Chapter 51: The Death of Guan Huchen

"Li Zhongshu, you sit down and rest for a while; it's not even noon yet, Marquis Lieyang said he would arrive in the afternoon," Xiao Yu said, sheathing her sword and wiping sweat with a white towel.

The Cloud Coming Inn was almost empty now; even the front courtyard and the main hall only had the two of them.

Passing merchants and travelers had long been driven away by Guan Huchen.

The inn staff were all busy in the back kitchen, preparing wine, water, and meals to be sent to the door for the noble guests from the Central Plains.

Guan Huchen had taken all five hundred Shu cavalry to five li away again.

Xiao Yu practiced sword as usual after breakfast.

Guan Zhong had nothing to do alone; he would sit in a chair for a while, then get up anxiously, run outside to look around, then slowly turn back, and before he finished a cup of tea, he couldn't sit still again, and later simply squatted at the main entrance, staring blankly toward the west.

Xiao Yu wasn't concerned about him.

It was his earnest and anxious look of concern for Guan Huchen that made her, who was practicing sword with peace of mind, look like an unfilial daughter who didn't care about her old father.

She had to show something.

"The messenger said at the latest in the afternoon, it doesn't necessarily have to wait until the afternoon," Guan Zhong said with experience.

Xiao Yu walked to the door and stood on tiptoe to look to the west.

The yellow earth road was covered with a layer of fresh yellow earth, and water had been sprinkled on it to ensure that no dust would be raised.

The weeds on both sides of the road had also been cleared once, looking exceptionally clean and bright.

Today's weather was also very good, with a clear sky for ten thousand li, a gentle breeze, and the sweet fragrance of ripe peaches and fruits drifting down from the hillside in the north.

"Li Zhongshu, why don't we walk two li forward, then find a hillside to climb up; we should be able to see Foster Father ahead."

"No!" Guan Zhong shook his head repeatedly, "The military rules are strict; there are scouts specifically guarding in all directions in front of and behind the team. If it is considered secret observation of military intelligence, it will be a capital crime."

"Even if we wouldn't really be sentenced to death, it would definitely make the Old Master look bad."

Xiao Yu stopped talking, returned to the main hall, moved two stools to the main entrance, one for Guan Zhong and one for herself.

Guan Zhong continued to stare blankly at the west.

On the surface, she was looking forward blankly like Guan Zhong, but in her heart, she was silently reciting the Tao Te Ching, while her consciousness sank into the Purple Mansion, practicing "Tiger Soul Seven Kills" with one mind and two uses.

By noon, when Xiao Yu was eating with a bowl, a Xisha Garrison soldier finally rushed into the inn and shouted: "Marquis Lieyang is here, Marquis Lieyang is here! Fill the silver basin with clean water, prepare high-quality cotton and silk towels, and tea, fruit, and snacks; nothing can be missing, and nothing can go wrong..."

The knight shouted a long string of instructions, making the hundreds of helpers in the inn spin around.

Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu couldn't even care about eating.

"Where are they, where is the army?" Guan Zhong asked repeatedly.

"After rendezvous with Marquis Lieyang's Fire Crow Army, I whipped my horse and returned first; I don't know where the army is now," the knight said, covered in sweat, his face flushed, his expression excited.

Xiao Yu was originally very calm, still silently reciting the Tao Te Ching, but everyone in the room was anxious, busy, and shouting loudly, so she was also infected by the atmosphere, and there was a hint of tension in her gaze toward the west.

Marquis Lieyang was young, but he was a capable and pragmatic old soldier.

Guan Huchen and the others didn't delay his itinerary at all; less than a quarter of an hour later, a team of vehicles and horses appeared in Xiao Yu's field of vision.

"They're here, Marquis Lieyang is here; heavens, is this the general of the Central Plains? Too, too, too majestic and heroic." The inn helper at the side opened his mouth wide, dumbfounded.

Xiao Yu also exclaimed in a low voice, "So tall, so fierce!"

The front row of the team was not Guan Huchen and the other Shu cavalry, but four "vanguard commanders," each of whom was one zhang five or six tall, that is, five or six meters high, looking like giants.

Two of the giant vanguards were carrying Fire Crow Flags.

The huge spreading Fire Crow was wider than a double bed sheet.

The two in the middle were half a step behind, wearing steel armor and holding refined steel spears the thickness of a bowl, like temple gods come to life, having stepped down from the altar.

And after these four giants, there were still fierce men standing, and their height was definitely not lower than three meters.

Except for a few "giants" walking, more fierce men were either riding "giant beasts" or standing on war chariots pulled by "giant beasts."

The attire of the Great Qin giants of the Fire Crow Army immediately reminded Xiao Yu of the Terracotta Warriors.

Not only the armor and attire, but also the facial features, expressions, and temperament were somewhat similar, giving a very "primitive" and sturdy feeling.

They walked from afar without noise, no one spoke, only the sound of footsteps, the collision of armor and weapons, and the sound of vehicles and horses.

The military appearance was neat, as if they were one.

However, although they were fierce enough to make a group of Western Shu people awe-struck and dumbfounded, the number of people was not large, totaling less than a hundred, and the rest were ordinary knights like the Shu cavalry.

Well, besides Marquis Lieyang's Fire Crow Flag, there were also military flags such as Giant Elephant, Blood Sickle, Treasure Boat, and Star Moon at the back of the team.

Obviously, they were like Guan Huchen, all Western military generals who had surrendered to Marquis Lieyang.

Marquis Lieyang's party totaled more than two thousand, all proud soldiers and fierce generals, vast and mighty, with neat queues, like an iron-clad torrent rushing over.

Although the personnel were complex, the temperament of the Western soldiers and the Great Qin Fire Crow Army was distinct, and the difference was very obvious, which ordinary people could distinguish with the naked eye.

Xiao Yu had a little regret; she didn't see Marquis Lieyang.

Marquis Lieyang didn't ride a horse; he sat in a mysterious iron war chariot pulled by eight fire-maned horses.

The four sides of the war chariot were covered with fire-red gauze curtains to block the dust, and one could vaguely see a fierce man leaning on a couch, unable to see his face clearly.

"Li Zhongshu, are the people of the Central Plains all so tall?"

Marquis Lieyang's team moved into the camp prepared by Guan Huchen in advance, and Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong were watching from outside, whispering.

It wasn't just them; the helpers of the Cloud Coming Inn, passing travelers, soldiers from Hualong Pass opposite, and residents of nearby villages and towns all ran over to admire the demeanor of the Central Plains figures, each with awe and longing on their faces.

"As the saying goes, one side of water and soil raises one side of people."

"The Central Plains is the most essential and rich place in the world, and the heroic figures raised by that kind of water and soil are of course more majestic and robust."

"However, not all people in the Central Plains are zhang-six giants; there are many ordinary people with the same physique as us... In fact, the nobles of our Shu Kingdom are mostly descendants of Central Plains people who migrated from the Heavenly Dynasty long ago."

"They are also just eight feet tall."

"Moreover, these Central Plains generals are not the tallest in terms of physique."

"Wait until Miss returns to Yingxiang Mansion, you can see all kinds of people in Tianmen Town."

"There are Jing people from the country of small people, generally only seven or eight inches; there are giants from the country of long people, who are ten or twenty zhang tall!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yu was both yearning and annoyed.

This mythical world was truly worthy of its name, but she had wasted ten years of good time in the barbarian land in vain!

Having seen the outside world, she felt more and more that Shaqiu was a bumpkin, and she herself was too earthy and too village-like!

Marquis Lieyang decided to rest at Feixian Ferry for half a day and set off again early tomorrow morning.

As early as two days ago, Guan Huchen led a group of Shu cavalry to build the camp.

After Marquis Lieyang arrived, he went straight into the largest commander's tent in the center and never showed his face again.

The "giants" of the Fire Crow Army were stationed at the first layer of the camp fence outside the big tent.

Guan Huchen's Shu cavalry and other Western military generals were distributed in all directions, surrounding the "Fire Crow Camp" in the middle.

Afterward, the helpers of the Cloud Coming Inn carried trays and sent meals to the camp entrance like flowing water, and then they were transferred to the inside of the military camp by the soldiers.

"Li Zhongshu, as the family of the Great Shu Cavalry Commandant, do I need to go and pay respects to Marquis Lieyang?"

Xiao Yu and the Western Shu commoners were watching the curiosity outside the camp.

"What are you going for? Without Marquis Lieyang's summons, no one can step into the central camp for half a step; those who violate the order will be beheaded," Guan Zhong said seriously.

"It's not that I want to see Marquis Lieyang, it's that Marquis Lieyang's people are looking at me... I..."

Xiao Yu closed her mouth, pulled Guan Zhong to retreat a few steps quietly, avoiding the line of sight of the Fire Crow Army soldiers in the central camp, and whispered: "Didn't you notice? That general with wind-blown ears has been looking at me; he likely recognizes me."

Guan Zhong didn't understand, poked his head to look at the center of the military camp, and asked suspiciously: "Which general with wind-blown ears?"

"The shortest general outside Marquis Lieyang's commander's tent, his position seems to be very high, he spoke to Foster Father before, and Foster Father's attitude toward him—" Xiao Yu felt a tightness in her heart and lowered her eyelids slightly.

The crowd in front parted, and the general with wind-blown ears had already walked out, seemingly coming toward her side.

Guan Zhong also noticed it, his heart filled with suspicion.

The general with wind-blown ears was not only not tall and sturdy, but his figure was also a bit short and fat.

However, a fat face did not affect his majestic and dignified demeanor.

"Pay respects to the General." Guan Zhong immediately knelt on both knees and bowed five times.

Before kneeling down, he also lightly touched Xiao Yu with his hand.

Xiao Yu bent her knees and said "General, ten thousand blessings."

"Are you Miss Guan Yu?" The general with wind-blown ears looked her up and down with a kind smile for a long time before saying: "Get up, this general is just coming over to take a look."

After speaking, he carried his hands on his back and walked away.

Guan Zhong climbed up, his heart in a mess, but he only had a stern expression, didn't say a word, and pulled Xiao Yu to walk back.

Xiao Yu suddenly paused and whispered: "Li Zhongshu, Guan Laozu Qingsong is here."

"Daoist Qingsong..." Guan Zhong followed her gaze, and sure enough, he saw Qingsong with a bright star crown, fluffy black hair, wearing a feather garment with embroidered belts, and cloud shoes with yellow brown, his demeanor like a banished immortal, walking lightly on the yellow earth road.

"Pay respects to Daoist Qingsong!"

"Pay respects to Guan Laozu Qingsong."

Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu immediately greeted him.

Qingsong nodded lightly, stopped, looked up at the blue sky in the east, and smiled: "Coming early is not as good as coming coincidentally; look, the Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill is here!"

Xiao Yu opened her eyes wide and looked carefully, vaguely seeing a dazzling cyan stream of light crossing the sky at an extremely fast speed.

If it weren't for the cyan light flickering and being brilliant and gorgeous, it would be almost indistinguishable under the clear blue sky.

It approached their direction at a fast speed.

Soon the cyan light stopped abruptly above the military camp, the light scattered, revealing a pair of cyan wings.

It was a "cyan bird" with gorgeous and beautiful feathers and an elegant and huge body.

"What kind of immortal bird is that?" Xiao Yu exclaimed.

She didn't know what it was called, but just by its appearance and aura, she could conclude that it was definitely not an ordinary bird.

"It is the divine bird Cyan Luan raised in the Epang Palace..."

Daoist Qingsong had a smile on his face, but there was a flash of suspicion in the bottom of his eyes.

Just helping to send a pill, did they need to send a Cyan Luan messenger?

"Boom!" A muffled explosion sounded from the commander's tent in the center of the camp.

The sound was very loud, like a thunderclap, and the sound was also muffled, sounding like a huge and thick wooden table being shattered by a giant palm.

The conversation of the Shu people eating melons outside the camp stopped abruptly, and the atmosphere became quiet and oppressive.

"Guan Guan Huchen, you have great guts!" Immediately following was an angry roar.

"Old Master..." Guan Zhong's face turned pale, his body and voice competing in trembling.

"What did your Old Master do? Little Dao has never seen Marquis Lieyang so out of control, so angry." Daoist Qingsong smiled.

He smiled gloatingly, but there was also thick suspicion in the bottom of his eyes.

In his memory, Marquis Lieyang had always been taciturn and indifferent, and even when alone, he rarely showed his emotions.

Not to mention that now thousands of people were present, yet he didn't restrain himself at all.

"Clang clang~~"

The Cyan Luan let out a crisp and loud cry and plunged into Marquis Lieyang's commander's tent.

Then, heaven and earth seemed to press the pause button; Marquis Lieyang no longer roared, and everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, motionless and speechless.

The soldiers in the camp were all playing dead, looking straight ahead, sticking to their posts.

Even Daoist Qingsong stopped his steps, didn't continue forward, and didn't speak to Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong.

"No, impossible!" Marquis Lieyang broke the silence again; this time there was only one part of anger in his roar, and the remaining nine parts were shock and... panic.

That's right, it was panic and unease!

"Ang~ Aowu~~~" Accompanied by a dragon-like roar, a bright red fire pillar the thickness of a washbasin suddenly burst through the curtains and fences, rushing out from Marquis Lieyang's camp, plowing a scorched dirt ditch more than thirty meters long on the ground.

And at the end of the dirt ditch was a twisted, deformed, and burning iron-clad body.

"Ah, Old Master~~~~" Guan Zhong's knees went soft, and he knelt on the ground and wailed. ===== CHAPTER 52 =====