113: Where Is Your Soul?

Within ten seconds of the final arrow hitting the ground, the scene was filled with cries of agony. The eighty-eight arrows had riddled the dozen or so burly men like a beehive. Mingtian looked up to see that all the men on one side of the encirclement had collapsed, some dead, some wounded.

"Nobody move!"

A familiar voice, accompanied by a petite figure. Turning around, he saw Yin Chan, followed by seven or eight blacksmiths from the forge. In this moment of extreme peril, they had finally arrived with the Divine Machine Arrows. The square-shaped arrow canisters were densely packed with spiral-tipped bolts. Such arrowheads were difficult to manufacture in ancient times but could increase lethality several times over, though their accuracy was generally low—of course, the Divine Machine Arrows did not require accuracy. The fuses at the base were tied together; once lit, all the arrows would fire at once.

Yin Chan held a torch, standing beside the apparatus. If the Resistance soldiers made even the slightest move, she would not hesitate to ignite the remaining five canisters.

"An Luo..." she whispered, her gaze fixed on An Luo. Her delicate face was etched with deep concern and fury. Following her gaze, she saw An Luo lying on the ground, covered in wounds. Though he could not move, he was at least alive. This allowed her and Mingtian to let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Phew, my people have finally arrived." Collapsing onto the ground with no strength left, Cui Jue wore a smile of someone who had narrowly escaped death.

At the same moment, hundreds of men poured in from the streets and alleys, marching in unison. Their numbers were triple what they had been that night. In an instant, the once-formidable Resistance soldiers were completely surrounded, and with Yin Chan’s Divine Machine Arrows trained on them, the Resistance force was beyond redemption.

"Mingtian!"

Another familiar voice, accompanied by the clanking of armor. Looking toward the sound, he saw Xiao Xinzhu charging through the crowd, clad in full plate.

Xinzhu? What was she doing here? Before Mingtian could react, the sharp edges of her armor were pressing against him as she embraced him.

"Mingtian, are you alright?" Xiao Xinzhu was careful, holding him gently so as not to injure her beloved with her armor.

Mingtian looked at her, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

Though her expression was hidden behind the armor, her concern was palpable. "Mo Wang woke up. He insisted on coming, no matter what, so I brought him along... Why did you have to charge to the front lines yourself? I thought you were directing from the rear. Did you and An Luo both intend to leave me behind?"

The intensity of her emotions filled Mingtian with guilt, and he lowered his head. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Glancing to the side, he saw the child Mo Wang, limping toward them with Mo’er’s support.

Faced with ten times their number and the terrifying power of the Divine Machine Arrows, the remaining twenty or so men were in total despair. They looked at the surrounding crowd, at a complete loss.

"Master!" Seeing Mingtian sitting on the ground, Mo’er threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The child was truly a crybaby. Stroking her head, Mingtian offered a wry smile.

Looking up, he met Mo Wang’s listless eyes. That look seemed to be pleading—begging Mingtian to spare these twenty soldiers.

Spare them? Faced with the silent request, Mingtian hesitated. According to his principles, they had nearly killed An Luo. Even if they were fighting for their families, Mingtian could hardly forgive them. But... at least An Luo wasn't dead, just unconscious. If he wasn't dead...

Mingtian wrestled with his thoughts for a long time while looking at the desperate men. Finally, he made a decision. If for no other reason than for the sake of Mo Wang’s future, he was willing to make an exception and give them a chance.

"Drop your weapons. This is your final warning." Rising to his feet, Mingtian took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart.

Instead of complying, the men gripped their blades tighter. Hatred flared on their faces as they looked at Mingtian, once again restless.

"Brothers, we cannot surrender! What will happen to our families if we do?" The leader shouted, violently trying to bolster their morale.

These words caused the remaining men to roar in defiance, even beginning to advance toward Mingtian, preparing for a final charge. Faced with such foolishness fueled by high spirits, Mingtian’s suppressed fury erupted.

"What the hell kind of stupid shit are you people doing?!!!!"

The hysterical roar, like a violent hurricane, blew away their newly ignited morale. Mingtian’s gaze was like a torch, his face twisted in rage. For Mo Wang’s sake, he had decided to spare them, but before he could let them go, he had to make them realize the stupidity of their actions.

"I understand! Because De Yi'ao wanted to kill me and seize the Princess, he hated me after I escaped, which is why he used these methods to threaten you in his desperation. Yes, I understand how you feel. But can you, for just one second, think carefully... Am I really the root of this evil?!!!! Do my brothers and I really deserve to be your enemies?!!!!"

Shouting hysterically, Mingtian’s breathing grew ragged—not from exhaustion, but from a fury that had reached its peak. A fury born of stupidity!

"B-but if we don't kill you, what will happen to our families? Are you the only one with brothers? We have families too!!" The leader, unwilling to give up, was now teary-eyed. "If we don't do as he says, what will happen to our families? Tell me!"

A towering man, seven feet tall, knelt on the ground in agony, questioning Mingtian. It was clear that behind their madness lay a helplessness that moved one to pity. They were doing what they knew was wrong for the sake of their families, but...

"Then let your families die." Mingtian declared with a raspy voice, a conclusion no one expected. "Let them die just like that."

He took two steps forward, inhaling the air thick with the scent of blood, his heart sinking.

"That's right, fighting for your family is not wrong at all. You rose up for Yangzhou, you fought for Yangzhou. And now, your leader has done things more despicable than the forces of Xiao Yaoguang who occupy Yangzhou, or even the Jie tribe, and then used your families to threaten you. You have no choice, right? Yes, that's correct."

"Your families joined the Resistance just like you. You abandoned your ideals for your families, you indulged De Yi'ao’s recklessness for your families. That’s not wrong at all! Even knowing you’d be treated like trash after being used, you still sold your lives for him... because you’re all doing it for your families!!"

His sudden, piercing roar, a cry from the heart, mocked these men with his harsh tone. The words seemed to make them recall their original intentions, but although they lowered their heads, not one was willing to abandon their blade. Because to a person, family is everything.

"We aren't willing either. We hate it too. We all know we’ll be discarded like trash once we’re used, but... but..." The leader’s body trembled. "But no matter how much we hate it, there's nothing we can do. We can only blind ourselves to accept it. Do you understand how we feel? We only accepted this reality because we had no choice!!!"

"Why accept it?"

The moment he finished, Mingtian’s counter-question left him speechless. The man pursed his lips and licked his dry mouth. "Because our families are our everything..."

"So what?!!!!"

The roar drowned out the sound of the wind. The near-shattering scream left the scene in total silence.

"Do you want pity? Do you want comfort? If the people of Yangzhou knew what you had done, would they forgive you? Don't you think this is the greatest betrayal of your own loved ones? Look at the corpses of the civilians caught in this battle—don't you feel ashamed?!!!! Have you forgotten why you joined the Resistance? Was there anyone among you who didn't join with the resolve to die?!"

Mingtian shook his head with a sneer. Contempt—yes, pure contempt. Looking at these men, he laughed derisively.

"And you call this a Resistance? Betraying your original intent for profit, betraying Yangzhou for your families. What kind of bullshit resistance is this? The Jie tribe is more honorable than De Yi'ao and all of you!"

As he laughed, his smile froze. "At least when they do evil, they don't hide behind the banner of justice. At least they don't eat their own countrymen when cornered! At least they don't betray their own principles! And you?!!"

"It's true, if everyone does it, then even if it's wrong, others were wrong first. That’s the herd mentality, and it’s hard to blame. But you are soldiers! Honorable soldiers fighting for Yangzhou, not ordinary civilians!"

He stepped forward, ignoring their lethal blades. Mingtian grabbed the leader by the face and roared.

"I’m telling you, if my brother did what De Yi'ao did, if my brother used my woman to threaten me, I would kill my brother and my woman together. Do you know why I would do that?"

Faced with the sharp question, the man shook his head blankly.

"Because that is what a man does! That is what fighting is! That is what a soldier is! That... is what resistance is! If no one wants to take responsibility, if everyone just wants to protect their own kin, then there are no soldiers left!!!!"

"To be a soldier means to carry your pain and keep moving forward! You must face reality, no matter how hard it is to accept! Because that is what a fight is! A soldier’s unspoken grievances can be taken to the grave! Do you compromise and become an accomplice just because someone threatens your family? Don't make me laugh! A soldier shouldn't lack that much backbone!!"

"You, who were born as a hope during the dark age of Yangzhou under evil rule, you who rose up to resist Xiao Yaoguang—I believe that the soul of this resistance is still hidden somewhere deep inside your hearts!!!!"

The impassioned roar pierced everyone’s soul. It was true—everyone wanted to protect their family, and they were all willing to die for them. That wasn't wrong. Anyone would feel that way.

But... they couldn't think that way, and they couldn't act that way. Because they were soldiers, and they had sworn to fight for Yangzhou! Precisely because they were soldiers, they could not prioritize their families when faced with such a choice!

They had all been wrong!

"So, will you choose to die here with your blades in hand, or will you lay them down and become soldiers again?"

Faced with the question that awakened their souls, the leader finally realized the truth. Dazed, his blade fell to the ground. One, two... ten... and finally, everyone dropped their weapons. Fighting for family was not wrong, but as soldiers of the Yangzhou Resistance, indulging De Yi'ao for the sake of their families was a transgression.

This was the choice of a soldier; this was the true essence of resistance!

All the men, finally awakened, knelt one by one. After a long silence, the leader made his decision.

"We surrender."

Because as soldiers, the moment they chose their families over their duty, they were no longer worthy of the title.