"I charge my steed to the front line, where a foolish lad comes seeking death! My treasured blade flashes red, and the ignorant cur falls upon the field!"
Li Banfeng hummed "Stable Military Mountain" as he ascended the mountain to bring good news to Elder Yao.
Initially, he pondered whether to first inform Qiu Zhiheng about breaking the Deathgate Formation. However, he then thought it might be better to keep it under wraps, as it could serve as an excellent opportunity to trap the Deathgate Star. So, he decided to tell Elder Yao first.
From afar, Old Man Yao could be seen wearing a Triple-pronged Purple Gold Crown, draped in a Red Brocade Hundred Flowers Robe, with Lotus Silk Cloud-walking Shoes on his feet, holding a Three-pointed Double-edged Sword in his hand, and a Four-Sided Banner planted behind his back, standing majestically in the yard.
From a distance, Elder Yao heard footsteps and chuckled, "Xiao Qiu, is that you?"
Li Banfeng smiled; the old fellow was always so humorous. It had to be said, his red robe, matched with his red beard and the banners fluttering behind him in the wind, did give him an impressive aura.
Li Banfeng quickened his pace and ran into the courtyard.
Elder Yao spoke again, "If it’s not Xiao Qiu, is it that girl Yu Nan?"
Li Banfeng stepped forward. "Elder Yao, what happened to you?"
Elder Yao was covered in blood, and both the yard and the house were in shambles.
"Li Qi, is that you, lad!" Elder Yao laughed heartily. "I’m fine; I just encountered a fur thief who recklessly barged into my place, and I chopped him down." He was clutching a long knife in one hand, and in the other, he held a human head.
Li Banfeng didn’t dwell on that; he wanted to help Elder Yao sit down first, but Elder Yao waved his hand.
"No sitting for me. Once I sit, I won’t be able to stand up again. Li Qi, you’ve arrived early. Had you come later, you wouldn’t have seen me in this sorry state," he said, his voice strained.
"Why talk about that? Let’s find a place for you to sit down first."
"Can’t sit. I have to stand, I must stand." Elder Yao grabbed Li Banfeng’s wrist. It was tough for him to remain standing, but he persisted. "A bit of a sorry state is fine, now that you’ve seen me like this. Of all the people alive, I never make friends, but I truly consider you one. Do you remember why I don’t make friends?"
"I remember." Li Banfeng quickly looked for Adhesive Tape to stop Elder Yao’s bleeding. "You said you had one friend when you were eight years old who snatched your sugar figurine and ate it."
Elder Yao nodded and said with a smile, "Right. That bastard was my childhood friend, named Pan Dehai. He had a glib tongue and knew how to sweet-talk me from a young age. I can’t count how many good things he tricked out of me. After I wised up, I treated everything he said as mere bluster."
Li Banfeng was surprised. "Pan Dehai was your childhood friend?"
Elder Yao laughed. "That’s why I told you, that old dog is no good!"
Li Banfeng found the Adhesive Tape and patched up the wound, but the bleeding didn’t stop, so he went to look for ointment.
Elder Yao shouted, "Stop fussing! Do you think you know more about medicine than I do? I’m done for. Is that all you remember about me, being eight years old?"
Li Banfeng found the wound medicine and, as he applied it, responded, "I also remember the story from when you were eighteen, about a friend you made then. He stole your wife and slept with her."
Elder Yao laughed. "I come from a General’s Family. I joined the army at thirteen, earned merit and was promoted to Colonel at fifteen, and by eighteen, I had more accomplishments and became a Miscellaneous General. Prince Rui thought highly of me and gave his daughter to me in marriage. Oh, how happy I was! I could marry a Commandery Princess!
"On the night of my wedding, I drank, round after round. I had a friend, Lin Dexing, the son of the Grand Tutor—this bastard kept drinking with me, round after round. When I was drunk, he... he took my place in the bridal chamber. He..."
As he spoke, Elder Yao’s hands trembled for a moment, and he then sighed. "Truth be told, I don’t blame the Commandery Princess. She was a sheltered lady who rarely left home. On our wedding night, the bridal veil wasn’t lifted—I didn’t even know what she looked like. She didn’t recognize me either. And so, in that state of confusion, Lin Dexing, that bastard, slept with her!"
Li Banfeng asked, "The son of the Grand Tutor did something like this, and nobody did anything about it?"
Elder Yao managed a bitter smile. "If the matter had been exposed, Lin Dexing would have faced death by a thousand cuts. But the truth never came out. Prince Rui forbade me from revealing it, Grand Tutor Lin begged me not to, and I myself didn’t want to. But my life was ruined. I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t want to see the Commandery Princess, so I went before the Emperor and requested a military assignment to go to war.
"On the battlefield, this affair still tormented me. I led my troops distractedly, lost battle after battle, and eventually, my rank was stripped from me. Stripped of my command, so what? I couldn’t lead troops, but I could still be useful. I could cook with the camp followers; I could brew liquor for the soldiers. As I brewed liquor, I drank it. Liquor is a wondrous thing—it increases one’s cultivation level, boosts courage, eases sorrow, and can even cure diseases! I’m not joking—my Medicinal Liquor really did save the lives of many soldiers in the army!
"And so I spent decades in the army. People forgot I knew how to fight and thought me a mere Medical Officer. But I never forgot the art of war, nor did I lose my martial skills. When it came to actual battle, I could still offer advice to the generals, but sadly, no one wanted to listen. In the blink of an eye, I was eighty years old, still drifting through my days in the barracks. That’s how my life seemed to pass.
"Then there was a major battle. Before the fight, when the generals were discussing strategy, I couldn’t help but suggest a nighttime surprise attack on the enemy camp. I said the enemy surely wouldn’t be prepared, and we would definitely achieve a resounding victory. Everyone laughed at me, calling me a toothless old quack, spouting nonsense, unafraid I’d sprain my tongue with all that hot air. The Marshal didn’t laugh. She gave me two thousand soldiers and let me lead the raid that night."
While applying the medicine, Li Banfeng asked, "Who was this Marshal?"
"The famed General Zhao Xiaowan."
CLANG!
The medicine pot fell to the ground, and Li Banfeng hastily bent down to pick it up.
Elder Yao continued, "Zhao Xiaowan is a true war hero, not like those who are famous in name only. She had insight, and I didn’t let her down. That very night, I burned the enemy’s camp, beheaded their chief commander, and returned victorious. She made me a general under her command. Eighty! You know, I was eighty years old, and I became a general once again! My armor was broken, so I mended it myself, stitch by stitch. My greatsword was rusted, so I polished it myself, stroke by stroke, until it gleamed. My warhorse from those days was long gone, but the saddle remained. With a bit of care, it was still serviceable.
"Following Marshal Zhao Xiaowan, I first served as a deputy general, then as a vanguard, fighting one battle after another. Under General Zhao’s command, I never knew defeat. I felt as if I had come back to life. I thought I had died at eighteen, only to be reborn at eighty! But do you know what happened later?"
Li Banfeng said, "You told me: you made another friend at eighty, one who took everything he possibly could from you."
Elder Yao sighed. "I made the mistake of befriending Cong Shixiang, that bastard!"
Cong Shixiang. Li Banfeng had seen his name in the histories—the General Hengbo of that time.
Mentioning him, Elder Yao gritted his teeth. "That bastard sowed discord, telling me the Marshal didn’t trust me, that she wouldn’t call on me for battles anymore, and that I’d be relegated back to being a Medical Officer. For several battles, the Marshal indeed didn’t summon me. Instead, I was assigned trivial tasks like patrolling the camp and standing guard. I believed Cong Shixiang’s damned lies and, in a fit of pique, insisted on defending Bitter Medicine Pass, ignoring all advice.
"I truly didn’t understand the situation at the time. I didn’t know that those bastards were plotting against the Marshal. The Marshal hadn’t sent me to fight because, aside from me, there was no one left in the army she could truly trust. But I stubbornly insisted on going to Bitter Medicine Pass, and the Marshal relented. Not long after I arrived, I received word... the Marshal... those sons of bitches... they had... they..."
Elder Yao paused, then sighed. "If I had stayed in the army, those bastards wouldn’t have succeeded. But what’s the use of thinking about that now? I steadfastly defended Bitter Medicine Pass, repelling whoever came, but what use was that? Alive, I stood guard here. Dead, I would do the same. I came to treat this place as home. But what use is any of it now? I have nothing left. At eight, at eighteen, at eighty—I’ve always been betrayed by friends. Since then, I’ve never made another friend.
"Then, I lost track of my own age, and as fate would have it, I met you. You said you wanted to do business. I wasn’t interested, but your temperament truly resonated with mine. And critically, I knew our Marshal was with you."
CLANG!
The medicine gourd fell to the ground again, and Li Banfeng hurriedly bent down to pick it up.
Elder Yao chuckled. "Our Marshal went to Feng’s Grocery Store. I’ve heard her singing, but I dared not see her. Later, I learned she had gone with you. I knew you were a decent person: you’d saved Fatty Qin, helped Yu Nan, and dealt with those villains from the Geng Family. You’re a good lad, one who knows right from wrong and values loyalty. But I still couldn’t rest easy, so I sent Gourd to check on the Marshal for me. When Gourd returned, however, she wouldn’t tell me a thing. That girl also started following you with single-minded devotion. It’s good she’s with you. You stood up to Pan Dehai and saved Hai Chi Ridge. A hero like you, I can trust. With the Marshal in your care, I can finally rest easy."
Li Banfeng clenched the medicine gourd, not letting it fall.
Elder Yao knew many things, but that wasn’t Li Banfeng’s concern right now. What he worried about was how much longer Elder Yao could hold on.
The Adhesive Tape had run out. The ointment had run out as well. The blood on Elder Yao’s body still hadn’t stopped.
Elder Yao took a deep breath, turned, and with a smile said to Li Banfeng, "Brother, I can smell it... the baleful air in Medicine King Valley seems to have dispersed. The Deathgate Formation... is it broken?"
Li Banfeng answered, "It’s broken."
Elder Yao smiled. "Good brother, I owe you a great deal. Everything in this place is yours now. I have one request: I want to see the Marshal one last time."
Elder Yao stood still, his body shaking uncontrollably, propped up only by his Three-pointed Double-edged Sword. He could not see Li Banfeng, yet he seemed to be looking right at him, waiting for an answer.
Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Wait a moment."
Having lost his sight, Elder Yao did not know where Li Banfeng had gone. After a short wait, he suddenly heard the sound of war drums—a familiar rhythm. Amidst the drumming, there were soldiers marching, warhorses neighing, and the clashing of weapons and armor.
Li Banfeng opened the door of the Portable Residence, which faced Elder Yao.
From inside came a woman’s voice, "General Old Yao, how goes the battle?"
Elder Yao clenched his sword and straightened his body.
"Your subordinate, Yao Xin, reporting! I have defended the pass, repelled the invaders, and not an inch of ground was lost! Over a hundred enemies were slain, their general cut down in battle! I now present the head of the Deathgate Star to the Marshal!"
He wanted to lift the head of the Deathgate Star, but he no longer had the strength.
The woman’s voice came through again, "The General’s valor is peerless among the troops. In the next battle, the General will still lead as the vanguard."
"Thank you, Marshal!"
Two rivulets of blood slid from Elder Yao’s eye sockets.
He had taken his final breath.
But he did not fall.
Clutching his sword, he remained standing.
The Phonograph began to play the song "Stable Military Mountain" again.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hong Ying gently tapped the butt of her spear on the ground, keeping time with the drumbeat.
It was a warrior’s salute.
Hong Ying said, "You’re right, he was a good general. Is he still alive?"
The Phonograph replied, "He’s alive, but gravely wounded. He has fallen asleep."
"Will he wake up?"
The Phonograph was silent.