"Lord Official, how about we start a fire? Us lowly ones could warm up a bit when we pass by."
As Chu Mu was making his rounds, an old forced laborer cautiously approached him, pleading.
"Fine."
Chu Mu glanced at the old man before him, then pointed to the tree where he usually sat.
"I have a small pile of firewood over there. Go ahead and use it to start a fire."
"Thank you, Lord Official! Thank you, Lord Official!"
The old forced laborer nodded and bowed obsequiously, as if Chu Mu had done him some great kindness.
Chu Mu waved his hand, saying nothing more.
Within the scope of what was permitted, he didn't mind offering these forced laborers some small conveniences.
Of course, it was only within what was permitted. He wouldn't do anything more.
As for throwing his weight around and lording it over these poor souls just to feel important—that was a classless act he simply couldn't bring himself to perform.
'I wonder if they'll survive this winter.'
Chu Mu watched the few busy laborers. If he remembered correctly, the ones under his supervision had been conscripted at the end of summer. According to the standard six-month term of Forced Labor, they could go home in peace as long as they made it through the winter.
Barring any accidents, they wouldn't have to serve again for the next two years and could live out their own small, comfortable lives.
'Let's hope so...'
Chu Mu let out a long breath and surveyed the snow-covered mine before silently returning to his seat by the fire.
The old laborer seemed to have added more wood to the fire. The bonfire now roared, its heat waves driving away the last traces of the chill.
Chu Mu shifted, found a comfortable position to lean back, and pulled a book from his robes, beginning to study it page by page.
The morning passed by.
At mealtime, a few of the forced laborers gathered by the fire, wolfing down their frozen, rock-hard cornbread buns.
Compared to the laborers' unchanging diet, the Inspectors' meals were, naturally, much more substantial.
Five dishes and a soup, all you can eat, for the price of just three copper coins—it was practically free.
"Brother Mu, how can you eat so much?"
Xu Yuan couldn't help but mumble from the side as Chu Mu shoveled food into his mouth.
"It's alright."
Chu Mu glanced at the food before him. With his long-term martial arts training, his appetite seemed to be growing larger and larger.
But eating a lot also meant growing fast.
In just over a month, he had clearly bulked up. The previous owner of this body's scrawny appearance was nearly a thing of the past.
"Oh, right. Come to my place for dinner tonight. I need you for something."
Chu Mu said suddenly, looking up after a mouthful of food.
"Sure, but for what?"
"A sparring partner!"
Chu Mu swallowed his food. "To help me with my martial arts training!"
Xu Yuan quickly explained, "But I've never practiced martial arts..."
"Doesn't matter."
Chu Mu waved his hand. "Anyone can hit someone with a stick!"
"Alright, then."
Xu Yuan agreed, but he still couldn't sit still while eating, his eyes darting around.
Chu Mu was a bit exasperated. "Just eat your food. What are you looking at?"
Xu Yuan hurriedly pointed outside the mess hall. "No, Brother Mu, look! Someone died again!"
"Someone died?"
Chu Mu froze. Following Xu Yuan's finger, he saw a few bodies wrapped in straw mats piled together, a jarring sight.
"Probably another accident somewhere."
Chu Mu spared them a glance before looking away and continuing to eat.
In this mine, people dying in accidents every few days was hardly a rare occurrence.
"I'm gonna go take a look."
Unable to contain his curiosity, Xu Yuan tossed out the sentence and jogged off.
A moment later, Xu Yuan came running back, panting, and leaned in conspiratorially. "Brother Mu, they froze to death! There was frost on the bodies!"
Chu Mu's heart tightened. He instinctively looked outside again, only to see that another layer of straw mats had been placed over the pile of corpses.
'That's impossible, isn't it?'
Chu Mu frowned, clearly startled and skeptical.
How long had it been since the heavy snow started? A day or two at most. How could forced laborers have frozen to death so quickly?
Xu Yuan quickly explained, "I swear I saw it right! There really was frost..."
"I'm going to see..."
Chu Mu stood up. Just as he put down his bowl and chopsticks, urgent shouts erupted outside the mess hall.
"Third Squad, Fourth Squad, everyone out!"
"Hurry up and assemble!"
"What's going on?"
"Why won't they let us eat?!"
"I just got my food! I haven't had a single bite!"
The shouts threw the entire mess hall into an uproar.
Chu Mu paused for a second but didn't stop. He called out to Xu Yuan and strode quickly out of the mess hall.
"Both of the Lords Hundred Households are here!"
The moment they were outside, Xu Yuan immediately sidled up to Chu Mu and whispered.
Chu Mu glanced at the two figures of the Hundred Households standing outside shouting, his face filled with confusion.
The Inspection Office had a total establishment of two Hundred Households, so naturally, there were only two of them.
As far as he knew, these two Lords Hundred Households had different duties. One was responsible for the mine, and the other was responsible for the Guardian post in town.
It was rare to see even one of them on a normal day. Why would both appear at once?
If it were just a team leader or Squad Leader, the Inspectors would surely be chattering with questions. But with both Lords Hundred Households present, few dared to crack jokes or act flippantly.
One by one, they obediently gathered in front of the mess hall. Then, led by one of the Hundred Households, they headed down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, dozens more Inspectors were waiting. When the group arrived, the lead Squad Leader went forward to exchange a few words with the Hundred Households before leading his men to join the formation.
This development made the already murmuring group even more clamorous. Everyone was asking around, clearly at a loss.
"Brother Mu, something feels wrong. We're heading out of town!"
"What in the world are we going to do?!"
"I don't know."
Chu Mu shook his head. Then, as if he'd thought of something, he turned to Xu Yuan. "Don't wander off. Stick with me!"
"Don't worry, Brother Mu."
Xu Yuan was clearly nervous too, his usual lively demeanor gone as he stuck close to Chu Mu's side.
As the procession left Nanshan Town, the noisy group suddenly fell silent. Chu Mu looked ahead and saw a figure in ornate armor and a cloak at the crossroads, surrounded by several horsemen. He was extremely conspicuous.
That figure was clearly the reason for the group's sudden silence.
To an ordinary Inspector, a Hundred Households was already a lofty figure. That meant the Lord Thousand Households, who was also the County Captain of Qinghe County, was undoubtedly the heavens to all Inspectors.
The figure before them was clearly the County Captain of Qinghe County, the Inspection Office's Thousand Households, Li Jinghong.
"Relay the news to the men. Let them know what they're up against."
"Let's move out!"
The leading Hundred Households, He Ping, had just trotted up to Li Jinghong when the latter waved his hand dismissively. With a light tug on his reins, he rode past He Ping.
"This humble subordinate obeys!"
He Ping cupped his fist in response. He then turned to the crowd of Inspectors and, with a single command, the procession set off once more.
But now, following the Thousand Households' order, the renewed clamor within the ranks also carried the reason for this mobilization to every Inspector's ears.
...