Chapter 455: A Man Should Serve His Country!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Yun Yang regained consciousness once more, he was surprised to hear a noise coming from beside him. There was also a faint light that stung his bleary eyes the moment he opened them.
A group of people was pushing each other beside him.
"Give way, let me see, let me see as well. I want to look at this rare person."
"So unbelievable, it's really rare."
"F*ck, I didn't believe it when I heard it, but it's true!"
"Awesome! So awesome!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"What a miracle."
"I wouldn't call it a miracle, but he is certainly an oddity indeed!"
"Your father will kneel now, it's truly unbelievable. How incredible…"
"If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I truly wouldn't have believed it…"
…
Yun Yang was dumbstruck.
What was all this ruckus about?
Yun Yang opened his eyes fully and glared at the heads hovering before him. They wore curious and shocked gazes that were trained on him as if they had seen a rare and precious item. It felt like a crowd was that was cheering with glee and amusement. "Wow, here's a big tiger in the cage…"
Yun Yang was titled a popinjay, but his extraordinarily good looks had caused him to become accustomed to being watched and being admired. It was a way of life for beautiful things to be admired, but right now… he knew what he was made of. How could he possibly be good looking right now?
Yun Yang felt his head throb, but he could not help asking, "What are you all looking at?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Yun Yang was surprised. He could actually talk now, and his diction was clear and audible.
"He's woken up, he's woken up. He's alive!"
"Oh my gosh, he actually managed to survive such severe injuries…"
"Not only did he survive, he can speak as well! I just heard him talk!"
"A miracle! This is nothing short of a miracle! There's no doubt about it!"
"Old Liu, the person you've saved came alive! Your efforts have not been wasted!"
Yun Yang understood the situation immediately the moment he heard the inane chatter.
He had been saved by a kindhearted person, and the main reason he had obtained an audience was that they were shocked that he was not dead from his fatal injuries. It was quite rare indeed!
An elder who wore a friendly smile appeared before Yun Yang, checking him carefully for a long period of time before he heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Young friend, you're very lucky. If it had been any ordinary person who had to suffer such heavy external wounds and internal injuries, they would have died one too many times… And you, young friend, have come back alive. Once you woke up, your vital signs turned stronger as well. It's truly incredible. This old man has practiced medicine for so many years, yet it's still my first time to witness such severe injuries and a strange condition to boot."
Yun Yang replied hoarsely, "Thank you for saving me, old sir."
"It's a good thing that your vital signs are recovering greatly, but your healing can't be rushed. You have to rest well." The old man smiled as he said, "I've boiled a bowl of medicine for you just now. Drink it quickly and go back to sleep. A complete rest is the best recovery method for you now."
Thinking about it, Yun Yang could feel that his wounds had been treated. The broken bones throughout his whole body were secured with bamboo shards and wood; they were tied to his chest, back and all over his torso. He was practically a mummy.
Yun Yang did not dare to slip back into oblivion, but asked again, "May I ask what place is this? What country does it belong to?"
The old man was taken aback by the question as he said, "This is the southeast sector of the Empire of Yutang, belonging to the Empire of Yutang's Tiannan Circuit. It's a small village of Xinghui City's Laishui County. We call it Huang Col Village."
"Tiannan Circuit… Xinghui City, Laishui County…"
Yun Yang exhaled deeply, his eyes slightly unfocused from confusion.
He knew about the Tiannan Circuit the old man had mentioned, as well as Xinghui City too, but he knew nothing about Laishui County. Even then, this place belonged to Xinghui City so it should not be too far away.
Therefore, this place should be about five thousand and seven hundred miles away from the eastern border. This distance would take only two hours to traverse if Yun Yang's ability was not lost and he went as wind and cloud, but now…
Yun Yang closed his eyes dejectedly. What could he do now, even if he had gone to the battlefield?
He had lost his cultivation base and both his external and internal injuries were tremendously severe. Losing his manifestation powers, in particular, would make him lesser than an ordinary practitioner; if he had indeed gone to the battlefield, he might be buried the moment he encountered the enemy!
Hence, the only important task right now was to recover as speedily as he could and reacquire his cultivation method. As to what extent his cultivation method could come back to, he would leave it in the hands of the future. Right now, the only thing he must not do was to give up!
He closed his eyes to rest, quietly recovering his energy, but the people beside him were talking.
"I wonder who this fellow is… he looks like he just came from the battlefield…"
"Most probably. Look at him, even if he was attacked by ten thousand men, he wouldn't have been this badly injured. Is the war really so devastating these days?"
"A little speaks volumes. I can imagine the terror! I wonder how Young Six and the rest are now…"
Everyone sighed collectively; the atmosphere turned quiet for a moment.
Yun Yang opened his eyes and turned his head with great difficulty to ask, "War?"
It was then that he noticed the crowd surrounding him were mainly made up of older adults between forty to fifty years of age. Every one of them was lined with wrinkles and wore the evidence of life's vicissitudes.
One of them said, "Are you not from the battlefield?"
Yun Yang sighed, "I was on my way to provide assistance on the battlefield… and was attacked and injured by the enemy's experts."
"Oh dear, is the journey to the battlefield also so difficult too? There are ambushes from the enemy nation's experts?"
The audience was stunned hearing him.
"The empire has announced a dictum to fight till death. Everyone is to fight in the war and protect the homeland!" Seeing Yun Yang's confusion, an elder explained, "We are merely simple people of the mountainside, but everyone is responsible when the country is in danger…"
"The strong and young hunters of this village have gathered together, thirty-six people in all, and went to assist on the battlefield. We just don't know if they've arrived safely."
Yun Yang felt his heart warmed by the news.
"If the world is peaceful and Yutang is safe and sound, we would naturally take recluse here, asking only for happiness and peace. But now, facing the threat of our homes being destroyed… we're insignificant citizens, but we can't hide and hope for safety. It's what we should do, to send our sons and grandsons to provide aid on the battlefield. We don't ask to turn the situation around, but we would ask to have a clear conscience, when the country is in crisis, as a man of Yutang."
The elders looked solemn.
"Sigh… actually, you were discovered when Young Six and group were crossing the river upon their departure. They thought that you were an injured soldier from the war; sharing the same nationality, there's always a natural compassion, so they sent you back, asking us to take care of you…"
An old man said kindly, "Child, you were injured from going to the war, after all. From that alone, you are Yutang's warrior. As long as you still have breath left in you, we'd revive you, even if we have to go bankrupt to do. Don't worry, and just concentrate on recuperating."
Another elderly said seriously, "That's right! This is our tacit understanding – everyone who has been injured on the battlefield is our hero! What's more, your injuries are so serious!"
The implied meaning was that unless he had gone through an extremely overwhelming battle, he would not have been wounded to this extent. That he hadn't died proved that Yun Yang was no ordinary person. By inference, one could imagine how devastating a battle he had faced. All the more it proved that his identity as Yutang's hero and a warrior of the battlefield.
"I am ashamed!" Yun Yang said softly.
The elderlies comforted him quickly.
It brought warmth to Yun Yang, as he felt an unprecedented surge of fervor and exclamation in his heart.
With such citizens, how could Yutang fall? How could it perish?
Subsequently, the old people went out and closed the door, afraid to have disturbed Yun Yang's rest.
Yun Yang could still hear the soft sighs outside.
"Wonder if the Nine Supremes Lords will be taking part in the war or not… I hear that the situation now is unprecedentedly dangerous. Dongxuan has come at us with the military might of the entire nation…"
"Isn't it so? Otherwise, how can His Majesty announce the dictum to fight to our deaths and deploy the entire country to salvage this crisis? We have never seen danger of this momentous before!"
"When we finally have a few years of peace, chaos has struck again…"
"Sigh…"
"I just don't understand. Yutang has never provoked the other countries first all these years and we have never started any wars as well. Why must those countries target us over and over again? Will they only rest when the entire world has been conquered?"
"I don't know. This is probably what those authorities are contemplating. We only need to do our part…"
"Sigh, how I wish I could go ten or eight years back in time. Even if I'm forty years old now, I'd go challenge those war-crazed people in the battlefield! How do they want us to live with the war going on every day?"
…
Yun Yang sighed inwardly. He promptly calmed himself down and began mustering his mystical Qi.
There was honestly nothing he could do in his current state. Rather than dwelling in panic and also helplessness, he might as well try to recover quickly. After all, what was needed the most now was to recover from his injuries and his abilities with the hope that he could still rush to the war in time!
He had to go and help, to reach this war that would decide Yutang's fate!
Ptui! Yun Yang spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling lethargic.
It was already midnight now.
There was simply no improvement in his body or cultivation method that he needed so much to recover promptly. There was no other reason for that, except for the fact that Yun Yang's meridians were incredibly weak now. Any slight movement would shatter them; how could there be any chance of improvement? Yun Yang was expecting this, knowing that he must not be impatient. However, the piercing pain in his head would surge occasionally, while his internal organs felt like they were on a rollercoaster ride in his body; the pain that had taken him captive was unbearable and it made cultivating even harder.
Luckily, the treasured gems Yun Zuiyue had fed Yun Yang the other day was showing their efficacy now. They stored a great amount of energy within the muscles and meridians and it was slowly being released now, repairing Yun Yang's body on its own accord.
After multiple attempts, Yun Yang realized that he had to wait for the hidden energy to finish repairing his meridians or else any movement of Qi would bring splitting pain to his meridians. If he were to push through it forcefully, it would only inhibit the speed of repair.
Consequently, Yun Yang did nothing. Instead, he settled for resting with his eyes closed.
When morning came, another bowl of bitter medicine was delivered into his stomach, waking Yun Yang up from the depths of sleep.
Yun Yang felt around and moved his body gently, only to find out that the pain he had lived with for days had significantly subsided, especially the agony in his mind. As for the wounds littered all over him, they were finally showing signs of healing.
The sight of his healing wounds drew gasps wonder from the elder physician who looked after Yun Yang.
With the injuries Yun Yang had suffered from, there should hardly have been any improvement even if a month or two had passed; it was well within reason to expect him to be bedridden forever, unable to recover fully. Who would have expected this patient to heal so much in just one night, especially with a vitality that far exceeded the capability of a severely injured person?
The old physician did not know how massive the mysterious energy stored within Yun Yang was, of course. Such a process was only a matter of course that if it were not for Emmie's disappearance and his loss of manifestation powers, the external and internal damage was of no consequence at all to Yun Yang!
"For such serious wounds to have recovered so extensively in a single day, you must be an impressive figure of significance!" said the old physician respectfully.
The old physician did not know about Yun Yang's background and ability, but he who faired proficiently in medicine could tell vaguely that Yun Yang must not be an ordinary person nor a common cultivator; he was possibly an ace cultivator as rumored in legends, a reclusive expert!
"You flatter me, elder. I'm only a small Yutang soldier." Yun Yang said respectfully, "To save people and heal the world, you are the real hero."
The old man smiled humbly.
"Grandpa!"
A youth's voice rang out before a teenager of fifteen to sixteen years old walked in. The naivety that belonged to a child was yet to wear off from his face. He carried a big basket of frozen herbs, still stained with soil on his back.
How much trouble it must have been for such a young child to search for these medicinal herbs in this harsh winter.
Just by looking at the weariness evident on the youth's face, he could tell that the trip must have been exhausting.
"You're back? Rest up first, we'll eat in a bit," said the old man warmly.
"Okay. Grandpa, I want to discuss something with you." The innocent youth looked hesitant.
Hearing the word 'discuss', the old man trembled inexplicably and his voice turned low, "If it's not important, there's no need for discussion, lest our guest gets embarrassed."
The teenager bit his lips with a lowered head, his toes rubbed the floor; his face was flushed but he did not speak what he so clearly desired to.
The old man sighed softly, seeing how he acted and said slowly, "Speak then."
"I want to go to war!" The teenager lifted his head abruptly and said, "I want to fight! I want to go to the battlefield!"
The old man quivered again and mumbled, "Thirteen years ago, your father said exactly the same thing…"
He turned away slowly to gaze out the door and murmured, "Then…"
The teenager's eyes were red as he said, "Dongxuan is invading our border and Yutang is in a crisis. I want to go to the war!"
"I want to seek revenge for father! I want to fight for Yutang! To kill the enemy!"
The teenager fell to his knees on the floor, "Grandpa… the few of us have discussed it. We want to leave... tomorrow morning!"
"The few of you? There are as many as the few of you?" The old man asked, trembling, "How many of you? Who else are there?"
"Erniu, Tiezhu, Suanzi, Huzi, Kaizi… there are twelve of us!" The youth puffed out his chest. "The uncles have gone and we're all grown up now. It's not right for us to stick around the village all the time… we only feel shame every day! We can kill the enemy, we can serve the country as well!"
"Shame…"
The old man turned slowly and said in a low voice, "Even if you all want to go, it has to be agreed upon by the other families… If you all leave, this village… other than the women, children, and elders… there won't be any young men left…"
The names the teenager had mentioned were all the youths the village had. The older adult men of this village had proceeded to the battlefield and these teenagers were the remaining strong labor the village possessed; they were also the heirs to the bloodlines that ran strong in the village.
The boy bit his lip, not saying anything, with his head lowered. He understood the implied meaning of his grandfather's words, he really did, but…
The old man made his decision promptly then, saying, "Since you all have set your minds to go, then wait another two days. Grandpa will pack your things for you later. Tonight… Grandpa will make delicious dishes and rations for your journey! Let your aunties and grandmas make you all clothes and shoes! Then all of you may depart, well-fed and warm!"
"No!" Yun Yang who was lying on the bed sat up suddenly; his eyes were shining. "Wait at least four days!"
The boy turned to look at him and asked with unadulterated curiosity, "Why? Why must we wait another four days?"
Yun Yang said lowly, "Because in these few days… all of you are to learn the combat techniques on the battlefield from me! For yourselves and also for your families at home, you need to have a stronger ability to kill the enemy and a stronger force to protect yourselves!"
The old man's dull eyes shone at once, but he said worriedly, "This is a good thing sir, but how about your body?"
Yun Yang repressed the ache running through him and said resolutely, "It's not a problem anymore. You've felt it becoming better as well, right? Since the children intend to serve the country and go to war, let me teach them some form of self-defense… when they got to the battlefield, at least they can protect themselves and have additional skills to kill the enemy!"
The elder was reduced to tears as he repeated, "Thank you, thank you!"
The old man was from an isolated village, but he was experienced with life; how could he not know that the so-called self-defense was most probably the cultivation method of the excellent practitioners? One's skill was not easily overlooked; Yun Yang had said it easily, but the old man dared not take it lightly, especially when he knew full well that anything could happen on the battlefield.
The probability of an accident happening to a new recruit in the battleground who knew nothing was too big, even more so when their side was at such a disadvantage.
To have the ability that could increase one's combat power and save one's self on the battlefield was indescribably precious!
If this person could really teach his grandson the combat techniques of the battlefield, it was like his grandson had been gifted with several more chances of not dying when he should!
The old man turned back and yelled, "Quickly, bow down to your teacher!"
The teenager was stunned and began to kneel down.
Yun Yang was ashamed that he could not do more. Aside from the old man saving his life, he should be helping, seeing that the child had bravely insisted on going, despite knowing the grave state of the war. He waved painfully and said, "There is no need for such courtesy! There are only two days left to us. Even if you want to learn more, I can only teach you what's practical. There's no need to kneel."
In the same afternoon, Yun Yang asked to be carried out. The teenagers who were prepared to go to war stood before him like tree trunks. There were twelve of them and each pair of their eyes was staring at Yun Yang passionately.
"Fighting on the battlefield is completely different from an ordinary brawl. The first thing all of you should know is… to be fearless! The more afraid of death one is on the battlefield, the faster he dies."
Yun Yang pushed through the throbbing pain in his head and said clearly, "You fellows don't need to know too much about other things. What you need to sear into your brain now is this; take care of the comrades beside you! These are two of the best ways to survive the battlefield!"
"Be fearless? Take care of our comrades?" The youths were stumped.
"Yes, these two things– the latter is more important than the former."
Yun Yang nodded meaningfully and explained, "Only when you're willing to take a saber for your comrades will your comrades be willing to block the arrow for you! The saying 'brothers of the battlefield share life and death' originates from this sort of mentality. Perhaps you'll die for your comrades; perhaps your comrades will die for you… However, when everyone is thinking of their brothers and guarding their comrades, their combat powers will increase by leaps and bounds!"
The teenagers seemed to understand this, yet they were confused about Yun Yang's teaching. Still, all of them memorized this with all their hearts.
Be fearless!
Take care of our comrades!
Two of the best ways to survive the battlefield!
The latter is more important than the former!
"I only have an arm that can be moved now and even if I push myself to do the actions, it'll hardly be demonstrative. I won't be showing you all the moves personally. I want two people to step out now, to do as I say. I'll teach you some sure-fire techniques of combat on the battlefield."
"First, bare hands…"
"Using the saber, you should…"
"Using the spear, you should…"
"Don't consider any other weapons. There isn't any grace or elegance to consider in the battleground. The two weapons that I've mentioned are the ones that can do the most damage. Other weapons like long swords only look good. They will hardly be effective in battle. Don't even try training with them. Also, sabers and spears without their owners are plentiful on the battlefield. Even if your weapon is gone or broken, you can grab one easily."
Yun Yang watched the teenagers practice the techniques they had just learned carefully; each of them knew that this was the way that could save their lives, thus they treated the lesson seriously, not daring to be the least bit careless.
"Now, I'll teach you all the art of breathing…" Yun Yang thought about it and said, "This breathing technique's effect is limited; it can't make all of you martial artists or cultivators but it's an efficient way to regain your breath on the battlefield! If you want to learn other things, I'll teach you all when you come back alive from the battlefield. Remember, if you can survive, I'll pass onto you all an intricate cultivation method and lead you on your cultivation journey!"
The youths did not know how much weight Yun Yang's promise carried, only nodding with innocent smiles.
Yun Yang was not being reserved with his skill, reluctant to teach these youth a deeper cultivation method. It was because he knew it was too late, no matter what remarkable cultivation method he taught them now because the war might have already ended while waiting for them to cultivate those methods.
Only the recovery breathing technique and training drills Yun Yang had taught them earlier were the most practical things right now.
In the afternoon and night that followed, the boys sweated buckets training diligently in the yard.
"No matter when it is, never fight with all of your energy! Retain some strength, no matter what, to give yourself room to breathe!"
"The comrades beside you are your closest people to you in your life! They're closer to you than your biological father, mother or brothers! Never look down on anyone, even when you can knock out ten of them with one hand!"
"Even when you're utterly expended, remember to cheer!" Yun Yang taught them kindly, "When you run out of strength, cheer with those who are as tired as you. It will give birth to another form of energy within your drained selves… This energy is called faith!"
"Then what cheer should we be cheering? What cheer is the most useful?" asked a boy innocently.
Yun Yang pondered and said, "The most useful one is to chant 'victorious Yutang, we have a home'!"
"For our parents, for our family!"
"For our future!"
"Brothers, let's go!"
Yun Yang knew that these seemingly useless slogans could always garner the most exceptional effects during the critical junctures on the battlefield. When one was in a deadlock and yelled out the passion within him, he would truly be charged with an inexplicable energy!
At least, that power could support one to make the last struggle!
On the second day, Yun Yang supervised the youths' training, combat drills, and survival techniques. They practiced breathing only at night, to replace sleep.
Although their cultivation days were incredibly short, the art of breathing was immediately effective as the teenagers already felt its benefit despite being only beginners. Using it to replace sleep, they were even more focused without feeling fatigue on the second day. This fortified the assurance they felt from Yun Yang's teaching!
Yun Yang reaped his gains from the day as well. He could distinctly tell that the immense potential strength within him was being used up quickly; the broken bones were beginning to feel itchy, a sure sign that they were healing.
"Faster… recover faster…"
On the fourth morning, the boys carried large parcels on their backs, standing straight in front of Yun Yang.
Today, they were departing. No matter how reluctant, they had to go on their journey to war!
Rations, clothes, and pairs of canvas crepe shoes that were sewn securely prepared by their families lay in the large parcels on their backs. The village had concentrated all the resources of the village into these parcels.
Some women stood on the road outside, keeping their emotions in check so their children would not see their sadness but their tears streamed down their faces unchecked.
"Thank you, teacher!"
With loud shouts, the twelve teenagers kneeled in unison and bowed nine times to Yun Yang.
"Yutang has the Nine Supremes, so the highest respect Yutang can pay is to bow nine times. We do so to you, even if you don't acknowledge us as your disciples!"
In Yutang, if a person had bowed to someone nine times from gratitude, it meant that this person respected that someone like he respected the Nine Supremes. It was a show of utmost respect and incredible reverence!
"All of you, get up now!" Yun Yang said in a low voice, "I have a letter I need you all to send. You must be going to the Fortress of Resilience and to the battlefield now! You can pass my letter to any of these three people you meet. As long as you mention that you were sent by Young Master Yun, your trip will be fine."
"These three people... one of them is called Fu Baoguo, one is Qiu Jianhan, while another is Shangguan Lingxiu! The last one is a girl."
Yun Yang said seriously, "You can only pass the letters to them personally!"
"Yes!" Tiezhu promised loudly. He was the oldest among the teenagers who were departing; he was already eighteen years old and was naturally the leader of the boys. He received the letter in reverence and kept it carefully in the pocket of his undershirt.
The others, including the elders, felt that the first two names sounded familiar like they had heard them somewhere before, but they did not think too much of it. After all, no one would think so much – like a small soldier who was handicapped in the battlefield would actually know the two main marshals of the empire.
No one knew that this letter, this message they were to pass, was the true talisman for these twelve youths.
"If they ask about me, about Young Master Yun's whereabouts, just say that I'll be there soon. The longest I'll take to arrive is in half a month!"
Yun Yang continued, "Also, even if you're sleeping while hurrying along your journey, you have to use the breathing method I taught you. No slacking for even a moment; it'd be best if you can get used to it, like a second nature. Practice the combat techniques every day, no matter how tired and hard your journey is, for no lesser than six hours. That's the foundation to your survival on the battlefield, remember?"
The boys' eyes glinted, remembering Yun Yang's words and etching them in their minds.
The villagers carried Yun Yang as they sent the twelve boys off, all of them were smiling. "Go without worries. This is the time that the boys should use their brute force, kill the enemy and serve the country, contribute their merits! You have us at home still! There's no need to be worried!"
The twelve youths kneeled at the end of the road, paying respect to the whole village with respectful bows. They then stood up and turned, leaving with wide strides. Not a single one of them turned back for a second glance.
The morning sun bathed their backs, like putting a veil of colored clouds on them.
Seeing that the teenagers could no longer be seen, heartbroken cries finally came from the crowd who were sending them off.
It was a massive war that saw the presence of millions of soldiers from two countries!
It was an ultimate war that decided the nation's fate and prosperity!
It was an extreme fight that preceded subjugation!
How much could a mere twelve boys' strength be worth?
These twelve teenagers might be drowned by the army the moment they got to the battlefield…
The village did not know if they could still witness them return safely in this lifetime… Who knew how many of these twelve boys would come back in the future!
No one had any confidence about this. They could only wish them all the best.
How many more youths throughout the Empire of Yutang must have stepped into the battlefield as passionately as they had? The emotions that ran through the hundreds of thousands of families who witnessed their departures were exactly the same!