The Hero's End

After a concentrated firefight lasting over an hour, ammunition began to run low, Xin Jie and Chu Derun were both wounded, and Zhou Zhu had not yet arrived.

Xin Jie glanced north of the base camp, frowned, and muttered, "Why haven't they arrived yet..."

Chu Derun's gun was out of bullets. He picked up the broadsword of the fallen soldier beside him and said, as if with a smile, "You won't make it."

Before Xin Jie could even ask why, he saw Chu Derun raise his broadsword and slash at the head of the Japanese soldier.

Just as the knife was about to fall on Yamano Jiro's head, he suddenly pulled out a gun from his waist.

"Bang--"

With a gunshot, Xin Jie watched helplessly as Chu Derun's brains splattered out and he fell in front of Yamano Jiro.

The large knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

Shin-chan's heart skipped a beat. He gripped the gun in his hand, held his breath, and aimed at Yamano Jiro's head.

He still had one bullet left in his gun.

"Bang--"

After firing the first shot, Yamano Jiro skillfully dodged it, just as he had done countless times before, without sustaining a single injury.

Running out of ammunition, Xin Jie and the men behind him took out daggers, shouldered broadswords, and charged towards the Japanese soldiers who were also out of ammunition.

Outnumbered, Xin Jie was eventually knocked unconscious in the battle. Before his consciousness completely faded, he looked at the imposing gate of No. 21 Chaoyang Hutong and prayed to all the gods in his heart.

If sincerity brings miracles, that's not a lie. So please open your eyes and bless those who serve their country and its people.

As the fighting outside subsided, Dai Zining stood in Zhang Chenglin's room and heard the downstairs door being kicked open.

"Someone come here!"

As soon as Dai Zining spoke, the two soldiers who had been guarding the door immediately came in, "Madam."

"Take Mr. Zhang through the secret passage first," Dai Zining said, her eyes leaving no room for doubt.

The Japanese had already entered, and even though there were still troops guarding downstairs, time was of the essence, so only one of them could leave.

There will always be someone who has to stay here.

"Take the lady away."

The two men who came in were Zhang Chenglin's men; they had been following Zhang Chenglin for many years.

In a life-or-death situation, they naturally wanted to take Zhang Chenglin with them.

But military orders are absolute, and no matter what, on the battlefield, Zhang Chenglin's words are the most unquestionable.

"Ah Lin!" Dai Zining tried to struggle, but before she could speak, Zhang Chenglin said, "The Japanese came here specifically for me. If I stay here, I still have a chance to survive, but if you stay, it's hard to say."

"Furthermore, if I leave you here, even if I return to Shanghai, do you think I'll survive?"

After saying that, without waiting for Dai Zining to speak again, he ordered in a firm tone: "Go!"

"Excuse me," a soldier said, knocking Dai Zining unconscious before leaving with his men.

Having just woken up, Zhang Chenglin felt that his body was not quite used to being awake all of a sudden. After saying a few words, he almost fell back down when he tried to get up.

Zhang Chenglin stood by the bed, held onto the headboard for a while to catch his breath, then straightened his clothes and walked out.

The moment the door opened, two Japanese soldiers walked up to him and, almost instinctively, subdued him.

Zhang Chenglin remained calm and did not struggle.

It seemed so calm... It was just a dinner appointment with a friend that I was going to keep.

Yamano Jiro captured the man and, as if fearing any further complications, took him away without any hesitation.

When Xu Xuanming received Dai Zining's letter and rushed over with his men, all he found was a pile of corpses and an empty house.

Xu Xuanming ordered his men to check if there were any survivors.

In the end, they only took Xin Jie with them.

*

Meanwhile, in Zaozhuang, Shandong.

After things settled down in Zaozhuang, half of the women from Huayuelou returned to Zaozhuang.

After receiving Fengyue's letter, Gu Luan came to Zhang Chenglin's house to see her and retrieve the indenture that Aunt Rong had given to Fengyue.

Fengyue and Guluan had a good relationship when they were at Huayue Tower, and they always had a lot to talk about.

Having taken the indenture, Gu Luan frowned as he looked at Feng Yue's eight-month pregnant belly. "You really... just plunged headfirst into this abyss and won't come out?"

“A blessing in life,” Fengyue smiled gently, “is nothing more than the reunion of old friends.”

"It's fine as it is."

After hearing Feng Yue's words, Gu Luan remained silent for a long time. Finally, she raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "The song 'Yan Chang Jian' that you sang on the stage of Hua Yue Lou was for Mr. Zhang, wasn't it?"

Hearing the long-unmentioned past events, Feng Yue's eyes lit up with a smile, and she nodded: "Yes."

"Those lyrics were written by Mr. Zhang."

These words, spoken in a light and airy tone by Fengyue, sounded like a boast, yet they contained a multitude of emotions that were difficult to discern.

"A true lover is hard to find in this world. Now that we've met, I wish you eternal happiness." Gu Luan said this sincerely, and Feng Yue didn't detect a trace of dissent.

"Thank you." Fengyue's gratitude was also very sincere; she truly wanted a happy life with him.

“I heard from the ladies in the building that Aunt Rong entrusted Huayue Tower to you before she left,” Gu Luan said, carefully choosing her words, and asked her, “What are your plans?”

“Let’s talk about it after the war,” Fengyue said after thinking for a while. “At this critical moment, we can’t worry about that building. The sisters in the building have scattered and it’s uncertain whether they will be willing to come back.”

After Gu Luan left, Ji Ruqiong rushed in from outside. Seeing Feng Yue in the study, she grabbed the jar of honey she had bought for her and rushed into the study.

Chai Feixue watched from the courtyard, then called out helplessly, "Slow down, be careful not to bump into Fengyue..."

Ji Ruqiong entered the study, intending to present the two jars of honey to Fengyue as if they were treasures, but then noticed that Fengyue was holding a piece of paper and examining it closely.

The paper had slightly frayed edges, indicating that it had been handled and examined frequently, but the surface was clean and smooth, suggesting that its owner cherished it.

When Feng Yue saw her come in, she carefully placed the paper on the desk before asking Ji Ruqiong, "What's wrong?"

"I bought you two jars of honey. My sister-in-law said it's good for you. Try some." Ji Ruqiong regained the expression she had when she came in, and her smile made everyone around her feel happy.

Fengyue took the two cans of food and said with a smile, "Thank you, Aqiong."

As Ji Ruqiong turned to leave, she saw the piece of paper that Feng Yue had placed on the table. Despite knowing Zhang Chenglin for so many years, Ji Ruqiong could still recognize his handwriting at a glance.

Two lines of text were neatly written on the paper—

"The messenger cannot know the pain of plucking flowers; holding wine, I present three wishes to you."

"May you live a thousand years, my love, and may I remain healthy. May the swallows always be seen on the roof beams, may the swallows always be seen."

Someone added a title to it, called "Yan Changjian," in Fengyue's handwriting.

Ji Ruqiong's eyes stung with tears, and she couldn't help but take larger steps as she walked away.

She didn't know when Zhang Chenglin wrote those words, nor how long Fengyue had kept that piece of paper.

But she always felt that when they wrote those words, the two of them must have loved each other very, very much...

*

The Japanese had long coveted Zhang Deyue's considerable power, but were also wary of Zhang Chenglin's unstable position within the Communist Party.

Unable to gain control of Zhang Deyue's forces or locate the Communist Party's stronghold, the Japanese decided to kill Zhang Chenglin.

Already recovering from a serious illness, he then endured a day of inhumane torture at the hands of the Japanese.

When Zhang Chenglin saw Yamano Jiro again, he was somewhat confused.

"I'll give you one last chance. Zhang Deyue's power base is the Communist Party's stronghold." Yamano Jiro's already fierce face now took on a sinister look, making him even more terrifying. "I'll spare your life in exchange."

Blood was flowing from the corner of Zhang Chenglin's mouth, and his face was a bloody mess, making it impossible to recognize his original handsome and dashing appearance.

He laughed, spat out a mouthful of blood, and then uttered two words: "Dream on."

Enraged, Yamano Jiro raised his gun, but just as he did, Zhang Chenglin clearly uttered:

"The Communist Party of China will surely lead China to write a glorious chapter that will last for thousands of years."

The sound faded, then a gunshot rang out.

Heroes fall from grace, all things return to nothing.

Only spirit and justice will endure forever, and will continue for countless millennia.

That day was October 1, 1937, the 25th year of the Republic of China calendar.

That day, the land of China was in turmoil and unrest, and countless heroes and martyrs sacrificed their lives for the prosperous era many, many years later.

Many years later, on that day, those revolutionary predecessors led the Chinese people to explore a new path, opening the first page of that glorious chapter that has lasted for thousands of years.

——

At that time, Fengyue was having lunch with Chai Feixue and Ji Ruqiong. With the arrival of a new month, Chai Feixue specially prepared two extra dishes, saying that looking at Fengyue's belly, which was about to give birth, she was afraid that next month she would have to observe dietary restrictions during her postpartum confinement period and wouldn't be able to eat such delicious food.

The sadness evoked by the song "Yan Chang Jian" dissipated completely amidst the teasing and joking of Chai Feixue and Ji Ruqiong. At the moment she sat down at the dinner table, Fengyue was able to enjoy a meal with them, laughing and having a good time.

Under Ji Ruqiong's constant self-praise and urging, Feng Yue picked up a piece of tofu that Ji Ruqiong had praised to the skies, and put it into her mouth amidst the expectant gazes of Ji Ruqiong and Chai Feixue.

"How is it? How is it? Isn't it delicious?"

As soon as Ji Ruqiong saw her take out chopsticks, she asked repeatedly.

Feng Yue sighed helplessly, about to speak with a smile, when suddenly a pang of pain shot through her heart.

He suddenly clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain.

Chai Feixue and Ji Ruqiong were so startled that they dropped their chopsticks. "What happened?"

The pain subsided quickly. Feng Yue still clutched her chest, grasped Ji Ruqiong's hand, and said softly, "Could you write a letter to Mr. Ji for me and ask how Mr. Zhang is doing?"

She felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.

Ji Ruqiong made sure she was really alright before turning around and calling someone to send a message to Ji Yuxing.

To be honest, she hadn't been able to contact Ji Yuxing for a long time. These people seemed to vanish into thin air as soon as they went out. Unless her superiors needed her and told her Ji Yuxing's location, it would be extremely difficult for her to contact him.

After all this time, she still doesn't know if Zhang Chenglin knows that Fengyue is pregnant.

But if he found out, he'd be ecstatic.