The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 47 Holding the Sword

The passing of Stone's mother was something many people didn't expect.

I felt he was still young, and then he suddenly passed away.

When Li Shoutian learned of this, he jumped up and down, slapping Qi Ermao twice and cursing him thoroughly: "Why didn't you stop him! Don't you even understand the principle of 'while parents are alive, one should not travel far'?! Unfilial son! Unfilial son!!"

Qi Ermao accepted it without arguing or dodging.

Although it may not be that I angered my aunt to death, I can't escape being implicated in this matter.

The villagers scolded him and cursed Stone a few more times.

Chu Xun stepped forward and said, "Respect for the dead is paramount. If my sister-in-law were alive, she might not want to hear you all cursing her son like this."

The villagers listened in silence, stopped cursing, and quietly went about their business.

A group of women were helping to tear the mourning cloth, comforting Stone's wife, and wiping away tears.

Qiaohua was holding her baby, who was a few months old, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying for the past two days.

She got married, had a baby, and the year-end has just passed; another year of good times is just around the corner.

The man secretly ran away to join the army, and his mother-in-law was so angry that she died.

How can we live like this?

Li Shoutian ordered people to set up the mourning hall. He saw that the children who usually followed Shi Tou around were all standing there quietly without saying a word.

He was furious and raised his hand to yell, "Get out of here! If you're not going to work, don't just stand there! Aren't you in the way enough already?"

"Father, don't get sick from all this, especially in the dead of winter," Li Guangmao said as he came over to comfort him.

Li Shoutian, with his gray hair, has been working tirelessly for the village over the years; otherwise, he wouldn't have aged so quickly.

I want to say a few more words, but I don't know who to say them to.

A few days later, Stone's mother was buried according to the village's customs.

The coffin bearers were all strong men from the village. Qi Ermao originally wanted to help, but Li Shoutian kicked him aside.

"You little brat, if you ever cause trouble like this in the future, just wait and see how I deal with you! Don't think that just because your father isn't here, nobody will discipline you!"

Over the years, in addition to Chu Xun taking care of the orphans and widows in the village, Li Shoutian has also helped them a lot.

He truly treated the children as his own family, always running around to help anyone in need without complaint.

In terms of arable land, he is not as good as the water buffalo that Chu Xun bought.

But the water buffalo, which only knows how to plow the fields, is far inferior to him.

The coffin was carried into the Stone family's field, where a deep pit had already been dug.

Chu Xun took the iron spade and, after the coffin was lowered, began shoveling soil into it.

After the grave mound was erected, Li Shoutian kicked Qi Ermao over.

Although he wasn't her son, Qi Ermao still wore mourning clothes and willingly knelt before the grave, kowtowing several times.

Half of it was from my own knocking, and half was from knocking on behalf of the stone.

Chu Xun stood behind and watched, vaguely recalling the time many years ago when he passed by Shi Tou's house on his way back from the fields.

The naked doll, its buttocks were all black, said it had forgotten how to write the number "four".

The still-attractive woman covered her mouth and chuckled at him, "What could that little girl possibly know? Would you like your sister-in-law to teach you something?"

"It's only been a little over ten years..."

Chu Xun sighed again, forming a hand seal.

Rain Technique +1

According to local custom, if it rains during a burial, it's considered a sign from heaven, and the deceased will be reborn into a better family in the next life.

The drizzling raindrops fell near the grave, and Qi Ermao was soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold.

Rainwater streamed down his face, cool and salty.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and knelt down in front of the grave, weeping bitterly.

regret.

I was terrified.

From then on, Qi Ermao would go to Shi Tou's house every day.

Chopping wood, carrying water.

He volunteered to do all the work in the fields.

Weeding, fertilizing, and pest control—not a single day was missed.

Chunni often goes to her home to help with housework and cleaning.

Qiaohua held the infant in her arms, half-sitting on the edge of the bed, watching them busily working.

The spacious new house should have been a place where three generations could live together in harmony.

Now only she and her child are left. Although people come and go every day, she only feels lonely.

Young children don't understand human affairs; they only know to cry when they're hungry and look for milk.

Qiaohua blankly pulled open her clothes and gently pulled the child's head closer to her chest.

The child scratched and chewed, but couldn't find the right spot for a long time. Just as he was about to cry out, he felt something warm fall on his face.

Curious, she opened her eyes wide and looked at her mother's wet chin.

Each teardrop was murky and unclear.

He stretched out his chubby little hand and gently touched the teardrop.

The novelty and unique feeling made him chuckle.

Chunni, who was wiping the table, turned around and saw Qiaohua's teary eyes.

Her heart tightened; she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

In the following two years, the Shi family's harvest was more than that of Qi Ermao's own family.

Despite this, neither Qi Ermao, his mother, nor his wife Chunni had any objections.

This is owed to the Stone family.

Two years later, Stone sent a letter saying that he had become a corporal.

But the war continues, and they cannot go home yet.

Qiaohua was both surprised and delighted. Her husband was not dead, and had even become an official!

Little did they know that the squad leader was not a military officer; although he led five men, he was still a soldier.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Northern Desert Camp.

Although the Ma tribe's invasion was repelled, their main force was not annihilated, and they remained relentless, showing no intention of retreating.

The general leading the troops this time is Marquis Yang Yi of Anping, who is skilled in surprise attacks.

During the wars before the founding of the nation, he led two thousand men on a raid of eight hundred li, capturing a major enemy city and taking more than seventy percent of the wives, children, and elderly of the generals prisoner.

This caused their morale to collapse, ultimately leading to their failure.

Despite the Ma tribe's invasion, Marquis Anping displayed undiminished power and devised numerous ingenious schemes.

However, the counterattack in the northern desert was hampered by the freezing cold and complex terrain.

Deserts, Gobi, grasslands—they're hidden so well you can't find them anywhere.

The army had been here for dozens of days but had not yet found the remaining main force of the enemy. Worried about the supply of food and provisions, many people had suggested that they retreat first.

Marquis Anping did not want to leave just yet. He was getting old and might not have the chance to fight any major battles in the future.

This battle may very well be our last moment of glory; we cannot afford to leave any regrets.

Inside the camp, all the military officers of the rank of centurion and above arrived.

During the war, Marquis Anping had a personal guard who was turned against him and was nearly beheaded in the night. Therefore, he forbade military officers to bring weapons into his tent.

A large number of various weapons were placed on the open ground outside the tent.

Some centurions and squad leaders gathered in twos and threes to discuss whether to retreat or continue the attack.

Below them were the lowly corporals, who would gather in small groups of two or three to discuss what food and drink they had in their hometown, and whose wives were prettier.

A cold wind blew, making everyone shiver and curse, "What kind of hellhole is this? How can the horse tribe survive to be so big?"

Many people simply threw their weapons on the ground, otherwise the cold, icy grip on their hands was unbearable.

At that moment, a corporal wearing a half-body cloth armor walked over.

The so-called cloth armor was actually just a few broken iron pieces nailed onto thick cotton cloth, which was better than nothing.

It was so dirty that its original color was no longer visible, covered with sand and dust from the northern desert, making it look more like a hard clod of earth.

Arriving at the front of the main tent, he looked down at the various weapons on the ground, carefully examined them, and then bent down to pick up one of them, a goose-feather saber with a cow horn handle.

The iron disc with cloud-patterned design has smooth edges, indicating that it has been held for many years.

The scabbard, made of wrought iron, is inlaid with two brass ornaments, each engraved with the character "Zhou".

It was heavy and cold, almost like an ice cube.

The young corporal suddenly pulled open his shirt and stuffed the entire knife inside.