BLHO Chapter 83

Chapter 83: That Abyss Devoured Him

He Yuncheng, puzzled by his actions, asked, “Do you know her?”

Han Mao hesitated, and after a moment of struggle, said, “She is a *cai ren* (human livestock) kept in Yanhui Mountain.”

He Yuncheng’s eyes darkened.

Han Mao sighed softly and said, “They were captured by the Yanzhao people to be used as food. To prevent them from crying for help or escaping, the Yanzhao people would cut out their tongues after catching them.”

Those human flesh and bones in the Yanzhao granary, they are all from them.

He Yuncheng’s expression was frighteningly gloomy. He leaned down and asked the mute girl, “Besides you, are there any others alive?”

The little girl nodded timidly.

“Good, where are they? Take me there.”

“Not appropriate.”

Han Mao stepped forward again to stop him, and said to He Yuncheng, “The place where they are held is too dangerous. These people are seriously injured, and even if they are rescued, they may not live long. There is no need to risk your life and sacrifice the lives of soldiers for nothing.”

He was ashamed when he said this, but weighing the pros and cons, it was not worth taking the risk.

“I know General He, you have great righteousness in your heart, you pity these people, but we must make trade-offs in this position. Abandoning individuals is to protect more people.”

When he was trapped in Yanhui Mountain, he knew of these people’s existence, but when He Yuncheng led his troops to rescue him, he didn’t mention a word about it.

He Yuncheng had no intention of holding him accountable. He had nothing to say to this kind of person.

“Vice General Qin.”

“Your subordinate is here!”

“Call up five hundred elite soldiers and follow me to Yanhui Mountain to rescue people.”

“Yes!”

The He family army quickly assembled after receiving the order.

Han Mao looked at the situation in front of him, He Yuncheng would not listen to persuasion no matter what.

Helpless, he had no choice but to walk up to Lin Shuangxu: “Young Master, please persuade General He not to take risks.”

Lin Shuangxu glanced at him, his emotions complex and indescribable.

They had already set off, and going back now, no matter how you look at it, it was unsettling.

He was worried about He Yuncheng, but he also knew that in this situation, He Yuncheng had made a decision and could not be persuaded.

He said nothing.

Han Mao was anxious, at a loss, and after a moment, gritted his teeth and stood in front of He Yuncheng again.

“Get out of the way.” He Yuncheng was about to leave.

“I won’t stop you.” Han Mao said, “I want to say that the Han family army had a bad start in this campaign and failed to make any contributions. This time, rescuing the suffering people, the He family army should not be allowed to take risks again and again. I know where they are being held, I will lead people to go with you, and let the He family soldiers wait here.”

He Yuncheng looked at him coldly, thought for a moment, and quickly decided.

“Vice General Qin.”

“General.”

“Settle this little girl down and lead the He family army to wait in place.”

Vice General Qin was very suspicious of the Han family’s abilities, but since the general had given the order, he couldn’t say anything.

He glared at Han Mao and led the soldiers who had come out of the formation back to their ranks.

“Han family soldiers, listen to the order!” Han Mao raised his voice and said, “Form a line and follow General He to rescue people!”

“Yes!”

He Yuncheng flipped onto his horse, his eyes firm, and simply said goodbye to Lin Shuangxu before leaving: “Wait for me.”

Then, before Lin Shuangxu could respond, he had already turned and left.

–

Royal Palace.

The Grand Diviner, wearing a black shirt, knelt in the main hall, the tortoise shells he had been using for divination scattered on the white carpet. He looked at them carefully, not saying a word for a long time.

Gu Huan, against the light, walked down from the high dragon throne, his pure eyes carrying a bloodthirsty excitement, flickering.

He leaned down and squatted in front of the Grand Diviner, slowly asking him, “How is it?”

The Grand Diviner raised his head, his muddy eyes flashing with blood red, making people uncomfortable to look at.

Gu Huan was not afraid, staring straight at the eerie face, waiting for his answer.

The Grand Diviner opened his mouth, his voice like iron scraping against each other, hoarse and piercing, and said to Gu Huan, “It cannot be said, Your Majesty, wait a little longer.”

–

Han Mao led the Han family army to Yanhui Mountain with He Yuncheng. The place where the human livestock were imprisoned was none other than the abyss where they had been imprisoned before.

These people were locked in caves, their tongues cut out so they couldn’t cry for help, so He Yuncheng hadn’t noticed it at that time.

The last time he rescued Han Mao, the wooden bridge connecting the two sides of the cliff was burned down. He Yuncheng almost died in the fire. In the nick of time, his warhorse leaped across the abyss, saving his life.

But the width of this abyss was not something that horses could cross under normal circumstances.

A miracle like a divine assistance, was unlikely to happen again.

“I thought these people would have died in that fire, it seems that their lives were not meant to end.” Han Mao said.

The whistling wind blew head-on, almost sweeping people into the abyss.

He pointed to the cliff wall beside him, “Climbing from there is the only way. That mute girl must have escaped this way.”

He Yuncheng looked in the direction he pointed, the bare cliff wall had almost no support points, and a slight carelessness would mean being smashed to pieces.

Han Mao gazed at the distance, “It’s been so many days, I wonder how many people are still alive.”

He unloaded the armor on his shoulders, wearing only the cloth clothes inside, in order to reduce the weight when climbing, without delaying any more time, he said to He Yuncheng: “Let’s go, Brother Yuncheng, I will take the lead to explore the way, you follow me.”

Finally, this Han Mao had some responsibility, He Yuncheng was not used to this, did not say anything, and went to the cliff wall with him.

Looking at it up close, the vertically standing giant stone was even smoother, and there were only sporadic depressions and gaps that could be used for support.

Han Mao rolled up his sleeves, his expression solemn, and climbed onto a nearby protrusion, his feet almost hanging in the air, relying only on the soles of his feet to cling to the stone wall.

The rustling wind blew from the valley, and the abyss seemed like a giant beast’s bloody mouth, waiting for them to fall down and be devoured.

After all, the Han family army’s mentality and quality were not as good as the He family army’s. Some people were so frightened that they trembled, and they dared not move after climbing less than halfway.

But the people behind them followed up one after another, and there was no way to retreat.

His face was pale, and he could only grit his teeth and move forward, carefully following the path explored by the person in front, not daring to misstep.

Han Mao had already led people to the other side, the total distance was not long, and climbing over it did not take much time.

The frightened soldier looked at the flat ground in front of him, and his heart gradually relaxed.

Just a few steps away, suddenly, the stone he stepped on with one foot fell off the cliff wall.

Before he could cry for help, his hands fluttered, unable to find anything to grab, and his weightless body fell straight down. It was unknown how deep it was below, and there was not a sound to be heard when he fell.

Everything happened so fast, a living person disappeared from sight. Except for the broken stones, there was no trace left.

Everyone was silent. As soldiers, this was no different from sacrificing on the battlefield, and they should have been prepared long ago.

“Everyone, watch your step!” Han Mao ordered from the other side.

The people behind dared not relax, quickly found new footholds, and passed through in turn.

He Yuncheng did not say a word, and went straight to the cave that Han Mao pointed to.

The entrance was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. There was a short wooden fence to hold people in.

He Yuncheng broke the wooden fence with a knife, stepped inside, and a stench that rushed to the top of his head came over him.

Feces, and rotting flesh.

Han Mao immediately retreated when he smelled the smell, unable to control his dry heaves.

He Yuncheng was not feeling any better, enduring the churning in his stomach, took out a fire starter from his arms, and entered the cave with the light.

Weak shadows were cast in, and a chilling wail came from the depths of the darkness.

The cries rose and fell, but the volume was not loud. Everyone was dying, with only a breath left.

The stench became stronger and stronger, and He Yuncheng was almost suffocating.

He quickened his pace to the end and saw a scene more inhumane than the battlefield of slaughter.

Everyone, regardless of gender, had been stripped naked and thrown on the ground like livestock to be slaughtered.

People and corpses were stacked on top of each other, and it was impossible to tell who was still alive and who was already dead.

Those who were still breathing were wriggling on the ground with serious injuries. He Yuncheng then saw clearly that these people had not only had their tongues cut out, but their tendons in their hands and feet had also been severed.

He Yuncheng, a man who had experienced life and death, was shocked into speechlessness in the face of such a scene.

A ceasefire agreement had wiped out the grievances between the two countries. Those lives, those grudges, in the face of the peace of the world, had nowhere to seek justice.

Han Mao, after recovering, followed him in closely, the scene in the cave also exceeded his expectations.

He couldn’t bear it, and said to He Yuncheng, “These people have no ability to escape even if they are released, and our soldiers can only carry them on their backs to climb the cliffs.”

It was already extremely dangerous for the soldiers to come over by themselves, and carrying these wounded people on their backs, it was unknown how many more people would be lost.

Han Mao ordered the soldiers who came in one after another: “Count the wounded and take all the living people back!”

“Yes!”

When separating the corpses, soldiers kept vomiting beside them. He Yuncheng and Han Mao, the two generals, did not stand idle either, and went forward to count with them.

In the end, a total of fifty-six survivors were found. Just like Han Mao said, these people might not be saved even if they were taken back.

But since they had come, there was no need to consider what would happen next.

The soldiers used the ropes they carried with them to fix these people on their backs and took them away from the cave.

When they went back the way they came, Han Mao and He Yuncheng were at the rear, and before they started climbing, three soldiers had already fallen by accident.

It was not that they had stepped on the wrong spot, but that the delirious people on their backs were struggling randomly.

No one else spoke. Compared to the real swords and guns on the battlefield, this unknown feeling was the most terrifying.

Everyone concentrated and dared not relax in the slightest.

The soldiers waiting on the other side came forward to meet the people who had passed safely.

“Let’s go, Brother Yuncheng.” Han Mao tightened the straps around his waist and climbed onto the stone wall with the person behind him.

He Yuncheng followed closely behind him and only realized how difficult it was to pass smoothly through such a short distance when he started moving.

He held his breath, his palms clasped the crevices of the stone wall, and his fingertips turned white and deformed when he exerted force.

With only his hands and feet in four places to exert force, he had to bear the weight of two people. Even if only a few drops of sweat flowed from his palms, it would be fatal at this moment.

Han Mao cautiously moved forward, and He Yuncheng followed in his footsteps.

The person behind He Yuncheng had only weak breathing when he was picked up, and his whole person was delirious.

For some reason, halfway through, the person suddenly woke up and began to struggle on his back.

The strange cries of the person whose tongue had been cut off attracted Han Mao’s attention. Han Mao did not dare to look back and asked He Yuncheng, “Brother Yuncheng, are you okay?”

He Yuncheng frowned grimly, did not respond, tightened his muscles and continued to move forward.

The person on his back continued to wail and scream. When he was in a state of chaos, he seemed to regard He Yuncheng as an enemy, thinking that he was going to take him to be slaughtered, so he struggled desperately with his remaining strength.

He Yuncheng gritted his teeth, concentrated all his strength on his limbs, and continued to move forward.

The person behind him was exasperated and bit him on the shoulder.

That person was already weak, and with clothes in between, although it was a little painful, he could still endure it.

He Yuncheng paused slightly, calmed his breathing, let the person behind him struggle, and continued to move forward.

Han Mao was almost there, and the Han family soldiers came forward to meet him.

After confirming that it was safe, he quickly unloaded the person he was carrying on his back, stretched out his hand, and wanted to meet He Yuncheng.

Suddenly, when the person on his back was struggling, he touched the side of He Yuncheng’s neck. In an instant, he felt a burst of inexplicable stinging pain.

Immediately afterwards, a feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him.

He couldn’t breathe, his vision began to spin, and Han Mao’s calls turned into a blurred tinnitus.

He couldn’t feel how his hands lost strength, his body became light, as light as a feather, and fell down with a gust of wind.

The last scene in his vision was the gradually receding Han family soldiers.

He opened his mouth, but could not make a sound.

That abyss devoured him.