Cloudy sky, evening, Martyrs' Cemetery.
Yellowed fallen leaves covered the ground. Lu Ming, the tomb keeper, meticulously swept with his broom.
Beneath each tombstone lay a national hero, and his former comrades-in-arms.
Five years ago, the ten great empires joined forces to invade Huaxia, their momentum fierce and unstoppable. At the critical moment when the nation's survival was at stake, Dragon Warlord Lu Ming led the troops to resist.
Defending cities, defeating enemy armies, killing enemy generals.
In just half a year, the combined imperial forces were annihilated, and Lu Ming enjoyed supreme glory.
However, one general's triumph came at the cost of ten thousand bones. The soldiers who followed Lu Ming in resisting foreign invaders suffered heavy casualties; his brothers-in-arms, who once fought alongside him, all died tragically on the battlefield.
The nation built the Martyrs' Cemetery to commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country.
Lu Ming, alone, came to the cemetery to sweep the graves and guard them. For five years, he had never stepped outside its grounds.
Sweeping the last fallen leaf into the trash pile, Lu Ming wiped the sweat from his brow. "Finally, it's clean."
At that moment, dozens of black sedans drove to the cemetery entrance.
The car doors opened, and a group of men in military uniforms emerged. They lined up on both sides, forming two neat rows. They saluted in unison and shouted in unison: "Greetings, General!!!"
Following them, a woman with three stars embroidered on her shoulder strode towards Lu Ming.
She appraised Lu Ming from head to toe, her eyes filled with disdain. She asked coldly, "Do you recognize me?"
Lu Ming shook his head slightly. "I don't recall."
"Presumptuous!" said the deputy general behind the woman. "This is Huaxia's new three-star general, Murong Shuang. How dare you be so disrespectful as to say you don't recognize her?"
Lu Ming chuckled softly. He had countless five-star generals under him; how could he recognize a mere three-star general?
However, the name Murong Shuang seemed vaguely familiar.
Murong Shuang produced a marriage contract and said, "The Murong family and the Lu family have been on good terms for generations. Ten years ago, we established a marriage contract. It's between you and me."
Lu Ming then remembered. There was indeed such a thing. He asked, "Are you here to marry me?"
Marry?
Heh.
Murong Shuang looked down on Lu Ming and sneered, "The Lu family was destroyed long ago, and you've even fallen to the point of being a tomb keeper. Meanwhile, the Murong family is flourishing, and I, Murong Shuang, have been promoted to three-star general! Are you worthy of marrying me?"
Lu Ming countered, "Then why have you come to see me?"
Murong Shuang gripped the marriage contract with both hands and tore it in half. "How can a pheasant be worthy of a phoenix? I'm here to tell you that the marriage contract is void! Do not entertain any further fantasies about me."
Afterward, Murong Shuang took out a business card and slipped it into Lu Ming's shirt pocket. "As compensation, I promise to do three things for you. If you encounter trouble in the future, the business card has my contact information, and I will help you solve your problems."
Murong Shuang's deputy general arrogantly reprimanded, "Aren't you going to quickly thank General Murong for her great kindness? What good fortune have you accumulated over lifetimes to receive General Murong's business card?"
Unexpectedly, Lu Ming glanced at it without even looking and tossed it directly into the trash pile. "Your help? Do I need it?"
"Arrogant!"
The deputy general drew his pistol and aimed it at Lu Ming.
Murong Shuang reached out and pressed down on the muzzle, saying coldly, "I know you're unhappy, but that's the reality. You and I are from different worlds. You, a lower-class individual, will never reach my level in this lifetime. There is only one man in this world worthy of me, Murong Shuang – the Huaxia hero who mysteriously disappeared five years ago – the Dragon Warlord!"
Lu Ming burst into laughter.
Murong Shuang glared at him. "What are you laughing at?"
Lu Ming asked awkwardly, "You haven't met the Dragon Warlord, have you?"
Murong Shuang sighed deeply. "The Dragon Warlord is as dazzling as the sun in the sky. How can mortals get close? Even I was only fortunate enough to see his back from a distance."
Lu Ming said, "Then I wish you find the Dragon Warlord soon and fulfill your desire."
"You don't need to worry about me. Lu Ming, just keep watching your graves." Murong Shuang snapped her fingers. "Everyone, listen up, withdraw!"
Murong Shuang left with her subordinates.
Afterward, another car drove into the cemetery.
The deputy general glanced at it and said in surprise, "General Murong, that car!"
Murong Shuang turned her head to look. It was just an ordinary sedan. "What's wrong with that car?"
The deputy general said fearfully, "Just now, I saw His Excellency Asura, the Dragon King, and the Divine Doctor in that car!!!"
"What?"
Murong Shuang frowned slightly and said coldly, "Are you hallucinating? Those three are all five-star generals. Any one of them can summon the wind and command the rain. How could they possibly gather together and stoop to come to such a small place?"
The deputy general nodded. "General Murong is right. How could those three possibly come to such a place? I must have been mistaken."
...
In front of the cemetery gate.
The car stopped, and three men alighted. They were indeed the renowned five-star generals Asura, Dragon King, and Divine Doctor!
The three men first placed a package on the ground, then knelt in unison.
"Subordinates pay respects to the Dragon Warlord."
Lu Ming glanced at them and asked, "You three have so much free time to come to the cemetery to visit me?"
Asura replied, "There is an important matter that needs to be reported to you in person."
"Speak."
Asura opened the package in front of him. Inside was an urn. He said, "Old General Jiang Dingbian has passed away naturally and has gone to the west."
"Master?" Lu Ming's eyes darkened, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
Jiang Dingbian was Lu Ming's mentor. When the Lu family was destroyed, it was Jiang Dingbian who took Lu Ming in and trained him, which led to him becoming the Dragon Warlord.
Hearing the news of his master's death, Lu Ming's heart ached.
Asura continued, "There is also a letter from the Old General here."
Lu Ming immediately took it and opened it to read carefully.
The content was simple.
The Jiang family had countless enemies. No one dared to provoke Jiang Dingbian while he was alive. But after the Old Gentleman's death, his enemies would surely seize the opportunity to retaliate.
To prevent the Jiang family from being destroyed, Jiang Dingbian hoped that Lu Ming would marry his granddaughter, become a member of the Jiang family, and protect them.
Inside the envelope was also a marriage contract.
Lu Ming asked, "What is the current situation of the Jiang family in Jinling?"
Asura replied, "Without the Old General's protection, the Jiang family is in chaos. Numerous enemies are stirring, determined to eradicate the Jiang family."
Dragon King added, "For example, the Murong family has long-standing grievances with the Jiang family. They are very likely to take advantage of the Old General's death to destroy the Jiang family!"
Oh?
The Murong family?
Lu Ming shook his head slightly and murmured, "It seems the debt between me and Murong Shuang won't be settled so easily."
Lu Ming bowed deeply to the tombstones in the Martyrs' Cemetery and said humbly, "It is my master's dying wish, and I must obey. My brothers, I apologize, but I must go out on this journey. I will return to accompany you after I have completed my task."
He put away the marriage contract.
Lu Ming took a deep breath and left the cemetery.
The Dragon Warlord entered the world, the fierce tiger descended the mountain.