The setting sun's afterglow passed over the city, stretching all the way to a small mountain village.
Wei Yunhai sat on a stone stump in front of his door, puffing on the pipe he held in his hand. Wisps of smoke rose, dyed gold by the sunset's glow, completely indistinguishable from the clouds on the horizon.
This was already the second pouch of tobacco Wei Yunhai had smoked. His gaze remained fixed on the ground at his feet, unmoving.
"Dad, you should smoke less," Wei Dayong said, nagging as usual as he walked over from the field ridge.
"When your mom was still around, she scolded plenty over this habit. Now that she's gone, you've taken her place," Wei Yunhai lifted his head, looking toward the gold-rimd horizon. A smile pulled at his orange-peel-like face. "This is my only pleasure. How could I just quit?"
"Dayong, I've never stood up for you in my life. Even when other kids beat you, I always told you to endure it if you could. Do you also think I, your father, am just a useless coward?"
Wei Yunhai coughed violently, his face turning pale. "This ti, I will definitely get you justice."
"I'm going to demand an answer: by what right?!"
Wei Dayong clenched his fists and nodded forcefully.
So things, you just can't endure, can you?
"Dayong, don't overthink it. A test is like a battlefield; it's normal to underperform due to nerves. At worst, you just repeat the year! If money's tight, we'll help as much as we can," a middle-aged man leading an old ox down from the ridge couldn't help but say, seeing Wei Dayong's expression.
His words were heartwarming.
But inside, Wei Dayong felt worse than ever.
If he had truly perford poorly, he would have accepted it, but…
The first place should have been mine.
This kind of suffocating injustice was unbearable.
"Old Jin, thank you! But this ti, it's not that my Dayong didn't do well. Soone swapped his results. I'm going to get justice for him." Wei Yunhai tapped out his pipe and stood up. "Old Jin, if we father and son aren't back in a couple of days, the fields are yours. Take good care of them. Don't let them go to waste for ."
The man nad Old Jin was startled, but before he could say anything, Wei Yunhai had already gone inside the house.
Wei Dayong followed him in.
Has Old Hai gone mad?
His words, which sounded like he was settling his final affairs, gave Old Jin a bad feeling. Not daring to leave, he quickly tied his old ox to a nearby tree.
When he turned back around, Wei Yunhai and his son, Wei Dayong, had co out, dressed in different attire.
Wei Dayong wore the standard uniform of a Hanyun Valley Martial Guard. Already a burly man, the uniform made him look even more formidable and valiant, and he exuded a natural, imposing authority.
As for Wei Yunhai, he wore an old military uniform, its color faded in many places. The shoes on his feet were washed spotlessly clean, without a speck of dust. Even with his limp, the invisible aura he emanated was still enough to make one's heart tremble.
"Oh, right." Wei Yunhai suddenly rembered sothing and spoke to Old Jin again. "The old yellow ox at ho is a much harder worker than this one of yours. If I don't co back, find it a new owner."
"Just don't you dare sell it to a cattle trader, or I'll haunt you as a ghost and never let you go."
Old Jin now understood what this man, who had been honest his entire life, was about to do.
He tried to persuade him, "Old Hai, listen to ! There's no need, it's not worth it! Co back!"
"Buddhas vie for a stick of incense, but a man must fight for his dignity." Wei Yunhai waved his hand dismissively. "I can endure other things, but I can't stand it when the honor that rightfully belongs to my son is stolen for no reason."
"Old Hai…"
Old Jin started to chase after him, but he stopped after just two steps.
On the only concrete road leading into the village, a young man, not yet thirty, was approaching. He was as broad and strong as an ox, with a spirited yet imposing air of solemnity that commanded awe.
"Yang Hu, what are you doing here again?" Wei Yunhai asked, stunned.
"My Boss sent to give this to you," Yang Hu said as he drew near, handing a longsword over one and a half ters in length—the Traveling Dragon Sword itself—to Wei Yunhai.
CLANG!
The longsword left its sheath, and a frost-like Sword Qi rippled violently outward.
"This…" This old Martial Guard, decades removed from the battlefield, held the longsword, his thoughts churning. He was lost in his mories for a long mont.
"My Boss says to do whatever you feel you must," Yang Hu said with a grin. "He's got your back."
Old Jin, along with a few passersby, craned their necks to watch in silence.
After a mont, Wei Yunhai's rough hands caressed the blade. "This sword is…?"
"Not long ago, it was this very sword that pinned Heiqi to the ground atop Phoenix Water Mountain," Yang Hu explained.
Wei Yunhai was speechless.
Everyone else was speechless.
The forr Chief Military Commander, Chen Yang.
This was his personal sword!
Wei Yunhai took a deep breath, instinctively looking toward Wei Dayong.
"That man yesterday… he was the forr Chief Military Commander," Wei Dayong said, scratching his head. No one had asked before, so he hadn't said anything.
"So, you are one of his n."
Wei Yunhai lowered his head. The longsword, glistening under the setting sun, seed as heavy as the great sun itself, weighing thousands of pounds.
Then, he spoke, each word thundering with resolve, "Forr First-Grade Military General Wei Yunhai thanks the Supre Martial Commander!"
This sword had once slain the Barbarian King. It had killed powerful nobles and even mbers of the Imperial Clan. Now, even a family like yours, the Zuo Family, had better think twice.
「That night.」
The sky was overcast, and the cold wind was as sharp as a knife.
In the West Suburb of Cangyun City, next to the Qingyuan River, there stood a large, ancient-style estate that spanned thousands of square ters.
Above the grand entrance, the words 'Zuo Residence' clearly indicated that this was the ho of the forr Pri Minister, Zuo Chang. Two stone lion statues, each over three ters tall, guarded the gate, exuding an aura of trendous authority.
Inside the courtyard were pavilions and towers, an artificial lake, covered bridges, and a rear garden—it had everything one could desire.
Zuo Chang had gone to the Imperial Clan. As a result, Zuo Yuanfei had taken over as the head of the Zuo Family, enjoying boundless glory.
Beside the artificial lake, Zuo Yuanfei and Zuo Long sat opposite each other. The father and son toasted one another, chatting and laughing.
Clad in a blue robe, Zuo Yuanfei said cheerfully, "What are your plans after joining the Martial Departnt?"
"I've already thought it through." Compared to his brother Zuo Fan, Zuo Long's features were more rugged, his sword-like eyebrows particularly morable. Pouring wine for his father, he said, "I want to surpass the forr Chief Military Commander and beco the true War God of this land."
"The position of War God of the State… it seems to fit perfectly."
THUMP. THUMP.
Zuo Yuanfei tapped the table. "It's good to have ambition, but don't get carried away," he said seriously. "This forr Chief Military Commander is destined to overshadow this era. I can't speak for the future, but for now, no one can surpass him."
"Besides, as a scion of the Zuo Family, why do you need to lead troops into battle? Isn't it better to hold great power and operate from behind the scenes?"
Zuo Long smiled. "You are right, Father. Shouting about killing and conquest… ultimately, that isn't sothing for preeminent families like ours."
Zuo Yuanfei held his wine cup, falling into deep thought. For so reason, whenever the forr Chief Military Commander was ntioned, he felt an agitated restlessness. It was a feeling he couldn't quite describe or put into words.
User Comments
0 comments from readers