Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 300 In chaotic times, those who do not fight will die.
Wu Tong knew that Yun Ce was trying to recruit him.

The only problem was the strange way they recruited.

Judging from the way the Han Dynasty recruited talent, Yun Ce seemed overly nonchalant, offering neither enough gifts nor grand promises.

It's more like two people who have just met are becoming familiar with each other.

After resting for a while near the lamp pool, Yun Ce and Wu Tong continued walking towards the second half of the secret passage.

Sure enough, after passing the lamp pool, there were very few corpses on the road. Most of them were women and children. Their clothes were very luxurious and their accessories were very exquisite. Even on corpses, they looked indescribably beautiful.

Huo Wudi took the women's headdresses and jewelry, while Lei Ming took the men's accessories. This was something they had discussed beforehand and had already reached a tacit understanding with.

When an old woman sitting cross-legged on the ground appeared in the light, Wu Tong stepped forward and bowed. The old woman was already dead, and her body had turned into a mummified corpse, so she naturally could not respond to Wu Tong.

"This is Liu, the first wife of Zhou Situ, also known as Princess Huayang. Zhou Tingyun and Zhou Tingyu, who died earlier, were both born to Princess Huayang."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "To be able to watch her two children perish together, Princess Huayang can be said to have seen the result of her life of giving birth. She is quite lucky."

Wu Tong didn't reply, but turned to Huo Wudi and Lei Ming and said, "Princess Huayang is wearing a phoenix hairpin. This phoenix hairpin is a secret of the Liu royal family. It is said that the person who wears this hairpin will have clear vision and bright eyes throughout their life."

Huo Wudi immediately stepped forward and removed the gleaming red hairpin from the head of Princess Huayang, who remained seated even after death. As soon as the hairpin was removed, Princess Huayang's white hair fell down, covering her withered face.

Wu Tong added, "I've heard that Princess Huayang also has a dragon bracelet on her wrist. This dragon bracelet comes from the ancient Xuanyuan clan and is said to have been personally carved by the Yellow Emperor."

Huo Wudi didn't move, so Lei Ming stepped forward and began to examine Princess Huayang's body. In a short while, he found seven or eight pieces of jewelry and accessories of various sizes on Princess Huayang's body. Among them, the most eye-catching was a pale yellow jade bracelet carved with a dragon shape. This jade bracelet was not only simple and elegant, but also very smooth and lustrous.

Yun Ce glanced at the jade bracelet and said to Wu Tong, "Princess Huayang has worn this jade bracelet for so many years. How did she live to such an old age?"

Wu Tong chuckled and said, "You figured it out?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "Anything given by a dragon has some hidden drawbacks, just like this jade bracelet, which needs blood and energy to be nourished."

Wu Tong nodded and said, "Therefore, Princess Huayang always has a thirteen-year-old girl by her side. This jade bracelet is usually worn on the wrist of this girl. Unless there is a major ceremony or a high priest, Princess Huayang will not wear it. The girl with the bracelet by her side will be replaced every year, and the girl who is replaced usually does not live past eighteen."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ce glanced at Lei Ming, who then decisively stepped on the ancient jade bracelet, crushing it into several pieces. He then used the back of his long sword to smash the jade bracelet into powder.

Huo Wudi stepped forward and kicked over the seated corpse of Princess Huayang.

As Wu Tong walked, he sighed and said, "These things that the world regards as treasures, are you not even a little bit tempted by them?"

Yun Ce looked at Wu Tong and said, "In my eyes, people are always more precious than objects."

Wu Tong glanced at Yun Ce and said, "That's what those in positions of power say."

Yun Ce raised his hand and stroked the long face of the chestnut horse, saying, "Only I am true."

Wu Tong turned his gaze to the chestnut horse and said, "Your leather horse is truly amazing."

Yun Ce grabbed the chestnut horse's chin and said, "I think it has become a spirit, but it still pretends to be so silly. They say that life's troubles begin when you learn to read. This guy used to be very dependent on me, but now he's become very hesitant, as if I would kill it if I found out it had become a spirit."

Wu Tong looked into the chestnut horse's clear eyes and said, "Is it possible that this guy has become a spirit, but has become even dumber after becoming a spirit?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "That's possible. We have an idiom called 'Learning to walk in Handan,' which means that someone thought the way people from Handan walked was very beautiful, so he tried to learn how to walk like them. As a result, he not only failed to learn, but he also forgot how he used to walk."

Despite Wu Tong and Yun Ce talking about the chestnut horse right in front of it, the chestnut horse still didn't react much, as if it was accidental that it kicked the bricks into the well, accidental that it discovered the tunnel, and that everything that happened to it was accidental.

Walking through the tunnel, things on the surface seemed to have nothing to do with them. People always have to learn to make choices; if you take the benefits of one side, you can't take the benefits of the other.

Just like Zhou Situ's two sons, they always thought that their father had left them enough supplies to make a comeback. In fact, in Yun Ce and Wu Tong's opinion, Zhou Situ had not prepared enough supplies for the children at all.

Looking at the few doorless warehouses at the end of the tunnel, Wu Tong said to Yun Ce, "It seems that Zhou Situ only left his descendants enough supplies to become wealthy men."

Yun Ce grabbed a handful of wheat from the grain warehouse, rubbed it in his hands, and said, "It's pretty good. It has very little moisture and can be stored for ten years without any problem."

Wu Tong said, "Parents plan far ahead for their children and grandchildren. Zhou Situ must have already realized that the days ahead will not be easy. Being able to save his life is already the best option."

Yun Ce smiled and said, "Zhou Tingyun and the others don't think so." Wu Tong took a small box from the top of a pile of boxes, which was placed in a conspicuous position. Inside should be a letter left by Zhou Situ for his descendants, as well as subsequent arrangements.

After opening it, his eyes narrowed, and he handed the box to Yun Ce.

Yun Ce took out a bead from the box, held it in his palm, and slightly activated his inner energy. A violent face appeared on the bead. The face did not look old, but it was covered with a black beard that completely obscured the face. Only from the shape of his constantly opening mouth could one roughly guess that this person wanted to come out of the bead.

Of course, the bead was just a simple image-recording device. After Yun Ce activated his inner energy again, the human face emerged from the bead, stood in mid-air, and roared at Yun Ce and his group.

Wu Tong took out a piece of paper from the bottom of the box, and after reading it, said to Yun Ce, "This is Prince Huo. Minister Zhou obtained this bead twenty-six years ago."

Yun Ce thought for a moment, then pulled out a map from his wristband and handed it to Wu Tong, saying, "Take a look at this map and see what place it marks. Is it the Tomb of King Huo?"

Wu Tong shook his head and said, "According to historical records, after King Huo died, his coffin was carried into King Huo's tomb by his forty-eight guards. After they entered King Huo's tomb, they placed the Dragon-Severing Stone, which separated King Huo's tomb from the outside world into two separate worlds."

Yun Ce withdrew his inner energy, and the silent, roaring face disappeared into the bead with a whoosh. After roaring twice more inside the bead, it slowly dissipated.

“That man was your father,” Yun Ce said to Huo Wudi.

Huo Wudi blinked and said, "I understand."

Yun Ce then asked, "Don't you care about your father?"

Huo Wudi bit her lip and feigned pitifulness, saying, "If he doesn't want me, will you?"

Yun Ce did not answer, but focused his attention on the tall stone wall in front of him. Near the bottom of the stone wall, there was a turntable, which should be the mechanism to open the door.

Yun Ce then said to Wu Tong, "Let's go out."

Before Wu Tong could move, Lei Ming rushed forward and forcefully turned the turntable.

Lei Ming thought it would take a lot of force to turn the turntable, but he didn't expect that with just a little force, the turntable would start spinning quickly and faster and faster.

As the turntable rapidly ascended, a closer look revealed that it was supported by a thick metal shaft with faint threads, possibly indicating an external force-saving device. Once the turntable reached the highest point of the cave, it seemed as if a lock had been unlocked, abruptly stopping its rotation and then reversing off the metal shaft.

A crack appeared in the originally smooth stone wall, and after Lei Ming pushed it open, a waterfall appeared in front of him.

Looking at the scenery outside through the cascading waterfall, Wu Tong sighed and said, "This is the Nanshan Waterfall, one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Chang'an."

The air outside Chang'an is better than inside the city.

This is especially true at Nanshan Waterfall. In good years, early spring is the perfect time for the ladies of Chang'an to enjoy the spring scenery. Men sing, compose poems, and dance, like peacocks eager to spread their tails.

The waterfall cascades down from the top of the cave, basically obscuring the entire entrance. There is also a small platform here, barely a sliver of land.

“Zhou Situ is indeed a refined man. Even if he chooses to dig a tunnel to escape, he still puts the exit in the most elegant place in Chang’an. Yun Ce, we have left Chang’an. You should think it over. Once I go with you to Yun Clan Manor, it means that the Panxing Tower of the Ming Dynasty will be at your service.”

"My life, Wu Tong, is now worthless. You can use it, so be it. But the Climbing Star Tower is full of brave and courageous heroes. Have you thought about how you will not let them down?"

Yun Ce looked at Wu Tong and smiled, "Are the people of Climbing Star Tower really willing to follow me and sacrifice their lives for my ideals?"

Wu Tong said, "They originally had their own ideals, but later, their ideals were shattered, and they didn't have any new ideals. Since that's the case, let's try following the path you chose first."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "I don't want people who aren't pure."

Wu Tong said, "Then do something that will make us willing to risk our lives for your ideals."

Yun Ce said, "After seeing the fate of the Zhou Situ family, is this all you can come up with?"

Wu Tong said, "Zhou Situ kept backing down, but when he had nowhere left to retreat, he died and his clan was wiped out. Do you think Panxinglou will suffer the same fate?"

Yun Ce laughed loudly: "In the beginning of chaos, those who do not fight will die."

(End of this chapter)