Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1837 - 1830: The Falling of the General Star

Chapter 1837: Chapter 1830: The Falling of the General Star

"Second brother, second brother, let me finish talking..." Jiuyun Shuang weakly clutched Jiuyun Ke, swallowing hard and speaking feebly, "I have held on because of my obsessions, but now that both you and Yungui are here, let me entrust my final matters..."

"What final matters, don’t say such ominous things, come, let me tend to your wounds..."

Jiuyun Ke could not accept this reality, so he lowered his head and began to tend to Jiuyun Shuang’s wounds on his own accord.

"Second brother," Jiuyun Shuang raised his voice, "are you going to let me die with regrets?"

"Then speak, say what you have..."

Pausing for breath, Jiuyun Shuang slowly said, "By the decree of the Imperial Court, after my troops pacified the three Yipa divisions, we were to await orders in the Northern Province, sending a deputy to report back to the capital. Only after the three Yipa divisions surrendered as vassals could the entire army return to the capital."

Taking another breath, he continued, "Should the commander fall into difficulty during this time, the command token is to be entrusted to the Duke of Northern Province to hold temporarily, with the new troops placed under his command, temporarily not returning to the capital..."

The Duke of Northern Province refers to Jiuyun Shuang’s father, Jiuyun Zheng. Although the title of duke is merely honorary, many like to use it as a pseudonym.

Hearing Jiuyun Shuang’s words, Jiuyun Ke forgot his grief for a moment and was dumbfounded.

The Imperial Court actually arranged for father to take over Jiuyun Shuang’s command of the new army, did he hear wrong?

One must know that Jiuyun Zheng’s influence in the Northern Province was vast, and with just the tens of thousands of elite cavalry under his command, the Imperial Court of the Wen Family was kept awake at night.

And now that Jiuyun Shuang can no longer lead the new army, they are actually handing over command to Jiuyun Zheng, what is the Wen Family Imperial Court planning?

Jiuyun Shuang seemed to see through his brother’s confusion, and added, "This is the court’s decree, not my will, but please let father hold the command token temporarily, to lead the new army..."

The complex thoughts plunged Jiuyun Ke into chaos. He didn’t know whether to be sad or puzzled, for he could not understand the Wen Family Imperial Court’s actions at all.

"Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to say, now I can finally..."

Jiuyun Shuang weakly said, slowly closing his eyes.

"No, no, little fourth, little fourth, you can’t die, father is already on his way, father will surely have a way to save you..." Jiuyun Ke, momentarily forgetting his chaotic thoughts, hurriedly said.

"Father..."

Jiuyun Shuang sighed deeply, closing his eyes, seemingly falling asleep.

"No, no, no, don’t be like this, I’ve already lost an elder brother, I can’t lose my younger brother too..." Jiuyun Ke cried out loudly, holding Jiuyun Shuang tightly, "Little fourth, don’t die, I can’t do well as the patriarch, I’ll give the position to you, you be the patriarch, alright..."

About ten minutes later, with the sound of galloping hooves, Jiuyun Zheng finally arrived tardily. As soon as he rode up the mountain, he saw Jiuyun Shuang.

In his excitement, without waiting for his steed to stop, he leapt off and dashed towards Jiuyun Shuang, backhandedly slapping Jiuyun Ke and demanding, "What happened to the fourth? Didn’t I tell you to save him?"

"Sorry, father, I..." Jiuyun Ke put down Jiuyun Shuang, knelt before his father, and stammered as he cried.

"Father!"

Hearing his father’s voice, Jiuyun Shuang suddenly opened his eyes as if nothing had happened, calling out spiritedly to Jiuyun Zheng.

"My son, I am here..." Hearing his son’s voice, Jiuyun Zheng jerked down swiftly, gently helping his son up.

He looked at Jiuyun Shuang’s bandages, soaked with blood, and the two deadly arrows lodged in him, quivering with emotion.

"Father," seeing Jiuyun Zheng, Jiuyun Shuang showed a delighted expression, grasping his hand excitedly, "Father, I’ve pacified the three Yipa divisions, is such merit satisfactory to you?"

"Satisfied, satisfied, your father is very satisfied and proud of you, your family is proud of you..." Jiuyun Zheng wept openly, continuously wiping his eyes.

"Father, you’ve aged... I apologize for never being able to fulfill my filial duties..." Jiuyun Shuang said with a sigh, noticing Jiuyun Zheng’s graying temples.

"My son will rejuvenate our family; with a son like you, I have no regrets in life..."

"Father..." Jiuyun Shuang honestly said, "Please do not direct anger at the three Yipa divisions, may the punishment stop with me and no collective punishment be imposed... Otherwise, the merits I have achieved will be wiped out instantly..."

"I promise you, I promise you..." Jiuyun Zheng sobbed as he spoke.

"And please take good care of mother; the thought of her crying makes my heart ache..."

As Jiuyun Shuang spoke, his voice abruptly ceased. Jiuyun Zheng noticed the warmth was leaving his son’s hand and looked at him in horror.

Jiuyun Shuang lay still with his eyes open, looking in the direction of home, yet his eyes lacked their usual sparkle. His mouth was slightly ajar, but no breath flowed in or out any longer.

"Shuang’er, Shuang’er, no, no, no..."

Jiuyun Zheng looked on with terror, holding his son’s gradually cooling body close, grief welling up from his heart to his throat, releasing painful sobs.

Grieving deeply, he finally had to accept an unbearable reality: he had lost another son.

"Little fourth..."

Jiuyun Ke knelt to the side, hearing his father’s cry, closed his eyes, and cried tears of agony.

"General..."

Yungui bowed his head in sadness, kneeling towards Jiuyun Shuang. With his motion, the surrounding soldiers stopped their tasks, kneeling on one knee towards Jiuyun Shuang.

Dongsheng Empire’s Western Conquest General, heir of the Jiuyun Clan, Jiuyun Shuang, has fallen...

This was Jiuyun Zheng’s second lost son, their deaths only a few years apart. For Jiuyun Zheng, who had only four sons, this loss was insufferable.

The sorrowful atmosphere lingered for a long time. Jiuyun Zheng, who always maintained decorum in front of others, now disregarded his dignity as he held his son in loud weeping.

Yungui knelt with tears for half an hour, then slowly rose, turning to command sharply, "Kill without mercy all Yipa rebels who participated in this battle!"

"Yes, sir!"

The surrounding soldiers chorused in response.

Just as Yungui turned back, he barely reacted before feeling a sudden grip around his throat.

Looking in terror, he found it was Jiuyun Zheng, enraged.

Though extremely skilled, Jiuyun Zheng was furious, and his almost blazing eyes fixated on him sternly, gritting his teeth to ask, "With both of my sons gone to the Wen Family Court, how shall this vengeance be resolved?"

Yungui widened his eyes in terror but could utter no sound, even his breathing became labored.

Fortunately, Jiuyun Ke intervened promptly, kneeling before Jiuyun Zheng, loudly saying with his head lowered, "Father, you mustn’t, he is an official of the court, he cannot be killed."

"Are you siding with the court too?" Jiuyun Zheng turned to glare at him angrily.

"Father," Jiuyun Ke daringly said, speaking from the heart, "The merits of little fourth must be recognized by the court. If the court removes little fourth’s merits due to your killing an official, how would we have the face to meet little fourth in the afterlife one day?"

Perhaps Jiuyun Ke’s words touched Jiuyun Zheng’s heart, as he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly released his grip, causing Yungui to lose balance and fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

"You were the Army Clerk, and bore the responsibility when the leader met calamity. Your guilt is inescapable, but in consideration of my late son, I’ll spare your life for now." Jiuyun Zheng scornfully remarked, looking down at Yungui.

Having caught his breath with difficulty, Yungui didn’t appear angry, instead humbly bowing his head, "The General’s death was entirely my fault. But I plead the Manor Lord to spare my life temporarily, so I may return to the capital to face punishment, then return to the Northern Province for your disposition."

"Hmph, you know well!"

Though furious and sorrowful, seeing Yungui’s demeanor, Jiuyun Zheng’s expression writhed between anger and sorrow. After watching Yungui’s stance, Jiuyun Zheng knocked the token from Yungui’s hand, striking it away violently, causing it to fly down.

The token spun through the air, then fell down the steep slope, lost from their view.

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