Beauty Feng Vol. 2

Chapter 131: Renewed Vigor

Jiang Gap was a thick rainforest between Dalong and Persia. Regular carriages would not attempt to pass by this area because not only was it teeming with strange wild animals and plants, but also home to fugitives and bandits.

Those who could not walk freely on the streets of neighboring nations would risk trying to live here.

Currently, Long Xu Le's Danwan troops camped in between the trees of the rainforest. Their situation wasn't too good.

"Several soldiers have fallen ill. Madam Lian and her disciples have attributed it to insects. They are disease carriers, according to her." This was the first time Xiao Hao had seen this kind of illness.

It turned out bugs could be so powerful.

Long Xu Le frowned. She had once also explored the rivers and lakes (jianghu) so she knew the risks of setting up camp in this kind of place. However, they had no choice.

If they tried camping in the plains, that would just spell death to her troops.

"Does my master have a way to resolve it?"

"Madam said it was fortunate that we are near a freshwater source. Other than that, it would be difficult to concoct medications. Unless..."

"Why do you still mince your words?"

Xu Le felt Xiao Hao's gaze on her. She thought maybe her most loyal person was second-guessing her abilities. It couldn't be helped. She wanted to turn the tides but in truth, they were barely surviving.

If they couldn't find a way to stabilize their living conditions, she would lose her people one by one.

An idea came up to mind.

"The soldiers need to learn how to cultivate, don't they?"

With the former King's intellect, it was only a matter of time before it clicked to her. Xiao Hao was opposed to this idea though.

"You aren't fit to start teaching cultivation."

Looking at Xu Le's skin and bones, he knew he had to stop her.

"If everything we need to do can't be done because I'm useless... will we even survive? Am I that delicate?"

"You aren't delicate. You are just barely living. And you know that."

Long Xu Le slumped down. How could she not know?

Xiao Hao sighed. "I never said it's impossible. If their bodies were in their peak state, they would have learned cultivation easily. There will be problems here and there but it's not impossible."

Xu Le's lips curved a bit. "Bring the thousand-man leaders to me."

"This child never liked losing." Xiao Hao muttered under his breath but how could she not hear it?

After losing her eyesight, her other senses seemed to have been magnified. She only chuckled.

---

The Danwan Troops' Commander was Long Xu Le. Her Vice Commander was Xiao Hao.

The only General rank was Su Chen but before him, there was Feng Ting when he was still alive.

Other thousand-man leaders were vice general in rank and they were now facing their former King. After the war, Danwan scattered except for the thousand men following Su Chen who stayed behind in Suliang.

The way they spread out while maintaining contact and avoiding suspicion required precision that Xu Le had planned even before the war. The troops followed the instructions meticulously in order to survive.

Fourteen thousand men were led by fourteen leaders. Each thousand was further divided into five hundred men factions, that were in turn divided into hundreds. Each hundred was designated a town, a province, a port, a mountain, or a forest.

These hundreds were still divided into groups of fives or threes. No matter if they were to contact one another or not, they all had a mission to keep each other safe and reach Persia. It sounded easy when explained like this but the amount of sleepless nights due to paranoia, the hunger and thirst, and the longing for home made these men want to give up.

However, when they thought of the King's promise and struggle, they too persevered.

"Meet me there. I want to see all of you alive and well."

Those were simple words. When this plan was explained to them, it was supposed to be the least likely scenario. But when their Commander died in the battle, they knew they would also be purged. The Vice Commander gave the signal to continue with the plan to scatter.

Everything happened so fast. The last thing they heard back home was that the King's estate was raided.

What about their families?

They trusted their Commander's words. Blindly, yes. For what could they do about the despair if they didn't believe her?

The Commander said their families would be safe. Someone would take care of them. So all they had to do was carry on with their journey and protect their own lives at all costs.

There were casualties along the way but here they were now, face to face with the Commander. The total number of Danwan that were currently still alive was around thirteen thousand. But the fourteen vice generals survived.

"Salute to the Commander!"

Long Xu Le was stoic. She could only illuminate some silhouettes in her vision.

"As you all can see right now, I'm on the verge of being crippled." She didn't bother hiding her condition now.

"I cannot see you and I don't know if I can even see again."

These vice generals felt dread punching their guts. If the Commander was this way, do they even have a hope of returning home? What about their soldiers who still believed the Commander?

Xu Le could more or less understand their thoughts. "I'm asking you right now if you will still follow a blind lord. Our journey ahead is full of uncertainty. Even now, our soldiers might die at any moment."

She let that fact sink in.

"Permission to speak." Vice General Li Tanke raised his hand, forgetting that Long Xu Le could not see him.

"Granted."

"Commander, during the battle at Suliang, were you already blind by then?"

His comrades were astonished by the question. Why would he ask something like that?

Contrary to their expectations, Long Xu Le was amused. "Yes, and?"

In truth, her vision was much worse during the battle than it was now.

"Then I, Li Tanke, will follow you wherever you go. I'll be willing to lay my life for you and will forever serve under your name."

The man knelt and pledged his loyalty once again. The others reeled with the information they received.

Their lord was so domineering in the battlefield that day but she was admitting that she was already blind by then? It only meant there would be no difference if she led them with or without vision. They only needed to serve a strong master.

The vice generals found renewed waves of vigor and followed Li Tanke's suit.

Long Xu Le squeezed the bridge of her nose. What dolts they were. But even she, who practiced restraint all her life, couldn't help the smile on her lips.