"You're not allowed to die. You said you wouldn't leave me a single aster flower."
A voice suddenly rang out, startling me from my wandering thoughts. These seemingly random words caused a sharp pain in my heart, which instantly spread to my limbs.
I struggled for a moment, pushed away the snow that was getting thicker and thicker on my body, and struggled to lift myself up. It took me a long time to find my feet.
Liao Yan, stand up, stand up...
I kept telling myself this until my numb legs gradually regained feeling.
But as soon as I bent down to squat, I lost my balance, became top-heavy, and suddenly fell to the ground. My body rolled uncontrollably down.
Beneath the seemingly smooth snow lay a trail of sharp, jagged stones, thorns, and withered branches. As I brushed my body across them, a sharp, tearing pain shot through my skin, as if those places were barbed, ripping away my flesh and tendons.
I don't know when my body stopped; all I know is that by the time I realized what was happening, my left leg was broken, twisted awkwardly next to my right leg. I'm content. On this road, I didn't lose my life. I'm content.
I can't always rely on Fu Xi to save me.
I propped myself up and stiffly brushed the snow off my clothes. My soft undergarment was frozen solid and made an echoing sound when I tapped it.
The journey would take two days on horseback. How could I possibly walk with only one leg? Sitting in the snow, I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. My hand unconsciously went to my right leg, which had only suffered minor injuries. I broke through the ice shards, lifted my skirt, and there it was—his severed arm, tied to my ankle. It hadn't been lost after such a bumpy journey. Thankfully, in such cold weather and with such heavy snow, even without an icebox, there was no need to worry.
I breathed a sigh of relief, lowered the hem of my skirt, and looked around.
I should at least find a populated area. If I can't heal my leg, I should at least borrow a horse. There are only two days' journey left; I can manage. Can't I?
I don't know how I got through that day. On an empty stomach, I crawled on my hands for a whole day in the cold, boundless snow. Watching the sun set, I was almost in despair. However, just when I thought I was going to die, a wisp of smoke caught my eye.
That's how I found a family, a poor, desolate family, with only an old man with thinning gray hair. He was lighting a fire in the stove, softening the tough cabbage leaves.
Perhaps it was because of his age and experience, or perhaps it was because my appearance was more pitiful than frightening, but the old man gave me a bowl of rice and a piece of clothing, put a simple cart frame on his old ox, helped me onto it, and asked me where I was going.
So I returned to the military camp in this way, riding in an oxcart. The sluggish old ox delayed the journey to four days, but fortunately, I arrived safely.
The timing was perfect; it was just the time when the camp was setting up cooking stoves, and smoke could be seen from afar.
Jimo and Fuqi's armies are currently facing off, with tens of thousands of troops at a time. Their movements are impossible to conceal, so they often order their men to keep the fires burning very brightly. The smoke rises straight and fast, as if there are many people here eagerly waiting for their meal.
The old ox's pace remained unhurried, and I, numb to time, no longer urged it on.
After half a day of arduous travel, we finally arrived at the camp. Neither the ox nor the old man looked up. I was just about to fall asleep from the bumpy ride when I was startled awake by the sound of swords clashing. Before I could even open my eyes, I sat up, and the clothes on my head slipped off. The soldier guarding the camp trembled slightly: "Miss Liao...?"
I squinted and nodded, and the man quickly let me pass, even sending a servant into the camp to report.
I was feeling a bit sleepy, so I leaned against a pile of junk on the oxcart.
Suddenly I heard a series of hurried footsteps, clearly the sound of armor clashing, yet it was still so urgent... I tried to open my eyes to look, but before I could find anything, I suddenly felt a warmth on my body.
It's warm, so warm it makes you feel hot.
"Why did it take so long?" I couldn't discern joy or sorrow in his voice. He was no longer the leader of a scattered band of soldiers in the mountains, but the general of tens of thousands of men. He could no longer show all his emotions and treat everyone like family. I understood.
"What happened?"
I shook my head.
"Why are you dressed so lightly? I'm taking you back home and I've prepared some hot tea for you to warm up."
I leaned against him obediently, completely exhausted.
I could climb a snow-covered mountain for a whole day without eating or drinking, and endure the bumpy mountain roads and biting cold winds for four days, but the moment I saw him, I had no strength left, and even lifting my eyelids was such a heavy and difficult thing.
The moment he picked me up, it aggravated my injured leg, and I didn't even have the strength to groan. So I just let it all go, not knowing or thinking, and fell asleep on his shoulder.
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