Chapter 4: Heavenly Frost's Astonishing Change

  Two men were talking, the door of the hut was suddenly pushed open with a bang, He Lian Zheng Heng heard the sound and turned his head to scold, but saw a messenger in tattered clothes covered in dust hastily kneeling down, without waiting for questioning, he handed over a letter wrapped in layer upon layer of cowhide paper: "Urgent from thousands of miles away in the southern border, please open it personally, Commander-in-Chief!"

  He couldn't be bothered to scold the rude messenger for startling his precious grandson, because he knew that if it weren't for a matter of utmost urgency, the family's soldiers, who were normally trained with extreme strictness, wouldn't have burst in so unceremoniously. And when he heard that the letter came from the southern border, which was the place he worried about the most, his anxiety grew even more. He leaned forward to take the letter, waved his hand to dismiss the messenger, and hastily opened the envelope to quickly scan it. His originally ruddy face turned paler and paler.

  Nan Huangyue, who was standing beside him, saw that the usually calm and determined master of the house was now looking at the letter with a gloomy face and not saying a word. She also felt a tightening in her heart and mustered up the courage to ask softly: "Father, is it about Nanjiang's Warlord...?" But she didn't dare to ask further after that.

  "I didn't expect that what I was worried about still happened!", He Lianzi let out a long sigh, handed the letter to Nan Huanyue, and walked over to Sun Liao's cradle, staring at his grandson with an unknown thought.

  Nan Huang Yue suppressed the unease in her heart, calmed down and began to read the contents of the letter, but saw only unfamiliar words on the paper.

  "Father, the day before yesterday, I followed the urgent summons of Lord Tang Jian and led two thousand imperial guards back to the capital to pay respects. Unexpectedly, we were ambushed by bandits on the road. Since yesterday, my imperial guards have been fighting to the death to protect me from being surrounded. However, the enemy outnumbered us tenfold, and over a thousand of my troops have been killed or wounded. I led dozens of brave soldiers in a desperate bid to capture the enemy commander, and after intense interrogation, we discovered that he was a vassal of the Zheng family. It seems that the Zheng and Tang families are colluding with each other, and this must be Lord Tang Jian's doing. I had intended to return to Tian Xiang, but the road back home is likely already heavily guarded by Tang Jian's men. So, I have no choice but to lead my remaining troops temporarily back to Nan Jiang to plan our next move. I know that you, Father, are a loyal and honest man, but what can we do when the ruler forces us into rebellion? My only concern is for the safety of our family members at home, so I am sending a trusted aide disguised as a traveler to return home and report back to you. Please take precautions after receiving this letter, for once Tang Jian learns that I have escaped to Nan Jiang, he will surely plot against you. Take care, Father!"

  Looking at the shocking news, Nan Huan Yue felt her mind go blank. The letter was written in a hurry, with rough handwriting and no careful consideration of words or format. It was clear that it had been written in extreme haste. Although Nan Huan Yue was normally calm and collected, she was still a woman, and when it came to the safety of her husband, she was already flustered and could only helplessly look at He Lian Jia Zhuo, who was still staring at Sun Liao with a thoughtful expression.

  He Lian Zongheng seemed to have sensed his daughter-in-law's plea for help, and slowly turned his head around, but remained silent as he slowly pushed open the door. Just as he was about to walk out, He Lian Zongheng turned back to look at Nan Huan Yue standing still in the room and his grandson sleeping in the cradle, shook his head slowly, and then seemed to make up his mind, loudly telling Nan Huan Yue: "You go to the martial arts arena to find He Lian Shang, bring him to the study to see me." After that, he walked out with big strides.

  Nan Huangyue finally reacted and hastily agreed, quickly running towards the martial arts arena.

  He Lian's martial arts training was not just for show, unlike other noble families. The training grounds were fully equipped and the trainees often engaged in real-life combat with swords and guns, resulting in injuries and even deaths. However, on this day, the usually bustling training grounds were empty, except for a lone man standing in the corner, shirtless and punching a sandbag with all his might. He was drenched in sweat, which had formed a large puddle around him. Nan Xiangyue cautiously approached him from a distance, feeling an inexplicable sense of fear towards this mysterious man within the family.

  As if sensing someone was watching him, the shirtless man stopped his fist and slowly turned around, a pair of snake-like eyes coldly staring at Nan Huangyue.

  Nan Huang Yue suddenly shivered without reason and remained silent for half a day before softly saying, "He Lian Shang, the master of the house wants me to take you to the study."

  He Lian's expression changed upon hearing the words, his icy face finally showing some emotion. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, and a thin scar on his cheek moved like a centipede, sending a chill down Nan Huangyue's spine.

  Nan Huangyue didn't dare to look at He Lian Shang's face, which was not ugly but extremely cold and gloomy. She turned around and walked towards the study, while He Lian Shang quickly took down a garment from a nearby clothes rack and followed her, putting it on as he walked.

  Before long, Nan Huangyue led He Lian Shang into the study. There were already several people seated inside, including the chief steward and two middle-aged men who often came to visit the master of the house.

  As soon as Nan Hua Yue walked in, He Lian Zong nodded to indicate that she should sit on a chair beside him. However, He Lian Shang walked straight to his back and stood upright. He Lian Zong stood up tall and said loudly: "Now that everyone is here, let me get straight to the point. I just received an urgent letter from Xing Er, informing me that Tang Jian intends to harm my family, the He Lians. A few days ago, he had already made a move against Xing Er, who barely escaped. In his letter, Xing Er said that he has decided to rebel against Tian Xiang. The reputation of the He Lian family's loyalty for a hundred years is about to be destroyed by my own hands. Never mind how cruel Tang Jian is to me and my family, I am not willing to betray Tian Xiang. Rather than fleeing and being known as a traitor who deceives his lord, I would rather stay behind and take responsibility for what my son should have taken care of. No matter what, I will not leave. All of you here are either my closest relatives or sworn brothers who have gone through life and death with me. You are all the pillars that support the He Lian family. Tang Jian is suspicious by nature and will not let any of you off the hook. This time, it seems that I have implicated everyone. There is a secret passage in this room that leads directly to a place one hundred miles away. All of you can escape from here and live a peaceful life under an assumed name." As soon as he finished speaking, his left hand turned a mechanism on the chair, and a row of bookshelves slowly moved aside, revealing a deep tunnel.

  Without any hesitation, the steward and the two men heavily kneeled down on one knee and loudly said: "We swear to live and die with Helian!!"

  The man named He Lian Shang remained motionless behind He Lian Hong, not saying a word. In fact, among those present, except for He Lian Hong, no one had ever heard him speak before.

  "Alright, alright!!", although he had long expected this outcome, He Lian Zong's eyes were still red with excitement. After all, many people could share the same joys and hardships, but sharing life and death was a feeling that countless people dared not to practice. He Lian Zong looked at his two old subordinates and his housekeeper who had followed him for many years with a sense of relief, and with some difficulty, he turned around and picked up the cradle where his grandson Xun was sleeping soundly. Turning around to face He Lian Shang who was still standing behind him, he said: "I want you to protect this child in my arms, remember, I don't allow anyone except you to touch a single hair on him!" Seeing He Lian Shang nodding woodenly, He Lian Zong seemed to have put down a burden, and without hesitation, he handed the baby carrier to He Lian Shang. It was as if this icy man had nodded slightly, and he had already received the most reliable promise in the world.

  He Lian Shang remained silent, stiffly taking over Sun Liao. Nan Huan Yue, who was beside him, wanted to hold her own son, but he was rejected by his cold eyes. Apparently, he remembered the master's order: except for himself, no one else is allowed to touch this baby!

  Looking at Nan Huan Yue who was refused when asking for her own son, He Lian Zong said slowly: "Yue Er, don't worry, having He Lian Shang protect Nuo Er is the safest choice. You immediately take He Lian Shang and Nuo Er out of the city through the secret passage, to the outskirts of the Giant Tree Empire's You Yue Forest, find a friend of mine, just say you are a descendant of the He Lian family, he will definitely help you get through this difficult time."

  "But, Father, aren't you coming with us?" Nan Hua Yue asked sorrowfully, looking at the grey-haired old man, but in her heart she already understood that with the master's temperament, he would absolutely not follow them to escape, and her asking was just a futile last effort.

  "I won't leave, this is my home. As the head of the Helian family, it's my duty to protect our ancestral temple. My soul will rest in Tian Shuang, and I'll die here if need be. But you and Nuo Er are the hope of the Helian family, you must live on. Moreover, someone needs to stay behind to appease the Tang family's anger.

  "But Father..."

  "Don't say anymore, my mind is made up, Helian Shang, remember your mission. Leave immediately!"

  He Lian was shocked by the words, and suddenly knelt down deeply at He Lian's feet, knocking three loud heads, then stood up and walked into the secret passage without looking back.

  Nan Huang's heart was urgent for her son, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally made up her mind. She also deeply knelt down and kowtowed three times to He Lian, then choked back tears and followed He Lian Shuang.

  He Lianzong gazed at Sun Liao's group walking into the secret passage, gradually being swallowed up by darkness. He could no longer hold back his sorrow and two lines of old tears slowly flowed down. The whole person seemed to have aged a lot. He suppressed his reluctance and said to the butler: "Immediately distribute all the money in the house to the servants. Then disperse, don't let innocent people be implicated because of me, He Lian." The butler hastily agreed and walked out. He Lianzong continued to say to the two middle-aged men left in the study: "You two have followed me since I was young, fought north and south, and lived and died together. I have long regarded you as my brothers. Let's die on the same day, and in the afterlife, don't forget our friendship in this life! In the next life, we will still be brothers!"

  The two men smiled as if they had long since disregarded life and death. The man on the left said, "We have been fortunate enough to follow the general for so many years. The general has risked his life to save us several times on the battlefield. Now that the general wants to use this body to prove his innocence to the world, we naturally also want to repay him with our lives. There is no need to say more, let's put on the general's armor for the last time!"

  "Alright, I'll discard this smelly flesh and consider it a worthy repayment for the loyalty of our ancestors to the Tang family over the past few hundred years. Now that you two are by my side, even death will be a pleasure. After I die, I can still earn a reputation for being loyal and righteous. Haha! Come, help me put on my armor again, let Tian Xue see the military might of He Lian once more!!"

  Outside the once prosperous He Lian Mansion, today is filled with fully armed soldiers. Zheng Family's master, Zheng Yuan, sits on horseback in silver armor. Although he had previously learned from the scattered guards that there were no soldiers or even servants left inside the mansion, Zheng Yuan's command flag still hesitated to wave for a long time. After all, the He Lian family's hundred-year military prestige is not something anyone can easily contend with.

  Just as Zheng Yuan was hesitating, the gate of Helian's mansion opened by itself. Zheng Yuan hastily ordered his soldiers to draw their bows and prepare for battle, but all he saw were three riders emerging from the gate on horseback. The first rider wore shining armor and a crimson cloak that fluttered in the wind, holding a silver spear that shone with a cold light. This person had a calm smile on his face, without any hint of killing intent, and was none other than Helian Zongheng. Helian Zongheng rode forward slowly, followed closely by the two riders behind him, seemingly oblivious to the drawn bows and arrows aimed at them. The front row of archers involuntarily took a step back, and gradually, like a dense forest, the army parted to reveal a path. It seemed as though everyone had stopped breathing, and Zheng Yuan even felt his heart stop beating. Not one person dared to shoot an arrow, for no one dared to be the first to offend Helian's centuries-old dignity. The crowd watched in silence as the three riders disappeared into the distance, heading towards the Tang imperial ancestral temple.

  In the 929th year of the Demon Moon Continent, Tian Shuang's commander-in-chief, He Lian's 21st generation family master He Lian Zongheng committed suicide in front of the imperial ancestral temple. His trusted generals Zhang Yun and Song Qi also took their own lives behind him. That night, Tang Jian ordered people to collect their bodies and expose them outside the Forbidden City gate to eliminate any potential disloyalty among future generations. However, that same night, the three corpses were mysteriously stolen away. Despite deploying tens of thousands of imperial guards to search for them, they were unable to find anything and eventually gave up.

  Three days later, Tang Jian's eldest son, Tang Chao, was stabbed to death in the market. The assassin did not escape after succeeding, but instead held up Tang Chao's head and shouted three times: "He Lian! He Lian! He Lian!" His voice was like blood, and everyone who heard it was sad. After shouting, he cut his own throat with a sword. It was rumored in the streets that he was He Lian's housekeeper, avenging his master.

  The bloodstains where He Lian had killed himself could not be washed away no matter how many times they were cleaned, and some pranksters took advantage of the night to scatter small white flowers beside the bloodstains. The others followed suit, and overnight the white flowers piled up like a mountain. Tang Jian ordered people to clean them up, but the next day it was the same again.

  Ten thousand miles away in the southern border camp, He Lianzhan stared at the urgent intelligence in his hand, lost in thought for a long time. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell back in his chair. His subordinates rushed to support him, but He Lianzhan roughly pushed them away, struggled to kneel down towards the north, and knocked his head heavily on the ground, not lifting it up for a long time...

  In the ninth month of the 929th year of the Lunar Calendar, the King of Tianfeng suddenly launched a surprise attack on the Helian clan under the name of treason. Helian Zongheng killed himself to prove his loyalty. Later, his son Helian Chao led an uprising in the southern border, and his grandson Helian Po surrendered with his troops. His daughter-in-law Nan Hengyue and young grandson Helian Nuo went missing. This event is known as the Helian Rebellion.