Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 182

If Wei Ye hadn't brought it up today, I would have almost forgotten that Yu Fei, who had hurt me so cruelly, had also sincerely risked his life to protect and cherish me, and had suffered torment and even lost his life for me!

I closed my eyes and silently recited Yufei's name in my heart, and then Yihan, Zimo, Yunyan, Yufei, Xulie, Xiaojie... so many names of people in my life that will never fade.

I remember when I was little, my brother would laugh at me for making a solemn wish: "Idiot, there is no wish in this world that can make everyone happy."

Fate is merciless, but humanity is compassionate. How many people have caused me pain, yet how many have genuinely offered me blessings? When did I begin to believe that people are divided into those close and those distant? That hurting friends for the sake of loved ones is unavoidable, and that ignoring the suffering of the world for the safety of loved ones is also a necessity? I always used the excuse that even with effort, I might not be able to achieve it to give up, always fearing that the consequences of my decisions would be wrong and unbearable, so I chose to escape.

However, I forgot that whether it was the people I deeply loved, my friends and family, or the people who went to the temple to pray for me when I was sick, their love and blessings for me were the same, and their lives and feelings were just as precious.

"...Galan, are you listening to me?" Wei Ye suddenly nudged me. "Are you alright?"

I opened my eyes abruptly, the sudden brightness making them sting a little, and Wei Ye's face was vaguely blurry, but I smiled: "It's alright. Wei Ye, thank you."

Wei Ye looked at me, completely bewildered: "Why are you thanking me for no reason?"

Or perhaps I truly have no way to make everyone happy. But I should never forget all the unwavering devotion of the simple and kind-hearted Lin Jialan. She once looked up at her brother earnestly and said, "It's alright, as long as I make this wish every year—this year to make my brother happy, next year to make my father happy—there will eventually be a year when everyone is happy."

The divine child is silent, and the chaos of the world seems endless. Suddenly, I really want to dedicate all my energy to ending the horrific chaos on the continent of Ishu, for the sake of those I care about, and for the people who have suffered so much yet still place their hopes on me.

Now I can control the world at will, and lead an army to victory with my own strategies, yet I still feel that something most important is missing from my heart.

It turns out that what I should remember and hold onto is that foolish yet unwavering persistence from back then!

I stretched out my body, feeling more comfortable and lazy, and really wanted to sleep here. I whispered, "Thank you for helping me figure some things out and make some decisions."

Wei Ye paused, looking at me with a puzzled expression. Seeing that I wasn't going to continue, she chuckled and lay down next to me, falling asleep beside me. Her gentle voice was like a warm breeze brushing against my cheek and forehead: "I also thank you, Galan."

I laughed: "Thank me for what?"

Wei Ye smiled and said, "Thank you for helping me let go of some things and learn some things."

Under the blue sky and white clouds, with sunshine streaming down and lush green grass, it's truly a wonderful place to sleep.

Chapter 35 Past and Present

Lie Li City is one of the few towns in Jin Yao that enjoys a warm and pleasant climate year-round due to its proximity to the Zi Yun Mountains. In a sense, it is a martial city that reveres strength and courage, where everyone, from septuagenarians to ten-year-old children, has some martial arts background.

Jin Yao Kingdom is a country with centralized imperial power, and such a regime would never tolerate the existence of a town that acts as a catalyst for conflict. When I was the Prime Minister of Jin Yao, I also considered creating an opportunity to disarm the armed forces in Luanli City, but ultimately it came to nothing due to its special geographical location and political background.

This time, they entered Luoli City as merchants with Soku. This situation of "knights using martial arts to break the law" not only did not subside due to the war, but became even more rampant and fierce. However, those warriors carrying weapons and riding tall horses eventually lost their former arrogance and confidence, and instead became wary and suspicious when they saw strangers.

I sighed inwardly, realizing that no matter how strong or weak, no one can escape the cruelty of war.

After entering Luoli City, we transferred to smaller boats. I don't know what identity Suoku used, but purchasing the boat and clearing customs went exceptionally smoothly. By the third day, we were slowly sailing towards Beihai along the northwest branch of the Yao River.

As usual, I like to stand at the bow of the boat, gazing at the scenery, whether bleak or expansive, in the distance and lost in thought. Perhaps it's because the river is getting closer to the sea, but the wind blowing in is becoming increasingly damp and cold, carrying a slightly salty taste.

I shivered slightly, feeling cold, and was about to return to my cabin when suddenly I felt a warmth spread through my body as a black, expensive mink cloak was wrapped around me. Soku's indifferent voice sounded behind me: "In another day, we will be able to rendezvous with the Izumo navy."

I nodded, then asked, "How do you plan to rescue the Wind Emperor who is trapped in the Boundless Valley?"

Soku paused for a moment, then said, "How else can we save them? Naturally, we'll sneak into Purple Cloud Mountain..."

I chuckled, almost doubting whether he had ever truly led troops. I couldn't help but glare at him, saying irritably, "Are you familiar with the terrain of Ziyun Mountain? Do you know the deployment of Yang Qian's 200,000 troops on the border of Ziyun Mountain? Moreover, the soldiers of Chuyun are skilled in naval warfare but not in land warfare. Haven't you considered that a blind assault would result in losing both your wife and your army?"

Soku's expression changed slightly, and he looked at me with a mixture of anger and confusion. After a long while, he asked blankly, "Then what do you think I should do?"

I rubbed my forehead with my cold fingers, feeling my head start to ache, and almost gritted my teeth as I said, "Do I need to say all this? Of course, we should first send scouts into the mountains to scout out the situation, and then adapt to the circumstances."

Soku actually gave me a disappointed look and said disdainfully, "I thought you had some brilliant ideas, but it turns out you're just all talk and no action. You're far inferior to that damned Feng Didu."

This kid has no brains at all, yet his mouth is so venomous. Logically, I shouldn't be so rude as to argue with someone like him, but seeing his arrogant expression, I was actually a little provoked and snorted, "I don't know how powerful that Wind Emperor was in the past, but judging from his actions this time, he may not be a true general."

Seeing Soku's dismissive expression, I tightened my cloak and said calmly, "Yunshan is a notoriously strange place on the continent of Ishu, no less treacherous than the Devil's Desert, Tarakan. The fact that the Wind Emperor could lead five thousand elite troops silently across the Purple Cloud Mountains and hold off Yang Qian's army for so long demonstrates that his understanding of the Purple Cloud Mountains' terrain is far beyond that of ordinary people. Therefore, the moment he entered the Purple Cloud Mountains, he should have already been confident of shaking off his pursuers, or at the very least..." He could have escaped to the border of Maocheng. However, in order to deplete Yang Qian's forces, he, as emperor, risked his life to engage Yang Qian alone, disregarding his own safety, losing the lives of thousands of his soldiers, and even implicating your entire army of Chuyun. Moreover, a true strongman would never allow himself to be in such a passive and vulnerable position, needing rescue to escape. In this light, while the Wind Emperor may be a fierce general capable of surprise attacks, such reckless risk-taking hardly qualifies him as both wise and courageous.

Soku listened attentively the whole time, without offering any objections. Given his usual disdain for the Wind Emperor, I assumed he would readily agree with me. But to my surprise, he simply sighed, seemingly unwilling, and said, "Lin Lan, you don't understand him. In the past five years, he's commanded hundreds of battles, large and small, and every single one of them has put him in a seemingly inescapable predicament like this. If he didn't always manage to pull himself out of death, we would all think he was patiently waiting for someone to rescue him in every desperate situation."

My heart skipped a beat. Soku's last words felt like a noose around my neck, making me feel suffocated and dizzy for a moment. I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging speculation in my mind, and asked casually, "Sokku, I'm really curious. You said that the Wind Emperor only started to rise in the last five years, right? So what was his identity five years ago? Why did everyone seem so evasive when asked about it?"

Soku frowned as he looked at me, his deep eyes gleaming with a tea-gold hue, as if trying to see through me: "Do you really want to know?"

I nodded, a faint, indifferent smile on my face, but my hands, wrapped in my cloak, had unconsciously clenched into fists.

Soku gave a faint smile, a smile that contained a mixture of melancholy, contempt, and hatred, all of which shone in his bright, sunny eyes: "The former servant is now his master. Of course, he would want to cover up such a dishonorable past."

Soku said in a deep voice, "However, you should have heard your senior brother mention him five years ago. He was Lin Yu's closest confidant and most intimate bodyguard, the invincible Qing Shuang Sword who single-handedly held off a thousand troops in the Crimson Valley at a young age..."

I only felt a "buzz" in my ears, like a string breaking, or like the wind breaking a string. My mind went blank, and I could no longer hear Soku's words.

The blaring horns, the temple bells at dawn, the booming thunder, the melodious warbling of orioles, the heart-wrenching cries… it seemed as if countless sounds, high and low, endlessly overlapped and echoed in my ears. Annoyed by the noise, I tried to wave them away, but found myself utterly powerless; I tried to think of something to banish them, but found my brain, my heart, and every cell in my body were swollen to bursting, unable to do anything else but endlessly scream out one sentence:

So it was Yi Han! So the Wind Emperor was actually Yi Han!

He kept calling out and chanting, over and over again, without end, until finally, hot tears welled up in his eyes, turning into longing, flowing endlessly down his face...

If love remains unchanged, why suffer pain? If love never departs, what fear is there of death?

Though we are so close, our hearts are worlds apart; how can we be so steadfast? And how can we find joy in parting like swallows separated from their flock?

Years have passed since we parted, and when we meet again, my longing will be as strong as a pair of swallows. Could you have foreseen the pain of loss and desolation upon our reunion, when everything has changed so drastically since we were forced to separate?

Now that I knew the Wind Emperor trapped in the Boundless Valley was none other than Yi Han, whom I had been longing for, there was no more room for hesitation. I asked Soku for a detailed topographical map of the border of the Purple Cloud Mountains, and spent a day and a night without sleep, racking my brains for the fastest and most effective way to reunite with them and escape danger.

To be honest, while I criticized Fengdi's reckless courage in front of Soku, I discovered that my own adventurous spirit was no less than Yihan's when I was devising my own strategy. In fact, I suspect that Yihan's approach of putting himself in a life-or-death situation was something he learned from me.

Wuyin Valley is located in the very center of the Ziyun Mountains. The terrain is extremely low and there are no tall trees growing within a five-mile radius. Yet, it is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers all year round, and lush green grass. It can be described as a wonder among wonders.

Three miles north of the Boundless Valley lies a forest that stretches from the center of the mountain to the northwest coast of Wuya. It is known as the Tree Mound or the Forest of Death.