Returning to his apartment carried by the joy of his breakthrough, Huang Tian washed another apple and munched noisily on it.
*Whoosh—*
*Whoosh—*
As he ate, several messages suddenly popped up on his phone.
Opening them, Huang Tian found they were actually from his girlfriend, Zong Wenjun.
[cat_patting_head.gif]
[Free for a video call? I miss you a little.]
Huang Tian: [Free.]
The very next second after the message was sent, his phone vibrated, and Huang Tian tapped to answer.
Zong Wenjun's fair, delicate face appeared on the screen. She seemed to be sitting on a brown bench, with a pond rippling silver behind her. Cool lamplight illuminated her profile from the side, while her amber-yellow tea dress swayed gently in the night breeze.
She did not speak at first, merely looking at him quietly with a tender smile.
Watching her smile, Huang Tian could not help smiling along. Separated by the screen, the two gazed at one another without a word, yet it felt as if they were wrapped in each other's embrace.
Only after what felt like a long time did Zong Wenjun speak in a soft voice: "It's been so long since I last saw you."
The last time they had met was in early August, when they spent two days visiting Hang City before Huang Tian was called back to Chang City by a single phone call from his company.
After parting, they had only chatted occasionally on their phones. It was mostly because Huang Tian had been overwhelmed with relentless overtime, and Zong Wenjun had not wanted to disturb him. Consequently, they chatted very little, and had not made a single video call until now.
"How have things been with you lately?" Zong Wenjun asked.
Huang Tian thought it over and felt there was nothing to hide. "Not bad. Just got delivered back to society as 'talent' by my company, so I'm planning to look for something else to do."
Zong Wenjun's delicate brows knit slightly. "Changing jobs might be for the best anyway. Your old company made you work overtime almost every day—how could anyone endure that?"
Huang Tian laughed. "That's just how it is nowadays. The rat race is everywhere."
Zong Wenjun pressed her lips together in silence. After a long pause, she asked, "Do you have any plans for the National Day holiday?"
Huang Tian replied, "None for now. I'll probably look into where to interview, or maybe take a break for a while."
Zong Wenjun blinked. "Then I'll come to Chang City to see you."
Huang Tian was surprised. "Our little busy bee actually has time to visit Chang City?"
Every holiday, Zong Wenjun was either buried in the library studying literature or working freelance translation gigs. Free time was a rarity for her.
Zong Wenjun rolled her eyes at him. "Isn't it because I miss you?"
Knowing she wanted to come keep him company and cheer him up, Huang Tian felt a warm glow inside and teased, "Then I shall eagerly await the grand arrival of our little busy bee."
Hearing that, Zong Wenjun puffed out her cheeks and brandished a pale little fist at him.
Huang Tian chuckled at her sudden burst of cuteness. "Once you get here, where do you want to go?"
The two of them had spent four years studying at Changda, and they had visited virtually every scenic spot in the surrounding area.
Zong Wenjun pondered for a moment before saying, "I don't want to travel far. Let's just wander around Chang City."
"All right," Huang Tian said. "We'll check out Wanshou Palace and Tengwang Pavilion. There isn't much else to see in Chang City anyway."
"Mm-hmm." Zong Wenjun nodded. "Then see you on National Day."
"See you on National Day."
After ending the video call, Huang Tian leaned back against his bed, pondering what he should do in the future.
He did not yet possess the power to act with total impunity, and foreseeably would not anytime soon, so a respectable career remained quite important to him.
"Am I really going to end up like the protagonists in web novels—taking up boxing, entering tournaments, curing illnesses, playing the mystical charlatan, or growing spirit herbs to sell?"
He sank into deep thought, but after mulling it over for a long while, he still could not reach a decision. "No rush. Let's wait and see. Things will sort themselves out in due time."
* * *
Dawn broke, and the sky gradually shifted from pale cyan to orange-red.
Rising early, Huang Tian sat cross-legged and entered meditation. His lips and teeth rested lightly together, his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. Strands of invisible spiritual qi flowed into his body, coursing through his heavenly circuit before condensing in the Yellow Court.
Time slipped quietly by.
At exactly twelve noon, Huang Tian emerged from his meditative state, his eyes clear and bright. With a thought, all sorts of calling voices instantly resonated by his ears.
Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted in:
"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall stand; in the year of Jiazi, great good fortune under heaven!!"
After a brief moment of thought, Huang Tian gently reached out with his intention to touch the sound line coming from the late Han world, just as he had done before.
Another wave of trance washed over him. A sliver of his consciousness separated from his body and slammed forcefully against a crystal-like barrier.
*Crack—*
The sound of shattering crystal rang out. That sliver of consciousness successfully pierced through the space-time barrier, following the sound line to vanish into the mysterious void.
* * *
The seventh month of the seventh year of Guanghe.
Inside the city of Guangzong, Ji Province.
His face gaunt and withered, Zhang Jiao gripped his nine-section staff tightly and struggled up from his sickbed.
"Eldest Brother, why... why force yourself? I can handle the city's defense on your behalf." Zhang Liang, kneeling to one side with reddened eyes, reached out to support him.
"I fear defending the city is no longer our most pressing concern," Zhang Jiao sighed. "Lu Zhi has already surrounded Guangzong on all sides, hasn't he?"
Zhang Liang lowered his head. "Day and night, the Han army builds ramparts and digs deep trenches. I have sent men out numerous times to destroy their high walls and fill their ditches, but to little avail. Now Guangzong is... I am useless!"
Zhang Jiao placed a withered hand on his younger brother's arm. "If anyone is useless, it is me. If I had not suffered defeat after defeat against Lu Zhi, we would never have been trapped here in Guangzong by his army, caged like birds."
He gently pulled away from his brother's support, steadying himself with the nine-section staff, his expression remarkably calm.
"We have held Guangzong for over a month, yet no reinforcements have arrived, nor will any come in the future. With no relief on the horizon, we cannot remain trapped in an isolated stronghold; an enduring defense is bound to fall. Our only remaining path is to face the Han army in open formation and defeat them in battle."
Hesitation surfaced on Zhang Liang's face.
If they could have defeated the Han army in open battle, how could they ever have been driven into Guangzong in the first place?
Discerning his thoughts, Zhang Jiao said gently, "While I can still move, I will command the armies in person for one final gamble. If I prevail, our predicament will resolve itself. But if the tide turns against me, take the opportunity to flee Guangzong amidst the chaos."
Indignation flared across Zhang Liang's face. "How could I abandon Eldest Brother and flee on my own?!"
He abruptly drew a dagger from his waist and pressed it against his throat. "If Eldest Brother forces me to run, I shall slit my throat right here to prove my heart!"
Zhang Jiao let out a long sigh and grasped his brother's arm. "Then march with me."
Zhang Liang said resolutely, "I am willing to die with you, Brother!"
A moment later, thunderous drums echoed throughout Guangzong. Yellow Turban soldiers scattered across the city converged like trickling streams merging into a surging torrent.
The heavy city gates groaned with a grating shriek as they slowly swung open. Countless Yellow Turban soldiers, clad in thin tunics or bare-chested, poured out of Guangzong brandishing crude pitchforks, farm tools, and spears, lining up into ranks amidst rising shouts and commands.
Before long, more than a dozen banners came into view: "General of Heaven," "Great Virtuous Master," "General of the People," and "Yellow Heaven Descends." Beholding the high-flying grand banner of the General of Heaven, tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers shouted with fanatic fervor at the top of their lungs:
"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall stand; in the year of Jiazi, great good fortune under heaven!!!"
Chapter 9