If it weren't for the old man st night, Wen Chaoshen probably wouldn't have chosen to leave the county city at this time.

  The county city has its own rules. Liu Jinshi can't openly do things, and Chun Qiong might not dare either.

  If a magistrate could casually take lives, he wouldn't secretly spend so much money to raise Martial World bandits to do his dirty work.

  But the safety of the county city during the day doesn't mean it's safe at night. Many people saw Wen Chaoshen's face st night, saw him carrying the severely injured and dying A Shui. For Wen Chaoshen, this was a very bad thing. After all, the nd of Qi Kingdom is vast, but Kuhai County is very small.

  However, those who saw Wen Chaoshen's face st night should have had their bodies dealt with by now. As long as he doesn't bring A Shui, it shouldn't be a big problem.

  He even carefully wiped his fingerprints off the military crossbow he used st night.

  No matter how they investigate, they won't trace it back to him.

  At this moment, there are still two hours before curfew, enough time for Wen Chaoshen to make a round trip.

  Carrying a roast goose that had long gone cold and stiff, Wen Chaoshen arrived at Hunter Zhang's wooden cabin and knocked on the door. Inside, there was a rustling sound, and after a while, an old woman opened the door. Wen Chaoshen asked in surprise:

  "Aunt Mi... Hasn't Old Zhang returned yet?"

  Seeing it was Wen Chaoshen, Aunt Mi cheerfully opened the door and invited him inside to sit. Although the small wooden cabin was covered in thick white snow, it was still warm inside thanks to the stove. Wen Chaoshen turned around, shutting the biting wind and snow outside, and helped Mi Fang, who was leaning on a wooden cane, to the bed.

  "Chaoshen, you recently..."

  Mi Fang was too excited to speak, her face a bit flushed, words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

  Seeing Mi Fang like this, Wen Chaoshen went to the stove to stir the firewood and smiled at her:

  "I'm doing quite well recently, Aunt Mi."

  "The new magistrate took office, I got my Qi Kingdom citizenship, and found a decent job."

  Hearing this, Mi Fang gently patted her chest and nodded:

  "That's good, that's good... Ah, I heard Old Zhang talking about this before, I was so worried. Fortunately, the new magistrate seems nice. In the future, you should live well in the county city, don't make friends with bad company. Chaoshen, let me say one more thing, you're still young, as long as you're diligent, I believe it won't be long before you overcome hardships and find happiness..."

  Wen Chaoshen just smiled at this, not responding. Mi Fang looked at his eyes, lost in thought, murmuring:

  "It's a pity, if my boy hadn't joined the army, he would be about your age now."

  "By now, it's been seven years since he st came home..."

  Hearing this, Wen Chaoshen paused in his firewood tossing, turning his head to look at Mi Fang:

  "Aunt Mi, is the Qi Kingdom's military control so strict?"

  "Can't they come home even during the New Year?"

  Mi Fang shook her head:

  "Thousands of miles away, it's not easy to come back. Old Zhang and I are old, we don't have many hopes. As long as he's alive, that's better than anything..."

  Wen Chaoshen agreed:

  "Don't worry, Aunt Mi. The world has been at peace for five hundred years, with no wars. The borders only have some nomads or bandits causing trouble, nothing major. The soldiers aren't in much danger."

  He said this purely to comfort Mi Fang, knowing from the crossbow troops in Kuhai County that even if there were no wars between the great nations, the world was not as peaceful as imagined.

  Besides the Four Kingdoms of Yan, Chen, Zhao, and Qi, there are small nations and duchies scattered around the great nations. These countries have complex networks of interests, leading to intertwined Martial World forces, nomads, and bandits forming groups that often harass national borders, plundering and burning.

  Fortunately, the wastend south of Kuhai County stretches for thousands of miles and is unsuitable for human habitation. Otherwise, Wen Chaoshen would have had no way to survive these three years.

  Hearing Wen Chaoshen's comfort, Mi Fang's wrinkles rexed, and she smiled:

  "That's true. Changgong was a strong kid, always liked fighting. Old Zhang beat him a few times, but he wouldn't listen. Who would've thought that after joining the army, he'd hone his skills and develop beautiful handwriting. The letters he sends us have become more and more beautiful over the years..."

  As she spoke, she reached under the pillow and pulled out a few letters. Though slightly creased, they were well-preserved.

  "Every month, I take these letters out and warm them by the stove to prevent mildew..."

  She pced the neatly arranged letters in her arms, her tone full of undisguised pride.

  "I let Old Zhang take a good look too. Our Changgong has really made something of himself, so he won't always have that disdainful look whenever his son is mentioned. Hmph, that old man, I know him too well."

  "If the boy really comes back, he'll be happier than anyone!"

  "Ah... Chaoshen, you can read, take a look at Changgong's letters!"

  Wen Chaoshen responded, stepped forward, and took the envelope from Mi Fang's hand. As he unfolded the letter and scanned it, his expression subtly stiffened.

  Perhaps because the room's lighting wasn't very bright, Mi Fang didn't notice the slight change in Wen Chaoshen's expression and continued to talk about her son who had joined the army, recounting trivial past events.

  In terms of calligraphy, he indeed had a good foundation, and with his naturally sharp eyes, Wen Chaoshen immediately noticed the schorly elegance between the lines of the letter.

  This was not the handwriting of a soldier.

  There was no sharpness, no killing intent, no hostility.

  What was there was only the perfunctory nature of someone living in comfort, line after line of emotionless coldness.

  In other words...

  These letters were not sent by Mi Fang's son, Zhang Changgong.

  kant202323