Gifting a Book [Second Update]

Old Kai is just a name; the person's surname is Kai and given name is Mo. Qiu Yan first heard the name from Xiao Jian, the son of the Marquis Maishan.

When Xiao Jian mentioned this name, he seemed somewhat contemptuous and disdainful. When Qiu Yan asked why, Xiao Jian only said, "Nothing special, just an old soldier."

The other soldiers were not so polite. They poured out their grievances like beans spilling from a bamboo tube. One said he was "as afraid of the enemy as a tiger," another said he was "as sneaky as a rat," and they all said in unison that he was "a coward who feared death." They said that all the soldiers who charged into Military World died, but Old Kai was the only one who survived.

While veterans are capable of such actions and know how to survive on the battlefield, going too far and acting recklessly will inevitably arouse the disgust of others, and disgust on the battlefield can be deadly.

This is undoubtedly the situation that Old Kai is facing.

In order to survive, they were willing to sacrifice their comrades. Over time, who would treat them kindly? Old Kai was often bullied in the barracks, and was frequently punched and kicked, leaving him with many injuries.

The time Qiu Yan saw him was when Old Kai had been badly beaten and injured, and was curled up alone in his tent.

This time, when they met again, the other person was still seriously injured, much more so than before.

Last time, Qiu Yan sensed something and felt that his Fortune was related to him, so he directly intervened, transferring his True Qi to strengthen his Qi and Blood, and helping him heal. The effect was immediate. But this time, Old Kai's injuries were more serious. Not only were his limbs crippled, but his internal organs were also displaced and ruptured, and he lost most of his life.

Qiu Yan walked up to him and glanced at him, noticing that a ball of Yang Qi was gathering on his chest, with Three Souls moving within it, but the soul shadows were weak and feeble.

This was Old Kai's last breath. Once it dissipated, he would die. In addition, his limbs were crippled and his Seven Souls were dim. Once his soul and Yang Qi dissipated, he could only enter the underworld and would never be able to return to the world of the living.

When Qiu Yan entered the camp just now, there were many wounded people along the way. He glanced at them and saw that their Yang Qi was fluctuating. Although they were all suffering from Qi and Blood and qi deficiency, they were not like Old Kai, who was only hanging on by his last breath.

In addition, one can see that Old Kai's body is covered in wounds, all from swords and knives, with blood flowing continuously and flesh mangled, clearly indicating that he had been in a fierce battle. Just from the density of the wounds, one can imagine how horrific the battle must have been.

After thinking for a while, Qiu Yan asked again, "Although this barracks is newly built, the location is excellent, and the camp is fully equipped. The interior layout is very orderly, clearly planned in advance. Presumably, your army anticipated the You Di attack and was prepared. Why are there still so many wounded soldiers?"

This wasn't Qiu Yan's assumption that receiving advance warning would reduce casualties; rather, it was based on the layout of the camp. It was clearly a calculated move, waiting for the enemy to arrive, and would undoubtedly advance from a distance. Since the enemy was cavalry, their initial momentum would be worn down, causing them to retreat naturally.

To put it bluntly, this military camp is for defending the city, not for annihilating the enemy. As long as we can delay for a while and wait for Xiao Lan to return, the situation will immediately change. With the help of both inside and outside forces, the attacking troops will instead suffer a bitter defeat here.

Under such circumstances, the chances of an encounter or close-quarters combat are slim, and even if there are wounded, the battle shouldn't be this brutal.

With such thoughts, coupled with the Fortune, Qiu Yan naturally noticed something amiss.

The way of asking the question was quite tactful, and a little bit of Divine Ability was used in the words. Although it was restrained by Qi and Blood pressure, it was enough to affect only the doctor.

The doctor felt a momentary daze and unconsciously blurted out the truth.

"The army was indeed prepared for the enemy's attack, but to prevent leaks, no one below the sergeant was informed, so no one told Old Kai. When the time came, everyone was ordered to deliberately keep it from Old Kai. When the enemy charged, Old Kai's unit was responsible for blocking and luring them away. Unexpectedly, the enemy also had a skilled fighter who advanced instead of retreating, heading straight for the central army. Old Kai's unit suffered heavy losses, and he himself was hit by several arrows. Knowing he was going to die, he risked his life to fight the enemy and saved several people."

As he listened, Qiu Yan shook his head, understanding the crux of the matter, and sighed, "Infighting in the military is costly, even at the cost of lives."

The doctor shuddered, snapping out of his daze. Recalling what he had just said, he broke out in a cold sweat, stammered a few times, and then said, "Before Old Kai fell into a coma, he mentioned several times that he wanted to see you one last time before he died..."

Just then, a slightly hoarse voice came from the side. "This... this is the top scholar."

The person speaking was also injured. He was not far from Old Kai, lying on the ground with his right arm covered in gauze and stained with dark blood.

With Qiu Yan's excellent memory, he clearly remembered the person's face and knew that this person had been present when he came to the barracks earlier; he was one of the people who had mocked Old Kai.

Right now, the man's face was pale, and he spoke in a weak and listless manner.

"Scholar... please save Old Kai. If he hadn't taken that blow for me, he wouldn't be injured like this." This man spoke up, actually pleading for Old Kai's life. He remembered the scene of Qiu Yan transferring his True Qi that day and knew Qiu Yan's abilities, which is why he said this.

These words startled the people nearby. Upon seeing Qiu Yan, they all pleaded for Old Kai, revealing a complex range of emotions. Qiu Yan noticed these emotions and kept them to himself.

Between life and death, countless changes occur.

Shaking his head, Qiu Yan squatted down, raised his hand and placed it on Old Kai's chest, carefully transferring a little bit of True Qi and Qi and Blood to him, neither too fast nor too slow, and not daring to pour in too much.

Old Kai's body is too weak now, like a candle flickering in the wind. His life is stretched to the limit, and even a slight storm could extinguish the flame. The slightest carelessness could cause his heartstrings to snap.

Even with Qiu Yan's abilities, curing Old Kai would take some effort; it wouldn't be something that could be done in a day or two. It would require his recuperation and the use of medicinal herbs for there to be any hope.

This also requires the other party to have the will to live. Given his injuries, Old Kai would not have survived this long. The reason he was able to hold on was because of his last breath and his last thought. Once that thought is gone, even Great Luo immortal cannot save him.

"Hmm..."

With a groan, Old Kai felt the True Qi coursing through his body, and his flesh gradually warmed up. He opened his eyes again, but his face was blank, and his pupils were unfocused. It took a while before they focused again.

After he saw Qiu Yan's face clearly, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his pale, withered cheeks regained their color, showing signs of becoming fuller with flesh.

Seeing this, Qiu Yan knew something was wrong; he knew it was a sign of a final burst of energy before death. It was a complete drain on limited life force, an overdraft of the last bit of vitality, which was absolutely unacceptable.

Human strength has its limits, and life itself has its limits. Overdrawing one's resources will only bring one closer to the end.

"Top Scholar..." He opened his mouth, uttering the words with difficulty, his voice hoarse, but his breathing quickly returned to normal, "Top Scholar... I'm so glad to see you again."

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "Don't say anything more. Calm your mind, sense the flow of energy within your body, stabilize your life force, and strengthen your foundation."

"No... there's no need for such trouble. My time has come; it's fate. I've finally reached the point of rest, and I can reunite with my former brothers. But..."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, which was covered in bandages, and despite the doctor's attempts to stop him, reached into his robes and pulled out a cloth bag soaked in blood.

The cloth bag was square and filthy from frequent handling, and it was also stained with blood and had a foul stench.

But Old Kai, holding the cloth bag, had an extremely solemn expression, with a glint in his eyes. His emotions and thoughts were gradually transforming.

According to regulations, even when a soldier is seriously injured, no one can take his personal belongings without permission. This is so that they can be used for identification in case of death, or to return the items to his family.

Therefore, no one else knew about this cloth bag. If Old Kai were to pass away, it would be given to his family. If he had no family, there were other ways to handle it.

"I, Old Kai, don't understand any grand principles, but I've done some things in my life. My family was originally in the north of Hebei Circuit, but unfortunately, we suffered from the Hu disaster, and only my second brother and I survived."

As they were talking, Old Kai handed the cloth bag to Qiu Yan, Qiu Yan accepted it without caring about the dirt.

"Because my home was destroyed by the Hu people, I wanted revenge, so I joined the army. I made many brothers there, and it's been almost ten years now..."

As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly excited, but a mist slowly welled up in his eyes. Then, his gaze shifted and landed on the cloth bag.

"Ten years have passed, and I'm the only one left. But my desire for revenge hasn't changed. I know I won't survive, so we old brothers' hopes for the rest of our lives are in your hands."

As he spoke, his voice gradually faded.

"The imperial court is always unable to capture the Hu people in their wars. I only hope that the contents of this book will be of some use. My second brother and I have both read a little, and we managed to write and draw this... Even if people call us cowards and useless, I will accept it, as long as it is of some use."

As he finished speaking, his eyes were filled with longing as he stared intently at Qiu Yan, and his hand, without him even realizing it, tightly gripped the wrist that Qiu Yan was using to support him.

Qiu Yan opened the cloth bag, took out a dirty booklet, and after opening it, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his Fortune fluctuated violently!

Then, he looked down at Old Kai, nodded, and smiled, "This book will be of great use; the key to pacifying the Northern Frontier lies in its contents!"

"It worked! It worked!" Old Kai's lips twitched, but his voice was somewhat muffled, and tears welled up in his eyes. "That's good, it worked. I'm tired too. Scholar, please don't save me anymore. Just let me rest. Actually, I can't stand being mistreated or scolded..."

Before he could finish speaking, his hand loosened, but his eyes remained open.

Qiu Yan reached out and closed his eyes, then let out a long sigh.

"He really is a veteran."

As he spoke, a gust of cold wind blew, causing a few pages of the booklet in his hand to flutter. As the pages turned, ugly handwriting and slightly distorted lines were revealed, vaguely resembling mountains, rivers, and Grasslands.

Boom!

Within Qiu Yan's soul, the rudimentary form of the third classic text suddenly leaped out! (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Tiantian Jiejie 2006" for the monthly vote!

Thanks to "Benyo", "qbzsqhj", and "Gu Senlongyan" for the rewards!

I received a lot of tips again. It's already past midnight, and my energy is limited, so I can only repay the favor tomorrow!

This is the third update today, and it might be a bit late.