Chapter 033: Rebellious Son, Spy, and a Military Slave Quota!

Uncle Zhou was stunned the moment he heard this.

However, Xia He did not seem to be joking, and his face turned ghastly green.

"That unfilial son! That unfilial son!"

Uncle Zhou paced back and forth. At first, he was filled with rage, wishing he could drag his son home right then and there to interrogate him, but soon his face grew pale.

Colluding with the enemy—that was a capital offense punishable by death!

If this were truly reported to the authorities, his entire family would be implicated.

"Xiao He, my unfilial son may be foolish, but he is simple-minded. He could never commit an act of treason. He... he must have been unaware of it."

Observing Uncle Zhou’s fearful and uncertain expression, Xia He spoke up:

"Uncle Zhou, the only reason I haven't reported this is out of respect for you."

"But colluding with the enemy is a grave matter. A paper wall cannot hide a fire. If you want to clear your name, we must capture that woman!"

"Yes, yes!" Uncle Zhou slapped his thigh.

If they turned the spy in themselves, it would be an act of atonement. But if someone else discovered it, it would be seen as harboring a spy, a clear case of treason.

"Xiao He, there is no time to lose. Let’s go find that wretch immediately!"

Uncle Zhou, impatient and anxious, rushed out of the door like a gust of wind. Xia He thought for a moment and followed after him.

To his surprise, as soon as he stepped out of the room in the back courtyard, he was surrounded by a crowd of people shouting.

"Brother, do you need help? I can do all the chores for you!"

"Get lost! What are chores? As long as Brother Xia He is willing, I can warm his bed for him!"

"How shameless! You’re so ugly, do you want Brother Xia He to feel sick?"

Xia He finally realized what was happening.

He had become a military household, and he was now entitled to twenty military slaves!

Compared to staying in the mess hall, the status of a military slave was better, safer, and offered a way to shed one's lowly status. But more importantly, a military household in his early twenties? His future was boundless; who wouldn't want to follow and curry favor with him?

Someone even rushed forward desperately, sliding on their knees to reach Xia He’s feet and grabbing his leg, begging bitterly:

"Brother Xia He, please, give me a spot! I want to follow you!"

The others were stunned.

*How could someone be so thick-skinned!? Why didn't I think of that!*

"Brother He, choose me, choose me! He doesn't even know how to feed a horse; he’ll just be a burden on the battlefield!"

"I have a beautiful younger sister at home, choose me! Buy one, get one free!"

The crowd was incredibly rowdy, nearly coming to blows. Xia He was stunned; he hadn't expected to be so popular.

But it had taken him less than half a month to go from nothing to a military household! Even a fool could see how fast and exaggerated his promotion speed was. Earlier, the way the centurions looked at him outside was enough to devour him whole.

However, Xia He would not take any of these people. After half a month of getting to know them, he knew that most of them were just waiting for death; would he really take them in to raise like ancestors?

He cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "Everyone, I have urgent business to attend to. We shall discuss this later."

Seeing him hurry away, the crowd was deeply disappointed and could only stare blankly at his retreating back.

Following in Uncle Zhou’s footsteps, he arrived at a tent in the military camp. Uncle Zhou’s son was sitting in the room, his face full of anxiety. When he saw them, he stood up as if propelled by a spring.

Seeing his son's flustered state, Uncle Zhou's heart sank, and his face turned white.

"Where is the woman you brought back?" he demanded furiously.

However, facing his father's questioning, the son shook his head blankly, muttering to himself, "I don't know... where did Xiaoqing go..."

Xia He stood quietly at the entrance, not stepping into the room, but the sounds of crashing and screams from within were clearly audible.

Before long, Uncle Zhou walked out, his eyes red. He held his son, who looked ashen, with one hand, while his other hand trembled slightly. His lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but it only turned into a choked sob.

Uncle Zhou fell to his knees with a thud. Xia He reached out to help him up, but Uncle Zhou refused to budge. He looked up, his eyes full of pleading: "Xiao He, I beg you, give me a few days! If we truly cannot find that woman, I will personally take this beast to Lord Qianhu to face punishment!"

"Uncle Zhou, stand up first!"

"We cannot be hasty. That woman may not know she has been exposed. After all, the rain was pouring down, and I was the only one who saw her face! She might return!"

He turned to look at Uncle Zhou's son and asked in a low voice, "The priority is to find out exactly where you met that woman and what her motives were."

"Yes, yes!"

But since that woman was a barbarian spy, she was certainly no ordinary person; how could she leave a trail so easily? After some questioning, the son was left in despair, and even the background information he managed to gather about the woman was likely fabricated.

...

"It seems Uncle Zhou and his son were indeed unaware."

On the way back, Xia He fell into deep thought. He hadn't reported this, and it wasn't entirely out of compassion. Even if he had Uncle Zhou’s family beheaded, it would be useless if he couldn't find the woman. It was better to let them act as if nothing had happened; perhaps she would return.

"What exactly are these barbarians plotting?"

The bloody salt he had scraped from that dirt pit was still hidden in his tunic. Could it really be for this?

Burdened with these thoughts, Xia He arrived at the "Anlu," the field hospital of the ancient army.

Wang Erpang had been knocked unconscious by the barbarian, but fortunately, he was tough and had already woken up, though his head was wrapped in thick bandages. Seeing Xia He, he struggled to get up but was stopped.

"Erpang, get some rest."

Xia He felt a sense of gratitude toward the little fatty. If he hadn't rushed out to tackle the barbarian, the outcome might have been different.

"Brother He, I heard you've become a military household?"

"Yes, Erpang. I have already reported this to Lord Qianhu. Once you recover, your share of the credit will not be forgotten."

This time, not only was Xia He promoted, but the silver and red gold promised by Lord Fan were also guaranteed. The silver required approval from the court, but the five taels of red gold were already in the military stores and just needed to be collected.

It was excellent material for forging weapons, especially since his previous javelin had been shattered by the barbarian. Xia He planned to collect the materials after visiting Erpang and forge a few heavy javelins.

"Brother He, I want to follow you!"

"Erpang, think carefully. If you stay in the army and earn merit, you might become a military household yourself one day!"

"I've thought about it!"

"Brother He, I’ve never admired anyone in my life, but I admire you! If I follow you, I know I’ll have meat to eat."

Xia He did not refuse. He instructed, "Focus on healing your wounds first."