Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 286: The General's White Hair

Just after Lady Three and her group left, Yue Hongling arrived on horseback. It seemed as if Lady Three had sensed the distant hoofbeats and timed her departure perfectly.

Seeing the distant figures, Yue Hongling asked Zhao Changhe in surprise, “Who are those people? Were they your helpers in killing Ubalu?”

“Yeah,” Zhao Changhe muttered softly. He figured Lady Three probably did not want Yue Hongling to know her true strength, which was why she had left in such a timely manner. She would probably go berserk if her identity as Black Tortoise were to suddenly be revealed and become widely known.

So he did not expose her, merely saying, “A group of like-minded individuals, including Han Wubing.”

Yue Hongling misunderstood. “No wonder it was so easy. You had such a large group of helpers. Are they from the martial artist camp from Yanment?”

“Mm-hm. How did things go on your side? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t really fight anyone,” replied Yue Hongling. Then, her expression turned serious, and she said, “Chi Li has broken through to the Profound Mysteries. His true strength is definitely beyond the sixty-sixth rank on the Ranking of Man. The next time you see him, be careful not to underestimate him. It’s best to avoid him and stay as far away from him as possible.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “But don’t I have you by my side?”

Yue Hongling tilted her head and looked at him for a moment before suddenly asking, “Hey, do you really plan to stay with me forever?”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback. “What do you mean? Do you want to separate from me?”

“Want to? No.” Yue Hongling sighed. “But from a martial arts perspective, it’s actually better for both of us if we part ways.”

Zhao Changhe pursed his lips. Deep down, he knew this to be true.

Especially since Yue Hongling was stronger than him. If he continued to stay by her side, he might become reliant on her, making it difficult for him to make any further progress.

Yue Hongling said, “After this battle, where do you plan to go?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a while and asked, “Where do you plan to go?”

“I might head southwest, visit the Sword Hut at Bashan[1], and check out Miaojiang[2]. I plan to explore both the north and south.”

It seemed that Yue Hongling had a clear plan for her path. A wandering heroine like her rarely settled in one place.

Strictly speaking, although he had won her heart, it didn’t mean she could just settle. Her heart was still set on wandering the world.

A time might come when she felt weary and finally longed for a home. But clearly, now was not yet that time. Moreover, the man who had won her heart was not one to stay put either.

Neither of them had a home, so where were they to stay?

In fact, Zhao Changhe thought of heading southwest too. He had always wanted to visit Wushan[3] to find Cult Leader Xue. From Wushan, Bashan was not far, and they could travel together. Plus, the idea of letting Yue Hongling beat up Cult Leader Xue amused him a little.

But then he remembered that finding and beating up Cult Leader Xue was not his priority. He had more important plans, such as searching for the blood ginseng to lay the foundation for his Blood Asura Body. His journey should follow the clues on where he might be able to find the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng rather than wandering around aimlessly.

He realized he had forgotten to ask Lady Three about it. She might have some valuable information pertaining to where he might find it.

Additionally, he realized that he should try to contact Ji Chengkong to see if there were any deals he could make with the Thief Saint. From the Thieves Guild, he could learn some item retrieval techniques, which would then allow him to use a storage ring.

Thinking of all this, he smiled and said, “Alright, I need to search for something on my own. Who knows, with our fate, I might just stumble upon you while looking.”

Yue Hongling was quite amused when she heard this. “The world is so vast. If you don’t purposefully head southwest and you still manage to cross paths with me while searching for whatever you’re looking for, then I’ll...”

Zhao Changhe blinked. “You’ll what?”

Yue Hongling’s cheeks turned slightly red. She bit her lip and turned her head away before muttering, “Then I’ll try that position you’ve been asking for.”

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily. “I’m confident. Just wait, my heroine.”

Yue Hongling said angrily, “All you think about is that.”

Who was the one who brought it up? Zhao Changhe did not call her out on it and simply smiled. “Let’s go. At least for now, we’ll still ride side by side, until we give Timur a taste of the Central Plains’ prowess.”

With that, he spurred his horse, and Snow-Treading Crow galloped forward. “Let’s see if your Red Hare[4] is better than my Snow-Treading Crow.”

Seeing his carefree demeanor, Yue Hongling’s own hesitations and reluctance melted away, and she became just as carefree. Then, she, too, spurred her horse.

“Ya!”

*

It was dusk once again, and the sun cast a golden glow over the land as it set in the west.

Wild geese flew over the mountains, crossing the pass and heading south toward Hengyang[5].

Winter was coming...

Many people had not been home for a long time, and some would never see their homes again.

Huangfu Yongxian stood atop the city walls, gazing at the countless corpses strewn across the battlefield, unable to distinguish between enemies and his own.

A section of the wall had partially collapsed, and soldiers were desperately trying to repair it. However, Huangfu Yongxian knew from experience that it could not be repaired tonight. The barbarians would undoubtedly launch a fierce attack at that weak point by tomorrow morning, and whether they could defend it was uncertain.

The soldiers on his left and right were exhausted, their faces caked with blood and grime that had not been washed off in days.

Not to mention washing, they hardly had time to sleep.

The death of He Lei had caused turmoil within the Warring Lion Tribe, preventing them from participating in this siege. Without such a massive tribe, Timur’s offensive had slowed slightly. Both sides had been mainly skirmishing over supplies.

Winter was approaching, and the Grasslands were running out of food, which was also the main reason behind their current assault.

But Huangfu Yongxian found, to his dismay, that the other party’s food supplies were no less than their own.

Supplies were scarce, and after passing through many hands, barely enough reached Yanmen to support the army.

Ironically, large quantities of food were somehow making their way out of the pass and into the hands of various Grasslands tribes.

Huangfu Yongxian had resorted to disguising his men as bandits to intercept these supplies, using the spoils to feed his own troops. It was a desperate measure that barely kept them afloat but did nothing to change the overall situation. If the barbarians had enough food to sustain themselves, his side, which was on the brink of collapse, would soon fall.

Their numbers were simply not on the same level.

The barbarians could launch attacks in waves, while his side could not even manage proper rotations for rest, leaving every soldier exhausted.

In the past, those in the martial artist camp, which was composed of those from the jianghu, rarely participated directly in battles, usually only responsible for causing trouble in the rear. But since Zhao Changhe rescued six people, there were fewer attempts to leave the front lines. They were now diligently assisting the army. Powerful individuals like Cui Yuanyong and Situ Xiao fought with the strength of a hundred men, serving as the spearheads and significantly boosting morale, but even that was not enough.

In the scale of tens of thousands in such siege warfare, their impact was lacking.

They could still barely hold on, but rumors suggested that the Warring Lion Tribe had unified once more. If they joined the fray, it spelled nothing but a catastrophe for those defending Yanmen.

His daughter often said it was absurd to fight for such a tyrant and such a corrupt court. What was the point of sacrificing so many family members?

Huangfu Yongxian turned around and looked around at his soldiers. When they saw the old general’s gaze, they raised their heads and chests, trying their best to show that they had not lost their fighting spirit.

Huangfu Yongxian smiled.

Whether they surrendered or revolted, the soul of this army was gone, and so was his.

Might as well die fighting.

“General.” Finally, a deputy general said, “It’s late. You’re getting older. You should go and rest. We can oversee the repairs here.”

The old general chuckled. “I’m the strongest among us. How can I get to sleep first?”

“General...”

“Don’t worry. As long as I’m alive, Yanmen will stand.”

The old general held his helmet to his chest, the north wind lifting his white hair that was as frosty as the winter night.

The soldiers wanted to believe their general’s encouraging words.

But he was not yet sixty and already had a full head of white hair. With how hard he had been working all this time, would Yanmen still have a general after this war?

Before they knew it, the stars and moon receded from the sky.

The roosters crowed from within Yanmen Pass, and the sky began to lighten from the east, streaked with a few rays of dawn. It was a beautiful sight.

Woo~ Woo~

Horns sounded and the ground trembled slightly. The overwhelming tide of enemy forces approached, relentlessly approaching Yanmen Pass.

The horde stretched endlessly, an overwhelming presence that suffocated those defending, even from a great distance.

Huangfu Yongxian glanced at the collapsed section of the wall. The repairs were practically useless.

1. Bashan is a county in Chongqing. ☜

2. Miaojiang is in the present-day Xiangxi Autonomous Region of Tujia and Miao in the western province of Hunan. ☜

3. Wushan is also a county in Chongqing. ☜

4. This is a reference to the Red Hare of Chi Tu (赤兔), a famous horse owned by the warlord Lü Bu (呂布) during the late Eastern Han dynasty. ☜

5. Hengyang is a county in Hunan. ☜