Chapter 346

"Spur your horse to the battlefield's edge; here comes a fool come to die! My precious blade rises, crimson light blazes—this ignorant fool perishes on the field!"

Li Banfeng hummed "Dingjun Mountain" as he climbed the mountain to deliver good news to Yao Lao.

He had initially considered telling Qiu Zhiheng about breaking the Sangmen Formation, but then he thought better of it—this might be the perfect chance to lure out the Sangmen Star, so he decided to tell Yao Lao first.

From afar, Yao Lao stood in the courtyard, wearing a three-pronged purple-gold crown, draped in a red brocade floral robe, stepping in lotus-thread cloud-walking shoes, clutching a three-pointed, double-edged blade, with four banners planted behind his back—majestic and imposing.

He simply loved this aura of his.

Hearing footsteps from afar, Yao Lao chuckled: "Little Qiu, you've come?"

Li Banfeng smiled—this old man always had such a sharp wit.

Come to think of it, that red robe of his, paired with his red beard and the four banners fluttering behind him in the wind, really did look imposing.

Wait.

When did his beard turn red?

Li Banfeng hurried into the courtyard.

Yao Lao added: "Not little Qiu? Then is it that girl Yu Nan?"

This wasn't wit.

He truly couldn't see.

Li Banfeng stepped forward: "Yao Lao, what happened?"

Yao Lao was drenched in blood.

The courtyard and the house were in ruins.

"Ah, it's you, Little Li!" Yao Lao chuckled. "I'm fine. Just now, some thief broke into my gate—dumb fool didn't know his own death. I cut him down."

In one hand, Yao Lao gripped his long blade; in the other, he held a severed head.

Is this the head of the Sangmen Star?

Li Banfeng didn't care about that—he wanted to help Yao Lao sit down, but Yao Lao waved him off:

"No sitting. If I sit, I won't be able to stand again. Little Li, you came too early—if you'd come a little later, you wouldn't have seen me in this sorry state."

His speech was labored.

"Why say that? Find a place to sit first."

"I can't sit. I must stand. I must stand," Yao Lao seized Li Banfeng's wrist—he struggled to remain upright, yet he refused to fall. "It doesn't matter if I look pitiful—you've seen it, you've seen it. Among the living, I've never made friends. But you… you truly count as one."

"Do you remember why I never make friends?"

"I remember," Li Banfeng quickly found adhesive tape and pressed it to Yao Lao's wounds. "You said you made one friend at eight— he stole your sugar figurine and ate it."

Yao Lao nodded and smiled: "That's right. That bastard was my childhood friend—Pan Dehai."

"He was slick with words, always tricking me since we were kids. I lost so many good things to his lies. Once I figured him out, I stopped believing anything he said."

Li Banfeng was stunned: "Pan Dehai was your childhood friend?"

Yao Lao chuckled: "That's why I told you—that old dog isn't human!"

Li Banfeng found the tape and stuck it over the wound, but the bleeding didn't stop—he went to find ointment.

Yao Lao called out: "Stop fussing. Do you know herbs better than I do? I'm done for."

"Just remember that story from when I was eight?"

Li Banfeng brought the wound salve, applying it as he replied: "I also remember what you said about eighteen— you made a friend then. He stole your wife and slept with her."

Yao Lao laughed: "I was born into a military family. I joined the army at thirteen, became a Captain at fifteen. At eighteen, I earned merit and was named a General of Miscellaneous Title."

"Prince Rui took notice of me and gave me his daughter in marriage. I was overjoyed—I was marrying a Commandery Princess!"

"On our wedding night, I drank—glass after glass. I had a friend named Lin Dexing, son of the Grand Tutor. That bastard drank with me, glass after glass."

"When I passed out, he went to my bridal chamber instead. He…"

At this, Yao Lao's hand trembled briefly, then he sighed: "Don't blame the Princess. She never left her inner chambers. On the wedding night, she didn't even lift her veil—I didn't even know what she looked like. She didn't know me either. She was just… tricked into sleeping with Lin Dexing."

Li Banfeng asked: "The Grand Tutor's son did this—and no one punished him?"

Yao Lao gave a bitter laugh: "If I exposed it, Lin Dexing would be torn apart by a thousand cuts."

"But I didn't expose it. The Prince forbade me to. The Grand Tutor begged me not to. And I didn't want to either."

"But I couldn't live like this. I couldn't bear it."

"I couldn't look at the Princess. I went before the Emperor and begged to be sent to war."

"On the battlefield, I still suffered over it—distracted, careless. I lost every battle. My rank was stripped from me."

"Let them take it. I couldn't command troops anymore. But I could still do other things—I could cook for the soldiers. I could brew wine for them."

"I brewed wine, I drank wine. Wine is good—it boosts cultivation, bolsters courage, dispels sorrow, and heals illness!"

"I'm not joking. My wine truly heals. Countless soldiers' lives were saved by my medicinal brews!"

"I stayed in the army for decades. Everyone forgot I could fight. They thought I was just a medic."

"But I never forgot military tactics. I never lost my martial skill. When real battles came, I could still advise officers—but no one listened."

"Before I knew it, I was eighty. Still stuck in the camp. That's how my life passed."

"Once, before a great battle, the generals were deliberating. I couldn't hold back—I suggested a night raid on the enemy camp. They'd be unprepared. We'd win decisively."

"They laughed at me—said an old medic with no teeth was blabbering nonsense, afraid the wind would blow his tongue out."

"But the Marshal didn't laugh. She gave me two thousand troops—and let me lead them that night."

Li Banfeng applied the ointment as he asked: "Who was this Marshal?"

Li Banfeng applied medicine while asking, "Who is this marshal?"

CLANG!

The medicine jar fell to the ground. Li Banfeng bent quickly to pick it up.

Yao Lao continued: "Zhao Xiao was a true general—nothing like those hollow reputations."

"She had vision. And I proved myself. That night, I burned the enemy camp, slew their commander, and returned victorious. She made me a General under her command."

"Eighty. Do you understand? I was eighty—and I became a General again."

"My armor was broken—I stitched it back myself, stitch by stitch."

"My sword was rusted—I polished it myself, stroke by stroke."

"My old warhorse was long gone, but the saddle remained—I cleaned it, and it still worked."

"Under Marshal Zhao Xiao, I rose from Deputy General to Vanguard Commander. I fought battle after battle—and never lost under her command."

"I came alive again. I felt like I'd died at eighteen—and was reborn at eighty!"

"But do you know what happened after that?"

Li Banfeng said: "You said you made one more friend at eighty—he took everything you had."

Yao Lao sighed: "I befriended Cong Shixiang—that bastard!"

Cong Shixiang—Li Banfeng had read about him in history books. He was the General of the Crosswave.

At the mention of him, Yao Lao gritted his teeth: "That bastard whispered to me that the Marshal didn't trust me, that she'd never call on me again for battle, that she'd relegate me back to medic duty."

"There were a few battles she didn't summon me for—she made me patrol and stand guard instead. I believed Cong Shixiang's lies. I sulked and demanded to be sent to Ku Yao Pass. No one could talk me out of it."

"I didn't know the truth—I didn't realize those bastards were plotting against the Marshal."

"She didn't send me to battle because I was the only one left she could trust."

"But I insisted on going to Ku Yao Pass. She agreed. Soon after I arrived, I received word—the Marshal… she was…"

Yao Lao paused, sighed: "If I'd still been in the camp, those bastards wouldn't have succeeded. But what's the use of thinking about it now?"

"I held Ku Yao Pass. Whoever came, I drove them back. But what good did it do?"

"While I lived, I guarded it. When I die, I'll guard it still. I made it my home. But what good does it do?"

"I lost everything. At eight, at eighteen, at eighty—I was betrayed by friends. Since then, I've never made another."

"Then, when I forgot my own age, I met you."

"You said you wanted to do business with me. I didn't want to deal with you. But your nature… it matched mine."

"More importantly—I knew our Marshal was with you."

The key is, I know our marshal is with you.

The medicine jar fell again. Li Banfeng bent to pick it up.

Yao Lao smiled: "Our Marshal went to Feng's General Store. I've heard her sing—but I never dared meet her."

"Then I learned she left with you. I knew you were a good man—you saved Qin Fatty, helped Yu Nan, cleaned up the Geng family's thugs. You're a child who knows good from evil, who values loyalty."

"Still, I couldn't rest easy. I sent Hu Lu to check on her."

"When she returned, she wouldn't tell me a thing. That girl has devoted herself to you."

"It's good. You can stand up to Pan Dehai. You saved Hai Chi Ling. A man like you—I trust you. With you, our Marshal is safe."

Li Banfeng held the medicine jar tightly—it didn't slip.

Yao Lao knew many things. But Li Banfeng wasn't worried about that now.

He was worried about how long Yao Lao could hold on.

The adhesive tape was gone.

The ointment was gone.

The blood still wouldn't stop.

He was the Medicine King.

If even he couldn't save himself—was there truly no hope?

Yao Lao took a deep breath, turned his face to Li Banfeng, and smiled: "Brother, I smell it—the stench of Medicine King Gully has lifted. The Sangmen Formation… has it been broken?"

Yao Lao took a deep breath, turned to Li Banfeng, and smiled: "Brother, I smell it—the stench of Medicine King Gully seems to have cleared. Has the Mourning Gate Array been broken?"

Li Banfeng replied, "Broken."

Yao Lao smiled: "Brother, I owe you dearly. Everything in this place is yours. I have one request—I want to see the Marshal again."

Can he see him?

Yao Lao stood in place, trembling all over, barely holding himself up with his three-pronged two-edged blade.

He could not see Li Banfeng, yet he seemed to be looking at him.

He waited for Li Banfeng to speak.

Li Banfeng paused a moment, then said, "Wait."

Yao Lao had lost his sight and did not know where Li Banfeng had gone.

After a while, he suddenly heard the sound of war drums—familiar drums.

Amid the drumbeats came soldiers marching, horses neighing, weapons and armor clashing.

Li Banfeng opened the door of his dwelling; the door faced directly toward Yao Lao.

From within came his wife's voice: "General Yao, how goes the battle?"

Yao Lao gripped his long blade, straightened his body, and said:

"Your servant, Yao Xin, guarded the pass, repelled the invaders, held every inch of ground,

slew over a hundred enemies, beheaded their commander, and now present their leader's head to the Marshal!"

He tried to raise the head of the Sanguang Star, but he could no longer lift it.

His wife's voice came again: "General, your valor surpasses all in the army. When we march again, you shall remain Vanguard Commander."

"Thank you, Marshal!"

Two trails of blood trickled down Yao Lao's eye sockets.

He ceased to breathe.

But he did not fall.

He still stood, gripping his long blade.

The phonograph played the tune "Mount Dingjun" once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xiang Hongying gently but firmly tapped the ground with the butt of her spear, in rhythm with the drums.

This was the warrior's salute.

Xiang Hongying said, "You were right—he is a good general. Is he still alive?"

The phonograph replied, "Alive, but his wounds are too grave—he has fallen asleep."

"Will he wake again?"

The phonograph said nothing.

(End of Chapter)