Chapter 47: A Long Howl (7)

“Ah!”
Pu Da Chui reached for the rope again with all his might, but still missed. Now, the rope, which had seemed so close, felt as distant as the ends of the earth, out of reach. From the force of his attempts, his body sank even further, with the quicksand already covering his shoulders.
“Ah! Get up, get up!”
Gritting his teeth, Pu Da Chui leaned forward and stretched his arms desperately toward the rope made of torn cloth.
He couldn’t give up—he absolutely couldn’t!
He had just achieved fame and status; he hadn’t yet married or had children. He couldn’t die so early! Why was fate so unfair? He had earned his status through his own efforts—damned fate!
Pu Da Chui cursed over and over, but his body sank deeper and deeper. Lei Yidao, seeing this, grew frantic and broke into sweat. “General Pu, push harder! Otherwise…”
Lei Yidao seemed to suddenly remember something. He pulled hard to retrieve the rope made of cloth, found a sharp-edged stone nearby, tied it to the cloth, and threw it toward Pu Da Chui.
Hey! This kid really knows how to handle things! Pu Da Chui was overjoyed. Taking a deep breath, he leaped and finally grabbed the rope.
“We’ve got it! We’ve got it!”
Lei Yidao jumped up excitedly and called out, “Someone come quick! Help pull General Pu up!”
By then, Zheng Dabao, Tu Changfeng, and others had also arrived. Seeing this, they rushed over and grabbed the rope.
“One, two!”
Lei Yidao tested the rope’s strength and, seeing it was stable, began pulling hard.
“One, two, three!”
With the three of them pulling together, Pu Da Chui slowly moved closer to the shore of the Sand River.
Still, his body continued to sink into the sand, forcing him to constantly shift his position to prevent the quicksand from reaching his neck.
“Ah!”
Pu Da Chui roared repeatedly to sustain his will to survive!
“Hold on, General Pu! Let’s try again!”
Lei Yidao wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled harder.
“Ah!”
The Sand River was truly strange—the more effort Lei Yidao and the others put in, the faster Pu Da Chui’s body sank. This effect was even more pronounced because Pu Da Chui was wearing bright armor.
“We’re getting closer! We’re getting closer!”
Still, they had pulled Pu Da Chui quite close to the shore, and the chances of success grew greater.
Just then, the sound of arrows slicing through the air was heard, followed by hundreds of arrows shooting toward the Sand River, aimed at Pu Da Chui!
Boom!

Lei Yidao’s mind exploded suddenly as he stared in shock at what was happening before his eyes. He was too foolish—since the rebels intended to lure General Pu into the Flowing Sand River, they must have had a backup plan. It seemed they wanted him to witness General Pu being killed by a barrage of arrows!
“Ugh!”
Pu Da Chui felt several sharp arrows pierce his body. Thanks to his bright armor, most of the arrows failed to penetrate it, but some managed to slip through the gaps and bite into his flesh.
“Ah!”
The pain, unprecedented for him, quickly spread throughout his body. It was like being bitten by snakes or scorpions—a scorching pain that surged through his veins.
“General, hold on! I’ll find a way!”
Lei Yidao paced frantically, himself hit by several arrows. At this point, Pu Da Chui certainly didn’t have the strength to hold onto the rope. Moreover, even if they pulled him up…
Lei Yidao didn’t dare think further. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down.
Why was this happening? Why had things turned out this way? Such a brave general as General Pu ended up dying in such a despicable manner. Why was fate so unfair?
“Stop thinking about it. Give up!”
Pu Da Chui, surprisingly, felt somewhat at peace. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Cough, cough… Go back and tell the commander that Da Chui can no longer hold the flag for him, can no longer shield him with his sword. It’s all my fault. Haha, my own fault…”
The flowing sand had already reached Pu Da Chui’s chin, and he continued to sink at a visible pace.
“General, please don’t give up!”
“It’s useless. This is my fate. Haha. I, Pu Da Chui, have always defied fate. I’ve fought against it my whole life, but in the end, one can’t escape their destiny. A person’s fate is predetermined by heaven…”
Pu Da Chui’s breath grew weaker, and his vision grew blurrier. He had never felt death approaching so clearly as now.
So this is what it’s like before dying, huh? Haha. He never expected that Pu Da Chui would die in such a humiliating way, not on the battlefield.
No, no!
Pu Da Chui abruptly pulled out an arrow that had pierced his armor and shouted at Lei Yidao, who was a few steps away, “Tell the commander that I, Da Chui, have no other concerns—only my wife and children back home. Please, out of gratitude for all these years I’ve served him, take care of them for me. That’s all… I have no other worries! Haha, haha!”
“Pfft!”

Pu Dachui suddenly thrust the armor-piercing arrow at his own neck. The moment the arrow pierced his flesh, his body stiffened as he took a deep breath.
He, Pu Dachui, died with his head held high. Haha, he died with his head held high.
“General!”
“General!”
“Ah! Ah!”
Lei Yidao let out frantic roars, but it was of no use—General Dachui was dead. General Dachui had actually died!
No, no! You cruel heavens, why are you so heartless? Ah, ah!
“General Pu, you can’t die! Didn’t you say you’d take us back to Chang’an after quelling the rebellion? You can’t die! Ah, ah! You cruel heavens!”
A gust of cold wind blew, erasing all traces in the Liusha River. Aside from that arrow and the pool of blood, nothing had happened. Nothing at all…
When the morning light grew brighter, Li Kuo stood silently by the Liusha River, gazing at its surface.
The river was so straight, so smooth. Its gray sand was smooth and free from any dust. It seemed as if nothing had happened here. Really nothing?
The pool of bright red blood just a dozen steps away was proof!
Behind him were the veterans of the Tongwu Camp—brothers who had fought side by side with him and shared life and death with Dachui. It was only right for them to see Dachui off.
“Dachui, I’m sorry to you…”
Dou Qing knelt on the ground, crying bitterly as he stared at the vast expanse of sand: “I used to tease you all the time and often argue with you in the army, making you look bad. I… I’m here to apologize to you, brother!”
“Brother Pu, how… how…”
Xianyu Yu choked up as he looked at the endless sand, shaking his head: “Don’t worry. We brothers promise to avenge you. Those damned barbarians—I’ll use their heads to honor you!”
“Brother Dachui, though I haven’t known you for long, I can see you’re a humble and kind man. Don’t worry—your family will be my family from now on. As long as I, Li Sheng, have food to eat, they’ll never go hungry!”
Li Sheng let out a sad sigh and murmured to himself.
Li Kuo untied the wine pouch from his waist and poured the wine along the riverbank.
“Dachui, can you hear us? Your brothers have come to see you. Rest in peace over there—don’t worry. I and the other brothers will protect your wife and nephew!”

Li Kuo clenched his fists tightly and said, “Don’t worry. I, Li Kuo, and all the brothers of the Tongwu Camp have remembered this grudge. No matter where Ashina Baxie hides, I will chop off his head and present it to you as an offering!” With that, Li Kuo swung forcefully and threw the wine pouch he held into the heart of the Flowing Sands River. The pouch spun several times before landing precisely on a patch of blood-stained sand, sinking deep within moments later. “How can we say we lack clothes? I’ll share my robe with you. When the king raises an army, let us sharpen our spears. We share the same hatred. How can we say we lack clothes…” Across the vast river of sand, the soldiers of the Tongwu Camp sang that Tang military song they had sung countless times before. Their voices, filled with passion and sorrow, crossed realms and reached that distant foreign land. “Hehe, Commander, for every cup of wine, I’ll give you a brother!” Pu Da Chui’s honest smile seemed to appear before him once again. Li Kuo’s eyes moistened as he murmured, “Da Chui, let’s be brothers again in our next life, okay?”