Chapter 76: Chapter 68: The Death of Sanlang
The frenzy of the bird flapping its wings, the hungry tiger contesting fiercely.
The crazed giant bird named He Xiqing beat its wings, thirteen scimitars swirling into a tempest. The beast known as Du Chengfeng was equally relentless, alternating seventeen sharp knives, forcing the mad bird to be unable even to land.
"Give me a bite! Just give me a bite!"
He Xiqing flapped its wings, eyes bloodshot.
"Why won’t you give me a bite? You don’t even eat it yourself! Then why won’t you give me a bite? Why do you have to oppose me? Why!"
"..."
Du Chengfeng remained silent.
Why? He himself didn’t know, or perhaps he had never considered such things.
Was it to protect these people? Was the moral sense of the people of Taiping at play? Or did fighting at the forefront make him seem more heroic?
He didn’t know; he had never thought about these things.
The Evil Qi surged through his body, the shouts in his mind converging into the most primitive and simple desire to kill.
He just wanted to bring the great bird down from the sky and eat it alive on the spot.
Just like all feline animals would do.
"Huh huh huh..."
As his canine teeth extended further, the beast named Du Chengfeng even changed its voice. Instead of a battle cry, what came from his throat was more like a low growl of a fierce beast.
The Evil Qi in his body was already overflowing, even seeping through his pores, transforming into strands of fine hair, blowing with the wind.
Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger.
Under this immense pressure, He Xiqing in mid-air also became increasingly ferocious.
Thirteen arms were eaten into He Xiqing’s mouth, making its form increasingly resemble a giant bird. Its lower limbs, which initially looked human-like, gradually transformed into two sharp curved blades. Blood-red light flashed on the blades, plowing grooves after grooves into the earth.
In this life-and-death showdown, both creatures were changing unconsciously, evolving towards some unknown direction.
They were evenly matched.
They fought to the death.
"...Who can win?"
On the ground, Li Carpenter, already scared and collapsed, murmured.
Clearly, this level of battle was far beyond the concern of ordinary people like him, or concern for any ordinary people present—if there was any concern at all, it was but who would win or lose, determining their fate of survival or death.
If Du Chengfeng could win, perhaps they could survive.
If that terrifying great bird won...
"He can win, right?"
Li Carpenter murmured.
"He must win, right?"
"Not necessarily, Uncle Li."
A familiar voice sounded from behind Li Carpenter.
"Currently, they’re equally matched, but Du Chengfeng... he cannot fly. If this fight continues, that monster bird can fly away, to places like Yanzhou, Youzhou. By then, we’ll be..."
"Sanlang?"
Li Carpenter turned around in shock, finding Yang Sanlang, who was supposed to be hiding in the mountains, standing behind him somehow.
"What are you here for? You... Wait, who let you take that?"
Coming to his senses, Li Carpenter noticed the ancestral Heavy Great Saber of the Yang family in Yang Sanlang’s hand.
"What are you planning!"
Li Carpenter’s heart sank instantly.
Yang Sanlang had always wanted to take back this saber; he knew that, having even seen Yang Sanlang stealing the saber several times—it was basically meaningless, as Yang Sanlang could never withstand the terror of the Evil Qi, not even able to touch the hilt.
Yet now, this great saber belonged to Yang Sanlang again.
Returned to the true heir of the Yang family.
"Yang Sanlang! Are you going to flee? Are you going to flee at this time!"
Li Carpenter couldn’t help but clench his fists.
Though he too knew this was the right choice, the most correct choice, after all, the monster bird was currently battling Du Chengfeng fiercely; it was the chance for the Yang family to escape—if they seize this moment to run, to Yanzhou, even further south to Jiankang Capital, safety could be assured, and the monster would eventually be unable to pursue them.
But can one truly act so?
Is it truly right to act in this way? Li Carpenter didn’t know. Perhaps it’s the best decision, and as a commoner, he should indeed flee, for he has a wife and children, a family—yet he himself, inexplicably, didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to leave here.
Even if I’m afraid, I don’t want to leave, even if I can’t stand up, I don’t want to leave.
After all, that brother Du, he didn’t leave, did he?
That person who could have easily run away from the beginning, who always had the ability to abandon them and escape, he didn’t leave, did he?
"So if you must go... take my wife and child with you."
Leaning on the ancient battle axe that had already turned ordinary, the carpenter Li struggled to stand up.
"Sanlang, I’ve watched you grow up. I understand your devotion to the Yang family... so I leave my wife and child in your care."
The more he stood up, the more relaxed Li the carpenter’s posture became. Until the moment he stood fully upright, his legs no longer even trembled.
Turning his head, Li the carpenter gently patted Yang Sanlang on the shoulder.
"When the child grows up, tell them my story. Tell them that their father, at least died like a man... hmm?"
The hand resting on Yang Sanlang’s shoulder was knocked away.
"Uncle Li, do you look down on me too?"
Even though he still wore a smile, Yang Sanlang was already in tears.
"I know, I’m greedy for life, I’m afraid of death, I’m not that ruthless, nor that wild... I can’t compare to Du Chengfeng. My life is something he lent me on credit, I’ve always known that."
Yes, he had always known, he just didn’t want to admit it. Nobody wants to admit their cowardice and inadequacy, let alone someone like him, a standout among the younger generation of the Yang family. He had illustrious ancestors, a comfortable life. Even if the Yang family was now in decline, at least in Yang Family Fortress, he still wielded considerable influence.
That’s why he’s willing to pay any price for the Yang family.
As long as the Yang family can continue, that might be the fate of every generation of Yangs. Perhaps it’s because an ancestor in the genealogy once had no relatives, so each subsequent generation has always placed the family first—at least in Yang Sanlang’s eyes, whether it was losing face like Yang Xuan or doing what he once did, that’s all secondary.
"So, killing others can make you stronger, right..."
Saying this, Yang Sanlang raised the great saber.
Seeing the cold, gleaming great saber raised, Li the carpenter instinctively clutched his battle axe.
But just as Li the carpenter thought this crazy Yang Sanlang was going to slash down at him.
Yang Sanlang, however, placed the great saber across his own neck.
"For the Yang family to continue, I will pay any price."
With tears streaming, legs trembling, Yang Sanlang forced a grimacing smile.
"We’re all from the same village. Our uncle has lost both legs. The future of the Yang family will need to rely on you, Uncle Li, to take care of it..."
"You!"
Realizing something was wrong, Li the carpenter quickly tried to lower his axe to stop Yang Sanlang.
But the heavy great saber had already sliced through Yang Sanlang’s neck.
"Du! Cheng! Feng!"
With his last ounce of strength, the heavy great saber slipped from Yang Sanlang’s headless body.
Just like that spear thrown under the moon initially.
"Who?"
Seeing a great saber suddenly fly in from a distance, landing at his feet, the beast named Du Chengfeng, embroiled in a life-and-death struggle, was startled.
Fortunately, this great saber was all too familiar to him, which made him instinctively grasp the handle.
"Now, do you respect me?"
At the moment he grasped the handle, a familiar voice seemed to suppress the endless clamor of battle in his mind.
"What..."
Du Chengfeng stood frozen in place.
The tiger-like claws and fur on his body disappeared instantly; even the dragon-like scales on his skin gradually vanished.
In their place, the blade emitted a renewed, blazing flame.
Surrounded by fire, Du Chengfeng seemed to be clad in an invisible armor of flames.
"—Gaa?"
In the air, He Xiqing let out a hoarse screech.
"Aren’t you not supposed to eat? So why..."
"Only beasts eat people."
With a swing of the saber, a fiery blade five zhang long swept across.
Feeling the once-again powerful saber, Du Chengfeng looked up towards the bloody monstrosity in the sky.
This time, he wasn’t fighting alone.
