Volume 2: Jade Promise Chapter 121 A Night That Changed My Life
"I was born in an ordinary family. My parents died early and I have only a younger sister. We have depended on each other since childhood. For a child like me who has no background and no financial support, there are only two ways to succeed: to enter the imperial court or to join the army." Ning Mo narrated in a flat tone.
Tang Zheng and the others didn't say anything, they just listened quietly.
Perhaps no one has ever truly listened to Ning Mo's inner thoughts over the years. Or perhaps this is the first time in all these years that Ning Mo has let down his guard in front of others. In short, his chatterbox has slowly opened up.
" Unfortunately, I have average talent and started my martial arts journey at a late age. I applied to the Yisu Academy twice, but both times ended in failure. The salary I earned from my part-time job is far from enough to cover the cost of my martial arts training and the living expenses of my sister and me. When I found out that my sister secretly went to do laundry and cook for others to supplement the family income in order to save daily expenses and to subsidize the training expenses of her brother, I made up my mind to join the army. Otherwise, my brother and I might struggle on the edge of poverty for the rest of our lives."
"Only by joining the army can you get the most basic training resources for free. Only by joining the army can you have a chance to stand out! So, I left. That year, my sister was the same age as this little girl, just as cute, just as moving..." Ning Mo said here, looking at Xiao Lingling who was nestled beside Meng Fenghua, holding Tang Zheng's hand, and a hint of tenderness appeared between his eyebrows.
"The same age as me?" Xiao Lingling opened her eyes wide in surprise, then suddenly felt a little embarrassed, lowered her head and asked Meng Fenghua in a low voice: "Sister, am I... not very sensible? I should also go out to work."
Meng Fenghua smiled and shook his head, touched Xiao Lingling's head, and said nothing.
"After joining the army, I practiced, fought, and climbed up the ranks, starting as a logistics sergeant, then an ordinary sergeant, a lieutenant, and finally an intelligence battalion. It was thrilling all the way, but at least I managed to save my life. Until one time, when I was on a mission, I encountered a traitor who defected to the demon tribe. My team was wiped out, and I also experienced nine deaths and was seriously injured. When I escaped the pursuit and fell into the mud exhausted, I looked at the bright moon in the sky and suddenly thought of my sister who was far away. I wondered if she was looking at the same moonlight in her hometown. When she was dying, I suddenly remembered that I had been away from home for ten years."
Hearing this, Tang Zheng couldn't help but shook his head and murmured: " May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart..."
Hearing Tang Zheng's poem full of lovesickness, everyone present showed a look of melancholy. Ning Mo's voice also paused, and he looked at Tang Zheng deeply before continuing his story.
"In the past ten years, I only remember working hard to climb up, trying hard to stand out and return home in glory, but I forgot the original intention of joining the army, which was to grow into a towering tree one day and protect my sister."
"So, that day I lay in the mud and swore to the moon and the stars that if I were Ning Mo and could survive today, I would give up all fame and fortune, return to my hometown, be with my sister, and live a peaceful and happy life."
"Thank goodness, I was unconscious for three days before I was discovered by a passing caravan and sent back to the city. I actually managed to survive, but my star veins were too badly damaged, and my strength dropped from four stars to three stars. I'm afraid I'll never be able to advance again in this lifetime."
"So, I only asked for money, not merit, in the commendation for this mission from the intelligence battalion, and took the opportunity to request to be discharged and return home. My superiors knew my experience and agreed to my request. I was eager to return home, so I rode my horse at full speed that night and embarked on the journey back home."
"When I returned to Feishi City and went back to the stone house where we lived, I found that nothing had changed except that it was a little more dilapidated. At that time, I was very worried, wondering if my sister was still living there. You know, I have sent a lot of money back home in the past ten years. Logically, my sister should be able to move to a better place to live."
"But I didn't expect that I just wandered around the door for a few steps, and before I knocked on the door, the lights in the house suddenly lit up, 'Is it you, brother?'"
"When I heard this long-lost voice, although I had lost my childishness, tears immediately flowed down my cheeks. In the past ten years in the military camp, no matter how hard or tiring it was, I only shed blood, never tears. But at that moment, I cried as hard as my sister did when I left ."
"Reunions always come with special joy. That night, my sister snuggled in my arms, just like she did every night ten years ago, and listened to my stories about the military camp until we fell asleep together. From the time I joined the army at the age of fourteen until today, nearly twenty years . That night was the only night I slept soundly."
"The next day, my sister went out to buy groceries early in the morning, saying she wanted to welcome me. She prepared a lot of dishes. She went out in the morning and shopped until the evening before returning home. After we had a sumptuous dinner together, I had a surprise to tell her at the dinner table. That was that I had retired and would never leave again. I would always watch over her, protect her, fall in love, get married, have children, and grow old..."
"But I never thought that dinner would be our first and last dinner after we got together. Before we finished eating, I heard a noise on the roof. With my many years of experience in the spy camp, I immediately realized that someone was up to something."
"My first reaction was that my identity as a member of the Tianqin family's border army intelligence camp had been exposed, and someone wanted to capture me to get information from the army. So I quietly hid my sister in the cellar, set a trap at the entrance of the cellar, and suddenly took the initiative to shoot and injure the person lurking on the roof."
"After I shot that man, he started to flee. I used the special techniques of the intelligence camp to check and found that besides me, there was only one warrior near the stone residence. In addition, my sister had been hidden in a safe cellar in advance. Years of military career made me a little too conceited. In order to prevent future troubles, I didn't think much and chased him out directly."
"But, I didn't expect that the assassin saw that I was chasing him relentlessly and kept chasing him closely. After chasing him for a distance, when it seemed that I could catch him, he actually used a strange escape method, which brought out a burst of blood and greatly increased his speed, completely throwing me off. Later, I learned that the escape method was unique to Yingshan and was called the Blood Shadow Escape Method!"
"After the assassin got rid of me, I felt something was wrong and rushed back. But to my shock, when I opened the cellar, it was empty!"
"This is incredible to me, because I am sure that before I opened the cellar, it was exactly the same as when I closed it. There was no sign that the trap had been triggered by anyone."
"I have been dependent on my sister since childhood. I have missed her for ten years. I was only reunited with her for one night, and she disappeared without a trace!"
