Chapter 149 - Old Friend Farewell

On the surface of the Qing River, a large ship was plowing through the waves.The part of the hull in contact with the water had many fin-like things flipping up and down.

This was the Mo’s Mechanical Art hundred-finned ship, modeled after the fins that assist fish in swimming.

About a dozen men were in the hold, stepping on the water wheel to propel these “fish fins,” accelerating the ship’s travel.

Of course, it would be even faster without manpower, simply by placing the Path Origin Stone into the array plate carved by Mo’s Monk for sailing.

But obviously, using manpower was cheaper.

This large ship could carry two hundred people and was considered quite good within the waterways of Zhuang Country.

It belonged to the government, but it also engaged in passenger and cargo transport.

Du Yehu was on this hundred-finned ship right now.

Fenglin City was located in the northeast of Zhuang Country, and Jiujing City in the west.

First reaching the Qing River and then traveling by water was the most convenient method.

Military control was very strict.

It had been difficult for him to get extended leave.

As soon as he boarded the ship, he drank a jar of strong liquor and fell into a deep sleep.

He had only now woken up and come out to get some fresh air by the river.

It was the cold winter of the twelfth month, but because New Year’s Eve was approaching, the ship was still very noisy.

During this time of year, travelers heading to Wangjiang, Maple Forest, and Three Mountains were likely to be found on this ship.

Du Yehu moved closer to the crowd and quietly listened for a while, finding not a single accent from Maple Forest City.

He became somewhat bored, twisted his mouth, and turned back to his cabin alone.

Before long, he emerged carrying large and small packages, and during the brief moment when the ship docked, he disembarked alone.

There was still some distance from Wangjiang City, so he was the only one to leave the ship.

In such cold weather, the Qing River wouldn’t pose much of a problem, but the Green Willow River would likely be frozen.

Therefore, walking by land from here would probably be more convenient.

These matters had been explained by the Capital Commandant in the army, who was said to have traversed the mountains and rivers of Zhuang Country, and were very useful.

The big and small packages contained carefully selected gifts—a specialty from Mount Dai County (other than Fierce Beasts, Jiujing City’s region did not have much to offer), spoils from the battlefield, and some fine items exclusively provided to Jiujing Xuanjia.

Anyway, Du Yehu, the old tiger, could guarantee that these gifts would surely make those country bumpkins so happy they’d lose all sense of direction.

His little sister Anan would definitely grab his beard and plant two big kisses on him.

With both hands full, seen from a distance, he looked like a moving shelf, but Du Yehu did not feel tired at all.

For several years now, he had been celebrating the New Year with Ling He, Jiang Wang, Fang Pengju, and Zhao Rucheng.

He and Ling He had no family, Jiang Wang’s visits to Fengxi Town were always hasty, Fang Pengju didn’t like to stay in his clan’s territory, and Zhao Rucheng wasn’t much attached to his home either.

So the five of them always stuck together.

This year Fang Pengju was absent, but Jiang Anan was added.

Thinking of Jiang Anan’s cute little face, Du Yehu couldn’t help but break into a wide grin.

All his blood relatives were gone; Jiang Wang and the others were his brothers, and Jiang Anan his little sister.

Wasn’t his struggle to climb up the ranks in Jiujing Xuanjia all to strut before his brothers, to receive the admiring gaze of his little sister?

When he had left, he and Jiang Wang had agreed to compare their progress in the Spirit Body Refinement Technique.

Now that he had found his way through the Ancient Soldier Home’s Energizing Blood and Stamina Pulse, reached great success in the Spirit Body Refinement Technique, and the spirits had converged, he ought to show the third brother who indeed was the older brother.

Du Yehu moved quickly, the closer he got to home, the faster he walked.

He took large strides and ran along the road, eager to return.

“Stop right there!”

When he was still some distance from Maple Forest City Region, a group of soldiers stopped him.

“What’s the matter?” Du Yehu stopped, asked with discontent, and instinctively revealed the military token of Jiujing Xuanjia on his waist.

The soldiers glanced at each other.

The leader saluted and said, “Sir, you can’t go any further.”

“Why not?” Du Yehu suddenly had an ominous feeling.

The soldiers, seeing the big and small packages on him and probably understanding his purpose, displayed a sympathetic expression on their faces.

“You must have left the camp early and missed the notification,” one careful soldier explained, “The heretical Bone Path has wrought disaster here, sacrificing the entire Maple Forest City Region to welcome the descent of their Evil God.

Though the plot was exposed by Dong Ah, the Dean of Maple Forest City Dao Institute, and even alarmed the prime minister to personally come to exterminate the evildoers, the entire Maple Forest City Region has already fallen into the Underworld.

No living person may enter now.”

Thud!

Thud!

With Du Yehu’s strength, he unexpectedly couldn’t grip the packages, letting the large and small parcels fall to the ground.

“…What about the people in the city?” he asked, trembling.

The soldier sighed, “They’re all gone…”

Crack!

Du Yehu was startled by the sound, and when he came back to his senses, he realized he’d unintentionally stepped into the ground, sinking several inches.

He pulled out his foot, then heard a loud wailing nearby.

“Gone, all gone!

Nothing left!”

Du Yehu followed the sound to see a man carrying a pack, weeping on the ground, his voice already hoarse.

He cried for a while, ran out of energy, then stopped momentarily, but soon afterwards, he began to wail again.

It seemed he was also a villager heading back to the Maple Forest City Region, stopped on his way home.

“Dong Ah, Dong Ah!

Dong Ah is our Dean!” Du Yehu suddenly seemed to grasp something, and asked excitedly, “Since it was Dean Dong who broke through the cult’s scheme, those cultivators from the city Dao Institute should have escaped, right?”

The soldier replied apologetically, “Apart from Dean Dong, including the teaching and training students, not one survived.”

Du Yehu sat down hard on the ground, fiercely pulling at his hair.

“It can’t be, it can’t be.”

He was disconsolate, muttering to himself.

“Big Brother, aren’t you the one with great wisdom?”

“Third Brother, aren’t you better at fighting than me?”

“Little Five, aren’t you smarter than me?”

“How come it’s all gone?

How come it’s all gone?”

Talking to himself, he eventually shouted, “You three grown men, how could you not even take care of Anan properly!”

“I don’t believe it.”

He muttered to himself for a long time before suddenly standing up, forcefully gathering the gifts he brought, bundling them into a heap, and charging toward the direction of Maple Forest City Region without looking back.

“Sir, you can’t go over there!”

The soldiers stretched out their hands to stop him, but Du Yehu had already leaped away with a few bounds.

“Let him go,” sighed another soldier nearby.

“He can’t enter the Underworld anyway, so it’s better to let him have a distant look.”

According to the recollections of the soldiers who later sealed off the perimeter of Fenglin City Region, the entire area had been very quiet since it had fallen into the Underworld.

But around the time of New Year’s Eve that year, for some reason,

there were cries of grief as if the howls of trapped beasts, incessant for three days.

With great heights and long roads, Jiang Anan fell asleep and woke up again and again on her brother’s back.

They hurried during the day and cultivated at night, sometimes in caves, sometimes in trees.

Braving wind and dew, they could only eat wild fruits to quell their hunger.

But she was very sensible and never complained.

She knew that would only tire her brother out more, only make his efforts harder.

Many times she wanted to come down and walk by herself, but Jiang Wang simply wouldn’t allow it.

As night gradually fell, it was time to rest again.

Jiang Anan loved the night most, not only because of the stars but also because her brother would finally stop and talk to her.

After leaving the Maple Forest City Region, her brother spoke much less.

Based on prior experience, her brother would have found a cave by now, then lit a bonfire to let her rest in his arms.

But tonight, Jiang Wang continued to carry her up the mountain, all the way to the peak.

The cold wind was biting at the mountaintop, turning her little face bright red, although her body was still warm wrapped in a beast skin.

Jiang Wang took her off his back and held her small hand.

The siblings looked around from the mountaintop and saw sparse stars and tranquil wilderness.

The distant mountains blended into the night sky, stretching beneath their feet.

“Brother, why did we come here?” asked Jiang Anan.

“Tonight is New Year’s Eve.”

Jiang Wang asked gently, “Anan, do you want to see fireworks?”

“I do!” Jiang Anan answered immediately but then shook her head.

“Anan doesn’t want to…”

Perhaps she knew their situation was no longer like when they were in Fenglin City.

In the wilderness, where could they find fireworks?

She knew her brother would go to great lengths to grant her wishes, so she was even less inclined to ask for too much.

Jiang Wang pinched her small hand and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Look.”

He let go of Jiang Anan and flicked his fingertips into the air.

A Flame Flower soared high, blooming brilliantly.

His ten fingers moved in succession, and blooms of flame burst forth one after another, unfolding against the night sky.

Exploding into a sky full of starlight.

As if stars from heaven had fallen to become stars on earth.

Each point of light was like a departed soul.

Though the body and spirit had perished, their radiance remained eternal.

This was New Year’s Eve in the year 3917 of the Dao Calendar.

On the peak of an unnamed high mountain, Jiang Wang spent half the night setting off fireworks for his sister.

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