Chapter 81 Death and Life
The sky was overcast, and it was raining and snowing non-stop. On such days when water froze to ice, every day, Red Feather Envoys rode their horses at a speed of 800 kilometers through the city gate. The sound of their horses' hooves shattered the ice, like a fairy about to fall apart.
"Report! Wu Yun led 300,000 elite soldiers to attack from the south and broke through three passes in a row. Jiuhua, Xifeng, and Changling have all been lost!!"
"Report!! Tianshui led 100,000 cavalrymen to attack from the north and has already crossed the Dragon Gorge!!"
"Report!! Dong Li is leading 400,000 troops from the east, heading straight for the capital!!"
Reports were submitted one after another, overwhelming Lu Mang, who had just ascended the throne. When he heard that Dongli's elite troops were heading straight for the capital, he was so frightened that he fell down on the dragon chair. The court, which was once bustling, became a mess and everyone was in danger.
The three kingdoms are attacking together with a total of 800,000 soldiers and horses, which shows that they are well prepared. Xianling is now hit by a snowstorm, and there is no food or soldiers and horses. There are only a handful of generals available in the court, and at most they can mobilize less than 200,000 troops. How can they resist the three-way attack!
The situation was tilting too far in the direction of Lu Mang, who was even unable to send anyone to resist. He himself had led troops into battle, so how could he not know the risks involved? If he had only faced one of them, it would have been fine, but now that he was facing three, the immortal would undoubtedly be defeated!
Lu Mang slammed his fist on the table and said through gritted teeth: "Send envoys to ask for peace. No matter what the conditions, they must withdraw their troops!!"
If you can't win in battle, you can only ask for peace, just like when the fairies unified the twelve continents, all the countries bowed their heads humbly.
However, Lu Mang underestimated their hatred and determination to destroy the immortals. The court sent three envoys to ask for peace, but they were beheaded before they even entered the military tent. Their heads were pickled with lime, put in a brocade box, and sent back 800 miles away in a hurry.
Three heads were placed on the case in a row. The government and the public were shocked. Now even a three-year-old child knew that Xianling’s country was about to be destroyed. The streets that were once bustling were now empty. A large number of refugees packed up their belongings and fled to the west. It was a bleak scene.
"It seems that I don't need to bother to send you back to Wuyun. Zhao Yuzhang's army will soon enter the capital."
While people outside were in a panic, the Fengling Palace was as silent as ever. Ever since Lu Mang ascended the throne, he had imprisoned Lu Yan in the palace on a bunch of charges, waiting to send him back to his fiefdom in the spring of next year. If it weren't for his fear of the half tiger talisman, Lu Yan would have lost his life long ago.
Lu Yan wore mourning clothes and followed the rules to mourn for the late emperor. Every day he knelt in front of the tablet in the mansion and chanted sutras a hundred times, and ate vegetarian food. He rarely wore such plain clothes. When he knelt with his eyes closed, smoke curled up, and his eyebrows and eyes actually had a bit of sadness that came from having experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Shang Junnian walked behind Lu Yan and asked without any emotion: "When the late emperor was buried, Lu Mang did not allow you to see him off. Don't you hate him?"
Lu Yan smiled and said, "When a person dies, it's like a light goes out. The rules are for the living to see. It doesn't really matter whether you send him off or not. It will be the same when I die in the future. Even if someone grinds my bones and turns them into ashes, I won't be able to see it."
Shang Junnian frowned: "If you don't care about the rules, why do you chant sutras and recite Buddha's name here every day?"
Lu Yan finally opened his eyes: "My father fought all his life and made great achievements, but before his death he still had to worry about the lack of successors. In the end, it was all because of my unfilial son. This is all I can do for him now."
Lu Yan was very sad.
This was what Shang Junnian observed clearly. When he came back from the palace, Lu Yan locked himself in his room for a whole day and night. To others, the country just had a new monarch, but to him, he had lost his respected father.
There is no one else in the world who loves him as endlessly as the Emperor.
Lu Yan knelt in front of the spirit tablet, and suddenly he noticed a shadow falling beside him. Shang Junnian actually lifted up his robe and slowly knelt on the mat. He was startled and subconsciously stretched out his hand to stop him: "You are not an immortal minister, you don't have to kneel."
Shang Junnian said, "King Fengling, in this world, besides loyal friends, there are also enemies that I admire."
"I was born to be a minister, and I also have the ambition to reach the sky. In the past, I assisted the King of Wuyun, and I also wanted to leave my name in history and help him unify the world. However, the king was incompetent, and I trusted the wrong people all my life. From then on, I made mistakes step by step..."
"Your father is the only emperor in history who has taken control of the twelve continents. Although I hate him, he deserves my kneeling more than most people in this world. I have thought countless times in the past, if I were not a Wuyun person, but a fairy minister, would my fate be different?"
A capable minister does not follow a wise ruler, or a wise ruler does not plot against his ministers, both of which lead to lifelong regrets. The emperor was extremely jealous of Shang Junnian, which was also another form of respect.
It was not until today in front of the coffin that Lu Yan finally knew what Shang Junnian had been hiding for many years.
"Those who abandoned me, yesterday cannot be retained; those who disturbed my heart, today is full of worries. This life has come to an end. Thinking about another outcome will only add to the troubles. Perhaps the outcome in the next life will be different..."
Shang Junnian's leg disease was getting worse, and he had difficulty even bending down, and could not kneel for long. Seeing this, Lu Yan stood up from the mat and reached out to help him up: "It's time for your acupuncture. The doctor will be here soon. I'll take you back to your room first."
He bent slightly after he finished speaking, picked the man up and walked towards the bedroom. The servants passing by were not surprised. No matter how many things happened during this period, Lu Yan always took time to pay attention to Shang Junnian's condition. It seemed that Shang Junnian had become the only person he cared about.
Although the servants felt that this feeling came out of nowhere, after all, before this, one of them was a high and mighty prince, and the other was imprisoned in prison, never seeing the light of day, like two lines that had never intersected.
Shang Junnian couldn't see through Lu Yan, so he let him carry him into the house. This intimate action quietly permeated into their lives like a chronic poison and became a habit.
Shang Junnian suddenly asked, "After they invaded Xianling, have you ever thought about your own fate?"
Lu Yan leaned over and placed him on the bedside. He also lifted his robe and sat down. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Pull out his muscles and skin, and behead him for public display?"
Shang Junnian didn't understand why Lu Yan was so calm. He stared at him with his dark eyes, as if trying to see through his heart. He frowned and asked, "Aren't you afraid of death?!"
Lu Yan tilted his head to look out the window at the vast snow, smiled and said something that he couldn't understand: "I'm already dead."
The imperial physician came to take Shang Junnian's pulse, his wrinkled brows never relaxed. He took out a silver needle and slowly inserted it into Shang Junnian's leg to relieve the pain caused by the cold, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
Lu Yan went out for something, and they were the only two people left in the room. Shang Junnian looked at the doctor's graying hair, closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "I have been feeling pain in my five parts recently, and the medicine I took doesn't work."
The doctor didn't dare to look him in the eye. "Your five internal organs are damaged. I think the pain may be due to the winter cold entering your lungs. I will prescribe a warm and nourishing prescription later. It may relieve the pain a little."
Shang Junnian couldn't help but cough a few times, and a sweet taste welled up in his throat, which he suppressed: "Prince Fengling is not here, tell me the truth, how much time do you have left?"
The air was silent because of his words.
The imperial physician glanced outside the door and saw that there was indeed no sign of Lu Yan. He then boldly said, "If he is nurtured with natural resources and treasures, he may be able to survive until early spring next year."
Shang Junnian was stunned. Is there only less than three months left?
"I am now dying and can't walk or feel the wind. Even if I live for ten or a hundred years, I will be useless. Can you give me some medicine that can make me like a normal person? Even if I can only live for three days, it will be good."
The doctor heard his hidden message and was secretly shocked: "Yes, it is, but this medicine may damage your life span. If you have two months to live, you will only have half of it after drinking it."
Shang Junnian looked relieved, "Go ahead and open it, just don't tell him. Otherwise, I will be in pain every day, and he will come to you every day, which will be troublesome for both of us."
The imperial physician responded in a low voice, put away the silver needle, and slowly left the room with the medicine box on his back. He thought that this must be the Fengling Palace. If it was an ordinary citizen's house, Shang Junnian would not be able to survive for even half an hour.
Lu Yan didn't know what happened in the backyard yet. He had just received news that the rebel troops had broken through seven passes last night with an unstoppable force. They were now stationed less than a hundred miles away from the Xianling Imperial City. It was only a matter of time before they broke in.
Eunuch He led a group of dead servants to kneel down in the hall, and said in a sad voice: "Your Highness, please pack up your things and follow me. Before the emperor died, he ordered me to keep you safe. It seems that the fairy spirit can't be saved. The King of Nanxun secretly led his elite troops to flee west last night. Now the court is just an empty shell!"
He was still accustomed to calling the late emperor "Emperor" and Lu Mang "King of Nanxun". Perhaps in everyone's mind, only the late emperor who died was worthy of this title.
Lu Yan was not as panicked as expected. He paced slowly in front of Eunuch He, scanning the lowered faces. These people were all the people of the immortals. Before long, they would fight to the death to protect him and die.
"you……"
Lu hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"You all should go away."
Eunuch He looked up in shock, only to see Lu Yan suddenly lift up his robe and kneel down in front of them. He hurriedly tried to stop him, "Your Highness, please don't do that!"
The assassins also moved aside in unison: "Your Highness, don't do that!"
Lu Yan ignored Eunuch He's support and obstruction, raised his hand to signal him to step back, and said calmly: "Your Majesty, the succession of imperial power is a common thing. Xian Ling has been the emperor for so many years, and now it is time for someone else to take the throne. This is destiny, and it is beyond human control."
"The emperor guards the country's gates, and the king dies for his country. Although I am not the emperor, I also have the blood of the Lu royal family flowing in my veins. It is only right for me to sacrifice my life for my country. You don't have to bury your good lives here."
"There are still some valuables left in the storehouse. Each of you will receive 1,000 taels of silver and go your separate ways. From now on, you will no longer be anyone's slave or anyone's loyal soldier. Just be a commoner and be content."
Eunuch He was very sad: "Your Highness!"
Lu Yan held his old hand and said, "Eunuch He, you have taken care of me for many years. It is not bad to call you a relative. Now I have one more thing to entrust to you..."
After the emperor passed away, the imperial city entered a state of strict guard, and the palaces, temples and monasteries were required to ring bells 30,000 times to commemorate the national mourning. In the distant and deep sound of the mourning bells, everyone fled for their lives, but the country was destroyed faster than expected.
Before the sound of the funeral bells had faded away, tens of thousands of iron riders had already stepped into the fairyland.
Lu Yan dismissed all the people in Fengling Palace and knelt in front of the late emperor's spirit tablet in plain clothes as usual. In his right hand was a sword, and it was unknown whether it was used to kill the enemy or himself.
Lu Yan knew that Xianling City had been breached. Even with the door closed, it was not difficult to imagine the deafening scene of killing outside. Fortunately, he had arranged for Eunuch She to take Shang Junnian away, so he thought that the fate of the previous life would not be repeated.
The first one to attack the fairyland will be the king, and whoever occupies the Central Plains will be the next master of the Twelve Continents.
Wu Yun, Dong Li, and Tian Shui were allies one moment and enemies the next, fighting tooth and nail for the throne, but they had a common, hated enemy.
"The Xianling Kingdom has been destroyed, and a new king must be established! Whoever can capture Fengling King Lu Yan alive will be rewarded with the title of Marquis and a reward of ten thousand gold coins!"
After the rebels entered the city, some of them headed towards the palace to kill, while the other part went straight to Fengling Palace, shouting slogans and were already blood-thirsty!
The originally luxurious mansion had been completely destroyed by their burning, killing and looting, but there was no trace of it. The general in charge led his men to search outside a remote Buddhist temple. They saw a quiet courtyard, snow-covered steps below, and a row of clear footprints on the small path in the middle.
"Fengling King Lu Yan must be hiding here!"
The general drew his sword and pressed forward. However, at this moment, a tall figure suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.
The man was a young man, holding a black gold sword in his right hand. Although his face was pale and his body was full of frailties, his sharpness could not be concealed like a sword drawn from its sheath. He came in the wind and snow, and the blood-red tassel on the end of the sword's handle swayed slightly with his steps, and finally stopped.
The general narrowed his eyes, inexplicably feeling that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before: "Who are you?!"
“Wow——”
Shang Junnian slowly drew out his long sword. The blade was as cool as water, and its cold light clearly reflected his dark and sharp eyes. His voice was indifferent, without any emotion:
"No need to ask any more questions. If you want to kill him, just come and kill him."
The general suddenly realized and sneered: "So you are the remnant accomplice. Don't blame me for being ruthless if you are seeking your own death. Kill you!"
The soldiers behind him swarmed up instantly, wanting to take his life, but Shang Junnian flashed and rushed into the battle circle swiftly, wielding the sword in his hand, so fast that only his shadow could be seen.
Shang Junnian's face was grim, he had forgotten the injuries on his body, he swung his sword quickly to kill the enemies, the boiling blood splashed on his face and became the only warmth in the wind and snow, he felt no pain even when the arrows pierced his body, corpses fell one after another, soon filling the courtyard.
The general's voice was panicked. He didn't expect this man to kill so crazily: "Shoot! Shoot quickly!"
The remaining soldiers drew their bows and arrows, aiming at the figure that was resisting in the courtyard. The dense black arrows were shot with strong winds, which could be described as a thousand swords piercing the heart.
"Bang--!"
At this moment, a white figure suddenly rushed out from the closed door. The man stood in front of Shang Junnian, and swung his sword with all his strength to cut off the incoming arrows. He blocked the arrows while retreating, and pulled Shang Junnian into the Buddhist hall. The closed carved door was immediately shot into a sieve.
"Didn't I tell you to go home?! Why are you coming back?!"
Lu Yan grabbed Shang Junnian's shoulders and growled. His calm appearance was gone. His eyes were bloodshot and wet. When he saw the arrow feathers piercing through the opponent's body, he was so panicked that his hands were shaking. He couldn't understand how things had turned out like this.
Shang Junnian spat out a mouthful of blood with a pale face. The breath that had supported him just now finally leaked out. Now he couldn't even hold the sword steadily, and it fell to the ground with a clang. He moved his lips silently, his Adam's apple rolled, and his words were weak and blurred: "I..."
Veins popped up on Lu Yan's forehead. He held back his tears and leaned closer to his lips, but heard Shang Junnian say, "I have no home anymore..."
Lu Yan closed his eyes, and tears fell straight down, hitting Shang Junnian's face: "Why did you save me?"
Shang Junnian's eyes dimmed for a moment when he heard this. Perhaps even he himself didn't know the answer. After a long while, he asked, "Lu Yan... why did you save me..."
He said, "I hated you..."
I wish I could pull out his tendons, peel off his skin, and eat his flesh raw, but I still can't satisfy my hatred.
A person will go crazy if he is locked up in a dark cell for ten days. Shang Junnian stayed there for five whole years, hoping every day that someone would rescue him. However, it was the person he hated the most who pulled him out of hell.
"I wanted to leave...but I found that there was nowhere to go...so I came back..."
"I've been trapped in this place called Xianling for half my life... I didn't expect that I wouldn't be able to leave even after my death... cough cough cough..."
The blood in Shang Junnian's mouth kept flowing more and more, and finally he couldn't even speak clearly. He grasped Lu Yan's collar tightly, as if he wanted to ask for the answer, but his vision gradually became blurred and dim, and his sharp and beautiful fox eyes gradually dimmed.
"call--"
The two carved wooden doors were already shaking under the attack of the arrows, and the cold wind and snow poured in through the gaps, and the temple was covered with snow. The statue of the deity looked down at the mess on the ground with a sad look, and the candles and lanterns on the altar fell to the ground, lighting up the white gauze curtain.
“Bang—!”
The flames shot up into the sky, and the entire mourning hall was engulfed in flames. Lu Yan held Shang Junnian's body and slowly knelt down in front of the statue. He let the flames climb up the corners of his clothes. His handsome face was particularly pious in the light of the fire. His eyes were red, and he asked softly:
"Buddha, do we still have an afterlife?"
The gods and Buddhas did not answer, so he asked again,
"System, can I still go back?"
The people outside didn't know what happened inside, and they tried to put out the fire in a panic, but the door beams collapsed one after another, and they couldn't get close. In a trance, Lu Yan seemed to hear a heart-wrenching cry from outside. He turned around and saw several soldiers holding a young emperor in armor. The other person looked very similar to Zhao Yuzhang. He was so angry that he cursed:
"You idiots! Who allowed you to shoot arrows? I'm going to kill you! Kill you!!"
"Go in and save them! Go quickly! Shang Junnian! Come out!"
He cried out in despair and watched the temple collapse. In the end, he couldn't even stand steadily.
Finally, two more men appeared outside the Moon Gate, and the general said to them respectfully, "Your Majesty, Fengling King Lu Yan has burned himself in the Buddhist temple."
Liu Quedan frowned and said calmly, "It's a good thing for him to die so easily."
Gongsun Wuyou said nothing after hearing this. The childishness on his face faded away, revealing the sharpness of a young man. When he raised his eyes, he saw flames rising to the sky in the distance, engulfing the white figure of the man. In a trance, the other party seemed to look back at him, which made him feel particularly familiar.
It was as if the blazing fire had turned into wind and rain, and the cold and quiet Buddhist temple had turned into a ferry where all the peach blossoms had fallen. Someone on a horse looked back and smiled at him, but his face could not be seen clearly, only his eyes, which were smiling, were particularly beautiful.
Strangely familiar.
Gongsun Wuyou closed his eyes and shook his head, saying, "When a person dies, it's like a lamp goes out. Forget it."
He opened his eyes again, and saw a dark shadow suddenly fly into the firelight, so fast that no one could catch it in time -
Like a...
Dirty?
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