Chapter 227

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Chapter 227: Tribute to the Heroes

Lu Yanbei seemed a bit downcast.

Once a person dies, they cannot come back to life, even immortal cultivators are no exception.

Although immortal cultivators have soul-binding techniques, it is not truly resurrecting from the dead; at most, it is just manipulating souls.

Therefore, in Lu Yanbei’s eyes, Earth Sword Immortal, as a mortal, is indeed dead.

If he were to "live" in the Immortal Gate in a different way in the future, judging by Elder Qingzhuo’s methods, it might not be a good thing.

"Perhaps someone behind the scenes is spreading the glorious deeds of the fallen heroes of war…" Lu Yanbei stood solemnly at the grave of Earth Sword Immortal.

"Many people have come to Anxi Town, including martial artists and storytellers. They are all praising the hundred thousand brave martyrs who died in battle, as well as the Qiao family member and my brother who died in the final battle."

"But I always feel something is not right. The image of Earth Sword Immortal in their minds is too shining, different from the real him…"

Lu Yanbei spoke slowly.

Earth Sword Immortal rose to fame forty years ago, disappeared after the Inhuman War, but now regained his reputation. His heroic deeds in his prime have been brought to light by someone.

Thus, the image of a sword immortal who hid his sword for thirty years and then rose to fame, has deeply rooted in people’s imagination.

To the common people, Earth Sword Immortal is a brave swordsman with the heart of a tiger, lurking in disguise, waiting for the moment to shine.

This exactly meets the expectations of martial artists and common folks in the martial world.

The world has been suffering from inhumanity for a long time. Such a character truly fits their hopes, quickly becoming one of the names spreading across Zhong Province.

Some of the other names were Qiao Shuangsen, Qiao Ruosen, Qiao Zhuosen… and of course, the white-headed soldier leader Hai Siyuan.

"So you mean, someone is creating an image for the war heroes who died?" muttered Qiao Mu.

Creating an image is a very dangerous thing, as the image can collapse.

"Indeed, they are almost turning my brother into a saint…" Lu Yanbei shrugged, with a bitter smile.

"Not only my brother, Elder Lao and your Qiao family member, in the eyes of the public, have similar images."

Speaking frankly, he was happy that his brother gained fame after dying in battle.

But for Lu Yanbei, who knew what kind of person his brother was, hearing all this praise and having people worship Earth Sword Immortal as a saint felt uncomfortable.

While they were talking, a group of people walked slowly towards them from a distance, dressed as young swordsmen and carrying swords.

"Is this the tomb of the legendary Earth Sword Immortal from forty years ago?" exclaimed someone.

"The leader of martial arts who has hidden his sword for thirty years, the leader of swordsmanship. If there were more Earth Sword Immortals in this world, what would Immortal Gate have to be arrogant about?" Someone sighed.

Their discussions were similar to the ones from before.

Lu Yanbei was just listening quietly at first, but eventually couldn’t hold back and spoke in disagreement, as he did before:

"Earth Sword Immortal is not the person you imagine him to be. Don’t praise him too much; he’s not that amazing."

This time, the crowd didn’t recognize Lu Yanbei as the legendary figure of his generation. These young adventurers saw the old man in front of Earth Sword Immortal’s grave insulting their respected ancestors. They almost drew their swords, getting red-faced and angry.

Meanwhile, a group of people was approaching from afar, chattering as they came closer.

They were all wearing the uniforms of Great Yan officials, led by Minister of Rites Hai Wuya. It was clear that they were drawn by the commotion on this side.

Although Hai Wuya was not a high-ranking martial artist, as a second-ranking official, he naturally carried himself with dignity.

When he arrived, the people on both sides silently stopped arguing.

The young swordsman quickly backed away, showing fear like avoiding dangerous creatures. In the world of martial artists, there has always been a hidden hostility towards the high officials of the Great Yan Imperial Court.

"Before caring about others, one must first understand oneself. Doing whatever one pleases according to one’s own desires… Is this the epitaph that Mr. Lu Yanbei Lu personally wrote?" Hai Wuya’s words revealed Lu Yanbei’s identity, and the argument suddenly stopped, with the swordsmen looking embarrassed.

After all the fuss, it turned out they were arguing with the older brother of Earth Sword Immortal?

Despite the awkwardness, they became even more puzzled in their hearts.

As his older brother, why would he tarnish his younger brother’s reputation in front of his tomb?

Earth Sword Immortal sacrificed himself in the desolate city, transforming his body into a sword to cut through the sky, an act of righteousness. Why then did Lu Yanbei have this attitude?

It wasn’t just these young swordsmen who didn’t understand; many other martial artists and people in front of this stone forest were also puzzled.

In recent days, countless martial artists from Zhong Province have come to pay their respects, as Earth Sword Immortal, as the leader of the previous generation of martial arts, was renowned. Therefore, when the martial artists arriving in Anxi Town visit his tomb, it’s a way to honor the hero.

Lu Yanbei has been guarding the vigil in Anxi Town these days.

During this time, he had encountered many hostile people. If he was not well-known and the older brother of Earth Sword Immortal, he would have been in trouble by now.

Despite this, he left an impression among the people as "the Earth Sword Immortal brothers not getting along, with the older brother causing trouble at the younger brother’s grave".

"The old soldiers of Great Yan are willing to sacrifice for the greater good, but Earth Sword Immortal is not one of Great Yan’s soldiers," said Hai Wuya slowly.

"The people desire a hero who can transform into a sword and cut through the heavens. As for who the hero is specifically, it’s not that important."

"What Mr. Lu has been trying to do is to make everyone see Earth Sword Immortal as a person, rather than just a hero."

Lu Yanbei blinked and sighed softly to show his agreement.

"My brother has never talked about achieving the grand goal of ‘Using Martial Arts to Defeat Immortals’…"

The soldiers of Great Yan hold noble intentions and are willing to sacrifice for a cause, but Earth Sword Immortal is different.

The well-being of the common people, the righteousness of the nation, for the lonely Earth Sword Immortal, are big but vague concepts.

So for a whole thirty years, he couldn’t understand the sacrifices made by the old soldiers over those thirty years.

Earth Sword Immortal never cared about patriotism; he cherished individuals, like his elder brother whom he supported till old age, rather than the vague concept of the masses.

If you don’t love yourself, how can you love others?

Start by loving individuals first, then talk about serving the greater good, or else it might end up being empty talk.

Hai Wuya nodded in approval, gazing at the endless array of tombstones before him, feeling a sense of sorrow in his heart.

"The martyrs who defended the lonely city for forty years are indeed respectable, but even among the hundred thousand who died in battle, not all of them had noble character and private virtues."

"We come here to pay respects to the deceased, not to elevate all the heroic fallen to the status of gods, not to symbolize and exalt them as heroes or saints."

Hai Wuya looked at the puzzled martial artists from the Jianghu, feeling a bit weary in his heart as well.

Creating an idol of oneself on a pedestal is essentially setting an unattainable distance from oneself.

On the altar are noble heroes, flawless saints.

Those who make gods are ordinary people, waiting for heroes to save the common people.

"Before becoming a hero, heroes are just like you and me," Hai Wuya said.

He was trying to persuade these passionate martial artists.

The recent ceremony was bustling, attracting many people from Zhong Province and martial artists to come and watch.

But then problems started to arise.

There were too many people, it seemed like someone was secretly manipulating things, trying to glorify characters like Earth Sword Immortal and members of the Qiao family who were involved in past city incidents.

What Hai Wuya wanted to say was to urge these martial artists not to see the fallen heroes as unattainable saints on the altar, but as real people.

For example, someone told Earth Sword Immortal to fight for the common people, to take on the responsibility of being the top martial artist, to confront the Nine Immortal Gates and defeat immortals using martial arts.

Earth Sword Immortal only sees the other person as silly and acts carelessly.

But if someone tells Earth Sword Immortal, "Your older brother will die, killed by a cultivator," then Earth Sword Immortal won’t remain indifferent.

Hai Wuya is trying to explain the same thing to these martial artists in the martial world.

Not many people can be noble heroes who sacrifice themselves for others and the world, but when danger approaches, many martial artists can step forward to protect their loved ones.

Treat heroes as regular people, rather than worshiping them from afar.

Qiao Mu listened quietly beside them and couldn’t help but think:

"Hai Wuya has big ambitions."

"Emperor Yonghe appointed him to represent the court at the memorial service for the deceased, surely not expecting him to have such aspirations."

What Hai Wuya is doing is trying to awaken the rebellious spirit of these martial artists in the martial world, encouraging them to love themselves first before loving others, and regarding the task of saving the world as more important than idolizing heroes.

However, Lu Yanbei, who was beside him, had a different focus than Qiao Mu.

"Lord Hai, do you mean… my brother is considered a hero?" Lu Yanbei looked a bit confused.

"Of course," Hai Wuya said firmly.

"A gentleman judges actions, not hearts. No one is perfect in this world."

"His decision at the end of his life, along with the Qiao family member, truly opened a new path for the elderly in the desolate city. This act is truly deserving of a hero."

Lu Yanbei opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything, just sighed quietly.

Hai Wuya was the Minister of Rites, representing the Great Yan Imperial Court.

Such praise indeed brought comfort to Lu Yanbei’s heart.

He took two steps, suddenly drew the wooden sword hanging from his waist, pinched the sword handle with two fingers, secretly used inner strength, and broke the sword into two pieces.

Qiao Mu looked at him with some surprise and doubt.

Lu Yanbei was known as Wooden Sword Walker in the martial arts world. After reaching middle age, his swordsmanship had become renowned, so he abandoned his steel sword and began using a wooden one.

But now he was breaking the wooden sword he had been using for decades?

"Wooden sword, not sharp enough, not capable of slaying immortals," Lu Yanbei said casually.

"What I want is a sword that can slay immortals."

"My sword skills and the sword in my hand are not enough yet, still need more practice, so why bother pretending with this wooden sword?"

Qiao Mu was slightly moved, feeling that Lu Yanbei’s aura and demeanor were somewhat similar to the legendary Earth Sword Immortal from the past.

"Do you still desire to slay immortals?" Qiao Mu asked aloud.

What he actually wanted to ask was, at your age, isn’t it a bit late?

Lu Yanbei was already an 87-year-old man, his energy and blood had decreased, no longer at his peak, so in his old age, he became famous for his exquisite sword skills.

Lu Yanbei seemed to know what Qiao Mu was thinking, and replied:

"Although I am already 87 years old, the ‘Earth Sword Immortal’, who shares the same mother as me, is also 87 years old."

"In fact, I didn’t have many good years left in my life, but my foolish younger brother tried hard to extend my life. So, in return, I plan to bring back his sword body from the Great Dao Sect Immortal Gate, which seems reasonable, right?"

Although there was a huge gap in the martial arts achievement between Lu Yanbei and Earth Sword Immortal, this didn’t stop Lu Yanbei from setting his goals.

"You are as strong as ever," Qiao Mu praised.

While feeling a hint of envy in his heart, he said:

"Lu Yanbei, your younger brother is like a brother to the descendants of my Qiao family, so as an elder, I cannot ignore this matter."

"One day in the future, whether Earth Sword Immortal is alive or not, my Qiao family will bring it back from the Great Dao Sect for you."

Lu Yanbei was surprised at first, then a bright expression appeared on his face, and he thought to himself:

"The Qiao family is truly remarkable. I wonder what kind of great ancestors they had, to create so many family rules that have been passed down from generation to generation."

"I suppose… they were exemplary ancestors who led by example."

While the two were talking, Hai Wuya was leading the government officials to pay tribute to the deceased at the Anxi Pass monument forest.

Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.

Three hundred elderly soldiers stood in front of the monument forest, their gray-white hair swaying in the wind as they sang songs from their past military campaigns.

"Amidst the dark clouds of Qinghai, overlooking the distant snow-capped mountains, a lone city gazes towards the Yu Men Pass.

Through countless battles in the yellow sand clad in golden armor, they never returned until Loulan was restored."

Lanterns were slowly rising into the night sky, joining together to form a brilliant constellation of lights, resembling a dazzling starry sky.

……………………

In the newly established Great Qin City in Zhong Province.

Inside King Qin’s Mansion.

"The master of the Wan family in the Imperial Capital said that the elderly Qiao family member, Qiao Shui, is in the Imperial Capital, and they even found out where he lives."

King Qin’s expression darkened at the mention of the Wan family in the Imperial Capital, bringing back memories of the past.

"Unfortunately, time is running out, I am tired and have to manage the situation in the capital city. We also need to help the refugees from the desert city."

Earlier, the Great Dao Sect’s Immortal Gate asked him to do some dirty work, but by then it was too late. The news about the desert city had already spread near Zhong Province, so he was stuck.

Even though he was stuck, he could still try to help in a subtle way. For example, volunteering to help and telling the court that Great Qin City is a good place to accept refugees…

"Luohan, go to the Imperial Capital and find out more about that old man Qiao Shui from the Qiao family? Don’t underestimate him," King Qin said.

The old person from the Qiao family is already over a hundred years old, while "Qiao Shui" is a remarkable 210 years old.

People can imagine how an 80-year-old and a 90-year-old person look like. But have you ever thought about how a person of a hundred or two hundred years look? Well, no one knows!

No one has seen it before.

So, in the eyes of people, "Qiao Shui" from the Qiao family, just like "Qiao Shuanglin" and "Qiao Senlin" before, are very old. But it’s hard to tell exactly how old they are.

Both Qiao Shui and "Qiao Shuanglin" from the Imperial Capital are elders in the Qiao family. It’s difficult to say who is stronger. It’s reasonable for Luohan who once repelled "Qiao Senlin" to be on guard.

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