Chapter 793: You Don't Have the Surname Guan [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Yun Ce could only suppress his emotions by clenching his fists. His eyes were filled with anger as he said sharply, "I know what you're saying, but our lord is different. He shouldn't be like this!"

When he descended the mountain, his master told him that the area below was dangerous.

Yun Ce: [This disciple came down from the mountain and naturally knows how dangerous it is down there. But as a martial artist, if one becomes fearful because of the word 'dangerous,' how can one improve one's martial arts?]

Master: [Can you really distinguish between humans and ghosts?]

At that moment, Yun Ce confidently replied, "Disciple can tell the difference."

Upon hearing this, the master stroked his white beard and smiled without saying a word.

At this moment, Yun Ce began to waver.

Did he really distinguish between a human and a ghost?

He believed that since his lord Huang Lie came from the lower rungs of society and had suffered enough from the abuse of power by those in power, he should understand the hardships of ordinary people. He reasoned that even if he didn't commit any serious offenses, he should at least restrain his soldiers from doing anything immoral.

Yun Ce took a deep breath: [This has never happened before.]

Yun Ce knew that few of the forces that could rise to prominence in this world had completely clean hands. When he joined Huang Lie's forces, it was already the early stage of the Dragon Slaying Bureau. By then, Huang Lie had also passed the stage of rampant growth and completed his initial accumulation of wealth.

While military discipline wasn't particularly strict, public opinion among the people was relatively positive.

The veteran general understood which period Yun Ce meant by "before," and chuckled again: "This hadn't happened before because we had allies helping us. Our lord still had to feign compliance with them, naturally not wanting to ruin his reputation. But things are different now."

Huang Lie's initial capital came from refugees.

He was originally a lowly itinerant doctor, born into poverty, who later became a refugee after being displaced. This background gave the refugees a natural sense of trust and identification with Huang Lie. Huang Lie needed to keep them on his side, so he couldn't openly discuss some shady dealings.

This includes crafting heavy shield warriors.

The medicine was provided by Huang Lie, but he didn't insist on it.

Many refugees were already desperate and living hand to mouth, but a small pill could lift them out of their predicament and transform them into powerful figures, with their families even benefiting from it. With such a huge temptation, what's a little risk?

The refugees were scrambling to grasp at this glimmer of hope.

They are so grateful to Huang Lie that they don't even have time to express their gratitude.

In terms of public reputation, Huang Lie far surpasses Shen Youli and others!

Huang Lie, relying on his almost invincible heavy shield warrior legion, conducted private business dealings with other allies in the Dragon Slayer Bureau, and his profits were relatively clean. However, times have changed, and Huang Lie has turned the tables on the Dragon Slayer Bureau's allies, killing them off and leaving them without supplies.

The old general chuckled, but his words were extremely harsh: "General Yun, our lord won't conjure up food out of thin air. His soldiers need to eat. If you don't feed them, they'll either quit or rebel!"

That's why there's an old saying—

Bandits pass by like a comb, soldiers pass by like a fine brush.

Yun Ce, this young man, is too naive.

He scrutinized Yun Ce with his aging, clouded eyes. His loose eyelids drooped slightly, and his triangular eyes gleamed with an unsettling light. After a long silence, Yun Ce exhaled a breath of stale air: "What did the blind girl say about the food?"

The veteran laughed heartily upon hearing this.

It was as if I had heard the biggest joke in the world.

Under Yun Ce's threatening gaze, he slowly suppressed his smile and teased, "General Yun is still unmarried?"

Yun Ce was puzzled as to how the topic had shifted to this point.

He said unhappily, "I am currently unmarried."

The old general's smile took on a tinge of unspeakable lewdness: "That's more like it. Because General Yun is unmarried, even though his virility is abundant, he mostly relies on cultivation to relieve it and reduce his heat, so he doesn't know the beauty of this woman. The other soldiers are different."

Yun Ce, embarrassed and annoyed, asked: "How are they different?"

The old general said, "General Yun will know once you try it."

Yun Ce was furious: "You old codger, how dare you insult me?"

The old general wasn't angry at being scolded; he simply smiled wryly and said, "Women are born to belong to men, and men are born to be inseparable from women. You're young and indifferent to women, so naturally you don't understand this principle. Do you think your soldiers are all saints who can remain unmoved by women? No, no, no, they're beasts! Beasts need to eat, need to drink, and even more so, need women!"

Before Yun Ce could refute him, the elder continued his lecture: "If you want these beasts to fight for you, you have to meet these demands! Otherwise, why would they risk their lives? If you don't give them what they want, how can you lead a bunch of lustful beasts into battle? No matter how powerful you are, Yun Yuanmou, they'll still turn against you!"

Yun Ce was so enraged by his sophistry that his veins were bulging. He cursed, "You old fool, you're spouting utter nonsense!"

The veteran crossed his arms and gave a dismissive snort.

He said, "General Yun, whether I'm talking nonsense or not is unimportant. What's important is that you must give me an explanation today!"

Few of Huang Lie's generals liked Yun Ce.

It wasn't because Yun Ce was bad at interpersonal relationships, nor because he competed with them for military merits. In fact, since joining the group, this young man has always been humble and polite, rarely getting into conflicts with others, and even when he was occasionally made things difficult, he would just laugh it off. He was quite endearing.

However, it is precisely because of this that they are so detestable—standing next to Yun Ce makes them look inferior. He is aloof and untainted, which makes their insatiable greed and greed stand out.

Of course, this includes this time as well.

"What are you pretending to be, a maggot in a cesspool? You even injured one of my soldiers; it's like a slap in the face. If I don't get justice for this, won't I be ridiculed by my colleagues in the future?" The old general looked at Yun Ce expressionlessly, applying pressure.

Yun Ce stared at the old general for a long time, until the old general was about to lose his patience, before finally hearing Yun Ce say, "May I have some time to consider this matter? I will certainly give the general a satisfactory reply tomorrow."

The veteran said, "Hmph, fine then."

Yun Ce had already backed down, so there was no need for me to push him any further—I couldn't have another friend, but at least I couldn't have another enemy.

Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future.

He never guessed what Yun Ce had done that night!

In the middle of the night, the old general was woken up by his subordinates.

[General, General, something terrible has happened!]

He angrily kicked off the covers: "I'm perfectly fine!"

He then asked: "What happened?"

A subordinate burst into the tent and reported: "Yun has rebelled!"

The veteran instantly straightened his back: [Who's rebelling?]

Yun Ce and Yun Yuan have rebelled!

The veteran hastily conjured his armor: "How did you find out?"

His subordinates led him to a camp.

The camp was filled with the smell of blood, and corpses lay scattered all over the ground. One person was pinned to the top of the tent by a single spear.

The veteran general immediately recognized these soldiers as the ones who had been wounded by Yun Ce earlier. Because of the disparity in strength between the two sides, and because Yun Ce had used a small, concealed military formation to prevent the commotion from leaking out, they died quickly and cleanly, leaving little trace of fighting inside the tent.

The body was only discovered by the patrol team after it had cooled down considerably.

The veteran understood everything as soon as he saw the scene.

Yun Ce said he would give him an explanation, but it was just a delaying tactic. He came here in the middle of the night to kill and take revenge. The thought that he had actually believed Yun Ce's lies during the day filled him with resentment at being played, and his cheeks burned.

[Yun Yuanmou! You scoundrel!]

Considering his advanced age and the fact that he had seen more of the world than Yun Ce had ever walked the road, he was immediately unable to sit still!

He said: 【Chase!】

This is Huang Lie's main camp.

The checkpoints were numerous and the defenses were tight.

Even though Yun Ce was a general, he couldn't run around in the middle of the night without a written order; once discovered, he would be trapped with no way to escape.

Soon, the veteran general heard news of Yun Ce's attempt to break through the pass by injuring someone, and immediately cursed: "Does Yun Yuanmou think he's surnamed Guan? Pass down the order: if he's found anywhere, kill him without mercy!"

When Guan Yu passed five passes and slew six generals, he rode Red Hare, but Yun Ce was different; he could fly!

It is important to know that once a martial artist reaches the level of a tenth-rank Left Vice-Chief, they will have the ability to hover or fly for a short period of time. However, this behavior consumes too much martial power, and they cannot fly very high. They also easily become targets for arrows, so basically no one would do it.

Yun Ce, of course, did not do that.

The higher he flew, the more martial energy he consumed; his current flight altitude was still within the range of a mid-level martial artist's shot. Flying alone was too tiring, so Yun Ce decisively summoned his Martial Spirit Totem—a gigantic snow owl with a wingspan of three zhang!

By using a light-body technique and borrowing the power of the snow owl, Yun Ce could stay in the highest altitude for as long as possible with minimal consumption.

As for why it was still discovered?

Haha, the snowy owl is too white.

With such a huge creature flying overhead, it was immediately obvious that it was a martial arts totem; it would be strange if the generals below didn't react at all.

So the general took off and closed the range, shooting down Yun Ce, who had no choice but to retaliate to defend himself.

After injuring the person and escaping, they continued flying without stopping.

The journey was fraught with ambushes and attacks. No matter how skilled Yun Ce was, he was only one person, and he could only fight and retreat in the face of the enemy. He knew that these people could not pursue him too far. As long as he could hold on and escape to a safe area, he would be completely out of trouble. He had to be extremely vigilant.

Just as they were about to cross the river, the pursuers finally disappeared.

However, Yun Ce knew that this was only temporary.

His act of murder and escape was undoubtedly a betrayal of Huang Lie. Even if Huang Lie wanted to save face, he wouldn't easily let the matter go, otherwise how would he manage his subordinates in the future? Yun Ce took a bite of dry rations, his eyes becoming more serious as he considered his options.

Once he enters Yanzhou territory, he will most likely encounter Huang Lie's troops. That will be the most dangerous time. He will be certain to die if he faces the sixteenth-rank Grand Master under Huang Lie.

Despite this predicament, he did not regret his impulsive actions.

He would only regret it if he chose to let things go.

At that moment, a small voice began to emerge in my heart—

Should he go back to his sect for help?

Huang Lie treated him with courtesy, largely out of respect for his master.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Master could indeed keep Huang Lie from moving, but besides Master, there were also fellow disciples in the sect, and at the foot of the mountain, there were villages where refugees had gathered seeking shelter. If he ran back now, he could indeed escape, but it would also disrupt the hard-won peace.

After much deliberation, Yun Ce decided to flee to another place.

The mainland is vast, and there are things that Huang Lie can't reach.

Having found a clue, he hastily treated his injuries, ate some dry rations, and set off. His initial purpose in descending the mountain was to punish the wicked and uphold justice; he naturally felt obligated to intervene when he saw injustice. Thus, he rescued the Luan family from a force of over four hundred soldiers.

The price was several new wounds and the old ones reopening.

With his martial energy depleted, Yun Ce dared not act recklessly.

After obediently finishing his medicine, he was about to sit down and enter a meditative state when he heard footsteps approaching and suddenly opened his eyes.

He asked indifferently, "What is it?"

The person in front of me was dressed in plain clothes and had an ordinary appearance.

The other person hesitated before speaking, "Is your surname Yun?"

Yun Ce instinctively gripped the long weapon tighter: "You know him?"

Upon hearing this, the other party's eyes brightened noticeably, and he clasped his hands in delight: "This subordinate is Luan Gong's personal guard under Lord Shen."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ce released his grip: "You're one of Shen Jun's people?"

The man let out a long sigh of relief: "Yes, yes."

Despite his disheveled appearance, Yun Ce's every move was accompanied by ice and snow. With a single spear thrust, he froze his opponent into an ice sculpture. Such beautiful movements were unforgettable. It was this sight that allowed Luan Xin's personal guards to recognize Yun Ce's identity, and they were overjoyed.

Yun Ce was bewildered: "What's going on?"

The guard explained the whole story in detail.

The group of people Yun Ce rescued were relatives of his father, Luan Xin. He was ordered to provide backup, and things went smoothly at first—the refugees, seeing their large numbers and armed with weapons, dared not come to their deaths. However, as the situation in Yanzhou rapidly deteriorated, they encountered armed forces from other factions. The first few times they were lucky; they fled as soon as they spotted them.

However, luck cannot always be on your side.

This time, we were caught red-handed.

The head of the Luan family made a decisive move, proposing to exchange all their possessions for the safety of the caravan members. Although there were more than two hundred of them, only 40% were hired warriors and servants, and the rest were women, the elderly, and the weak. Luan Xin had not sent many people to meet them, and their fighting strength was insufficient to lead everyone to safety. A head-on confrontation would definitely be a foolish move. However, the villains did not agree.

The other party wasn't just after money, but also people.

Even the maids and servants in large families are all incredibly beautiful, far surpassing the charm of country women.

Just as the negotiations were about to fall apart, Yun Ce descended from the sky.

Only then were they able to escape successfully.

Not daring to linger, they ran for their lives.

The guards were deeply grateful to Yun Ce and wanted to perform a grand ceremony.

Yun Ce quickly reached out to support him: "There's no need for that. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't ignore it either."

The guards exclaimed, "General, you are truly righteous!"

Yun Ce smirked: "I am no general now, just a commoner wandering knight, I am not worthy of such a title."

The guard asked in surprise, "General, what makes you say that?"

Thinking of the hardships of the past few days, Yun Ce let out a long sigh and poured out his misfortunes like beans spilling out.

After saying that, he added, "I have a clear conscience about what I did."

Of course, it's hard to say what others will think.

After all, Yun Ce's behavior is quite incomprehensible in today's context.

Unexpectedly, the guard clapped his hands and laughed, praising him lavishly, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "General, your actions are truly righteous! We should stand up against those inhumane acts; it is wrong to collude with them!"

Yun Ce was taken aback: "Really?"

The guard nodded: "Of course."

Yun Ce then mentioned the old general's words.

The guard said, “What that man said sounds somewhat twisted, but General, even wild beasts can be tamed, let alone living people. Humans are not animals. We fight only to survive and get a meal. We should be grateful to be alive. Needing women is just a fig leaf that animals use to cover their shame.”

(σ)σ:*☆

The four-legged gold-devouring beast truly lives up to its name.

PS: This is a cultured bodyguard.

(End of this chapter)