act31side

I shouldn't?

But I checked the area and the mother was nowhere to be found. They wouldn't have survived for long if left to their own devices.

Isn't it better to bring them back so they could survive under your supervision?

We're not supervisors, we're friends! We help each other out.

They give us wool, we give them tasty hay, chase away bugs, and scratch their itches.

We don't know if they're carrying any diseases, or if they can be domesticated. Plus...

But they've got his scent on them. The mother wouldn't have them, even if she came back.

That's why he shouldn't have touched them.

Well, he already did, so we need to take care of them.

Why do you keep standing up for him? He's clearly in the wrong. He doesn't know anything.

I'm doing this <i>because</i> he doesn't know anything!

I...

Never mind. I'll go back and ask the teachers what to do with the little guys. Let's hurry, or they might catch a cold.

Oh! You again!

Have you had lunch? There was a fire here, and you don't talk at all. You would've gotten burned, if it wasn't for us!

Keep your distance, Grain Buds! He might swing his axe at you.

He won't. He calms down when I play my flute.

He likes to hear me play.

See? You all say not to come here, but I come all the time when no one's looking. I just can't cross the river.

He calms down when I play this tune. I've seen him smile.

I can even lean over to touch his axe. He always keeps his hand clenched around it, but he's...

Ouch!

Why did you hit me? Now you've made me mad. I'm not bringing you any treats next time!

That's enough, Grain Buds! Let's go!

The foals...

...We'll bring them back.

Next time, think before you act.

I...

(What am I doing here?)

This is a report on the Shanhaizhong and Catastrophe countermeasures... and review of my own actions.

I'm sorry I let you down, Father...

Now, I will—

No need.

You won't have to participate in Yumen's return to the capital anymore.

But...

Are you giving me a suspension?

It's not my place to interfere with the Sui Regulator's appointments, but as the warden of Yumen, I have authority over military personnel assignments.

There's an important mission for you to undertake, away from Yumen.

It's planting season in Dahuang, in the north, and they're short-handed. Go and help them.

Planting season? You mean, agriculture?

That's the 'important mission'?

Is that not important?

I understand that agriculture is the lifeblood of the nation, and I've heard about Dahuang, but...

I don't understand. Why me?

So you might see.

And after I see...?

You think.

Be ready to depart, once you've completed the mission handover.

One last thing, Father.

I discovered some suspicious activity when investigating the Shanhaizhong's movements.

They appeared to be very familiar with Yumen patrol schedules and routes.

If they really managed to obtain intelligence on Yumen's defenses—

I have spoken.

This is not your concern anymore.

Never forget what all you do is for.

A man like you can't be trusted!

*pant*... *pant*...

Working in the fields by day and practicing kung fu by night for a whole month. You must be exhausted.

*pant* Yun... it's you.

You were focused.

But I didn't achieve anything...

...I don't even know what I'm doing here.

Perhaps, by focusing on improving myself here, I'll be able to do what I couldn't before.

Well... perhaps.

You know, there's this old Lungmen kung fu movie...

The hero was an arrogant and haughty swordsman who spent all his life pursuing martial perfection, which always seemed just out of reach.

His fortunes took an ill turn and he lost everything: fame, fortune, reputation, even one of his arms. Now a broken man, he found himself in a tiny, remote village.

There, he lived amongst the peasants, eating with the lowly folk who used to lie beneath his notice. For three years, he chopped his own firewood and boiled his own water, not touching his sword even once.

He finally drew his blade when his enemies came for him. To his surprise, his sword struck with a fury he had never known before.

Are... are you saying that I'm arrogant and haughty?

I'm just telling you what happened in the movie.

Do things like that happen in reality?

To my knowledge? Of course not. The audiences love it, though. Back to basics, the proud humbled, that sort of thing.

However, it is true that one's temperament has an effect on many things.

Have you felt your perspective change since you left Yumen?

I don't feel like it has at all...

How about a break? Water?

Thanks. I have a question myself...

Why did you come with me? Why not stay in Yumen?

You're traveling across Yan as Candleholder. I felt like I could learn a lot by accompanying you on your journeys.

I was demot—sent here by father. You could have learned just as much by going back to the capital with Yumen.

I went with Laoshi to Baizao. It was prosperous, but little else.

Dahuang seemed more interesting.

You're talking like you're on holiday.

Hah.

I don't understand what Father wants me to see...

What have you seen, then, during your time in Dahuang?

What have I seen...?

Dahuang used to be one of the rare places without much Originium pollution, due to its unique geography, making it an important Yanese breadbasket since antiquity.

But thanks to the hard work of the Agricultural Tianshis, arable land area is growing year after year.

Construction has begun on defenses against potential Catastrophes.

Currently, the city has sixteen large plates, some sixty or so small plates, seven hundred and thirty Tianshis, and a population exceeding fifty thousand.

Despite its remote location, the people are content and hardworking...

Is that all?

Just some insignificant details.

Insignificant, eh?

What about you? Did you find any sights that you couldn't have seen with the Grandmaster?

Well... for example...

The couple next door had a big fight after dinner last night.

The husband had gone on a journey last month and found the other cities to be much more interesting. He wanted to move away.