Chapter 963: The Smoke Rising from the Desert, the Sun Setting over the Long River

The drizzle was hazy, and it seemed like the rain was just falling on the grassland. A strange man in a green shirt and long gown, wearing cloth shoes, held up an oil-paper umbrella with a sweet-scented osmanthus branch on the handle. Three people walked side by side with him. There were quite a few people behind him, but they all followed the man's pace and always kept a distance of five steps, which was the best distance to protect the man and also the best distance to kill.

There were three people around the man, one of them carried a knife, one held a sword, and the other one had a long object on his back.

A falcon swooped down from the sky, breaking through the rain and interrupting the four people's cheerful conversation.

After taking the letter wrapped in oil paper from the falcon's leg, the young man with an extremely weird appearance twitched the corner of his mouth, then put the paper in his sleeve and looked to the south, but as far as the eye could see, there was drizzle, grassland, and mountains in the distance.

The people around him looked at the man without saying anything.

The man smiled and said, "It's just some things about Helian Bobo, I won't tell you about it."

But after saying this, he looked at the woman with a knife on her back and said, "I remember that Madam knew Helian Bobo in the early years."

Hearing this, the woman with the knife on her back nodded and said, "I went to Da Xia with him a few years ago to explore the martial arts world there. I wanted to find the Shedao Room, so we parted ways. He went to Liuyue Manor, and I went to find the Shedao Room. Later, he was chased and driven out of the martial arts world by the martial artists of Da Xia. Although I didn't find the Shedao Room, I got what I wanted in Huadaowu."

At this point, the woman with the knife on her back looked at the man and said, "If you deal with him, you'd better be more careful, and the three of us should always be by his side. This man looks normal and shrewd, but he is actually a madman."

The King of the Southern Court of Mobei, Zhong Shuoxing, looked at the woman who was one of the ten people in Mobei Jianghu and said, "Tell me?"

The woman with the knife on her back was silent for a moment before she spoke: "I met him when I was young. To be honest, he wanted to pursue me at that time, but there were other suitors around me. However, I was devoted to martial arts and had no time to care about matters between men and women, so I rejected them one by one. But later I heard that all those who pursued me died suddenly, and only he survived. I was afraid that it was my enemy who did it, so I went to warn him kindly. Later, I went to the Great Xia River with him, but I found that he actually knew the martial arts of my dead suitors. After careful consideration, I thought that he might have done it. Because in those years, whenever someone pursued me, he either disappeared or had no contact with me again, which also gave me a bad reputation. It was not until my husband appeared that I understood the matter."

After saying this, the old man holding the sword looked at the woman and said, "Madam, with your skills, why didn't you ask?"

Now that it was brought up, the woman did not intend to hide it: "I asked, but Helian Bobo denied it flatly, and even said that he had someone he liked, and that the matter with me was a long time ago. But as far as I know, his wife and the woman who gave birth to his child, like me, will suddenly die and disappear if they show interest in someone."

Zhong Shuoxing raised the corner of his mouth: "I can't believe that our Left Prime Minister Helian is such a passionate man."

The woman shook her head. "It's not infatuation. That man likes me and pursues me, most likely because of my skills. He even killed everyone around me. It seems that I have no choice but to choose him. This is why I say he is crazy. For his own purpose, he can do anything. It's disgusting."

The middle-aged man carrying a long weapon on his back said, "There's a saying in Daxia that those who achieve great things don't mind the small details?"

Zhong Shuoxing said with a smile: "This is not the right thing to say here, but Her Highness Princess has her own arrangements for Lord Helian's affairs. Even if I want to guess, Her Highness Princess said, go fight your battles and don't interfere, otherwise I'll chop you off."

Speaking of Her Royal Highness the Princess, the three of them, who were all among the top ten great masters in Mobei Jianghu, all became solemn.

In this world, the rule that the strong are respected is more prevalent than in Daxia.

And at the top of this world is Her Royal Highness Princess Aleya.

But based on what the three of them knew about that person, he could actually say that, and he actually had the guts to chop off Zhong to say that.

However, when Her Royal Highness was mentioned, the knife-wielding woman remained silent for a moment before asking, "When Her Royal Highness fought against the Queen of Daxia, did she tell Your Excellency about her chances of winning?"

Zhong Shuoxing said: "She didn't say that, but she said that she couldn't bring herself to hit the queen, and the queen probably couldn't bring herself to hit her either."

The old man holding the sword frowned: "Are you attracted to our princess? Isn't it said that her love for the Emperor of Daxia is as strong as gold?"

Zhong Shuoxing smiled and said, "Your Highness means that she is so beautiful, how could the Queen of Daxia bear to take action against her. And the Queen of Daxia is so beautiful, how could she bear to take action against her."

The three of them were silent, feeling helpless.

Only Her Royal Highness the Princess could say these words.

Zhong Shuoxing saw that the drizzle had stopped, so he put away his umbrella and looked back at the people behind him. He looked into the distance and saw a dense army marching forward to within a hundred meters behind him. He said, "Master Zhong, Jinbo Mountain and Xiuqi Gate have been destroyed. It's not appropriate for you to go?"

The old man holding the sword waved his hand and said, "I am from the royal court in front, and the master of Jinbo Mountain is behind. Let them fight however they want."

Zhong Shuoxing smiled and said, "I heard that the leader of the Xiuqi Sect killed Lao Liu and Lao Shi alone, and hung all the corpses of the Jinbo Mountain people in the forest. This has completely turned into a situation of no return. Many people from Jinbo Mountain have already retreated and some have even fled. What's more, Liu Fenggu, Feng Jingtang, and Gongsun Chunu have also intervened. Will this trigger a bloody battle between the two martial arts worlds?"

The old man holding the sword laughed when he heard it, "Sir, in a war between two countries, are there still martial arts and courts? Whether the great master Zhijing of the Mobei martial arts people is in the open or in hiding, who can disobey the orders of the royal court? Who dares not to obey the orders? Even if it is Daxia, Shuya Tower is under the control of the Daxia court, not to mention the martial arts sects. Why are there so many Zhijing around the emperor of Daxia? Don't you know this?"

Zhong Shuoxing gave the old man with the sword a thumbs up and said, "I heard that you once went to Daxia to study!"

The old man holding the sword smiled and shook his head, then said: "However, the Rusty Sect and the Gold Silk Mountain should have a fight to the death. Each sect's disciples or the strongest people will take action to resolve the matter. Otherwise, even if the Gold Silk Mountain wins in the end, I'm afraid it will be eaten by Her Royal Highness the Princess. They can't afford it."

There's something else behind his words.

But they were all smart people and no one pointed it out.

Although Jinbo Mountain is unique in the Mobei underworld, there are also many desperate people in the mountain who do not obey the royal court.

Zhong Shuoxing smiled and said, "People in the martial arts world have their own rules. I am not from the martial arts world, so I will not interrupt. But I will trouble you to go to Wuhekou and Yunzhou early tomorrow morning to pick up Baobao and He Laoliu. Helian Bobo will not let them come back alive to see me and Her Royal Highness the Princess."

The three of them clasped their fists.

Instead, Zhong Shuoxing became interested: "You three have traveled to Daxia in the past few years. Don't you have a mortal enemy that you want to kill? My master once said that if people in the martial arts world accept their grudges and fail to resolve them, they will become demons in their hearts."

The woman said, "I don't have any hatred towards them, but I have always wanted to see the knife-controlling skills of Shentu Kuyue from the Shedao Room. It is said that if she uses all her strength, she can control more than a hundred blades, and each knife is a different knife move, with different knife intentions wrapped around it. Especially the huge knife she holds, which is the heaviest at the time. I have always wanted to experience it. But I have never met it. In addition, Luo Changfeng's fast knife is the best in the world, but I have never seen it. So it is more of a pity than a hatred."

The old man holding the sword smiled and asked, "Where is Yan Yunxiao?"

The woman was not angry, she just shook her head and said, "I can't beat her. I have met her in the martial arts world before, but I didn't ask for a knife. I just watched her fight with others. Even though I am not the same as before, I am still not her opponent."

If you can't beat him, you can't beat him. He won't compete with you, so the woman became one of the top ten people in the Mobei Jianghu.

The old man holding the sword laughed: "I understand. Back then, that freak Yu Taohua chopped off my right index finger with a sword, which forced me to practice the left-hand sword now. I even surpassed the second level and became stronger. I believe I can compete with that dwarf Lian Xiexi. But you said that I can't beat that freak Yu Taohua. I won't even look at him."

As he spoke, the old man holding the sword rubbed his hands and said, "But I heard that Pu Wen and Qing Shuang are in Wuhekou?"

Zhong Shuoxing saw the old man looking at him, so he nodded.

The old man chuckled and said, "I do have a score to settle with them two."

The middle-aged man with a long weapon on his back spoke in silence: "Li Kuangren killed my grandfather and father. I heard that he has a son. I have been looking for him, but to no avail. In the past few months, I heard that the commander-in-chief of the Shen Ce Army is called Li Xizhi, who is good at using a spear. I want to meet him."

Zhong Shuoxing gave a thumbs up and said, "That's what we want. We have so many boundaries in Mobei, so what are we afraid of? But why don't you mention the queen? Isn't she also very powerful?"

Hearing this, the woman looked at Zhong and said, "Still alive?"

Zhong Shuoxing nodded: "We should never have thought that she was dead."

The woman continued, "We are no match for someone who can fight with Her Royal Highness the Princess without losing."

The old man nodded: "We are not fools, nor are we dead warriors, why would we go and get into trouble?"

Zhong Shuoxing gave a thumbs up again, saying that those who have reached the end are all smart people. Except for those stubborn ones, there are very few fools!

But when I looked at the sky, the clouds had dispersed and the sun was out.

Zhong Shuoxing squinted at the sun and said, "Send the order, let the army advance quickly and arrive outside Wuhekou Pass in seven days. Send a letter to the people in front and ask her to go to Helian Bobo and ask them to wait for me and not to rush to attack. If they disobey, they will be punished by military order! No matter who they are!"

The person behind him immediately clasped his fists!

Zhong Shuoxing continued, "Helian Qin has been back for so long, she knows everything, whether it is true or not, she has roughly figured it out. Tell her that the people around her, Her Royal Highness the Princess, have all left, and Her Royal Highness will no longer control her in the future, she is free."

Someone else clasped his fists and left.

As he spoke, Zhong Shuoxing's fair skin glowed with a light golden light under the sunlight, and he stretched out his hand towards the south, his eyes flashing with a light golden color.

Master, you said that the world should be united, and only the people of Daxia can achieve it.

Now, here I am.

You and I, let's see whether the world's peace can only be achieved by the people of Daxia!

…

In Dunhuang in the Western Regions, Su Zhaoxin is now the captain of the child army. He is an official of some kind, with more than a dozen people under him.

It's a pity that he can't join the army as a soldier. But even so, Su Zhaoxin was very happy to hear that a captain had run to his parents to ask for him, saying that he was a talented person.

Meet dad in private, so arrogant, look! This is your son!

Su Zifan looked at this bastard and wanted to slap him, but when he remembered that this guy was really his son, what could he do? He just turned around and walked away without even looking at him, showing disgust.

Su Zhaoxin didn't care, after all, that was the fact! You, Su Zifan, are just jealous!

For this reason, Su Zhaoxin wrote a special letter to his elder sister, complaining about how his father envied him and regretting that he had not studied enough, because he only wrote a dozen words in total.

I even went to ask Qing'er for help, but between the two of them, there were more than twenty words!

The child soldiers in Dunhuang City are no different from before. They are still trained, but their jobs are still to help move things and organize supplies. Only those who seem to have some skills will be asked to help with patrolling and standing guard.

Occasionally, Su Zhaoxin would sit alone on the city wall, with yellow sand in front of him, but he would think about his three brothers and sisters who were drinking and eating meat around him.

Today, Su Zhaoxin still sits on the city wall, watching the sun slowly setting under the yellow sand: "The smoke rises straight up from the desert, and the sun sets round in Changsha."

After mumbling this, Su Zhaoxin frowned: "Is it Changsha or Changhe? Big sister's handwriting is ugly, I am confused."

But as he muttered this, Su Zhaoxin shook his head in amazement, feeling more and more that studying was extremely important. He stood on the city wall and wanted to pretend to be good at poetry, but he couldn't come up with any other ideas. If Su Zifan knew about this, he would laugh at him to death!

"Are you Hong Xin?"

But out of nowhere, a voice suddenly came from beside Su Zhaoxin. Turning his head, he saw a rough man in coarse linen clothes, or wearing military boots, otherwise Su Zhaoxin would have jumped up and driven him away. How could ordinary people get on the city wall!

However, Su Zhaoxin frowned as he looked at the man in front of him. In the past, he would immediately say, "What are you worried about!" '

But now, Su Zhaoxin stood up and asked, "Brother, do you know me?"

The man waved his hand and said, "I heard from others that the child soldiers who trained the hardest and fought the most fiercely were called Hongxin. When I saw you today, I wondered if that was the case. It seems I was right."

Su Zhaoxin gave a thumbs up: "You have a keen eye for talent!"

The man was stunned, and also gave Su Zhaoxin a thumbs up: "Cultivated man!"

Su Zhaoxin chuckled, feeling that he had an inexplicable affinity with this old man!

But the man looked at the scar on Su Zhaoxin's face. He heard about this and had nothing to say, that's all.

There are too many things like this on the battlefield. We cannot think that this kid is so brave just because he is Su Wenqing's grandson, nor can we think that other children are weak just because they come from poor backgrounds.

Here, there is no question of superiority or inferiority. Anyone who dares to take up arms is great!

The man sat next to Su Zhaoxin and glanced at the small wine jar.

Su Zhaoxin has always been generous to others. He handed the wine to the man and said, "Here!"

Then he asked, "Brother, at your age, you haven't got any official position?"

The man smiled and said, "I got a small position, but it's nothing to show for it, so I won't say anything to you, little brother."

Su Zhaoxin nodded, then patted the man on the shoulder, "I understand your unspeakable secret! We are all men! However, the war is about to start, and the enemy will attack us. We have to defend, and the child soldiers must also go. If both of us survive, I will definitely make a great contribution. When I get promoted in the future, I will help you just because you like me today. But let's make a deal, the premise is that I am still alive."

The man laughed and clasped his fists towards Su Zhaoxin: "Then I'll have to rely on you, brother!"

After that, the man took a sip of wine and said, "But you will definitely survive, brother."

The man smiled and took a big sip, then said directly, "Someone asked me to take care of you."

Su Zhaoxin said, looking at the man: "Yes"

You mean my parents?

But then I thought, I can’t say this directly because my identity has always been kept secret.

But Su Zhaoxin frowned, "Take care of me! Brother, you look strong and you have fought in wars. You couldn't even take care of yourself during the war, let alone take care of others. My two brothers and one sister died taking care of me. I have to take care of myself on the battlefield. Brother, you have a family, it's more important to save your own life and kill the enemy."

As he spoke, Su Zhaoxin stood up and clasped his fists towards the man: "I don't know who dragged you into this matter, but don't worry about me. I appreciate your kindness. When I have enough money to pay for this matter and this favor, I will treat you to a big drink!"

The man looked at Su Zhaoxin and laughed, then handed the wine to him: "You are my soldier, but you don't have this kind of backbone. Then go back to Luo'an City and be your rich young master!"

Su Zhaoxin was stunned.

However, the man stood up and rubbed Su Zhaoxin's head. "When I was your age, both my parents died. I couldn't eat, so I had to join the army. The war was fierce at that time. I went to the battlefield as soon as I joined the army. I crawled among the dead and pretended to be dead. But I never thought of escaping or asking others to take care of me. It's great that you can come back to Beijing from Tibet. You said it frankly today. To be honest, no one asked me to take care of you. Your elder sister and your grandfather didn't say a word. Instead, I went to ask them. Your elder sister said, 'Other families also have parents and brothers.' Your grandfather said, 'You choose your own path. When you die, I will carry the coffin for him.' Even your uncle who studies hard said, 'There are no cowards in the Su family.'"

Su Zhaoxin blinked and looked at the man, wondering what he was saying.

The man didn't say anything, just looked at Su Zhaoxin: "My name is Zhao Wuxiu, I never defend myself when I fight. When there is trouble in the Western Regions, all the people from the Jianghu go to kill them. We soldiers naturally have to go and see who is causing trouble. Su Zhaoxin, you and your child soldiers should also come with us this time."

Su Zhaoxin stared at the man with eyes wide open, "Zhao Wuxiu!? A living Zhao Wuxiu!?"

Zhao Wuxiu heard this and said with a smile: "Not dead!"

Su Zhaoxin immediately covered his mouth and wanted to slap himself twice. It was all because of his third sister who always did this, which made him like to talk like this too.

But just as Su Zhaoxin was about to speak, the sound of galloping horses rang out.

Su Zhaoxin looked down.

On both sides of the city wall, there were countless cavalry charging forward. Su Zhaoxin, who was leading them, must have recognized his father, mother, and several other generals.

Su Zhaoxin held his breath and looked at the endless cavalry, feeling a little stunned.

Swish!

Everyone saluted towards the city wall and shouted in unison: "Grand Marshal!"

Zhao Wuxiu held the wine jar, looked at the cavalry below, and grinned: "The Queen wrote a poem for us, saying that even if a strong wind blows from the ground, I will ride the wind and break through thousands of miles. Come with me to suppress this evil wind in the Western Regions?"

"promise!"

One after another, countless promises were shouted out from the mouths of the cavalry.

Then

The horn sounded loudly.

All the cavalry turned their horses around.

Su Zhaoxin swallowed his saliva and looked at the flying dust. For some reason, he felt inexplicably excited, especially when he looked at Zhao Wuxiu's back.

A real man should be like this!

Zhao Wuxiu looked back at Su Zhaoxin and said, "Don't you dare to go?"

Su Zhaoxin swallowed his saliva and nodded quickly, but the next moment he said, "I want to talk to someone about something."

But after saying that, he shook his head again: "No, let's go!"

Zhao Wuxiu grinned and said, "Go ahead and tell me. I'll be waiting for you here."

Su Zhaoxin wanted to say something but stopped himself, but after thinking for a moment, he immediately turned around and ran away.

Zhao Wuxiu stood on the city wall, watching the sun set, the cavalry charging, and the yellow sand surging for thousands of miles.

Talking to himself, "What was that kid just talking about? The smoke rising straight up from the desert, the setting sun over the long river? Your Majesty's poems never disappoint."

…

PS: I fell asleep last night, so I’ll finish the long chapter. I will have the second update after dinner tonight.

PS: Happy New Year’s Eve everyone.

(End of this chapter)