Chapter 345: End General Yao Xin Pays Respect to the Marshal

"Spurring my horse to the front, there comes a fool seeking death. My precious blade flashes red, and the ignorant wretch perishes on the battlefield!"

Li Banfeng hummed these lines from "Dingjun Mountain" as he ascended the mountain to deliver good news to Old Yao. He had initially considered telling Qiu Zhiheng about breaking the Mourning Gate Array, but then thought better of it. He realized that this information shouldn't be spread yet; it might be a good opportunity to lure out the Mourning Star itself. So, he decided to inform Old Yao first.

From a distance, Old Yao stood majestically in the courtyard, wearing a three-pronged purple-gold crown, a red brocade robe adorned with a hundred flowers, cloud-walking lotus-silk boots, and holding a three-pointed, two-edged blade. Four battle flags were stuck in his back. Li Banfeng admired his imposing presence.

Hearing footsteps from afar, Old Yao smiled and said, "Little Qiu, you're here?"

Li Banfeng chuckled; the old man was always so amusing. Indeed, his red robe, combined with his reddish beard and the four flags fluttering behind him in the wind, truly gave him an impressive aura.

Wait a minute. When did his beard turn red?

Li Banfeng quickened his pace, rushing into the courtyard.

Old Yao spoke again, "Not Little Qiu? Is it Yu Nan, that girl?"

This wasn't humor. He genuinely couldn't see.

Li Banfeng stepped forward and asked, "Old Yao, what happened?"

Old Yao was covered in blood. The courtyard and house were in ruins.

"Ah, Li Qi, it's you!" Old Yao chuckled. "Nothing much, just ran into a petty thief who stupidly barged into my place. I cut him down."

Old Yao held the long blade in one hand and a human head in the other. Was this the head of the Mourning Star? Li Banfeng ignored the head for a moment, wanting to help Old Yao sit down. But Old Yao waved him off:

"No sitting. If I sit, I won't be able to stand again. Li Qi, you came too early. If you'd come a bit later, you wouldn't have seen me in such a sorry state." He spoke with difficulty.

"Why are you talking like this? Let's find somewhere for you to sit first."

"I can't sit. I must stand, I must stand," Old Yao gripped Li Banfeng's wrist. He stood with great effort but remained upright. "It doesn't matter if I'm in a sorry state; if you saw me, you saw me. Among all the people in this world, I never make friends, but you truly are one of them. Do you still remember why I don't make friends?"

"Yes," Li Banfeng quickly searched for adhesive tape to help stop Old Yao's bleeding. "You said one friend you made at eight years old snatched your sugar figure and ate it."

Old Yao nodded, smiling. "That scoundrel was my childhood friend, Pan Dehai. He was cunning with his words, always tricking me with his glib tongue since we were kids. I don't know how many good things he swindled from me. After I finally caught on, I started treating everything he said as nonsense."

Li Banfeng was startled. "Pan Dehai was your childhood friend?"

Old Yao chuckled, "That's why I told you, that old dog is no good!"

Li Banfeng found the tape and applied it to the wound, but the bleeding didn't stop. He then went to look for ointment.

Old Yao called out, "Don't bother, can you possibly know more about medicine than me? I'm done for. Is that all you remember, the story from when I was eight?"

Li Banfeng retrieved the wound medicine and, while applying it, replied, "I also remember you talking about when you were eighteen. A friend you made then took your wife and slept with her."

Old Yao chuckled, "I came from a military family. I joined the army at thirteen, earned merit at fifteen and was promoted to captain, and at eighteen, I earned enough merit to become a general with an honorary title. Prince Rui respected me and married his daughter to me. Oh, I was so happy! I was going to marry a princess!

"On my wedding night, I drank and drank, round after round. I had a friend named Lin Dexing, the Grand Tutor's son. That scoundrel kept pace with me, drinking round after round. When I got drunk, he went to consummate the marriage in my place, he..."

Here, Old Yao's hand trembled for a moment, then he sighed, "To be honest, I don't blame the princess for this. She rarely left her home, and on our wedding night, she didn't lift her veil, so I didn't even know what she looked like. She didn't know me either. She was just confused and ended up sleeping with that scoundrel Lin Dexing!"

Li Banfeng asked, "The Grand Tutor's son did something like that, and no one held him accountable?"

Old Yao gave a bitter laugh. "If the matter had been exposed, Lin Dexing would have been sliced into a thousand pieces. But it wasn't. The prince forbade me from exposing it, Grand Tutor Lin begged me not to, and I myself didn't want to expose it. But I couldn't live like that anymore. I couldn't bear to go on.

"I didn't want to see the princess, so I petitioned the emperor to send me to war. On the battlefield, I was still tormented by it. I led troops distractedly, losing battle after battle, and my general's position was stripped away. If it was taken, it was taken. I couldn't lead troops, but I could do other things. I could lead the cooks, and I could brew wine for the soldiers.

"I brewed wine and drank wine. Wine is a good thing! It boosts cultivation, courage, extinguishes sorrow, and can even cure illnesses! I'm not joking; the good wine I brewed really could cure illnesses. How many soldiers' lives in the army were saved by my medicinal wine!

"I stayed in the army like that for decades. People forgot I could fight, everyone thought I was a medical officer. Actually, I hadn't forgotten tactics, nor had I lost my martial skills. When it came to real combat, I could still offer advice to the officers, but unfortunately, no one would listen to me.

"Suddenly, I was eighty years old, still muddling through in the army. My life was just passing by. Then, there was a major battle. Before it, during the generals' council, I couldn't help but offer an idea: lead a night raid on the enemy camp that evening. The enemy wouldn't be prepared, and we'd surely win a great victory.

"Everyone laughed at me, saying an eighty-year-old medical man, toothless, was just spouting nonsense, not afraid of exaggerating too much. The Marshal didn't laugh at me. She gave me two thousand soldiers and sent me to lead them that night."

Li Banfeng, still applying the medicine, asked, "Who was this Marshal?"

"The famous general Zhao Xiaowan."

Clang! The medicine pot dropped to the ground. Li Banfeng quickly bent down to pick it up.

Old Yao continued, "Zhao Xiaowan was a truly skilled and famous general, completely unlike those who were famous in name only. She had foresight, and I didn't disappoint her. That night, I burned down the enemy camp, cut down their main general, and returned to camp victorious. She made me a general under her command.

"Eighty, do you know? I was eighty, and I became a general again. My armor was broken, I sewed it up myself, stitch by stitch. My great blade was rusted, I polished it myself, stroke by stroke. The warhorses from back then were long gone, but the saddles were still there, and with some cleaning, they could still be used.

"Following Marshal Zhao Xiaowan, I first served as a deputy general, then as a vanguard. We fought battle after battle; I never lost a single one under General Zhao. I came alive again! I felt like I had died at eighteen and was reborn at eighty! But do you know what happened later?"

Li Banfeng said, "You said there was another friend you made when you were eighty, and he took everything he could from you."

Old Yao sighed, "I befriended that scoundrel, Cong Shixiang!"

Cong Shixiang. Li Banfeng had seen his name in historical records; he was General Hengbo at the time. Mentioning him, Old Yao gnashed his teeth. "That scoundrel instigated me, saying the Marshal didn't trust me, that she'd never seek my help for battles again, and would keep me as a medical officer.

"Indeed, there were a few battles at the time that the Marshal didn't send me to. Instead, I did a lot of miscellaneous tasks like patrolling camps and standing guard. I believed Cong Shixiang's lies and, in a fit of pique, insisted on guarding Bitter Medicine Pass. I wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to dissuade me.

"I truly didn't know the situation at the time. I didn't know that group of scoundrels wanted to harm the Marshal. The Marshal didn't send me to battle because, besides me, there was no one left in the army she could trust. But I insisted on going to Bitter Medicine Pass, and the Marshal agreed. Soon after I arrived at Bitter Medicine Pass, I received news... that the Marshal had been... by that gang of..."

Old Yao paused, then sighed, "If I had still been in the army, those scoundrels wouldn't have succeeded. But what's the use of thinking about that now? I fiercely defended Bitter Medicine Pass, repelling anyone who came, but what good was it? I guarded it while alive, and I'll guard it in death. I made it my home, but what good is that now?

"I lost everything. At eight, eighteen, and eighty, I was always betrayed by friends. From then on, I never made friends again. Then, when I forgot how old I was, I happened to meet you. You said you wanted to do business with me. I didn't want to bother with you, but your character truly resonated with mine. The key was, I knew our Marshal was with you."

Clang! The medicine pot fell to the ground again. Li Banfeng quickly bent down to pick it up.

Old Yao smiled. "Our Marshal went to Fengji's General Store. I heard her sing, but I didn't dare to see her. Later, I knew she went with you. I knew you were a good person; you saved Fatty Qin, helped Yu Nan, dealt with that gang of thugs from the Geng family. You're a good kid who understands right from wrong and values loyalty.

"But I still couldn't rest easy. I sent Gourd to check on the Marshal for me. When she returned, she refused to tell me anything. That girl also devoted herself to you. It's good that she followed you. You stood up to Pan Dehai and saved Sea-Eating Ridge. I can trust a hero like you. I'm relieved that the Marshal is with you."

Li Banfeng clutched the medicine pot, not letting it fall. Old Yao knew many things, but Li Banfeng wasn't concerned about that now. His worry was how much longer Old Yao could hold on. The adhesive tape was used up. The ointment was also used up. The bleeding on Old Yao's body still hadn't stopped. He was the Medicine King. If even he had no solution, was there truly no hope?

Old Yao took a deep breath, then turned to Li Banfeng with a smile. "Brother, I can smell it. The ill omen in Medicine King's Gully seems to have dispersed. Has the Mourning Gate Array been broken?"

Li Banfeng replied, "It has."

Old Yao smiled. "Good brother, I owe you a great deal. Everything in this place belongs to you. I have one request, though: I want to see the Marshal one more time."

Could he be allowed to see her? Old Yao stood rooted to the spot, trembling all over, barely supported by his three-pointed, two-edged blade. He couldn't see Li Banfeng, yet it seemed as if he was looking at him. He waited for Li Banfeng's answer.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then said, "One moment."

Old Yao had lost his sight and didn't know where Li Banfeng had gone. After a moment, he suddenly heard war drums—a familiar sound. Amidst the drumming, he heard soldiers marching, warhorses neighing, and the clash of weapons and armor.

Li Banfeng pushed open the door of the Portable Abode, which faced Old Yao directly. From inside the door, the Madame's voice rang out: "Old General Yao, how goes the battle?"

Old Yao gripped his long blade tightly, straightened his posture, and replied: "Your humble subordinate Yao Xin, stationed at the pass, has repelled the invaders. Not an inch of land was lost. Over a hundred enemies were killed, and the enemy general was slain on the field. Now, I present the head of the bandit leader to the Marshal!"

He tried to lift the Mourning Star's head, but he no longer had the strength.

The Madame's voice came again: "General, your bravery surpasses all in the army. When we march out again, you shall still be the vanguard."

"Thank you, Marshal!"

Two lines of blood trickled from Old Yao's eyes. His breath ceased. But he didn't fall. Clutching his long blade, he remained standing.

The gramophone once again played the tune of "Dingjun Mountain."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Hong Ying gently but firmly tapped the ground with her gun stock, in rhythm with the drumbeats. This was a warrior's salute.

Hong Ying said, "You're right, he was a good general. Is he still alive?"

The gramophone replied, "He is, but his injuries are too severe. He has fallen asleep."

"Will he wake up again?"

The gramophone remained silent.