Chapter 24: Sending Off the Soul (II)

“Haha, why must the governor be so angry? Do you know that anger harms the body and damages the internal organs?”
Outside the governor’s main hall, under the dim light of a waning moon, a handsome man dressed in plain, patterned robes strode toward the hall with his sword held behind his back.
“Yao Si!”
When he recognized the man’s face, An Lushan was shocked. Yet as a regional governor, An Lushan was experienced and composed; he quickly calmed himself down and said politely, “Young Master Yao, I was quite saddened by your sudden departure last time. What brings you here this time? Do you have any advice for me?”
As the saying goes, one should not strike those who smile. Though he disdained An Lushan’s character, since An Lushan was polite, Yao Si had no choice but to play along with this performance of host and guest.
“Please, it’s no trouble. But I, a mere commoner, dare not presume to approach such a high-ranking governor. I came uninvited only to take back my friend, Brother Yan Xu. I believe the governor won’t refuse, right?”
Yao Si spoke sincerely, but to An Lushan, his words took on a different meaning. He felt the young man was implying his own rebellious actions, which filled the governor with rage.
An Lushan had always been arrogant and could not tolerate being belittled. Yao Si’s previous departure had already left a grudge in his heart, and now these insinuating words pushed him over the edge. This conceited general finally lost his temper.
“Oh? I don’t understand. Yan Xu is my subordinate. He not only abandoned his post but also disobeyed orders. I was about to punish him according to military law. How does Young Master Yao think he can take him away?”
An Lushan studied the handsome young man before him, curious to see how this talented youth would handle the situation. He didn’t believe in true chivalry; in his view, all friendship and trust were based on self-interest.
With a swift motion, Yao Si drew his precision steel sword in front of him. With determined eyes, he declared, “It’s because of the sword in my hand.”

An Lushan was momentarily stunned, then laughed out loud. “Ignorant brat! I gave you a chance, yet you still started a dye workshop. Today is the day I rise in arms—how dare you act recklessly here? Qingen, execute these two!” The person he referred to was his third son, An Qingen. Since his eldest son, An Qingzong, remained in the capital Chang’an as a hostage, his second son, An Qingxu, was effectively his heir. But An Qingxu clearly wasn’t capable of leading troops into battle, so An Lushan devoted much effort to training An Qingen, hoping that one day he would become a capable right-hand man.

Although An Lushan was always good at winning people over, he showed no mercy toward those he couldn’t use. If they weren’t useful to him, he wouldn’t hand them over to others—perhaps cruelty was an essential trait for any politician.

A young man with a stern expression stood up on the left side below An Lushan. Slowly, he reached for his sword at his waist. The sword, dark as ink jade, gradually emerged from its sheath, emitting a terrifying cold glow under the moonlight. Under the silver light of the moon, its blade resembled that of a legendary sword.

His still somewhat youthful eyes were filled with tears, and the muscles on his pale cheeks twitched irregularly. Suddenly, turning around, An Qingen shouted at An Lushan, “Grandfather, don’t kill Brother Yan! He was deceived by that Yao. I’m sure I can persuade him to change his mind. I really can!”

The cold exterior he had tried so hard to maintain melted away in that moment due to family affection. Facing the only relative he had in this world, An Qingen simply couldn’t bear to be heartless.

“Useless wretch!” An Lushan stepped forward angrily, raised his right hand high, and slapped An Qingen’s pale cheek hard. A bright red mark spread across his right cheek like a plum blossom in winter. An Qingen staggered, and his sword fell to the ground.

Looking at the man before him in horror, An Qingen’s eyes were filled with confusion. After all, he was still in his early twenties. No matter how resolute he appeared outwardly, he couldn’t hide the fear deep in his heart toward the unknown. Especially when someone he trusted hurt him, the seemingly unshakable beliefs he had built would collapse in an instant, leaving only endless fear and pain in the darkness.

“I’ve raised you for so long, yet you turn out to be such a good-for-nothing. How have I taught you? Those in power only need to kill—kill, and keep killing! Once you enter this path, all ties to family are severed. If you’re such a sentimental fool, you’ll surely fail because of it.”

An Lushan grew more and more enraged, eventually turning red in the face with flames in his eyes.

Looking at the person who had raised him for decades, An Qingen felt somewhat unfamiliar with him. Ever since he could remember, he had never been comforted or nurtured like other fathers; he would not bandage his wounds after practicing martial arts. Now, he resembled an angry beast, determined to kill with his own hands the brother he admired the most, Yan Xu.

The strong wind swept across his cheeks, bringing tears to his eyes. The young man’s hands, gripping the sword, trembled violently as he slowly raised it, as if it weighed a ton.

Perhaps the hardest thing in life is not deciding between life and death, but making a choice between one’s closest loved ones and those who have nurtured them.

At that moment, An Qingen felt as if his heart was being devoured by ants, suffering immensely.

Finally, he shouted loudly, thrusting his right hand forward and stabbing the sword into Yan Xu’s lower ribs. The steel sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud, and with Yan Xu unprepared, pierced deep into his ribs. Yan Xu’s fingers twitched as they pointed at his beloved younger brother, his eyes filled with shock. He could not believe that the brother he cherished the most would kill him with his own hands. With confusion and reluctance, Yan Xu fell backward in front of the hall of the military governor’s residence.

By now, chaos reigned both inside and outside the military governor’s residence. Even An Lushan himself could not believe that this boy, barely twenty years old, could raise a sword and kill his most beloved brother-in-law.

In the blink of an eye, while everyone was astonished by An Qingen’s actions, Yao Si moved swiftly like the wind and appeared before An Lushan. With a swing of his sword, An Lushan felt a chill on his neck and instinctively tried to step back.

“Don’t move, or I won’t spare you with this sword!”

Yao Si snapped, pressing the blade downward a bit more. Blood could already be seen seeping from An Lushan’s neck.

“I won’t move. Please, Young Master Yao, loosen your grip. I won’t run away.”

Faced with this crisis, the once calm military governor now had cold sweat on his forehead, and his voice was much weaker.

With a cold snort, Yao Si loosened the sword slightly and shouted harshly, “You can’t come up with any tricks. But if you still harbor evil thoughts, I’ll use your head to pay tribute to Brother Yan Xu.”

These words made An Lushan shudder. After forcing himself to calm down, he apologized, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Young Master Yao, release me, and I’ll satisfy your demands.”

Yao Si laughed loudly, “Haha! Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? An Lushan, tell them to back off. Come with me. I’ll let you go once I’m safe.”

After pondering for a moment, An Lushan ordered, “All of you, step back. Do not act recklessly without my command. Young Master Yao is a man of virtue and righteousness; he will not harm my life.”
Yao Si remained unmoved and declared loudly, “Stop wasting words. Tell that boy to bring my elder brother here with me.”
An Lushan was already terrified and dared not disobey in the slightest.
“Qingxu, go with Young Master Yao right away.”
An Qingen was still trapped in the shadow of having just killed his own brother. He was momentarily stunned, helped his fallen brother to his feet, and instinctively walked toward Yao Si.
Seeing that everyone had stepped aside, Yao Si, holding An Lushan captive, slowly walked toward the outside of the military governor’s residence. As they stepped out of the gate, he struck An Lushan’s neck with a palm, causing the once-proud military governor to faint.
After tying him to the horse’s back, Yao Si also mounted his own horse. After signaling An Qingen to put Yan Xu on another fine horse, the four of them on two horses gradually disappeared into the twilight of the starry night.