Under the setting sun, the young man stood at the city gate, gazing at the battle banner, soaked in the enemy's blood to a dark crimson, and the worn-out war drums. He was as still as an old monk in meditation.
In a daze, a scene flickered before his eyes.
In the scene, Jiang Zhan held the God-Slaying Saber, standing at the forefront of the army formation. Battle banners fluttered beside him, and Ye Jinmei stood before the war drums at the side of the formation.
The war drums sounded, Jiang Zhan pointed his saber, and the three thousand soldiers of the Loulan Legion roared "Kill!" and charged towards the alien enemies with murderous intent.
Through a hundred battles, yellow sand pierced golden armor; without breaking Loulan, they would never return.
As the scene unfolded, Jiang Wuming recalled the poetic lines from his mother's letter. He then came back to his senses, turned his head, and walked towards the cemetery northeast of the ancient city.
At the same time, apart from the vanguard, the soldiers of the other legions of the Loulan Legion had also finished their day's cultivation and training, returning to their quarters in neat formations.
As they walked, they cast their gazes towards Jiang Wuming, and confusion appeared on everyone's faces: Who is he?
Then, when they saw the God-Slaying Saber on Jiang Wuming's back, the confusion on their faces immediately turned into shock!
That shock caused many to stop in their tracks, but in the end, no one stepped forward to ask Jiang Wuming who he was, nor did anyone ask him why he carried the God-Slaying Saber.
This was because every soldier of the Loulan Legion knew very well that without the permission of the Legion Commander Zheng Yuandong, the unfamiliar youth could not have reached this place, let alone carried the God-Slaying Saber.
Soon, amidst the confused and shocked gazes of the Loulan Legion soldiers, Jiang Wuming slowly walked to the cemetery.
The cemetery was very close to the east gate of the ancient city, only about a hundred meters away.
Besides the couple Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei, there were also graves of other soldiers, numbering over three thousand.
The Loulan Legion's establishment had always been three thousand men, which meant that over the past years, the Loulan Legion's personnel had been almost entirely replaced.
Under the setting sun, tombstones stood in a line, and the grave mounds behind them were like houses connected in clusters, stretching as far as the eye could see.
These were the soldiers' "homes."
When Jiang Wuming first learned of the cemetery's location, he had asked Wu Yong with confusion why the cemetery was placed on the battlefield in front of the ancient city – that could expose the cemetery to battle damage!
Wu Yong told Jiang Wuming that it was Jiang Zhan's decision back then.
"While men are present, the city stands. If the city falls, their souls perish – the living and the dead, all soldiers of the Loulan Legion, will forever be with the ancient city!"
These were Jiang Zhan's exact words when he decided to establish the cemetery on the battlefield of the ancient city.
Under the setting sun, Jiang Wuming stood before the graves of the couple Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei, recalling what his father had once said, and clearly saw the words on the tombstones.
Tomb of Jiang Zhan, Commander of the Loulan Legion.
Tomb of Ye Jinmei, wife of Jiang Zhan.
Besides the words, there were also photographs of the couple Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei.
This was the first time Jiang Wuming had seen his parents' faces.
Yes.
In reality, on the internet, Jiang Wuming had only seen the couple's joint photo and could find no other pictures of them.
It was as if an invisible force had erased their photographs from this world.
And in that joint photo, due to the very long shooting distance, both of their faces were very blurry.
Under the setting sun, the young man's eyes widened, staring at the two photos for a full ten minutes.
It was as if he was compensating for what he had lost in the past, and at the same time, deeply engraving his parents' appearances into his soul.
Ten minutes later, the last ray of the setting sun sank below the horizon, and all the soldiers of the Loulan Legion had returned to the city.
The city gate closed, darkness replaced light and enveloped the land, and the battlefield fell silent.
The young man no longer needed to hide his grief or feign strength. His eyes were red, and he spoke with a hoarse voice:
"Dad, Mom, our family is finally reunited."
As his words fell, the young man knelt and kowtowed three times heavily, his forehead turning red and feeling a sharp pain.
However—
The young man paid no attention to the pain in his forehead, nor did he wipe away the dust from his forehead or the tears from his eyes. He knelt there and said softly:
"Dad, Mom, do you know?
Actually, I wanted to come find you a very, very long time ago.
How long ago?
It should be when I was thirteen.
At twelve, I heard Liu Guifang's mother say that I wasn't her biological son, that she was my adoptive mother. And after I was born, you entrusted me to the Su family and never appeared.
At that time, I was very sad. I left the Liu family compound alone, crying and running. I don't know how long I ran, until I reached under a large bridge. Then I met my Master, and he took me away from there to Longhu Mountain.
During that year, I kept thinking, if you didn't want me, why did you bring me into this world?
I couldn't understand it, and I hated you very much.
On my thirteenth birthday, Master told me the reason why you 'abandoned' me.
After I learned the truth, I no longer hated you, but wanted to find you. However, Master told me not to.
Master said that if people knew I was your son, I would die.
Master also said that Dad, to protect me, didn't even dare to give me a name.
I asked Master when I could live in this world as the son of Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei, and come to see you openly.
Master told me I could when I became powerful.
So, I practiced martial arts as if I were mad.
During that time, I was also sent on missions by Master.
In his words, simply practicing martial arts wouldn't make me powerful; I had to experience life-and-death trials.
At sixteen, Master told me that he had found the family that killed Mom back then, and that there was one person still alive. If I wanted revenge, I could leave Longhu Mountain.
I left Longhu Mountain, entered the underground world, created the Zhanlong Hall, and spent four years finding Zhao Qian and killing him, avenging Mom.
On that day, Sister Su Shiyun was forced to marry that scoundrel Zheng Fei. I brought my people back to the Dragon Kingdom.
That was the first time I led people from Zhanlong Hall into the Dragon Kingdom.
After that day, I stayed in the Dragon Kingdom, but I still didn't dare to reveal my identity, nor did I dare to come see you.
Later, my identity was exposed, Master's prophecy came true, and various troubles and crises followed.
Dad, your old enemies have all tried to kill me. Many have acted, but unfortunately, they didn't kill me. Instead, I killed many of them.
Especially a few days ago at the Global Martial Arts Convention, I took out all the strongest descendants of your enemies in one go!
After the Global Martial Arts Convention ended, Grandpa Qi asked me if I wanted to come to Loulan Ancient City. Without seeking Master's opinion, I chose to come here.
Because, I really wanted to see you, to have our family reunited. I couldn't wait any longer!
Besides, I've already fought for my life with those enemies. What is there to be afraid of?"
"Since the enemy didn't kill me when I was weak, and instead made me stronger, then they won't be able to kill me in the future!"
The young man said with determination and confidence at the end.