Chapter 1063: Liu Yu (2)
Chapter 1063: Liu Yu (2)
September 25, 2017
On the day of the incident, Liu Yu, who had been frozen in shock, managed to escape the living hell with the help of his guards.
Liu Yu, the Governor of Youzhou, had an alliance with Gongsun Zan, and despite Liaoxi being considered Gongsun Zan's territory, Liu Yu had a solid foundation there due to his previous experience.
On the day of the incident, not only did Liu Yu receive the news early, but even in his shocked state, his loyal guards forcefully escorted him away from Liaoxi.
However, Liaoxi was in chaos at that time, and even though Liu Yu barely managed to get advance information, and even though he had three hundred guards under his command, their escape from Liaoxi was not an easy task.
Along the way, his guard squad fought their way out, nearly bathed in blood. By the time they reached Youbeiping Prefecture, only one hundred and thirty guards remained.
It was a difficult night, and no one knew what kind of baptism and transformation Liu Yu's heart had undergone that night. These one hundred and thirty guards never expected that upon returning to Youbeiping Prefecture, Liu Yu's first action would be to turn against them.
After returning to Youbeiping Prefecture, Liu Yu locked himself in his study for an entire night. When he emerged, disheveled and exhausted, he immediately took action. Liu Yu gathered all the guards who had escorted him back from Youbeiping Prefecture.
When the one hundred and thirty guards were assembled, everyone was a bit agitated, thinking that they were being rewarded for their efforts.
Although these guards were all loyal, no one would reject a reward, right?
However, they were mistaken. Liu Yu did not give them any rewards. Instead, he coldly asked all the guards to remove their clothing so he could inspect their injuries one by one.
Liu Yu's behavior left the guards bewildered, but many soon realized what was happening.
After all, they were Liu Yu's personal guards, and they knew more about zombies than most. The night they escorted Liu Yu back was spent fighting these undead creatures.
So, they understood what Liu Yu intended to do.
Fear, tension, anger, and even resentment could be seen on many faces, but the one hundred and thirty guards cooperated and examined their bodies.
Liu Yu personally inspected over a hundred guards, his expressionless face showing no emotion as he led away each injured guard.
Out of the one hundred and thirty guards, twenty-seven were injured, some by zombies and some during the chaos. But Liu Yu no longer cared about the source of their injuries.
After identifying the injured guards, Liu Yu had them brought forward and ordered a long sword to be brought to him.
Taking the sword, Liu Yu approached the twenty-seven guards and knelt before them.
"Gentlemen, farewell. I, Liu Yu, will take care of your families."
Liu Yu wanted to say more, but he couldn't. His vision blurred, and his heart felt heavy. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would burst into tears because what he was about to do was to kill these loyal guards.
He had never been a ruthless person. He couldn't bring himself to harm strangers, let alone his own loyal subordinates who had spent day and night with him. No one could understand the torment he was going through.
But he chose to endure this torment. From the moment he witnessed the destruction of Liaoxi due to his momentary lapse in judgment, Liu Yu carried an unbearable sense of guilt.
It was a guilt that came from the displacement of millions of commoners and the devastation of thousands of lives.
This guilt almost crushed him, but he eventually stood up because he knew he couldn't afford to fall. If he did, Youbeiping Prefecture and Yuyang Prefecture would suffer the same fate as Liaoxi.
So, he stood up the next day, but he felt that merely standing wasn't enough. He believed that unless he became as hard as stone, he couldn't save Youbeiping Prefecture. Thus, he chose to torture himself in this way, hoping to harden his heart.
Liu Yu trembled as he took action, his sharp sword piercing the chest of the guard who stood before him without flinching.
Liu Yu killed each guard with tears in his eyes. After each kill, he would bow his head, and each bow echoed with a loud thud.
As Liu Yu walked, the hundred or so guards who followed him knew the reason for his killing spree. That night, they witnessed countless people, who were once healthy, transform into zombies after being bitten.
They understood that if Liu Yu didn't kill these twenty-seven people, they too would become zombies.
Even the twenty-seven individuals, upon their return, were filled with unease. After all, no one could face death calmly. When Liu Yu found them, they harbored resentment towards him.
They had risked their lives to protect Liu Yu, striving to keep him safe, only to meet their end at his hands. How could they not resent him?
However, when they saw the usually stern and stubborn old man, his eyes brimming with tears, his forehead bruised, hair disheveled, and his face filled with guilt and sorrow, their resentment suddenly vanished.
Twenty-six of them faced Liu Yu's long sword with remarkable composure, neither resisting nor uttering a sound as they met their end under his blade.
They were simple folk, not ones for words, and in this situation, they had even fewer words to say. They could only accept their fate.
Their actions deepened the old man's sense of guilt, and his eyes welled up with tears. Yet, his hand holding the sword remained steady. He wanted to remember this feeling, this guilt-ridden, sinful sensation.
Liu Yu was reminding himself that he was a sinner, and the only thing left for him to do in his remaining life was to atone. Hence, at this moment, he shed tears but made no sound.
Up until the last guard, Liu Yu paused, for this young man looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, still retaining a youthful innocence. More importantly, unlike the other guards, he wasn't composed. His body trembled, his face etched with fear, yet he struggled to stand tall.
In the 1619th chapter, a single glance revealed no mistakes!
As Liu Yu stared at the young guard, he hesitated, ready to end it all. Suddenly, the young guard spoke.
"Sir... may I say a few words?"
Liu Yu was taken aback. After a long silence, he finally nodded, silently.
In this final moment, his heart softened. As he nodded, regret flooded his heart, but he lacked the courage and strength to raise his hand and end the boy's life without remorse.
He even wavered, considering whether to spare the boy when he pleaded for mercy and lock him up until he turned into a demon.
Just as Liu Yu's thoughts were in disarray, the boy spoke.
"Sir, don't cry. We don't blame you. Captain Shi said it was our fate. Truly, we don't blame you."
Upon hearing these words, Liu Yu's mental defenses crumbled instantly. Tears streamed down his face, and the tightly gripped sword slipped from his hand. His aged body crouched, and he covered his face with both hands.
Seeing the sobbing old man, the boy scratched his head, "Sir, I'm just a simple man, and I don't know what to say, but I'm not angry with you. Don't cry. You're a good person, and you'll live a long life. Ah... forget it, I'm not good with words, so I won't say more."
As he spoke, the boy crouched down and picked up the fallen sword with trembling hands.
Liu Yu, noticing this, looked up at the boy, who smiled at him innocently and then, with a trembling hand, thrust the long sword into his own chest.
The boy's face contorted in excruciating pain, but he fought to suppress his cries. After a moment, he managed a smile for Liu Yu, "Sir, we... don't blame you. We just want... if possible... if possible, we hope you can... drive away those evil ghosts..."
Before he could finish, the boy collapsed.
At that moment, Liu Yu, now over fifty years old, could no longer hold back. He broke down, weeping amidst the pool of blood.
Guilt and a sense of wrongdoing could destroy a person, but they could also become a driving force for some. After this outpouring of emotion, Liu Yu was no longer the same man.
He would live the rest of his life dedicated to atoning for his sins and driving out the foreign demons.
(End of Chapter)
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