The Nine Cauldrons

“Stop!” Du Hong commanded.

The entire black armored army stopped simultaneously.

“Dismount!” Du Hong yelled. Along with the clashing sounds of heavy armor shards, the five hundred soldiers all dismounted.

“Haha, you all have finally arrived!” The Lord of Yi City, Yang Ke, greeted them.

“Lord Mayor!” Tian Dan and the other centurions at the forefront cupped their hands and said.

“Where’s your lieutenant?” Yang Ke asked suspiciously.

Du Hong lowered his voice and replied, “Lord Mayor, our Lord Lieutenant temporarily separated himself from us. He went back to his hometown.” Hearing this, Yang Ke suddenly realized and nodded his head while saying with a smile, “Qingshan is a citizen of Yi City. Yes, he should go home and visit his family. Alright, everyone is tired after the trip, so let’s hurry up to eat and rest. As for the war horses, just hand them over to us, and we will care for them.”

“Thank you, Lord Mayor.”

Immediately, the five hundred soldiers separated into the four restaurants.

“You heard the rumor, right?” Yang Ke glanced at Liu San who was beside him and said, “Teng Qingshan went back to hometown! Although you can’t meet Teng Qingshan, you should get to know the other centurions. This will bring no harm to you, only benefits.”

“Yes.” Liu San smiled and responded, but he still felt a slight disappointment in the depth of his heart. He then thought to himself, “I’ve heard that Brother Teng Qingshan became the lieutenant, but I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t get to see him! I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait to have another chance to see Teng Qingshan.”

......

At this time, Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu were riding on their horses. Wherever they passed, they kicked up dust and dirt.

“Qingshan, look.” Teng Qinghu was so happy as he pointed towards a distant location.

Teng Qingshan gazed afar at the slightly blurry village. That was the Teng Jia Village which he himself had lived in for over ten years.

“We’ve finally arrived!” Teng Qingshan couldn’t contain the joy in his heart. “Less than six months have passed, and I already miss my home this much!” Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised when a sense of satisfaction filled his heart. In his previous life, he had no home, but in this life, he had parents, a sister, and many clan members that cared about him.

His roots were here!

“We’re back!” Teng Qinghu began shouting excitedly while they were still far off, “Open the gate! Open the gate!”

......

Teng Jia Village was still the same as before; it was peaceful and calm. The two clansmen guarding the gate looked perplexedly in the distance at the two horsemen galloping towards them at a shockingly fast speed.

“Cavalrymen? Mounted bandits? From where? But there’s only two.”

“They seem to be wearing heavy armor! Even their horses are dressed in heavy armor. They don’t seem like normal mounted bandits.”

The clansmen guarding the gate were very puzzled.

At this moment——”We’re back! Open the gate! Open the gate!” The two clansmen guarding the gate heard a familiar voice. They froze for a second and hastily looked out carefully. The war horses had already approached the gate. The two clansmen exclaimed, “This is... Ah! It’s Qinghu and Qingshan! Quick! Open the gate.”

“Qingshan is back!”

“Qinghu is back!”

The booming and excited voices resounded throughout the entire training field.

Immediately, many clan members from the training field of the Teng Jia Village rushed towards the gate.

“Haha! Second Uncle! Uncle Lian!” Teng Qingshan dismounted from his horse and unequipped his helmet before he began greeting the clan members around him.

The large group of clan members all surrounded Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu.

“Oh, Qingshan is back. Tsk, tsk, is this the heavy armor of the Black Armored Army?”

“Qinghu, what kind of horse is this? Its coat is all black.”

The entire training field was extremely excited.

“Yongfan, your son, Qingshan, is back!”

“Sister Lan, Qingshan is back!”

The shouts quickly spread across the entire Teng Jia Village. Yuan Lan and Qingyu were cooking when heard the shouts. They threw their spatulas away and dashed towards the training field, forgetting about the food. They even asked as they ran, “Is my son, Teng Qingshan, really back?”

They ran all the way without stopping!

When Yuan Lan and Qingyu arrived at the training field, they saw Teng Qingshan dressed in Hematite Heavy Armor from a distance. Teng Qingshan turned his head and also saw his mother and sister.

“Mother!” Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but scream.

His mother Yuan Lan acted unperturbed, but his sister Qingyu rushed into Teng Qingshan’s arms. “Brother!” She shouted, and her eyes immediately reddened.

“Little Yu, don’t cry, don’t cry.” Teng Qingshan quickly comforted her.

“Mm, I missed you brother, so much.” Qingyu looked up at her brother. She grew up under the love and care of Teng Qingshan. She really wasn’t used to Teng Qingshan’s absence these past six months.

“Qinghu, Qinghu!”

Teng Qingshan turned around and saw Chief Teng Yunlong and Father Teng Yongfan walking towards him. Teng Yunlong glanced at Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu and smiled, “It’s good you guys are back! Qingshan, you did well. Half a year hasn’t even passed, and you are already the lieutenant of the Black Armored Army. The entire Teng Jia Village is honored!”

“Qingshan, you did well.” Teng Yongfan also patted Teng Qingshan’s shoulder.

“Grandfather, father... How.. how did you guys know?” Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised. How did Teng Jia Village find out that he had become a lieutenant?

“Li Er hereby greets Lord Lieutenant.” A fatty with a bulging stomach and a jade ring worn on his finger bowed as he smiled.

“Uncle Li Er.” Teng Qingshan also greeted him with a smile.

Li Er was a small leader of some big merchant guild. Normally, Teng Jia Village bought ores and other materials from Li Er. Teng Yunlong, who was beside him, smiled and said, “Qingshan, Li Er just told us this news. During the business we conducted with him just now, he only accepted eighty percent of the payment. He gave us a twenty percent discount.”

“This was our master’s order. He said that Teng Jia Village gets a twenty percent discount when they buy materials from us in the future.” Li Er said with a smile.

“And your master is?” Until this point, Teng Qingshan still didn’t know this master’s identity.

Li Er answered, “My master lives in Jiangning County! With the surname, Lan, and the name, Shanhu!”

Hearing the answer, Teng Qingshan nodded.

Lan Shanhu was willing to give him face, so he would remember and help Lan Shanhu if he could in the future.

“Hehe, then I won’t trouble you any further!” Li Er bowed slightly and left with the merchant guild’s men.

“It’s rare for Qingshan and Qinghu to come back! Also, a lieutenant of the Black Armored Army is from our Teng Jia Village! This is something that glorifies our clan and ancestors! Prepare to set up banquet!” Teng Yunlong laughed as he said, “Qingshan, Qinghu, we did not prepare the banquet beforehand. You will have to wait two to four hours. By the time it is prepared, please drink with the clan members.”

Teng Qinghu looked towards Teng Qingshan.

“Grandfather, Qinghu and I can only eat lunch at home. We must depart for Jiangning County City later.” Teng Qingshan hastily said, “Thus, there’s no need to set up a banquet.”

“Ah? Leaving after lunch?”

The people in the surrounding were slightly surprised.

Teng Yunlong nodded as he smiled, “The Black Armored Army is busy with military affairs. Qingshan is the lieutenant now! Everyone, let’s not disturb Teng Qingshan. We shouldn’t distract Qingshan from his important business. Alright. Qingshan and Qinghu, you two go home first and spend some time with your parents!”

......

In Teng Qingshan’s house.

There was no one else aside from Teng Qingshan and his family.

“Qingshan, eat!” Yuan Lan said as she placed some food in Teng Qingshan’s bowl.

“Mother, enough, enough.” Teng Qingshan said. He then glanced at his mother, his father who was by his side, and his lovely sister. Warmth flowed into his heart.

“Qingshan, when is the next time you are coming back?” Teng Yongfan asked.

“I might be able to return by the end of the year and stay a few days.” Being on duty in the Black Armored Army, it was hard for Teng Qingshan to leave. Only the high ranked officers could have a short holiday. The higher the rank, the longer the holiday. If a lieutenant wanted to return home temporarily to visit family, he still needed to ask the Lord Commander for permission.

As for the commanders, it was easy for them.

Because commanders had very few things to do, they had more free time.

“By the end of the year...” Qingyu was slightly disappointed.

“Father, Mother, Qingyu is a grownup now. You must have received many proposals from different families, right? Has Little Yu found anyone she likes?” Teng Qingshan chuckled and said. Regarding his sister’s marriage, Teng Qingshan viewed it with great importance and care.

“Hmph. Brother, don’t mention this.” Qingyu humphed and said, “Those who proposed are no match for Cousin Qinghu, let alone anything compared to you.

Yuan Lan who was at his side, smiled helplessly and said, “I can’t help it. Qingshan, Qingyu’s standards are too high, and she didn’t like any one of them.”

“Mother, there’s no need to hurry. I am only fourteen years old, and it would be fine if I marry a few years later.” Qingyu hastily argued. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as she stared at Teng Qingshan and asked, “Brother, can I go with you to Jiangning City? Since I was young, I have never gone to Jiangning County City.”

“Naughty girl!” Teng Yongfan reprimanded her.

“Don’t bother your brother.” Yuan Lan also spoke.

A thought struck Teng Qingshan suddenly, and he quickly spoke, “Father! Mother! Actually, the Black Armored Army allows family members to move in! Of course, the living conditions of the ordinary black armored soldiers are rather bad, but a centurion’s living condition is already considered very good. I am now a lieutenant, and I should have a very nice house! You guys can live with me there! Little Yu can go too! And in the future, you guys can even enter the county city for a stroll.”

Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan glanced at each other as they felt slightly tempted.

Staying with their son was a good thing indeed.

“Ahhh! I want to go! I want to go!” Qingyu jumped in excitement.

“Father, mother, what about you guys?” Teng Qingshan looked towards his parents.

Hearing the question, Yuan Lan directed her eyes to Teng Yongfan. As a woman, she listened to her man. Teng Yongfan pondered for a moment and shook his head, replying, “No. Qingshan, you should know that your grandfather is old, and I will inherit his position as chief. Actually, this is just a small matter. The important thing is that......I need to teach the younger clan members how to forge weapons! Only your grandfather and I know this skill that has been passed on from generation to generation. Your grandfather is so old, so I can’t let him teach, can I? Therefore.....”

Yuan Lan also nodded.

Teng Yongfan then continued saying, “Your mother and I can enjoy life at the county city, but I must think about the clan! How’s this? You can bring Little Yu there. It would be good for her to visit the popular places and broaden her horizons. Your mother and I have so many clan members in Teng Jia Village, so we will be fine. Just come back and visit us when you guys have time.”

His father had already made up his mind; thus, Teng Qingshan could only agree.

“Okay. Little Yu will go to the Gui Yuan Sect with me! Whenever you two want to go, you can also go live there for a few months. The city is only three hundred Li away from here anyway. Just get someone to send me a message, and I will pick you guys up personally!” Teng Qingshan said.