A group of Chen clan members looked at the majestic Chang'an City in the distance, with some hope in their hearts.
However, the long period of exile left many people feeling uncertain.
"The Eastern Tang Dynasty is powerful after all. It is not only the Eastern Tang Dynasty that is in trouble with us, but also other major forces..."
A young man whispered: "Let's leave the border of the Eastern Tang Dynasty and go to other places?"
"It is equally difficult to leave Dongtang and establish a foothold in other places."
The old man next to him sighed: "If you want to return to your hometown in the future, it will be even more difficult."
While everyone was discussing, a clear voice suddenly sounded:
"It is rumored that Longling has always been desolate, so why did an extra city appear out of thin air?"
The person who spoke out was a girl about fourteen or five years old.
Her eyes moved darkly, looking curiously at Chang'an City in the distance.
"Of course someone built it here..." The person who answered her suddenly paused mid-sentence and fell into deep thought.
The middle-aged man with a long beard nodded slowly:
"My fourteenth brother said before that there was a barren mountain in Longling with no roads originally.
The road leading from the outside of the mountain to Baiyun Yuan was newly opened not long ago by a group of Tang troops in order to attack Chang'an."
As he spoke, he looked back at the city wall in the distance that was about four feet high and several miles long.
"In the barren mountains and ridges, there are no roads, but they can carve out such a large flat area and find the masonry materials to build the city. Is this something that ordinary people can do?"
The middle-aged man with a long beard said, looking around at the tribesmen around him.
Everyone was deep in thought at this moment.
Yes, compared to later people who traveled across mountains and ridges to find a city, how was such a city built from scratch in the first place?
"Perhaps here, not only can our Chen family rise again in the Eastern Tang Dynasty, but we can also regain our former glory."
The middle-aged man with a long beard had a strange look in his eyes: "Even in the worst case, we can still maintain peace and thrive, as long as we can gain a firm foothold in this city."
The rest of the Chen family nodded and followed the bearded middle-aged man towards the city gate.
Near the city gate, everyone stopped.
A member of the Chen family came out, one of the three people who were originally hunted down and rescued by Chang'an.
He walked towards the city gate and found that there were more people standing guard here than that day.
The other party did not make things difficult. After the conversation, he simply said: "All of you need to go to the relevant departments in the city to register and wait for Mr. Wu Yun's further decision."
"The dog is in the city now, can I meet him?"
"Okay, you go to the city first, and we can notify you on your behalf."
A guard led the group of Chen family members into the city, and then walked toward the center of the city.
On the way, the young man from the Chen family who had stayed in the city rushed over.
After he thanked the guard, he led the clan members to register.
"Feng'er, what is the origin of the guard at the door just now?" An elder from the clan asked the young man.
The young man hurriedly replied: "Seventh uncle, those are affiliated to the relevant departments in the city. They handle the government affairs in the city and are assigned to the city gate to review people entering and leaving the city gate."
Seeing that the tribesmen were a little confused, he explained: "The so-called 'relevant departments' are the government offices in the city, which are headed by Mr. Wu Yun, a close confidant of the Lord of Chang'an."
The others nodded understandingly.
The young man continued: "Besides here, there is another official office in the city, namely Six Gates, which is responsible for public security, law enforcement and criminal law matters. We are currently preparing for it. It won't be long before someone will be sent to the city gate."
The middle-aged man with a long beard asked: "Who can enter the city government office?"
"The refugees settled here and became common people in the city. Some talents were selected among them and used by Chang'an."
The young man replied: "Besides ordinary people, there is a small martial arts sect here in Qinzhou Prefecture, Longbei County, called Hanshan Sect.
It is said that someone from the Hanshan Sect has made great contributions to the city and has been appreciated by Mr. Wu Yun. He has quite a few disciples and has been able to enter the relevant departments and the six gates, and some of them hold high positions."
"Hanshan Sect?"
Everyone in the Chen family was at a loss.
Their ancestral land is far away from Longbei County, and few tribesmen interact in this area.
Not even the Qinzhou Prefecture is familiar with it, let alone the Hanshan Sect.
However, they have had many contacts with similar local forces in other places before.
"It would be great if a local snake in this land can become a practitioner in the fourth realm, right?"
An old man muttered to himself.
The young man nodded: "It is exactly what the twelfth uncle said. The person with the highest cultivation level in the Hanshan Sect is their leader, a warrior in the fourth realm, the Yongwei realm."
When some people around me heard this, they immediately felt much more relaxed.
"A sect that is only a fourth-level warrior can take on big responsibilities in the city, so if I wait here, I have a lot to do!"
The Chen family was in decline and was forced into exile. The masters and talents in the family were withering away, and they were at a rare low point in their history.
But even so, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
But the group of people here right now include several warriors from the fourth realm.
The middle-aged man with a long beard at the head has reached the sixth level of martial arts and has the cultivation of a military commander.
Moreover, the Chen family, as one of the most famous families in the Eastern Tang Dynasty, was founded in martial arts and has a long history of family education.
The martial arts secrets passed down are far beyond the comparison of local forces like the Hanshan Sect.
To be precise, not to mention Qinzhou Prefecture, even in the entire Longbei County, the Chen family at its peak in the past was enough to stand side by side with Taoist holy places like Wangzhen Temple.
To say that they are like fallen phoenixes is not as good as chickens is really unkind.
But even if it is a fallen phoenix, it is not comparable to a sparrow.
"Chang'an City is newly built after all, and everything is in its initial stages. We came at the right time to take the lead."
Everyone in the Chen family was very happy.
The trapped spirit of being hunted and suppressed before was finally gone.
The middle-aged man with a long beard frowned when he saw this:
"You got carried away so quickly? This is not a place for you to do whatever you want."
An old man beside him smiled and said: "Jie Zhi misunderstood. Everyone has seen the magic of this city. How could he be so arrogant as to turn against the guests and occupy the magpie's nest?"
But compared to Hanshan and his ilk, our Chen family is far beyond their current strength and potential.
We all serve Chang'an, how can others compare to us?
Even if there are forces that can compete with us in the future, we will have the upper hand, and we will definitely have a place among the senior leaders of Chang'an in the future."
The other Chen family members are also proud and full of hope for a new life in the future.
Only the young man who had been in the city before now looked embarrassed.
"Feng'er, is there anything special?"
The middle-aged man with a long beard noticed something strange about the young man and asked.
The young man looked around and saw the enthusiastic faces of his relatives and friends, and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Everyone gradually realized something was wrong: "What's wrong?"
"I had a competition with a Hanshan Sect disciple before..."
The young man hesitated, and finally smiled bitterly: "...I lost."