Chapter 394: Seven-Star Lamp to Extend Life at Wuzhang Plains (Part 2)

The seven large lamps in the tent were pressed down by half an inch by the wind simultaneously, and then bounced back.

But that main life lamp in the center of the array, the firelight tilted violently to one side the moment the wind passed through.

A thin white smoke dragged from the top of the candle wick, and then it went out.

It went out very quietly, without sound, without bursting.

Just like a person closing a door, there was no sound when the door closed.

Jiang Wei's action of drawing the sword was faster than the camera switching of the sky-screen.

The moment the sword left the scabbard, the sword body drew an arc in the reflection of the candle fire, and the sword tip pointed at Wei Yan's throat, less than three inches away.

His pupils shrank to the smallest at that moment, his lips pursed into a white line.

Wei Yan stood there, one hand still gripping the lifted tent curtain, the other hand holding the knife hanging down.

He looked down at the extinguished lamp, then looked up at the sword tip of Jiang Wei, his Adam's apple moved, and he did not dodge.

Zhuge Liang's voice rang out behind Jiang Wei. Very low, light as if talking about someone else's business: "Boyue, put away the sword."

Jiang Wei did not move.

The sword tip was still in place.

Zhuge Liang repeated it, this time lighter: "Put away the sword. Life and death are determined by fate, cannot be forced."

He paused, "Not Wen Chang's fault."

Jiang Wei's sword tip dropped half an inch.

His fingers gripping the sword hilt turned white, the sword hilt ground in his palm.

Then, he turned his head away and put the sword back into the scabbard, something was moving on his face that turned away, it was unclear what it was.

Wei Yan was still standing there, one hand still gripping the curtain.

His lips moved several times before making a sound: "Prime Minister... this general did not know—"

Zhuge Liang shook his head slowly: "I know."

"You step down."

Wei Yan did not move immediately.

He stood at the tent entrance, looking at Zhuge Liang, then looked at the extinguished lamp, and then retreated.

When he retreated, his pace was much slower than when he came, and when the curtain fell, it was much lighter than when he lifted it.

Only Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei were left in the tent.

Zhuge Liang looked down at the extinguished main life lamp, a wisp of extremely fine white smoke still hanging from the wick, not yet dissipated.

He reached out and touched the lamp base, the copper lamp base was still warm, but the candle fire was already gone.

He coughed.

This time he coughed very heavily, his shoulders retracted entirely, and then relaxed.

When he looked down, a dark red thing flowed down along the outline of his chin, dripping onto the lamp base.

Then it slid across the copper surface, gathered into a drop at the edge of the lamp base and fell.

Landing on the ground, it split into a small piece of moist dark color.

Jiang Wei knelt behind him, kneeling very straight, but the sound of his knees hitting the ground was very heavy.

Zhuge Liang's voice came out in the silence, lower and slower than before: "Liang can no longer face the enemy on the battlefield."

"Oh, vast heaven, why are you so thin to me."

The image of the sky-screen froze on his profile.

That expression of looking down at the lamp, no anger, no resentment, lips closed, eyelids lowered, as if he had known this ending long ago, just waiting for it to come.

The last line of characters at the top of the sky-screen slowly emerged, every stroke pressed very heavily, as if carved with the last bit of strength:

【The Seven Stars can pray to Heaven's mandate, but a mortal body can hardly defy the firmament; the Martial Marquis exhausted his heart and strength, yet ultimately could not extend the fading light of the Great Han.】

There was no sound on the ground.

No crying, no discussion, no sound of weapons colliding.

That kind of silence was not pressed out, it was as if the entire crowd had been frozen by something.

Until after a long time, a very light sobbing sound came from the direction of the Shu army camp, like a thin line breaking.

Then more lines followed and broke, and the crying sound connected into a piece.

Jiang Wei stood in place, his gaze still fixed on the image of Zhuge Liang looking down at the lamp on the sky-screen.

His hand was still pressing on the sword hilt, but the force gripping the sword hilt had loosened, his fingertips rested on the sword hilt, and he did not move again.

Wei Yan stood at the entrance of his own tent, the knife in his hand had been inserted back into the scabbard.

He lowered his head, looking at the tips of his boots, from the side one could see his chin moving, but it was unclear what he was saying.

Liu Bei stood at the very front of the Shu army camp, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on the left and right.

Liu Bei did not speak, but his lips were closed very tightly, and his jawline was always tense.

In the imperial palace in Chengdu, Liu Shan stood on the steps of the palace, looking up at the sky-screen.

The image on the sky-screen had already stopped.

Liu Shan was still standing there, looking at the outline of Zhuge Liang's profile.

Several eunuchs stood behind him, no one made a sound.

Cao Cao stood on the high platform of the Cao camp, his hands supporting the railing, his gaze did not leave the sky-screen.

He finished watching the entire process of the star-praying ritual—

That lamp, that scene of wind, that ending—

Then he spoke a sentence, his voice neither high nor low:

"Once Zhuge Liang dies, there is no one in Shu Han to fear."

He paused, "But I don't feel happy."

Sima Yi stood in the Wei army camp, retracted his gaze from the sky-screen, and fell on the mud ground under his feet.

His fingers were twisting his sleeve unconsciously, his lips moved, and then closed again.

In Wu territory, Sun Quan stood on the city tower of Jianye, with no attendants beside him.

After watching the whole sky-screen, he did not speak either, just stood silently for a long time.

On the deck of the spirit ship, Gu Shanhe did not speak.

Ying Zheng stood beside him, there was a small table between the two, and the tea on the table was already cold.

Liu Bang spoke first, his voice much lower than usual.

"I have fought many battles in my life, and seen many people die."

"But when this person died, the feeling was different."

His fingers paused on the edge of the table.

"After he finished that sentence, there was no one in the tent."

Gu Shanhe picked up the cup of cold tea and put it down again.

"Exhausting heart and strength, dying and then stopping."

"These eight words, many people have said."

"But he really did it for a lifetime."

Ying Zheng cast his gaze toward the Wuzhang Plains below.

"In my opinion, Zhuge Liang's defeat was not defeated by Wei Yan, not defeated by Sima Yi, not defeated by heaven's timing."

After finishing, he paused, "He was defeated by the road he chose."

"Walking to the end of that road, there is no exit."

"He walked for twenty-seven years, walking until the lamp went out."

Li Shimin added in a low voice: "Knowing it cannot be done and yet doing it."

"Some people spend their whole lives calculating gains and losses, he never calculated this."

"He calculated how much strength he had left, and how long he could support Shu Han."

A few bullet screens slid out from the edge of the sky-screen, smaller than before:

【Zhuge Liang: I went on Northern Expeditions six times, the last time was to exchange my life for a chance.】

【When the lamp went out, he was probably thinking, if only he could hold on for a few more days.】

【The moment the main lamp went out, the historical evaluation of Wei Yan was nailed to that wind forever.】

【He was 54 years old when he died.】

【Placed today, some people are still preparing for retirement at 54, he was already using his life to extend a dynasty destined to perish.】

【Sima Yi remained silent for an entire day after watching the star-praying ritual.】

【He and Zhuge Liang fought for most of their lives, when Zhuge Liang died, he probably also felt empty.】

Jiang Wei was still standing in the night of Wuzhang Plains, the night wind blew his clothes and belts slightly swaying.

He looked up at the "Life and death are determined by fate, cannot be forced" on the sky-screen, then turned and walked back into the tent.

The last line of characters on the sky-screen floated out, the light gathered very slowly, like a lamp slowly dimming:

【Three Kingdoms top ten famous scenes, all countdown complete.】

Before the characters went out, in the darkness below the sky-screen, there was an extremely faint shadow.

The outline was thin, plain clothes, vaguely could see no fan in his hand.

The outline of the shadow moved for a moment before the light gathered, as if looking back at something, and then dissipated in the dark.

The crying in the Shu army camp continued.

But the wind stopped.

In the late autumn of Wuzhang Plains, for the first time, there was no wind.

... ===== CHAPTER 395 =====