LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 75: Ran Min
"I do not know your name, General, but your act of saving my life will never be forgotten," the old man asked emotionally.
"My name is Ran Min," the General merely whispered, then he led his soldiers in the direction the old man had pointed.
"Ran Min!" the old man murmured to himself.
He then opened a scroll he was carrying on his back, which depicted a young lady dressed in red.
"May the family deity protect General Ran Min and keep him safe," he silently prayed in front of the portrait.
At that moment, the young man spoke to his father, "Father, I have made up my mind. I will follow General Ran Min. Our People of Han are treated like dogs before the Barbarians, and I refuse to live like this any longer. Please forgive my disobedience."
The young man knelt on the ground, his face stained with tears yet resolute. It was clear he was not alone in his plea, as many able-bodied men stood behind him.
The old man stared blankly at his young son, remembering the name the army had shouted, and could not help saying, "We beg for survival, we beg for life. Has our land of Kyushu, descendants of Yan Huang, really come to this? Since you have made your decision, go then."
The young man was overjoyed to hear this, hardly expecting the most stubborn and cautious father to agree to his request.
"You must be careful of your safety. I will pray to our family deity to protect you all," the old man cautioned, still worried.
The young man excitedly agreed, picked up his prepared belongings, and without looking back, left the crowd and chased after the retreating army.
The old man watched the backs of his child and the able-bodied men fade away, feeling a profound sadness. His son had been born in a time of peace when the Han were the most honored people of this great land; now they were treated like mere weeds, giving him the surreal illusion of living between different eras.
Meanwhile, Ran Min led his army forward and soon discovered the traces of Barbarians.
This was a small Han village that once thrived on simple farming and weaving, with days marked by sunrise and sunset. However, the Barbarians' merciless invasions had shattered this tranquility, brutally killing men, women, and children alike, while the women suffered hell-like torments.
By the time Ran Min arrived, the Barbarians had set up large cauldrons, boiling the innocent Han civilians inside, whom they derogatorily referred to as "two-legged sheep."
Seeing this hellish sight filled Ran Min with furious rage. He shouted loudly, "Men, kill these animals, these bastards!"
He charged first into the group of Barbarians. In their eyes, Ran Min looked like a Demon God, rushing toward them with endless fury and wrath, filling their hearts with fear.
If one with the Dharma Eye were present, they would see countless Ghost Deities standing behind Ran Min. Each one had a different expression but all were resolute, bestowing their limited Divine Power onto him.
By this time, after a prolonged period, The Way of Ghost Deities had spread throughout the world. Even the smallest village would choose to worship one of the Ghost Deities. As Ran Min traveled along the way, countless living people prayed for the protection of their household deities over Ran Min, thus behind him gathered densely packed Ghost Deities.
Although these Ghost Deities possessed minimal Mana and many of them had begun to weaken due to the death of their believers, when they all stood behind one man, it was as if heaven itself was assisting.
At this moment, Ran Min was invincible. Bolstered by the power of the Ghost Deities, he appeared to the Barbarians like a Demon God who had stepped out of Hell, draining their courage before even engaging in battle.
Ran Min charged into the crowd, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, unstoppable. His treasured sword relentlessly harvested lives, bringing the fear of death to the Barbarians. His soldiers, seeing their leader's divine prowess, excitedly shouted, "Beg for life! Beg for life!"
The sound echoed for miles, as if the heavens and earth changed color. To the ears of the Barbarians, it sounded like the tolling of a death knell, filling them with despair and recalling the nightmares of once being dominated by the People of Han.
The Beg for Life Army advanced irresistibly, slaughtering the Barbarians in the area to near extinction. As Ran Min beheld the now devastated small village, suppressed fury within him could no longer be contained; he roared towards the heavens, seemingly questioning the gods why the Han were treated thus.
"I, Ran Min, vow to slaughter all the Barbarians under the heavens, eradicate all the Yi from this earth, reclaim the lands of the Han people, and avenge the grievances of Huaxia," his voice resounded far and wide, prompting his following soldiers to begin shouting vehemently, "Kill the Barbarians, kill the Barbarians!"
Ran Min looked into the distance and waved his hand to move on. He was determined to exterminate the Barbarians and restore the honor of the House of Han. A soaring spirit burst forth from his body, and numerous, faintly visible Ghost Deities appeared, standing behind him.
Meanwhile, Lu Yu, after many years, set foot once again in Kyushu. Now, the seal of Kyushu was dim and devoid of light; the Fortune and Destiny of Kyushu had long waned like the sun setting in the West Mountain, while the Fortune and Destiny of various foreign tribes continuously flowed into the lands of Kyushu, plunging the entire landscape into chaos, rampant with unchecked wild growth.
In these chaotic times, people were as trivial as weeds. Along the way, Lu Yu had grown accustomed to the stark white skeletons by the roadside, witnessing the warmth and cold of the human world.
In a barren wasteland, a group of Barbarians were pursuing the People of Han. They did not hastily kill all the Han but rather, as if seeking amusement, continually chased the fleeing civilians, slaying them at the moment their hopes peaked, to satisfy their tyrannical moods.
An old man with fully white hair stumbled and fell to the ground, despairingly looking up at the sky, his heart filled with hatred and reluctance. He wanted to ask the heavens why, despite a life spent doing good deeds and being generous, he had to face such a fate.
The whistling of arrow feathers arose by his ears, his heart filled with despair. He had completely given up hope in this world; perhaps death was a better option. It seemed to him that Hell could not be much worse than this, he thought to himself. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire
However, the expected death did not come. The incoming arrows seemed to be blocked by someone. The old man opened his eyes that had been shut, and what came into view was a pair of grey shoes. Looking up further, he saw a young man in a green robe, scholarly looking, much like a school teacher.
The old man could hardly remember the last time he had seen such a person. The last memory he had of seeing someone like this was during peaceful times, when only the children of Noble Families and Clans would exhibit such an appearance and demeanor.
The Barbarians, however, appeared very excited. Compared to the old man nearing his end, this suddenly appearing Scholar seemed to be a far more interesting prey.
Drawing bows and shooting arrows, they wagered on who could take down the Scholar's head. However, these arrow feathers had not even reached the Scholar when they were all blocked by an unknown force.
A dazzling sword light flashed across the earth, instantly staining the ground red with blood.