Li Xiao Yao……”
As the morning sun shone lightly, I opened my eyes slowly, and saw a woman more beautiful than a dream. She rocked the cradle slowly, and stared at me with a happy smile at the corner of her mouth, “Quickly grow up so you can protect Mama……”
I turned my head to look, but only found myself lying in the cradle. I raised my young, tender and tiny hands with all my effort, wanting to touch the woman’s face. Yet, my hands were unable to stretch higher. Instead, I uttered in a squeaky voice.
“Mama, Mama……”
I widened my eyes, trying as hard as I could to to see her more clearly. Was this an illusion or reality?
Suddenly, the images disappeared and the gentle face of the woman disappeared, along with the scenery. A wide, desolate meadow then appeared. I was carrying a bag of broken long swords, and staggering as I walked through the field in the dark of night.
“Bang!”
A gunshot rang out, and flashes lit up the side of the mountain. Right in front of me, one of my teammates collapsed on the ground with a hole through his skull. Blood kept flowing out in a seemingly endless stream. His body twitched involuntarily, but his young soul had already withdrawn rapidly from his body.
“It’s an ambush! Find cover!” Someone shouted loudly.
With lightning speed, everyone dropped into the bushes. Yet, the sounds of gunfire on the mountain rang out incessantly. Every gunshot was accompanied by the loss of a life. I tumbled in the mud, and suddenly leapt up. With my top speed, I dashed towards the faraway forest. As bullets flew past my ears, I raised my hand, and flung the long sword I was grasping!
“Ah……”
With a groan one of the enemies was killed by my long sword. At this moment, I felt a burning sensation in my arm – I had been shot. I waved my fist and drove it towards the other direction. One by one, I slaughtered the enemy like a trapped beast that fought with a desperate determination. Yet, the sounds of gunfire did not stop. It was only until the end that the sounds finally died down, and the fertile field regained its calmness.
I returned with bloodstains all over me, only to see my buddies lying dead in a pool of blood. They had been aiming and searching for the ambush spot, yet all of them were killed as easily as oxen were slaughtered.
“Ahhhhhh…….”
My long sword dropped to the ground as I lifted my head and roared furiously. The lightning tore the earth, and heavy rain poured down. The icy cold rain pattered on my face; no one cared about my agony and pain, and no one understood the grief of losing a brother. I held Tian Tong’s corpse in my arms, and I felt his warmth disperse as sadness and rage filled my heart.
……
“Ah……”
I suddenly woke up. My whole body started trembling while the dreadful scene of Tian Tong’s body being shot several times to the point that it was almost mashed, danced through my mind. I clenched my fist, and sat up straight on the sickbed while uttering with a lump in my throat, “I……I……”
Beside me, a pretty little beauty sat there. As soon as she saw that I was awake, she immediately leapt into my arms and cried furiously. Yet, not a word was spoken.
My body also trembled. My mind was filled with pieces of my memories. The scenes that I had almost forgotten, or the scenes that I had never remembered, lingered. Until the moment I raised my hands to hug the girl in my arms, I didn’t realize that I had returned to reality. Wan Er couldn’t stop crying, and her tears rapidly wet my shoulder.
“Wan Er……”
I held her, and caressed her back softly, “I’m awake. It’s alright. It’s alright……”
Wan Er’s delicate shoulders quivered continuously as she spoke with tears in her eyes, “Do you know how long have you been unconscious? Three days, three whole days. Everyone thought you wouldn’t wake up again. Sniff. If you had left, we…… we……”