0p0 Chapter 400 The Unbelievable Truth
Chapter 400 The Unbelievable Truth
This time, Gu Zhanghua did not stop him, whether it was because he didn't want to or because he didn't have time.
But Jian Qiu suddenly lunged at Yang Liuming, completely ignoring the teacup that hit her back and the tea that soaked her back.
She probably hadn't expected Zhao Xuan to use so much force. Gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, she turned and called out to Zhao Xuan repeatedly:
"It's not what you're saying...it's not what you're saying! Let the master explain it to you, listen to his explanation!"
"What's there to explain? Explaining is just covering up! Don't you understand that? Protecting him is aiding and abetting evil!"
When Yang Liuming saw that Jian Qiu had been injured by Zhao Xuan, he also became angry. He helped Jian Qiu sit down in the chair again and looked at her with concern.
Jian Qiu shook her head slightly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine..."
The anger in Yang Liuming's eyes gradually subsided. He looked at Zhao Xuan and asked in a deep voice:
"Don't you want to know at all why I did what I did? Why I took over the Fuze Relief Home? Why I ultimately turned against your master? And where did my master, the Elder Xuanji, go?"
Yang Liuming took a deep breath and shouted at Zhao Xuan again.
"Don't you want to know at all?!"
At this moment, Gu Zhanghua also held Zhao Xuan's hand and gently comforted her.
"Sister Xuan, things have come to this point, why not give him a little more time to explain himself?"
Gritting her teeth, Zhao Xuan clenched her fist, trying to suppress the resentment in her heart.
"Okay, go ahead! I'm listening!"
Yang Liuming's subsequent account was very long, covering almost his entire life.
He knew very clearly that this was his only chance to open his heart and speak his mind completely.
Previously, he still harbored a侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that he could get away with it). In the future, people will only care about the established facts and condemn him, and no one will bother to explore how a young boy gradually embarked on a path of no return.
It is said that growth comes at a price, and the price he paid may very well be his life!
"After the old man Xuanji saved me, he taught me martial arts and also imparted to me the way of governing a country, but my heart was always filled with hatred for the Yue Kingdom!"
A flash of ferocity crossed Yang Liuming's eyes, and he continued.
"That's why, during the Battle of Fengcheng more than twenty years ago, I was fearless and took over from Hu Yidao to defend Fengcheng to the death. Later, I was rescued by the reinforcements led by Qin Shao, and only then did I manage to survive. It was also thanks to Qin Shao's recommendation that I began to make a name for myself in the Xia Kingdom's court..."
As Yang Liuming spoke, his memories returned to that era, the time when he was most spirited and ambitious, when the Xia Kingdom was newly established and everything was in ruins.
Emperor Gu Li of Xia, General Qin Shao, Prime Minister Wen Lan, himself, and Ma Baoguo and others initially shared the same ideals and were determined to revitalize the Xia Kingdom!
But then what?
Yang Liuming sighed softly.
"But at that time I was young and impetuous, and I wanted to wait for the Xia Kingdom to recuperate and its national strength to grow stronger, so that I could assist His Majesty in destroying the Yue Kingdom and avenging our grievances!"
But my master earnestly urged me every day to let go of my obsession with revenge and to use the methods I have learned to make the country prosperous and strong, and the people live in peace and happiness..."
“That’s right, I remember that was also the Crown Prince’s wish!”
Gu Zhanghua couldn't help but say.
"Yes, Crown Prince Gu Deming, that's exactly what he thinks. We even had a debate about it. In the end, he couldn't convince me, and I couldn't convince him either... Do you know why?"
Yang Liuming looked at Gu Zhanghua, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused and blank.
Even now, he doesn't believe that his choice at the time was wrong.
Letting go of his obsession with revenge sounds easy, but the war-torn homeland and the countless bones of his loved ones constantly remind him of this.
Remember this well! Never forget revenge!
"But my resentment towards the Yue Kingdom runs too deep. Do you know what I have done?"
Yang Liuming didn't need Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua's answers at all, and gave a bitter smile.
“I ignored my master’s advice and instead secretly imprisoned him! Then I took his token, the Flame Token, and took over the Fuze Relief Home that my master had founded!”
A ferocious expression suddenly appeared on Yang Liuming's face!
Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan were completely dumbfounded when they heard this!
Has the Mysterious Old Man been secretly imprisoned?!
Is this something a human can do?
Is this something a disciple would do to his master?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it insane!
Suddenly, Yang Liuming stood up, waving his arms, as if he had become a completely different person.
Like a military commander wielding power and pointing out the direction of the country!
His eyes flashed with a ruthless and decisive glint!
Outrageous! Unrestrained! Unscrupulous! Fearless!
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
But Jian Qiu's gaze toward Yang Liuming was filled with worship, reverence, and even a subservient and frenzied desire to prostrate herself before him!
Yang Liuming's voice was passionate and stirring as he shouted:
"Soon after, I opened a branch in Liyang City and recruited talents from branches all over the country. I instilled my ambitions into those children and passed on all the martial arts skills that my master taught me to them!"
Do you know who those orphans are? They are pitiful people who have suffered greatly from war, lost their families, and been displaced!
They already harbored hatred for the Yue Kingdom, and given their young age, over the years, they all gradually came to follow my lead, secretly forming a ruthless and decisive Flame Army that obeyed only my commands! And I!
Yang Liuming patted his chest forcefully.
"I am the sole commander of the Flame Army!"
Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan were utterly shocked by Yang Liuming's words, and it took them a long time to recover.
After Yang Liuming finished speaking, he seemed to have released all his strength, slumped into a chair, and a blank look appeared in his eyes again.
He seemed to be wondering if he was really the commander of the Flame Army.
Or was all of this fabricated by him?
"Li Chongxi...does she know what you've done?"
After a moment of silence, Zhao Xuan asked.
"know."
Yang Liuming spoke again, his voice regaining its usual calm and composed tone.
"She was my most capable assistant at the time. She was in the open, and I was in the shadows! My purpose in establishing this Flame Army was simply to make them a secret weapon in the future war with Yue, to help me defeat Yue!"
I recall Li Chongxi's resolute suicide by poison, and his last words before his death:
"Why... why is it that life is inherently filled with passionate love, this sorrow has nothing to do with the wind and the moon..."
I remember Li Chongxi lying in the coffin, dressed in a bright red dress, with only that one painting as her burial companion...
I remember that grave without a mound...
Gu Zhanghua sighed deeply. He was now almost certain that the man in the painting who rode away on horseback, leaving Li Chongxi with only his back to him, was Yang Liuming.
But he still asked a question, as if he were asking Yang Liuming, who was still alive, on behalf of the deceased Li Chongxi.
"Before Li Chongxi died, she stared at a painting on the wall for a long time. After her death, only that painting accompanied her... The man in the painting is you, teacher, right? Do you know how much Li Chongxi felt for you?"