"He should be living a wealthy life idling around, yet he has to run out to the Western Region to eat sand. Heroic or not heroic, I do not know, I am just afraid that he might not be quite alright in the head."

Teacher Shen was dressed in a white blouse, the collar of his robe was stained with machine oil, an old apron hung on his neck - there were no women in this household, and within this pair of brothers living together, neither was more proper than the other. No one knew if that apron had ever been washed before as one could no longer see its original color; wearing it was just so indecent.

Only that face of his was well-defined.

The bridge of his nose was high, when not laughing or talking, his profile seemed awe-inspiring and almost stoic. His eyelids trembled slightly, and he suddenly blurted out:

"Since the Old Marquis passed away, Black Iron Camp's grand achievements have sent fear and suspicions to the one up above, plus lowlife sugar-coating subjects rampaging the royal court -.."

Shiliu, who had not said a word until now, suddenly interrupted him: "Shen Yi."

The two people at the side of the stove looked at him at the same time; Shiliu was staring at a small cobweb on the doorframe.

Shiliu's face did not show any sign of inebriation. The more he drank, the whiter his face became, the slightest bits of emotions were all so absorbed into his eyes that you could no longer see them clearly.

He spoke in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense."

The brothers of the Shen family usually did not care about manners. The younger brother would disrespect his elder, and the older brother would cater to the younger's every whim. They argued loudly from morning to night every day, yet the bond between them was very good.

Chang Geng had never heard Shiliu speak in such a serious and stiff manner before.

He was sensitive by nature; he frowned deeply, for he did not fully comprehend this situation.

Shen Yi's jaw tightened a bit. Realizing that Chang Geng was observing him, he involuntarily took back his emotions and smiled: "I went a bit too far - but words insulting the imperial court are merely idle conversations to have after dinner, are they not? I was only casually making some comments."

Chang Geng could sense the awkward atmosphere, so he smartly switched the subject and asked: "During the ten years from the Northern Expedition to the Western Campaign, who was in charge of the Black Iron Camp?"

"No one was in charge," Shen Yi replied. "After the Northern Expedition, the Black Iron Camp was initially quiet: some left, some had passed away, some of the older veterans in the army were left feeling very disheartened.