Star Trace Gate

Chapter 828: Burying the Loyal Soul in the Fallen God

Two days later, at night, at the beginning of the Xu hour.

There are less than three hours left before General Yang leads his troops to Datong River.

The City Lord's Mansion, which used to be very noisy and brightly lit, seemed unusually quiet and dim today. Perhaps it could be said that it had become somewhat deserted since Long Yuqing's return.

Since his return, he hadn't seen any visitors. All the civil and military officials in the city had come to him as subjects, kneeling and begging for an audience, but Long Yuqing refused to see any of them, claiming only that he was unwell and needed to rest.

After being rejected several times in succession, the civil and military officials decided not to bother themselves anymore. After two days, there were no outsiders in the city lord's mansion.

"Tap!"

A steady sound of footsteps was heard, and General Yang, dressed in cloth, walked alone to the east room of the City Lord's Mansion. He saw only two yawning maids sitting at the door.

"See the General!"

When the two maids saw Mr. Yang coming, they instantly became much more energetic and stood up to salute.

"You guys go take a rest."

Mr. Yang waved his hand.

The two maids were as if pardoned. After paying their respects, they happily left work early.

Old Master Yang walked through the hall and entered the main room, only to find that the room was completely dark, without even a ray of light, but he could hear the sounds of breathing and talking.

"Is the medicine ready?" Yang Linger's voice rang out.

"I let them rest." Old Master Yang replied standing at the door.

"Dad, you're here?!"

The room was pitch black, and Yang Linger was of a very low level of cultivation, so she didn't see her father, and that's why she asked in surprise.

"Well, I came to see Yuqing." Old Master Yang put his hands behind his back and said softly, "You go get the medicine, I'll talk to Yuqing."

“…Oh, okay, okay!”

Yang Linger was extremely delighted to hear this. After Long Yuqing returned, he seemed like a completely different person. Or rather, he seemed to have returned, but his soul was still in the dark room where he had been trapped for a year, still silent and timid.

Now that his father has arrived, he will be able to enlighten him and help him regain some of his energy.

"You guys chat, I'll go get the medicine."

Yang Linger left with a smile.

As soon as she left, only the father-in-law and son-in-law were left in the room. Long Yuqing sat on the bed, immediately threw off the quilt covering him, and stood up to kneel and kowtow, "My son-in-law greets my father-in-law."

His kneeling posture was extremely standard, in line with the excellent etiquette teachings of the powerful and wealthy, but it was subtly filled with a sense of strangeness and over-politeness.

Over the past two days, rumors have been rife in the City Lord's Mansion, with many servants who know Long Yuqing well secretly discussing the matter. They all feel that Long Yuqing is truly frightened. Not only does he no longer possess the abilities of a City Lord, but now he seems to have lost even the abilities of a normal man. He is even more cowardly than before, a complete cripple.

However, a closer look reveals the profound change in Long Yuqing's character. He was persecuted by the Xianlan Sect for his efforts to protect the ancient emperor's heir, and poisoned by his father-in-law. So, what must have been going through his mind as he raised his glass and gazed upon the corpse of his steward, his childhood companion, on the ground? Undoubtedly, at that moment, he believed himself doomed, beyond the reach of even the gods.

Therefore, he drank the cup of poison in despair and endless sadness of being betrayed by his loved ones.

But in an absurd twist of fate, he survived the alcohol and was saved by his wife, which gave him hope of survival. However, this hope was shattered by the darkness of confinement, the constant fear of being abandoned again, and the stab in the back.

Who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't be nervous?

Even the servants in the City Lord's Mansion knew that countless people in Chaolong City hoped that he was really dead. How could Long Yuqing, the city lord, not feel it?

He was extremely terrified, so he didn't want to see anyone. He just wanted to listen to his father-in-law and be the city lord that the other party wanted to see.

In the pitch-black room, Mr. Yang, who was a fifth-rank official, immediately noticed Long Yuqing's frightened expression.

He was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Get up."

"Thank you, father-in-law."

Long Yuqing stood up tremblingly, but stood beside the bed, not daring to move.

"Since you and your wife haven't gone to bed, why don't you light the lamp?" Old Master Yang walked to the square table and sat down.

"I... I... I'm used to it. I feel uncomfortable all over when You Guang appears." Long Yuqing replied with his head down.

After a brief silence, Master Yang extended his hand and said, "Sit down."

"Yes."

Long Yuqing nodded slightly, walked cautiously to the opposite side of the square table and sat down.

The room was quiet and dark. The father-in-law and son-in-law were sitting across a table, both looking straight ahead without looking at each other.

After a long silence, Old Man Yang finally sighed in the pitch darkness, "Alas, before I brought you back, I received at least hundreds of anonymous secret letters. And the contents of these secret letters, if you can sum it up, are just one sentence: they want me to kill you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the pale-faced Long Yuqing shuddered and lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"More people hope that I will be the city lord, and hope that Mingtang can take over the throne in the future and completely end the Long family's thousand-year rule." Old Master Yang added.

"...!"

Long Yuqing was trembling all over, just listening quietly, still without any response.

"The Xianlan Sect has fallen, and the position of City Lord is within reach, but why do I have to bring you back?" When Old Master Yang said this, he turned his head to look at his son-in-law and asked in a loud voice, "Have you ever had such a suspicion in your mind?"

“No…no.” Long Yuqing shook his head suddenly, then immediately corrected himself: “No, I…I…!”

"You should have guessed that I brought you back to use your relationship with the ancient emperor's descendants to drive away the soldiers from these four cities and continue to hold power, right?" Old Master Yang's voice was deep and his words were straightforward, without any sense of beating around the bush.

"I really have never thought about it this way!!"

Long Yuqing shook his head frantically.

"Oh!"

Yang Ganglie suddenly raised his arm and slammed his palm on the table, making a deafening sound. He shouted, "Bullshit! If you really haven't thought about it this way, then you are a piece of trash, even worse than trash!"

Long Yuqing was stunned by the roar, and his eyes were extremely empty.

"You may not admit it, but you must have thought this way in your heart, because you are a child of the Long family and my son-in-law, Yang Ganglie!"

Old Master Yang looked at him and said, "Now that you have grown up, you must have the wisdom of a ruler."

His eagle-like eyes gradually softened in the darkness, and his voice, filled with a sense of vicissitudes, reminisced, "Your father and I swore a blood oath when we were young, becoming sworn brothers. We agreed that if he took over the position of city lord, I would be his general in expanding his territory and conquering the world."

"For most of our lives, neither he nor I have ever betrayed the promise we made."

"Never!"

"After he died, he passed the city lordship to you, and you married my daughter, further strengthening the relationship between the Long and Yang families. But to me, you have always been that slightly timid, yet always mischievous child."

"My eldest brother passed away, and he could no longer watch his child become a dragon. So, that hope naturally fell on me... I wanted you to become a dragon, and I was afraid you would make mistakes, afraid you would be immature. That's why I often overstepped my bounds in the power of the city lord. I always thought that while I was still alive, I should do more and pave a long way for future generations."

At this point, Mr. Yang's eyes became somewhat empty. He shook his head and said regretfully, "But before I knew it, you have completely grown up, and I have also grown old... It is time to completely hand over the power of the City Lord that belongs to your Long family back to you."

Hearing this, Long Yuqing felt even more apprehensive and terrified. He clasped his fists and said, "Father-in-law, I... I am uneducated and cowardly by nature. Facing the chaos of the Jiuli world, I really don't know...!"

"This is not a test."

Seeing him like this, Mr. Yang waved his hand tiredly and shook his head, saying, "Just listen to what I have to say."

Long Yuqing stared at his cheek and remained silent again.

"Tonight, I've ordered all Yang family commanders to mobilize 20,000 troops for a night raid on Luoshen Mountain and Datong River. We intend to capture the four city lords alive and drive back the siege." Old Master Yang sat upright in his chair, his words calm and powerful. "During the meeting in the tent, I claimed that I brought you back to borrow the power of the Ancient Emperor's descendant to intimidate the four city lords. I'd think they wouldn't dare to mobilize, thus paralyzing the enemy and making the night raid more certain."

"But in reality, this statement is a ploy to appease the troops. Too many people in this camp don't want you to return. If anyone knew this battle was a life-or-death struggle for you, they would naturally be filled with fear and resistance, making this battle impossible to win. But if the generals were to believe that the lords of the four cities are determined to annihilate the entire Yang family, then this battle would be a matter of life and death for everyone involved. They would fight with all their might, leaving no room for retreat."

"This battle is a battle that will forge the future. If you can win, and the lords of these four cities are captured, you can then leverage the power of the Ancient Emperor's descendants to easily unify the five cities of Xianlan and fulfill your father's ambition. By then, the 20,000 elite Chaolong troops I lead will have crossed the Datong River and will be dispersed at the foot of Luoshen Mountain..."

"I will not leave behind a single soldier. I will only watch as the 20,000 soldiers disperse and stay away from the Five Chaolong Cities. From now on, I will use the money I have accumulated over the years to live in seclusion and become a wealthy man."

"In this way, you will inherit a world without the Yang family generals."

"The authority of these five cities has been completely returned to the Long family."

His old eyes fixed on one point, and he smiled slightly, saying, "If we lose this battle, all 20,000 elite Yang family generals will be wiped out, and I will have fulfilled the promise I made when I swore brotherhood with your father."

"The ruler and his subjects work together to create a prosperous era, and their friendship will never be betrayed, even in life and death."

Upon hearing this, Long Yuqing suddenly stood up and knelt, his voice trembling, "Father-in-law, why do we have to use our forces now?! If we wait a little longer, until Brother Zhu emerges from the Emperor's Tomb, I can plead with him in person to protect Chaolong from the Four Cities, and you won't have to risk a battle!"

"I hope my father-in-law will think twice!"

He advised almost pleadingly.

"There's no time. The four cities won't wait until the Ancient Emperor's descendants leave the Emperor's Tomb before taking action. And while the Ancient Emperor's descendants can protect you, they won't necessarily use the power of their sect to help you unify the five cities."

When saying this, Old Master Yang didn't look at Long Yuqing. He just stood up and said, "More importantly, what you need is a world without powerful people, and I... am the most powerful person in the two dynasties that have existed in Chaolong City. If you lose this battle, you will go to the Emperor's Tomb and wait for the descendant of the ancient emperor to come out. Even if the city is destroyed, don't return. Wait for him to protect you, and take good care of Ling'er."

"Also, over the past two days, I've ordered the generals in the city who are heading out to fight to send their families away. They'll take the wealth they've accumulated over the years and choose a prosperous place to start anew. If we win, the troops will be dispersed across Luoshen Mountain, and the generals will be reunited with their families. If we lose, they'll eat the emperor's salary and die for him. There's nothing to say about that."

Master Yang paused for a moment, then looked at Long Yuqing again: "If the five cities are unified and prosperous in the future, you...if you still have the energy to spare, please take care of the families of these generals."