuling City this time, Young Mistress Fan undoubtedly deserves the greatest credit. If she had not mobilized the best cargo ships from the Fan family's fleet and personally selected the helmsmen most familiar with the waterways to accompany us, we probably wouldn't have been able to take the water route.”
Fan Miaozhen had already walked up to the group. She bowed and cupped her hands in salute. “The northern region has long since submitted to the Divine Lady. As fellow believers of the Divine Lady, we should naturally help each other. The Fan family has only done what we ought to do; we dare not take credit.”
These words were indeed the truth.
Initially, when Shen Yu came to the Fan family to borrow ships, her mother had actually already had her subordinates prepare the vessels for sea. However, upon seeing Shen Yu, her mother unexpectedly conceived the idea of recruiting him as a son-in-law.
In the end, they had hit a deadlock.
Out of options, she could only use the excuse of searching for a sweetheart to strike a deal with Shen Yu, naturally borrowing the ships out that way.
By doing so, she did not go against her original intentions, and her mother's dignity remained intact.
Feng Chunya stepped forward to support Fan Miaozhen. “Young Mistress Fan, it has been a long time since we parted in Xianghuan City. You are as elegant as ever.”
“General Feng, on the other hand, seems to have become much more tactful?” Fan Miaozhen teased.
She knew Feng Chunya. Years ago, when Xianghuan City was breached by the Zhenbei Army, she and her clan members had been prepared to commit suicide. It was Feng Chunya who had saved them and given them new hope.
Feng Chunya said with a smile, “I was slow-witted by nature. It's all thanks to Miss Pei taking the trouble to teach me.”
“I have heard that Pei Wanning, the daughter of the Pei Clan of Heluo, is a once-in-a-millennium genius.” Fan Miaozhen looked at Feng Chunya. “If there is an opportunity, I would very much like to meet her.”
In recent years, Pei Wanning had been stationed in Xindu City, the most important city in the north. She had successfully enacted several reasonable decrees that benefited women, and no one dared to pay them lip service while secretly defying them. The status of women had risen to unprecedented heights, and they had even achieved equal treatment with men in many places.
What woman in the world did not take pride in Pei Wanning?
Pei Wanning's fame spread far and wide, known to everyone. As her uncle, Pei Du naturally felt immensely gratified.
“Young Mistress Fan, if you wish to see A'Ning, General Feng and I can introduce you at any time once the south is pacified.”
Feng Chunya chimed in from the side, “Military Advisor Pei is Miss Pei's uncle. With his word, you will surely get your wish.”
Fan Miaozhen was overjoyed. “Thank you both.”
“Mr. Shen, have we arrived? I accidentally overslept just now, and no one called me to get off the ship...”
Fang Shuo walked over to Shen Yu and the others. The moment he saw the expressionless Shen Jue, he felt a shiver of fear in his heart.
Shen Jue's brow furrowed deeply.
“Fuyan, why did you bring Fang Shuo here?”
Pei Du was also somewhat puzzled. “Fuyan, didn't you say that you would deliver grain to Wuling City together with Buyan on this trip? Why is the person traveling with you Fang Shuo?”
Shen Yu fell silent for a moment.
“It's a long story. Why don't we first unload the grain from the ships, and then sit down to discuss it in detail?”
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