Chapter 431 Collapse
"Brother Ye, you are worried. I always feel like you are going to leave us?"
"Silly Achen, don't worry, I won't resign. After watching you and the young master get married and fulfill this last wish, I will take a long vacation and put aside the affairs of the Huo Gang."
"And then, where are you going?"
"Go find Jiao Zuotai. The battle is over, and those remaining Black Scale Cavalry beasts are hiding outside the border of the Southern Kingdom. You don't need to pay attention to them for now. But I must find Jiao Zuotai and kill him with my own hands."
"Then Brother Ye, I will go with you after the wedding is completed."
"No, just wait for the birth of the young master. Don't take any risks again in your life, and don't get hurt for me again. I will avenge my personal grudge myself."
"No! I must go with you!"
"Achen, life and death are determined by fate."
On the way back to Beijing after the two armies reunited, Yun Chen and Ye Yan walked side by side, talking softly about this heavy topic as if they were chatting with their families.
Faced with Ye Yan's insistence, Yun Chen no longer refuted.
She knew that Ye Yan seemed gentle and calm, as if no difficulties in the world could defeat him. He could even swallow the pain of losing his wife and children with tears and blood and stand up again.
In fact, he was lonely and sad, and never forgot the grief of losing his wife and children.
Since he had spoken of revenge, he must have planned it thousands of times in his mind.
It is very likely that after she marries Huo Gannian, Ye Yan will finish drinking the wedding wine, put down his glass and quietly leave, embarking on the dangerous road of revenge alone.
Thinking of this, Yun Chen secretly made up her mind that she must find a way to go with Ye Yan and not let him take risks alone.
She was afraid that Ye Yan would never come back, and she was even more afraid that after he took revenge, all his will would collapse, and he would be unable to think straight and commit suicide.
She wanted to discuss this matter with Huo Gannian in advance, so she looked around and saw soldiers from both armies everywhere. Some were riding horses, while others were walking together, enjoying the cool shade of the woods and chatting as they walked.
Huo Gannian was not far ahead, walking side by side with Duan Jie and Fu Lin.
"Brother Ye, I'm going to look for Ah Nian and will be back soon."
Yun Chen said this to Ye Yan, then ran towards Huo Gannian quickly, but was stopped by Rong Yi and Luo Dongdong who suddenly appeared halfway. They insisted on asking her to judge and explain whether Rong Yi or Luo Dongdong had killed more Black Scale Cavalry in the past few years.
Seeing that the two of them were arguing with each other until their faces turned red and their necks were about to fight, Yun Chen was helpless:
"I've been listening for quite some time, and you two are arguing over a difference of eleven kills? So, let me be fair and say five and a half kills each, so that counts as the same kills for both of you, okay?"
"How can that be possible?!" Rong Yi and Luo Dongdong said in unison, "How can there be even half a Black Scale Cavalry?!"
Yun Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Then I'll give some of my kill count to you two, 205 each, okay? Gentlemen, please calm down for a while!"
"Two hundred?" Rong Yi and Luo Dongdong's eyes lit up when they heard it.
Yun Chen was already a general, so killing 400 fewer enemies wouldn't be a big deal. But if Rong Yi and Luo Dongdong each killed 200 more, their ranks wouldn't increase when they returned to Beijing to discuss their military merits, but their salaries would! Who doesn't like a lot of silver?
Upon hearing such good news, the two people who had been arguing fiercely just now came together to count the money, which made Yun Chen helpless and amused, and he shook his head repeatedly.
At the same time, on Ye Yan's side, after Yun Chen left, he continued walking alone, his eyes fell on Huo Gannian who was walking side by side with Duan Jie and Fu Lin in front of him.
The three of them looked like they were chatting, and Huo Gannian had a rare relaxed and happy expression on his face.
Ye Yan has always shared the same joys and sorrows with Huo Gannian, and he couldn't help but smile.
As the person who always steps forward to clean up the mess and stabilize everyone's emotions, Ye Yan brings peace of mind just by standing there.
It's as solid and reliable as having a wall at your back.
But few people explore his inner world.
As the personal guard who has been with Huo Gannian the longest and whom he trusts the most, Ye Yan has a firm belief in his heart, and his loyalty to Huo Gannian is so deep that it far exceeds that of anyone else.
All of this comes from his inherent character, and more importantly, from the young master Huo Gannian, whom he almost believes in as a god.
After the tragic loss of his beloved wife and children, Ye Yan had thought about dying, but every time he looked at Huo Gannian, he couldn't let go.
Loyal guards are easy to find, but wise leaders are hard to find.
How could Ye Yan bear to betray such a good master? And abandon the Huo Gang's affairs?
I thought I would stay here for now and live one day at a time. Before I knew it, almost a year had passed.
Ye Yan was still feeling emotional in his heart, and couldn't help but stare at Huo Gannian and the other two for a long time.
I don’t know what joke Duan Jie said, but Fu Lin suddenly picked up a small red snake from the ground, laughed, and gestured to Huo Gannian’s crotch.
Huo Gannian raised his eyebrows and chuckled, then kicked Fu Lin.
When Ye Yan saw this scene, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
I didn't expect Huo Gannian, Duan Jie, and Fu Lin, three grown men in their twenties, to act like little boys, using this method to tease each other, just like...
It's like...they've known each other since they were kids.
Since childhood, they have playfully teased each other countless times.
Ye Yan slowly stopped and looked again with suspicion.
Fu Lin had thrown away the little red snake, but Ye Yan suddenly remembered what Yun Chen had said when they were grilling around the fire last night:
"He had a birthmark on the inside of his thigh, shaped like a small red snake... but it's long gone. Now there's only a scar."
Ye Yan repeated this sentence twice, and an unprecedented chill slowly rose from the soles of his feet to his heart.
He stood there blankly, his mind full of only one question:
The way Fu Lin was joking just now clearly showed that he knew about the birthmark on Huo Gannian's inner thigh!
But even Ye Yan and Run He, who had served him closely for over a decade, didn't know about the birthmark! It had already disappeared due to the arrow wound!
Fu Lin, the former leader of the rebel army who had only joined last year! A stranger who had come later! How could he know?!
unless--
Ye Yan stood there in a daze as if struck by lightning. The whole world collapsed, the sky and the earth turned upside down and spun madly. It felt like a giant beast was roaring in his ears, making a heart-shattering roar.
"Brother Ye, remember this secretly. The divine tiger is missing two fangs and a molar."
The last words he said before his tongue was cut off were like the sharpest spear, shooting straight out from the dark abyss, piercing Ye Yan bloodily and pinning him to the ground, unable to move.
Ye Yan had seen the tiger bone pendant once before, which Huo Gannian never showed to others and kept hidden deep in his private storage.
Fu Lin's tiger-fang dagger.
That Duan Jie...is there still one?
They became sworn brothers, but the divine tiger pulled out their teeth and both were sentenced to death.
The prison is changing one thing after another.
He lived in hiding in Youyang.
Then came war and death.
Heroes, hymns...
Combined with Duan Jie's accidental words, "This is the first time I've seen him cry since I was a child."
Various, various...
Countless details, like sharp fragments, swarmed in from all directions, weaving into an impenetrable net that was dense enough to scrape away flesh and blood, tightly entangling Ye Yan and making it impossible for him to breathe.
No wonder Bu Yan "betrayed" and resigned. It turned out that he had already guessed everything from the divine tiger Duan Chi.
Ruo Fulin and Duan Jie are old acquaintances of Huo Gannian and sworn brothers with a bond stronger than gold.
So it all started with the siege of Guying City, the stormy call for help, the crossing of the defense line, the annihilation of the Northern Expedition, the northward march to the rescue of the emperor, and the decisive battle in Youzhou...
Is everything carefully planned...?
And all those who died as a result of this "scheme," including Hua Jue, Ye Yan's wife and children! And the millions of soldiers and civilians! Were they all just insignificant cannon fodder?
Ye Yan collapsed to his knees on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk to avoid fainting.
Although his body was intact, he felt as if every inch of his flesh had been pierced mercilessly, with blood holes all over his body, and a despairing cold wind was blowing in.
"Young Master, it turns out... you never truly trusted me... Why... Why didn't you trust me..."
"So the world is in chaos and war is out of control. How much of this is your handiwork? If you're planning to dominate, tell me! I'll risk my life for you! But who's to blame for the loss of so many innocent lives, including my wife and children? My child, have you seen how they died?"
"Master, I have nothing left..."
"Young Master... Young Master..."
Ye Yan's eyes were dull as he stared into the void. His glint was broken and lifeless as he repeated the word "Young Master" over and over again. Finally, he raised his head with all his might, stretched his neck, and let out a painful howl that pierced the sky.
"ah--"
"ah--"
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