Chapter 44: Rising Cloud City

The Great Qian Dynasty.

Centered around the Middle Province, where the imperial capital was located, six other provinces were carved out around it.

Among them, Yun Province lay at the absolute north, bordering the Northern Barbarians.

......

Three days later.

"We have finally arrived."

Li Dao sat inside the carriage, looking out into the distance, where a magnificent city gate loomed into view.

Inscribed upon it were three large characters: 'Cloudrise City'.

"Young master, have we arrived?"

Jiu'er poked her head out from inside the carriage, gazing at the distant gate with a look of pure curiosity. This was her first time traveling such a long distance to a completely unfamiliar place.

"Mm, we have arrived."

Li Dao urged the carriage forward, and soon they reached the outer gates.

There, two rows of soldiers were methodically checking the credentials of passing travelers.

When it was Li Dao's turn, the carriage came to a halt.

A guard approached and asked, "How many in your party?"

"Two."

"Please have the person inside the carriage step out. I need to verify identities."

"Jiu'er, come out."

Moments later, Li Dao and Jiu'er stood side by side.

The guard held their tally plates, inspecting them carefully.

A few minutes later, the guard asked, "What brings you to Cloudrise City?"

Hearing this, a faint smile played on Li Dao's lips, and he answered without hesitation, "To join the army."

To join the army?

Hearing these words, the guard was slightly taken aback, his gaze sweeping up and down over the young man before him.

After a moment, he asked, "You want to enlist? Why?"

Li Dao replied, "Naturally, to achieve military merit and make a name for oneself."

The guard countered, "The world is vast, and there are plenty of places to enlist. Why come all the way to Cloudrise City?"

Li Dao said, "I find the Northern Barbarians unpleasing to the eye."

The guard, "???"

Li Dao shrugged. "Is there something wrong with my answer?"

"Nothing at all."

The guard continued, "It is just a pity that someone with your looks has come to be a soldier."

Li Dao calmly remarked, "There is nothing to pity. No matter how handsome one's appearance is, a hundred years from now, we are all just a pile of withered bones."

"If one can join the army, perform meritorious deeds, and leave behind a legacy of fame, then this trip to the mortal world will not have been in vain."

Hearing this, the guard could not help but exclaim, "Well said. It seems you are a man of letters."

He handed back the tally plates and offered a word of advice: "If you truly wish to enlist, there is a recruitment drive in Cloudrise City in three days. You can go and try your luck."

Li Dao looked puzzled. "Does joining the army require a trial?"

In his impression, ancient military recruitment took anyone who offered themselves, and in extreme emergencies, even forced conscription was practiced. How was it that here, one had to undergo a trial?

The guard smiled. "That is for ordinary armies. They take anyone of sound body and clean background, turning no one away."

"But the recruitment in three days is different."

Li Dao asked curiously, "How is it different?"

A look of pride crossed the guard's face. "Because the general holding the recruitment in three days is our Yun Province's Prince Defending the North, Shen Chong."

"Who in the entire Yun Province does not know that serving under the Prince Defending the North means becoming elite warriors? The treatment is among the best in the entire Great Qian, and more importantly, it is a matter of great honor."

"If you want to take a wife in Yun Province, you only need to say you are a soldier under the Prince Defending the North, and you will never have to worry about finding a bride."

Prince Defending the North?

Li Dao filtered through his memories, quickly locating the information regarding the Prince Defending the North.

Prince Defending the North, Shen Chong, hailed from the Shen family, a founding noble house of the Great Qian.

His ancestors had held the rank of First-Class Duke at the founding of the dynasty.

However, due to making the wrong choice during a succession struggle among the princes of a previous generation, the emperor who ascended the throne demoted the Shen family's peerage time and time again, nearly stripping them of their noble status altogether.

Yet, by the generation of Li Dao's father, the Shen family finally produced a true dragon among men.

He was born with extraordinary martial talent, thoroughly versed in military strategy, and possessed exceptional tactical acumen.

After enlisting, he fought his way up through bloody battles until the current emperor conferred upon him the title of Second-Class Prince Defending the North.

Before his own downfall, rumors in the imperial capital already suggested that the Prince Defending the North was about to be promoted to a First-Class Marquis.

Some even whispered that the current generation of the Shen family had a chance to reclaim the prestigious honor of State Duke.

In short, judged by his life experiences, this Prince Defending the North could be considered a protagonist of his era, a top-tier figure across the entire Great Qian.

Seeing that Li Dao remained silent, the guard stated bluntly, "Take my word for it and you won't go wrong. Three days from now, at the North Gate of Cloudrise City, there will be recruitment. Be sure not to miss it, because if you miss this time, who knows when the next will be."

Recovering his thoughts, Li Dao nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, brother."

The guard laughed. "What kind of reminder is this? Even if I hadn't said anything, you would have found out soon after entering the city."

Li Dao said frankly, "That may be so, but thanks are still due."

The guard chuckled heartily. "If you truly appreciate this sentiment, then when you become a great general one day, just remember to promote me."

"My demands aren't high—just transfer me to guard the city walls. Guarding the gates down here requires too much constant worry."

Having said this, he amused himself with the thought.

After all, a great general was not something anyone could become.

Though the young man before him looked agreeable, his temperament still marked him as the son of some wealthy family.

Based on past experience, such young masters would do well just to survive the harsh training in a military camp.

Li Dao smiled faintly. "If the opportunity arises, I will."

Delighted by the chat, the guard replied, "Then I'll be waiting for you. Don't make me wait too long."

"Rest assured, it won't be too long."

Finally, the guard casually inspected the carriage and waved them through.

As they parted, he did not forget to remind him once more, "Don't forget."

Li Dao raised a hand in a wave to signal that he remembered.

......

Soon, the two entered Cloudrise City.

The moment they crossed the threshold, a cacophony of hawking and bustling sounds filled Li Dao's ears.

Not far from the city gates, numerous vendors lined the streets buying and selling goods, alongside dozens upon dozens of cargo carriages waiting in rows.

"Young master, why is this place so lively?"

Jiu'er poked her head out, witnessing the scene, and could not help asking.

Li Dao chuckled softly. "Do you know why this place is called Cloudrise City?"

"Jiu'er does not know."

"Cloudrise City is the starting city of Yun Province. Before Yun Province was even established, a founding general of Great Qian relied on this very Cloudrise City to constantly expand the borders for the empire, eventually forming Yun Province. Since it was the starting point of Yun Province, it was named Cloudrise City."

Looking at the merchants, Li Dao continued, "Beyond Cloudrise City lies Wind-Gust Pass, one of the seven great renowned strategic passes of Great Qian. It leads to the various territories north of the empire. Wind-Gust Pass is a critical military zone, and ordinary people are not allowed to linger there. Therefore, the northern merchants in this region can only settle down right here in Cloudrise City. As time passed, this place naturally evolved into a prosperous commercial hub on the frontier."

The Yumen Town he had previously visited was also technically a commercial town.

However, because it was far too close to the border and lacked security, most people preferred to remain here in Cloudrise City.

As long as Wind-Gust Pass stood unbroken, Cloudrise City faced no danger.

More than two hundred years had passed since the founding of Great Qian, and ever since Wind-Gust Pass was built, it had never been breached even once. Thus, many merchants even used Cloudrise City as their permanent base, residing here long-term.

"I see, young master, I understand now."

Jiu'er's thoughts suddenly shifted. "Young master, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to join the army."

"What about it?"

"Then if you join the army, what will happen to me? Are you going to abandon me?"

Jiu'er clutched Yuanbao, her expression full of grievance.

Li Dao glanced over. "If you don't let go right now, Yuanbao is going to be dragged away by you."

"Dragged away?"

Jiu'er instinctively looked down, only to realize she had choked Yuanbao's neck so hard the creature was already sticking its tongue out and rolling its eyes.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Yuanbao! I forgot about you."

Jiu'er hurriedly released her grip, placing the creature back onto the wooden floorboards of the carriage.

Yuanbao lay flat on the wood, gasping heavily, taking a long time to recover.

When Jiu'er cautiously reached out her hand to approach again, Yuanbao scrambled away, hiding behind Li Dao, its small eyes displaying a remarkably human trace of lingering fear.

Li Dao stroked Yuanbao's head to soothe it, then looked up and said, "Your young master never said he was going to abandon you."

"If I truly intended to leave you behind, I wouldn't have brought you to Cloudrise City in the first place."

In truth, during his journey to the imperial capital, Li Dao had already mapped out his future path.

Enlisting in the military.

There were three reasons for choosing this course.

First, the title of Baron Anyuan was inherited from his father down a direct lineage, but now the peerage had been stripped away.

If the netherworld truly existed, and he lost his title, descending into the underworld one day might subject him to a rotating round of interrogation from eighteen generations of ancestors.

While he was a transmigrator—and according to standard tropes, he ought to view the locals as natives and consider himself superior—his previous life had been that of an ordinary orphan. Aside from a numb existence, he had never experienced familial warmth.

Yet in this life, he had it: a gentle and fiercely protective mother, a stern yet caring father, and a clever, adorable younger sister.

Compared to his past life, he felt far more fleshed-out and real in this one.

If anything, his previous life felt much more like a dream, a dull and tedious dream.

He was far more reluctant to let go of this present life, especially since he was living it right now.

It was precisely because of these emotional bonds that he had felt such rage over the fate of Taoyuan Village.

The reason was simple: he had integrated into this era and truly immersed himself in it.

Thus, the primary reason for enlisting was to reclaim the Li family's peerage; otherwise, he would fail his father and the ancestors of the Li family.

The second reason was tied to his experiences after his memories awakened.

First was the hostility and kicking-a-man-when-he's-down attitude displayed by the Prime Minister's estate and various nobles in the imperial capital toward the Baron Anyuan's estate.

While he understood this was human nature, he also believed in the principle of an eye for an eye.

Enlisting to regain his title and returning to the imperial capital was the only way to slowly settle accounts with those people.

There was another reason as well: he wanted to stand before the Emperor of Great Qian one day holding supreme power, confess his identity, and observe the emperor's reaction.

Of course, when he finally made that confession, it would be when he held the power to sway his own destiny.

He certainly wouldn't court danger by acting arrogant before he had grown strong enough.

His mind, operating a hundred times faster than an ordinary person's, prevented him from doing something so foolish.

As for the third and final reason—and perhaps the most important one—it was his own growth.

The functions of his system destined him to walk a path paved with bones.

The reason he had grown so rapidly up to this point was largely thanks to the trials of the Death Row Camp.

Therefore, the battlefield was the place most suited for him.

In reality, had he not brought Jiu'er along, his first choice upon leaving the capital would likely have been to seek out Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan understood his abilities and could cooperate with him to accelerate his growth.

However, having Jiu'er meant he had to take her into consideration.

Hence, he had chosen Cloudrise City.

He could settle her within the city while joining an army stationed nearby.

Though the initial start might not be as fast as having Wei Yuan's direct assistance, the difference would be negligible to him.

In fact, in some respects, Cloudrise City might suit him even better.

After all, if Great Qian ever truly went to war with the Northern Barbarians, Wind-Gust Pass, being closest to Cloudrise City, would undoubtedly become the primary target of the barbarians—the main battlefield.

If the remote border town of Changgu was suitable for guerrilla warfare against the barbarians, then the main battlefield here was a true meat grinder.

A meat grinder where hundreds or thousands of men could be thrown in and vanish without leaving more than a splash of blood.

Just imagining such a scene made Li Dao's blood boil with excitement.

In his eyes, such a meat grinder was far from dangerous; rather, it made him feel like a fish in water.

Thinking of this, he could only silently apologize to Wei Yuan in his heart.

......

At this very moment.

In a remote region beyond the frontiers of Yun Province.

Wei Yuan had finished reorganizing his Mighty Martial Camp and was preparing to lead his men to relocate.

Some time ago, the Mighty Martial Camp had suffered heavy casualties, and he needed to return to the rear to replenish his ranks.

"Achoo!"

As Wei Yuan rode his horse, he suddenly let out a sneeze.

Seeing this, Liu Neng, riding beside him, could not help teasing, "Commander, you're already a Martial Xiantian expert. Can you really still catch a cold?"

Wei Yuan rubbed his nose. "So what if I'm a Xiantian expert? I'm still human."

Suddenly seeming to recall something, he turned his head and said, "It's been over a month now. That fellow 9527 must have reached the imperial capital long ago."

Liu Neng calculated the time and nodded. "At this pace, even allowing for delays, he should be there by now."

Thinking of Li Dao, Wei Yuan wore a look of eager anticipation. "I wonder when that fellow will manage to track us down."

"If that guy joins us, the combat power of the Mighty Martial Camp will increase by a huge margin."

Liu Neng dryly punctured his expectations from the side. "Aren't you afraid that fellow won't come, and instead went off to join someone else?"

Wei Yuan gave a light snort. "That kid holds a new household registration; his former connections are completely useless. Aside from our place, where else do you think he could run off to?"

Liu Neng shrugged. "If you say so, Commander, keep that confidence."

Wei Yuan gazed into the distance, muttering to himself, "I hope that fellow gets back soon. Things out here are starting to get restless."