After that, the replies were continuous, almost as if they were rushing forward one after another.

"I'm coming!"

"I'm coming!"

"I'm coming!"

Suddenly, a loud, hearty laugh echoed through the sky, followed immediately by the sight of a majestic eagle spreading its wings and soaring upwards. Then, in an instant, a powerful cry resounded from the heavens, followed by an incessant, furious roar directed at the ground.

"I'm here too, you beasts! It's been over forty years since we last faced off. Today, let me see how much winter fat you've stored up—enough for my brothers to have a feast, I hope!"

And so, at that very moment, atop the Quan State City wall, as these figures of the older generation leaped down one by one, everyone who witnessed it found their gazes completely drawn to them. Then, the gaps they left behind were quickly filled as various commanders mobilized their forces to take their places.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ninety percent of the elderly figures had vanished from the city wall, leaving only the Beast Clan group below.

Suddenly, the Beast Clan group, which had been furiously charged by those wildly roaring, advancing elders, was riddled with countless holes where they had smashed through. Looking out, one saw a gruesome scene: fresh blood flowed like rivers, and flesh and gore were everywhere.

Only the beasts, whose ferocity remained undiminished—indeed, had become even more frenzied by the deaths of their companions—continued to roar wildly, venting their anger and vital energy.

"ROAR!..."

"HOWL!!..."

"SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK!!..."

Unfortunately, their reactions—coming from beasts whose highest strength was at best General-level, and facing those ferocious, veteran Martial Artists of the older generation—were utterly pointless. In fact, within an instant, the enormous commotion they made turned them into prime targets for concentrated fire.

One should know that since these old-timers had become the scouts at the front, the most important task before them was, of course, to quickly break out from the Beast Clan group. They needed to carve a clear path for themselves in the shortest time possible, allowing them room to maneuver. Of course, if one or two Grandmasters or Martial King experts among them didn't want to reposition but instead chose to fight desperately to kill enemies, that was also acceptable. However, they would have to be wary of the Beast Clan group rapidly adjusting its formation due to their arrival. Ultimately, the beasts would silently gather a large number of middle-high rank beasts to encircle them, leaving those trapped with no way to escape. This was a common tactic of the Beast Clan: overwhelm with presence, crush with power, suppress with numbers, and dominate with quantity... only then would they devour humans with their sharp fangs and claws.

Meanwhile, atop the city wall, Hua Qing and Green Grain were still lingering.

In fact, Hua Qing had wanted to jump down long ago. He could see that the longer he remained, the greater the pressure Jin Botao would face. Of course, this pressure wasn't external, whether from morale or the Beast Clan groups; it came from within Jin Botao himself! After all, the longer Hua Qing stayed, the more suspicious his presence became, and the greater the possibility that he was an enemy spy. Hua Qing could even clearly see a bald man, who had earlier rushed frantically to Jin Botao's side to protect him, now fixing a fierce, unwavering gaze upon him.

But there was nothing to be done. In this world, apart from possessing even greater power, what could change a strong man's mind? Perhaps all it took was a single sentence from a woman.

Just like before, when the old woman, watching her companions leap down one after another in an almost unending stream, had said to Hua Qing,

"My dowry is something I must strive for myself. So, this time, let's act together! If I die, please watch me die, and kill a few more beasts for my sake.

"If you die, you wait for me. I'll try my best to kill one more, to make these beasts our livestock, then I'll be on my way to join you..."

That single sentence had, in an instant, completely changed Hua Qing's mind. Because he remembered! The reason he and Green Grain had missed each other in the past was that during one battle, they had chosen to act separately. After that, they had been parted for over forty years! So now, after enduring so many hardships, even being so close yet having to wait until today to truly reunite after all their trials, they finally saw each other's familiar face once more.

So, were they to repeat what happened over forty years ago? Were they to helplessly accept fate's arrangement and truly let their lives wither away?

No!

Absolutely not!

And so, Hua Qing waited patiently until only the two of them remained atop the city wall. If we've met again, let it be for a lifetime; I can't let the tragedy of the past happen again.

Thus, after all the old-timers had departed, Hua Qing finally turned around. He looked at this woman, her youthful beauty faded by time, yet whose pure heart seemed eternal, and smiled gently.

"Excuse me, my beautiful lady," he said softly, "now that it's just us left, may we set off?"

Green Grain offered a gentle smile. Though time had passed and seasons had turned, the smile on her face was as pure and heartening as ever. Then, Green Grain gently took his arm. There was no shyness, no annoyance—it was perfectly natural, as if destined to be. She turned her head to look at that pretty-boy face of his, the face of Xiao Bai that had occupied her thoughts for decades, yet remained unchanged. She chuckled softly, then solemnly promised, "Of course, we can..."

"Then let's go!"

The next moment, two figures leaped from the city wall. Only Hua Qing's clear, melodious laughter lingered, echoing above the ramparts, telling of his past.

"HAHAHA! Crossing the river to pick hibiscus, the orchid marshes abound with fragrant herbs. Whom shall I give them to, once picked? My thoughts are with one on a distant road..."

However, no matter what Hua Qing was reciting at that moment, everyone understood. The beauty described in this verse, inherited from remote antiquity—the one Hua Qing alluded to with "my thoughts are with one on a distant road"—had now appeared by his side.

And so, in that instant, the two elderly figures who flashed briefly atop the city wall before vanishing into the dense hordes of the beast groups became forever etched in people's hearts.

At the same time, some people were even thinking, These people are the true Federation's people! They're just like the heroes from the dark years—those forced onto a path of escape, yet whose hearts still clung to the age-old tales of chivalry and righteousness passed down through generations in the human world!

Naturally, this scene was also witnessed by those Martial Students who, due to Jin Botao's strict orders, had been forcibly brought to the city wall to fight enemies like child laborers. They saw it all.

No one could truly know how profoundly shaken they were. They only knew that in that moment, seeing those grandfathers and grandmothers, they had witnessed a spirit of facing death unflinchingly! Or perhaps, it could be called the determination of a moth drawn to a flame! In any case, they believed that even if those elders were just ordinary people, they probably wouldn't have changed their resolve.

And so, they couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild, a seed of understanding beginning to grow in their hearts. If one day we have to face this kind of situation, how will we choose?

After all, we're already big kids, almost adults; we should also start learning to think for ourselves.

What they didn't realize, however, was that after witnessing the actions of the older generation, they were actually quite bewildered. For instance, they truly didn't understand why those elders had to hurl themselves at the beast groups one after another, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. For instance, what was the point of abandoning the defense of the city wall so directly, potentially losing countless powerful experts forever? And for another, why hadn't the State Governor appeared or tried to dissuade them when they made such a choice?

Of course, they also knew that seeing those elders descend upon the Beast Clan group, witnessing their renowned power and the battlefield strewn with casualties, was enough to prove their formidable strength. Yet, they still didn't understand. They really didn't.

Until the next moment, when a merciless smack landed hard on their heads, or a brutal kick slammed into their stomachs. The intense pain and the subsequent surge of anger made them want to lash out at the soldiers.

One should know, they were Martial Students! They were the future hope of Quan State, and even the future hope of the Federation! Given that, what right did these soldiers have to hit us!

But very quickly, they understood completely why they had been struck. Because when they looked, the very soldier who had just slapped or kicked them was now standing rooted to the spot, roaring in pain, his eyes wide with agony. And his arm, or thigh, or waist, was clamped firmly in the jaws of one ferocious, savage beast after another. All he could do was let out continuous, sharp cries.

"AHHH!!!"

At this, the faces of these Martial Students instantly turned deathly pale, completely drained of color. They didn't need to see anything else. Just looking at those "soldier-uncles" who, in trying to warn them, had been seized and bitten by beasts—seeing the copious amounts of fresh blood flowing helplessly from their bodies—was enough for these younger ones to understand. How much pain those men must be in! And how precious was the kindness of those soldiers, who had risked falling into the tiger's maw just to snap them out of their daze.

However, some soldiers who had already reacted and were busy slaughtering the attacking beasts, turned on the students and began to curse them furiously, without mercy. In an instant, the students were bombarded with a torrent of scolding.

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