Longevity Candle

Chapter 33 My name is Yaoyao, and I've come to find my father.

Yao Yao rode away, neither causing trouble for the family of three nor offering them any help.

She was very conflicted and didn't know how to handle the situation.

Without Jiang Zhu's help, the people of Taoyuan Village wouldn't be much better off than them.

Having experienced life in the county town, and with her mother's parting words of advice, her kindness remained hidden, not overflowing.

The further north you go, the more severe the drought becomes; the land is devoid of life, with no vegetation in sight.

The intense heat can even ignite dead wood.

Even though she was highly skilled in martial arts, she still felt hot.

Ordinary people would find it difficult to survive in such an environment.

At first, Yao Yao could still see some shops and commoners within the city.

But as they ventured deeper, they found only empty cities, where even the local landlords and gentry had fled.

Her horse couldn't stand the heat and died on the road.

Yao Yao had already drunk all the water from her water pouch, but fortunately, she was blessed with good fortune and could always find some water, and even spare some to help some disaster victims.

And so, she embarked on a long journey that lasted half a year, finally arriving at the northern border town.

The drought here is even more severe. The soldiers in the city have chapped lips, but they only dare to use the water in their water bags to moisten their throats and dare not drink more.

She arrived at the entrance to the border town and looked inside. Surprisingly, there were still quite a few ordinary people inside.

"This is a strategically important place in Zhenbei City. Anyone who comes here must stop."

Two guards, spears in hand, blocked the way: "State your name and why you are here."

“Li Yaoyao from Taoyuan Village, on the banks of the Qingjiang River in Qianguo, has come to find my father, Li Erfeng, who has been in the army for many years and has not been heard from since.” Yaoyao handed over her identity card.

"The banks of the Qingjiang River?" The two soldiers were taken aback and said, "The Qingjiang River is thousands of miles away from Zhenbeichen, and there is a severe drought. How could you, a woman, have come here?"

“I am skilled in martial arts, not a weak woman,” Yao Yao said.

"What's that on your back?" they asked, looking at the sword case.

Yao Yao took down the sword box, opened it, and revealed seven sharp and imposing divine swords: "These are my swords. Counting the ones I have, there are eight swords in total."

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, and after confirming the identification tags, said, "You must not wander around after entering the city. If you want to find your father, you can go to the North Gate to find Lieutenant Cao."

"Thank you both very much."

Yao Yao carried the sword box and entered Zhenbei City.

Soldiers quickly left to report that any martial arts practitioners who could come to Zhenbei City at this time generally possessed genuine skills.

With the war in the north continuing, many patriotic martial artists from the Qian Kingdom have come to Zhenbei City.

Yao Yao entered the city, bought a pancake, filled her water bag, and went to the north gate.

As soon as they arrived at the North Gate, a burly man in armor with half-white hair stepped forward to greet them: "Are you Miss Li from Peach Blossom Village?"

“It’s me. Are you Lieutenant Cao? Do you have any news about my father, Li Erfeng?” Yaoyao asked.

"Please wait a moment, young lady. I have already sent someone to investigate. You will know shortly," said Lieutenant Cao. "Please rest aside for a while, have a cup of tea, and eat something."

"I'll wait here. I have food and drink." Yao Yao took out a cake and refused his offer.

Lieutenant Cao was not angry, and asked, "I wonder how skilled you are in martial arts, young lady?"

"It's acceptable," Yao Yao said.

"Do you have a reputation in the martial arts world?" Lieutenant Cao asked.

"A title?" Yao Yao looked at him in confusion. "What title?"

She had no experience in the underworld and didn't know anything about it.

"It's a reputation in the martial arts world, like the Northwest Blade King, the Mad Blade of the Northern Desert, or the Red Dot of Ten Thousand Miles," Lieutenant Cao said.

“I’ve only learned martial arts, I’ve never been in the martial arts world. The names you’ve mentioned are all very impressive and sound very powerful,” Yao Yao said.

To be called the King of Blades, the Mad Blade Master, one must possess exceptional swordsmanship, especially with his "Ten Thousand Miles of Red" technique—ten thousand miles is so far, it's almost as high as the sun, isn't it?

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Cao was somewhat disappointed, but he did not neglect her. Instead, he said, "If you wish to improve your martial arts, I can help introduce you to them." "Once I find my father, I will visit them," Yao Yao said.

Lieutenant Cao nodded and asked, "How is Qingjiang now? When I went on the expedition, I heard that there was a flood in Qingjiang. I wonder if it has improved. I didn't expect that there would be a drought in the north."

“The Qingjiang River is suffering from a severe drought; its tributaries have all dried up, and the main stream of the Qingjiang River is also mostly dry,” Yaoyao said.

"What? It's that serious?" Lieutenant Cao looked worried. "What about south of the Qingjiang River? My home is south of the Qingjiang River."

“I’ve never been there,” Yao Yao shook her head.

Just as Lieutenant Cao was about to ask again, a soldier arrived, looking troubled and hesitant to speak: "Lieutenant, Li Erfeng, he..."

“Speak frankly,” Lieutenant Cao said with a stern face.

Yao Yao felt uneasy, and her expression turned serious.

"Nine years ago, we marched into the grasslands. Lieutenant Li Erfeng followed the army and fought alongside Lieutenant Wang into the Bai Di tribe. He never returned," the soldier said in a low voice.

Although she had expected it, Yao Yao was still shocked by the news and turned pale.

Lieutenant Cao said solemnly, "Miss Yaoyao, please accept my condolences."

Yao Yao remained silent for a long time before raising her head: "What would happen if I fell into the hands of the Bai Di?"

"The living are enslaved, the dead are beheaded, and mounds of heads are built."

What is a Jingguan (a mound of deadly stones)?

"Miss, please don't ask any more questions. Go back and live a good life," Lieutenant Cao said.

"What is a Jingguan?" Yaoyao asked again.

"This..." Lieutenant Cao hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Cut off heads, pile them up like mountains, demonstrate our military strength, and show off our power."

The soldier said, "There's still a sliver of a chance to survive; raising horses and herding sheep isn't an option either..."

He couldn't continue speaking at the end, because nine years ago, the Bai Di did indeed build a Jingguan (a mound of skulls).

"Where is the Bai Di tribe?" Yao Yao asked through gritted teeth, tears welling in her eyes.

“Young lady, don’t be foolish. You are a woman. Even if you are a martial artist, you would be no match for the grassland soldiers.”

"I'll go find it myself."

With her sword case on her back, Yao Yao looked at the tightly closed city gate. To their astonishment, she leaped into the air and flew over the city wall.

Lieutenant Cao and his soldiers stared in disbelief, while several martial arts practitioners on the city wall looked on in horror: "What terrifying lightness skill! Who is this person?"

"Don't fire the arrows! Don't fire the arrows!" Lieutenant Cao rushed up the city wall, but Yao Yao had already disappeared into the distance, becoming a black dot.

"Lieutenant Cao, who is this senior figure in the martial arts world? Where did you invite him from?" a middle-aged man asked.

“She came to us on her own. Nine years ago, she was the daughter of a squad leader. She came looking for her father, but he fought his way into the Bai Di tribe and never returned.”

"She's going to Bai Di?" The martial artists exchanged bewildered glances. "Alone?"

"Yes, she has never been a member of the martial arts world and has no reputation. She just learned martial arts, but I didn't expect her lightness skill to be so amazing," Lieutenant Cao said.

The middle-aged man said, "This is beyond amazing; only the sword immortal from nearly two hundred years ago could possess such lightness skill."

"A sword immortal?" Lieutenant Cao's heart stirred: "How does Wanli Yidianhong compare to the current sword god?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Wanli Yidianhong isn't even worthy of carrying shoes. In that era, he would at most be considered a martial arts master." The middle-aged man said disdainfully, "The strength of a sword immortal is such that he can take the head of an enemy general amidst ten thousand troops and retreat calmly without shedding a drop of blood."

"Are they really ghosts or gods?"

"Only she can be called a sword immortal," the middle-aged man said. "You can ask Shangguan; there should be records."

"If she goes to Bai Di, is there any hope of her returning?" Lieutenant Cao asked.

"I saw she had a sword, but I don't know how good her swordsmanship is," the middle-aged man said, shaking his head.

In the martial arts world, many people specialize in lightness skills. If this young lady is one of them, then she can only try her best to escape.

"I'm quite skilled in light-footed martial arts. Give me two fast horses, and I'll go take a look," said a thin man.

Lieutenant Cao immediately ordered horses to be prepared and arranged for a team of scouts to follow.

(End of this chapter)