Chapter 504: Chapter 504: I Just Want Him to Live
Gong Yu, Lan Xin, and others craned their necks in anticipation as the Giant Eagle slowly descended onto the square in front of the Genetic Store.
Monk Ben Yin jumped down from the Giant Eagle and was immediately surrounded by Gong Yu and the others.
"Eh, Brother Ben Yin, where’s Yang Xiao?"
Monk Ben Yin was startled and replied:
"Yang Xiao still has some matters to handle, and he asked me to return first."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
While in mid-air, Monk Ben Yin had already seen the rough situation of the Genetic Store’s outpost being besieged, so he hesitated for a moment and didn’t immediately disclose the possibility of Yang Xiao being devoured by a Giant Dragon in the valley.
Monk Ben Yin looked at Gong Yu, nodded, and asked:
"Gong Yu, what’s the situation now?"
Upon hearing this, Gong Yu replied with some distress:
"Zuo Yun from Xiangfan City has defected to Lu Sun, the City King of Han City. Lu Sun led his men to seize Xiangfan City. This is Dai Peng, formerly a right-hand man of Xue Dong, the previous City King of Xiangfan City. Brother Dai brought three thousand men to join us, and now both of us together are resisting nearly ten thousand men led by Lu Sun. We have held out for three days..."
Gong Yu briefly described the situation. As Monk Ben Yin was the leader of Shaolin Temple and there were five to six hundred experts present from Shaolin Temple — Gong Yu himself also practiced Ancient Martial Arts at Shaolin Temple — everyone held deep respect for Monk Ben Yin.
After listening, Monk Ben Yin’s expression grew solemn, and he said to Gong Yu and Lan Xin:
"You two, come with me for a moment."
The three of them entered an adjacent building, which served as the temporary command center.
Monk Ben Yin said:
"Gong Yu, have you sent out a request for reinforcements to Nanmu City, to deploy some troops over?"
"I sent someone over the day before yesterday, but now it seems that Yang City is under pressure from the Eastern Province. Huang Wen is asking for reinforcements. Xiao Zhe, Long Yongjun, and others have all led their troops over there to support. Also, Shanyun City, being very close to North City, has been infiltrated by five thousand men sent by Lu Sun, the City King of Han City, who are stationed at the forward outpost, poised but not yet attacking. Zhou Qiang of Shanyun City is also in a tight spot, and he has pulled some forces from nearby areas."
Monk Ben Yin’s heart skipped a beat. With Yang Xiao’s fate uncertain, he had not expected to be facing enemies on three fronts, and the inability to concentrate forces made him wonder what to do.
Gong Yu continued to speak:
"Lan Xin and I have considered our situation. With our three thousand men, plus Dai Peng’s three thousand, defending one outpost is already more than sufficient — especially since we have so many experts. Two thirds of the experts from all over Kongming City have been brought here. On the other hand, Huang Wen, Zhou Qiang, and others have larger areas to defend with insufficient forces, so for the time being, we do not plan to request troops from Nanmu City. However, the situation is now very urgent, and we desperately need our leader, Yang Xiao, to take control."
Gong Yu looked at Monk Ben Yin,
"Master Ben Yin, you must hurry back to find Yang Xiao and bring him back."
A distressed look appeared on Monk Ben Yin’s face.
Lan Xin, being a girl with keen intuition, noticed the abnormal expression on Monk Ben Yin’s face and said:
"What’s the matter, has something happened to Yang Xiao?"
"Ah! Ah? No!"
Lan Xin’s expression changed and she said:
"Brother Ben Yin, we’ve known each other for some time now, and you’re not one to lie. Please, tell us the truth."
With Lan Xin pressing, Monk Ben Yin glanced around. There were only the three of them in the room, and guards were stationed outside.
Monk Ben Yin was an honest man, and with a long sigh, he said,
"Ah, Yang Xiao, he —"
"What happened to him?"
Gong Yu and Lan Xin exclaimed simultaneously.
Lan Xin had not expected her premonition to come true and felt her heart pound violently.
Monk Ben Yin glanced outside the main door. Gong Yu understood and walked to the doorway, instructing the guards:
"No one is allowed to enter and disturb us without my permission."
"Yes!"
Gong Yu closed the main gate and returned to his room.
Monk Ben Yin softly recounted the ordeal concerning Yang Xiao’s encounter with the Giant Dragon in the valley of Shenlongjia Mountain.
"Alas, I blame myself for being too curious and not dissuading Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao, in the end, to save me, he actually leaped down himself to fight against the Giant Eagle and Giant Dragon. Sigh!"
"And the outcome of the fight? Didn’t you go back to check?"
Lan Xin said, her inner feelings towards Ben Yin tinged with dissatisfaction.
Ben Yin’s face showed embarrassment as he replied:
"Do you think I’m someone who is afraid of death? Yang Xiao gave instructions, telling me to ride the Giant Eagle back here to help Gong Yu defend Shenlongjia, and also asked all of us to support Gong Yu in defending Kongming City. If we can take over Xiangfan City, we will; if not, we’ll shrink our defense lines and just hold Shenlongjia.
There are over a thousand wild men in Shenlongjia; these wild men are all known to me and can help us defend the place.
Sigh, if it weren’t for Yang Xiao’s instructions, I’d have jumped down to fight the Giant Dragon myself, even if I had to exchange my life for Yang Xiao’s.
But that Giant Dragon is definitely not something we can fight against; going back would be sending myself to death and also letting down the intention of Yang Xiao’s self-sacrifice."
As Ben Yin spoke, his face was full of guilt and pain.
Gong Yu’s body trembled, his teeth chattering as he struggled to control his sadness.
Large tears slid down Lan Xin’s cheeks; she clenched her teeth, turned, and dashed towards the door.
Monk Ben Yin shouted:
"Sister Lan Xin, where are you going?"
"I am going to find him."
"Listen to my advice, if Yang Xiao is fortunate, he will naturally return. Otherwise, it would be futile for you to go; in the deep mountains of Shenlongjia, there are not only the Giant Dragon but many other Giant Beasts as well. It’s not something one or two people can confront. I believe, if Yang Xiao has any premonition, he would not want you to seek him in this way. Don’t you know Yang Xiao well enough? He would rather sacrifice himself than see us all harm ourselves."
"But I can’t just sit around waiting for news of his death!"
Lan Xin sobbed.
Gong Yu wiped away tears with his sleeve and said calmly:
"Sister Lan Xin, if it’s really as Brother Ben Yin said, the Boss is more likely to be in danger than safe. We all know his capabilities; he has far more means than any of us. If he can’t get out of the predicament, running there would be pointless.
Right now, the situation at Shenlongjia is critical. This is the Boss’s heart and dream. The only thing we can do is to hold Shenlongjia, so as not to waste the Boss’s great effort and hard work."
"Yes, Sister Lan Xin, Gong Yu is right."
Lan Xin’s tears flowed freely as she choked out:
"Yes, what Gong Yu said is correct, but I don’t care about these things – positions, resources, territories...I only care about Yang Xiao’s life and death. I just want him to be alive, all the rest can be discarded.
Gong Yu, the Shenming Mountain Sect has now basically stabilized in the Kongming Academy. Xiao Lan and several other junior sisters have improved rapidly in their cultivation. If I’m gone, please take good care of Xiao Lan; she’s a good girl."
Having said this, Lan Xin dried her tears, walked to the front door, opened it, and left.
Lan Xin found the Giant Eagle in the plaza, which was already very familiar with several of Yang Xiao’s friends and, naturally, did not act strangely around Lan Xin.
"Giant Eagle brother, can you take me to find Yang Xiao?"
The Giant Eagle paused, looked at Lan Xin, and then nodded its head.
"Great!"
Lan Xin said, and, with a leap, mounted the Giant Eagle.
The Giant Eagle let out a long cry and took to the skies, flying deep into the mountains of Shenlongjia.
Gong Yu and Monk Ben Yin shared a wry smile.
Monk Ben Yin sighed:
"Despite Lan Xin’s usual indifference, she has deep feelings for Yang Xiao; let her go and look. Only then will her heart feel a bit lighter."
Gong Yu nodded his head.
Suppressing their grief, the two discussed specific plans for confronting Lu Sun. They then convened Dai Peng, Xiao Lan, Ben Guo, and several dozen upper echelons for a meeting to solidify the temporary defense strategy and unify the tactics for the confrontation.