511 Millions Buried Under The Fortress of Resilience, Dearly Missed As They Drift Into The Deepest Sleep (1/2)
What kind of ultimatum was this?
The only choice I have is to accede, or you'll kill yourself?
What a terrifying encounter! I can't believe that I'm at a loss for words!
”Right!” Ji Lingxi was a smart girl. She immediately understood the situation and grabbed her sword with another clang. Copying her sister, she said, ”Sister Lan is right, I'll behead myself if you dare to avoid our questions! I'll sever my meridians! I'll slit my own throat right in front of you!”
The corners of Yun Yang's lips were twitching.
She was quick on the uptake now; why was this amazing lady not already in heaven?
Yun Yang did not dare to take them up on their threat; he did not even dare to avoid their stares. One of these two ladies in front of him was his eighth brother's young sister and the other his eighth brother's fiancée. If they had really killed themselves before him… Yun Yang shuddered at the morbid thought.
”Okay, okay. Ask whatever you want… I'll tell you what I know, but I can't help it if I don't know. It's no use even if you try to force me with your own deaths.” Yun Yang was crestfallen.
Yue Rulan's eyes were smiling. ”You will know the answer to my question. Perhaps, you're the only one in this world who knows.”
Yun Yang considered this and said, ”To be honest, I really do know a little about this question… but I can't speak about it here.”
”Why not?” Yue Rulan questioned curiously.
”Sister Lan, the war has ended, but we might still be watched even now and those people… they will want to know the answer to your question as well. It's better we don't speak about it until we reach the capital,” said Yun Yang in a low voice and a serious mien.
Yue Rulan and Ji Lingxi were both hard-pressed to doubt his sincere-sounding words, dramatic as they were.
However, he did have a valid point. The Nine Supremes had just appeared and defeated the Dongxuan army. Those who had painted a target on their backs in the past must surely be working on pursuing the Nine Supremes; it was only a matter of time before they were carefully watched and tracked. The enemies of the Nine Supremes were a pinnacle of existence in the Tianxuan Continent, much more dangerous than Lei Dongtian… Both of them were insensible today, to actually broach the topic at such a sensitive time.
Thankfully, Yun Yang did not submit to them, otherwise, it would have been a close call indeed.
Both the ladies nodded, their looks a mixture of regret, fear, and a sense of apology. Yun Yang heaved a breath of relief in secret, knowing that he had survived this round.
Although the fear of being watched was only conveyed upon Yun Yang's words, it was still possible. However, Yun Yang did not sense any anomalies up to this point. If there was really someone spying upon them, what Ji Lingxi had exposed earlier was already too much information, sufficient to for them to be attacked.
The most important thing for Yun Yang was the fact that he had yet to figure out how to dish out the matter. He believed that both the girls would never be able to accept the plain truth; how should he go about it then?
Yun Yang's thoughts were scattered all over the place and he was still unable to finalize a decision despite many rounds of contemplation. There was still a long journey ahead to reach Tiantang City. With this gift of time, perhaps he could figure out some sort of explanation or a way to tackle the issue.
Yun Yang sighed inwardly; the path ahead was going to be vague and difficult one!
Oh, my brothers, how many unexplainable problems have you all left me with? Yet I dare not offend anyone… Oh, how difficult my life is!
…
After Yun Yang left the Fortress of Resilience, the western relief troop had also formally bid farewell to Fu Baoguo, rearranging themselves to return to the western border.
Currently, the men from the western troop had at least a parcel on each of their backs, piled up high. Some even carried dozens of parcels, straining under the load. It was the same throughout the troop, making it a rare sight to behold.
There were also soldiers who did not carry parcels but those were all injured members who bore severe injuries and were hardly mobile. They were laid in hundreds of carriages, temporarily commissioned, but even then, the injured members carried a few parcels in their embraces as well.
These parcels contained the remains of their comrades, their brothers. They did not want their brothers' remains to be placed on the cold carriage; they would rather carry them like this all the way back until they brought their brothers home!
They were all alive, like those who were carrying them; all living and breathing together in the vitality of life!
Sun Zihu's fierce face was already dotted with tears as he watched his troop behind him. The wintery wind billowed as usual while Sun Zihu sat atop his horse and turned back to look, reluctant to leave despite them already set off on their journey.
The hundred and fifty thousand western elites who came for the relief effort were finally going back since the war was at an end. Yet, of the hundred and fifty thousand bothers, there were only thirty thousand men who could follow him back – no, a more precise number was twenty-nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-three men.
The figure could not even reach thirty thousand.
There were more than a hundred and twenty thousand western troop warriors who were buried under the Fortress of Resilience.
”How am I supposed to tell the western troop brothers who are waiting?” Sun Zihu sobbed, ”How am I supposed to break it to the marshal? A hundred and twenty thousand brothers…”
”How do I tell their families?”
”You have fought for the country and perished here; it's what a man should do. But we, those of us who are alive... we are the ones in a deeper despair!”
”Brothers… come back… We are going home…”
”Brothers! Let's go home!”
The thirty thousand shouted in unison. Their shouts were those of agony, the aggrieved voices resonating across the battlefield.
The clouds were thick and low in the sky, the gale whizzing by. It was almost as if the hundred and twenty thousand heroic souls were gathered together, assembling themselves into a formation, ready to go home with their brothers.
The forlorn horn ricocheted in the snowy plains, ringing loudly before slowly fading away.
The thirty thousand men were silent, there were no spoken words along their way. Other than the noise from their feet and horses' hooves treading the ground, alongside an occasional hissing from the horses and the fluttering of flags, no one said anything.
They traveled in a neat formation with strong steps. It felt like those brothers who were deep asleep under the earth were still in their lines, embarking on the long homebound journey with them. They were still by their sides, keeping them company.
The thirty thousand men could still hear their breathing, could still smell the reeking stench of their sweat, the stench they would normally have hated. They were like them, quietly making their way forward, making the most poignant music with their footsteps.
Behind them, before the faraway location where the old Fortress of Resilience stood, Fu Baoguo fell into position neatly with the rest of the eastern troop.
”Salute! Send the brothers of the western troop off!”
Fu Baoguo cried out as all of the eastern troop raised their hands simultaneously.
They watched the retreating backs of the western troop quietly, their hands raised in a salute which never once wavered or dropped.
The western troop went departed in that manner, slowly drawing out the distance. Suddenly, someone within the troop wept softly. The grief was catching, and it spread throughout the army swiftly. Soon enough, the sounds of weeping and heaving sobs could be heard throughout the ranks of the army.
Sun Zihu was still moving forward in silence like he did not hear anything, but he felt an unusual tightness about his chest, bands of iron that clenched at his heart. He breathed harshly, momentarily suppressing his emotions, but he could not hold it back for long. He let out a roar of anguish, ”What are you all crying for? Are all of you f*cking women? Our brothers have died fighting for the country, it's a worthy cause to die for! They are all heroes! All of them are! Heroes, you know! What are you all crying about? We should be proud! We have such great brothers, we…”
Sun Zihu's roar suddenly broke off, as his voice was suddenly torn away from him. He rolled off his horse and sprawled on the ground, sobbing his heart out as blackness threatened to take away his sight.