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Chapter 66: A Life for A Life, Part 4
Before their ascension to the ranks of renowned Peak Masters, Mo Xian, and Tian Lang shared a humble abode, bound not by blood but by the bonds of camaraderie and shared experiences.
One morning, a little boy donned a sky-blue robe adorned with delicate white clouds tiptoed to the door, greeting his mother in a precocious yet endearing manner. "Good morning, Mother. Why must you summon me so early?"
His mother, engrossed in embroidering a phoenix onto a pristine white handkerchief, turned to him with a gentle smile as radiant as the morning sun. "Tian Lang, my dear son, you're up."
Tian Lang, resembling a cherubic dumpling with his soft, chubby cheeks, merely nodded in response. His mother, with a maternal gesture, poured him a cup of tea and motioned for him to join her at the small wooden table. "Come, Tian Lang. Sit with me."
In the dimly lit room, little Tian Lang settled into the small chair, his chubby cheeks puffing out with an air of defiance beneath his innocent facade. He tolerated his mother's coddling, though deep down, he resented being treated like a mere child. Despite his tender age, Tian Lang harbored a maturity beyond his years, inherited from his late father, Tian Zangxi, a valiant general of the Ghongzi Empire.
The Empire of Ghongzi, nestled amidst fertile farmlands and abundant natural resources near the highlands, thrived in modesty under the reign of an unassuming emperor who prioritized the welfare of his people over displays of opulence. Unlike the ostentatious rulers of neighboring realms, Ghongzi's leader shunned the limelight, opting instead to safeguard his nation's wealth discreetly.
Though not as affluent as its counterparts, Ghongzi's prosperity remained a well-guarded secret. The empire's reluctance to engage in trade stemmed from a strategic concern: revealing their abundant resources would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention, potentially jeopardizing their sovereignty.
In stark contrast, the Wan Rong Empire, boasting the bustling Huangxin Port, lacked sufficient resources of its own. Under the avaricious rule of Emperor Ho, Wan Rong resorted to pillaging neighboring lands to sustain its opulent lifestyle. A traitorous informant, seeking favor with the Wan Rong court, divulged Ghongzi's hidden wealth to Emperor Ho, igniting the flames of conflict.
Fueled by greed, Emperor Ho launched a brazen assault on Ghongzi, catching its ill-prepared defenses off guard. Tian Zangxi, valiantly defending the border, fell victim to overwhelming numbers. However, Ghongzi possessed a formidable ally in the form of Zhuzi Peak's former master, a revered cultivator who single-handedly decimated Wan Rong's invading forces.
Though Ghongzi emerged victorious, the price of victory was steep. The empire's once-impregnable borders lay in ruin, leaving them vulnerable to further incursions from opportunistic adversaries.
(Zhuzi means bamboo in Chinese.)
Following his father's tragic demise, Tian Lang's world was shattered, the pieces scattered like leaves in the wind. When the letter arrived, bearing the weight of unbearable news and the hollow gesture of a bamboo fan from the former Zhuzi Peak Master, Tian Lang's young heart could hardly contain the turmoil within. At just five years old, he grappled with the enormity of loss, his innocence eclipsed by the harsh reality of mortality.
In a moment of grief-fueled defiance, Tian Lang cast the bamboo fan aside, a silent rebuke to the notion that his father's life could be quantified in such trivial terms. To him, the fan was not a symbol of compensation but a painful reminder of the irreplaceable void left in the wake of his father's passing.
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His Meihua Swan | 他的大天鵝 (BL)
Historical Fiction[ AN ORIGINAL BL NOVEL FROM RUNNOX ] Feng Xi, who was just an ordinary guy, loves to read cultivation novels, and there was his recent favorite novel entitled "The Black Book.". When he was about to reach the ending of the novel, he fell asleep and...
