Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 29

Night deepened. The roar of cannons on the battlefield seemed sparser than in the daytime, but the pungent smell of gunpowder and blood in the air still lingered, like a parasitic worm, reminding everyone that this was the edge of death.

In the makeshift trench, a bonfire crackled, dispelling some of the chill of the autumn night. Most of the soldiers, exhausted, had already fallen asleep. Only a few sentinels still vigilantly watched the movements in the darkness.

Gu Mingxuan leaned against a broken wall, his eyes tightly shut, but his brows were furrowed, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. The craving for life force within him surged like a tide, wave after wave, assaulting his reason. His skin had already begun to feel subtly dry and tight, as if slowly losing moisture. He knew that if he didn’t “feed” soon, his body would quickly wither and become fragile, like wind-dried leaves.

Not far away, Zhang Meng and Li Erniu huddled around a small bonfire, conversing in low voices. Zhang Meng occasionally glanced at Gu Mingxuan, a hint of worry in his eyes. He could feel that his general had been somewhat off ever since “waking up” that afternoon. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but he just felt… a little strange, and a little… unsettling. Li Erniu, on the other hand, seemed more carefree. He was holding a charred sweet potato, gnawing on it, occasionally chuckling to himself, seemingly still immersed in the joy of the general’s safe return.

Gu Mingxuan could clearly feel two distinct, yet equally tempting, life forces emanating from Zhang Meng and Li Erniu. Zhang Meng’s life force was like a burning inferno, vigorous and fierce, full of a soldier’s hardened spirit and resilience. Li Erniu’s life force, however, was like a tender sprout in early spring—though slightly naive, it was full of vibrant energy and vitality.

These two life forces, to him, were like two exquisitely delicious meals placed before a person who had been starving for three days and three nights. Every cell in his body screamed wildly, wanting to lunge forward and devour them! He could even feel his heart “thumping” and accelerating its beat due to the proximity of these two life forces. A bloodthirsty urge, like a venomous snake, constantly tempted him.

Just… just reach out…
Just lightly touch them…
He could receive the long-desired nectar, escape the pain of his body gradually withering…

Gu Mingxuan’s fingertips trembled slightly, uncontrollably, in the darkness. He had countless times wanted to reach out, to touch that warmth and life force so close at hand. But each time, when his gaze met Zhang Meng’s face, etched with loyalty and concern, and Li Erniu’s clear and innocent eyes, a stronger, deeper stinging sensation from the depths of his soul would fiercely pull him back to reality!

No! I can’t!

These were “Gu Mingxuan’s” brothers! Comrades who fought alongside him through a hail of bullets, sharing life and death! This was also… for him, A-Mu, after enduring endless loneliness and betrayal, the first glimmer of warmth from “companions” in this unfamiliar body! How could he… how could he harm them for the sake of this body, neither human nor demon?!

The kindness stemming from A-Mu’s weathered soul, which still retained a trace of purity, along with “Gu Mingxuan’s” deeply ingrained military honor and camaraderie, acted as two unyielding dams at this moment, firmly resisting the primal craving for life force from the demonic heart. This internal tearing and torment made Gu Mingxuan suffer immensely, almost ripping his sanity apart!

“General? Are you… are you feeling unwell?”

Li Erniu seemed to notice Gu Mingxuan’s abnormality. He finished his sweet potato and cautiously approached, asking with concern. The vibrant life force emanating from him became even clearer in Gu Mingxuan’s perception, like pouring a ladle of boiling oil onto his parched heartland!

“I… I’m fine,” Gu Mingxuan suddenly opened his eyes, his voice somewhat hoarse from extreme suppression. He looked at Li Erniu’s close, concerned young face, and the bloodthirsty urge in his heart almost broke through the confines of reason! He could even see the tiny blood vessels in Li Erniu’s neck faintly pulsing, as if silently calling to him…

“No!”

Gu Mingxuan suddenly stood up from the ground, his movements somewhat unsteady. He knew he couldn’t stay here any longer! If he stayed, he feared he truly wouldn’t be able to control himself and would do something irreversible!

“General? Where are you going?” Zhang Meng also stood up, asking cautiously.

“I… I’m going out… for some air,” Gu Mingxuan tried to make his voice sound normal. He didn’t dare to look into Zhang Meng’s and Li Erniu’s eyes, only vaguely saying, “You… you guard this place well. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, he didn’t wait for the two of them to ask anything further, and turned, stumbling towards the pitch-black forest outside the trench.

“General!” Li Erniu wanted to follow, but Zhang Meng pulled him back.

“Don’t go,” Zhang Meng shook his head, looking at Gu Mingxuan’s somewhat hurried back, his eyes filled with complexity and worry. “Let the General be alone for a bit. He… might have been scared today.” Although he didn’t know exactly what his general had experienced, he could feel that something… he couldn’t quite describe, had changed in his general.

Gu Mingxuan trudged into the pitch-black forest. The light in the forest was dim, with only a few faint streaks of moonlight filtering through the sparse branches, casting mottled shadows. The air was filled with the damp smell of decaying leaves and the rank odor of unknown wild beasts.

Away from the crowd, away from those two tempting life forces, the bloodthirsty urge in Gu Mingxuan’s heart finally subsided somewhat. But the weakness in his body and his craving for life force became even stronger. He could feel his skin slowly but surely becoming drier and less elastic. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he turned into a true… desiccated corpse.

“What… what should I do?” Gu Mingxuan leaned against a thick tree trunk, sliding down weakly, clutching his head in pain. He didn’t want to harm innocent people, let alone those comrades who trusted him. But if he didn’t consume life force, his body… Was he destined to become a monster that subsisted by draining others’ life force?

Just as Gu Mingxuan fell into deep despair and confusion, suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the grass not far away. Immediately after, two eerie green lights lit up in the darkness!

It was a… hungry wolf! A wild wolf, not too large in size, but its eyes were filled with ferocity and hunger! It had clearly been attracted by the smell of blood from the battlefield. Now, it bared its teeth, letting out a low threatening growl, slowly approaching Gu Mingxuan.

If it were the old Gu Mingxuan, or any ordinary soldier, facing such a hungry wolf, they would probably feel nervous and afraid. But at this moment, the instant Gu Mingxuan saw this hungry wolf, his eyes, which had been somewhat dull from weakness, suddenly flashed with a… strange light! It was the light of someone seeing “food”!

Although this “food” was not human, the raw and wild life force emanating from the beast was still filled with an irresistible temptation for Gu Mingxuan, who was now desperately craving energy!

Perhaps… this was an opportunity? An opportunity that could both alleviate his body’s craving and avoid harming innocent humans? A bold and somewhat crazy thought quietly emerged in Gu Mingxuan’s heart.