A little earlier, Ning Que left the Spring Breeze Pavilion Chao Mansion and walked towards the Vermilion Bird Avenue, leaving behind the worried Zeng Jing and his wife and Old Chao who acted as if nothing had happened.
Chao Xiaoshu left Chang 'an with Liu V and the cavalry of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion. However, the Chao Mansion was still bustling with people. That was because countless government decrees were issued through this mansion to various markets in the city. Moreover, dozens of refugees had been taken in, so the Chao Mansion had not been quiet these days.
Today, the Chao Mansion was very quiet. Since early morning, the servants and refugees in the mansion had heard many deafening sounds and the big movements coming from the city.
People first heard the ringing of bells throughout the city, followed by the sound of wind and knives, followed by thunder, snow, rain, and explosions until they saw the burning snow clouds in the sky.
Fear gradually grew, because no one knew what had happened. When Ning Que came and left, they knew that the battle did not belong to the human world, so they became more and more confused and cold.
There were officials of the imperial court in the Chao Mansion, refugees avoiding the battle, and brave members of the Fish-dragon Gang, but they were all ordinary people who were not qualified to join the battle.
The courtyard was shrouded in a long period of silence. The refugees held their children nervously, afraid that they would make any noise. Old Chao and Zeng Jing and his wife sat at the table with different expressions on their faces.
Eventually, someone would not be able to bear it. The first person who stood out did not exceed Old Chao's expectations. He looked at him and said, "You should know very well that you will die if you go."
Mr. Qi replied, "Er Ba, when have you ever seen me afraid of death?"
Chen VII, who had been standing quietly by the window, turned around and looked at his fourth brother. He frowned slightly, showing that he did not agree. He was about to say something to stop him, but Old Chao waved his hand.
"If you want to go, then go. Do you need an old man like me to agree to something like this?"
Mr. Qi smiled, turned around and walked out of the Chao Mansion with dozens of members of the Tsing Yi Gang.
Chen VII said after a moment of silence, "There is no point."
Old Chao knew what he was talking about. The battle happening on the Vermilion Bird Avenue had already gone beyond the scope of the Five States and could not be affected by secular forces. The Academy could not defeat the powerful enemy. Even if the Fish-dragon Gang or even the entire Chang 'an were to die, there was no way to stop the enemy.
"People always need to be helped, or want to be helped."
Old Master Chao said, "Although Mr. Thirteen isn't an ordinary person like us, I think he also hopes that we, the people of Chang 'an, can help him."
Chen Qi said, "If the help doesn't work, then it's meaningless."
"Even if the Abbey Dean is really an immortal and only needs to look at us mortals to kill us, who can say that it is completely meaningless as long as he can look at us one more time in the crowd?"
The wrinkles on Old Master Chao's face were filled with calmness and carefreeness. He said, "Even if it is as you say, that our appearance is meaningless, as long as we appear there, there is meaning."
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing was the first to understand the meaning of this sentence and nodded in agreement.
"The Academy is the Academy of the Tang Empire, and the Tang Empire is the Tang Empire of the Academy. The Tang Empire respects the Academy and worships it with all their might. But have you ever seen any Tangs humble themselves to the Academy and treat themselves as servants? They were also protected, but they were completely different from the countries that were bullied by the Shrines. Why was it like this? Of course, it was the rule set by the Academy and the Headmaster of the Academy. But more importantly, it was the attitude of the Tangs. "
Old Master Chao said, "We are not the pigs and dogs raised by Taoism in the Yan Kingdom, the South Jin Kingdom, and the Song Kingdom. We are the owners of this land, so we need to appear there, even if we die."
Chen Qi was the military counselor of the Fish-dragon Gang. He was good at strategizing, but he rarely went to the battlefield. He judged the situation based on the results of his actions. At this moment, when he heard Old Master Chao's words, he seemed to be touched.
"Since we have to die, of course, the old and the weak should die first. I have lived for more than 70 years, it is time for me to die."
Old Master Chao stood up shakily with the help of the table. He took the cane from the bed-warming maid beside him and walked out with the help of an old servant.
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing said, "I am also old, I should go with Erba."
Mrs. Zeng said, "I am a useless woman, I should go there."
Old Master Chao gestured for Chen Qi to bring some people to keep an eye on Zeng Jing and his wife. He smiled and said, "If Ning Que sees that his father-in-law and mother-in-law have been tricked by me to die, I am really afraid that he will give up in anger."
There was no spring breeze in the Spring Breeze Pavilion today, only cold snowflakes dancing in the air. The front door of the Chao Mansion was wide open. Old Master Chao walked out to the street with the old and weak servants, as well as some elders among the refugees.
Old Master Chao held a cane in his hand and knocked on doors as he walked. He called for friends and companions, calling out all the neighbors he was familiar with over the past few decades.
"I only want the old ones, not the young ones."
Old Master Chao said. He did not look serious, nor did he look sad. Instead, he was smiling, as if he was asking these old guys to drink tea and play chess at the West Lake.
The old guys in the neighborhood did not think much of it. The Tangs valued martial arts, and they had all been soldiers in the past. To them, this trip to the Vermilion Bird Avenue was like setting off to the battlefield.
This was very common.
They even felt that they had returned to the military camp in the past, and they were very excited.
After Chen Qi dealt with Zeng Jing and his wife, he quickly walked out of the Chao Mansion to catch up with Old Master Chao. He saw dozens of old men and their nephews, full of fierce aura.
Looking at this scene, he revealed a bitter and slightly mocking smile. He thought to himself that such a large crowd was just to let the God take one more look. What a stupid and idiotic behavior.
Although he was thinking this, his speed did not slow. Not long after, he had reached the front of the crowd and replaced the old servant to support Old Master Chao's body.
There was no other way. He was also a Tangs, and sometimes the Tangs were so stupid and idiotic.
…
…
There was a Taoist temple on a certain street. The person in charge of the affairs of the Taoist temple was a skinny Taoist. The skinny Taoist liked to eat noodles the most. Other than cooking noodles, the thing he did the most in his life was to repair the eaves of his neighbors that had been destroyed by the storm. This was because this was the only work he could do. If he did not want to do this, he would need to save for a long time to buy some good wine and entice his neighbors to come and listen to him preach the teachings of West-Hill.
This Taoist temple was very inconspicuous, but many things happened here that would be written in history. For example, Ye Su, the World Wayfarer of Haotian Taoism, used to be a preacher here, the Eldest Brother of the Academy and Ye Su once had a debate in front of the stone steps, and Ye Su once comprehended Tao here. He destroyed the Taoist temple and then built a new one.
The skinny Taoist was an ordinary Taoist. He only knew the status of Ye Su's Taoist bun, but did not know his real identity. He also did not know that these things had happened in his small Taoist temple. Otherwise, he would not be as troubled as he was now, or he might be even more troubled.
"I am very troubled."
The skinny Taoist looked at the disciples in front of him, and his face was full of worry. He said, "I really do not know what to do. Do you have any ideas?"
The little Taoist recited the scriptures every day, how could they come up with any ideas?
The skinny Taoist looked up at the burning snow clouds in the sky and said, "I have indeed heard of the Zhishou Abbey. That is the Unknown Place of our Haotian Taoism, and the abbey dean is equivalent to our Founding Master."
A little Taoist said, "But I heard from the neighbors that the Founding Master is going to destroy Chang 'an City."
"So I am very troubled … Do you think we should help the Founding Master or stop him?"
The skinny Taoist sighed.
Suddenly, he stomped his feet heavily as if he was venting his anger, and shouted at the burning snow clouds in the sky, "I don't care if he is the Founding Master or whatever. I have been taking care of this Taoist temple my entire life. Even if Haotian wants to destroy my Taoist temple, I will fight him to the end!"
The skinny Taoist left the small Taoist temple with the little Taoist priests. They carried the heavy incense burner and the old wood that had been piled up in the corner, ready to fight against their own Founding Master.
Different from the people on the Second Street of Spring Breeze Pavilion, the struggle in their hearts was even more intense. But once they had made up their minds, they did not hesitate any longer and focused on doing something.
This was because they were all people of faith.
Being an enemy of Haotian Taoism seemed to be a serious violation of their faith. But whether it was the skinny Taoist or the little Taoist priests, they had long been unclear about what they believed in.
They were Tangs who had lived in Chang 'an City their entire lives. They used to think that they believed in Haotian, but when they carried the incense burner and the wooden stick out of the Taoist temple, they realized that they believed in faith itself.
In short, they were all people of faith.
…
…
In the teachings of the West-Hill Divine Palace, suicide was a serious crime. As a Taoist priest, it was a serious crime to be an enemy of Haotian Taoism. They would definitely receive the cruelest punishment from Haotian.
Old Master Chao and his companions appeared on the Vermilion Bird Avenue, which was suicide.
The skinny Taoist and the little Taoist priests stood in front of the Abbey Dean, which was apostasy and blasphemy.
In other words, they all had sins that could not be washed away.
There were many people like them.
…
…
Three Taoists from the Southern Gate Temple were setting up a tactical array.
They were powerhouses from the Imperial Center Administration and the most devout believers of Haotian.
Their faces were pale and their hearts were in great pain.
But they did not hesitate in their actions.
…
…
The Old Lady of Chu, with all the women and children in her residence, stood on the long street.
The Old Lady was the widow of Chu Xiongtu, the General of the Sixteenth Guards. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind and snow.
She had seven sons and 37 grandsons in her life.
In the past decades, two sons and three grandsons had died at the borders of the Tang Empire. This year, in Yan Jing, the Seven Stockaded Villages and the Pamir Mountains, another 11 of her grandchildren had died in battle.
Now all the men of the Chu Residence were fighting with the invaders on the battlefields of the Tang Empire. She only had a dozen old, weak, women and children with her, and only a few knives.
She knew that coming here was suicide, but she looked indifferent and did not care.
The Chu Family was full of loyal warriors. Even if they all died, they would still be loyal warriors!
…
…
If Haotian had eyes.
Then, on this snowy street, everyone was guilty, committing different sins.
Today, Chang 'an was a city of sin.
What a city of sin.
…
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com and vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
