Chapter 109.1
After washing Wei Zhan's clothes, Yue Li climbed into bed, pulled the covers tight, but couldn't fall asleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see were the bloody scenes from earlier that night. She had been hunting for many years and had witnessed plenty of gruesome sights, her hands already stained with blood. But this was the first time she had taken someone's life.
She inexplicably saw in her mind the image of that shadowy man being shot through the head with an arrow, causing her teeth to tremble slightly.
After lying for over two hours, she heard the neighbor's rooster crowing. Slowly, the once quiet little mountain village began to bustle, filled with the constant chirping of birds. In a daze, she heard a knocking at the door.
Thinking she was dreaming, she initially ignored it. After about a stick of incense had burned, the knocking became clearer. She struggled to get up and walked to the door. A ray of autumn light seeped through the crack in the door, causing her to squint instinctively.
Unbolting the door, she found a young boy outside.
It was Jingzhe from the village.
Yue Li was slightly stunned; she hadn't expected Jingzhe to come looking for her.
He stood before her, the autumn light playing on the strands of hair across his forehead, looking like a sturdy tree, composed and handsome. Upon seeing her, a hint of clear nervousness appeared in his expression, exposing his emotions.
"I heard from Aunt Du that there was a tragedy at Chunfeng Ridge last night, and many people died," Jingzhe tugged at his collar, gathering courage before looking at her. "You went into the mountains with Uncle Yue a few days ago and haven't returned."
"Someone rode a horse towards your house last night, and I thought..."
A few days ago, Yue Li had gone into the mountains with Uncle Yue and had not returned. He had been very worried about her, especially after the restless night of incessant rain. He had heard the sound of hooves heading towards her house in the middle of the night, and, climbing up to look, he overheard some armored men saying she was not home. This had left him deeply anxious.
The next morning, he had heard people talking about the tragic events at Chunfeng Ridge the previous night and the loss of many lives.
Hence, he had rushed over to check if Yue Li had returned.
"Someone came to my house last night?" Yue Li was surprised, suddenly recalling the uprising that had occurred in the heavy rain the night before.
Jingzhe looked puzzled. "I'm not sure if they went to your house, but I overheard them saying you weren't there. Yesterday at sunset, your house's light wasn't on. I knew you weren't there, so I thought they came looking for you."
"I'm fine," Yue Li hesitated before responding to his concern.
Jingzhe nodded, glancing inside and not seeing Uncle Yue. He asked, "When did you come back? Did you encounter any imperial soldiers on your way here?"
Yue Li didn't answer his question; instead, she quietly watched him, waiting for him to stop talking before softly saying, "You came to find me. Does your mother know?"
"I..." Jingzhe lowered his gaze, a hint of guilt in his eyes. "Ah Li, what happened that year was not right of my parents. I apologize to you."
Yue Li and Jingzhe had grown up playing together, collecting firewood, picking herbs, hunting, and fishing. Wherever they went, they were always together. When playing house, she would often play the bride, and he the groom.
When they were ten years old, their parents had arranged for them to marry when they turned sixteen. Both families were from the same village, knew each other well, and were satisfied with the match. Jingzhe treated her well and indulged her in everything, helping her collect firewood and hunt. She was content with him, and her parents also liked him.
She had thought her life would be like her mother'sâmarrying a kind and loyal man, living a simple and peaceful life.
But two years ago, a flood had ravaged their village, destroying her family's home, and her mother had died. Her father was severely injured, with the physician saying he might never walk again, reduced to a paraplegic.
Concerned that they would have to care for a crippled in-law in the future, Jingzhe's parents wanted to annul the marriage. But Jingzhe adamantly refused, and his parents locked him in the woodshed.
When Jingzhe's parents came to her house and caused a scene, cancelling the wedding arrangement, they finally let him out.
Reluctantly, he had no choice.
Emaciated and apologetic, he came to Yue Li, his heartache deepened by the way his parents had treated her, yet she didn't want to be entangled with him anymore, causing his parents to be displeased, leading to a heated argument and harsh words.
Since then, though they lived just across a river from each other, they hadn't exchanged a single word.
That year, Jingzhe's mother had caused a scene, even threatening suicide at Yue Li's house until her father, already in distress, was coerced into signing the marriage annulment papers. Utterly humiliated, he almost died from the ordeal.
The most hurtful thing in the world is the knife hidden behind the back of those closest to you, and his mother's betrayal had nearly destroyed half of Yue Li's spirit.
"You don't need to apologize to me," Yue Li's voice remained calm, devoid of any emotion. "People always act in their best interests, and your mother's fear of being burdened by a disabled in-law is understandable. I don't blame her."
Upon hearing her words, Jingzhe's expression didn't show relief; instead, his brows furrowed slightly. As expected, Yue Li continued, "But they shouldn't have pressured my father like that, even if... even if they waited until my father recovered, or at least until the physician had examined him, or even just let him take a bath. Instead..."
Instead of stabbing his heart when he was pulled out of the ruins in a critical condition, his life hanging by a thread.
Yue Li's eyes began to well up with tears, a veil of mist clouding her vision, Jingzhe's face, filled with remorse, gradually becoming blurry. She hid her face in her arms for a moment, wiping away the tears in silence before raising her head to look at Jingzhe again.
"Do you need something from me?" she asked.
Jingzhe pursed his lips, his throat feeling choked up. Standing there, his sorrowful gaze fixed on Yue Li.
Over the past two years, they had crossed paths many times in the village, but she would always ignore him, turning away without a word. Summoning up the courage to stand before her now, he couldn't lift his head in shame.
He regretted being too young and powerless at the time, unable to fight against his family. Not only had he lost his engagement to Yue Li, but he had also caused her so much pain.
"It's okay, I'll leave now," Yue Li said softly.
She walked to the eaves, shouldering her basket and carrying her sickle, heading straight out without another glance at the distracted Jingzhe under the eaves.
There was nothing more to say. Even if she had feelings for Jingzhe, she couldn't forget the scene of her father struggling to get out of bed and press his handprint on the annulment papers.
Last night, her father and his comrades were severely injured, losing so much blood that Wei Zhan had to take them back to the military camp for treatment. His two aunts were still unaware of their situation, so she needed to inform them.
Arriving at her second aunt's house, she found her third aunt there as well, both women frantic with worry upon seeing her. After learning about the near-tragedy they had faced on the mountain last night, the two women were in a state of panic, nearly fainting on the spot.
Yue Li patiently explained and reassured them, telling them how the rebels had saved her father and his comrades, taking them to the camp for medical care, which finally calmed them down.
She instructed her aunts, informing them of the serious injuries sustained by her father and his brothers, advising them to prepare nourishing supplements in advance for their return to help them recover.
Leaving her aunts' house, she went up the mountain to gather some nourishing herbs. The weather had been good these days, so she quickly dried them in the sun, thinking ahead to when her father and his comrades would need them.
During the days her father and his comrades were recuperating at the camp, Yue Li not only gathered many herbs but also prepared plenty of firewood. Her father likely wouldn't be able to gather firewood for the winter this year, so she needed to be prepared in advance.
*
The thick clouds hung low in the sky, hiding the autumn sun behind them, illuminating the cloud clusters with a golden halo.
The gradually withering grassland swayed gently in the breeze, the waves of grass rolling one after another like caramel.
Wei Zhan lay on the hillside, legs crossed, watching the arena in the distance.
In two days, the Li family would be entering the city, and the military had been celebrating extravagantly every day. During the day, they took turns fighting in the arena, and at night, they lit bonfires and danced around them.
The stirring military songs drifted over the hill, piercing Wei Zhan's ears. He furrowed his brows and rubbed his earlobes.
"Major General."
He heard Vice General Wen Qiang's voice and opened his eyes to see him with a big smile on his face, then looked up at the sky. "What's up?"
"Someone is looking for you."
Wei Zhan thought it might be Yue Li, and upon hearing that, he sat up from the ground. He turned his head and asked, "Where?"
"In your tent."
Wei Zhan hurried back to his tent, expecting to see the girl he had been thinking about day and night, but instead, he found a messenger inside. The messenger had come from Yingzhou, bringing a letter from Li Wenjian. The letter stated that they had set off from Yingzhou a few days ago and would likely arrive in the capital in October.
After reading the letter, Wei Zhan walked out of the tent.
Wen Qiang followed behind Wei Zhan, observing his excited return to the tent but disappointed expression after reading the letter. Thinking something had happened, Wen Qiang approached him and asked, "Major General, is everything alright with the young master and the others?"
Wei Zhan remained silent, folding the letter and placing it under a inkstone. Then, he asked, "How are those people we rescued from Chunfeng Ridge?"
Wen Qiang hesitated, scratching his head. They were just stray travelers who had been saved, and since Wei Zhan had not given any special instructions, he hadn't paid much attention to them.
"Let's go check on them," Wei Zhan said, picking up the cloak lying on the chair back and putting it on. He had intentionally left the cloak at Yue Li's house, hoping she would return it, but it had been many days, and she hadn't shown up.
With the army set to enter the capital in two days, he needed to see her one more time before that.
Wei Zhan walked towards the medical tent with his head down. A moment later, he heard the voice of the soldier beckoning Yue Li from behind, "Miss Yue, this way, please."
Glancing over, he saw Yue Li walking towards them with the soldier. He stopped and looked back, and as their eyes met, a smile crossed his lips.
"You're here?"
Yue Li hesitated for a moment at his words, then nodded her head and replied in a cold tone, "My father and the others still haven't returned, so I came to check on them."
Early that morning, her second and third aunt had visited her house again. With the two heads of the family still in a critical condition, they had been worrying so much that they couldn't sleep or eat. Tearfully, they asked Yue Li to inquire about their news. Since Wei Zhan's cloak had already dried, she decided to visit the military camp.
Wei Zhan nodded and agreed, "That's great, I was just planning on going to the medical tent to see them. Let's go together."
"Wait." Yue Li called out to him, taking off the package she had been carrying on her arm and handing it to him. "I've washed the cloak you lent me last time. Here it is, thank you."
Wei Zhan gestured for Wen Qiang to take the package and suppressed a hint of sly laughter before saying, "It's just a piece of clothing, no need to keep it for me."
He took Yueli to the medical tent to see Father Yue and the others. Apart from him, who had serious injuries and couldn't get up, the rest of them were able to move around already. Especially Tiesheng, with his young and strong body, was able to move freely the next day.
Father Yue and the others felt bad about staying in the military camp for free, so they asked Tiesheng to help the doctors as an assistant.
When they entered the medical tent, Tiesheng was grinding herbs. When he saw Yue Li, his eyes lit up. "Sister, why are you here?"
"You all haven't returned, Second Auntie Two and Third Auntie are very worried, so they asked me to come and check on you." Seeing him moving comfortably and his injuries almost healed, Yueli asked, "Where's my father?"
"He's inside," Tiesheng said, unable to stop his work as he gestured towards the felt curtain.
Yue Li walked inside.
As the father and daughter reunited, Wei Zhan felt awkward and stopped, taking the opportunity to look at the herbs in the medical tent. He was examining a bunch of herbs when he suddenly heard Tiesheng lower his voice and ask the doctor beside him, "Physician Lin, that's my sister, did you see her?"
Although Tiesheng deliberately spoke softly, Wei Zhan, who had long been practicing martial arts, had sharp senses and could still hear their conversation clearly.
"I saw her, she's really beautiful," Physician Lin said, smiling as he watched Yue Li's figure. "But she looks like a lotus flower in bloom, I'm afraid she won't fancy my stinky boy at home."
"How could that be? Sister won't judge based on looks, Brother Shang is a good guy," Tiesheng said with a beaming smile, urging Physician Lin to go find someone, "While my sister is here, do you want Brother Shang to come and have a look?"
Physician Lin quickly set down the herb jar and wiped his hands on his apron. "It just so happens that my stinky boy isn't on duty tonight, I'll go find him now."
With that, Physician Lin ran out, leaving Tiesheng watching his back, unable to contain his laughter. He had met Physician Lin's son before, a tall and hardworking lad who often came to assist in the medical tent.
With his sister by his side, he was sure she will enjoy good fortune.
Previously, he had secretly taken his uncle to see Yueli. He only mentioned that Auntie Chen had arranged for Yueli to meet a family in the village and was waiting for a response.
Waiting for a response wasn't a done deal, and there was nothing wrong with another look.
Just as he was happily immersed in his elaborate fantasies, he sensed a somewhat unkind gaze on him from the side. He turned his head and saw Wei Zhan holding a prescription in his hand, his eyes gleaming as he looked over.
For some reason, he felt the young general's gaze was unexpectedly sharp, sending a shiver down his spine. He quickly averted his gaze, lowering his head to focus on grinding the herbs diligently.