Heroes of Heaven and Earth

Su Yun stood quietly before the brushwood gate. Outside the town, Flower Fox had bumped its head repeatedly trying to catch field mice. Foxes darted in and out of sight in the snow, while from the trees, the villagers of Linyi Village could be heard, chattering amongst themselves about whether to catch a fox to eat.

Su Yun slowly withdrew his gaze. He saw Tianmen Town, the small town he had lived in for nearly fourteen years, becoming illusory, like a mirage in the mist, trembling in the winter wind.

He saw the residents of Tianmen Town, their figures in the mist, powerful and incredible, yet without substance.

Dong, dong.

The Qiang drum sounded in the small town, a unique instrument of Shuofang.

"...Generations rise and fall, yet it is like the waxing and waning of the moon! Dong dong!"

Su Yun followed the sound with his eyes. His gaze passed Baozi Zhang, who was selling steamed buns, Uncle Xu, who was drinking himself into a stupor, Grandpa Le and Grandma Le, sitting under the eaves, holding hands and resting their legs, the newlywed Yan Feiling Couple, and Sister Fang'er...

These people he knew, who had become ethereal and indistinct. As his gaze passed them, he saw their familiar figures twisting and expanding in the gloom, becoming ferocious.

Their familiar faces, like the Ghosts and Gods in a temple, had become strange!

They were each a Ghost and God, standing tall amidst the mist of Tianmen Town.

The unique accent of the Shuofang people drifted from the thickening mist, carrying the vastness of the Yellow Earth and the grandeur of the mountains, chanting along with the Qiang drum: "In the mountain dwelling, books pile up on the desk, dong dong! Pines hang by the window, and ferns cover the ground. Dong dong!"

Tears welled up in Su Yun's eyes. The Ghosts and Gods in the mist turned their heads, their gazes familiar to him.

They had all died long ago.

All the townsfolk of Tianmen Town had perished six years ago in that catastrophe.

They remained here, creating the illusion of Tianmen Town, actually to take care of him!

"Why must one seek an audience at a noble's gate? Dong dong! White clouds are enough to bring joy! But now, the world is hard to fathom!"

Su Yun looked towards the voice. Uncle Qu sat on the Heavenly Gate, his face full of wrinkles, his eyes dim, the Qiang drum on his lap, beating it with his hand.

The depth and vastness of Shuofang, the grandeur in his voice, suddenly became incredibly intense!

"Not a single hero can be seen between heaven and earth—not a single brave warrior! Dong dong!"

Su Yun's Blood Essence surged with the final two drumbeats, almost uncontrollably erupting. He let out a long, melodious dragon's roar, and rolling Blood Essence poured out of his body like a tide, transforming into a blood-red Flood Dragon that coiled around Su Yun twice.

The dragon's head emerged from his right shoulder behind him, its whiskers fluttering.

"Gu-gu--"

The Flood Dragon roared, resisting the pressure of the drumbeats.

"Little brat, you've grown up!"

Uncle Qu on the Heavenly Gate laughed heartily and stood up, slinging the Qiang drum over his shoulder.

His body immediately became immensely tall, like a multi-armed Ghost and God, the spirit of a strong person after death!

In the mist of Tianmen Town, the gazes of those Ghosts and Gods fell upon Su Yun's face, revealing looks of relief.

"After we died, we had various wishes, unfulfilled, so we were entrusted to the Heavenly Market. But we had one common wish: to see you grow up safely."

Uncle Qu's body seemed like a god of war, growing taller and taller, vast and illusory, hazy, giving the feeling that he could dissipate or disappear at any moment.

The houses of Tianmen Town were also stretched out, becoming like a dreamlike illusion.

"This wish was given to us by Old Cen. Old Cen is gone, and now you've grown up, it's time for you to leave."

The Ghosts and Gods in the mist said one after another, "With you gone, we have one less burden weighing us down, one less unfulfilled wish pressing on our hearts. Little brat, hurry and go!"

Whoosh--

The north wind howled. Tianmen Town became grand and illusory. Su Yun raised his hand, as if trying to grasp them, to grasp Tianmen Town, to grasp the memories of his childhood.

However, Tianmen Town disappeared.

In its place were countless graves. The grass on the graves was withered and yellow, the tombstones splattered with mud. The surrounding broken rubble indicated that this had once been a very prosperous and lively town.

There were no offerings, no one to tend to them. In the graveyard, there was only a thatched hut, the room where Su Yun lived.

"Uncle Qu, Aunt Luo... where did you go? You're still around, right..."

Su Yun walked with heavy steps through the graveyard of Tianmen Town.

Tomb of General Li Xiaoyi of Yuanshuo.

He stood before a tombstone. The words on it plunged him into memory. The name Li Xiaoyi was unfamiliar, but he knew it was Muzi, the handsome young man Sister Fang'er had a crush on.

Tomb of Daoist Xu of Yuanshuo Tiandao Academy.

He didn't know Daoist Xu either, only the drunkard Xu.

Tomb of the Master of Yuanshuo Leiyin Pavilion.

He didn't know the Master of Leiyin Pavilion, but he knew Lai the Monk, who often appeared in town from who knows where to beg for alms.

Tomb of Zhang Huozhu Zhang Fentao of Yuanshuo.

Was Zhang Fentao Baozi Zhang?

Tomb of Yueshui Zhu Sicheng of Yuanshuo.

Yue sounds like Le, so was Yuesi Cheng Grandma Le or Grandpa Le?

He walked unconsciously to the first row of the Tianmen Town ruins cemetery. The tombstone was inscribed with "Tomb of Yuanshuo's Grand Tutor Qu Jin." Was this Qu Jin, Grand Tutor Qu, the same as Uncle Qu?

In the snow, Su Yun bowed to Uncle Qu's tombstone, then went to Aunt Luo's grave and bowed again.

This winter, he bid farewell to the townspeople of Tianmen Town one by one, thanking them for their nurturing and care over the past six or seven years.

He returned to the thatched cottage to pack. It mainly consisted of new clothes, the Five Zhu Coins he had accumulated, and a few old volumes of sacred arts given to him by Mister Wild Fox.

Once packed, he walked out of the hometown that had existed only in his imagination. He had been blind for six years, imagined for six years, and Tianmen Town had existed in his imagination for six years.

Flower Fox and the three little foxes sat quietly outside the cemetery, waiting for him, as if they had known this day would come.

Su Yun looked back. The Heavenly Gate still stood there, dilapidated and unrepaired.

That gate was the one Uncle Qu had been trying to fix for six years.

Su Yun withdrew his gaze, took off four small bundles, and tossed them over. "Hua Erge, these are your clothes and shoes. I don't know if they fit. Put them on, and let's go to the Tianshiyuan Station to prepare to enter the city."

The fox demons took the bundles and, one by one, dove into the snow. Four bulges appeared under the snow, accompanied by rustling sounds.

After a moment, a plump little doll of short stature with a smiling face emerged from the snowdrift, wearing a dog-eared hat on his head, a red inner-lined jacket, dark red corduroy cotton pants, and tiger-head shoes.

He hopped out of the snow, but because he was too short, he fell back into the snow, leaving only the dog-eared hat exposed.

Su Yun reached out and pulled him out, examining him up and down. He asked doubtfully, "Xiao Fan? Or Buping?"

"I'm your second brother!"

The little doll said angrily, then took off his hat. "Look, look! My hair is multicolored!"

Su Yun said meekly and apologetically, "Second brother, you're not even at my waist yet. I thought you were Buping..."

"I developed late, and my body is solid. What business is it of yours!" the little brat with multicolored hair said indignantly.

Su Yun patted his head. Flower Fox bared his teeth and threatened him, revealing two pairs of small fangs.

Su Yun pushed him down into the snow. Flower Fox was again only visible by his hat.

Li Xiaofan and Hu Buping also crawled out, even shorter than Flower Fox.

The two little fox demons seemed to have grown symmetrically, wearing identical clothes: floral checkered jackets lined with cheap fur for warmth, slightly long floral cotton pants, and dog-eared hats like Flower Fox's.

The two little fox demons, one on each side, stared at Su Yun with suspicion.

Su Yun's expression remained unchanged. After being stared at for a long time, he finally said, "Your clothes were all bought at the same stall. They might look a bit similar, but they're sturdy and cheap. They really look good on you two brothers..."

Flower Fox poked his head out of the snow, baring his small fangs. "My clothes were bought at the same stall, right?"

"Yes, the stall owner said he could give a discount for buying more."

Su Yun said with grief and indignation, "Second brother, you must understand, I'm blind. I can't see beauty or ugliness..."

Something rustled in the snow, and a little girl wearing a white plush rabbit-eared hat emerged. The hat's two rabbit ears could move and twitched occasionally.

Li Xiaofan and Hu Buping's eyes turned red with jealousy. They stared intently at the moving rabbit ears, then simultaneously looked at Su Yun.

"Girls should be dressed cutely."

Su Yun said with a straight face, "That's what the stall owner told me."

Beneath the rabbit ears were two dark blue braids, combed from the back of her head to her chest.

Qingqiu Yue laboriously walked out of the snow, wearing a pure white cloak-like robe, tied with a red sash at the waist. The robe was fluffy and very warm, trailing to her ankles.

She wore a pair of green wooden-soled leather boots lined with fur, with a fox head pattern embroidered on the vamp.

Flower Fox pulled himself out of the snow, stared at his tiger-head shoes, then at Qingqiu Yue's fox shoes, and his eyes also turned red. "Little sister, your shoes..."

"They're very comfortable!"

Qingqiu Yue was very happy, swinging her two braids. Her white clothes made the braids very conspicuous. "And they look good! Also, look, the ears in the hat are hollow, so I can hide my own ears inside the rabbit ears. When I move my ears, the rabbit ears move too..."

Flower Fox, with red eyes, turned to stare at Su Yun.

"The stall owner in Huangji Town picked them."

Su Yun mumbled, "Mine aren't very good-looking either. We don't have much money... Alright, alright, we need to get going!"

The four adorable little snow demons followed him, walking step by step along the snowy path. As they walked, one would suddenly disappear. Whenever this happened, Su Yun would stop, reach out, and pull the little demon who had fallen into a snow pit out.

"Second brother, don't run around," Su Yun instructed.

Flower Fox said aggrievedly, "I wasn't..."

Zhai Zhu: Before publishing the book, when I gave the manuscript to the chief editor for review, the boss said this chapter was good. Qiqiao artists are already composing music for it, and the song and drum music will be added soon. Everyone can look forward to it.