After hearing a loud explosion sound came from the cave, the lady that was rescued by WuYan showed a worried face. She grabbed the cloth that was given by him to cover her exposed body as tight as she could to calm her uneasiness. In her mind, she prayed for his safety over and over again but alas she couldn't bear it anymore and looked at ZuoCi with a serious face.
"Elder, there's someone that we need to save! He's inside the deepest part of the cave and is battling a demonized Goblin Lord so that I could escape. He needed our help and we must reach there quickly to aid him or else......I fear that...." The lady's words stuttered when she requested help from ZuoCi.
"Lady Bu. is that someone you mentioned is a male with stubble beard, dressed in a navy blue outfit?" ZuoCi asked in a lax tone.
"How......how did you know?" She was surprised after hearing his question and in return, asked him about it.
"It's just my daring assumption, Lady Bu. This navy blue outfit belonged to me but I lent it to him. I recognized it because I will personally sew my name, the word 'Ci' onto every outfit of mine. All these efforts just to let me know those shirts belong to me." He explained.
"I see......but that's not important right now! That man is risking his life to save me but in return, he's pitted against the danger. I need help, Elder. Just me alone is not enough to save him. Please......I beg of you!"
The lady suddenly kneels onto the grassy ground in front of ZuoCi, begging for his help in a desperate manner. Flashbacks of everything that happened to her recently had played in sequences inside her mind, like a series of black and white film rolling in motion. Helpless in every situation while witnessing everyone around her being dragged into troubles because of her. She couldn't ignore and let this slide anymore so she had decided to harden her resolve.
"Elder, if Goddess NuWa had instructed you to meet me, then you must have already known my recent stories. Please Elder, I beg of you! No more life should be suffered because of me!"
The lady then performed kowtow again in front of ZuoCi and this unexpected gesture had genuinely surprised him.
"Oh no. Please stand up, Lady Bu. I am not worthy of this kind of respect. He's my guest and I will definitely help him." ZuoCi humbly agreed to her request and respectfully grabbed her arms to help her to stand up from the ground.
The lady stood up from the ground and wiped away the tears on her face while sincerely saying thank you in repeat to ZuoCi.
"You are really just like what they say about you, Lady Bu. Both in the past and present world, everyone knows your name goes with the title- The Kind and Generous Lady Bu LianShi. We've only met each other a few times during the war and after the war ended, I could still hear your deeds at any time and everywhere from the mouth of the people. But to see Lady Bu would even go as far as to kneel down to save a person that you had just met, I, ZuoCi, are delighted and honored to aid you in any possible situation."
After expressing his compliments, ZuoCi then proceeded to bow politely with both hands to the front, greeting LianShi with a traditional and respectful greeting gesture- the fist and palm salute.
He let out a relaxed and sincere smile on his face as he never thought that one day he would actually serve someone again. He was once summoned by the Kingdom of Wei prime minister- CaoCao to perform magic tricks as he began to have taken interest in the Taoist longevity arts but at the same time, CaoCao also wanted to keep the Taoist teachings under control to prevent his authority from being affected by it. However, when he found out CaoCao's brutal ambition in uniting the land, he daringly denied the invitation to work for CaoCao and would not use his talents to aid the merciless conquest.
His rejection had angered CaoCao and thus, he ordered his troops to capture ZuoCi alive so that he could torture him to show his authority over him. Fortunately, ZuoCi had mastered the trick and transformed himself into a white goat and blended in with the herds to avoid getting captured by CaoCao troops. After months of non-stop searching but still found no traces of ZuoCi, CaoCao only then issued a stop to the search.
After escaping from CaoCao pursuit, ZuoCi then headed south and decided to permanently reside at the foot of a mountain. Because the location is at the border of Kingdom Wu, ZuoCi would occasionally hear the people praising LianShi for constantly doing charity by giving out food and necessities to the poor and also other welfare to her people.
At first and after the unpleasant incident with CaoCao, ZuoCi vowed to never serve any lords again and wanted to be a free person. He doesn't want to get involved in any political court anymore but after kept hearing about LianShi good deeds, his vow and will for not wanting to serve a lord was shaken.
So begins his internal struggle between being a free person or to serve a benevolent lord. Years passed and the more positive news he heard about her from the people, the more eager that he wanted to volunteer himself to serve her but alas just when he finally gave in and wanted to join the court again, news came from the Wu palace, announcing the passing of LianShi due to illness.
This grim news shattered ZuoCi hopes of serving a compassionate lord. He blamed himself for being so hesitant, indecisive for wanting to serve a good cause but it was all too late when the person he wanted to serve the most had passed away. Ever since then, he couldn't find a new lord that suits his preferences and silently passed away alone at an old age, on the straw bed with regrets.
But right now, personally able to meet LianShi in person and finally witnessed her characteristics does indeed match with what he remembered, ZuoCi was glad to be able to serve her again in this world. He respects her noble, kind character and is proud to provide aid to her problems.
'I can't help but to think that this was all a plan that was set up by Goddess NuWa. Could it be that she already saw through my mind and regrets, knowing that I will sincerely aid Lady Bu?' Zuo Ci questioned the reasons behind all these events.
"Please, Elder ZuoCi, there's no need for you to bow for me. I am nothing but just a common woman now." LianShi quickly grabbed his arms to stop him from greeting her too formally.
"As you wish, Lady Bu. Now let's make haste to save him." ZuoCi stood up straight and spoke with a confident smile.
"Thank You, Elder ZuoCi." LianShi nodded her head and thanked him with a sincere smile.
ZuoCi pulled out a few pieces of yellow colored paper talisman and an iron dagger from the large pocket within the arm sleeves of his clothes. LianShi firmly grabbed the sword and the fire torch, she then took a deep breath of fresh air to calm herself. After a few seconds of preparing herself mentally, she looked at ZuoCi with a steely resolve, a sign of confidence that befitting a great leader. They both nodded at each other together and started walking towards the cave entrance.
The awful and pungent smell from the cave had ZuoCi immediately cover his nose with the robe sleeves. LianShi got used to this kind of foul stenches since she got captured by the goblins and locked her up for days. With the fire-lit torch in her hand, she takes the lead by walking in front of ZuoCi so that the light from the torch could illuminate the dark area.
"Lady Bu, do allow me to take the lead." ZuoCi requested as he's worried about her safety.
"No, I am the torch bearer and the one that asked for help. I should be in the front to lead the way." LianShi explained her reason and ZuoCi accepted it while feeling proud for being able to help her.
The two just headed into the cave and had already heard noises coming from their front. The heavy screeching sounds as if something heavy was dragged against the stone floor is irritating to hear. However, the two immediately stopped walking and raised their weapons up to prepare themselves for facing the danger ahead of them. The sounds are only getting louder and nearer and they grip their weapons even more tightly.
"Ah, there you are. Nice to finally see you alive and well." A familiar voice was then heard from the front.
YOU ARE READING
Ascendants Records Mankind Saga (A.R.M.S.)
FantasyThe mercenary WuYan met his unfortunate ending when a hostage rescue operation cost him his life. However, his skills and knowledge caught a Goddess's attention so he was resurrected and transported into a new world to serve her cause. Yet, it all w...
