Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit-Chapter 101 - 79 Xiao Mei Hao and New Life! [5th Update, Request for Monthly Pass!]

Chapter 101: Chapter 79 Xiao Mei Hao and New Life! [5th Update, Request for Monthly Pass!]

Just outside Liding County.

Sheng Dayang was traveling toward Wusheng City with his son, Sheng Xiaotian.

"Heave-ho!"

"Heave-ho!"

On their way, they came across over a hundred people chanting slogans, fervently working to repair the road.

"No slacking off."

"Anyone caught slacking won’t get lunch at noon!"

The leader, lounging in the shade of a tree, shouted commands loudly.

At first, he didn’t pay any mind to Sheng Dayang and his son. However, when his gaze landed on Sheng Dayang’s uniform and the six gold stripes on his sleeve, his expression immediately changed. He quickly stepped forward a few paces and respectfully greeted, "Your humble servant, Huang De, a deacon of the Ministry of Industry under the Martial Alliance, greets this esteemed lord."

The Martial Alliance had only recently been established.

Everything was still in the process of integration, but the general structure was already in place.

For example, within the six ministries of the Martial Alliance, including the Ministry of Industry, there was already a rough hierarchy of one to eight levels.

The person standing before Sheng Dayang, Huang De, was merely a deacon of the Ministry of Industry, with three gold stripes on his sleeve—a rank three official, three levels beneath Sheng Dayang.

The highest-ranking figures in the Martial Alliance were, of course, Alliance Hierarch Mu Junxiong and his two co-leaders, followed by six Vice Alliance Hierarchs, all of whom were at Level 8, and sixteen protectors at Level 7.

If you calculated it this way...

Sheng Dayang’s position in the hierarchy was just beneath that of the Alliance Hierarch, Vice Alliance Hierarchs, and protectors. When an official position was eventually assigned to him, he might even serve as a deputy in one of the six ministries.

For a lowly rank three deacon, it was natural to show utmost respect.

"Are these people all recently released from the Black Prison?"

Sheng Dayang glanced at the pale, ghoulish faces of the exhausted laborers who looked as though they’d just crawled out of hell. He directed his question to the deacon of the Ministry of Industry.

"That’s correct," Huang De replied.

"They’re all unfortunate souls who were ruthlessly exploited by those bastards from the Wusheng Sect. Now that the Martial Alliance is established, most of them have been released. Those assigned to the Ministry of Industry are essentially homeless and know nothing about farming or agriculture."

Huang De was chatty—ask him one question, and he would answer three.

Sheng Dayang, holding his son’s hand, surveyed the official road under repair and curiously asked, "Is this road being repaired to connect Liding and Yangshuo?"

"You’re absolutely correct, my lord."

"Now that Shi’an County has only one Martial Alliance and no more wars, the connections between all the counties must be restored as quickly as possible so as not to hinder the livelihoods of the common people."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Huang De grinned as he spoke.

At the mention of an end to the war, he broke into a wider smile. After years of fierce conflicts, everyone longed for peace. The joy wasn’t confined to the commoners; even figures like Huang De, who weren’t exactly significant yet not entirely insignificant within the three factions, felt relief.

At least they no longer had to worry about losing their lives, right?

"That’s a reasonable point," Sheng Dayang said.

"Well, keep up the good work. I’ll be on my way."

Sheng Dayang, infected by Huang De’s cheery demeanor, smiled and waved as he walked off with Sheng Xiaotian in tow.

"Understood!"

"Safe travels, my lord!"

Huang De escorted them a few steps before returning to bark orders at the laborers once more.

Sheng Dayang and Sheng Xiaotian continued walking.

Suddenly, Sheng Dayang felt his arm being hugged. When he looked down, he saw his son gazing up at him with his dirt-smudged little face, his big eyes full of admiration.

Sheng Dayang could tell—it was the look of a boy idolizing his father.

The sight filled Sheng Dayang’s heart with sweetness, as if he’d just tasted honey.

"What’s the matter?"

Pretending not to notice, Sheng Dayang asked in mock seriousness.

"Nothing," Little Tian replied.

"I just think you’re amazing, Dad. That man commands so many people, but when he saw you, he ran up smiling and greeted you so respectfully!"

Sheng Xiaotian’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

To him, his father was the epitome of strength and competence.

A year had passed, and Little Tian had grown sturdier. Running around the mountains freely, his lively nature hadn’t changed. Even after reuniting with his father after a long time, there wasn’t a hint of awkwardness between them.

"Haha!"

"It’s nothing, really nothing," Sheng Dayang chuckled. While he downplayed it, the pride and joy in his demeanor were impossible to miss.

As the old saying goes: Wealth and glory feel so much sweeter when shared with one’s hometown.

Ten months ago...

Sheng Dayang had received a mission from White Jade City to infiltrate the Wusheng Sect and gather intelligence. At the time, he had entrusted Sheng Xiaotian to the care of Li the Third, a mountain villager from Yongfu County.

Now that the wars among the three factions had come to an end, and past grievances were set aside with the formation of the Martial Alliance...

The situation had finally stabilized.

In the past five months, Sheng Dayang had garnered considerable achievements thanks to his audacity, martial skills, and tenacity on the battlefield, as well as the treasures he carried from White Jade City.

He had not only improved his skills, reaching the Fifth Grade...

But his standing within the Martial Alliance had also risen significantly. Among both the newly appointed and veteran protectors of the alliance, he ranked within the top five and had earned the trust of Mu Junxiong.

Recently, a major reorganization within the three factions of the Martial Alliance had begun. Titles such as elders, hall masters, protectors, incense masters, and deacons were all to be uniformly restructured...

Classified into clear rankings to prevent unnecessary conflicts in future encounters due to unclear hierarchies.

Thanks to his experience and strength, Sheng Dayang had been awarded six gold stripes, securing his position within the higher ranks of the Martial Alliance.

When official positions were distributed...

He might even vie for a protector position or an important role within one of the six new ministries.

With strength came authority...

And with authority came opportunities.

Although the newly founded Martial Alliance was overwhelmed with affairs, leaving him unable to return to Yongfu County to enjoy his triumph in the company of old neighbors...

Merely watching the admiration in his son’s eyes made Sheng Dayang’s heart brim with satisfaction.

As father and son walked down the road...

"Dad," Sheng Xiaotian piped up.

"What’s Wusheng City like? Is it taller than the county town?"

One moment, Sheng Xiaotian would glance at his father; the next, he’d crane his neck to peer ahead, eager to see if they were nearing Wusheng City.

His anticipation was palpable.

"Wusheng City, huh..." Sheng Dayang chuckled at his son’s question, clearly pleased. "Wusheng City is far taller than Yongfu County, much bigger, too, though a bit desolate. But once you’re there, it won’t feel so empty."

Wusheng City housed military camps, smelting workshops, and forging facilities, with only a handful of ordinary civilians and scarce petty merchants. Even the workers in the factories mostly lived outside the city limits...

So naturally, the city had an air of emptiness...

Particularly from Sheng Dayang’s perspective.

"How tall is it?"

"How big?"

Sheng Xiaotian was thrilled and pressed on, eager for more information.

As with most children...

He loved asking countless questions, turning even the simplest one inside out, determined to get to the bottom of it.

"How tall, you ask?"

"Well..."

"Do you see that mountain over there? It’s taller than that..."

Enthusiastically, Sheng Dayang described the wonders of Wusheng City to his son while privately daydreaming about the new beginnings promised by the Martial Alliance...

These dreams weren’t limited to just the two of them—

...

"Move along, move along."

"Hurry it up! Don’t block the path ahead. Keep moving past the city gates!"

Within Wusheng City...

The gate leading to the Black Prison stood wide open as rows of emaciated mine slaves, clad in tattered cotton robes and reeking of filth, slowly filed out under the watchful eyes of two battalions of the Three Mountains Army.

It was October...

The skies were high, the air was crisp, and the sunlight bathed the earth in boundless vitality.

Lu Chen raised his head to look at the sky, fixating on the glaring sun.

The sunlight was dazzling, but he couldn’t bear to close his eyes or look away. Staring at it, his lips curled into a smile, and then a laugh. Laughing and laughing, tears began to flow uncontrollably. He started to sob.

"Five years..."

Gazing up at the sun, Lu Chen’s mind went blank.

He had spent five long, dreary years in the sunless depths of the Black Prison. His body was wrecked, his spirit crushed.

He had resigned himself to the thought that he would spend the rest of his life in that hellish dungeon.

He never thought there would be a day when he could walk free.

Standing under the blazing sun...

Feeling its warmth...

He suddenly realized just how wonderful this world could be.

"It feels amazing."

Lu Chen wiped his tears away and tasted them on his lips. They were sweet—cloyingly sweet.

He cried as he laughed...

Laughed as he cried...

"Hey!"

"Move it, you mangy cur!"

A shove from behind jolted Lu Chen back to reality. Amid the chaos and the shouting from the soldiers of the Three Mountains Army, he shuffled forward with the crowd.

All around him was the sound of joyful and emotional crying.

Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel an infectious joy bubbling inside him.

Half a month ago...

The Mine Supervisors had delivered a speech to them, saying they would be released, but none of them had believed it at the time. Now, as they stepped out into the sunlight, the truth had finally sunk in.

Lu Chen’s mind replayed the words he had half-dismissed in the Black Prison:

"The Wusheng Sect, under the likes of Wuu Guangquan and Chen Shengji, committed grave errors."

"Now, with the establishment of the Martial Alliance..."

"Alliance Hierarch Mu Junxiong immediately made the decision to release you—innocent victims of cruel injustices—without delay."

"Remember this..."

"The Wusheng Sect of old is no more, and neither is the Lishui Gang of before."

"The Wusheng Sect, Lishui Gang, and Golden Sun Sect have come together to form the new Martial Alliance."

"From now on, you are all citizens of the Martial Alliance. As long as you abide by the new laws that will soon be enacted and refrain from engaging in criminal acts, you can live well within Shi’an County."

"A bright future lies ahead for all of us!"

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Half-dazed, Lu Chen heard those words echoing in his mind, their meaning clearer now than ever before. Under the sunlight, they seemed especially stirring.

The words slowly brought his weary heart back to life...

"A new life..."

"A bright future..."

Lu Chen rubbed his sun-dazzled eyes. When he opened them again, it felt as if a layer of grime had been wiped away, leaving his vision a little clearer.

Hope began to well up from deep within him.

...

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