Lord of the Desert

Chapter 529 The Wind Comes
"Commanding troops? You're planning to transfer to a military position?"

Lu Yunshi was taken aback, then became solemn.

"Still considering."

Hong Fan did not hide anything.

Or perhaps his candor today is precisely to hear the opinions of others.

“Hong Fan, I’m not joking. If you join the army, I’m willing to be transferred to follow you.”

Lu Yunshi replied solemnly.

Although his life at the Liangzhou camp with Lu Zhiyuan was easy, it was too mundane, and promotions could only be achieved by enduring hardship.

As a descendant of a prestigious family, Lü Yunshi always aspired to emulate his ancestors in earning military merits. However, his family had fallen on hard times, and once he left Xijing, he had no foundation to rely on.

But Hong Fan was enough to give him the confidence to leave his hometown and take risks.

"Is this true?"

Hong Fan was naturally delighted.

He knew that Zhenbeiwei was exclusive, and if he really wanted to carry out the "dragon crossing the river" plan, he would have to bring his own team.

"It's not just General Lü!"

Gao Junxia straightened his back on horseback and clasped his hands in a fist salute, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and even his form of address changed.

"If the Second Young Master is going north, I would like to join in the fun if you don't mind. The seasons in Jinhai have been peaceful these past few years, and my family has some savings. It shouldn't be difficult to gather two teams of skilled warriors."

"It's not just Gao Dashao."

Hong She's voice came from the distant squeals of pigs.

"Brother Fan, now that you're a general, you'll need personal guards. I'm getting tired of killing snake people, and I'd like to test just how formidable the Giant Spirit really is!"

Hong Lie nodded repeatedly.

At that moment, the Wild Boar King was subdued by Bai Jiaci with his bare hands.

Hong She pressed his hand on the pig's forehead, and the fiery current flared up, abruptly stopping the screams.

Upon witnessing this scene, Hong Fan felt a sudden emptiness in his heart.

He couldn't help but think of Taishan during that blizzard years ago. The scene was similar, but the person beside him was Hong Ping.

Hong Ping died in the defense of the city. Hong Fan went to sweep the grave on the first day of the Lunar New Year this year and just cleared the weeds around the grave.

At this moment, surrounded by the mountain breeze, the young people are full of energy and eager to get started.

However, in Hong Fan's eyes, it seemed as if a shadow had been cast over it.

Cui Yutang has been married for over four years to Hongwu's youngest daughter, and they already have a son and a daughter. Gao Junxia and Hong She have also become fathers one after the other.

"It's fine that Master Yun is still all alone, but the rest of you all have families and children, enough to live a comfortable life. Why bother following me and taking risks?"

Hong Fan advised in a low voice.

Gao Junxia shook his head heavily.

"Second Young Master, don't underestimate us!"

"What man can escape death? Though my martial arts are mediocre and I am nothing in the capital, I am still a martial artist. A martial artist's life is about being high-ranking, not far away; to rise when promoted and to die when necessary, that is the ultimate goal. Do I want to wait until I am bedridden to lament to my young children that I have never done anything significant in my life?"

"Young Master Gao Junxia has been waiting for this journey for many years!"

His words were passionate and resounding.

Hong Fan was stunned upon hearing this.

He recalled the debauchery and extravagance of Tinghai Pavilion six years ago, when the young Gao Junxia recited poetry to the even younger Zheng Fuqu. Later, as time flew by, the two of them devoted themselves to martial arts training.

The Whirlpool Sect's techniques are not particularly advanced, and Gao Junxia's talent for martial arts is no more outstanding than his talent for poetry. Even with the advantage of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, he must have put in tremendous effort and endured countless years of hard work to reach the Six Meridians Harmony Realm. Six years have passed.

At this time, Gao Junxia had a short beard, and his face had shed its youthful appearance and was now somewhat middle-aged, but the innate heroic spirit in his bones had completely burst forth.

Yes, I'm not the only one who's not afraid of death. How can we underestimate the heroes of the world?

With this in mind, Hong Fan made a promise.

"Alright, alright, I will inform you of my decision..."

The mountain wind howls, and the river is as sharp as a knife.

The crowd drew their knives to cut up the pig, lit a fire to roast it, and behind them stretched a picturesque landscape.

Surrounded by the crowd, Hong Fan suddenly felt that the future was fraught with difficulties and obstacles could be overcome.

······
On April 28th, Hong Fan had not yet given a reply regarding the matter in the northern frontier, but the palace suddenly issued an edict to restore Hong's title of Zhenguo Xiaowei on the grounds of his outstanding talents and meritorious service in defending the border.

This should be considered as the emperor's gesture of sincerity from afar; the third prince was naturally furious, but there was nothing he could do about it.

On April 30th, the new list of geniuses was released in the capital, and Hong Fan indeed topped the list as "Blazing Star". Although there was some controversy about Wu Xiangling, it was far from enough to change the joint decision of the royal family and the Martial Arts Academy.

The next day was May 1st.

This refers to the most important festival in Shenjing, the Dragon Summoning Festival.

The festival was in the evening, but everyone, including Hong Fan, was very excited early in the morning. Even Hong Sheng, who was usually aloof, helped decorate the Hong residence with lanterns and colorful decorations.

The last time the First Emperor appeared was in the eleventh year of the Zhenghe era. It is said that the chance of seeing his face is very small. However, Jinhai is thousands of miles away from the capital. How can we be content without trying our luck?
At the beginning of the You hour (5 pm), everyone had an early dinner, changed into the scale-patterned robes that had been prepared in advance, and went out together carrying paper lanterns.

The sun hung high above the eaves, making the sky dim.

Every household in the alley has a small fish-shaped lantern hanging in front of their door, the paper scales dyed in gold and silver, swaying with light and shadow.

Outside the alley, the lights were even more dazzling.

Hong Fan peered out and saw the long street like a riverbed, with countless schools of fresh fish swimming upstream, heading straight for the shore of the Earth Eye Lake—the bottom of the great lake has a waterway leading to the Dragon Palace at the foot of Mount Yuzuo, from which the Ancestral Dragon would appear in previous years.

The group walked or rode in carriages and left the city after a short while.

Compared to the city, the shores of Diyan Lake were bustling with people, and the wooden boardwalk over the water was covered with layers of lotus lanterns. Hong Fan glanced around and saw the candlelight at dusk reflected in the dark lake water, with specks of light floating like the Milky Way pouring into the night abyss.

The evening breeze was gentle and slow, carrying the fishy smell of the water.

The Hong family found an open spot to wait.

As the time for the ceremony approached, the crowd became extremely dense.

On the wooden boardwalk, men and women wore gold cloth belts embroidered with scale patterns around their waists, and bells tied to their wrists—the rich used gold and silver, the poor used copper and iron—and with each step, the bells rang clearly, like the sound of the tide.

Beyond the plank road, there were some rough men with bare chests, their skin painted with dark ink to create rugged scale patterns, wading and swimming in the flickering lights, like aquatic creatures near the shore.

Everyone was carrying a paper lantern.

At the beginning of the Xu hour (7 pm), a "fire dragon" appeared on the hillside of the low hill by the lake. Hong Fan looked into the distance and saw that the emperor, the crown prince, the princes and princesses, and the two martial saints, Xiao Ding and Guan Qimai, had all arrived.

They also carried paper lanterns.

Another hour passed, night had fallen, and the time had come.

First, the clear sound of bells rang out from the crowd, then gongs were struck everywhere, and the majestic drumbeats rolled along the water's edge like waves.

Hong Fan broke out in a light sweat, feeling an indescribable tension in his heart—most people who came to participate in the Dragon Summoning Festival wanted to pay homage to the supreme being of heaven and earth, but he couldn't say for sure.

The drumbeats and bell sounds traveled up the low hills and blended together on the lakeside.

Following the example of others, Hong Fan used his true energy to light two paper lanterns in his hand—one a sky lantern and the other a water lantern—and released them into the air and into the water.

Half an hour later, after the lights had faded and filled the sky and water, a chime suddenly rang out between heaven and earth.

(End of this chapter)