Chapter 1311 – Decimation of Huang Song, Unity of Dongqing (Fifty-Three)
Yuan Xin saw Hua Yuan, disheveled and reeking of alcohol, his hair tied with straw rope instead of a proper headband. His clothes were dirty, smelly, and ill-fitting, with a sloppily opened collar that revealed a hint of his chest. It made one wonder if he had ripped the attire off a beggar’s corpse.
If Yuan Xin perceived Hua Yuan as a destitute vagrant, Wei Ci viewed him as a proper scion of a noble family.
Ideally, Hua Yuan should embody his true self.
According to Wei Ci, Hua Yuan’s personality was somewhat complicated; he could star in an entire family drama.
There was Hua Yuan himself, his brother (who tricked Yuan Xin), his deceased wife, the wife’s lover, his father, and his mother…
On top of these chaotic personas, there lurked another rarely seen character within him, one just as threatening as the second personality.
That was the person standing right before him!
Hua Yuan’s dominant personality was an elegant noble scion; though timid and ineffectual, his appearance was quite deceiving.
Yet this individual was different, his eyes holding a fierce glint that exuded an unspoken intimidation.
Wei Ci recognized him instantly, for his previous life had left a deep impression.
This man had also been a key force in supporting An Huan’s massacre of the sixty-three thousand common people of the Southern Barbarians.
Wei Ci was naturally the opposition. To persuade An Huan, he had tried multiple times, the last time culminating in a direct confrontation with Hua Yuan.
When it came to rhetoric, Wei Ci undoubtedly triumphed, but he vastly underestimated the danger associated with Hua Yuan’s personality.
This particular character rarely emerged, referring to himself as “the son of General Ge Chun.”
His appearance came with no warning.
That time, Wei Ci and Hua Yuan parted on bad terms. Just as he was about to leave the administrative hall, he was suddenly grabbed by the mouth and nose, forcibly dragged into a side room.
It was the first time Wei Ci encountered Hua Yuan in this form. The other’s strength was immense, and no matter how Wei Ci struggled, he couldn’t break free, his neck firmly gripped. He thought he might die right there, but fortunately, a servant passed by, and Wei Ci desperately made a noise.
“Who’s there?” the cleaning servant asked in surprise, pretending to step in to check.
“Hua Yuan” released Wei Ci’s neck, leaving behind a chilling glare as he departed.
“Consider yourself lucky. Anyone who obstructs my revenge against the Southern Barbarians deserves death — if you want to live, don’t get in my way!”
At that moment, Wei Ci nearly lost half his life, gasping for air, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out, looking terrifying.
“Who are you?”
Wei Ci was certain he had never seen this side of Hua Yuan before.
“Ge Lin.”
Who was Ge Lin?
Wei Ci spent considerable time digging for information on this person until one day he heard Bai Ning mention his mentor, Ge Chun.
In the late years of Nan Sheng, General Ge Chun led campaigns against the Southern Barbarians, achieving numerous victories and gradually being revered as a military god.
Though his merits were grand, Ge Chun remained loyal to the emperor, eliminating many inconveniences, which earned him enmity from various noble families and powerful clans. Opportunists incited the emperor’s suspicions toward Ge Chun, who was not particularly discerning between loyalty and treachery. Political enemies framed Ge Chun, using the pretext of delaying reinforcements and supplies, and as a result, Ge Chun and his troops were ambushed by the Southern Barbarians.
Through Bai Ning, Wei Ci learned that Ge Chun had not died but narrowly escaped becoming a beggar.
Ge Chun survived, but his family did not share his luck, being wrongfully accused.
During their exile, Ge Chun’s family fell victim to a surprise attack by the Southern Barbarians, meeting a tragic end.
Upon hearing this news, Ge Chun was despondent, descending into beggary, eventually meeting the young Bai Ning, who offered him aid.
Bai Ning learned Ge Chun’s skills and treated him like a father. After Ge Chun died from illness, Bai Ning even arranged for his funeral.
Ge Lin, on the other hand, was Ge Chun’s eldest son.
That year, Ge Lin had only been married for two years, and his wife had just given birth to a hefty baby boy.
Ge Lin had barely begun to experience the joys of family life before his entire family was slaughtered by the Barbarians.
This side of Hua Yuan declared himself as “Ge Lin,” which made perfect sense regarding his hatred toward the Southern Barbarians.
Wei Ci had only encountered “Ge Lin” twice in his previous life: once when he almost choked Wei Ci to death, and another when An Huan orchestrated the massacre of over sixty-three thousand Southern Barbarians, leading “Ge Lin” to order the capture of children from the Southern Barbarian tribes, personally throwing them one by one to their deaths.
Wei Ci witnessed that scene and nearly lost his mind in fury.
He still vividly remembered the sight of “Ge Lin” laughing heartily while throwing children, stepping on them if they hadn’t died yet.
Not long after the Southern Barbarians were exterminated, An Huan’s power rapidly declined, leaving the defenses weakened, and the emperor seized the opportunity to march south.
An Huan committed suicide, and Hua Yuan vanished without a trace.
Wei Ci searched discreetly, later finding him in Ningzhou of Nan Sheng. At that time, Hua Yuan had devolved into a complete lunatic, the nearby village children taunted and abused him. He was oblivious, believing it was food when they offered him rotten eggs, dead mice, and cockroaches, even having pig dung presented as his meal.
Oblivious Hua Yuan had no idea, thinking it was food, and simply ate it.
The children found it hilarious and laughed while throwing stones at him.
Wei Ci could not bear to watch and intended to care for Hua Yuan, but by the next day, Hua Yuan’s corpse was discovered lying before his deceased parents’ graves.
Of course, those were all the remnants of past lives. In this life, Hua Yuan was the enemy, and the “Ge Lin” standing before him was too!
Wei Ci nonchalantly received Hua Yuan, subtly probing him.
If it were Hua Yuan, he could extract information, but the currently manifested persona was “Ge Lin,” who was not articulate and appeared very silent.
The companions accompanying “Ge Lin” noticed something was off and felt extremely uneasy.
They feared Hua Yuan, for he was a capricious fiend capable of shifting personalities, seen by ordinary people as being possessed by a spirit.
Yet An Huan heavily relied on Hua Yuan, leaving them powerless to resist.
On the surface, Wei Ci remained calm, yet internally he pondered “Ge Lin’s” motives for appearing.
“Ge Lin” had first emerged due to Wei Ci obstructing An Huan’s massacre of the Southern Barbarians; the second time, it was to express rage and seek revenge.
So, what was it this time?
Little did he know, “Ge Lin,” being the son of a fierce general, was most familiar with the military camp.
Those with split personalities often possess erratic and unstable mental energy, heightening their sensitivity to the external environment.
The military camp was Jiang Pengji’s territory; the residual energy she left triggered something within Hua Yuan.
Out of self-preservation, “Ge Lin” emerged.
Hua Yuan’s personality split was somewhat unique; the dominant personality remained unaware of the activities of the other personas, yet the others were aware of the dominant.
“Ge Lin” was aware Hua Yuan had been dispatched as a messenger, but he was inept in speech and couldn’t fulfill Hua Yuan’s role.
He attempted to retreat, but the other personas within resisted, leaving “Ge Lin” feeling quite helpless.
