Chapter 130: A Battle (Part Eight)

Endless nightmares came crashing down like a tidal wave. Enemies loomed on every side, and looking left and right, there were only the corpses of his own comrades. Han Yue clutched a shattered shield, his eyes closed and head bowed, silent forever.

The enemies were towering, like Vajra demons. As they moved, they exhaled mist and fog, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. The weapons they wielded were as massive as the pillars of a palace; wherever they struck, rocks shattered and earth flew. Such enemies were endless, filling his entire field of vision.

Yet, he stood alone, his armor and blade both ruined. He finally felt a sense of panic, wanting to turn back to look for that tall figure with flowing white hair, but there was nothing to be found.

Only then did Xu Le realize with a jolt: Grandfather was dead.

At that very moment, Xu Le opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Han Yue’s large face, drenched in sweat, leaning right over him. Seeing Xu Le wake up, the simple, honest man finally broke into a look of relief and clapped his hands together: "Young Master Le is awake!"

From the side, Mother Han’s sharp voice immediately rang out: "What are you shouting for? Young Master Le led you through that battle and is exhausted; he needs quiet to recover. Your voice is too loud, get aside!"

Mother Han hurried over, carrying a helmet that had been scrubbed clean. She had fetched water from somewhere and heated it, and now she held it out to Xu Le. "Young Master Le, drink something warm first. How are you feeling?"

Xu Le knew his own state. He was far from being exhausted from the fighting; he was merely overwhelmed by grief. Ignoring the water, he asked immediately, "Where is my grandfather?"

A group of retainers crowded around him, all looking concerned. Hearing his question, they looked at one another, not knowing how to answer, fearing that they might cause him more pain and lead to him fainting again.

Mother Han said softly, "We have already taken the Old Master down from your back. I washed him with my own hands. We were just waiting for you to wake up so you could decide how to lay him to rest."

The retainers parted, revealing a few saddles laid together. Xu Gan lay there quietly, his hands resting on his chest.

Xu Le struggled to his feet, stumbled to his grandfather’s side, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head in silence. The retainers stood solemnly, not a sound to be heard. After the bloodbath they had endured, there was already a hint of lethal resolve in their demeanor.

Mother Han walked over to Xu Le and whispered, "Young Master Le, do not be too hard on yourself. Regardless of where the Old Master’s ancestral home is, no matter how hard it is, we will help you carry his remains back to be buried..."

Xu Le shook his head gently. He stood up and gazed at his grandfather for a long time. "When a person dies, there is nothing left... Return home? Xu Family Village was my home, and now it is gone, too. Let us cremate Grandfather... clean and pure, leaving no trace behind."

Xu Le turned toward Mother Han, his handsome, pale face even bearing a faint, thin smile.

"Grandfather is dead, but I am not. Whatever caused Grandfather to reach this end, and whatever unfulfilled wishes he had, I shall be the one to complete them!"

Mother Han nodded silently and beckoned, "A-Yue, Xiao-Liu!"

Han Yue and Han Xiaoliu stepped out from the crowd and came to her side.

Mother Han said to them, "Our family’s lives were saved by the Old Master. Now, Young Master Le wants to avenge him. Even if you have to sacrifice your lives, you must follow him to the end. Otherwise, you are no sons of mine!"

The stout, middle-aged woman, with her rough hands and feet and weathered face, stood with a stern, awe-inspiring dignity.

Han Yue remained silent. He knelt before Xu Gan’s remains, kowtowed heavily, then rose in silence to stand at Xu Le’s side. Han Xiaoliu followed suit, kowtowing to Xu Gan before standing up and muttering, "Did you even need to say that, Mother?"

Xu Le turned his gaze to the retainers. Before he could speak, they began to chime in one after another.

"We followed Young Master Le and killed so many Mayi soldiers; where else is there for us to go now?"

"The Han family’s lives were saved by the Old Master; were we not also saved by him?"

"In this world, they give us no way to live. We might as well follow Young Master Le and carve out a path of our own!"

"Our lives belonged to the Old Master, and now they belong to Young Master Le. As long as Young Master Le does not fail us!"

The retainers passed by Xu Gan one by one, kneeling to kowtow heavily before forming into ranks, waiting silently for Xu Le’s command.

Xu Le took a deep breath. "Prepare to cremate my grandfather. Clean up the battlefield, count the spoils, and then we head north to find Liu Wuzhou! I will help Liu Wuzhou settle the score with Wang Rengong!"

Dozens of retainers shouted in unison: "We obey Young Master Le’s command!"

***

Chen Fengpo and his men had also fled in a panic, only daring to catch their breath after putting twenty or thirty miles between themselves and Tingbing Mountain.

Their mounts were utterly exhausted; the moment they stopped, the horses let out a whinny and collapsed to the ground. It was only thanks to the quick reactions of his men that they weren't crushed beneath them. Chen Fengpo’s own mount, while not dead, was spent, foaming at the mouth and clearly unable to go any further.

As his men busied themselves with their fallen horses, they looked around, trying to figure out where they had ended up. The final sight of Xu Le riding out alone, with the air of one intending to slaughter them all, had truly terrified them. In their desperate flight, they had lost all sense of direction.

The men were still trembling, unable to recognize their surroundings. It was Chen Fengpo, being the more experienced of the lot, who slapped his thigh.

"Damn it! Why did we run north? We’ve come twenty or thirty miles; how are we supposed to get back to Shenwu County today?"

His men finally recognized the terrain and shook their heads. One of them advised Chen, "Chief Chen, many of our horses are dead or exhausted. There are villages we know around here; let’s rest for a while. These Mayi cavalry have been defeated, and they won't be in a good mood when they return to Shenwu. They will look for someone to vent their anger on, so we might as well hide here for a spell. We can return once the storm blows over."

Chen Fengpo pondered this and decided it made sense. Although he had a family in Shenwu, his wife’s kin were influential enough to protect themselves. For now, it was better to avoid the wrath of the defeated Mayi cavalry!

He patted his subordinate on the shoulder and praised him: "You’re a sharp one. We’ve had rotten luck to be saddled with such a mission. It’s important to lay low for now. Which village nearby do you know? We’ll go there! Once this is over, there will be rewards for you when we get back to Shenwu!"

The subordinate beamed. "There’s Niumen Village nearby; my wife’s brother lives there. If Chief Chen wants to settle down there, my brother-in-law will take care of everything! As for rewards, I wouldn't dare ask for any. If we can avoid such terrifying situations in the future, that would be a blessing from my ancestors!"

Just as they were about to relax and head toward Niumen Village, they heard the sound of hooves to their left, accompanied by voices filled with frustration: "Aren't those the guys from Shenwu? We were out there fighting for our lives, and you lot ran off so fast!"

Chen Fengpo and his men turned in terror to see a squad of defeated Mayi cavalrymen who, having lost their way, had ended up here. Every one of them had crooked armor and helmets, their faces and bodies radiating malice. A broken, defeated army was the most undisciplined and vicious. Seeing these Mayi cavalrymen, Chen Fengpo’s heart sank.

This was a disaster!

***

On the pyre, the fire rose, gradually swallowing Xu Gan’s form.

Xu Le had removed his armor and, leading his horse, Tunlong, stared blankly at the dancing flames.

The experiences of the past dozen years had been cleanly and decisively severed here at the foot of Tingbing Mountain; there was no turning back. He could only push forward, fulfill his mission, and take care of the young men who continued to follow him.

And, he had to avenge his grandfather.

Whether it was Wang Rengong or those enemies in the heartland of the Central Plains, in the great cities, who had forced his grandfather to hide in these borderlands, he would not let any of them go.

The fire grew larger, erasing all traces of his grandfather from this world. Even the ashes would be scattered by the mountain wind, falling upon the landscape near Xu Family Village, where his grandfather had lived for over a decade and accompanied him for all those years.

That would have to serve as a proper burial for Grandfather...

The only things left to accompany him were the suit of armor his grandfather had left behind.

Xu Le rubbed his eyes hard, swung onto Tunlong, and without another word, signaled for the others to follow as he led the way.

Han Yue and the dozens of retainers, including Mother Han, rode off in silence, never looking back.

As the backs of the entire group faded into the distance, the smoke from the fire rose in wisps, dancing like a horse in motion, as if carrying Xu Gan’s spirit away.

High in the air, the smoke seemed to gather, forming the image of a young man who looked much like Xu Le, accompanied by a beautiful wife, waiting with a smile for Xu Gan’s spirit to arrive.

The three were reunited, their gazes fixed solely on the back of Xu Le, who rode on, as straight as a sword, moving further and further away.

The mountain wind rose again, and the smoke vanished in an instant.