Chapter 540A – Pick the River of Stars
Within Holy Nether City, the matter of the Lord Commander’s ‘b.u.mpy road of love’, became a topic that everyone loved to discuss. Although there was some ridicule and disdain, there wasn’t much loathing. Rather, inexplicably, some people felt even closer to the Lord Commander. The reason was that they all felt that the Lord Commander was also an ordinary person in some ways. He could lose face, he would be ashamed, and he would try to save face by s.h.i.+fting responsibility onto others.
Even the story of him venting his anger onto w.a.n.g Chao and making him sweep and clean the streets had a little bit of cuteness and lovability added to it as it was retold and interpreted numerous times. After all, if the Commander really was a bad person, he had many ways through which he could thoroughly suppress this matter and make it so that not a single person dared to utter a single word about it.
As Qin Yu was somehow obtaining a favorable impression from the residences of Holy Nether City, at this time, Shang Yuntai’s application to enter the Endless Sea was finally approved. Several brothers with which he was on good terms brought him all the way to the edge of the Endless Sea.
Shang Yuntai pushed open the car door and stepped out. He looked at the great waves surging in the distance and took a deep breath. “Brothers, you and I will bid farewell here today. From here on out, we will never see each other again. I wish all my brothers an infinitely bright future.”
“Senior-apprentice brother Shang!” Everyone’s eyes turned red. Though their lips moved, none of them could say a single word of comfort. This was because they all knew that he didn’t have much time left.
Shang Yuntai chuckled. “In my life, I have been humble and weak and I have also been great and magnificent. I have once lowered my head in humiliation, and I have once raised my head in overweening arrogance. But after so much has happened, I have eventually been defeated. Luckily, I still have my good brothers who haven’t given up on me or abandoned me. That in itself makes my journey worth it in the end.”
He cupped his hands together and walked away. The sea breeze lifted his robes, making him seem calm and carefree. He boarded the wooden boat and sailed into the depths of the sea. Not once did Shang Yuntai turn his head. However, his previously relaxed expression was now especially pale.
But, his back still remained straight. He was like an ancient pine at the summit of a mountain. Even if there was a thick layer of snow covering him, he still wouldn’t bend.
After all, he was still a proud individual. Even if he had been tortured by poison for years, he didn’t reveal his weakness to anyone. But the betrayal by the woman he loved had thoroughly crushed the remnants of Shang Yuntai’s dignity and he no longer wished to see those eyes full of pity and sympathy. Thus, Shang Yuntai had chosen to enter the Endless Sea. He hated escaping from his situation like this, but now he no longer cared about it.
No one knew him in the Endless Sea. He could peacefully die here.
The wooden boat dove straight into the sea. Shang Yuntai was like a walking corpse. After dealing with some formalities, he chose not to join the Holy Nether Guard and left. He had once imagined countless times what this forbidden land would be like. He thought it would be a barren place of scorched earth and ruins, but he never expected it to be so bustling, like a solemn pearl s.h.i.+ning deep below the waters.
His eyes swept across the lively streets and the rus.h.i.+ng flow of people. Shang Yuntai stood still and issued a satisfied sigh. Alright, then let’s die here quietly.
He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, no longer resisting the onslaught of the violent poison. Shang Yuntai toppled to the ground. The crowd was frightened by the sudden crash and drew away from him.
w.a.n.g Chao was squatting in the shadows on the side of the road, wiping the sweat from his face. He watched as the street he had spent so much time cleaning was quickly dirtied once more, and he began to cry without tears. As he was bem.o.a.ning his own destiny and lamenting the Commander’s ‘revenge’, he suddenly heard a loud commotion like a flock of birds pa.s.sing over his head.
He stood up and looked down the street. The crowd seemed to be gathered over there. w.a.n.g Chao suddenly thought that perhaps this might be his chance. The Lord Commander loved to cultivate and he would go into seclusion for long periods of time. If there was no one to remind the Commander, who knew how long w.a.n.g Chao would have to serve as the temporary Captain of the Sanitation Squad? He couldn’t ask his Second Brother or Third Brother for help, and it was inappropriate to ask others. So, Old w.a.n.g could only help himself.
“Move out of the way!” w.a.n.g Chao stepped forwards and the crowd drew back like a tide.
Thanks to the ‘situation’ between Hai Lanlan and Qin Yu becoming the hottest topic of discussion, w.a.n.g Chao’s profile also leapt up and he became one of the most well-known figures in Holy Nether City. Everyone knew that he was the guard captain who suffered a stroke of bad luck.
w.a.n.g Chao saw the fallen Shang Yuntai and frowned. “Does anyone here know what happened?”
“I’m not too sure. He was walking perfectly fine just a moment ago and then he suddenly fell over.”
“That’s right! He clearly isn’t doing well and his breathing is weak!”
“If he’s sick he should stay home and rest. Why is he running out here?”
Within the chaos and confusion, w.a.n.g Chao’s eyes flashed. “Does anyone recognize this person?”
Everyone shook their heads.
w.a.n.g Chao was overjoyed but he maintained a serious expression. He lowered his head in thought for several breaths of time and then deeply sighed, “Whatever. Saving a life is of the utmost importance. I can’t just watch as he dies.” He turned around and ordered, “The rest of you continue to clean up the street. I will return this person back to the mansion and see whether or not he can be saved.”
He lifted Shang Yuntai up in his arms and walked away. Many people looked at him with eyes full of praise and admiration. This squad captain w.a.n.g Chao was truly a kindhearted individual. Even though he was being punished right now, he was still willing to help others. Tsk tsk, the Lord Commander’s luck was definitely amazing to be able to have such a responsible and morally upright first-cla.s.s subordinate!
w.a.n.g Chao immediately felt that the person on his shoulders wasn’t heavy anymore. His body filled with righteous strength.
Lord Commander, can you hear this? This is the voice of the people! I am such an outstanding subordinate; you will never find a second person like me! If you aren’t going to wake up and start treating me better, when will you!
w.a.n.g Chao finally returned to the Commander’s Mansion and let out a long breath. Although this place was still in ruins, he felt a little bit of the excitement of returning to the center of power.
But the key point was how could he remain here? As for cleaning the streets, whoever was willing to do that could do that. He was determined not to go back.
He hastily placed the person down. Then, flaunting the banner of saving someone, w.a.n.g Chao requested a medical expert from the Holy Nether Guard. Unfortunately, the examination result wasn’t good. This unconscious person had been struck by some fierce poison.
“Captain w.a.n.g, poison has invaded the organs and marrow of this person. I fear his time has come to an end. There really isn’t anything I can do. What a shame.”
w.a.n.g Chao expressed his grat.i.tude and sent the medical expert away. He looked back towards the person unconscious on the bed, and his expression became a little complex. So this person was about to die…to use a dying person, was that going too far? But as soon as this thought appeared, he changed his mind. If this person was going to die, he might as well make use of him. In the worst case, he could make his last moments of life in this world a bit more comfortable.
Hua Yanting looked up. “Big Brother, I have looked through this person’s belongings and found his status information. His name is Shang Yuntai and he just entered the Endless Sea today.”
Huang Shan came back just in time to hear these words. He furrowed his eyebrows together. “Shang Yuntai…this name seems a little familiar.”
Hua Yanting lightly said, “When us three brothers were in contention for spots in the True Demon Guard, this person joined the examination with us. He was an extremely fierce person. But in that examination, he was somehow struck with poison and he vanished soon after. I inquired about him afterwards. Shang Yuntai used to be someone who rode the wind and waves, but what a pity, he rose rapidly and fell just as fast.” There was a bit more emotion in his words. “I never imagined that the next time we met, he would have ended up in such a state.”
w.a.n.g Chao shook his head, “Parting in life and separating in death, have we seen little of this in our lives? If Shang Yuntai ended up like this today, there is a reason for his own fate. If he perishes here, that is also his destiny.”
Huang Shan scratched his head. “Big Brother, if this person dies you won’t have an excuse to stay here any longer.”
w.a.n.g Chao’s expression stiffened and his appearance as a wise expert who understood the tragedy of life and death immediately collapsed. His face paled and he clenched his jaws, “Since you know this, hurry and find a way to extend his life! At the very least we have to last until the Lord Commander leaves seclusion!”
If he couldn’t see the Commander, how could he weep and beg for mercy. Of course, he wouldn’t tell these plans to anyone…anyone who knew about it would be silenced!
When Shang Yuntai opened his eyes, he could smell the rich scent of medicine all around him. His body was still weak, but the poison in him had calmed down. It seemed he had survived this time and would continue living for a while longer. But Shang Yuntai knew that the next time the poison within him erupted, he would die.
He laid down in bed for a long time before he struggled to get up. As he was drinking water, w.a.n.g Chao suddenly pushed open the door. There was a happy look on w.a.n.g Chao’s face as he asked, “You’re awake? How do you feel?”
Shang Yuntai cupped his hands together. “Thank you for saving my life…” Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to return this favor in his life, he paused here and didn’t say anything else.
Luckily, w.a.n.g Chao didn’t care about these things. Seeing this person wake up, he was in a much better mood. He laughed, “Your luck is good. The Endless Sea is barren, but on the seabed there is a type of coral which contains a poison that just happened to be able to restrain the one in your body. Although it can’t dispel the poison within you, living for an additional period of time won’t be difficult.”
But Shang Yuntai didn’t seem too happy to hear this. He calmly nodded.
w.a.n.g Chao was puzzled. But as he thought about the ravaged state of this person’s body and how they must have been enduring the pain of this poison for many years, barely managing to maintain a feeble existence, perhaps living longer wasn’t a blessing to him.
There was a brief silence. Then he smiled and said, “Shang Yuntai? In truth, you and I are old acquaintances. Back during the True Demon Guard selection in the past, we were tested together.”
Shang Yuntai was stunned. He never thought that he would run into an old acquaintance after entering the Endless Sea. Although he didn’t have any impression of w.a.n.g Chao, he instinctively felt closer to him.
In the end, they were people who fought together for a better and brighter future. What a pity, that test which should have transformed his life had actually caused him to encounter his life’s greatest setback instead, eventually leading him all the way here.
But soon, surprise appeared on Shang Yuntai’s gloomy face. He looked up.
w.a.n.g Chao shrugged his shoulders, his expression relaxed. “It’s like you see, my luck isn’t that great either. I was exiled into the Endless Sea several months ago.”
The two fell silent at the same time. There was some emotion in their eyes. But then, the two of them started to laugh; a bitter mutual understanding was born in their hearts.