Chapter 261 – The body is dead but the spirit will never die (1)

Lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, the raindrops were like stones. .h.i.tting everyone's bodies. It give birth to some pain.

Everytime a lightning flashed, the world lit up for an instant as if it was daytime. But very quickly, it would be submerged in pitch-black darkness.

Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu looked at Chu Qing-Yan who was already at a loss, he immediately walked forward to pull her. "You look at this clearly. All the people that died are the ones that mounted the sneak attack. You should first wait for Fire Spirit's group's result of their examinations."

The spiritless pair of eyes slowly regained some focus. She gave Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu a distracted glance. The rainwater had already made her pair of eyes hazy. But she still bit her lips and nodded.

That's right, before finding Big Block of Ice, she absolutely can not lose her head now.

Fire Spirit returned with people and his expression was solemn. "Little Consort, this subordinate has already found the traces of master's leaving route, please follow this subordinate."

"Okay." Chu Qing-Yan immediately tailed behind them.

Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu took a glance at the people on the ground. Xuanxi Zi-Mo who followed by his side said in a low voice by his ear. "This is no one from the Suicide Squad in here. It ought to be that Law Keeper Jue still hasn't made her move yet."

"En, but it ought not to be too far from now." Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu nodded to say.

Since the Suicide Squad accepted the must kill order, they won't let go of such an exceptionally good chance.

Maybe they were just waiting right now for a good opportunity to take action.

"Let's go." Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu gave a shallow smile.

"Yes."

The momentum of the rain was too strong, it added even more difficulty to those searching.

Chu Qing-Yan could feel that thunder sounding in the distant horizon. As if the sky full of stubborn clouds couldn't be pushed open.

"Little Consort, you look over here." Fire Spirit turned his head to loudly yell. But when he finished speaking, Fire Spirit suddenly knelt down.

Chu Qing-Yan's heart sunk, she pushed her soaking wet body and quickly followed up. She only saw that at the side of a creek in the forest, twenty familiar figures were strewn on the ground, they died desperately, making it hard for people to look straight at it.

Chu Qing-Yan's eyes turned red, she almost lost her control and cried out loud.

Those people laying on the ground were all companions she used to interact with all the time.

When Fu An came to make things difficult for her, they had someone among them move to capture him and caused him to be embarra.s.sed to help her vent her anger.

When she went out and got lost, they would have people go through the streets and alleys looking for her.

When she was sad and depressed during the time Big Block of Ice was jailed, they would have someone stand by her side, silently accompanying her.

On the road after leaving the capital, they gave their lives to protect everyone. In the day, they protected her during their journey, at night they guarded against the unexpected. They endured hards.h.i.+ps and suffered calamities and never uttered a single complaint.

Although they normally loved to have stern expressionless faces, but they were all strong men made of iron.

But now, they lay fallen one after another in front of her.

Going forth to join, never to return. The neglected fields was a road that was very far.

Carrying a long sword with a bow under the arm, the head left the body, the heart had no warning.

Already brave and sincere with martial arts, in the end unyielding and could not be insulted.

The body is already dead, the soul had become a spirit, the soul of a son had become a mighty ghost.

By her ear suddenly came this poem being recited. Chu Qing-Yan couldn't help but turn her head away because she couldn't bear to continue looking on at this. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back and cry out loud.

At this moment, the rain water heartlessly cleansed the river of blood on the ground. What entered the eyes besides the darkness of the night, was the light of the torch and the remaining red color on the ground.

Fire Spirit and Wood Spirit, one was kneeling while the other stood. Their figures looked sorrowful. These were all brothers that risked their life and limbs with them. They were totally devoted to each other, and had never been separated. But now their bodies and heads were at different places. That sorrow and hate seemed about to break out from their hearts.

This was the first time since the establishment of the Xiao Lie Cavalry that they had so many casualties!

"We can not let them die in vain, we must find master!" Fire Spirit suddenly stood up, he wiped away the rain water on his face, his pair of eyes were red with grief but they were also firm.

"Right!" Wood Spirit also wiped his eyes and said in agreement.

"Okay, first let people carry these comrades to a safe place. Later we'll find a place to bury them." Chu Qing-Yan choked with emotions, took a deep breath, then gave this order in a low tone.

"Yes."

After a short period, everyone continued forward.

The rain became more and more heavy, what they were wearing were cotton clothes for winter. Once it absorbs water, all the clothing became swollen and heavy. Chu Qing-Yan didn't hesitate, she took off her outer clothing and put it down in pa.s.sing. In any case now that it was wet, it was no longer useful to defend against the cold, it was better to toss away this c.u.mbersome thing.

Having just taken off her outer clothing, the piercing cold wind of winter brought by the rain seemed to penetrate through her soul. The cold penetrated through her heart and bones.

She didn't have too many qualms, she used her airy martial arts and quickly traveled on the ground's surface.

Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu arrived on their heels and saw that weak and thin body moving forward in the cold wind and violent rain. His brow puckered up slightly. In the end, he quickly stepped forward and took the cloak off his body and placed it on her. "Searching for people is searching for people, but you must cherish your own body."

Chu Qing-Yan suddenly felt a heavy thing on her body mixed with threads of warmth. She turned her head to look at him, didn't retort and nodded her head.

And just at this moment, the faint sound of fighting could be heard coming from up ahead as well as the light of flames.

Fire Spirit and the others exchanged a glance with each other. Immediately they quietly sped up their pace, das.h.i.+ng toward that flame.

Maybe those people fighting were Big Block of Ice's group.

When they arrived, everyone was all alarmed.

Because at this moment, there were three different groups of about one hundred people that had surrounded Xiao Xu's group. The fighting was so intense that even with the loud sound of rain, it couldn't hide the sound of swords interlocking.

Chu Qing-Yan was shocked, while Fire Spirit, Wood Spirit and the others at her side had already rushed up.

She didn't even think and was about to rush up like them, but Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu standing by her side pulled her to a stop. Chu Qing-Yan turned her head and said in a cold voice. "Dongting, don't pull me back, I want to go find His Highness."

Donting w.a.n.g-Yun in a light mocking tone said, hitting the nail on the head. "Besides your airy martial arts, what else do you know? Can you pick up a knife or sword? Can you block the enemy?"

Chu Qing-Yan stared blankly on the spot, she couldn't deny what he said was all true. "But I can't just watch helplessly on the side and do nothing!"

"But if you go, you will only throw away your life. You wouldn't be of any help at all. And they don't have the extra energy to take care of you. No, you going, not only will you throw away your life, you will also cause trouble for them!" Dongting w.a.n.g-Yu looked at her pale face. In his heart he knew his words had convinced her, so he released her hand. He lowered his voice. "You should just watch at the side, if even the Xiao Lie Cavalry can't stop these enemies, then there really is no way out."

Chu Qing-Yan lifted up her hand, the rain formed pillars to hit the center of her palm. It turned out that when Big Block of Ice really needed people, she couldn't even walk to his side.

Both hands hanged down, as she stared at the chaotic fighting below, her heart was incomparably forlorn.

In life, nothing can surpa.s.s the most painful feeling of the person you care about being trapped in a dangerous situation and you only being a spectator, unable to intervene.

"Another group of people that came to toss away their lives." The woman wearing snow white clothes stood halfway up the hill, as she coldly observed everything underneath.

"Then should we move?" A female asked.

"No, they don't seem exhausted enough, worthy of being the Xiao Lie Cavalry that could hold off one hundred with one person. After experiencing a day and night of fighting, they are still this brave and spirited. Hehe, but I see it's about time. Wait until they have consumed the majority of their strength, then give them a mortal blow!" A cold smile flashed through the eyes of the woman dressed in snow white.

1) The body is dead but the spirit never dies: this is the meaning of one of the phrases in the poem. The author started quoting this poem about the brave soldiers that die in war fearlessly, starting from the line 'going forth to join, never to return….' the last part of the phrase which is this phrase that I translated differently than the t.i.tle to be closer to the literal meaning of the poem. Excuse the butchered translation as Chinese poem is very difficult to translate!