Chapter 199 – A real man does not shun his grief
Jun Wu Yi’s entire body had been motionless since the moment he had laid eyes on his Elder Brother’s statute, and it seemed as if one statue was staring into the eyes of another. Although, the eyes of the living statue was reflecting the emotion of his beating heart.
Jun Wu Yi stayed root to his spot looking up at the statue, and slowly his eyes started to blur with tears, and finally one of the tears fell down as he stated in a low and hoa.r.s.e voice, almost as if he was trying to hold back his pain: “….. Big Brother, I’ve brought Mo Xie to see you. He’s finally progressed enough to be eligible of paying his respects to you!”
Jun Wu Yi silently and painfully closed his eyes, and it seemed that his mind was already reveling in the memories of the past.
He had grown up with his two elder brothers, he had played with them, and from his childhood days to that of his youth, his two elder brothers had always looked after him, but in return he provoked a boundless curse which took the life of his two elder brothers in the prime of their years!
Then, his sister-in-law died from the grief of this sorrow, and when her parents arrived to console her and realized that she had already died, they too broke off all contact with the Jun Family! These two families, who had once been close allies, never communicated again……
Then Jun Wu Yi’s nephews died young, also because of his fault!
Heaven knows that Jun Wu Yi would’ve chosen to die a hundred deaths before allowing his Elder Brothers and his nephews to die fighting his battles! This past decade hadn’t been enough to rid his heart of his pain! This pain was still smoldering at the bottom of his heart even now!
The scenes of his past had started flas.h.i.+ng through his mind in the face of his Elder Brother’s vivid and lifelike statue, and Jun Wu Yi’s mind had already fallen into a bottomless abyss of pain, infinite regrets, and boundless hate!
Real men don’t cry; not unless they’ve really been hurt!
“Big Brother…..”
Jun Wu Yi fell down to his knees on the ground ahead, and the strong and durable body of this valiant general started to trembled: “I’m sorry…. I’ve let you down! I’ve let Second Brother down! I’ve let Father down, and I’ve let our Family down!”
Through his tear stained eyes, Jun Wu Yi gazed into the fort.i.tude and wisdom of Elder Brother’s face, and he felt as if his Elder Brother had come back from the dead to stroke his hair, and then looked at him with a smile on his face, almost as if he was teaching him a lesson: “Third Brother….there’s no need to suffer, there’s no need to cry!”
At this moment, Jun Wu Yi started crying even more loudly as all those feelings which had been taking refuge in his heart for these past ten years started to pour out unrestrained, and then he started crawling closer to his Elder Brother’s grave like an aggrieved child who was suddenly throwing himself into the arms of his loved ones…..
He could still distinctly remember the last words his brother had said to him the night before his departure all those years ago: “About this Silver Blizzard City matter, I’ve always felt that our business with them isn’t over yet, and I’m afraid that the Silver Blizzard City still has some secret tricks up their sleeve. Therefore, when your Second Brother and I are away from home, you will not act recklessly. You mustn’t get over anxious about marrying Miss Han; love always finds a way. Once your Second Brother and I return, we will talk to father, and then we’ll find a way to help you; the whole Family will stand in your support. ”
Jun Wu Yi could clearly remember the concern in his Eldest Brother’s eyes and a similar look in the eyes of his Second Brother as well. The image of those profound and concerned eyes was piercing his heart with pain, almost as if someone had stabbing his heart with a knife and was twisting the knife inside his heart!
At that time, his two elder brothers had completely forgotten about their own pains and worries for the sake of their little brother! Those two men were only concerned about their little Brother’s safety, and were worried that their little brother might end up hurting himself under the flame of impulse, and had seemingly forgotten all about the enemies they would have to deal with on the battlefield!
These two men were wise and loving enough to spare their little brother by not sharing their anxieties since they didn’t wish to worry him any further!
Then, a loud and forceful drumming had started sounding, loud enough to make the entire world shake. Jun Wu Hui was standing in his military uniform, his white military uniform, and the next moment he was mounting his horse: “Third Brother, now that your Second Brother and I are going away, you are the only man the Jun Family can depending on!”
Big Brother! Big Brother ah, why did you say that? How stupid was your little Brother, ah, I had never been able to understand the meaning behind your words until this day! Those were…. Your last words!
Big Brother, did you already know this then? What did you know about? Perhaps, you had sensed something? Why didn’t you say anything?…. why didn’t you tell me!
You knew that I would have chosen to die before sending my own brothers to the gates of ruin…. ah!
If I ever get a change to return to that time a decade ago, when I hadn’t met “Her”, I would go back and do it all differently… I would! I would!…..
“Third Uncle.” Jun Mo Xie stepped out of his wheelchair: “The Dead are dead. Accept fate, and shun your grief! Looking after your own self is the correct way ahead!”
Jun Wu Yi slowly raised his head and looked at Jun Mo Xie as his face suddenly revealed a sorrowful smile: “Mo Xie, someone had once spoken these words to your father several years ago; Accept fate and shun your grief so you may be able to look after yourself. Do you know what he said in reply?”
“He…. What did my father say?”
“All three of us had fought in that battle together, and we had suffered heavy losses. Your father was very sad to see so many of our men lying dead on the battlefield. At that time, one of the officers advised him: General, Shun your grief! Take control of your body and emotions.” Jun Wu Yi spoke slowly as he recalled the words: “At that time, Big Brother had replied: Why do you want me to shun my grief? Why should I shun my grief? My brothers have died, and they were killed by my enemy, shouldn’t I now kill the enemy? How will letting go of my grief change anything? Taking control over my emotions….”
Jun Wu Yi’s raised his voice, almost as if he was trying to imitate his Elder Brother: “Yes, we will have to find a way to shun this grief in time…… but I will not waste this grief in tears, I will use it to kill the enemy! I will use this grief to raid my enemy and then eliminate them in one swoop so my brethren never have to feel this grief again! I will not shun my grief! I will change my circ.u.mstances!”
“I will not shun my grief! I will change my circ.u.mstances!” Jun Mo Xie softly repeated these two phrases, and suddenly a wave current rushed through his body, flooding his body with pride and honor as it resonated throughout his soul!
“I will not shun my grief! I will change my circ.u.mstances!”
This one sentence aroused a sincere and earnest feeling of admiration for his father inside Jun Mo Xie’s heart; a father he had never even met!
An iron blooded man laughs when he feels like laughing, cries when he feels like crying; an iron blooded man isn’t artificial!
A real man doesn’t shun his sorrows! A real man works on transforming his situation!
His words have won over my heart!
Jun Mo Xie could suddenly feel that even in his previous life, he would have easily accepted such a man to be his father! Even though this man has only fathered this body I live in and not my soul, I will accept him as my father in this life! I would accept such a man as my father in any life!
The uncle and nephew duo sat motionlessly and quietly like stationary, and neither man spoke up for a long time.
Suddenly, a round of rapid footsteps sounded outside; these footsteps proceeded to the door and opened it, and then a voice announced: “Third General, the Yu Tang Empire’s General Zhao Jian Hun wishes to pay his respects to the Commander; General, please give me my orders!”
“Zhao Jian Hun?!” Jun Wu Yi seemed rather confused since he had never imagined that the enemy of his brothers would actually turn up here! “Ask him to come in. I’ve been longing to meet him; it’s been a while since I’ve met my old friend!”
“Yes General!” the young military officer accepted his orders, and then walked away.
A little while later, a black silhouette slowly appeared at a distance. This man was abnormally tall, and was wearing black clock, black robes, even his face was black, and it seemed as if this person’s entire body was made of cold black steel. His strides were as dominating as a tigers’, and he was looking straight ahead; and nowhere else. The Tian Xiang military soldiers, who were lined up on both sides of the walkway, were eyeing him with hostility, but he didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them!
This person was tall and thin, had broad shoulders, long arms, a high nose, and sharp eyes; the lines on his face were so rigid that it almost seemed as if someone had carved them out with a knife. An awe-inspiring aura of war was surging out from his body as he continued to proceed forward, never looking to his side, nor looking to his back!
This man had turned up alone!
He had ventured into the enemy’s army camp to pay his respects to his dead enemy! All by himself!
This man was Zhao Jian Hun!
Bold beyond words could describe!
Bold and valiant enough to be one of the most decorated generals of the Yu Tang Empire!
Zhao Jian Hun walked closer and stationed himself in front of Jun Wu Yi: “Jun Wu Yi, we meet again after all these years.” His sonorous and powerful voice still inhibited a cry for battle!
Jun Wu Yi didn’t look back at him, and kept his eyes lowered to the ground: “Zhao Jian Hun, I’ve been wanting to see you for a long time! A really long time!”
“Then why didn’t you? There hasn’t been a Jun on the battle field for a decade now…….” Zhao Jian Hun’s voice seemed authentic: “……I’ve gotten very lonely!”
“If there had been a Jun on the battlefield over this past decade, then I’m afraid that you wouldn’t have gotten his opportunity to stand in front of me and complain.” Jun Wu Yi looked coldly at him: “Because you would’ve already been reincarnated!”
Even though this sentence was rather arrogant in its make, Zhao Jian Hun could clearly tell from its tone that speaker was obviously harboring a feeling of regret, which affirmed him that only the Jun were worthy of being his true opponents! However, even though he clearly understood the true meaning behind Jun Wu Yi’s words, but that sense of a military man’s honor inwardly still incited a feeling of waging a fight at this moment!
“Yes, had you been on the battlefield over this past decade, then maybe I would have found myself buried in the ground! But you were not there! Why weren’t you there?” Zhao Jian Hun actually seemed a bit angry.
The tone of this famous Yu Tang General left Jun Wu Yi puzzled, while Jun Mo Xie was left scratching his head, this isn’t a fake, right? Although he won the war under dubious circ.u.mstances, but he’s the only general who’s ever defeated the White Commander, Jun Wu Hui in battle, and the only man Jun Wu Hui was never able to defeat. In addition to facing all the three brothers of the Jun Family for years at a stretch, he also managed to see two of them fall, and the third one getting crippled. He knows well that Third Uncle wouldn’t have been able to fight him on the battlefield after his injury, but this guy still wants to fight and defeat him? Has this guy lost his mind?
Zhao Jian Hun walked over to Jun Wu Hui’s statue and came to a halt. He stood there motionlessly for a long while with a serious look on his face, his body perfectly upright, but his eyes were clearly showing the sincerity of his respect. Then, he bent down from his waist, and didn’t straighten up for a long while.
A while later, he stood up straight once again, and looked sharply in the stone eyes of his enemy, but with a look of admiration in his own! He sighed and said: “Jun Wu Yi, do you know something? I, Zhao Jian Hun joined the military at a young age, and I’ve spent half-a-lifetime fighting many great generals on the battlefield; I’ve lost and I’ve won against some of the most decorated heroes of this world, but only one man has ever been capable of arousing a sense of admiration in Zhao Jian Hun’s heart! There is only one man I bow down to!”
“That man’s name is Jun Wu Hui!”