One night passed.
The next day.
The sky was overcast.
According to the time chosen by Master Longbrow, the farewell ceremony for Cao Yuan was scheduled to begin precisely at three in the afternoon.
At half past two.
Over forty thousand Dragon Gate disciples and more than three hundred guests gathered in the plaza.
When Ye Qiu fought the Witch God that day, the plaza was badly damaged, but Qilin had led people to rebuild it.
Below the cliff, a memorial hall was set up.
In the center of the memorial hall stood a漆黑桐木 coffin, where Cao Yuan, dressed in green robes, lay peacefully, surrounded by fresh flowers and evergreen cypress.
Su Xiaoxiao and Cao Qingcheng, dressed in plain mourning clothes with white headbands, knelt before the coffin, burning paper money.
Ye Qiu, Qinglong, Qilin, Han Long, Zhao Hu, and the regional leaders of the Dragon Gate, also dressed in white, stood on either side of the coffin.
At twenty minutes to three.
“Amitabha!” A resounding Buddhist chant suddenly echoed outside the memorial hall.
Ye Qiu quickly stepped out and saw Master Du’e standing there.
“Greetings, Master.”
Ye Qiu hurriedly bowed, noticing that Master Du’e looked travel-worn, his robes stained with mud, and couldn’t help asking, “Master, you didn’t walk all the way here, did you?”
Master Du’e smiled and nodded, “Indeed. Upon hearing the unfortunate news of His Highness the Ninth’s passing, this old monk left Tianlong Temple and walked all the way here. Fortunately, I’m not late.”
Ye Qiu was deeply moved.
Tianlong Temple was a thousand miles away, and Master Du’e had walked the entire distance, showing profound sincerity.
“Master, please follow me.”
Ye Qiu led Master Du’e to the front row of the guest seats, seating him next to Tang Fei.
“Old Tang, look after the Master for me,” Ye Qiu instructed.
Tang Fei nodded.
Master Du’e smiled, “Benefactor Ye, go attend to your duties, don’t mind me.”
“Alright,” Ye Qiu gave Tang Fei a meaningful glance.
Tang Fei understood, Ye Qiu was asking if the War God was coming.
Tang Fei said, “I haven’t received a reply from the Commander.”
“I see,” Ye Qiu turned to return to the memorial hall when a helicopter appeared in the sky, landing near the plaza.
Soon, an elderly man in a wheelchair was pushed out by guards.
The man wore a military overcoat, his expression stern, exuding an invisible sense of oppression.
His appearance shocked the guests.
“Good heavens, it’s the War God!”
“Am I seeing this right? It’s really the War God?”
“I didn’t expect His Highness the Ninth’s death to bring out the supreme commander of the Nether King’s Hall.”
“I heard long ago that His Highness the Ninth was friends with the War God, it seems the rumors are true.”
“Quick, make room for the War God.”
Though the leaders of these martial factions and business tycoons had long known of the War God’s reputation, their status rarely afforded them the chance to meet him in person.
With the War God’s arrival, Ye Qiu led several Dragon Gate envoys to greet him.
“Greetings, Commander!”
Ye Qiu stepped forward and shook hands with the War God.
“I was delayed by some matters, so I’m only here now, not too late, am I?” the War God asked.
Ye Qiu said, “Not at all.”
“Where’s Cao Yuan? Take me to see him,” the War God said.
Ye Qiu pushed the War God to the memorial hall.
The War God gazed at Cao Yuan lying in the coffin, a trace of sorrow crossing his face, and sighed softly, “What a pity.”
Everyone remained silent.
Then.
The War God lit a stick of incense and said to Ye Qiu, “I’ll go sit outside, proceed as planned.”
“Alright.”
Ye Qiu pushed the War God to the guest seats, and as he was about to leave, the War God called him back.
“Wait a moment,” the War God beckoned, and a guard stepped forward, handing him a box.
The surrounding guests craned their necks, curious about the contents of the box.
The War God opened it, took out a scroll, and handed it to Ye Qiu, saying, “Elder Ye was deeply saddened upon hearing of Cao Yuan’s death in battle. Due to certain reasons, he couldn’t attend in person, so he asked me to give this to you.”
Ye Qiu took the scroll and opened it, revealing a couplet.
The upper line: A star falls from the heavens.
The lower line: The world loses a hero.
The crowd was stunned.
Elder Ye had once held a high position, second only to one, above ten thousand. For such a figure to send a couplet for Cao Yuan was an immense honor.
Ye Qiu examined the couplet, the calligraphy bold and forceful, exuding grandeur.
“Thank you, Commander, please convey my thanks to Elder Ye,” Ye Qiu said politely.
The War God said, “You can thank Elder Ye in person when you get the chance later!”
Outsiders might not understand, but Ye Qiu grasped the War God’s meaning and nodded slightly.
The War God signaled to the guard again.
The guard handed him another wooden box.
The War God opened the second box, took out a piece of calligraphy, and handed it to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu looked at it and saw eight large characters on the rice paper: “Immortal forever, Duke Cao eternal!”
The signature was a single character.
“Tang!”
Ye Qiu knew who had written it, but the guests present did not.
“Who wrote this calligraphy?”
“The style has the charm of the Wei and Jin dynasties, clearly the work of a master.”
“For the War God to deliver it, it must be from no ordinary person, perhaps another figure like Elder Ye.”
As the crowd speculated, the War God spoke, “This calligraphy is personally written by the Supreme Commander, Elder Tang.”
The crowd gasped in shock.
No one expected the Supreme Commander to write an inscription for Cao Yuan, an honor that affirmed Cao Yuan’s life.
The guests were filled with envy.
“Though Cao Yuan was formidable, he was, after all, just a gang leader. I didn’t expect his death to move Elder Tang and Elder Ye, with even the War God attending in person. This is a tremendous honor for both Cao Yuan and the Dragon Gate.”
“Indeed, if I died and Elder Tang wrote an inscription for me, I’d have no regrets.”
“I’m so jealous of Cao Yuan.”
The War God said, “Elder Tang was on a foreign visit when he learned of Cao Yuan’s death in battle and was deeply shocked. He wanted to return to Miaojiang in person but was delayed by some matters.”
“With no other choice, he wrote these eight characters and had them sent back for me to bring.”
“Elder Tang also asked me to tell you that with you now leading the Dragon Gate, he believes you will do even better.”
Ye Qiu promised, “Please assure Elder Tang and the Commander, I will do my best.”
“Hmm,” the War God nodded slightly.
Ye Qiu glanced at his watch, ten minutes to three, and said to Tang Fei, “Old Tang, keep the Commander company for a bit, I’m off to handle things.”
“Go ahead,” Tang Fei waved.
Ye Qiu, along with several Dragon Gate envoys, had just stepped into the memorial hall when a thunderous voice rang out from outside, “Where is Ye Qiu? Come out and face your death!”
