Chapter 1601: [Dragon King Temple] (Part 2)

As he approached old age, Weichi Chong's heart grew ever more bewildered. He had once betrayed Dakang and fled to Da Yong; in Dakang he had long become the target of everyone's scorn, and in the hearts of Dakang people he was already a sinner who betrayed trust, abandoned righteousness, trampled propriety, and forgot his ancestors. Yet in Da Yong he likewise found no recognition; the Da Yong side always regarded him as an outsider. The world is vast, yet there is no place for him to belong, and he himself does not know whether he is a Dakang person or a Yong person.

Behind him, Liang Wensheng's voice arose: "Grand Marshal, why are you standing alone in the snow?"

Weichi Chong said: "These days I've only been thinking about rushing along, never paying attention to enjoying the snow scenery; now I finally have a chance." He turned and walked back to the corridor, shook off the snow on his body, and sighed softly: "I thought walking into the snow would let me see clearly, but upon truly entering it everything is a blur; perhaps it's clearer to stand here and look."

Liang Wensheng said: "Those involved are confused; those on the outside see clearly." He keenly sensed from Weichi Chong's words the old marshal's inner bewilderment.

Weichi Chong heard the implication in his words, smiled slightly, and said: "When we return to Yongdu, bring your fiancée over so I can meet her."

Liang Wensheng's face showed embarrassment; he pursed his lips, clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "Please pardon me, Grand Marshal!"

Weichi Chong chuckled and said: "What crime is there? Did you deliberately deceive me about this?" He gave Liang Wensheng a meaningful look and said: "You always act with discretion and have your own opinions; I believe you must have sufficient reason."

Liang Wensheng said: "I actually have no fiancée; I was just uneasy about you, Grand Marshal, so I made up an excuse to accompany you back."

Weichi Chong said: "What's there to worry about? Yongdu is no dragon's pool or tiger's den; I'm not even afraid of the Black Hu people, so why would I fear my own people?" As he spoke those three words "my own people," a bitter taste welled up in his heart, fearing that others would not regard him as one of their own.

Liang Wensheng said: "The court has recently seen too many events; if it weren't urgent, they wouldn't have forcibly summoned you back." If it weren't of great importance, how could they lightly recall a frontier grand marshal?

Weichi Chong said: "I have no interest in the affairs occurring at court; back then my decision to leave Yongdu and garrison the frontier was not solely because of Shengnan..." He paused, then continued: "The Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince are fiercely contesting the throne; if I remained in Da Yong I would inevitably be affected by their struggle for power. I have always kept my distance from royal matters, and the former emperor showed me kindness. I only wish to serve Da Yong, guarding the northern frontier for the people; I harbor no other thoughts."

Liang Wensheng gathered his courage and said: "Grand Marshal, do you think you can keep yourself out of trouble under the present circumstances?"

Weichi Chong furrowed his brows; he did not answer, and he also found it difficult to answer this question.

Liang Wensheng said: "The new ruler summons you back likely to have you state your position."

Weichi Chong said: "There's nothing that needs to be declared; my loyalty to Da Yong is as clear as sun and moon!" In fact he understood deep down that this recall was still because the new ruler, Xue Daoming, distrusted him. To be precise, it should be Li Chen Zhou who distrusts him. He commands the Bei Jiang army; if he harbored disloyal intentions, Da Yong would surely fall into chaotic civil war. What's the point of declaring one's stance anyway? Whether Xue Daohong or Xue Daoming becomes emperor, it's all the same. After all, this throne remains the Xue family's; I am preserving Da Yong's realm for them. Although Weichi Chong knows that going to Yongdu this time may bring many troubles, he does not believe the court would dare act against him. After all, he is the chief commander of Bei Jiang, still of some use to Da Yong; the court would not be so foolish as to destroy its own Great Wall.

"'Grand Marshal, you had better rest early! Things have come to this; we can only let nature take its course.' Liang Wensheng said respectfully."

Weichi Chong smiled and nodded: "Good!" Since we have decided to return to Yongdu, further pondering so many matters is useless; at most it would only add needless worries. Liang Wensheng is right—letting things take their natural course is best.

As they were preparing to return to the main hall, the front hall suddenly echoed with the neighing of fine horses, rising and falling, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

The horses' neighing immediately roused the soldiers drinking wine inside the main hall; everyone rushed out. The troops accompanying Weichi Chong to Yongdu were all well-trained, battle-hardened warriors, with top-notch reaction speed.

Yang Mingwei had Liang Wensheng and the others stay behind to protect Weichi Chong, while he led a squad of twenty to the front hall to investigate.

The horses' miserable cries continued; shortly after Yang Mingwei's men went out, they returned, carrying three wounded soldiers. Their horses had been attacked by a surge of poisonous scorpions, and more than half had already been poisoned. Even the eight soldiers originally tasked with tending the horses suffered casualties. They dared not rush in, merely pushing open the gate; as soon as the gate was opened, a fine horse bolted out first, then upon reaching the courtyard it let out a mournful wail and collapsed to the ground.

Yet they saw that the horse's body was covered in poisonous scorpions; the soldiers hurriedly used burning wood to seal the front hall's gate, preventing the scorpions from continuing to surge outward.

Yang Mingwei's dagger stabbed a scorpion crawling toward him; it was entirely black, its length from head to tail about two inches. Such poisonous scorpions are truly rare, and moreover it is now the depths of winter, when insects should be dormant—how could they suddenly appear like this?

Weichi Chong stepped forward, tense, and asked: "How is it?"

Yang Mingwei shook his head and said: "The front hall is full of these huge poisonous scorpions; our mounts have mostly been poisoned, five brothers tasked with looking after the horses have died, and another three brothers are poisoned." Before Yang Mingwei finished speaking, the three poisoned soldiers successively succumbed to the toxin; the black scorpion's venom is extremely lethal, and although a medical officer accompanies the unit, they are helpless against this scorpion poison.

Weichi Chong's face showed grief and indignation; these subordinates who followed him back from the Bei Jiang battlefield had not died in battle, yet they met an obscure death in the Dragon King Temple.

Liang Wensheng also pushed open a window to look into the front hall, raising a light to peer inside; he saw that the interior was swarming with poisonous scorpions, the horses had collapsed in heaps, and those still alive kept letting out mournful cries.

Weichi Chong gestured for his subordinates to quickly move the surviving horses, as far from the front hall as possible; but relocation was now too late—of their over a hundred horses, half had already perished in the Dragon King Temple, and at the same time they had lost eight soldiers.

After this occurred, Weichi Chong ordered the front hall of the Dragon King Temple to be burned down, lest the scorpions crawl out and threaten nearby areas; in fact there are no towns or villages around the Dragon King Temple, and the main purpose of setting fire is to burn the scorpions to death inside the front hall.

They had originally thought they could finally rest a night in the Dragon King Temple, but as soon as they halted they lost half their horses; no one would regard this scorpion attack on the horses as mere coincidence. The nearest village is over fifty li away—should they press on or stay put until dawn and then continue?

Yang Mingwei approached Weichi Chong and whispered: "Grand Marshal, we had better leave as soon as possible; these scorpions appearing here are certainly no accident, likely someone is manipulating them—this place is not suitable for a prolonged stay."

Weichi Chong turned to Liang Wensheng, evidently seeking his opinion.

Liang Wensheng furrowed his brows, pondered, then said: "Grand Marshal, I believe that if we flee now, rushing through the wind and snow will inevitably drain our fighting strength; perhaps this is exactly what the enemy hopes to see. Moreover we have already lost half our horses; advancing through wind and snow will surely be slow. Better to rest here, nurture our energy, await the enemy at ease—with our current strength we are capable of facing any foe in battle."

Weichi Chong slowly nodded; Liang Wensheng's suggestion suited his mind better. Deep into the night, the weather was freezing, and the wind and snow suddenly intensified; in such conditions, hurrying away to continue marching would inevitably sap our strength. If we must make a stop, it is better to remain here and prepare.

Seeing Weichi Chong's expression, Yang Mingwei guessed his intent, turned, and directed the setting of fire to the front hall; soon the front hall was ignited, towering flames shot up. Weichi Chong ordered all soldiers to retreat to the main hall, seal every possible entrance and exit, even stationing guards on the main hall's roof, maintaining strict vigilance against any possible attack.

The firelight illuminated everyone's faces, each expression grave. The air was filled with a scorched stench—the smell of burning poisonous scorpions, dead horses, and soldiers' corpses mixed together.

Yang Mingwei was confident the scorpions had not broken through the fire's encirclement, and so came to report to Weichi Chong.

At that very moment, a soldier on guard duty on the roof suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted loudly: "Grand Marshal, three people are approaching from afar through the wind and snow!"

Weichi Chong's heart gave a start; upon hearing the news, Liang Wensheng leapt up, his body soaring like a great bird, performed a backward flip in midair and landed steadily on the main hall's roof. Gazing outward, he saw three blurry figures advancing against the wind and snow. The fire of the Dragon King Temple dyed the night sky red, strikingly visible. Liang Wensheng waved his hand, and another ten soldiers climbed onto the roof, nocking arrows and aiming at the three newcomers, awaiting Weichi Chong's order to shoot them down on the spot.

Weichi Chong made a gesture, indicating that his subordinates must be cautious and not slaughter innocents indiscriminately.

As they drew nearer, Liang Wensheng saw that they were three beggars dressed in tattered patched clothing, each leaning on a dog‑beating staff, trudging with difficulty through the wind and snow. Their attention was wholly on the burning front hall; the leader spotted the silhouettes on the main hall's roof and called out: "We three are wandering mendicants who live on alms; passing by here, hungry and cold, we beg a place to warm ourselves by the fire—we mean no harm!" His voice was deep and resonant, carrying clearly to everyone's ears despite the wind.

Yang Mingwei whispered to Weichi Chong: "This person is a master!"

"My shoulder hasn't healed yet; talking too much brings tears to my eyes!" (To be continued~^~)