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墨書 Inktalez
One of the Zhengyang warriors threw a severed head and roared, "This is the head of the Xiongnu Left Deer Fool King!" I was momentarily stunned by his fierce shout; it was too intense! However, what puzzled me the most was why the head of the Left Deer Fool King did not dissipate into black smoke like others had after being slain.
"Zhengyang, why do other Yin Soldiers turn into black smoke after being killed, yet he remains intact?"
"The Left Deer Fool King has become a Dry Corpse!"
I was completely shocked. First, what exactly is a Drought Demon? According to the Divine Anomalies Classic: "In the south, there are beings two to three feet tall, bare-bodied, with eyes on their foreheads, moving as swiftly as flying; they are called Drought Demons. Wherever they appear, drought ensues, turning the land barren for thousands of miles." However, what lay before me was a creature slightly weaker than a Drought Demon, known as a Dry Corpse. It is said that after a Flying Corpse absorbs essence for hundreds of years, it becomes increasingly grotesque, resembling a ghoul with greenish skin and sharp fangs. At this point, it can change its form and appearance to deceive others; it can slay dragons and subdue hordes of ghosts. Incredible!
The other two Zhengyang warriors laughed heartily as a white mist began to rise. They turned around in place and revealed their true appearances. They were two burly generals, their bodies muscular and imposing. They clapped and laughed: "This kid is still in the dark, isn't he?" I thought to myself, "Of course! I'm not just in the dark; I'm practically lost in a fog!"
One of the generals wore silver armor and a silver helmet. I vaguely remembered him as the fierce warrior who had charged into the Yin Soldiers like it was an unguarded territory. He laughed loudly and said, "No rush! Let me tell you a story."
Due to their archaic language, I organized the story based on their narration.
In the fifth year of Yongping during the Eastern Han Dynasty, which corresponds to 72 AD, Emperor Ming of Han was in power. Minister Geng Bing suggested sending troops to disrupt the Xiongnu's influence in the Western Regions and restore control over them. Emperor Ming dispatched four armies. One army led by Dou Gu reached Shandong and defeated the Xiongnu Southern Huyan King stationed at Iwu. Not long after, the region of Che Shi completely fell under Eastern Han's control; this was part of their policy at that time.
Another army was led by Ban Chao. He traveled between various nations with only thirty-six men and easily executed Xiongnu envoys and Khotan shamans, bringing all Western nations under Eastern Han's banner. The Western nations had suffered greatly from Xiongnu deceit and naturally hoped that Ban Gu would drive them away completely.
However, good times did not last long. About two years later, the main forces of the Han Dynasty returned to the mainland. The northern Chanyu sent Left Deer Fool King to lead twenty thousand cavalry against Che Shi while Yankang King colluded with Shule King to murder Western Protector Chen Mu amidst the chaos.
During this period, a bloody battle erupted between forces of vastly different strengths. The defending general Guan Chong held out with only a few hundred men in a solitary fortress against twenty thousand Xiongnu soldiers. The city was besieged tightly; arrows rained down like hailstones. They even resorted to digging wells in mountains and boiling crossbows for food in desperation. On the day when the city was about to fall, soldiers sang: "Though my body dies, my spirit lives on; your soul shall be a ghostly hero!" Their voices were tragic and echoed under the moonlight into enemy camps, moving even those who could not understand their words to tears.
On Liu Zhongcheng's day of defeat, Xiongnu forces breached the city walls. The Left King attempted to persuade Guan Chong to surrender. Enraged, Guan Chong shouted: "A true man would rather die wrapped in horsehide than surrender! I have come from afar and have long disregarded life or death; how could I yield?" With that, he hurled a spear at the Xiongnu general, piercing through his chest and killing him instantly. The Xiongnu soldiers were furious; arrows flew like rain as Guan Chong was struck repeatedly until he cried out "Great Han!" three times before dying. All soldiers and civilians in the city witnessed this scene and unsheathed their swords to take their own lives. The Xiongnu searched for Liu Zhongcheng but found no survivors at all. This battle rivaled even Zhang Xun's valiant defense of Suiyang during the Tang Dynasty!
General Geng Bing received news of this tragedy and rushed his troops over several hundred miles day and night but arrived too late to save anyone. He then annihilated all besieging Xiongnu forces and captured Yankang Kingdom, executing all traitors.
Listening to their story helped me understand this Underworld War better. It turned out that it was a battle between Guan Chong's heroic army that perished valiantly and Left Deer Fool King's twenty thousand troops from Xiongnu. I felt fortunate to witness such a brutal and heroic battle from nearly two thousand years ago. My spirit surged with heroism as I couldn't help but exclaim: "Could you two be Western Protector Chen Mu or Liu Zhongcheng or General Guan Chong?"
The general in white smiled slightly and said, "I am indeed Guan Chong!" The other general merely nodded; he must be Chen Mu without a doubt. It confirmed my guess perfectly—they were part of Ban Gu's Han Army era. I felt deep respect for this Han Army Yin Soldiers.
They were heroes fighting desperately on the frontier to maintain unity. They stood strong and unyielding like proud sculptures guarding the Western Regions! They resembled willow trees standing together in solidarity. They symbolized that spirit and willpower written in blood that represented the great Han Dynasty's soul. Overwhelmed with emotion, I bowed deeply toward these fallen heroes; they truly were history's backbone!
Now that I understood some background behind the Yin Soldiers' great battle, many lingering questions in my mind began flashing like lanterns as I bombarded them with inquiries.
Zhengyang turned away without speaking; his back clearly showed signs of weeping...
I stared closely at Guan Chong, feeling he resembled Zhao Yun, dressed in white robes. Using the phrase "the thousands of troops avoid the white robe" to describe him would not be inappropriate.
Guan Chong raised his hand to his forehead and bowed to me, saying, "To rashly borrow your body is truly out of necessity!" Their speech was extremely refined, heavily flavored with the language of ancient nobility. Thus, I had no choice but to clarify the various mysteries surrounding this great battle using modern language.
Since the Eastern Han dynasty established connections with the Western Regions, roughly until the Three Kingdoms period, the Central Plains forces had completely withdrawn from the Western Regions. Among the nations in the West, Khotan suddenly rose to prominence, governed by sorcery. At that time, a high monk named Master Bajie came from the Central Plains, accompanied by a Taoist who sought out dragon veins for him and set up a tomb. Beneath that tomb lay the burial mound of Liu Zhongcheng's soldiers.
The Taoist dug deep into the earth, reaching dozens of meters down, arranging it into a pit supported by stone slabs. He then built a temple on top to worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. After about eighty-one days, he submerged the temple into the pit and constructed what became known as the Quicksand Tomb. This was a pit tomb; with an upper and lower pit, it obstructed the flow of yin and yang. As a result, Guan Chong and the Yin Soldiers were unable to emerge for a thousand years, their resentment being alleviated by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. If it weren't for our accidental opening of the Quicksand Desert and sealing off the Killing Intent with three sacred symbols, the Han Army would never have seen daylight again. This also resolved my confusion regarding the presence of righteous energy within these Nine Deadly Tombs.
The appearance of the Yin Soldiers was due to their lingering grievances; only with such grievances could they persist for millennia. Naturally, that Xiongnu and Yankui Yin Soldiers harbored similar resentments. Once they sensed the Han Army, they would travel thousands of miles to engage in what would be their most brutal battle in life!
In the battle against the Yin Soldiers, there were still only hundreds in the Han Army while the Xiongnu numbered over ten thousand, aided by Yankui's treachery. General Chen Mu faced difficulties in his attacks against them. Moreover, since the Xiongnu king had become a Dry Corpse, he far exceeded what the Yin Soldiers could handle. As generals, Chen Mu and Guan Chong understood that relying on Yin Soldiers alone could not defeat the Xiongnu king. When Zhengyang burst forth from the tomb, his overwhelming Killing Intent naturally drew their attention.
It was Zhengyang who first charged out; however, what returned to the cave was not Zhengyang but rather Chen Mu transformed into him. Later on, when Zhengyang appeared in the oasis again, it was Guan Chong who had taken on his form. I was completely bewildered by this turn of events and straightforwardly asked them about their intentions.
Zhengyang glanced at me and simply said a few words: "Come with me!"
"You used powers that don't belong to you and yet you're fine?"
I understood that Zhengyang had taken on General Guan Chong's essence. But damn it, this was something he chose to do himself.
"As long as you're fine, then I'll take over from here!"
"Yes! I really want to understand what exactly happened!"
"The Han Army is at an absolute disadvantage; we must concentrate all our forces to eliminate Yankui first and sever Xiongnu's arms to resolve this completely!" I realized this was also why the Han Army feigned a few moves against Xiongnu Shadow Soldiers before turning their focus on Yankui. "What happens next?"
"Chen Mu and Guan Chong transforming into my likeness is meant to confuse the Xiongnu king so we can annihilate him through a wheel battle." The wheel battle is easy to understand; it's multiple against one—perhaps not very honorable in martial arts circles but in warfare, deception is key.
"When I went out to scout enemy movements, I became acquainted with General Guan Chong without any conflict. Upon learning the truth, we devised a method to completely eliminate the Xiongnu!"
"So you haven't returned since you went out?"
"That's right; at that time I was locked in fierce combat with a Dry Corpse! Your Spirit Yang Body attracts Yin Soldiers immensely; hence General Guan Chong transformed into my likeness to let you fight!" I thought to myself, "Wow, Zhengyang really doesn't care about putting others at risk!" But outwardly I said, "It's no big deal!" Now I understood that within Yin Soldiers, Spirit Yang acted like a magnet among iron filings; this was also why they were so confident that Xiongnu wouldn't surround us.
"When you fought against Yin Soldiers, we kept an eye on you during our rotations. Your safety is absolutely guaranteed!"
"Child, you killed that madman in the Oasis; even I have to admire you!"
What could I say? I felt as if I were still dreaming, my mind not fully present. So, I nodded, indicating to continue.
"During the ceasefire, General Guan Chong discovered an Evil Spirit infiltrating the Oasis. He leaped into the trees and happened to kill the ambush archer, saving your life." I had previously wondered why Zhengyang had appeared so timely.
"So Aunt Huang was also killed by General Guan Chong?"
"You are quite clever; you understand what happened next!" My mind was as clear as a mirror now. They had used me to attract the Yin Soldiers, luring them into an ambush. General Guan Chong couldn't stand my weakness, so he took matters into his own hands for a swift resolution. After that, the Xiongnu Shadow Soldiers were completely driven out like sand in a hollow and annihilated.
As for that Dry Corpse, it likely died without ever knowing it was defeated by three people in succession, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion.
We bid farewell to Guan Chong and General Chen Mu. A sudden gust of wind swept through, scattering the Yin Soldiers, and the world fell silent once more, devoid of any disturbances.
Zhengyang and I returned to the tomb chamber, only to find it empty. Beneath Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Listening to the Truth statue, there was a gaping hole the size of two people where its head had been struck.
No doubt they had entered the lower tomb chamber.
Just as we were filled with uncertainty, several screams echoed from within the black hole—terrifying and mournful. That voice sounded familiar...
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