229: 800 miles in a hurry to recapture Weiyuan Pass (asking for monthly tickets)

Two days later, Jinguancheng also had rain.

From last night, the wind howled, and thunder rumbled, crackling and popping. In the middle of the night, raindrops as big as beans rattled the windows, like rain on banana leaves.

This city, usually flourishing and known as the City of Heaven, seemed particularly deserted today, exuding a desolate air.

In the south city, on the main road directly facing the city gate, the upturned eaves of the street, the teahouses, and the taverns were filled with people all morning.

However, there was no hubbub; at each table, there were scholars or Young Masters, or Jianghu figures with swords at their waists, or two or three people exchanging glances, their lips moving slightly, their gazes occasionally looking out the window, or else they were sipping tea or wine with their heads bowed.

Only the footsteps of the servants carrying kettles, weaving between the tables, and the twin fish-shaped bells hanging under the eaves outside, carried by the wind and rain, tinkled and clanged.

The air was heavy, filled with a sense of oppression.

Outside a tavern near the south city wall,

“Chua chua chua”

The sound of splashing water rang out.

Then came a cry of surprise,

“They’re here!”

Following that, the previously silent tavern was filled with the scraping sounds of tables and chairs, and figures darted about, rushing to the windows or outside the door.

The sounds of opening doors and pushing windows spread successively along the entire street.

And upon opening doors and windows, it was clear that people had already filled both sides of the street at some unknown time, some holding umbrellas, but more often, simply standing in the rain, letting the rainwater wash over them.

Most of these figures were elderly, along with women and children.

Under the rain curtain, faces that were cautious, eager, sorrowful, and timid peered towards the city gate. Many children's cries and women's sobs intertwined with the wind and rain, howling “woo woo.”

In the distance, a rumbling sound, and the central gate opened.

Figures in iron armor, clanking and splashing through the water with their horses' hooves, entered the city.

However, the cold gleam of the iron armor was gone. Under the misty rain, there was only tattered armor, blood-stained horses, broken banners, and pairs of dim eyes.

The first batch of retreating remnants had returned to Jinguancheng!

There were thousands of them, with banners of different styles fluttering in the wind and rain.

Second Mountain, Fifth Mountain, Seventh Mountain, Eighth Mountain...

These armored soldiers had all lost their combat effectiveness; some were missing arms or legs, some were blind, their bandages stained with blood, and every face bore a look of defeat.

The others were either still resisting at the front or had died.

Cries of anguish rose.

The waiting common people rushed forward, completely disregarding the horses charging down the street, their figures weaving among them, calling out names.

Old people were searching for their sons who had gone off to war;

Women with children were looking for their husbands;

And young girls were searching for the lovers they dreamed of countless times in the dead of night.

The crowd moved through the constantly advancing horses, quickly searching for the loved ones they thought of day and night, for whom they yearned.

Some found them.

“Son!”

A pair of elderly people, around fifty years old, saw a figure on a horse. Although the figure had turned his head away, the old couple still recognized him as their son. They stopped the horse, urgently calling out.

The figure turned around, a face covered in blood and mud, eyes red, and two words rolled out of his throat with difficulty, “Father, Mother!”

When the old couple saw it was their son, and then looked at his empty hand, tears immediately streamed down their faces, and the mother among them collapsed to the ground.

“My son…”

“My poor son…”

One's body and hair are received from one's parents; to give birth to flesh and blood after ten months of pregnancy, only for them to become like this, how could it not break one's heart.

The armored soldier frantically tried to dismount to help his mother, but as soon as he jumped down, the foot that landed was unsteady, he slipped, and his whole body fell with a thud, splashing muddy water. The rolled-up trouser leg revealed a round wooden stick as thick as an arm; below his left knee, it was empty, and a wooden stick was tied to his knee.

Seeing this, the armored soldier looked flustered, as if he had done something wrong, and quickly rolled up his trouser leg. But this scene could not be hidden from his parents before him. The old couple were heartbroken to the point of being unable to breathe, they knelt on the ground and embraced their son,

“Son, you’ve suffered, you’ve suffered so much!”

And this scene was playing out everywhere.

But they, relatively speaking, were lucky.

More people, passing through the crowd, could not find the ones they thought of day and night.

In the heavy rain, amidst the crowd and among the horses, they constantly moved, searching, their faces filled with confusion, helplessness, and fear, finally unable to hold back their cries.

A young woman, dressed in a gray ruqun, with a delicate, pretty face, was drenched in the rain, her face unclear whether it was rain or tears. Amidst the crowd, she kept stopping horses and asking the returning armored soldiers, repeating one question.

“Excuse me, do you know someone named Zuozhi? He was in the Ninth Mountain’s Left Vanguard Camp. He said he would come back.”

But the woman received no answer.

She was an ordinary woman; she didn't know that the banners of each mountain were different, nor did she understand such things. She only knew that the man she was promised to marry wore Black Armored Soldiers, and before he left for the war, he told her he would marry her when he returned, and he left through this city gate.

At this moment, endless Black Armored Soldiers passed by her, but she could not find her lover.

In the wind and rain, she stood alone, crying sadly.

And in the teahouses and taverns along the street, the spectators on the first floor watched the moving scenes. Some sighed deeply, some clenched their fists, while others indifferently watched these remnants of soldiers retreating from the battlefield and discussed the situation.

In a tavern, several well-informed Jianghu brokers watched the scene outside. One of them, being more thoughtful, found it a bit strange and spoke up:

“Hey, according to the news circulating in the market, except for a few Fa Shan Army units that were completely wiped out and the Yao Race front line suffering a major rout, why haven’t we seen the banners of the Third Mountain and the Ninth Mountain among these retreating troops?”

“Hmm, it seems to be true, but reliable sources say that two armies were dispatched to garrison Guang'an and Chishui prefectures, six thousand li away, to guard Weiyuan Pass, which is near the Ten Thousand Mountains. This pass, like Dingshan Pass, is close to Youmen Pass, but it's on the east side. It was attacked by demons even before Dingshan Pass. Haven't you heard? The Tenth Mountain and Eleventh Mountain Fa Shan Army were completely wiped out defending that city.”

“Then, given the current situation, wouldn't those two cities be in great danger? After all, even two Commanders either lost their cities or died, and those two Commanders were Dao Fruit experts.”

“Alas, what can be done now? The Fushi here can’t hold on. I heard that other aristocratic families and Sects are also starting to get anxious. It’s just these fellows, anxious as they are, they’ve only sent out a small number of troops so far, what good is that? But I did hear a bit of gossip.” One person, with pointed, upward-curving eyebrows like an inverted 'eight', and a face like the character ' Embarrassed', lowered his head as he spoke, tapping the cup in front of him, drawing the attention of the others.

“What news do you have?” Several people leaned forward, unable to help but ask.

“Heh, this news could fetch a lot of silver in the Ghost Market. We who do this business all exchange information, so I’ll tell you for free.” This person spoke with great seriousness, piquing the interest of the other Jianghu brokers.

“Hurry, tell us, tell us!”

“Haven’t you noticed that recently, more and more mysterious people have come to Jinguancheng, especially in the past few days?” This person’s eyebrows rose, observing their reactions.

As a result, one of them couldn't help but retort, “Isn’t what you’re saying nonsense? To avoid the demon calamity, who knows how many people have fled to Jinguancheng, all wealthy families from other regions. Aren’t we just benefiting from them and making a lot of money?” Saying this, he chuckled.

But the ' Embarrassed'-faced fellow looked at the other with an expression of looking at an idiot, and quickly said, “As a local expert, do you think I would say something so stupid? Everyone knows this. Can’t you just let me finish?”

Saying this, he lowered his voice, “The people I'm talking about are definitely not those who fled from Shu Land, but rather from the Central Plains, and their background is probably not small. Each of them is incredibly mysterious. We, who do this business, have traveled north and south, seen all kinds of people, and can be considered to have seen the world. From their accent, their clothing, and a person’s Aura, one can discern a few things.”

“I can confirm that these people are from the Central Plains, and each of them has an extraordinary Aura; they are not ordinary people.”

“How did you encounter them?” Someone asked curiously.

“What do I do? I have connections for all the four-courtyard mansions for sale in the entire city. When outsiders come, the first thing they do is definitely look for a place to stay, and ordinary people can’t afford these courtyards. But guess what? These courtyards have become sought-after goods. This is what I find strange. These people speak with Central Plains accents, are very generous, often come alone, and buy these multi-courtyard mansions as soon as they arrive instead of staying in inns, which proves they plan to stay long-term.”

Saying this, his tone changed, and he glanced at the others, narrowing his eyes slightly, and said meaningfully, “But tell me, given the current situation, with the demons almost at our doorstep, everyone else is thinking about how to hide, yet these people have come to Jinguancheng and are preparing for a long stay. There’s something strange about all of this.”

The other few listened, and indeed, their eyes began to turn.

And this time, the ' Embarrassed'-faced broker stated his purpose, “I’m telling you this news because I want you all to pay attention; there’s definitely something strange here. My ancestors were fishermen on the river, and I don’t know if any of you have heard a fisherman’s saying?”

“What?”

“The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish! You are all well-informed locals. If there’s news, let’s share it, and if there’s money, let’s earn it together, right?”

The few Jianghu brokers all took this matter to heart.

Meanwhile, coincidentally, in the private room on the top floor of this very tavern.

A young man, dressed in white robes with golden embroidery, a Qilin embroidered on his chest, wearing a jade crown, and with a distinguished bearing, was seated at a large table laden with a hundred dishes, slowly savoring them.

The tavern treated such distinguished guests with specially assigned female attendants of beautiful appearance, who served him by stirring his soup and picking dishes. Each female attendant occasionally stole glances at this Young Master, their eyes rippling with waves, as if about to overflow with water.

However, the Young Master at the table paid no attention to the attendants' flirtations, focusing only on tasting each dish. His every movement was precise and proper, imbued with a certain dignified Aura.

Just then, inside the room, behind the man, the air rippled, and then a person appeared out of thin air.

This person wore a white cloak, completely enveloping his body. He was about seven feet tall, and his figure seemed to merge with the Void Realm, with faint white light flowing all over him, as if he were indistinct.

The sudden appearance of this person startled the few female attendants in the room.

One of the attendants, who was serving a piece of crispy fish to the Young Master, was so startled that her hand trembled, dropping it onto the Young Master's clothes, splashing a patch of yellow oil.

“Oh dear.”

The female attendant exclaimed, initially somewhat flustered, then her eyes lit up. She sweetly apologized, squatted down, and reached out with her small hand to wipe it, all the while batting her eyelashes and looking up at the distinguished Young Master, feigning a look of fear.

At this moment, that person’s voice also rang out:

“Eldest Young Master, I’ve checked, and there are no Ninth Mountain troops among those who have retreated. The Dao Fu Division also hasn’t received any news yet.”

It was an aged voice.

“I think, Eldest Young Master, there’s no need to spend so much effort on this person. With the demon invasion, the Ninth Mountain has probably already become a place of the dead.”

“Are you teaching me how to do things?” But then the Young Master, lowering his head, pinched the chin of the female attendant at his feet, his fingertips caressing it, and slowly spoke.

The female attendant, whose chin was lifted by the Young Master, not only showed no fear but instead averted her gaze, appearing coy.

“I wouldn’t dare!”

The white-robed man behind him bowed.

“This person destroyed a branch of my Li family. Although they were all useless, since I’m here, I should take care of it. After all, when has my Li family been so magnanimous?”

“Also, the Commander in this city killed Wuchang, deliberately letting people from the other families see it. Heh, interesting.”

“Find an opportunity and kill him!”

The Young Master spoke as if talking about an insignificant matter, his tone indifferent.

The white-robed elder, however, hesitated, “But this person, after all, is under the command of the Zhenmo General here…”

Every Zhenmo General is very terrifying.

But the white-robed, jade-crowned Young Master chuckled, “Ai Lao, you’ve really gotten old, you’re not as ruthless as before.”

“Just do it quietly. Right now, isn’t there an opportunity? The front line has collapsed, and this person has no one to use. He might even personally leave the city, and then, wouldn’t the opportunity arise?”

The conversation between the two of them, however, terrified the female attendants in the room.

These two were loudly plotting to kill the Commander?

Were they crazy?!

Including the female attendant whose chin was being caressed by the Young Master at this moment, who was trying to play innocent, when she heard this Young Master repeatedly say he wanted to kill the city’s Commander, her originally “coy” face turned pale, and she quickly tried to break free.

But her chin was clamped as if by pliers; she couldn’t break free, and a cry of pain escaped her lips,

“Young Master, spare my life!”

But then, the woman’s throat tightened, and the white-robed Young Master, with a faint smile in his eyes, twisted his hand.

“Crack”

The female attendant’s neck was twisted by him. Her eyes widened, and she instantly lost her life.

Seeing this, the Young Master threw her aside, looked at the screaming female attendants, and smiled, “Perhaps, if I kill a few more people here, let’s see if that Commander dares to send people to arrest me?”

Just as the man’s lips were gradually curving upward, outside, in the rain curtain, a sudden eagle cry echoed.

Then, a roar from the sky, like thunder exploding.

“Eight hundred li urgent dispatch, Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General, broke the demon army, recaptured Weiyuan Pass!”

This sound made this entire world fall silent.

The crying people on the street, the injured armored soldiers, and the surrounding spectators all looked up, only to see a silver light in the sky, rapidly breaking through the rain curtain and rushing towards Yunding Mountain.

Writer's block, only one update today, sorry.