Chapter 58: The Gains from This Journey

He Liao wanted to use a second move, but his aging body was no longer as obedient as it had been in its youth.

He raised his arm, but couldn't grip it tightly. He gently lowered the old man's arm and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "General He, admit defeat."

Being subdued or knocked down would be considered a victory, but He Liao was too old, and Hen Sheng was really afraid of causing him harm.

He Liao knew he couldn't deny his age any longer, so he clasped his hands in a military salute and said, "This humble general, He Liao, admits defeat."

Finally, he sighed, "Truly, a new generation surpasses the old. When I was Your Highness's age, I couldn't even hold a knife properly."

Hensheng looked at the one-eyed old man who had somehow climbed up the tree, "Old sir, you're the only one we're waiting for."

The one-eyed old man waved his hand, "I'm not a member of the Huo family army, so I won't join in the fun."

Su Zhenzhen was curious. At this point, did they already care about whether someone was on the official payroll? But just now, wasn't this person calling out "our Huo family army" so enthusiastically?

General Huo, however, exposed the one-eyed old man's true colors: "Your Highness, he's getting old and might not be strong enough to embarrass himself in front of the brothers."

The one-eyed old man jumped up and down in anger, "Huo Zhenyue, are you the only one with a mouth?"

The sun is out; it's a beautiful sunny day.

On this bright and sunny day, Huo's army is about to march into the Central Plains again.

The Huo family army had 383 men remaining, and the women helped them pack their luggage.

"Father, I want to go too!" Po Lu was the first to stand up.

Then the boys, one by one, stood in front of their fathers.

Qingshan did not stop him, saying, "Go and talk to His Highness."

Po Lu walked up to Hen Sheng and knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, please accept me as your disciple, so that I may also contribute to the peace of the world."

The other boys followed suit.

"Your Highness, please accept me as your servant. I can serve as a cook."

None of the women said anything to stop them; instead, their faces were filled with the joy of seeing their sons grow up.

Just when Su Zhenzhen thought that Hensheng would have a burst of saintly compassion and let these children stay in the mountains, waiting for the arrival of a peaceful and prosperous world.

The last bloodline of this dynasty, the only true emperor in the world, once again did something that Su Zhenzhen never expected.

"Do you know that this journey is fraught with peril, with nine out of ten chances of survival?" Hensheng looked at the children kneeling on the ground, some of whom were only seven or eight years old.

"I know." Po Lu raised his voice, "But the Huo family army regards dying on the battlefield as the highest honor. We are the descendants of the Huo family army, and we must never disgrace our ancestors."

Hensheng was moved. "Do you really trust me that much? If we are defeated and collapse one day, there will be no going back."

Po Lu smiled and said, "Your Highness, we trust General Huo. Since General Huo has chosen to serve you, we believe you will be a wise ruler."

Hensheng was the first to applaud, "Good, you are indeed descendants of soldiers! And I will do my best to live up to your trust."

Thunderous applause followed, and then a thunderous roar of cheers.

"We will certainly live up to the expectations of Your Highness and the General."

The Huo family army consisted of 383 men, plus 12 child soldiers.

This was the gain from Hate's journey, and also the first source of strength for his overthrow of the country.

Su Zhenzhen suddenly realized that this sickly-looking but handsome man seemed to have stood up at that moment.

For some reason, I seemed to see Hensheng standing in the Golden Palace, full of vigor and ambition, in the near future.

Without delay, the group ate and then embarked on their journey south.

Walking along the mountain path, the old man leaned on his cane, his face full of excitement.

"Finally out! That's great! I can pick up a sword and fight again. I thought I'd be stuck in the mountains forever."

The old man was skilled with a broadsword when he was young, but after going into the mountains, the sword became useless. It was inconvenient for hunting and too cumbersome for cutting vegetables.

Po Lu carried the broadsword, because the mountain path was steep and the old man had difficulty moving around.

The old man's face turned red, and suddenly he seemed unable to close his mouth. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and then he fell straight down.

"Uncle, what's wrong? Uncle?"

The men quickly gathered around, and Qingshan reached out to check his breath, his expression sorrowful.

"Uncle...he...he's gone."

A wave of grief-stricken cries suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Qingshan helped tidy up the old man's body, but he just couldn't close his eyes.

Seeing this, Su Zhenzhen made a hand seal, "Use yourself to guide the soul, may the soul return."

In an instant, dark clouds covered the sun, a cold wind rose, and sand and stones flew into the air.

The old man's ghost appeared before everyone.

Su Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow. She had originally intended to summon the soul as soon as possible to prevent the body from entering reincarnation immediately upon death, but she did not expect that the old man was burdened with karma.

The old man's spirit looked at the lifeless body and sighed helplessly, "It's a pity that I haven't been able to pick up my greatsword again."

The veterans' cries gradually ceased as the ghosts appeared. It was a strange feeling; the people were right in front of them, yet they were already separated by life and death.

The old man looked at Po Lu and said, "Child, this broadsword is for you. Remember to kill a few more barbarians for me."

Po Lu solemnly promised, "Grandpa, rest assured, I will definitely not let this great sword lose its prestige in my hands."

The one-eyed old man climbed up the mountain and, seeing that the group behind him hadn't followed and was still standing there, immediately climbed back down.

Seeing the old man's ghost, he curled his lip in disdain, "No way, you're only ninety years old, how come you've already kicked the bucket?"

Despite his outward expression of disgust, tears welled up in his single eye.

Su Zhenzhen pushed through the crowd and personally closed the old man's eyes, but to her surprise, even with her help, the eyelids seemed to be frozen in place.

That shouldn't be the case. The ghost is right next to me. There's no reason why this body shouldn't be at my mercy, unless my obsession runs deep to the bone.

Su Zhenzhen was somewhat undecided. The souls she wanted to help were wronged, like the one Zhu Er had suffered because he could have lived a life of ignominy, but he was poisoned to death by his wife. This was his injustice.

But this old man clearly died of old age, so his death was not unjust.

He died of old age. The last wronged soul to die of old age was Jiang Sijin. That was a rather special case.

Su Zhenzhen simply asked directly, "Old man, have you ever been wronged?"

The old man shook his head.

Su Zhenzhen explained the whole story: "Souls bound by karmic threads cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and will wander in the world until they perish. Karmic threads are born from grievances, but you clearly died of old age. Think about it carefully, is there really no grievance or injustice at all? Or is there any obsession that you can't let go of even in death?"

The old man actually thought about it seriously, "If there's anything I can't let go of until I die, it's definitely something that has been on my mind for many years."