Chapter 83

The weather was decent the next day, so Fang Zhao didn't linger in Shanmu Farm . He set off for Qingcheng .

Wu Yi was sad to see him leave . He had enjoyed discussing shepherding with Fang Zhao the day before . The more they had talked, the more he had realized how knowledgeable Fang Zhao was . He had offered advice that could be applied to raising shepherd dogs in Muzhou, which made him more enthusiastic about his guest . He had pleaded with Fang Zhao to stay longer to no avail . When Fang Zhao left, Wu Yi saw him off in person .

"Do drop by if you have time . You can bring Curly Hair . He can have a friendly matchup against my dogs . My farm pales in comparison to the big farms that can host formal competitions, but there's enough land to run around . You know, dogs are fast learners . Even if he doesn't know how to shepherd, he'll pick it up after hanging out with my dogs for a bit . When you visit in the future, don't worry about the lodging fee, just give me a heads up . Let me know if you need any fresh produce and the like . I'll save some for you ahead of time . " Wu Yi rambled on as he directed workers carrying bags of produce onto Fang Zhao's flying transport .

Wu Yi felt he'd learned a lot from his conversation with Fang Zhao yesterday and should make it up to him . Wu Yi thought it impolite to take advantage of a younger friend that way, so he'd prepared quite a few gifts for Fang Zhao . Even though, as a general rule, he didn't like foreigners, he welcomed folks like Fang Zhao . That was how he operated—if he connected with someone, he would treat that person extra well . If not, he wouldn't bother with a single look .

Weather conditions were stable during the flight from Shanmu Farm to Qingcheng . The journey was smooth .

Although Muzhou was made up predominantly of fields, every continent had its major cities . Just like in other continents, you could find high rises in Muzhou . It was just that the buildings were spaced out, so black streets were unheard of, and every city was equipped with a shepherding competition venue, which served as an entertainment center and a site of cultural preservation .

As Muzhou's capital, Qingcheng was home to many large farms, and it boasted a lavish central business district populated with skyscrapers with unique designs . It was also equipped with the world's largest shepherding competition venue . Traveling from Qingcheng's suburbs to its central business district was like moving from one extreme to another—one was the natural abode of farms and ranches, the other a high-tech hub of the New Era .

Qingcheng had dedicated parking spaces for flying transports, but the movement of foreign aircraft like Fang Zhao's was limited . They were barred from the martyrs' cemetery . To get to the cemetery, Fang Zhao's party had to find an alternative .

After parking his flying transport, Fang Zhao called a cab .

The makeup of the martyrs' cemetery in Muzhou was similar to the one in Yanzhou . It consisted of a square, a grand monument, an area for scattered graves, a public worship area, and a memorial hall . But the martyrs' cemetery in Muzhou had a unique feature, which was widely known—a burial site for service dogs .

The martyrs' cemeteries in other continents also housed decorated service dogs, but not as many as the one in Muzhou . The Muzhou cemetery was also the only one to dedicate an entire area to service dogs .

Fang Zhao also knew that Su Mu's squadron had been the one with the most dogs . During the war, many of the dogs had been sacrificed . Their purpose had been to fight side-by-side with mankind and take their place in deadly missions, so it made sense that Su Mu had built a dedicated burial site for service dogs during the New Era .

The reason shepherd dogs in Muzhou enjoyed a rarefied status also had to do with the burial site for service dogs . The area was marked by a sculpture of Su Mu and a dog . Fang Zhao knew the dog well . Out of all the dogs Su Mu had raised, this one held a special place in his heart . When Fang Zhao's previous incarnation had passed, the dog had still been in combat with Su Mu in Muzhou . After being reborn into the New Era, Fang Zhao had learned from history books that the dog had saved Su Mu's life . Otherwise, Su Mu would have been missing among the founding generals of the New Era . But the dog didn't live to see the New Era .

Fang Zhao underwent an ID check when he reached the core area of the cemetery . It took some time because Fang Zhao was a foreigner and therefore scrutinized carefully . Zuo Yu's ID check took even longer .

"Here's the deal: outside of Yanzhou, many special venues will require thorough vetting . It's a pain in the ass," Zuo Yu told Fang Zhao . "Even if you're cleared at the entrance, you might get vetted again when you reach the cemetery's core area . "

"Cemetery guards?"

"Right . The guards assigned to the cemetery have especially strong instincts . They're usually loaned from the police . The cemetery is a fixed rotation in the force . Their sense of smell is even better than a dog's . One of our instructor's army buddies was certified as a cemetery guard . He was assigned to the cemetery's core area every Memorial Day . "

Just as Zuo Yu finished his sentence, they were approached by a guard . They had just set foot in the core area .

"He must have noticed something about me," Zuo Yu whispered to Fang Zhao . Zuo Yu was former special forces . It was understandable if he set off alarms .

Zuo Yu volunteered his ID when the guard approached .

After checking Zuo Yu's ID, the man turned to Fang Zhao . "Excuse me, your ID please . "

While he was checking Fang Zhao's ID, the guard glanced at him a few times, especially when he noticed that Fang Zhao listed "composer" as his profession . He gauged Fang Zhao carefully, as if in disbelief .

When the officer left, a curious Zuo Yu asked Fang Zhao, "Why did it take him longer to check your ID?" Zuo Yu was puzzled .

"Probably because he thought I am a bigger threat than you are," Fang Zhao responded .

"Hehe . " Zuo Yu didn't buy the explanation .

Fang Zhao paid no attention to Zuo Yu . He approached a tall tombstone and examined its carvings .

The carvings depicted a battle in Muzhou . It featured a few service dogs and a few humans joking around . They were less serious than soldiers in battle, even casual .

This was a group of old friends . One of them was Fang Zhao's previous incarnation .

Fang Zhao smiled at the carving, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly .

Fang Zhao left the big tombstone to examine the rows of smaller tombstones behind it . When he approached, he noticed someone sitting by the first tombstone in the first row . He looked around 13 or 14, a bit chubby . He was hugging his knees, so his face was obscured . Judging from the pool of water on the ground and the ongoing drool, you could tell the chubby kid was sleeping .

Sleeping in a cemetery? And by the first tombstone in the first row of graves in the core area of Muzhou's largest martyrs' cemetery at that . And he had drooled profusely without reprimand .

Considering how vigilant the guards were and the cemetery's strict security protocols, this was a far-fetched scene . Unless the kid was someone special, like a member of the Su family .

Only a Su could get away with sleeping in the cemetery without being kicked out by security guards .

"Hey, kid!" Fang Zhao gave the teenaged boy a gentle push .

"Huh? What's up?" The boy lifted his head, still drowsy, and wiped the drool by his mouth with his right hand, then repeated the motion with the back of his hand . He shivered and shrank his hand abruptly just as it was was about to touch the tombstone . He then wiped the hand on his clothes and turned to examine the tombstone, breathing a sigh of relief when he made sure it was untainted by his saliva .

Fang Zhao knew who the boy was the instant he saw the boy's face .

It was Su Hou, a member of the Su family . His immediate family had been in the news . Fang Zhao had come across his picture when he'd searched for news reports about the Sus .

Su Hou had an older brother and two younger sisters . They were named Wang, Hou, Jiang, and Xiang respectively . Su Hou's father had quite a few lovers and produced children out of wedlock as well, so there was plenty of competition among his offspring . Su Hou's brother Su Wang was a nerd studying at the Academy of Agricultural Science . His two younger sisters were still young . As for Su Hou himself, well, he just liked to eat .

Folks in Muzhou were waiting to see which of his children Su Hou's father would gift a farm . There was even a bet going on .

The Su family was a big family . Su Hou's father was one of its more accomplished members . Su Hou's family had been in the news recently . It had been reported that Su Hou's father said at a recent reception that he planned on giving one of his farms to one of his children . He did not specify the recipient .

The people of Muzhou loved their gossip, especially when it came to Muzhou's storied Su family . They paid attention every time Su Hou's family was in the headlines .

Su Hou might have been one of the reasons behind the tight security in the core area . Even though it had been some time since Memorial Day and the number of visitors had dwindled, it wasn't normal for the core area to be this empty .

When he found his bearings, the chubby kid wiped his mouth again and stared at Fang Zhao and Zuo Yu with alarm . "Who are you?" He then scanned his surroundings, relaxing once he realized there weren't any uniformed guards around .

"We're here to pay our respects . " Fang Zhao examined the wound on the chubby kid's forehand . "This is from kowtowing, no? Shouldn't you get it looked at at the hospital?"

The wound was a piece of cake, considering the level of medical treatment in the New Era . It would heal in two days .

"No!" The chubby kid was furious when he heard the wound being mentioned . "I'm not getting it treated . "

Fang Zhao didn't press the kid . He examined the wound more closely and asked, "This is from kowtowing? Seems like you kowtowed more than a few times . "

"No kidding . I kowtowed 49 times . " Su Hou touched his wound .

"Were you kowtowing before General Su Mu?" Fang Zhao asked with a laugh . The wound wasn't fresh—it looked a day old . It looked worse than it was because the kid had refused treatment . Children his age were hard to figure out .

Su Hou fumed . "No . I just need to kowtow three times for General Su Mu . I was sent to kowtow in Yanzhou . "

"Yanzhou? Which relative in Yanzhou would require so many kowtows?" Fang Zhao asked .

"He's not a relative . He's the late friend of a family elder . We send someone to pay our respects every year . My older siblings misled me into believing that, the more I kowtowed, the more the spirit of the deceased would watch over me . But when I got back, they said it was the gesture that mattered and called me a fool . "

Zuo Yu wondered . Your older siblings probably didn't expect you to be stupid enough to believe them . This level of intelligence—is he really a member of the Su family?

"We're from Yanzhou . Let's see if we know the person you kowtowed for?" Zuo Yu asked .

"You're from Yanzhou? Have you heard of Fang Zhao?"

Zuo Yu: "Yeah . . . "