A Toast to the Spring Breeze!

The Imperial Plaza was somber and chilling, the wind whistling ominously.

Tang Li, the Phoenix Empire's God of War and Commander of the Three Armies, had rebelled. Today, he and his family and followers were to be executed.

Due to Tang Li's long-held high position and his habit of leading from the front in battles, earning him immense prestige and a large number of loyal followers, the Imperial Military Committee had deliberated and decided to execute him and his family by the ancient method of execution by fire. The execution would be broadcast live to the entire nation's military and citizens, serving as a stark warning.

This method of death was said to be highly spectacular. The condemned would struggle in cages, unable to escape the sturdy confines, eventually turning to charcoal and vanishing into ash before the eyes of all witnesses.

The vast plaza was packed, with everyone wearing grim expressions, their gazes fixed on the hastily erected platform.

The platform was piled high with dry firewood, upon which sat cage after cage crafted from the latest Luo Jin material developed by the Imperial Science and Technology Research Institute.

This metal was impervious to blades and could not be melted by fire; even the newest laser weapons would take a considerable amount of time to cut through it.

The cage containing the main culprit, Tang Li, was placed in the center, the largest and most conspicuous.

Its sturdiness was, of course, dozens or even hundreds of times that of the other cages.

Inside the cage, Tang Li's limbs were firmly secured by chains also made of Luo Jin. Only his head could turn.

There were no wails, no pleas for help, for he knew it was all meaningless.

He gazed with deep affection and reluctance at his wife, and the infant less than three days old cradled in her arms.

Yes, they wouldn't spare even a newborn child.

"Cut the weeds, and you won't have them grow back; the spring breeze will bring them back."

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

Tang Li's throat had long been poisoned, rendering him unable to make any sound. However, his wife could understand his words from his lip movements.

His wife, Chen Yan, looked gaunt, her eyes filled with tears. She shook her head desperately, trying to convey to her husband that it was okay, it was okay, they were a family, and they would die together.

Yet, with all her effort, all that emerged were indistinct whimpers.

Communication through words was impossible, making even a farewell a luxury.

Fortunately, they didn't need to say goodbye. Ten years of marriage, twenty years of companionship, had already forged a deep connection, where a single glance could convey everything.

"The time has come, begin the execution!"

A black-clad, black-masked Inspector shouted, and immediately, over a dozen strong men holding torches rushed in from all directions, igniting the firewood beneath the cages from various points.

BOOM!

The dry firewood, mixed with accelerant, quickly ignited, and the raging inferno instantly engulfed the large Luo Jin cages.

Chen Yan, holding the baby, desperately pressed herself closer to her husband Tang Li, closer, and closer still.

Her husband's embrace was the safest and warmest place in the world.

It had been, and it still was!

At the foot of Green Mountain, in a humble farmhouse courtyard.

A man in plain clothes sat in the courtyard, holding a delicately carved infant in his arms. The baby was wrapped in a large black cloak, its small body unable to move much, only its beautiful eyes observing the man before it and its surroundings.

The man's expression was desolate, his face ashen, with a deep tear track on his cheek.

After an unknown period, he suddenly picked up a wine bottle from a nearby table and poured himself a large cup.

He lifted the cup, poured a drop into the infant's mouth, and said, "From today on, we are family. Come, young man, let's celebrate."

The strong liquor burned as it went down, making the baby's face turn red and cry loudly.

The man ignored it, draining the remaining wine in the cup. Facing the clear moon and gentle breeze, he sang hoarsely: "Generals fight a hundred battles, their bodies and reputations shattered. Towards Heling, turning back, a thousand miles, old friends forever parted."

"The Yi River whistles, the west wind chills, the assembled officials are like snow. Truly, a hero's tragic song is not yet finished. Even the birds know such hatred, I imagine they cry tears of sorrow, even blood."

"Who will join me, drunk under the bright moon!"

From inside the house, a woman's suppressed sobbing could be heard.

It was like a harmony!