Outside Southern Suppression City:
Gu Hai’s “March of the General” and one million souls dealt Army Breaker’s “Miserable World” and one million zither puppets a resounding defeat.
Many experts came flying out of Southern Suppression City when the battle ended to tidy up the battlefield. One of the flying ships even carried many soldiers to pursue the survivors of Army Breaker’s army.
The bronze statues were war machines, so they could not be allowed to fall into others’ hands. This was especially so after today’s battle, which had given the Southern Suppression Army a more objective understanding of the bronze statues.
The most elite soldiers were responsible for collecting the bronze statues.
Gu Hai did not remain idle. Instead, he headed to the battlefield and picked up the broken pieces of Army Breaker.
Army Breaker’s fragments were strewn across the ground.
When the elite soldiers came over, they treated Gu Hai politely. After all, Gu Hai had contributed the most in this battle. No one dared to stop Gu Hai from collecting Army Breaker’s pieces.
After placing Army Breaker’s corpse in a coffin and giving the one million souls some instructions, he took out the White Cloud flying ship and headed for Southern Suppression City.
Whoosh!
The flying ship soon arrived at Southern Suppression City.
“Master, aren’t I incredible?” Ensnaring Performance rushed over excitedly.
“Mister Gu, this victory is all thanks to you,” Sima Changkong said with a smile.
Gu Hai nodded. Then, he looked at Venerable Liu Nian and asked, “Where’s Long Wanyu?”
Venerable Liu Nian smiled bitterly. “Gu Hai, good thing you were there. Long Wanyu is fine. It is just that when Ensnaring Performance pulled her back, she looked like she had gone mad, frantically calling for people to rescue you. Left without a choice, I had to knock her out. She is resting behind now.”
Appearing mad and frantically calling for people to rescue me?
Gu Hai revealed a warm smile. Although Long Wanyu was wilful, her heart was in the right place.
“It’s good that she’s fine,” Gu Hai said with a faint smile.
Just then, Prince Shenwu made his way over.
“Mister Gu!” Prince Shenwu greeted with a faint smile.
“Supreme Commander!” the surrounding people greeted with a bow.
“Greetings, Supreme Commander!” Gu Hai said with a faint smile.
“The ‘March of the General’ is incredible. Mister Gu made great contributions in this battle.” Prince Shenwu smiled.
“Supreme Commander is too polite. I was just lucky!” Gu Hai said humbly and politely.
“We need to hand the one million bronze statues to His Holy Eminence to deal with. As for Army Breaker’s corpse…” Prince Shenwu looked at Gu Hai.
Gu Hai opened the lid of the coffin, revealing Army Breaker’s shattered body. The fragments in there caused everyone to frown slightly.
“Army Breaker is already broken. Supreme Commander, rest assured,” Gu Hai said with a smile.
After speaking, Gu Hai put away Army Breaker’s corpse with a flip of his hand. Prince Shenwu only smiled and did not say anything more about this.
“Mister Gu made great contributions to this battle. I have to report this to His Holy Eminence. As for the ‘March of the General’…” Prince Shenwu looked at Gu Hai.
“Not a problem. It is just a piece. Ensnaring Performance, impart the complete piece to the supreme commander later,” Gu Hai instructed, looking at Ensnaring Performance.
“Alright.” Ensnaring Performance nodded without a care.
Having been played, “March of the General” was no longer a secret. Most zitherists would remember it. Getting Ensnaring Performance to impart it was only to prevent errors.
“Sorry to trouble Mister Gu!” Prince Shenwu said with a faint smile.
“Supreme Commander is too polite. With Army Breaker defeated, now is the time to strike, while the iron is hot. Supreme Commander has many things to do, so this humble one shall not take up any more of your time.” Gu Hai smiled.
Prince Shenwu nodded and left the city gate tower.
It was as Gu Hai said. This was the time for the army to attack at full force. Prince Shenwu still had many things to arrange.
“The life aura is too strong in the army camp. I was afraid it would harm the souls, so I got them to remain far away. Mister Dongfang refined these souls, preventing them from reincarnating. Do Mister Sima and Venerable Liu Nian have any way for them to move on to the nether realm?” Gu Hai asked gravely.
“Oh?” Sima Changkong narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance.
“These are dead soldiers from both sides. Lu Yang gave them to Mister Dongfang to refine,” Gu Hai explained.
“There are Lu Yang’s soldiers?” Mister Sima’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right. Mister Sima can ask them to help. They can go back to Lu Yang’s army and spread word of his cold-bloodedness, killing the army’s confidence in the Ying Royal Dynasty. However, I hope that they will have a place to return to after that,” Gu Hai said gravely.
“Hahahaha! Mister Gu, from start to end, you are the one responsible for breaking this Ying Royal Dynasty. As long as these souls appear before Lu Yang’s army, its morale will break. Good! Good! Good!” Sima Changkong said good three times.
“Gu Hai, there’s no need to worry. I can purify them. That way, they can reincarnate!” Venerable Liu Nian explained.
“I’ll have to trouble Venerable, then.” Gu Hai nodded.
“However…” Venerable Liu Nian looked at Gu Hai in anticipation.
With a trace of bitterness, Gu Hai said, “Venerable is thinking about Long Xiaoyue? Unfortunately…hah.”
Gu Hai repeated the information he obtained from Mister Dongfang. Long Xiaoyue’s heavenly soul and earthly soul were already destroyed. Her mortal soul had been shattered but forcibly pieced back together.
“Haha! Hahaha!” Venerable Liu Nian held his palms together and looked up at the sky, revealing a bleak smile.
He did not say anything. Two lines of tears flowed out from the corners of his eyes. Then, he turned his head and walked away dispiritedly, presenting a sorrowful figure.
“A passion with no fate. A life of loneliness awaits Liu Nian.” Sima Changkong sighed.
Gu Hai sighed softly as well.
——
When Gu Hai returned to his residence, he sought out Mu Chenfeng and gave him some instructions. Then, he headed for Long Wanyu’s residence.
“Mister Gu!” Long Wanyu’s subordinates in her residence greeted respectfully.
“How is the princess?” Gu Hai looked at a subordinate.
“The princess is fine. She is asleep, but she keeps calling out to Mister Gu in her dreams,” that subordinate said respectfully.
“Oh?”
The subordinates led Gu Hai over. Then, he saw Long Wanyu on the bed in the room.
Long Wanyu was asleep, but a horrified expression filled her face.
“Elder Sister! Mother! Mother, I’m afraid. Elder Sister, when are you returning?” Horror flashed on Long Wanyu’s sleeping face.
Gu Hai sighed softly. When will Wanqing come back? Even I don’t know.
“Brother-in-Law!” Long Wanyu let out a startled cry, suddenly waking up.
Cold sweat covered her body. The instant she woke up, she leaped out of bed.
“Quickly save my brother-in-law! Hurry! Save my brother-in-law! Men! Men!” Long Wanyu called out in horror.
After crying out twice, she found herself in her room. This slightly startled her, but she still appeared anxious. She was about to rush out when she happened to see Gu Hai standing nearby and smiling.
“Ah!” Long Wanyu suddenly exclaimed.
“Long Wanyu, you finally are willing to call me brother-in-law?” Gu Hai smiled.
Long Wanyu rubbed her eyes. After confirming that it was Gu Hai, she lit up in joy.
However, she was just about to smile when embarrassment overwhelmed her.
Long Wanyu immediately pouted and said with a blank expression, “Humph! Who’s calling you brother-in-law?”
After speaking, she sneaked a peek at Gu Hai.
“Alright. Now that I’ve seen that you are fine, I can stop worrying. In the future, if you sense something greatly ominous, just go far away. Don’t push yourself.” Gu Hai smiled.
“Never you mind. I…I…” Some regret flashed in Long Wanyu’s eyes.
“Brother…Brother-in-Law, how did you escape?” Long Wanyu finally was willing to address Gu Hai as brother-in-law.
“It is all thanks to your talisman.” Gu Hai smiled.
“Mine?” Long Wanyu appeared somewhat confused.
“This one. Your father left it for you.” Gu Hai took out the black jade talisman.
Initially, Long Wanyu was in a good mood. However, her mood immediately darkened at the sight of the black jade talisman. “He is not my father. I don’t have such a father.”
Gu Hai smiled bitterly and said, “However, it saved me?”
“I don’t want it! I don’t want it! Since it saved you, then you keep it. I don’t want it! I don’t want anything of his!” Long Wanyu said stubbornly.
Gu Hai smiled bitterly and nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll keep it on your behalf for now.”
——
Gu Hai remained in Southern Suppression City for a few days.
After Venerable Liu Nian dealt with his emotions, he purified some of the souls. However, Sima Changkong took out a portion of the souls belonging to Lu Yang’s army to shatter the morale of Lu Yang’s army and its confidence in the Ying Royal Dynasty.
Gao Xianzhi led his sixth battalion out and formally joined the fray.
Gu Hai often sat in his courtyard, studying the Thirty Line-Pair World Go Puzzle. Long Wanyu frequently came by to visit.
On this day, Long Wanyu came again to visit. “Brother-in-Law, how did you and my elder sister first get to know each other? Tell me?”
Gu Hai put down a Go stone and was about to answer with a smile when his expression suddenly changed.
Rumble…!
Boundless surging blessings appeared out of nowhere above Gu Hai’s courtyard and rushed down towards him.
The surging blessings churning in the air above the courtyard caused countless people in Southern Suppression City to reveal shocked expressions.
——
Prince Shenwu and Sima Changkong were discussing the situation at the frontlines when the surging golden clouds churning in the distance caught their attention.
“Blessings? They are gathering above Gu Hai’s residence?” Prince Shenwu exclaimed in shock.
“Where did so much blessings come from?” Sima Changkong likewise exclaimed in shock.
——
In Gu Hai’s courtyard, Long Wanyu watched Gu Hai take out the Heaven Suppressing Divine Imperial Seal and quickly suck in the blessings that suddenly arrived.
The blessings that arrived out of nowhere gave Gu Hai a slight shock. As he absorbed the blessings, he vaguely heard a voice.
“Citizens of the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty, we, your emperor, Huangfu Chaoge, let down your trust in us. I have caused everyone to live in fear during these years, suffering many disasters and difficulties. Huangfu Chaoge is incapable. We do not know how long the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty can last. We are not a competent emperor. The end of our life draws near, yet the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty remains the center of chaos. Moreover, things will only become more chaotic. Today, while I am still alive, I am making this arrangement. I bequeath my nation to the Han Royal Dynasty’s Gu Hai. We are incapable, resulting in endless chaotic battles. I hope that the Han Royal Dynasty’s Gu Hai will bring everyone fortune and peace. Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty citizens, this is our last words to you. We have let everyone down!”
“Your Majesty, we acknowledge only you!”
“Your Majesty, don’t! If you go, what are we to do?”
“Your Majesty, you can’t leave us behind!”
When Gu Hai heard the voices mingled with the blessings, he stood up abruptly.
“Brother-in-Law, where did all these blessings come from? Why did they all come to you? There’s so much of them!” Long Wanyu exclaimed.
“Huangfu Chaoge’s life is coming to an end? While he is still alive? Gasp! Something major happened to the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty?!” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
