Chapter 212 Deprivation of Military Power
Wang Yao fell into an unprecedented low.

On this turbulent night destined to be sleepless, he just sat alone in the farthest corner of the square, with his head bowed against the cold high wall, his eyes empty, as motionless as a cast terracotta warrior.

In a daze, Wang Yao suddenly remembered that he had watched a very famous movie on Earth a long time ago, called Leon: The Professional, and there was a very famous dialogue in the movie.

The little girl asked the killer, "Is life always this painful? Or is it only in childhood?"

The killer was silent for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "It's always like this."

The first time Wang Yao saw this brief but profound conversation, he was completely amazed. At that time, he just thought that the killer was extremely handsome, because even in the face of a painful life, he would still live on with strength and perseverance!

Being young at that time, he did not understand the pain. After watching the movie, Wang Yao arrogantly thought that if he encountered setbacks one day, he would also say something so bold.

Unexpectedly, when this "pain" really befell him, he was not able to say as casually as the protagonist in the movie: "Yes, it is so painful."

Reality gave him a very loud slap in the face!

It was not until this moment that Wang Yao realized that he was simply unable to bear such pain.

All of his comrades who had been with him day and night died in the battle, but he was unable to turn the tide and avenge them because his strength did not allow it.

As the only soldier who knew the "truth", he could not tell it to any other soldier. Even his only remaining old friend Erda had to deliberately conceal it because reality did not allow it!
All the unspeakable circumstances and concerns left Wang Yao with nowhere to vent his hatred, helplessness, and grievances, and made him completely negative and confused.

Should the "truth" be made public? What should the future be like? Become a hero, and then, like Zhuge Liang and his friends, abandon emotions and continue to deceive the soldiers into working hard and dying? Otherwise, what should I do? Leave Shu? Stay away from disputes?

Wang Yao kept thinking deeply, like a lost lamb who couldn't find the right path.

Slowly, the midnight hour passed and time entered the early morning hour of Yin. And I don't know when it started, but the deserted Highland Square gradually became lively, and it seemed that someone was cheering faintly.

"Wei has surrendered! Their frontline troops have begun to withdraw!"

"Hoha! Our Shu Kingdom has won!"

"Great! I can finally go home!!"

The soldiers shouted and cheered excitedly, just like a celebration during a festival, and the atmosphere of ecstasy was everywhere.

Wang Yao didn't care about these. At this point, the whole square was full of smiles and laughter, except for the corner where he was sitting, which was as still as a dead pool.

The morning mist began to spread in the canyon, and the dense water vapor wet Wang Yao's hair and armor, but he was still unaware of it, as if he was in a trance.

Finally, when the first ray of dawn broke through the long darkness and shone into the canyon, a tall and graceful figure appeared at the highland intersection in the middle direction.

That's Luna returning from the middle front line.

The jubilant square gradually quieted down.

Under the soft glow of the early morning sun, the girl walked gracefully into the high ground, her skirt and hair fluttering in the wind. She looked like the most holy angel descending to the earth, beautiful and inviolable. Everyone who saw her stepped aside respectfully and bowed their heads to show their respect.

On the other side, when the familiar faint body fragrance began to permeate the surrounding air, Wang Yao knew that it must be Luna who came back, but even so, he did not look up at her, not even for a glance.

Luna, who was walking straight ahead and was about to say hello, couldn't help but feel sad when she saw this scene. But she also understood that Wang Yao had not only experienced a near-death experience, but also watched his subordinates and companions being slaughtered without being able to do anything. Although she didn't experience this kind of pain in person, she could clearly feel it from Wang Yao.
The subtle silence lasted for about three minutes. Suddenly, a pair of white and clean hands, holding a hot rice ball wrapped in a lotus leaf, appeared in front of Wang Yao's lowered eyes.

Wang Yao slowly raised his head and saw the girl's smiling face.

"Are you hungry? Eat something?" The girl said with a charming smile.

Wang Yao, with a white veil wrapped around his head, opened his lifeless right eye and stared at Luna intently; although the girl's smile seemed no different from usual, Wang Yao still saw the suppressed worry and helplessness in her clear and gentle eyes.
Luna is a very kind girl, so kind that she doesn't seem like a hero. She didn't dare to mention anything about what happened yesterday because she didn't know how to comfort people and was afraid of upsetting Wang Yao, so she could only use the most clumsy way to care for him.

How could Wang Yao not know what this silly girl was thinking? So even though he had no appetite, he still took the food from Luna's hand, but he still didn't say anything.

Luna didn't care at all. She just squatted in front of Wang Yao with her knees hugged, watching Wang Yao eat carefully. From time to time, she stretched out a hand and gently wiped the dew on his forehead and hair.

At this moment, there is a warm and affectionate feeling.

Crowds of people were hurrying by, and the Shu soldiers passing by were all shocked and dumbfounded when they saw this intimate scene in the corner, but no one dared to stop and watch.

When Wang Yao finished eating, Luna took out a water bag and asked softly, "Would you like some water?"

Wang Yao shook his head.

Even though his lips were chapped from not having had water for a long time, he just had no desire to drink water.

Seeing Wang Yao's disheartened and depressed look, Luna's eyes became more worried, and she couldn't help but plead in a low voice: "Just drink a little, okay?"

Finally, Wang Yao drank some water but remained silent.

Luna saw it all and was anxious, but she didn't know what to do. Just when she was at a loss, a soldier ran over at an inopportune time.

"Lady Luna, the military advisor asks you to go over and activate the teleportation matrix." The soldier stood at attention and said respectfully.

Luna was stunned, then bit her lip lightly, seeming to be quite helpless about this coincidence. Having said that, Luna had no reason to refuse. The canyon portal required the joint efforts of multiple heroes to open. It was impossible to trap the entire legion's soldiers in the canyon battlefield just because of her, right?
Helplessly, Luna could only say to Wang Yao: "Then Yao, shall I go and activate the transmission matrix first?"

This time Wang Yao finally responded, but he only said two words: "Go."

"Don't run around. Once the portal opens, go home first." After giving a few worried instructions, Luna stood up and walked away, looking back every few steps.

A quarter of an hour later, accompanied by a loud roar, brilliant blue light covered half of the sky, and a grand miracle suddenly rose from the ground!

The 20,000 soldiers gathered in the Highland Square cheered when they saw the transmission matrix being activated. As the victorious army, they were eager to return home and share the joy in their hearts with their families and the people they wanted to protect.

"I didn't expect that we would defeat the powerful Wei State again!"

"Brothers, the captain said he will treat us to a drink when we get back!"

"Haha, then we won't be polite!"

"Xiao Yun, when we get back to Jingzhou, I'll take you to meet my parents, right?"

"Yoyo, what's going on? Are you two confirmed in your relationship?"

Everyone was discussing and playing with their friends around them, and they were extremely happy.

Only Wang Yao stood alone in the noisy crowd, with an expressionless face.

Wang Yao didn't know when he followed the crowd through the teleportation matrix. When he came to his senses, the huge city had appeared before his eyes.

Inside Jingzhou City, there were even more enthusiastic cheers. People were shouting, singing and dancing for the return of the victorious army.

Only Wang Yao had a blank expression, neither happy nor sad.

"Excuse me, are you the captain of the seventh main force of the Shanglu Legion, Lord Wang Yao?"

Amid the noise and bustle, someone suddenly walked up to Wang Yao and asked him respectfully.

He was a middle-aged man in his early 50s, with regular features on his face that was weathered by wind and sun. He was wearing a skin coat used only by hunters. Perhaps because he had been drinking mountain spring water for a long time, his white teeth showed when he smiled, giving people a very simple and honest feeling.

But Wang Yao ignored him and just walked forward on his own.

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man followed him. Perhaps because of Wang Yao's cold attitude, he looked a little nervous. Even so, he still forced a smile and introduced himself to Wang Yao: "I'm sorry to bother you just after you returned victoriously. This is the case. Is my daughter Maomao a centurion in your army?"

Wang Yao suddenly stopped, turned his head as if struck by lightning, and stared at the middle-aged man in front of him in disbelief. After a closer look, the middle-aged man in front of him actually looked a bit like Maomao!
"Really? Then, you are indeed Lord Wang Yao, right?" The middle-aged man quickly confirmed from Wang Yao's reaction that he had found the right person.

However, before he could say anything else, Wang Yao, with a gloomy face, took another step forward.

The middle-aged man followed him relentlessly. He was so nervous that he began to rub his calloused hands back and forth unconsciously. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. May I ask what happened to your left eye? Is it seriously injured? Also, why don't I see your other subordinates?"

Seeing Wang Yao had a cold face and didn't answer, the middle-aged man was embarrassed and could only continue to sing a monologue with a smile: "In fact, I came to Jingzhou from our hometown this time, wanting to give my Maomao a surprise. Alas, that girl really makes me, as a father, too worried. I don't know what happened at the beginning. Suddenly, she desperately clamored to come to Jingzhou to join the army with her friends. I couldn't stop her no matter what. You also know that the canyon battlefield is so dangerous. It's not a place for a girl like her to come. Alas, it's all my fault that I spoiled her since she was a child. In the army, did that girl cause you any trouble?"

Although the middle-aged man's tone contained some complaints and helplessness, it was not difficult to see from his expression that he was actually very proud of his daughter.

At the end, the middle-aged man's expression seemed to be even more embarrassed. "I came all the way here this time not only to see our Maomao, but most importantly, I wanted to see you. A month ago, Maomao suddenly sent a letter home, and he seemed very depressed, saying that he was heartbroken, and even so, he would stay by your side and serve you for the rest of his life. Haha, this silly child, he didn't care about his parents' worries at all, and was completely immersed in his own love."

Wang Yao did not answer the whole time, but his expression became more and more gloomy as the middle-aged man spoke!

The middle-aged man was extremely embarrassed. The young centurion in front of him was completely different from the "easy-going" image described in his daughter's letter.

How can someone so young be so cold and unkind?
But even so, the old father still lowered his status again and again, and asked carefully, almost soliciting: "That's right, I wonder what you think? Although my daughter is a little bit unruly, willful, and a little careless, she is also a well-known little beauty in our hometown. She has never looked at other young people straight in the eye since she grew up. This may sound like a self-promotion, but I still believe that with my daughter's beauty, she should be very popular in the army, right?"

After a pause, seeing that Wang Yao still didn't say anything, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, as if he had made some important decision, and forced a bitter smile and said: "Of course, I also heard from my daughter, do you already have a lover? Yes, an outstanding person like you, who has become a captain at such a young age, will not lack followers wherever you go. But if you are willing, my daughter can be your mistress. I am getting older and don't have too many wishes. I just hope that my daughter can marry a good family she likes and live a good life in the second half of her life."

Pity the parents of the world.

just
Facing this sincere but helpless simple man, Wang Yao slowly quickened his pace as if to escape from something, and soon, he left the middle-aged man far behind.

Wang Yao was wearing Shadow Ninja Footsteps that increased his movement speed by 60 points. If he really wanted to get rid of them, ordinary soldiers would not be able to catch up with him, let alone a middle-aged man over years old.

The piercing words faded away until they faded away. However, at that moment, Wang Yao felt that his heart was bleeding silently.
In a daze, I returned to the pavilion in Jingzhou.

He opened the door, not caring that the tables and chairs were covered with dust, and sat down on them, holding his forehead and falling into silence.
As time began to approach noon, there was a noise at the door.

But the person who came was not Luna, nor Huang Zhong, but a strange soldier.

"Nice to meet you, Captain Yao Qian. I am the disciplinary inspector responsible for the attendance of the Seventh Main Force." The soldier did not salute, and even his eyes were full of mockery: "I am here to convey the latest instructions from the top."

Wang Yao raised his head and looked expressionlessly at this disciplinary inspector whom he had never seen before but who was closely related to him.

"Wang Yao, the former captain of the 7th main force of the Shanglu Army, did not abide by military discipline and left his post during the war against Wei, causing thousands of his soldiers to die due to improper command, causing immeasurable losses to the army. His crime is unforgivable! According to military discipline laws, he should be sentenced to death to correct military discipline, but considering his outstanding performance and repeated extraordinary achievements, he was pardoned from the death penalty and only his position as captain was stripped. He was demoted to an ordinary soldier and allowed to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence!"

(End of this chapter)