Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“There’s no need to discuss this matter any further!” Dongfang Wen Qing declared huffily. “We cannot afford to lose the renowned reputation which had been built up so painstakingly! Even if we die, we still cannot afford to throw that reputation away! Unfailing as the Sun that rises from the East, I am undefeatable! We are about to recreate the glory of our family; if we were to shrink back and hide away now, retreating under the wings of beasts for protection, what return to glory can the Dongfang Family still talk about?!”
Since the discussion had reached such a state, any more words would simply be useless. If the issue was forced further, all courtesy would be dropped.
Left with no choice, Jun Mo Xie could only ask everyone to raise their guard and be careful. He gave them as many healing pills as he could and arranged many channels to transmit messages. The Eagle King’s underlings were spread out to facilitate the communications between all the families. If there were any changes, it would be easier to provide each other support.
The next day, Dongfang Wen Qing, Duanmu Chao Fan, and the rest left Tian Xiang and hurriedly set off to return to their own territories.
Old Master Jun also only received a faceful of dust when he went to look for Dugu Zong Heng. The Old Master Dugu was drinking when he received the news. After falling silent for a long time, he waved his hand and shook his head. “You all leave first. We will not go! The Dugu Family… is not going anywhere!”
Jun Zhan Tian had interacted with this old man for his entire life, so how would he not understand the thoughts of the latter? He didn’t try to persuade him any further. Sighing lightly, he stood up silently and left.
Dugu Zong Heng looked at his backview moodily. Just as Jun Zhan Tian was about to step out of the door, he called out in a deep tone. “Tell your grandson to treat my granddaughter well! That’s the precious treasure of our Dugu Family! If he mistreats her, this old man will cut him into pieces!”
Jun Zhan Tian stood silently for a moment, before sighing and continuing on, only leaving a single line of words behind. “I’ll be leaving the people of Tian Xiang to you…”
Dugu Zong Heng watched as he disappeared from view. Raising his head, he suddenly brought a large bowl of wine to his face and gulped it into his stomach, grunting heavily. “Old Jun ah, you still understand me best after all. I, Dugu Zong Heng, was never a person who was greedy for power. Those few lads in the family are also not the type who are good at playing with schemes… However, the two great armies of Tian Xiang have protected this land for 60 years! Tian Xiang country is no only made up of its emperor; there are still hundreds of millions of citizens!
“Your Jun Family is definitely leaving, but if the Dugu Family also followed… what would happen to them? How could this old man bear to watch as the commoners be plunged into misery and suffering? The nine dragons of my Dugu Family still need to uphold this country for the sake of the millions of commoners! It’s fine if they feel grateful, and it doesn’t matter if they’re unappreciative. In any case, this is one of the few purposes of this old Dugu Zong Heng’s life!
“As for the royal family… when has this old man ever placed the glories of royalties in his eyes?”
After saying this, he drank another large gulp of wine. Then, he sprawled himself against the table, sweeping the wine bowl off and causing it to shatter loudly on the ground. Laying with his eyes closed, he mumbled incoherently. “Heroes and heroines charging forward… in this turbulent times, how could the heroes of our Dugu Family retreat? Only by charging! Charging forward… otherwise, the entire Tian Xiang Country will be filled with suffering and distress, with fires raving through the lands. We cannot leave, cannot leave ah…”
The entire Jun Family was embroiled in the frenzy of last minute preparations. Only Old Master Jun stood alone atop the highest tower of the Jun Family, gazing outwards solemnly. Every tile and brick, each blade of grass and every tree of Tian Xiang City… it seemed as if he would not get enough of them even if he looked all day long.
This was the place that the Jun Family and he had stood guard over for for their entire lives! For the sake of this land, this old man donned shining spears and mounted armoured horses for an entire lifetime, escaping from deadly situations hundreds of times! For this land, Wu Hui bounded himself to duty and honor without glancing back, turning into a god of war, campaigning through the battlefields! The relentless winds and rains in the mountains, the bitter cold of the deserts, the vast plains under the hoofs of the warhorses, the battle cries of bannermen; which man of the Jun Family had not experienced them…
Old Master Jun stood silently for a long time, and slowly, crystal-like tears welled up in his eyes. Two lines of tears rolled off his eyes, staining his snow-white beard, finally dripping onto the ground, drop after drop…
From his adolescence to his old age, how many brothers had turned into white bones in front of his eyes; how many good men were drenched in blood, laying down their lives on the battlefield under his lead… even his own beloved son and grandsons had spilled all their hot blood on this land…
The brilliant glint of war blades seemed to be flashing before his eyes, and the sorrowful cries of brave men rang in his ears… The look in the eyes of his brothers in the moment before death was engraved deeply in his heart to this day, and the agonized roars of battle echoed clearly in his mind…
“Big brother Jun! Big brother Jun…” Jun Zhan Tian closed his eyes tightly, and his aged face twitched with pain. He lowered his head, and his shoulders trembled lightly as tears rolled down his cheeks…
Begrudging! Unwilling! He truly loathed to part with all this…
But today, he was finally about to leave!
This place had clearly brought him endless sorrow and tears, as well as countless regrets. But why did his heart feel so much pain when it came to leaving?
“Heroes of a hundred battles look lightly upon life and death; valiant warriors never turn back in life. Long winds may fall on calvaries and glaciers, but how many times do our soul dream of the thick blood on our blades!” Jun Zhan Tian choked as he recited the poem. This poem was something that he often sang loudly with his brothers on the battlefield, while sitting beside a fire and sharpening their blades after a bloody battle. Right now, how many people still remembered that poem?
Tears flowed swiftly down his cheeks, but Jun Zhan Tian still gritted his teeth and mumbled in a cracked voice. “Brothers, I… am really… leaving now… I’m leaving this place where all your heroic souls lie… If you guys miss me, please visit me in my dreams…”
This tough old man had not cried when his son died. He didn’t cry when his grandsons died. But today, he was sobbing inconsolably with emotion! Because he was about to leave this land that he loved so deeply… this land that he’d poured his blood, sweat and tears!
Although this land had let him down, although the emperor of the land had betrayed him, robbing him of his son and scheming against his grandsons… This was still a land that Jun Zhan Tian won with hundreds of battles! It was the painstaking efforts of the entire Jun Family over the years that secured it!
Humans were not grass or trees. How could they be without emotion?
But today, he could not remain. He had to go! Because if he insisted on staying, Jun Wu Yi and Jun Mo Xie would definitely not go as well. Then, the Jun Family would truly be finished! His son and grandsons had already sacrificed their lives for this land. Should his last remaining son and grandson also be buried here?
No! Absolutely not!
For this reason, he had to go! Even if he was so reluctant!
Right now, he needed to take up responsibility for his family!
***
Jun Mo Xie walked alone, dressed in a flowing black robe. He stepped lightly upon the wide street, moving steadily towards the unceasing noise of battle and the cries of murder.
His pace was leisure and light, but the gap in between each step was amazingly consistent! Every step he took was very intentional and very… solemn!
Because, all of the enmity and grievances, laid at the end of this road!
The General in White Jun Wu Hui’s debt of blood, the Devine Iron-Blooded War God Jun Wu Meng’s death, and the life of his two elder brothers Wu You and Wu Meng; the 10 years of heartbreak and deep sleep his mother suffered… All this debt would be demanded back from that chief criminal today!
The price for everything!
Since the Jun Family had already decided to leave, Jun Mo Xie would no longer continue dragging out a long outcome that might result in unpredictable hitches! No matter what… all the enmity and hatred would be resolved today!
The second prince was indeed very cooperative, and Li You Ran was also sufficiently quick, actually managing to so smoothly finish off one prince in such a short time and also create such a huge drama. In that case, to arrive early was not so good as to arrive at the most opportune moment. Since things were already like this, he might as well make use of this auspicious day to conclude all the memories and hatreds of the past together in one stroke!
Kindness and enmity, everything will end today! By by the hands of I, the only descendant of the Jun Family! From now on, the Jun Family will no longer have any regrets! Forever!
In the main streets of Tian Xiang, countless commoners’ residences had been destroyed, and the previously prosperous and bustling street as well as the residential areas had been turned into a slaughtering ground for the two sides! This place that wasn’t actually very spacious, was filled with the savage cries of 30, 40 thousand people. Blood flew everywhere, and bodies littered the ground. People constantly fell to the ground from injury, dead before they could even reach the ground. A short moment ago, they were shouting and fighting fiercely, and the next moment, they had already turned into cold corpses…
Soldiers constantly rushed forward, dragging their injured out by force. As for the people at the heart of the battle, they could only blame their own luck! That was not a place that people could easily enter and retreat from!
On the side of the king, Tian Xiang’s Emperor was clad in a full set of golden armour, and seated atop a handsome, snow white warhorse. He held a gleaming sword in his hand, and led his army personally, declaring that he would kill his own son!
The third prince, Yang Zhe, rode behind him, and his face was filled with excitement and enthusiasm, seemingly valiant and unafraid of death! Only, he had 40 to 50 beefy soldiers surrounding him tightly, all carrying heavy shields to protect him…
From the looks of it, this third prince was still extremely afraid of death!
Standing opposite them, far away, the second prince surveyed the battle with his eyes red and impassioned. He rode atop a fiery red steed which trotted round and round on the spot, like a donkey pushing a millstone. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted savagely. “Kill! Kill them for this King! Kill those two sons of b*tches! This King will surely reward each person heavily! When this King comes into power, all of you will be loyal officials who founded the country! Glory and fortune, high positions and recognition are all within reach! We shall claim victory in one battle, and win honour and distinction that lasts ten thousand generations!”
Atop the highest wall of the second prince’s manor, there was a large, round-backed wooden armchair suspended by two thick ropes tied the to the trunks of two large trees. The chair was more than ten feet above ground, and Li You Ran, the First Young Master Li, sat lazily atop it. His white robes fluttered in the wind, and he held a feather fan, talking freely with a relaxed face.
He truly somewhat resembled Eastern Wu’s Zhou Yu of the Three Kingdoms 1as he sat there smiling lightly, watching the dust and smoke of the city…
Li You Ran observed the battle situation keenly, with a calm expression. The feathered fan in his left hand moved slightly, and a soldier beside him immediately raised a little flag. On the side of the second prince, a horn rang out, and the battle formation instantly changed! After a moment, he motioned to the soldier again, and the battle formation changed again…
Jun Mo Xie watched the situation with a light smile. He could see that the second prince’s forces were actually the inferior side, but under Li You Ran’s command, the battle formation changed continuously, turning the battlefield into a gigantic meat grinder. Both sides suffered casualties, but the Emperor’s forces took significantly heavier losses. Fighting an outnumbered battle, vying against the strong with the strength of the weak, it wasn’t impossible for the battle situation to turn around.
Jun Mo Xie could even confirm that such a strange situation was definitely created on purpose by Li You Ran.
Otherwise, given his wits, it was next to impossible that he would allow his army to fall into such a deadly brawl!
