Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Life of a Hero (Third
Update) 1
Taking advantage of the two-day break, Fang Cheng started watching various war movies to further deepen his impression of war.
War, in a narrow sense, is a dispute between nations, based on the interests of states.
War may require a reason or it may not. However, a war without reason can take a century to erase its impact, and it is very likely to be retaliated in the name of vengeance.
In a broader sense, war encompasses more, including trade wars, individuals’ struggles against fate, civil wars... all of these are forms of war.
There are many entry points to war, such as civilians, soldiers, generals, strategists...
Heroes, Demon Kings, magicians...
Ordinary people, psychics, anti-psychics...
There are countless films and shows about war, and counting the broader definition of war, there are even more.
Beyond that, war is also an important theme in games, from real-time strategy to capture the flag, from role-playing to civilization simulation—war is a significant branch in gaming.
After watching for a long time, Fang Cheng still couldn’t grasp the interesting parts of war.
A single Palm Thunder...
Patting his head, he told himself to break away from the Immortal’s way of thinking and not to resolve everything with Palm Thunder.
After all, the skirmish with Sun Jue in the morning had proven that overwhelmingly one-sided battles were not interesting, so it would be better to have a battle that was evenly matched or even slightly disadvantaged.
Moreover, it was best to have a prototype, ideally a character from one’s own nation’s history, as this would make the game more realistic.
Having figured out how to get started, Fang Cheng left his room and stepped into the Cosmic Void, then walked towards the distance.
With each step, he traversed over a dozen light-years, eventually catching up with the light from a thousand years ago, witnessing the images of Earth as they were a thousand years past.
Light travels through the universe at the speed of light, so by reaching a position a thousand light-years away, one could capture the faint glow of history and see the images from a thousand years ago.
Fang Cheng thought this was quite simple, but for some reason, his contemporaries could never learn it.
Moving forward and backward through the light of time, Fang Cheng carefully observed the characters within the light, and finally chose one.
Only after the barbarian soldiers left did he bring the Soldier out.
The Soldier’s injuries weren’t serious; he had become separated from his troop in the Gobi, got lost, and finally collapsed here, exhausted and thirsty.
And it seemed the barbarian soldiers weren’t actually looking for this Soldier, as they had no idea he had been there.
As for the Soldier’s purpose, he didn’t tell the protagonist.
When the Soldier had rested, he began to teach the protagonist how to read and started imparting martial skills.
At night, when he was tired, he would tell the protagonist various kinds of knowledge, and what far-off Chang’an had to offer.
From him, the protagonist learned to read, to do arithmetic, how to draw a bow and shoot an arrow, and how to use a shield to block and then find the opponent’s weak spot to finish them with a sword.
Once the Soldier had recovered, he told the protagonist about the general location of their stronghold, and cautioned him,
“When you grow big enough and strong enough, capable of shooting birds out of the sky with your arrows and slicing falling leaves with your spear, then you can go to the stronghold and join us. Now, I must leave. If I do not return, please tie this lock of hair to the red willow in front of the stronghold. If you forge a way home, take me and my companions’ hair back to the Tang Dynasty.”
Afterward, he pulled out his own hair, handed the lock of hair to the protagonist, and then embarked on a journey sure to be his last.
The protagonist’s legend would not unfold until three years later.
After watching the protagonist’s life flash by, Fang Cheng was somewhat moved.
The protagonist’s life was full of setbacks and poignant moments, victories and failures.
He had once relied on a city wall, resisting the siege of hundreds of barbarians with just a spear and a bow.
He had also nearly died of malaria, vomiting and suffering diarrhea on the grasslands.
He fought in over a hundred battles throughout his life, his body covered in countless scars, flirting with death each time.
Only when facing his end did he arrive in Chang’an with his comrades’ hair and, a year later, passed away in this place he had longed for.
His life had little enjoyment; it was filled with war and the next war.
He was a hero, and his story deserved to be passed down.
Reaching out his hand, Fang Cheng captured the light that recorded the other’s life.
Next, it was time to pass the light on.