Chapter 204

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Chapter 204: The Foolish Old Man Moves a Mountain

A small building outside the military arsenal.

Storyteller Clairvoyance stood on the stage, facing a crowd of children and elderly people eagerly looking at her. She clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Today, we will tell the story of ‘The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains’…"

"Another story!"

The children cheered and jumped with excitement. It was clear that they were looking forward to the stories from the storyteller who came all the way from Jiu Province.

In a corner nearby, there was an old man named Li, with only half of his face visible. He quietly watched this scene, feeling a bit comforted in his heart.

The library in the military camp was not just a warehouse for weapons, but also a place for books and literature.

The books in the library mainly consisted of historical texts from the Great Yan Empire forty years ago, as well as a chronicle of the isolated city compiled by the elderly people who couldn’t go to the battlefield.

However, these books had been ignored for forty years.

After all, this city is in great danger, and the young people have no time to study literature and history. The wise books cannot save the people in the city.

Especially the historical books of the lonely city, they are too heavy. Every page is soaked with blood and tears.

But Storyteller Clairvoyance is different.

He is actually one of the pillars of the Tide Listening Building Fantastic Faction, and he can come up with all sorts of unbelievable stories.

Although they are not true, they are indeed strange enough to attract not only the children in the city, but also many women and elders.

The children don’t read heavy historical books, but they are still willing to listen to the stories told by the storyteller.

That is enough.

The young generation who grew up in the city must first learn how to fight in order to survive.

But fighting only for survival, in the eyes of the half-faced old man, they are nothing but empty beasts.

This lonely city doesn’t need wild beasts that can adapt to the battlefield, it needs young people who can carry on the torch.

Storyteller Clairvoyance said. … Wise old man chuckled and said: You foolish old man, in your remaining years and with your feeble strength, you cannot even move a single hair of the mountain, let alone the earth and stones?

"The foolish old man said, even though I may die, I have a son. My son will have a grandson, and the grandson will have a son; the line of descendants will go on endlessly…"

After the story was finished, many young listeners in the audience started discussing.

"This is too difficult. Instead of moving the mountain, why don’t we just move away ourselves? The foolish old man is indeed too ignorant."

There were also older listeners who refuted. Moving away only considers the gains and losses for oneself, but moving the mountain brings benefits in the present and for future generations.

"Then why don’t we all move our families away? Wouldn’t that be simpler?"

"Who said there are no mountains outside? What if the mountains beyond are even bigger and more numerous? Shall we continue moving? "A determined old soldier with one leg said. Moving the mountain is a bold feat that we know is impossible, but we still do it. It is a great task that cannot be accomplished in this lifetime, just like our struggle against inhuman…

Soon, the old soldiers linked this matter to the current situation of the solitary city in the desert and argued with reason.

Listening quietly, he was just a storyteller, interpreting the stories was the audience’s job.

Even the awakened consciousness of the children and elderly in the city impressed this knowledgeable Tide Listening Building storyteller.

In the past month or two, since Qiao Mu entered the city, what he knew and saw was completely different from his experiences in Jiu Province, giving him a sense of not fitting in.

Great Yan on the outside has already surrendered; the hundred thousand soldiers who perished in the desert are the last struggle of Great Yan. From now on, scholars have lost their integrity, warriors have lost their backbone, and chivalry has become a thing of the past.

In Jiu Province on the outside, in this present era, kindness has become a weakness. Revealing your kindness will only subject you to exploitation by those with ill intentions.

Loyalty is labeled as "foolish loyalty" and is ridiculed by the masses.

The so-called benevolence and righteousness are merely seen as old-fashioned and deserving of being taken advantage of.

But this city is different.

This secluded and independent city existed in a previous era, living forty years before Great Yan surrendered. The entire city is filled with remnants of the previous era.

People without strong determination have long died within these forty years.

And the ones still alive are the strong ones who have gone through forty years of bloody selection.

The remaining three hundred old soldiers in the city are not particularly skilled in martial arts cultivation.

If we were to judge based on their martial arts cultivation, these three hundred old soldiers have become old and weakened due to the insufficient food supply in the isolated city. They are not as formidable as the elite soldiers of Great Yan in the past, and probably not as good as the elite troops of Jiu Province outside the city.

However, when it comes to the level of mental fortitude, I’m afraid it would be difficult to find three hundred iron soldiers in the entire Jiu Province who can compare to them.

It’s not only the old soldiers in the city who are resilient, but also the remaining half of the city’s women, children, and elderly. They are also the remnants of the past era.

"If the Jiu Province outside were to hear the story of this isolated city and see the forty years of blood and tears, I really wonder what their reaction would be…"

"Jiu Province has suffered for too long, can the story of this isolated city ignite a fire?"

Such thoughts swept through Clairvoyance’s mind.

If these three hundred old soldiers who have experienced forty years of bloody battles go to the outside world and have enough food to eat, they might become spiritual refining seeds.

But can they really hold on until that time?

While lost in Clairvoyance, an out-of-place voice came from the audience below.

"Storyteller of Tide Listening Building, would you like to tell the ending of this story as well?"

As the voice spoke, the whole building quieted down a bit, with everyone’s eyes glancing at the newcomer.

The person speaking was Earth Sword Immortal, with white hair and a rugged beard, but exuding a heroic spirit. He casually asked as he walked past the small building.

Earth Sword Immortal rarely left that Taoist temple.

But everyone in the whole solitary city knew his name.

In the past, many people had high hopes for him, just like Li Changge, but they were all disappointed in the end.

Earth Sword Immortal ignored the surrounding gazes and said to himself:

"If you won’t speak, then I will." he said slowly.

"The Heavenly Emperor, touched by his sincerity, commanded the goddess Kuanyin’s two sons to carry two mountains, one called Shuo Dong and the other called Yongnan. From then on, the south of Ji and the shadow of Han had no more broken ridges."

"The Heavenly Emperor, moved by Foolish Old Man’s sincerity, allowed the gods to move the Taihang and Wangwu mountains. From then on, there were no more mountains to hinder Foolish Old Man’s way."

"In the end of the story, did Foolish Old Man succeed in moving the mountains?" Earth Sword Immortal asked.

"It was the gods, not Foolish Old Man, who moved the mountains."

"You see, even the person who made up this story didn’t dare to create an ending where Foolish Old Man’s descendants worked together and after countless years, finally moved the mountains."

"The ending of Foolish Old Man moving the mountains is the Heavenly Emperor being moved by his sincerity, not ordinary people moving the mountains."

"So, where is our Heavenly Emperor?"

Words spoken, the whole room fell into silence.

In reality, there is no Heavenly Emperor who can feel Foolish Old Man’s sincerity. Instead, sitting on the divine altar are the various immortals of the Nine Immortal Gates.

But at this moment, the old man with half a face from the arsenal laughed.

"Here comes the wise old man," said the old man from the arsenal, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter.

The Old Librarian was also an old soldier, but he was too old and physically impaired. He withdrew from the battlefield long ago. He would not let Earth Sword Immortal boast on such occasion.

"We are all foolish and ordinary people, with limited strength. We cannot move mountains, and no one can see the future outcome," the Old Librarian said slowly.

Clairvoyance also nodded. Yes, it is one thing to succeed or not, but moving mountains or not is another matter altogether.

"Knowing it’s impossible but still doing it, even if one’s life is as fragile as thin paper, there is still a spirit of indomitability. This was the backbone of the previous era’s Jiu Province."

Earth Sword Immortal neither confirmed nor denied it.

"The wise words effortlessly came to mind."

"Words of wisdom?" Clairvoyance smiled gently.

"You think too highly of me. I am just a simple storyteller in the Tide Listening Building. I am not a great scholar. I only tell stories, not preach."

Clairvoyance opened the folding fan with a snap and laughed as he rubbed his hands together.

"Speaking with words is called reason."

"Only when actions are taken can it be called a way."

"When knowledge and action align, it can be called reasonable."

"I may not preach, but in this city, there are plenty of reasonable people."

Strange stories can only grab attention, but true stories can touch hearts.

This is Clairvoyance’s opinion.

And at this moment.

Suddenly, there came a long and desolate sound of a bugle from the direction of the city wall.

"The bugle sound is ringing again… it’s time for battle again," the old man of the arsenal, with half of his face, stood up instinctively, then stood motionless for a while.

Only then did he realize that he was no longer a soldier.

But soon after, the bugle sound kept ringing, three times in a row, with a more urgent and high-pitched tone, completely different from before.

The old man of the arsenal’s remaining half face changed color abruptly.

The bugle sound ringing three times, this is a dangerous signal.

The usual bugle sound is a reminder for the old and young in the city to immediately go to the military camp and other safe places to avoid being affected by the fighting.

But if the horn is sounded three times, it’s a different matter.

This represents the old soldier on the lookout tower of the city wall, who determines that the enemy is numerous and we are few, and the isolated city has no chance of survival. It is a desperate situation with no hope of survival.

The last time the horn sounded like this was twenty years ago, when General Li Changge made a final effort to break through the enemy lines, but was unable to completely turn the tide. In that battle, tens of thousands of soldiers died, and Li Changge also perished.

And this time there are only three hundred old soldiers in the city. Are they going to sacrifice themselves?

So the meaning of this signal is… there’s no need to seek refuge anymore, make the most of your time to do what you want before you die, so you won’t have any regrets.

Clairvoyance stopped telling stories and left in a hurry.

The purpose of the Tide Listening Building is to only listen to the tides, not to make waves, and not to interfere with worldly affairs.

But since Clairvoyance is already in the isolated city, he is like a grasshopper on a string, and naturally needs to take action.

The hall was full of guests, but after the horn sounded, they dispersed like a receding tide.

Only Earth Sword Immortal stood still, watching the dispersing crowd.

"Is it that time again?" Earth Sword Immortal’s thoughts fluctuated.

He had a reason for passing on the Heavenly Slashing Swordsmanship to Qiao Ruosen, as the path should not be taken lightly.

The Heavenly Slashing Swordsmanship is the ultimate move among moves, either defeating enemies or being defeated myself.

So, will Qiao Ruosen meet the same fate as Qiao Shuangsen?

For the past thirty years, he never understood the thoughts of the city’s military and civilians, nor why there were fools willing to sacrifice themselves for others.

Although Qiao Shuangsen was an external martial artist, he had become quite prominent in this isolated city over the past forty years.

Qiao Shuangsen was a completely different person from him, just like Li Changge and others from the past.

"Let’s go witness the final battle of this city," Earth Sword Immortal squinted his eyes and walked forward slowly.

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