Peace Order-Chapter 1494 - 2: The Name of Divine General, At Last Changed
With a heavy gaze, neither Xue Tianxing nor Yuan Shitong could say anything.
Yuan Shitong looked at the last note on the letter, reading the words about the northern campaign, mending the heavens with one’s body, and restoring the old lands. Finally, he understood that such kindred spirits had moved Yue Pengwu, who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Not even over a dozen Imperial Decrees from Emperor Chen could call Yue Pengwu back.
A single letter from Li Guanyi, however, brought this steadfast and steady Divine General, who had experienced betrayal and countless battlefields, back because of their kindred spirits and unity in heart and purpose, joint to strategize for the world.
The two fifty-year-old veteran generals exchanged a glance at each other, looking at Yue Pengwu, their hearts filled with sighs.
This was what the former Taiping Duke and Chen Fubi had hoped for, the strongest Yue Pengwu.
A General Yue who was fully trusted by his Lord, with aligned aspirations, united from top to bottom, with ample logistics, top strategists, and a million strong soldiers.
He was going to appear on the battlefield in the chaos of the era.
Both felt complex emotions in their hearts, with joy and sighs, saying: "In that case, let’s drink some wine first. Today, we shall bolster our spirits for you and bid you farewell from this place!"
Yue Pengwu naturally agreed, but when he walked with his spear, his eyes glanced over a young man beside him, who looked about nineteen or twenty, with a handsome and steadfast demeanor, sword-like brows and starry eyes, clad in battle robes. Yet Yue Pengwu, upon seeing this person salute, still slightly frowned.
This was the supposed son of the fake Taiping Duke.
When the Taiping Duke died and Xue Tianxing rallied his troops, he also wanted to establish a banner—to gather the hearts of the people and maintain the prestige of the Taiping Duke, and to gather brothers from all directions together.
At that time, he didn’t know about the existence of Li Guanyi. In the turbulent chaos of war, he simply hoped to maintain the flame and prestige left by the great General Taiping Duke to one day exact revenge.
The ’son of the Taiping Duke’ saluted and said: "I’ve met General Yue."
Yue Pengwu nodded slightly, saying: "... Diligently practice martial arts, do not cause trouble, the Young Master has a kind heart, and you yourself have done well."
The young man nodded seriously, his expression warm. Only after seeing Yue Pengwu and his companions leave did he return to his camp, back to his place, and the expression on his face gradually turned cold.
He clenched his fist and struck the table violently, producing a muffled sound.
A trace of twisted resentment appeared on his handsome face.
"Hateful, hateful!"
"For so many years, they all told me I was the son of the Taiping Duke, holding up this banner. Now, when the real one comes back, do they treat me like a heap of garbage to be kicked aside?"
"All traitors and scoundrels!!!"
He gritted his teeth, the words rising in his heart, yet he dared not speak them aloud.
Only taking out wine, he drank it endlessly in discontent. Today, Yue Pengwu arrived, and the military is allowed to drink in farewell tribute. Li Xingyi drank, and with his martial arts reaching the Fourth Layer Heaven, the alcohol couldn’t intoxicate him.
But while the wine may not be intoxicating, the person intoxicates himself.
Feeling utterly suffocated, half-drunk and half-awake, he seemed to drift into a dream, recalling his greatest nightmare. During the massacre, his hometown fell into an inferno, yet his parents protected him.
His mother and father embraced each other, their skinny arms entwined, like a tree hollow, like a shelter from snow, concealing him from the bandits’ view.
Several arrows pierced through his parents’ bodies, but by impaling them, they ended up protecting him instead.
Terrified, he heard the clashing swords outside, thinking the bandits had returned, trembling in fear. At just over four years old, he could only await death, when the front door opened and a big man carrying a knife walked in.
"Poor child..."
The man, stroking his beard, was touched despite being a battle-hardened rough man upon seeing the scene of the parents embracing to protect their child. He carefully separated the two.
But these two ordinary people were clearly dead, their arms seeming to possess immense strength, requiring some effort from the big man to separate them. Back then, he looked at his parents’ corpses, wailing for a long time, wanting to understand why it was like this.
The big man patted his head and told him it was because the world wasn’t at peace.
He asked: "How can the world be at peace? How can I avenge them?"
The big man, watching him, said: "If you want revenge, pick up the knife and follow me. If you want a good life, I’ll take you to the surrounding towns and find someone trustworthy to take care of you."
He recalled himself at four years old, gritting his teeth, dragging a heavy knife for over twenty miles until he fainted, prompting the man to sigh: "Such is the time and fate. If so, if you want revenge, if you want peace, then follow me."
"From this day forward, forget your past name."
"Today, your surname will be Li."
At four, Li Xingyi asked: "What Li?"
That man, who killed bandits as easily as chickens or ducks, responded with a complex expression:
"The Li of Taiping."
Li Xingyi awoke in confusion and silence, looking at the table and wine cups. Ever since he was four, the man who saved him, Xue Tianxing, began teaching him various skills, not only saving his life but also imparting martial arts and inner strength to him.
Allowing him to reach the Fourth Layer Heaven by the age of twenty and telling him all these were his recompense for living as another’s shadow.
But why!!!
Li Xingyi clenched his fist, gritting his teeth: "Why, after following you for so many years, being the son of the Taiping Duke for over a decade, now you tell me the real one is back and it’s no longer me?"
