The Journey Home (Part 1)
Wisps of smoke curled up, like a thin veil swirling around Guanyin's eyebrows and eyes.
Wang Yunhui breathed a sigh of relief, then lit three more incense sticks and whispered, "Pray for Prefect Wei's safety." After finishing, she placed the remaining incense sticks into my hand, saying, "Pray for your brother Lin Zhong!"
I chuckled softly, "Okay."
After burning three sticks of incense, a person inexplicably surfaced in my mind... Well then, I'd rather leave a whole village behind than leave a single family behind... So I lit three more sticks and placed them in the bowl.
Wang Yunhui didn't even look at me, muttering to herself, "It's been so long, and you're still thinking about it."
I smiled silently, a pang of bitterness welling up inside me: In this world, people's hearts, separated only by flesh and blood, worn down by the years, are all layered with hidden wounds. She couldn't see through my thoughts, but had I ever truly understood them myself? It was all just clinging to my own desires…
Suddenly someone in the courtyard called out urgently, "Qing Niangzi, Qing Niangzi!"
Wang Yunhui said, "It's Zhang, the manager's voice!"
"I'll go out and see." I put on my robe and hurried forward. "They're here, they're here!"
Huai Xu rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up: "Godmother...?"
"It's nothing, they were looking for me. You must be tired from yesterday, get some more sleep." I gently pushed her down, lifted the curtain, and went into the courtyard to ask, "What happened?"
Manager Zhang, carrying a lantern, looked embarrassed: "It's...it's Brother Shiyu. Lady Qing, please come with me to the stable."
I looked towards Liu Yu's house to the west, but no light was coming out. I was puzzled and quickly said, "I'll trouble you, Manager Zhang, to lead the way."
To conserve hay and coordinate resources, Guo Cheng and I discussed bringing all the horses together in one place. We also selected two veteran soldiers from among the exiles who had previously herded horses in the army to take charge of their care. Whenever a horse was needed, a patrol commander's badge or a document stamped with the seal of the chief officer was required for inspection before it could be taken.
I trotted all the way to the stable, and Manager Zhang pulled the rope of the hay shed. What I saw there took me by surprise.
The two grooms sat on the haystack, both with bruises and swelling on their faces; Shiyu had his mouth stuffed with dry grass, his hands and feet were bound, and he was kneeling in the corner.
Upon seeing Zhang and me enter, two grooms jumped down from the haystack and blocked our way, saying to each other, "Qing Niangzi, look how ruthless this kid is, beating my brother and me like this."
"Just because we won't let him use a horse."
"Without a token or an official seal, how can we give it to you? Manager Zhang, don't you agree?"
"He's so stubborn. He won't listen to reason with you and just grabs things from you."
"My brother and I had no choice but to tie him up."
"You've come at the right time. Quickly take the person away."
I quickly bowed and said, "I'm so sorry, so sorry! Are you two alright? I'll ask Doctor Liu to come over and take a look at you later!"
A coachman waved his hand: "No need for that, it's just a minor injury."
Another coachman went to the corner to untie the ropes binding Shigure.
I followed him, bent down, and took the dry grass out of his mouth: "What did you promise me yesterday? Are you so impatient to go back on your word?"
Shi Yu's eyes drooped, and she remained silent.
I took out my handkerchief and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Dr. Liu and Feng Qiao, were they tied up by you?"
Shiyu curled up, burying her head even lower.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed, so I shoved him across the shoulder: "You're born with superhuman strength, but you only use it to fight your own people. What a great ambition you have!"
Shiyu was pushed over and turned over, then burst into loud sobs, like a small animal struggling helplessly in a desperate situation.
The coachman picked him up, waved his handkerchief, and brushed the grass clippings off his body: "Good lad, stop being stubborn, go back with Qing Niangzi."
Shiyu stood still, without moving.
I frowned and said, "What? You've grown too big for your britches, and you won't listen to Aunt Qing anymore, is that it?"
With a thud, Shi Yu knelt at my feet, slammed her fist into the ground, and hysterically screamed in Dongcuanwu language, "Don't stop me! I want to go to Linchuan! I want to go to Linchuan!"
Under the barrage of punches, the solid ground was smashed into craters of varying depths. The two grooms looked at each other in dismay; Shigure had clearly held back when he had treated them earlier.
“I want to go to Linchuan—waaaah…” Shi Yu collapsed to the ground, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Manager Zhang wanted to help but didn't dare, and kept giving me meaningful glances.
The boy before me was both familiar and unfamiliar.
A bizarre thought suddenly flashed through my mind, and I asked, holding my breath, "A-Dao, what's your surname?"
The boy stopped crying, raised his eyes, and said firmly, "A-Dao will not be a jackal, A-Dao will be a hunter!"
Could it be that he was...? A mix of emotions welled up inside me. Oh well!
I grabbed him and turned to Steward Zhang, saying quickly, "I'm taking this boy to Linchuan. Please prepare horses for us immediately! Steward Zhang, please make another trip to Doctor Liu's room."
Zhang, the steward, waved to the groom, "Go quickly!" Then he said to me, "Qingniangzi, Inspector Guo set off tonight to deliver supplies to Shunxi and should be back by dawn. Do you think we should wait a little longer? Having more manpower on the road would be good for mutual support."
I took Shiyu's hand and walked outside: "We're not waiting anymore! I know the way to Linchuan well."
The city defenses of Linchuan were built by the previous dynasty, and then passed down through the Wang and Meng families for nearly fifty years, leaving the bricks and tiles in a dilapidated state. Twelve years ago, they were crushed into mud by the surprise attack of the Shimen barbarians.
When Xiong Tu was serving in Rongzhou, he intermittently carried out repairs for a while. It is said that he had a dispute with his superior for this and was impeached. The higher-ups quelled the matter and transferred him to Luzhou. Now this burden has fallen on Wei Ji's shoulders. Hopefully, he can handle it.
We rode together on a horse called "Dengyun" and arrived in Linchuan. It was already broad daylight.
The wall was built against the mountain, with a mix of old and new bricks.
As the midday sun approached, the five clans' "local militia" were climbing the city wall along the north wall under the command of their leader.
Shiyu and I tied up our horses and rushed towards the city gate. The guards at the gate, armed with weapons, stopped us, saying, "Linchuan is under martial law. People can only leave, not enter. Where did you two come from? What do you want?"
I ripped off the patrol officer's badge and threw it at him, saying, "I'm from Yanziping. I'm here on the orders of Patrol Officer Guo to report important matters to Prefect Wei! Go and inform him immediately!"
The guards left in a hurry, and not long after, a person walked out of the doorway.
Shi Yufei stepped forward: "Uncle Lin!"
Lin Zhong threw the letter back, turned around and walked back: "Come with me."
Upon ascending the hard tower, one finds Wei Ji, Liu Xingjian, and the leaders of the five tribes all present.
Luo Chong asked urgently, "What brings Lady Qing to Linchuan?"
I took his hand and said, "Shiyu was worried about Lord Wei, so I brought him here."
Luo Zhong was stunned, then stamped his foot: "Nonsense!"
Wei Ji remained calm and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Qing Niangzi." He then beckoned to Shi Yu, "Shi Yu, come to my side."
Shi Yu's eyes reddened again, and she mumbled "Father" before throwing herself into Wei Ji's arms.
Liu Xingjian walked up to me and asked, "Qingcheng, is Yanziping still alright?"
I replied with a smile, "All is well! Lady Wang got up at the hour of Yin and specially offered three sticks of incense for peace in front of the Guanyin statue."
Liu Xingjian smiled, raised his sleeve to cover himself, and said, "We also paid our respects this morning, to the mountain god and the bamboo elder."
At that time, a local laborer came up from the tower to report: "The sound of the earthen jar facing due south is five hundred feet high!"
"The sound of the earthen urn in the southwest is six hundred feet high!"
"The sound of the earthen urn in the southeast is six hundred feet high!"
Liu Xingjian's eyes sharpened, and he turned to the incense burner in the copper basin behind him, which was keeping time: "Report again at five hundred feet!"
Before long, the "earth soldier" arrived again: "The sound of the earthen urn in the southwest is five hundred feet long!"
"The sound of the earthen urn in the southeast is five hundred feet high!"
Liu Xingjian walked straight to the copper basin, dipped his finger in the incense ash, counted for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "The number of troops ahead is between 30,000 and 40,000, closer to 40,000."
Luo Zhong looked anxious: "These 40,000 are just the main force. There are probably more troops in Qingling and Shunxi. All our troops combined are less than 20,000."
Upon hearing this, all the leaders turned to look at Wei Ji.
Wei Ji gently rubbed Shi Yu's head, his gaze sweeping over everyone before settling on Luo Zhong: "As long as everyone is of one mind, 20,000 men are enough to defend the city."
The local scout on the watchtower shouted: "Two hundred zhang due south!"
In the distant jungle sky, birds flocked and circled; atop the hard-to-reach building, the wind whistled, sounding like muffled thunder if listened carefully. The rumbling grew louder, and more and more black banners and red flags meandered out from the forest, the mighty Shimen barbarian army, in a short time, had reached within a hundred feet.
Hundreds of soldiers clad in black armor surged to the city walls, forming a neat battle formation. The first four riders were all exceptionally fine horses from the Wumeng region, while in the center stood a robust middle-aged man with a hero's knot tied at an angle, wearing a fire-patterned leather helmet, his brows revealing a sharp and capable air.
The man raised his head, slowly surveying the city tower, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Luo Chong, it's already past 11:00! Why haven't you opened the city gates yet to welcome your brother into your home for a drink?!"
Luo Zhong's face turned ashen as he turned to look at Wei Ji beside him.
Wei Ji gently nudged Shi Yu: "Go to your Aunt Qing's place."
I reached out and pulled Shi Yu over, only to hear Wei Ji say loudly, "Chief Nare, don't be impatient. Chief Luo, along with the five tribes of Nan Guang, has prepared a great gift for you. Since you have come from afar, why not take a look?" As he spoke, he raised his right hand.
The constables behind him understood, and the two of them carried the basket rope to the top of the wall. Wu Lei carried a wooden box the size of a square bucket and walked towards Luo Zhong.
Wei Ji nodded: "Chief Luo, please."
Luo Chong took the wooden box presented by Wu Lei and slowly walked to the top of the stack.
Nare squinted at Luo Zhong: "Chief Luo, have you thought this gift through? It's a small matter if it hurts our brother's face, but if it damages the harmony between the Nan Guang and Shi Men tribes, my 100,000 troops behind me will not stand for it!"
Luo Zhong's hands, holding the wooden box, trembled slightly. He turned his gaze back to the other Nan Guang chieftains.
Under Wei Ji's watchful gaze, the chieftains avoided Luo Zhong's gaze.
Someone whispered, "Where did this army of 100,000 come from? It's less than 40,000. Those barbarians from Shimen are just bragging!"
"That's right! Even Dong Da from Mahu has come to help. We can't just back down."
Nare raised his voice again, "Chief Luo, plans can't always keep up with changes, and oversights are inevitable. But if you ask me, it's nothing to worry about! As long as you're willing to be of one mind with your brother, let's put the past behind us. From now on, we'll share both good times and bad!"
The cavalry behind Nare raised their black banners and red flags high, shouting in unison, "Sharing the good fortune! Sharing the good fortune!"
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