Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 3 The Unavoidable Fear

There are still people living in Langpaoshui Village, but most of the original inhabitants are elderly, with the youngest being over fifty years old.

In most people's eyes, people of this age are no longer considered real people. Nowadays, only young people and children are considered real people. The old and decrepit are just bones in a grave, long since eliminated by society.

Although Langpaoshui Village is the ancestral home of the Yun clan, no one pays much attention to it.

In the distant capital, the prosperous Jiangnan region, the advanced Lingnan region, and the leisurely Sichuan region, there are naturally flowers that never fade in all four seasons, grasses that grow evergreen in eight joints, and the carefree life of holding a golden cup and resting one's head on a beauty's lap.

Given this, who can still remember the old houses in the Gobi Desert of Northwest China?
However, just as a fine steed has its flaws, and a precious tree in the Xie family occasionally has yellow leaves, the Yun clan is naturally not exempt from this rule.

Yun Ce is the flaw in the Yun clan, a yellow leaf, because among the direct descendants of the Yun clan, he is the only one left in the Gobi Desert...

It wasn't that he liked the Gobi Desert, but rather that he disliked Yun Linchuan. He always felt that if he continued to be close to Yun Linchuan, the ancestor of the Yun clan, he might not live to the age he hoped for.

The day after Yun Ce returned to Langpaoshui from the city, a hundred or so beautiful, strong, and young outsiders also arrived in Langpaoshui Village.

They were very disciplined, guarding the not-so-large courtyard closely and rarely making any unauthorized moves.

These handsome young people all returned with the ancestor of the Yun family in this generation, and it is said that they are all his guards and health care doctors.

The reason Yun Linchuan became an ancestor was not because of how much he contributed to Langpaoshui, but because he held the highest official position in the entire Yun clan.

It's really not about official positions. For an old man who's over a hundred years old to talk about serving the people is pure nonsense. Being able to control his own bodily functions and not bother others is already a great achievement.

He is now just a retired old man. He made great contributions to the country in his youth, middle age and old age. Now that he is in his twilight years, no one wants him to die early. They just treat him as a lucky charm and let him see the prosperity of the country.

When I finally leave this world, I want to report the latest state of national development to those pioneers and tell them that the younger generation is doing quite well.

The old man recently felt he was going to die, and that's when he remembered Wolf Run Water Village. He felt that even if he couldn't be buried there, he needed to spend his last moments there.
So he came back.

In the past, it wasn't that he couldn't come back, but that he didn't dare to come back.

He led the two hundred most outstanding members of the Langpao Shuiyun clan to participate in the national salvation movement, and so many people died in battle, causing the old clan chief to die in sorrow. There must be an explanation.

At his age, nothing really matters anymore. Even if he were to be scolded by the old clan chief, it would be a blessing for him.

He was tired of living and wanted to die whenever he wanted. Even with the doctor by his side, it wouldn't stop him from seeing the old clan chief.

The reason I'm holding on is because I can't bear to leave that little guy in the flowerbed.

There are many flowers planted in the yard, most of them are morning glories, purple morning glories. These flowers only bloom when the sun is not too strong, and they wither and shrink once the sun comes out.

Yun Linchuan liked morning glories because they always reminded him of the bugle in the army. Whenever the bugle sounded, he felt like he could charge again.

He spent his long life following the bugle calls, which made him inseparable from the horn. He always wanted the guards to blow the bugle for him one more time, but the doctor was always worried that he would die in his excitement.

I can only plant some morning glories to console myself.

So, the morning glories in his yard were in full bloom in the early morning, and two pumpkin vines with yellow trumpets were creeping towards the roof.

The bald, long-bearded Yun Linchuan lay slumped in his wheelchair, his dark red face appearing somewhat purplish in the rising sun. He occasionally opened his eyes, glancing at Yun Ce in the flower bushes with obvious displeasure.

Yun Ce was collecting dew from the morning glories. This was his ancestors' favorite thing. It was said that brewing tea with this dew could not only prolong life but also clear the mind and brighten the eyes, making one energetic all day long. The old man relied on this to prolong his life.

There are very few dewdrops in the deep purple morning glories, at most one drop in a single flower. It's no easy task to fill a cup with them, especially since his hands are so stiff that he can't do this delicate work well.

He knew that his ancestors were testing his character, but at this moment his heart was pounding like a drum, the hairs on his arms were standing on end, and as soon as his hand touched the morning glory, a drop of dew rolled off the flower's stamen.

Dewdrops are amazing things. They exist as long as the sun is out, but as soon as the sun comes out, they disappear immediately, whether or not the sun shines on them.

Collecting floral water requires speed and precision, which was not an easy task for Yun Ce at this time.

Yun Ce glanced at the half-cup of dew in his hand and said to Yun Linchuan, who was resting with his eyes closed, "Ancestor, can you be energetic for half a day today?"

Yun Linchuan slowly opened his eyes and said indifferently, "What heinous thing have you done that makes you so uneasy in front of me?"

Yun Ce's hand trembled slightly as he said, "Speaking of money, I have 1.89 million in my account. Of that, 970,000 was left to me by my parents, and the rest is my salary, scholarships, and royalties accumulated over the years. Oh, and I also used half of my salary to help children from impoverished families go to school."

"I believe that. You've never been greedy for money since you were a child. So, what about lust?"

Yun Ce said with difficulty, "If there are medical methods to prove that I am a virgin, then I am."

Yun Linchuan glanced at the health care doctor beside him and said, "Xiao Zhang, take his pulse and see if he is a virgin."

Seeing Dr. Zhang approach, Yun Ce sighed and said, "Why can't you trust people?"

Yun Linchuan, who was resting with his eyes closed, said, "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust anyone." Dr. Zhang touched Yun Ce's wrist, and after a moment turned to Yun Linchuan and said, "Your essence is stable, and your pure yang energy has not been contaminated. It's just that you have developed heart palpitations at such a young age."

Yun Linchuan sighed and said, "I also believe that political struggles at your level don't involve human lives, so what are you afraid of?"

Yun Ce swallowed the half-cup of dew mixed with pollen in his hand, and then said in a low voice, "I always feel like there is a pair of eyes watching me. If I dare to relax even a little, it will pounce on me and chew me up and swallow me whole."

Moreover, I believe this fear is not psychological, but rather... an instinctive fear.

After saying that, Yun Ce rolled up his sleeves and stretched out his arms, which were covered in goosebumps and had hair standing on end, in front of the ancestor.

Yun Linchuan slowly put on his reading glasses, carefully examined the arm in front of him, then took off the glasses and pondered for a moment before saying, "It's very similar to the state I was in when I encountered the mountain tiger in the old forest of Northeast China. Those golden eyes are still unforgettable."

“I went to the zoo and saw tigers, bears, leopards, lions and other wild animals up close. I wasn’t afraid of them. I even teased a king cobra.”

"The ones in the zoo are called tigers, but the ones in the mountains of Northeast China are called mountain lords."

“Give me a spear, and I will have the courage to charge at the mountain king. Ancestor, I am not lacking in courage as a child born into this family.”

Yun Linchuan pondered for a moment and said, "Go to the cemetery to visit your parents, and then offer a toast to those old brothers for me."

Hearing his ancestor say this, Yun Ce knew that he would never find out the answer. He sighed, put down his teacup, and went to his small courtyard on the other side of the red sand dunes.

I started feeling unwell six days ago.

For the past six days, he has tried to get rid of this unfounded fear, but unfortunately, he has failed.

Whether he locked himself in a bank vault, went down into a mine four thousand meters deep, or even went to a heavily guarded super prison, the feeling of being watched by a beast did not subside in the slightest.

Having tried every method, Yun Ce still felt like a trapped beast about to face its final fate.

Today, that feeling of fear intensified, as if a venomous snake had coiled around his neck, its fangs already gleaming.

When a person is extremely fearful and helpless, they will automatically seek out the safest place to hide. Wolf Pawing Water is the final refuge for Yun Ce's mind and body, so he came.

After he arrived, Yun Linchuan followed closely behind.

This was highly suspicious; he even felt that his inexplicable sense of fear was related to Yun Linchuan.

The ancestor must know something he doesn't. It's obvious that the ancestor's hasty return to Langpaoshui was definitely not to wait for death.

The Yun family has members all over the world, and they all hope that their ancestor is alive and well so that they can continue to climb the ranks with his backing. After all, as long as the ancestor is alive, there are some things that can be done. If the ancestor passes away, the Yun family's power will be reduced by at least half.

Even with a complete medical team, the journey from the capital to Langpaoshui was still a life-threatening ordeal for our ancestors.

Therefore, his reason for coming to Langpaoshui is probably related to his being a junior who came to his hometown to seek relief from his ancestors.

Yun Ce didn't believe that someone as lowly as a deputy director at the development zone level was worth the Yun family using their biggest trump card.

Unless the nameless terror within him has a deeper meaning, even if he dies, it will still mean nothing to the Yun family.

This country holds no secrets for this old man. From the moment he met him, Yun Ce knew that the nameless fear within him would finally be answered.

Unfortunately, the old ancestor had hardened his heart his whole life and had long since stopped being influenced by his children's feelings. Even though he was his great-grandson, he still wouldn't say things he shouldn't.

Feeling that almost real fear still filled his heart, and glancing at the hair standing on end on his arm, Yun Ce felt a surge of anger. He left home in a few steps, climbed up a nearby red sand dune that wasn't very high, and looked around.

He desperately wanted to fight the source of his fear head-on before he was driven mad, even if it meant dying in battle, just to stop this endless torment.

Unfortunately, the fields were empty, and the fear remained.

The Gobi Desert in the northwest is vast and barren. To the east of the horizon are the endless Black Mountain Range, and opposite it is a red sandstone mountain that also seems to have no end. The river valley between the two mountains is his hometown, Langpaoshui.

The sky is a deep blue, which, combined with the black mountains, red mountains, green fields, and a huge reservoir that reflects the white clouds, gives Langpao Water Town a rich color and makes this originally barren land appear full of vitality.

The jujube forests on the Gobi Desert remain, their silvery-gray leaves gleaming in the sunlight, resembling a menacing forest of knives.

When the Yun family came to the Wolf Run Water, they wiped out the wolf pack. So, like many boring races, they always like to say that they are descendants of wolves, and that they are just as united and tenacious as wolves. The descendants of the Yun family would rather die standing than live kneeling.

The person who said this has been buried in the cemetery next to the red sandstone. The red five-pointed star on the tombstone is still bright red and has not faded at all. Yun Ce also believes that the bones of that ancestor, like the red star on the tombstone, will ring out when struck and will never fade.

Next to the cemetery is Yun Ce's small courtyard. The courtyard is not large, covering no more than five-tenths of an acre, and there are not many houses, only three brick and tile houses built side by side. The exposed rafters under the eaves have turned yellow and black. Although the houses are somewhat old, Yun Ce has no intention of repairing them.

He felt that this was how a home should be.

(End of this chapter)