Chapter 45 Second Brother?
"Mukuro?"
Lin Changning stared blankly at the man who was being brought to her with a limp. In her memory, her second brother was in his twenties, strong and sturdy, with handsome features. He seemed to be quite different from the man in front of her who appeared to be in his thirties.
The man's back seemed to be bent from the weight of the weight. He knelt down with a limp and bowed to Qi Rong. His skin was cracked and covered with dark red scabs. His eyes suddenly lit up when he saw Lin Changning, and he called out again in a hoarse voice with a sob in his throat.
"Mukuro?"
A surge of inexplicable frustration welled up inside Lin Changning. Without waiting for instructions to stand, he rushed forward and embraced his brother, crying, "Second Brother? Second Brother, you're still alive..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Lin Changning couldn't help but burst into tears. A surge of overwhelming grievances erupted from an unknown place in her heart, likely the original owner's emotions upon seeing her loved ones still alive and not yet having time to dispel them.
Qi Rong waved his hand and, with a few other guards, tactfully left the tent, leaving the space to the brothers.
Lin Changning wiped away his tears and helped the man sit down on the felt: "Brother, sit down and talk."
After helping Lin Changsi sit on the felt, Lin Changning looked at a man behind her. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember who he was.
Lin Changsi sat on the cushion and introduced, "Sixth Brother, this is our fellow villager Lin Changxing. According to seniority, you should call him Uncle."
Lin Changning nodded: "Uncle, sit down and let's talk. I want to know why you are here?"
Just as Lin Changsi was about to explain, he suddenly started coughing. Lin Changning patted his second brother's back to help him catch his breath. Seeing this, Lin Changxing explained, "Let me explain. Changsi caught a cold last winter and hasn't fully recovered yet."
Before Lin Changning could speak, Lin Changxing explained with a wry smile: "Last year, we were recruited to reinforce the border and build city walls. Originally, we could go home after the walls were finished. The laborers who escorted us even promised to give us money to go home. After the walls were completed, everyone happily packed their things and prepared to go home. Unexpectedly, we were robbed by a group of Tartars as soon as we left the city gate that day."
Lin Changxing sighed deeply: "Of the thirty-six people in the group, nearly half died under the Tartars' swords. Of the remaining dozen or so, your father tried to escape with your eldest and second eldest brothers, but the Tartars broke their legs. The rest of the people were tied up and dragged to the grasslands to work as shepherds."
Lin Changning looked at his second brother, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and after a moment of silence, said, "My father and eldest brother..."
Lin Changsi gripped Lin Changning's hand tightly, tears streaming down his face: "Father, he was killed by the Tartars. My elder brother lost his leg and was taken away by another group of Tartars. I tried to inquire about him after I came here, but there was no news. I'm afraid..."
Lin Changning frowned, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, he asked again, "When you were captured, were there any guards to rescue you? What about the two constables?"
Lin Changsi suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with hatred: "They are dead!! And no guards came to rescue them. When I was captured, I clearly saw the Tartars give money to two constables, but they were shot dead by an arrow as soon as they received the money and had not gone far."
Lin Changxing also said, "At first I didn't understand either. Later, while herding sheep, I thought about it several times and finally realized that there was a traitor in the county government."
Lin Changsi nodded: "It's a pity that now there's no way to prove it."
Lin Changning shook his head: "It's not just that, perhaps it's not just the county government that has a traitor."
There might be a traitor within the garrison, but Lin Changning didn't say it aloud. He only thought about going back and investigating in detail with the commander. There were more than a dozen watchtowers around the city. If the group was ambushed as soon as they left the city, it was probably a pre-arranged ambush. The watchtowers around the area couldn't possibly not have seen the fighting in this area.
It seems that only a traitor within the ranks, working in cahoots with the garrison, could have carried out this ambush.
"Second brother, I will try to find our eldest brother. When we get back, point out our father's remains to me, and I will take you home."
Lin Changsi held Lin Changning's hand tightly, as if afraid that his younger brother would disappear if he let go. Lin Changxing covered his face, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed.
Lin Changxing seemed lost in memories: "There were more than thirty of us. The Tartars killed half of us in one fell swoop. Eight or nine of them were our fellow villagers. Some tried to escape, but the Tartars slashed them repeatedly. After eight or nine of them died, the rest of us lost the courage to resist. Your eldest brother broke his leg and was dragged along, his leg rubbed raw until the bone was exposed. Your second brother, four fellow villagers, and I were brought here. In this tribe, we were slaves, treated worse than livestock. We had to herd sheep and raise horses every day. We did the dirtiest and hardest work. We were fed worse than dogs, and we were whipped every day. Four of our fellow villagers were beaten to death and starved to death. Now, less than a year later, only your second brother and I are left!"
Lin Changxing suddenly burst into laughter: "Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! Hahaha, those damned thieves are all dead!!"
Lin Changsi looked at his sister with heartache in his eyes, and stroked Lin Changning's head with his rough hands: "I'm sorry you had to go through all this."
As an older brother who had lived with her for over a decade, how could he not recognize that this was Wu Niang? The moment Lin Changning embraced him, he recognized that this was Wu Niang, not Liu Lang. At first, when the soldiers stormed in, he hid in the sheepfold. Later, his uncle saw Changning fighting with a Tartar nobleman, shouting loudly. After hearing the sound, he grabbed him and asked, "Doesn't it look like Liu Lang?"
He lay on the fence, staring intently at the general charging into battle on horseback in the dark night. He watched her wield a long sword and fight, yet not a single Tartar could get close to her. The Tartar nobles who were locked in combat, the devils who had tormented countless Han people, were all cut down from their horses by her Changning with a single stroke.
The young man stood tall on his horse, sword at the ready, his posture as straight as a pine tree. Dressed in a black outfit, he was exceptionally heroic. The murderous aura surrounding him made the usually arrogant Tartars lose their courage to fight. The blade slid down, and in an instant, the Tartars were decapitated.
When those sharp, cold eyes swept over him, he instantly recognized them as his younger brother. He then grabbed his uncle's hand, crying and laughing at the same time: "Uncle, we're saved! It's Liu Lang!"
After hearing the whole story, Lin Changning helped the two up and beckoned two of his men to lead them out of the tent: "Second Brother, let's go out. We'll go home after we finish taking inventory today."
Upon exiting, they found that the preparations were almost complete, and a group of people were quickly getting ready. Lin Changning patted Mo Yun on the back and looked at Qi Rong: "Commander, this is my second brother who was arrested here last year."
Qi Rong nodded, watching Lin Changning mount his horse: "Then come back with us."
Just as the two mounted their horses, a figure suddenly leaped out, brandishing a dagger and viciously stabbing Lin Changning in the leg: "You killed my father!! You deserve to die!!"
The blade flashed like lightning. Before the seven or eight-year-old child could react, a line of blood appeared on his neck. Lin Changning sheathed his sword, and Mo Yun raised his front hoof and stomped heavily on the child. The child coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his eyes gradually became unfocused.
Suddenly, another woman appeared out of nowhere and pounced on the child, her eyes flashing with ferocity, like a mother wolf protecting her cubs on the prairie: "He's just a child!!!"
Lin Changning chuckled, her eyes crinkling with a gentle kindness: "Then I'll send you all together for a reunion."
With a wave of his hand, one of the soldiers attending him killed the woman with a single blow.
Qi Rong frowned: "Why are there still so many people?"
The cavalryman hesitated and said, "Perhaps they are hiding. There are only about twenty women and children left. The centurion said to keep a few back for interrogation."
Lin Changning glanced at the cavalryman and offered a suggestion with a smile: "Second brother, if children are this fierce, keeping them around may cause trouble."
Lin Changsi looked up and realized that Lin Changning had not called him.
Qi Rong was amused. Lin Changning never called him "Second Brother" in formal settings. He was probably trying to get revenge for his family and ask him for a favor.
Qi Rong also laughed: "What does Liu Lang think?"
Lin Changsi raised an eyebrow at the cavalry: "To cut the weeds, you have to pull them out by the roots."
The cavalrymen looked at Qi Rong, awaiting orders. Qi Rong waved his hand: "Kill them all! The rest! Return to the city! Rewards will be distributed according to merit!"
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