Chapter 406: Grace and Enmity

Suddenly being told about his past, Yan Liqiang’s heartstrings were tugged as he listened to Yan Dechang recounting the tale mournfully.

Yan Liqiang was only an ordinary person in his previous life. He certainly didn’t expect to be born into a clan like this in this lifetime and be saddled with such a heavy history and past. He never liked the Shatu people ever since he first saw them. Little did he expect the bad blood between him, the Shatu Seven Tribes, and his country since long ago.

His Majesty must have had his own reasons for appointing Yan Liqiang as the Qiyun Protectorate General. By the strange trick of fate, Yan Liqiang, the newly-appointed Qiyun Protectorate General by the Emperor, also happened to be the most rightful heir to this position in the Great Han Empire.

There was no other explanation to this aside from it being the Will of Heaven.

“Then what about Mother? What happened to her?” Yan Liqiang asked with his reddened eyes.

“When your great grandfather served the Qiyun Protectorate General, he suddenly left the protectorate with your grandfather and returned to the pass. At that time, he didn’t attract too much attention. It wasn’t until something happened over at the Qiyun Protectorate when the Shatu people didn’t manage to find the Shuiyun Token, which was the Qiyun Protectorate General’s symbol of power and heritage, that someone mentioned your great grandfather again. The Shatu people searched high and low for your great grandfather. They looked everywhere for him and your great grandfather was well aware of that too. When your grandfather grew up, your great grandfather left Gan Province alone because he didn’t wish to implicate your grandfather and have the Shatu people discover the whereabouts of your grandfather through him.

“He headed to the Lan Province and lived in seclusion in Yushan Prefecture, where he opened up a small inn and never initiated any contact with us. Your grandfather and your mother would visit him once every one or two years. After you were born, your mother thought that your great grandfather was getting too old and she feared that she might miss out on the chance to let him meet you. So, she had a talk with me. When you were only six months old, we brought you to Lan Province to visit your great grandfather.”

Speaking up to this point, anguish flashed across Yan Dechang’s face. “I didn’t expect the Shatu people to have found your great grandfather when I brought your mother and you to Yushan Prefecture in Lan Province to visit him. After an intense battle, your great grandfather died on the spot, even though he managed to kill all the Shatu intruders. Your mother got hit by one of the Shatu men while trying to protect you. Although I got injured too while fighting with them, I was physically strong and I could take it. We escaped from Tianshui Prefecture, but your mother sustained critical wounds to her five visceras. The injuries were so serious that no medicine could heal her. A few days after we returned… she… she… left us…”

By the time he spoke until the end, tears were already cascading down Yan Dechang’s face even though he was a prideful man.

Yan Liqiang also wiped his overflowing tears away. “My great grandfather left so many years ago and hid his identity. How did those Shatu people trace him all the way to his hiding place in Lan Province that day?”

“Among those Shatu people who appeared before us that day, one of them was an old Han Chinese man. He seemed to be acquainted with your great grandfather back in the Qiyun Protectorate. No one knew how he became one of the Shatu people’s lackeys. He was the one who led them on the search for your great grandfather and identified him. Those Shatu men appeared to be part of a caravan, but they were actually a search team dispatched by the Shatu Seven Tribes to search for your great grandfather. They scoured so many prefectures in the northwestern region for so many years. When that man recognized your great grandfather upon their meeting, your great grandfather crushed his skull as soon as he called out his name in the inn…”

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“Does Uncle Qian know about this?”

“I only knew about your mother and your grandfather after marrying her, so Uncle Qian didn’t know anything about it until now!” Yan Dechang shook his head and wiped his tears, trying to calm his emotions.

“Your grandfather was cultivating a powerful technique back then, but he fell into Qi deviation. Your mother feared that you might follow his path, so she burned that secret manual after you were born. She never expected you to ever become some Qiyun Protectorate General beyond the pass when you grew up. All she wanted was for you to be safe and happy. No one expected you to return as a Qiyun Protectorate General after the trip to the Imperial Capital. This must be fate. I am only a blacksmith. I am not capable of imparting you any impressive martial techniques. I was strict with you when you were a child and forced you to train every day because I wished for the day you would become a hundred times stronger than me and possess great martial cultivation. Only then would you have the chance to avenge your mother by killing those Shatu dogs! Keep this Shuiyun Token with you from now on. You will decide what you want to do!”

Yan Dechang handed the Shuiyun Token to Yan Liqiang.

The Shuiyun Token was cold, heavy, and solid. Yan Liqiang held it in his hands as an icy, murderous glint flashed across his eyes.

“Rest assured, Father! I swear to destroy the Shatu Seven Tribes!” Yan Liqiang gripped the Shuiyun Token tightly in his hand as he spoke with strong murderous intent.

“The Shatu Seven Tribes are wicked ingrates to the Great Han Empire. They are treacherous and have a blood feud with my clan. Regardless of whether it is for my nation or my clan, I must completely eradicate the shameless and filthy Shatu Seven Tribes in the future! I swear I will obliterate them even if I have to chase them to the ends of the world. Heaven and Earth will testify to that!”

“I shall support you in whatever you do!” Yan Dechang gave Yan Liqiang a heavy pat on his shoulder. “Back then, I always thought about returning to your mother’s side once you grew up. However, I’ve made my decision to continue living from now on. I shall use the remainder of my life to witness how my son will bring honor to his ancestors as the Qiyun Protectorate General!”

……

On the last day, Yan Liqiang stayed at home and refused to meet any guests so that he could sort out everything in regards to Liuhe Town’s expansion.

Yan Liqiang specially allocated a courtyard in the Yan Residence for Steward Lu to use as their ‘construction headquarters’. He then took out the silver promissory notes worth four to five hundred taels of silver that he had set aside before, handed them to Yan Dechang, and let him be in charge of finance. Lastly, he also gave a ‘motivational speech’ to Steward Lu and the rest. On the third day of his return, Yan Liqiang left Qinghe County on his rhinodrake steed and rode directly toward the Huanglong Weaponsmiths Quarter with Qian Su…

This time, he only brought Hu Haihe back to Huanglong County because Yu Qing was too young and was a girl, so he chose not to bring her along. Since Yu Qing had been expressing her interest in becoming a martial practitioner, Yan Liqiang freed up some time before he left Qinghe County to teach Yu Qing the Nine Palace Wind Shadow Steps technique, as well as a simple sword technique that he picked up in the Divine Sword Sect. He also taught her some basic techniques to build her foundation, so Yu Qing could have the ability to protect herself…