The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 338 Unresolved Grudges

The girl was already quite charming, and when she whispered Yuan Yufeng's nickname, she was even more beautiful. Yuan Yufeng was neither like Zhou Yan, who had experienced the information explosion and beauty filters of the future, nor like Jin Tianwang, whose Dao heart was as hard as iron and who had not been close to women for a thousand years.

He was just a local from Langzhong, of ordinary background, and had no one to arrange a marriage for him.

The call seemed to make his blood boil. How could a young man in his early twenties resist such temptation? He subconsciously walked over there. The closer he got, the warmer and brighter the beauty's smile became, and the softer her voice became.

It's like a piece of honey.

Yuan Yufeng was in a daze, but all he felt was that if he could get one step closer and make that girl smile even more beautifully, it would be worth dying for.

Just as he got closer and was about to smell the sweet scent, a tremendous force suddenly slammed into his lower back. The force was so great that it sent Yuan Yufeng flying several steps, his back slamming hard against a tree. The leaves rustled, and dew splattered onto his face.

Yuan Yufeng was just getting annoyed when she wondered why there was no pain in her back.

Just as I was wondering, the charming young girl suddenly let out a series of screams, followed by the sound of clashing swords. With a crash, a bloody head fell to the ground and rolled over. A stench of blood burst through my nose and into my brain.

When Yuan Yufeng saw the beautiful young woman die with her eyes wide open, he was first afraid, then angry. As a soldier of the Tang Dynasty, he watched someone kill someone, and his anger suppressed his fear. He gripped his waist knife, but the next moment, a hand pressed down on the waist knife and pushed him down.

A deep, weary shout rang out: "What are you doing!"

"Calm down, look closely, what is that!"

This angry shout brought Yuan Yufeng back to his senses. He was dazed for a moment and saw that the person holding him was a burly man. His gaze subconsciously shifted and fell on the ground, where he saw the head of the charming girl.

Yes, the brain!

A ripple of emotion flashed in Yuan Yufeng's eyes, and panic was about to surge forth, but he quickly noticed something was wrong and saw something unusual. The girl was indeed a beauty, but her temples and neck were covered with densely packed, diamond-shaped scales.

The scales were bluish-green, hard and rough, looking like a tortoise shell or snake scales.

Yuan Yufeng drew his knife and staggered out. He saw a corpse lying outside the wall. The lower half of the body was still human, but the neck was especially long, like a giant snake, as big as a tree.

At this moment, Yuan Yufeng realized that she had encountered a monster.

His face turned even paler. He thought about how he had been in a nightmare, walking past in a daze. If he hadn't been bumped aside and had walked past instead, he would probably be headless by now.

From this perspective, the man from earlier was actually my benefactor.

Yuan Yufeng felt a surge of immense relief and gratitude. He turned around, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, benefactor. If it weren't for..." He tried to bow down, but was pulled up. At that moment, he looked over and froze.

Before me stood a rugged-looking man, around forty years old, with a stubble beard and bloodshot eyes, visibly weary and struggling. His clothes were stained with blood, as if he had been through a deadly battle. His right arm was severed at the elbow, and his left hand was large. He was carrying a girl of about thirteen or fourteen on his back.

The sword between the girl's eyebrows burst forth in a plum blossom pattern of blood; she was already lifeless.

Yuan Yufeng said, "You, this is..."

The ones who made the move were Wang Boze and his daughter, who had left from Tengwang Pavilion. Throughout his life, he had taken almost every wrong step. As a son, as a husband, as a soldier, and as a father, he was incompetent.

He survived only for his daughter, but now that his daughter is dead, all his struggles are nothing more than pawns of the vengeful spirit of Li Yuanying. Being a pawn is already pathetic enough, but what about being a pawn of a pawn?

He knew his hands were bloodied, and he wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go.

Seeing Yuan Yufeng face death in a daze, Wang Wan'er's last words were like needles piercing his heart, causing him to react instinctively and instinctively draw his knife.

Now he remained silent, carrying his daughter on his back, and said in a low voice, "...That's a beauty's head, also called a flying head demon. It's a special kind of monster. This type of monster will stand by the wall, only showing its head to call for people."

"Once trapped in a nightmare, the past will be devoured by him. They will be like snakes, eating from head to toe, and in the end, they will only spit out some skeletons. At this time, Langzhong is inexplicably filled with yin energy, and all kinds of hidden monsters will emerge out like the insects in the corners of the old house."

"You don't have any special skills, so you should stay where there are lots of people."

Yuan Yufeng nodded without saying anything, but she felt that the little girl Wang Boze was carrying looked familiar. She took a closer look and then paused slightly, saying, "Isn't that Wan'er?!"

Wang Boze paused, turned around, and stared intently at him: "You..."

Looking at the girl's body, Yuan Yufeng felt a surge of anger and resentment: "What happened!? How could Wan'er..." He had been sent to guard the city gate with Old Liu for some time.

But before that, he was a good man from a respectable family.

The reason he was sidelined and relegated to sitting on the sidelines with Old Liu was because Old Liu had scolded him. Yuan Yufeng couldn't stand his superior's oppression of the people and his forced marriage, so he angrily resisted and was almost stripped naked.

It was only after Old Liu groveled and begged him for a long time that they became familiar with each other.

The woman Shangguan supposedly planned to forcibly marry was Wang Wan'er. To call it marriage was just to make her a concubine and to play with her as revenge against Wang Boze. It was Wang Boze who personally took off her head with a knife after he returned. She was the one who attracted the pursuing troops and forced him to a dead end.

After learning what had happened, Wang Boze looked up to the sky and sighed, only saying:
"...Things in this world are truly utterly unreasonable."

In this one sentence, he conveyed a myriad of emotions: childhood sweethearts, joining the army as an adult, serving his country, the destruction of his family, being used by others, the struggles and resentments, and finally, such a tragic end. Just this one sentence seemed to contain a thousand emotions, and speaking it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Yuan Yufeng looked at the little girl's red mark between her eyebrows.

The one who killed her seemed to have held back; the sword strike would have ended without much pain. However, Yuan Yufeng still felt a tightness in his chest and a deep discomfort. He thought of the little girl who had tried so hard to survive, and looking at this cold, lifeless corpse, he felt suffocated and miserable.

He asked, "My benefactor, who harmed Miss Wan'er?!"

"We must avenge Wan'er and seek justice!"

Wang Boze said, "That's beyond what you or I can handle."

Yuan Yufeng said, "Even so, are we not going to seek revenge?"

Wang Boze was stunned. But what exactly had harmed Wang Wan'er? Was it those damned aristocratic families, the young man who made the move, Li Yuanying, or himself? In the end, he looked up at the sky speechlessly, blinked his eyes, and tears still fell.

Is it the world, myself, or something else?
It is precisely because of silence, because there are too many reasons, and because I am also involved.

That's when it's even more painful, more agonizing, and more torturous.

Although Yuan Yufeng didn't know the specific reason, seeing Wang Boze's appearance, she knew the complexity of the situation. She wanted to comfort him but couldn't say anything. Finally, she looked at Wang Boze's wounds all over his body and his right arm, which was broken at the elbow.

The severed right arm was rough, and it seemed that the bleeding had been stopped by scorching the flesh with flames. After many battles, the wound was twisted and dripped thick blood again. Just looking at it, you could tell how painful it must have been.

But Wang Boze seemed oblivious to the excruciating pain and torment he was experiencing here.

I've become numb.

Or perhaps the pain in his heart far surpasses that in his body, and the physical pain is a kind of medicine, a reminder that he is still alive and that his body has not yet degenerated into a walking corpse.

Yuan Yufeng grabbed his arm and said, "Come with me, my benefactor. I know a place where there is the most skilled doctor, a disciple of the Medicine King. Your wounds need to be treated."

"Miss Wan'er also needs to... tidy up her appearance."

The first sentence failed to persuade Wang Boze, but the second sentence pierced a father's heart like a sharp sword. Wang Boze carried Wang Wan'er on his back and followed Yuan Yufeng back to the antique shop.

Along the way, he saw the state soldiers rushing about, who, led by Pei Xuanniao and Li Zhenyue, were guiding the people from the outside world to gather here. Wang Boze lowered his eyes, looking at the people everywhere. These people of Langzhong had experienced many upheavals. Some were holding their children, some were huddled together to rest. No one dared to sleep. Their faces were filled with panic and fear, tears streaming down their faces, and their eyes were dark circles.

Wang Boze saw someone else holding their daughter. The little girl's clothes were dirty, and she looked tired and scared. She was singing a lullaby to comfort her parents.

The innocent voices of children singing nursery rhymes.

"The Jialing River twists and turns like a nine-fold intestine,"

"The moon shines like frost over the ancient city."

"Clouds weave satin on Jinping Mountain,"

"Boats are moored in front of Huaguang Tower."

The child's voice was still young and barely had any energy, but her grandparents were exhausted. They didn't care about the dirt on the ground; they just sat there with their legs dangling to the sides and their heads drooping, but their hands were still clasped together, protecting the child and refusing to let go.

Wang Boze remained silent, bowing his head as he passed through the crowd. He subconsciously tightened the ribbon binding Wang Wan'er's body to himself. His eyes lowered as he walked away, feeling his steps grow heavier and heavier as he walked among the people.

It's like carrying something that's far too heavy.

But could that be Wan'er?
She was thin and small, so light and airy, like a flower or a dandelion, easily blown away by the swaying waves and the winds of this world...

My father was a military officer in the Tang Dynasty... a towering hero who protected our country.

Wang Boze's heart ached. He followed Yuan Yufeng forward. Behind them, a child sang an ancient folk song from Langzhong. The simple words were sung over and over again. Some people clapped their hands to keep the rhythm, and in the end, many people responded in hushed tones.

"The copper kettle boils the moonlight over the three rivers, and the stone alley hides the Han Dynasty's time."

"I advise you not to inquire about Penglai..."

"Langyuan is a fairyland."

When they reached the last sentence, someone started to sob uncontrollably. Wang Boze stopped in his tracks, and when he took another step after a long while, it was even heavier. He staggered as if he had just passed through the tragedy of his life.

He reached out and held Wang Wan'er's cold little hand, murmuring something.

What is it that I...?

What did you do?

………………

Yuan Yufeng led him to find Xuan Zhuzi. Xuan Zhuzi was working hard to treat and heal people, and her whole body was tense. When Wang Boze stretched out his right arm, which was severed at the elbow, Xuan Zhuzi's eyes suddenly sharpened.

He paused for a moment, then said to Yuan Yufeng, "Leave this person to me, you can go out now."

Wang Boze's left hand returned to its place, gripping the sword at his waist.

He was experiencing too many emotional shocks at the moment, and his whole mind was tense and extremely sensitive. Xuan Zhuzi, however, calmly treated his wounds, cleaned them, and applied medicine, saying, "...Next time, when you cut off your own arm, don't be so rough. Simply burning the wound with flames is only a temporary measure and you will need to treat it again."

"He was lucky to survive being injured by Zhou Yan's three-pointed double-edged sword."

!!!

Wang Boze's eyes suddenly sharpened, like a ferocious tiger, ready to pounce and kill when its vital points were touched. But when he met those calm eyes, he fell silent for a moment and said, "Daoist Master, aren't you going to ask who I am?"

Xuan Zhuzi looked at him, and then at the little girl behind him who looked like she was asleep.

This timid and lecherous Taoist priest, looking at the little girl with her eyes closed, felt only pity and heartache in his eyes, and said:
"Here, I only have sick people."

With a flick of his sleeve, he turned to tidy up the medicine table and said, "It's just a pity."

"I am not a great and wise teacher; I can only save people, not the world."

"You can't save people's hearts."

"What a pity about this young girl... If she had gone to Louguantai this morning, perhaps she could have been saved."

These words pierced his heart like a sharp blade. Wang Boze put down his knife, looked at the unsuspecting Taoist pharmacist, bowed, and staggered out. His heart ached, and his eyes were filled with sorrow. He wanted to escape, but there was nowhere to run. In the end, he held his daughter, sat down against the wall, and lowered his head in silence, just like any other living being.

We are unaware of birth, unaware of death; in the cycle of life and death, we have no control over our own destiny.

Zhou Yan and Kai Ming rushed back and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Yuan Yufeng was alright.

They divined that Yuan Yufeng was a descendant of Yuan Tiangang, and hurriedly returned. Jin Tianwang, however, refused to believe it and desperately bombarded the seal of the Heavenly Palace. Zhou Yan knew that Jin Tianwang's level of cultivation was not enough to break through this thing.

Kaiming asked whether they should leave a clone behind to prevent other forces from getting close.

Zhou Yan replied, "With the prison treasury there, anyone who dares to approach will be judged as someone trying to steal his treasure, making it safer."

After thinking about it, Kaiming realized that it was indeed the case, so he didn't interfere.

The two returned with Yuan Yufeng. Kaiming inquired about Yuan Yufeng's family lineage, while Zhou Yan visited Li Zhiwei. The girl was asleep, her breath weak but stable, which reassured him.

A cold voice came from behind: "You have frozen her life and death. She is fine for now, but if too much time passes and she cannot find a cure, she will slowly decay and become a living dead."

Zhou Yan looked up and saw that the person was dressed in a black and gold outfit with cold eyes. She was the manager of this place, Ying Yinman, who claimed to be the daughter of Ying Zheng. Zhou Yan also had many questions to ask, such as why she was still alive and how she knew about Li Yuanying.

And who is this Qin princess, who has lived across a thousand years, waiting for?

Ying Yinman strolled slowly, and upon hearing this, she lowered her eyes indifferently:

"It's because I already had some entanglements with them."

Zhou Yan's knowledge of history was insufficient. He glanced in the direction of the Heavenly Palace Courtyard, knowing that Lao Jin was still 'guarding' there and Kai Ming was still inquiring about Yuan Yufeng's family history. Therefore, there was still time. He spoke slowly:

"Appreciate further details."

"That was a thousand years ago..."

Ying Yinman strolled slowly, holding an umbrella in the moonlight. She twirled the umbrella handle with her fingers and said softly, "That year I was still young, and my father was unifying the world. The might of Qin shook the four directions."

She lowered her eyes, her thoughts seemingly drifting back to a distant past.

At that time, the Qin Dynasty was invincible, her father was like a god, and she was a pampered princess, innocent and romantic, believing that the world would continue like this forever.

"And at that time, a man arrived in Xianyang—"

"A warlock with dark gold pupils like dragons."

(End of this chapter)