Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

The wind was strong at night in Beiping.

The biting wind howled across the ancient city walls, whipping up the remaining snow on the ground and stinging our faces.

But for the two people standing at the highest point of the city wall, this bit of cold was nothing.

Below the city gate, thousands of lights shone.

It is the light of hope lit by ordinary people who have struggled for decades in the flames of war and can now finally sleep peacefully.

In the distance, one could faintly hear the sound of firecrackers being set off to celebrate the victory; the scattered sounds, though few, conveyed a lively atmosphere.

"Great...that's great."

Li Yunlong leaned forward, his body halfway out, his hands gripping the mottled wall. His eyes, which were usually sharp and piercing like an eagle's, now looked somewhat dazed and even a little moist.

His old military overcoat, which he hadn't been willing to take off even after becoming a high-ranking official, fluttered in the wind.

"Look, buddy."

Li Yunlong stretched out his large hand, rough like old tree bark, covered with calluses and scars, and pointed to the endless expanse of lights below.

"I never dared to dream that I would see this in my lifetime."

"What were we thinking about back then? We were thinking about whether we could survive until tomorrow, whether we could get a few more kilograms of sweet potato liquor for our brothers, and whether we could snatch a couple more light machine guns from the Japanese devils."

"But what about now?"

Li Yunlong suddenly turned around, looked at He Yuanchao beside him, grinned widely, and smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum. However, hidden in that smile was an emotion that could not be concealed and a trace of... reluctance that was not easily noticed.

"We not only drove the Japanese devils back into the sea, but we also razed the Emperor's stronghold to the ground!"

"We not only stunned the Russians, but we also made them obediently vomit up all the meat they had eaten!"

"Even that arrogant America, now when they see us, they have to address us politely as 'Comrade-in-Chief' or 'ally', don't they?"

"It all... feels like a dream."

As Li Yunlong spoke, he took out two black porcelain bowls from his pocket, placed them on the city wall crenellations, and then took out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor with a red paper label attached.

With a "bang," he bit down and the bottle cap flew off.

"Splash..."

The wine was poured into the bowl, a few drops splashed up, and the aroma of the wine was instantly dispersed by the cold wind, entering the nostrils of the two people.

"Brother, this bowl is for you."

Li Yunlong picked up his wine bowl, his expression suddenly becoming extremely solemn. All his usual carefree attitude disappeared, leaving only the iron will of a soldier and the loyalty of a man.

"Without you, He Yuanchao, there would be no Independent Regiment today, no First Mechanized Combined Arms Army today, and no backbone of the new China!"

"You are Old Li's benefactor, the savior of our entire army, and even more so... the savior of these 400 million compatriots!"

"I, Li Yunlong, am a rough and uncultured man. I don't know how to speak eloquently, and I can't learn those fancy words."

"But deep down, everything is clear!"

"I'll do it, you can do whatever you want!"

After saying that, Li Yunlong tilted his head back and gulped down the fiery Fenjiu liquor.

Not a drop left.

He Yuanchao looked quietly at his old comrade-in-arms who had dedicated his life to the country and the nation, and felt a mix of emotions.

In all the time he's been in this world, there aren't many people he truly cares about and considers brothers; Li Yunlong is definitely the first.

Although this guy can be a bit of a jerk and unreasonable at times, his courage to go to great lengths for his brothers and to risk everything for his country is unmatched.

"Brother Yunlong."

He Yuanchao picked up the wine bowl, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he looked at the cold moon reflected in the bowl.

"You're exaggerating."

"I just happened to be there and did a little bit of work."

"The ones who truly bled and sacrificed, the ones who truly gave their lives, were you, Zhao Gang, Zhang Dabiao, Wei Heshang, and the countless nameless heroes who fell on the front lines."

"This glass of wine shouldn't be offered to me."

As He Yuanchao spoke, he slowly poured the wine from his bowl onto the city bricks beneath his feet, creating a line.

"We should pay tribute to those brothers who didn't get to see this day."

Li Yunlong was stunned for a moment, and his eyes immediately reddened.

He thought of Battalion Commander Zhang Dabiao, Cavalry Company Commander Sun Desheng, Xiuqin, and so many other names.

"Yes...yes!"

Li Yunlong wiped his face hard with his sleeve, his voice choked with emotion.

"A salute to our brothers! A salute to their spirits in heaven!"

He poured another bowl, which he also spilled on the ground.

The two stood on the city wall, drinking bowl after bowl of wine and chatting.

They talked about Cangyunling back then, about Lijiapo at that time, about the exhilaration of attacking Ping'an County, and about the earth-shattering shock of Lop Nur.

One bottle was empty, then another.

Li Yunlong was drunk.

He was truly drunk.

It wasn't just because of the strong liquor, but also because the huge weight in my heart had finally been lifted, and the string that had been stretched taut for half my life had finally been released.

He leaned against the wall, his body limp as a puddle of mud, his eyes unfocused, yet he was still muttering incoherently.

"Brother...you...are you...leaving?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuanchao paused slightly in the hand holding the wine bowl.

The wind seemed to have picked up.

He Yuanchao did not turn around, but just looked at the endless night in the distance, his voice so calm that it was impossible to detect a ripple.

"Brother Yunlong, what makes you say that?"

"Heh...hehe..."

Li Yunlong grinned foolishly, pointing at He Yuanchao, his finger wagging.

"Don't try to fool me... Old Li may not be very literate, but his eye for people... it's... it's notoriously sharp!"

"You... smell."

"It doesn't smell like alcohol... nor does it smell like gunpowder..."

"It's... a flavor that doesn't belong here... doesn't belong to our world."

"From the first time I saw you... I knew... you were no ordinary person..."

"This place... is too small... it can't contain a dragon like you..."

"You are a star from the heavens... sent down to help us overcome our tribulations..."

"Now... the tribulation is over... you... it's time for you to return to your place..."

As Li Yunlong spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until he finally began to sob quietly, like a child.

"My dear brother... I'll miss you so much..."

"If you leave... who will drink with me, Old Li? Who will listen to me, Old Li, brag? Who will be there to back me up in a pinch?"

"Could you... not leave?"

"Even if... even if you do nothing... just stay here in Zhao Jia Yu... I'll take care of you for the rest of your life... okay?"

Hearing these drunken words, He Yuanchao felt a sudden tremor in his heart, as if he had been hit hard by something.

A bittersweet feeling, a touch of emotion, and a sense of reluctance to part.

He turned around, squatted down, and looked at this man who was usually fearless and never shed a tear, but was now crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

He reached out and tugged at Li Yunlong's open military overcoat.

"Brother Yunlong."

He Yuanchao's voice was soft, but firm.

All good things must come to an end.

"The road ahead is still long."

"I've cleared away all the thorns and kicked away the stones blocking your way. The rest of the way... you'll have to walk it yourself."

You can do it.

"You are Li Yunlong, the commander of the Independent Regiment, a war god who strikes fear into the hearts of the Japanese devils."

"Even without me, He Yuanchao, you're still that...howling wolf!"

Li Yunlong seemed to have listened, yet also seemed not to have listened, he just kept gripping He Yuanchao's sleeve and wouldn't let go no matter what.

"I won't... I won't let you go..."

"If you're going to leave... you have to... you have to take me with you..."

"The two of us... are going to fight aliens... to fight that... that guy... Thanos's purple sweet potato..."

He Yuanchao smiled helplessly.

This old rascal has been eavesdropping on my stories to Zhao Gang quite a bit, and he even remembered Thanos.

He gently pried open Li Yunlong's hand and took something out of his own space.

It was an ordinary-looking pendant, like one made from a bullet casing, but under the moonlight, it faintly shimmered with a pale blue light.

This is a specially made "dimensional communication beacon" for the system.

This item was originally extremely expensive, requiring a massive amount of Karma Points to exchange for, but He Yuanchao still exchanged for one without hesitation.

Although it cannot be activated yet, it requires He Yuanchao's system permissions to be further improved, and it may even require the establishment of a powerful dimensional base station in the next world.

But this is just a thought.

It's also a promise.

He Yuanchao carefully tucked the beacon into Li Yunlong's inner pocket and patted it.

"Brother Yunlong, please keep this safe."

"This thing is a treasure."

"Whenever... you really run into a big problem that you can't solve, or... you want to find someone to drink with."

"Just touch it."

"Maybe... I heard it."

Li Yunlong mumbled something in a daze, as if talking in his sleep, or perhaps responding.

"real……?"

"real."

He Yuanchao stood up, took one last deep look at his sleeping elder brother, at the ancient city he had completely transformed, and at the vibrant and hopeful nation.

He doesn't belong here.

His journey spans all the heavens and myriad worlds.

His mission is to fish for those powers capable of shaking the laws of nature in the endless planes of existence.

The mission in the world of Bright Sword has been exceeded.

The Huaxia of this land no longer needs nannies; it has transformed into a giant dragon capable of tearing apart its enemies on its own.

It's time... to leave.

He Yuanchao turned around, facing the void of darkness. His eyes instantly became extremely sharp. He was no longer the warm-hearted brother from before, but the decisive and all-controlling "Dragon Fang" commander.

"system."

He silently recited it in his heart, his voice icy.

"Let's settle the accounts."

"I should... go to the next spot and catch... a bigger fish."

In the void, a grand roar seemed to come that only he could hear.

A distorted portal of light, imperceptible to the naked eye, slowly opened before him.

He Yuanchao strode forward and stepped inside without hesitation.

His figure gradually became transparent and finally disappeared into the cold night of Beiping.

Only the drunkard lying at the foot of the city wall was still talking in his sleep.

"Brother... have another drink... have another bowl..."

The wind kept blowing.

But in this wind, one legend is gone, but an eternal tale has been added.