Chapter 129 Loyal Bones Buried in the Barren Mountains
Lin Changning said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Second Brother."
Seeing the situation escalate, the guards turned pale and tried to flee. Lin Changning's knuckles gripped his sword, turning white, the blade reflecting a silver light as it pointed directly at the two men. The guards on the stove grabbed their own swords and rushed out, attempting to strike first, but before they could even see how Lin Changning had struck, they were decapitated. Their round heads rolled on the ground towards Old Ma's feet. Old Ma swallowed hard and kicked the head away, saying, "It's over, he really did it."
Another guard instantly lost the courage to fight, his legs trembling so badly he wet himself: "You, you can't kill me! Even if you want to deal with me, you have to wait for the commander to come back."
Lin Changning approached the guard step by step, his phoenix eyes filled with a fierce killing intent that almost materialized. The blade flashed as it cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Lin Changning severed the guard's arm with a single stroke: "So you grabbed my Big Yellow with this hand?"
The guard screamed, clutching his wound and scrambling backward, his face pale and his eyes filled with terror: "It was just a dog, just a dog! I'll pay you back, I'll pay you back, I'll pay you back, I'll pay you any amount of silver, just don't kill me, don't kill me!"
Lin Changning tilted his head, his eyes cruel: "A dog? That's all?" As he spoke, he cut off the guard's other arm.
"Ah!! Madman! Madman! You're a madman!"
Qi Rong placed his hand on Lin Changning's back and asked with concern, "Sixth Brother?"
Lin Changning froze for a moment, then pressed the tip of his blade against the guard's neck and killed him with a single stroke.
After killing the man, Lin Changning squatted down and picked up Da Huang's bones one by one, lifting his robe to cover the bones without saying a word.
Old Ma and Old Zhang helped pick up the skin and bones from the ground, somewhat worried about Changping's condition. They had genuinely thought Changping had gone mad.
Old Zhang handed the bone to Lin Changning, whose expression remained unchanged, and kicked over the pot on the table, yelling, "You bastard!"
Soup spilled all over the ground, and the head of the plucked dog fell out. Old Ma tried to pick it up but was scalded and jolted. Qi Rong, without changing his expression, picked up the dog meat from the ground and put it on Lin Changning's robe.
"Thank you." Lin Changning thanked Qi Rong, looking at the large yellow dog with its hem tucked up. Qi Rong sighed and put his reddened hands behind his back: "Please accept my condolences."
When Old Zhou led his men in, he was startled by the bloodstains and scattered limbs on the floor: "Young Master? This?"
Qi Rong said without changing his expression, "The guards who commanded my personal guards injured my young master from the Duke of Qi's mansion. I came here to demand an explanation. In a fit of rage, the two attacked me. I had no choice but to fight back and killed them both."
Old Zhou hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the bloodstains on Lin Changning's sword and nodded: "What should we do with their bodies?"
Qi Rong snorted coldly: "Assassinating the Duke's heir and injuring the Duke's young master are crimes punishable by beheading or strangulation. The thieves have already been executed, so throw them into the grasslands to feed the wolves."
The soldiers behind Old Zhou were all his own men, and they knew what to do, so they carried the corpse out.
Lin Changning kept his head down and didn't say a word. After a long while, he carried Da Huang's remains outside.
Qi Rong and his men were worried and followed him out. When they reached the gate of the garrison and saw Lin Changning mount his horse, Qi Rong hesitated for a moment and then instructed Lao Zhou: "Clean things up thoroughly. I'll go after him and take a look."
Old Ma and Old Zhang, also worried, said in unison, "We'll go too."
The three chased after him out of the city, watching from afar as Lin Changning sped towards the mountain outside the city. Old Zhang sighed, "Young Master, Changping is going to Old Liu's grave."
Qi Rong nodded to indicate that he understood, and the group followed to the hillside where countless loyal bones were buried, watching Lin Changning slowly walk towards Old Liu's grave.
The three men followed and, upon arriving at the location, offered words of comfort: "Changping, please accept our condolences."
Lin Changning nodded without saying anything, perhaps because he didn't know what to say. After a while, he placed the skeleton, which was held up by the hem of his robe, in front of Old Liu's grave. He then used his hands to dig a hole in the frozen, solid ground. Old Ma and Old Zhang squatted down to help. Qi Rong couldn't stand still, so he looked around, picked up a piece of discarded wood, and carried it back.
The pit had been dug. Lin Changning's slender hands were covered in mud as he carried Da Huang's remains and buried them on the hillside. Together with Lao Ma and Lao Zhang, they buried Da Huang next to Lao Liu.
After burying him, I sat down in front of Old Liu's grave: "I thought Da Huang would stay with me for many years, but I didn't expect that he would follow me after only half a year since you left, Old Liu."
Old Zhang and Old Ma looked at each other, unsure how to advise him, and also somewhat puzzled as to why Changping would actually dare to kill Zhang Bo's men for this. Although the Crown Prince took full responsibility for the matter, it wouldn't be difficult for anyone with a keen eye to investigate.
"What are we going to do in the future?" Old Zhang scratched his head, looking worried.
"We've completely offended them," Old Ma sighed, sitting down on the earthen slope.
Qi Rong planted the wooden plaque in front of Da Huang's tomb: "Changping, you probably won't be able to stay in Daxing for long. After we take Yongping, I will give you a letter. Take Old Ma's daughter with you to the Chu King's mansion. I will recommend you to the Chu King. With your abilities, it won't be difficult for you to enter the Chu King's mansion."
Old Ma's eyes lit up: "This method works, I think it's good."
Old Zhang stroked his chin, pondering, then, after getting dirt all over his face, nudged Lin Changning: "Say something, Changping, have you gone mad?"
Lin Changning nodded and knelt directly in front of Qi Rong, bowing and kowtowing: "Your Highness's great kindness will be remembered by Changping. I am willing to serve the King of Chu and Your Highness to the death."
Qi Rong helped Lin Changning up: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go back first. We still need to get an explanation for what happened today."
Lin Changning nodded and followed him downstairs.
After walking for a while and looking back, the low hill was covered with graves of all sizes on the barren hilltop. It was still winter, and the withered grass covered the hill. The first month of the lunar calendar was about to pass, and in March and April, countless green grasses would sprout in the grasslands and farmlands.
The weeds that cannot be eradicated in the garrison will grow from the mound of this low hill in just two months, swaying gently on the grassland when the breeze blows.
Wild grass cannot be eradicated; it will grow back with the spring breeze. Just as the grass cannot be eradicated, so too can the longing of the living.
Old Liu died, and the big yellow dog she brought home also died. If she had known that the big yellow dog would suffer so much with her, she wouldn't have fought with An'an for it.
Puppies usually live for more than ten years, but Da Huang died before she even turned one year old. I wonder if Da Huang will blame her.
In her modern life, she had never owned a pet and did not understand the idea that pet owners treated their pets like children. Now, she understands it a little better.
Lin Changning suddenly recalled how Da Huang looked when it first came to her home: yellow, fluffy, a tiny ball of fluff, very small, with wet eyes, licking her palms, and wagging its tail happily.
Later, as it grew up, its golden fur became less soft, but it would still sneak into her arms around the time Old Liu passed away, whimpering and gently wagging its tail.
Now that Dahuang is gone, its fur has become a stiff, filthy mess, and its flesh and bones have been infused with spices into its marrow. She buried it next to Old Liu, waiting for spring to turn it into wild grass covering the mountains, swaying gently in the breeze.
The desolate slope silently buries the loyal soul; no one is seen offering libations before the grave. The barbarians sleep together in the fading sunlight. Flowers bloom and grass grows, obliterating the old traces. In future years, the tomb will be overgrown with weeds, and the loyal soul will surely call out to visitors.
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