Personally Taking Part, Inside Hulao Pass

Inside Hulao Pass

[Along the way, the sorrow piled up in your heart had become like fallen leaves in late autumn, heaped into a mountain and impossible to disperse.]

[When the nation prospered, the people suffered; when it fell, the people suffered. Such was the nature of the world.]

[Since childhood, cultivating the Dao had always been what you desired. Ever since your birth, though you knew not why, transcending this world had been your ultimate goal.]

[Yet at this moment, an unprecedented emotion surged within you. There was a fire in your heart. You wanted to end the strife of these chaotic times and return peace to the realm.]

[Outside Hulao Pass, some cavalry from the North Wind Profound Kingdom were also causing trouble.]

[You rode upon horseback, gazing at this mighty pass beneath heaven, your expression steeped in desolation.]

[Because of your identity as a Daoist, as well as your background as a disciple of Three Truths, the guards readily let you in.]

[You noticed that upon hearing "disciple of Three Truths," the guards became solemn and respectful. It seemed that Three Truths disciples held an honored status within Hulao Pass.]

[Yet morale within Hulao Pass was abnormally low. Compared with the hundred thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry of the North Wind Profound Kingdom outside the pass, the defenders here appeared so frail and powerless that an inexplicable worry rose in your heart.]

[Within Hulao Pass, the Great Qing defenders under Wang Yang still numbered thirty thousand elite troops, while the remaining twenty thousand or so were volunteer forces gathered from all directions. Some came from the countryside, others from the martial world.]

[After asking around slightly in the camps within Hulao Pass, you learned where your father and younger brother were.]

[The Lu Family Army was renowned both inside and outside Hulao Pass.]

[Though they had only a little over four thousand men, they displayed astonishing combat strength in every battle and ranked among the foremost of the volunteer forces.]

[Lu Yu's name was also well known in Hulao Pass, having repeatedly broken through enemy lines by his own strength on the battlefield.]

[After you revealed your identity, you were respectfully led into the Lu Family Army's camp.]

[Inside the command tent, father and sons, brothers, met at last. Your father, Lu Jiaxuan, gripped your hand excitedly and said, "Eldest son, you should not have come."]

[You said firmly, "When Father is in danger, how could his son dare not come?"]

[Looking at your father's white-haired figure, you could no longer restrain your emotions. Tears spilled from your eyes, while Lu Yu stood nearby, choked with sobs and unable to speak.]

[Your father looked at you two brothers and said, "With sons like these, what more could a father ask for?"]

[However, when the current situation was mentioned, a trace of worry appeared on his face. He told you that the North Wind Profound Kingdom's great army had already made its preparations. In only half a month, they would launch their assault on the pass.]

[If they held fast, the only ending would be the city falling and everyone perishing.]

[Observing your father's expression, your heart sank. You understood that Father had already resolved to die and intended to live and die alongside Hulao Pass.]

[Lu Yu, too, no longer had the optimism he had shown before coming down the mountain. His former lively, unruly nature had faded, replaced by a measure of steadiness.]

[Lu Yu told you that the North Wind Profound Kingdom's military strength was formidable, far beyond anything Great Qing could compare with.]

[They had heavily armored infantry and light cavalry alike. The Iron Pagoda Cavalry in particular were impregnable, striking fear into the Great Qing troops at the mere sight of them.]

[Their soldiers were also fearless in the face of death, often able to fight one against ten.]

[By contrast, Great Qing's imperial army had low morale and hesitated at every turn, while the volunteer forces were like a dish of loose sand, lacking systematic training. Their combat strength was truly worrying.]

[Before your arrival, Lu Yu had argued with his father many times. Lu Yu refused to sit and wait for death, advocating an unexpected victory that could turn the heavens and earth upside down.]

[Yet your father was battle-hardened and deeply understood the valor and martial prowess of the Northern Xuan Kingdom's nomadic people. In past clashes, they had lost more often than they won. He firmly believed that only by holding their ground could they win a sliver of hope for the refugees fleeing south. The disputes between Lu Yu and his father had long become commonplace.]

[Now that you had set foot here, your father and younger brother both turned their gazes upon you, hoping you could make the decision.]

[You silently walked to the map of Hulao Pass. Your gaze blazed as you examined each winding defensive line, calculations already forming in your heart.]

[Thus, you decided...]

1. Personally take part, learn the movements of the situation, then make a wise choice. (0/3)

2. Follow Father's advice and choose to hold fast.

3. Fight shoulder to shoulder with Lu Yu and face the powerful enemy together.

Yu Ke could not help but fall into thought as he looked at the options. He was not too certain about the latter two choices.

Launch a surprise attack or hold the pass? Each had its advantages and drawbacks.

The Lu Family Army had only four thousand soldiers. They could not withstand such losses. If those four thousand men were lost, then you would be utterly unable to play any role in this battle.

It would also turn your decision to come down the mountain this time into empty words.

Yu Ke wrestled with it for a while.

He decided to take part personally. After all, he had never tried it before.

If he tried it, he would no longer be a "child."

He chose option one: personally take part and learn the situation.

Following Yu Ke's choice—

[The Kun Void Cauldron seemed to awaken from slumber, trembling violently. The patterns upon it shone brilliantly, radiating an aura like primordial chaos.]

[An invisible shadow of a cauldron, like a deep vortex, silently expanded and slowly drew Yu Ke into itself.]

[Yu Ke suddenly felt as though he had stepped into a void of chaos. The space around him spun wildly, stars shifted, and heaven and earth overturned.]

[The indescribable dizziness unsettled his mind, and the world before his eyes became a jumbled mess.]

[A gigantic black vertical eye suddenly appeared, staring at him intently and leaving him drenched in cold sweat.]

[The illusory Kun Void Cauldron shook once more.]

[The vertical eye vanished in an instant, as though it had never existed.]

[Facing that chaotic vortex, Yu Ke gritted his teeth and gathered his will.]

[Only a moment passed before Yu Ke opened his eyes again.]

[He discovered—]

[He was standing inside a solemn and imposing command tent.]

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

A somewhat anxious voice called him awake.

Yu Ke slowly came to, his gaze gradually focusing on the youth beside him.

The youth beside him wore a Daoist topknot and a somewhat "battle-damaged" suit of armor, yet it could not conceal the heroic spirit hidden within him.

He was a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, his brows open and bright, his bearing valiant and spirited.

Yu Ke understood.

So this was Lu Yu, Lu Chen's younger brother.

Heroic spirit practically rushed off him. No wonder so many Three Truths disciples obeyed him in the simulation.

Lu Yu was gently shaking his shoulder, concern in his eyes.

Just moments ago, Lu Chen had suddenly fainted, staggering back several steps before managing to steady himself.

Lu Yu assumed that his elder brother had only just come down from the mountains and was unaccustomed to the local conditions.

After all, epidemics were rampant in the military camp; both refugees and soldiers suffered from them.

Nearby, a white-haired middle-aged man hurried over as well. His stride was steady, and he looked vigorous and alert, his eyes revealing competence and decisiveness.

His gaze was filled with concern for Yu Ke.

"Eldest son, are you all right?" the man asked.

After thinking back briefly, Yu Ke recognized him as Lu Chen's father. Though he was not yet fifty, his head was already full of white hair.

He shook his head slightly and replied, "I am fine."

Yu Ke's gaze swept across the command tent. The torches had not yet burned out, and their faint flames swayed beneath the moonlight, illuminating a broad wooden table and the weapons beside it, their cold gleam flashing.

He walked over to one of the weapons and lightly gripped it, feeling its icy touch seep through his palm.

So this was what personally taking part felt like. It truly was dreamlike and unreal.

The Kun Void Cauldron's marvels were even more miraculous than he had imagined.

This had a far stronger sense of immersion than any "game."