Ein Reisender, der alle Himmel und unzählige Welten durchquert

Kapitel 77

30. The First Cry of a Young Phoenix (Part 2)

Amidst the laughter of the heroes, several more chairs were placed on the corridor.

Ming Kong and the others were already seated on the left. Yun Wuyai sat in the center and pointed to two chairs about ten feet apart on the right. "Second Young Master, Seventh Young Master, please sit down." He then turned his gaze to the group of heroes on the platform. "The place is too small, please make do."

In the past, the heroes would certainly have been dissatisfied, but nowadays, no one would question whether the seats on the corridor belonged to Young Master Ming and Young Master Lan.

The Second Young Master Ming was used to being humble and courteous. Upon hearing this, he naturally turned to the heroes behind him. Before he could speak, the heroes said, "Second Young Master, Seventh Young Master, please. We'll make ourselves at home." Then they all sat down on the ground, even beauties like Qiu Hengbo and Hua Fushu.

Seeing this, Ming Er stopped refusing, cupped his hands and walked up to the eaves. Lan Qi was already sitting down, so he sat down next to her.

"Young Master Yun, tell me how to resolve this matter." After everyone sat down, Lan Qi got straight to the point, his casual demeanor making it seem as if he were asking, "What's for lunch today?"

"I also need to explain why we stole 'Lan Yin Bi Yue'," Yuwen Luo quickly added, afraid of missing this important matter, while he had already taken out the paper and pen in his bosom.

Upon hearing this, some of the heroes sneered, while others glared at him reproachfully. Even Yun Wuyai glanced at Yuwen Luo in the crowd. Feeling a sense of pressure under Yun Wuyai's gaze, Yuwen Luo couldn't help but lean closer to Ning Lang beside him and whispered, "Ning Lang, if there's any danger later, you must protect me."

"Pfft!" Another soft laugh came from beside him. Turning his head, he saw Qiu Hengbo. She looked at him with a beaming smile. "Brother Yuwen, would you like me to protect you?"

"Great! Great!" Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luo immediately nodded happily.

"Hmph!" Hua Fushu, who was next to Qiu Hengbo, snorted coldly.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luo said, "Sister Fushu, you'll have to lend a hand later too."

"Hehe..." This time, even Rong Yue and Liu Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Brother Luo, how can you be so shameless? A grown man needs a woman to protect him!" Hua Fushu shook her head and scoffed.

“Your martial arts skills are all better than mine,” Yuwen Luo replied matter-of-factly.

Those around who could hear it chuckled to themselves.

Yuwen Lindong, standing on the corridor, couldn't help but glare at his youngest son as soon as he spoke, but he was too weak to yell at him. Instead, his eyes searched for his eldest son in the crowd.

"Dongming's intention has already been stated: as long as you all submit to Dongming," Yun Wuyai said calmly.

"fart!"

"A fool's dream!"

"I'd rather die than submit!"

"Who do you think you are to deserve my submission?!"

…………

…………

As soon as he finished speaking, shouts erupted from the crowd.

Yun Wuyai frowned, while Qu Huailiu, Wan Ai, and the others placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Lan Qi Zhuo Zhuo Ming Er.

"Gentlemen," Young Master Ming Er began, his gentle voice as soothing as a spring breeze, instantly calming the anger in everyone's hearts, and the commotion quickly subsided. Ming Er turned his gaze to Yun Wuyai and said, "Young Master Yun, is your intention to become the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Martial World?"

Yun Wuyai looked back at Ming Er, "You can say that, Second Young Master."

"Oh?" Lan Qi asked, "Young Master Yun really only wants to dominate the martial arts world of the dynasty?"

Yun Wuyai raised an eyebrow and looked at Lan Qi, "What do you mean by that, Seventh Young Master?"

"I and the Second Young Master had the privilege of touring Dongming Island. Every household there had weapons and soldiers," Lan Qi said slowly with a faint smile. "Even more so, there were some warships that even the imperial dynasties couldn't see."

"Huh?" The heroes were all surprised and suspicious upon hearing this, and they all stared at Yun Wuyai. Even Mingkong and the others looked at him intently.

Yun Wuyai frowned.

"Young Master Yun, what are your plans? Why don't you speak frankly today? Why treat us like fools?" Ming Er said with a smile.

Yun Wuyai's gaze swept over Lan Qi and Ming Er, then turned to look at Ming Kong and the others to the left, before finally settling on the group of heroes of the Imperial Dynasty sitting cross-legged on the platform. They were all looking at him with either surprise or curiosity, clearly waiting for his answer.

He gently clenched his fist on the back of the chair, pondered for a long while, then stood up and said, "Very well, today I will be frank with you all." He looked to Ming Kong and the others on his left, "and I hope you all understand my good intentions." He then looked to Lan Qi and Ming Er on his right, "Do not betray my sincerity."

Everyone was puzzled upon hearing this.

Lan Qi and Ming Er exchanged a silent glance.

Yun Wuyai shifted his gaze forward, but skipped over the group of heroes, landing in the void. He said slowly, "Everything we've done is just to go home." His words were light and simple, yet they carried an inexplicable heaviness.

Perhaps it was the unusual meaning in Yun Wuyai's words that made the heroes impatient and urge him on. They all watched him quietly and waited for him to speak.

Yun Wuyai was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Before that, let me tell you a story."

"Oh? Does Young Master Yun want to tell us a romantic tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman?" Lan Qi blinked her emerald eyes, looking innocent and curious.

Yun Wuyai glanced at Lan Qi indifferently, then looked away, put his hands behind his back, and calmly said, "We are not native to the East Sea. Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors lived on the shore of the North Sea."

Huh? Upon hearing Yun Wuyai speak, over 90% of the people present were completely bewildered. A very few people pondered intently. The shores of the North Sea are now Baizhou and Yizhou. Over a hundred years ago, it seemed to be a marquisate called... Bai Kingdom, right? What was Bai Kingdom before? Who lived there hundreds of years ago?

Lan Qi, too lazy to think about it carefully, nudged Ming Er and asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

“Beihai Kingdom.” Ming Er uttered the three words, looking at Yun Wuyai with a solemn expression.

Seeing the bewildered reactions of everyone in the room, a hint of weariness slowly rose in the depths of Yun Wuyai's eyes.

"More than 500 years ago, there was no Eastern Dynasty Empire or Imperial Dynasty Empire on the shore of the North Sea; there was only the North Sea Kingdom."

"Oh?" someone in the crowd murmured in confusion, still seemingly understanding but not quite. It's worth noting that some people present were illiterate, some had read a couple of books but only grasped the basics of martial arts techniques, and some had forgotten everything their teachers had taught them. Who could possibly know what happened hundreds of years ago?

Yun Wuyai's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched slightly. "Since its founding, the Beihai Kingdom has been passed down for thirty-nine generations, always maintaining friendly relations with its neighbors and never engaging in warfare with other countries. However, more than five hundred years ago, after the establishment of the Eastern Dynasty, the First Emperor Dong Shixiu was ambitious and eager for more. Not satisfied with the vastness of his kingdom, he sent troops to Beihai, wanting to add another corner to his royal map. Beihai was originally a small country, how could it possibly contend with the powerful iron cavalry of the Eastern Dynasty? In just a few months, a dynasty that had lasted for more than seven hundred years was annihilated under the iron hooves."

"Oh..." Everyone suddenly realized that there was a Beihai Kingdom hundreds of years ago, and that the Dongming people were all descendants of the Beihai Kingdom.

"It's survival of the fittest, that's normal," Lan Qi muttered to herself.

Ming Er remained calm, but a whisper, barely audible to Lan Qi, escaped his lips: “In the eyes of the righteous path, bullying the weak is an evil act, and everyone should help the weak and punish the strong.”

Lan Qi curled her lip in disdain.

"When the kingdom fell, several loyal ministers led hundreds of soldiers to protect the King of Beihai as he fled the capital. However, they were discovered by Feng Duying, one of the seven great generals of the Eastern Dynasty, who led his troops in pursuit. They chased him for hundreds of miles from the capital, all the way to the North Sea. No matter how the King of Beihai pleaded and begged, Feng Duying was heartless and determined to exterminate him! A massacre unfolded on the sea, and just when it seemed that the Beihai clan was about to be wiped out, a sudden storm saved the King of Beihai."

"Oh." Hearing this, the group understood a little more.

Many people know of General Feng Duying, also known as "Phoenix Shadow General," because she has an equally famous descendant, Feng Xiyun, who is known in the martial arts world as "Bai Fengxi." One was the first queen of the Eastern Dynasty's Feng Kingdom, revered as the "Phoenix Queen" during her lifetime; the other was the last queen of the Feng Kingdom during the chaotic end of the Eastern Dynasty, known as one of the "Three Kings of Chaos" alongside the King of Xi and Emperor Chaoxi, and hailed as the "Phoenix Queen" by later generations. Both were extraordinary generals and women whose achievements shine brightly in history and are celebrated for generations!

"Although Feng Duying and his men were brave and skilled in battle, it was their first time fighting at sea and they had never encountered storms at sea. As a result, they lost their composure in the storm, and the King of the North Sea took this opportunity to lead the remaining ministers and generals to escape. They fled from the North Sea to the East Sea and drifted at sea for more than two months before finally finding a deserted island, which is today's East Sea Island. Of the more than eight hundred ministers and generals who accompanied them, only thirteen, including the King of the North Sea, were still alive when they arrived on the island."

Yun Wuyai closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, opened them, and his gaze swept across the assembled heroes in the arena with lightning speed. "A kingdom that had been passed down for hundreds of years and had millions of subjects, ended up destroyed and relegated to an isolated island with only thirteen people remaining. Gentlemen, if you were the King of Beihai, would you harbor any hatred in your heart? Should you feel resentment?"

The heroes were startled by Yun Wuyai's gaze, and fell silent upon hearing his question.

If it were me, would I feel hatred?

The answer is yes. It definitely will.

That was more than just ordinary grudges and hatred.

That was a national and personal vendetta!

After scanning the area, Yun Wuyai said in a deep voice, "The King of Beihai and his twelve ministers swore an oath with their blood, vowing to destroy the Eastern Dynasty to avenge the national and familial hatred, and to return to Beihai to rebuild their country! If they could not accomplish this in their lifetime, their descendants must uphold their will and never forget the shame of national subjugation and the hatred of national destruction!"

Upon hearing this, some people were solemn, while others thought to themselves, "The Eastern Dynasty has been gone for over a hundred years, what revenge is there to seek?"

But Yun Wuyai continued, "It's difficult enough to survive on a barren island with nothing, let alone to build a country and assemble an iron cavalry. That would require so much manpower and resources, and they only have thirteen people."

"Yes." Someone nodded. But with only thirteen people left, what was the point of talking about restoring the country and avenging the dead? However, upon considering the current situation in Dongming, they couldn't help but put aside their contempt.

"Thirteen people survived on this deserted island. They never fulfilled their wishes in their lifetime, but they multiplied and raised their descendants on the island. After more than a hundred years of cultivation and management, the deserted island was no longer deserted. It had fields, land, trees, flowers, and people. And their descendants always remembered their ancestors' wishes and never forgot the hatred of their country. However, even the once prosperous Beihai Kingdom could not defeat the Eastern Dynasty. How could a small island at sea possibly contend with the powerful Eastern Dynasty Empire? Therefore, their predecessors sent some intelligent and brave people to the Eastern Dynasty and other countries around it. They learned the culture of the Eastern Dynasty, learned weapon forging from the Wushe Kingdom, learned brocade weaving from the Shanyou people, became martial arts masters under the Caifei people, and traded with the Nandan people... They also learned the governance policies of various countries and understood their national conditions. In this way, more than a hundred years passed, and finally... the country was rich and the people were strong, the ruler was wise and the ministers were virtuous, the generals were brave and the army was mighty, and everything was ready."

Yun Wuyai's gaze skipped over the crowd and landed far ahead, his thoughts seemingly momentarily stunned.

The heroes stopped abruptly at the crucial point, all looking expectantly at Yun Wuyai. Some impatient ones urged, "You're ready? What happens next?"

"Has a fight broken out yet?" Lan Qiyu fan nudged the second young master of the Ming Dynasty, who had read countless books.

Ming Er tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "As far as I know, from the Eastern Dynasty to our current dynasty, there seems to be no record in the historical books of any maritime invasions."

Lan Qi blinked, looked at Yun Wuyai, and whispered, "Judging from his appearance, could it be that all those people's efforts were in vain?"

Ming Er smiled and said, "I wouldn't know that."

Yun Wuyai withdrew his gaze and continued, "At that time, it was the end of the Eastern Dynasty, a period of war among various states. There were two opinions on when to send troops. One faction believed it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation, while the other argued that although the Eastern Dynasty was in chaos, the Feng, Huang, and Feng kingdoms were powerful states that could not be easily offended. Moreover, the Fengyun Cavalry, Zhengtian Cavalry, and Moyu Cavalry were renowned for their strength; it would be better to observe from the sidelines and reap the benefits."

Hearing this, Yuwen Luo exclaimed inwardly, "That was close!" and then added, "Thank goodness!"

"The Northern King of that generation also believed that it was not the best time to send troops, and that they had waited for hundreds of years, so they adopted the strategy of separating the two sides. However, they did not expect that... when Dongdan was about to fight to the death, the two kings of Fengxi surrendered half of the country, and the emperor unified the world and achieved hegemony!" Yun Wuyai clenched his fist tightly. "Dongming lost a great opportunity."

The heroes below listened and inwardly exclaimed, "Thank goodness!" At the same time, their admiration for the two kings of Fengxi surged up once again.

"However, an even better opportunity has come again after eight years."

Just as the heroes were cheering, Yun Wuyai's "However" made them worry again, wondering what had happened eight years later? Since the founding of the dynasty, it seemed that there had never been any internal strife.

Only Ming Er nodded slightly.

"Eight years later, Emperor Chaoxi passed away. The young emperor was only nine years old. Most of the loyal ministers and generals who had followed him in conquering the world had either died, been wounded, or gone into hiding. The hundreds of thousands of troops were exhausted from Emperor Chaoxi's years of campaigns. At that time, it was another golden opportunity for the North Sea."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts jumped to their throats.

Ke Yun Wuyai looked up at the blue sky, and after a long while, he sighed with regret: "But it was at that time that a woman suddenly appeared on Dongming Island, and our hundreds of years of planning and preparation were completely destroyed by that woman!"

"Huh?!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Who is this amazing person?

Even Lan Qi's eyes lit up, and she stared at Yun Wuyai with great interest, wanting to know who he was.

Qiu Changtian, Nan Wofeng, and the others also looked surprised.

Only Mingkong and Ming's hearts stirred, and they roughly understood who it was.

"That woman was traveling the world when she got separated from her family in the East Sea due to a thick fog and ended up on East Sea Island quite by chance."

Yun Wuyai paused, a complex expression on his face, before continuing, "That woman was a very peculiar person. Her intelligence and martial arts skills were immediately admired upon her arrival on the island, which alarmed the Northern King. The Northern King welcomed her as an honored guest, and after spending several days with her, he was captivated by her beauty and even considered taking her as his concubine. It was at that time that her husband arrived with a group of family members, thus stopping the Northern King's idea. Her husband, like her, was a man of exceptional wisdom and talent, and even his retinue were all first-rate individuals. The Northern King at that time was also a promising young man, and upon meeting such a peerless person, he must have felt an instant connection and considered her a kindred spirit. As for those two..." Yun Wuyai's gaze turned to Lan Qi and Ming Er, "...they also discovered the strange phenomena of Dongming, just like Seventh Young Master and Second Young Master. The Northern King admired their talents and openly expressed his long-cherished wish to them, even offering them a royal title and inviting them to join him in his great undertaking, but unexpectedly..."

Yun Wuyai's face suddenly turned cold, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, while Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai behind him were filled with grief and resentment.

"Before the Northern King could make a move, those two did. It seems that overnight, Dongming Island was turned upside down! The Northern King died suddenly, the army commander was beheaded, more than ten generals had their limbs severed, years' worth of grain and fodder were burned to ashes, the gold and silver accumulated in the national treasury for hundreds of years were emptied overnight, and the Imperial Seal of the State also disappeared!" Yun Wuyai's gaze was like a sword as he coldly swept over the heroes below. "In one night, Dongming collapsed, and the imperial expedition turned into nothing but a dream!"