CHAPTER 529: CHAPTER 518: (PARALLEL) NATURAL DISASTER OR MAN-MADE CALAMITY?

That matter, was a pain for the entire household.

Cui Rong seldom heard anyone mention Cui Bai; she was young and mostly forgot what she heard right away.

But this remark from Qiao Si, she carefully remembered.

She wasn’t born with thorns either.

It was not until, one banquet.

She heard those little girls chirping about Daddy and Mama.

Only then did Cui Rong come to a delayed realization.

Other people’s Daddies could play shuttlecock with them.

Hers could not.

Her grandfather, whom Cui Rong had also never met, never got to teach her second uncle how to read either.

Is Daddy supposed to accompany Mama by her side like that?

Cui Rong naively asked aloud.

"Cui Rong, do you not know what death is?"

"Your Daddy is already dead, turned into a clod of yellow earth. You are just a wild child, understand?"

Cui Rong was furiously angry: "Nonsense!"

"Your Daddy is the soil! My Daddy is a hero!"

"What of a hero? Still short-lived. Couldn’t even play rope skipping with you."

Mist filled the eyes of the little girl. She clenched her fingers, very angry.

But it seemed, they were all right.

Daddy was a hero to the whole world, just not her hero. She had only seen him in portraits. Never spoken a word, nor been held or kissed by him.

She was just a poor little thing.

Cui Rong was overwhelmed with sadness, and in anger, she knocked all those people to the ground and thrashed them, with the Shadow Guard protecting her, not a single injury fell on the girl, facing ten by herself, yet she still returned home crying and sobbing.

Her shoulders twitched intermittently.

Cui Bai followed behind, his heart aching as if crushed.

Watching her grow up day by day, and survived Buhuo through miracles.

In this manner, he guarded beside Qiao Si every night. And watched Cui Yun strategize, as the new Emperor ascended the throne.

Year after year.

Until that day, a heavy rain poured.

Qiao Si stood by the window, he accompanied her side.

Vaguely, he heard the voice of Sanqing Taoist.

"It’s time to return."

He suddenly looked toward the source of the sound, regrettably, he did not see anyone. At the same time, the surroundings gradually blurred.

The scene followed by collapsing and dissipating...

The last thing left to him, was only Qiao Si’s soft and bitter voice.

"Another year has passed, huh."

Meanwhile.

Cui Bai suddenly opened his eyes, followed by Qiong Kong’s unadorned voice of surprise.

"Young General, you’ve been unconscious for two days. You finally woke up."

Two days, huh?

But it felt like he had gone through half a lifetime.

Cui Bai was unusually silent.

The Young General is famously gentle, but now he felt something was amiss, hurriedly saying: "I will go call the military doctor over to check on you."

As he walked out, he couldn’t stop muttering: "There was a heavy rain yesterday, a message just arrived from Shan City, saying there was a serious mountain collapse, burying many people. The General was still in the tent guarding you, upon hearing this news, he dispatched several troops to help."

This sentence struck like thunder.

Cui Bai jumped up without hesitation and strode outside.

He remembered.

The day after Shan City was struck by the disaster, it was breached, and Chi City almost slipped up.

Cui Yang’s camp was far from where he resided.

Cui Bai mounted his horse, whipping and pulling the reins. Mud splashed under the horse’s hooves.

"Father!"

He entered the tent, staring straight at Cui Yang.

"Tell me, is this a natural disaster, or man-made?"

"You just woke up, is your mind unclear?"

Cui Bai: "Your son has matters to discuss with father."

"Is it urgent?"

Cui Yang incredulously: "Are you aware of the severity in Shan City’s disaster area? Your father still needs to..."

Cui Bai interrupted: "East Mountain in Shan City is remote, there shouldn’t have been so many deaths. Just recently, there was major construction, claiming to build a Daoist School. The pay for the work was also high, four tenths of Shan City’s young men strong enough to work went there. Am I right?"

He didn’t need Cui Yang to respond. Just with utmost caution, he said one word to him.

"Urgent."

Cui Yang looked at him deeply. Cui Bai was never one to not perceive the importance of matters.

Both were military generals, able to sense the slightest disturbance, needless to worry that their conversation would be overheard.

Cui Bai knew the situation was urgent and wasted no more words.

"Where is the Deputy General by the General’s side?"

"Naturally, he is in the disaster area."

Cui Yang, with suspicion: "Why do you ask about him?"

Cui Bai: "Take him into custody."

His voice was utterly indifferent: "Then kill him."

"By Noon tomorrow, ten thousand enemy soldiers will swarm in, warfare will blaze across the sky, and the smoke of gunpowder will permeate. The slaughter will be unceasing. General Jin will be decapitated."

These words caused Cui Yang’s face to darken.

"Nonsense!"

"Father may inquire further, when distress struck Shan City, other than Chi City, were any nearby cities sent for support?"

Cui Bai continued.

"Deputy General Qu Jing harbors a divided loyalty, having been bribed by the enemy. Amidst the chaos in Shan City, even before General Jin’s body turned cold, he daringly opened the city gates to welcome the enemy’s attack. Once Shan City fell, when father went to aid, he perished. The forces in Chi City were unequal, the city walls were destroyed. Ashamed, I desperately waited until General Jin’s son, Jin Zhong, arrived before I dared close my eyes."

"Before this, not a single soldier was dispatched from the other cities."

What does this imply?

Each man for himself?

Wrong, even when the landslide occurred, none of those people rushed over.

And the soldiers who went to the disaster area have been overworked all day and night, how could they withstand the enemy!

"Shan City is the first line of defense on the frontier, Chi City is the second line. If both lines fail, how can the other cities stay unaffected, yet they all uniformly feign death in silence? Guess, whose command could this be under?"

"Ever since the Third Prince was sent as a hostage, father has still been secretly supporting him, right?"

He kept this matter very secretive, how did Cui Bai know?

Speaking of Ji Teng reminded him of the tragedy at Prince Huai’an Mansion.

Perhaps it’s just repeating itself.

Only, Emperor He is more deranged.

Seeing Cui Yang’s face suddenly change, Cui Bai instead mocked himself with a laugh.

"Thousands of soldiers, you, my son, General Jin. Not a single one will survive."

Cui Yang remained silent for a long time, his gaze somber. The chill and murderous intent of a military general were unmistakable and unavoidable.

Ridiculously, he believed it.

Feeling a sad lump in his throat, Cui Yang swallowed hard.

Now, with the enemy in plain sight and themselves in the dark, they are well-prepared. It would not be as powerless as Cui Bai said.

He quickly found General Jin.

General Jin was just about to vehemently complain about the landslide.

Cui Yang: "I have captured Qu Jing alive."

"I wondered why he had disappeared. Why did you capture him?"

"Flay him and hang him on the city wall."

General Jin: ? ? ?

Cui Yang only mentioned Qu Jing’s treachery and betrayal of the country to him, saying nothing more, which infuriated General Jin immensely!

Their understanding was that even if Cui Yang pointed a knife at him, he bet that Cui Yang wouldn’t harm him at all.

Thus, he trusted without questioning the reason.

"We must annihilate the enemy forces in one fell swoop!"

"No."

Cui Yang: "Just repel them, causing significant injury should suffice."

General Jin: He did not understand.

"The Third Prince is still in their hands."

Now General Jin understood.

But he didn’t know that this was just an excuse. There were people sent by Cui Yang protecting the Third Prince, he won’t be harmed.

Emperor He, in his attempt to eliminate him, wouldn’t hesitate to cooperate with barbaric enemies.

But if the barbaric enemies are damaged while he remains unscathed, the former would surely be driven to desperation.

One always has to find ways to trouble Emperor He.

General Jin, looking towards the silent Cui Bai: "After this great victory, you must drink with me."

"I’m afraid not."

He needed to return to Shengjing, not wanting to delay a moment longer.

General Jin looked at Cui Yang.

Cui Yang: "I will be severely injured this time. I won’t be able to drink."

General Jin: ? ? ?

"If you don’t want to accompany me, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush and curse yourself!"

Cui Yang: "The injury is too severe, it affected my tendons and bones, I can no longer wield a sword."

"Unworthy of the armor I wear, inadequately suited for my position. I must return to the capital to confess my guilt and resign my military position."

His son had to go back and stay with his daughter-in-law.

These days, he missed Xuan Shuyu even more intensely.

With a foolish ruler in power, this world... what the hell is there for him, an old man, to guard!