Chapter 108.3
In the silent night, autumn rain poured down, enveloping the mountains and maple forests in a fine drizzle, obscuring their original contours. The road ahead blurred in the mist, and the osmanthus trees by the side of the road were scattered by the autumn rain. Petals fell like fragments of gold, landing in the muddy puddles.
Yue Li and her group trudged through the rain, their straw cloaks soaked through by the downpour. The raindrops seeped through the pine leaves on the straw capes, drenching their clothes, sending shivers as cold as a blade down their spines.
Clutching the longbow on her back, Yue Li gazed at the village cloaked in rain fog ahead, suggesting, "Father, Uncle, the rain is too heavy. Let's find shelter at the Land Temple for a while."
A few days ago, the weather had been fine, and Yue Li's father and uncle had gone into the mountains to hunt. After a few successful days, they were planning to head back down the mountain today.
But as they were about to descend, Uncle Yue spotted a fat deer, and the chase had delayed their return. By the time they caught the deer, it was late, and it started raining midway down the path.
"Very well." Uncle Yue wiped the water stains off his face.
They walked through the muddy water towards the Land Temple and as they approached, they noticed someone already taking shelter inside. The dim light illuminated the eaves of the Land Temple in the misty rainy night.
But before they could step inside, two men guarding the entrance cautiously approached, holding knives in hand, and sternly asked, "Who goes there?!"
Yue's father, seeing the men's cold expressions in the light, hesitated and was about to pull Yue Li away. Suddenly, Uncle Yue's loud voice rang out, "We're hunters from the village, seeking shelter from the rain."
Without waiting for a response, they started to step inside.
The two guards immediately drew their knives from their waists, the cold light glinting under the dim eaves. "Our master is inside resting, you can't come in," they retorted.
Growing impatient, Uncle Yue snapped back, "This isn't your place, why can't we come in?"
Tiesheng, from Uncle Yue's family, also chimed in, "This temple was built by our villagers pooling money, and you outsiders think you can bully us?"
Not wanting to engage with the stern-looking men, Yue's father restrained Tiesheng's arm and said, "Let it go..."
"Let them in," a weak male voice suddenly sounded from inside the house.
The guards immediately lowered their knives and made way for them. Before Yue's father could intervene, Uncle Yue had already stepped inside.
Following Uncle Yue into the room, Yue Li saw several people sitting in a corner of the temple. This group, consisting of both men and women, glanced at them as they entered, then looked away without much reaction.
The room was filled with thick medicinal smells, a fire burning in the corner with an iron pot on top, emitting fragrant smoke.
Uncle Yue lit a fire in another corner and greeted the others, "Come and warm up by the fire, your eyes are all wet."
Yue Li, tightly clutching her wet clothes, still holding her longbow close, sat by the fire and silently started warming up. The others at the opposite end remained unusually quiet. She noticed that their luxurious clothes were stained with mud.
It was strange, why would such nobles be in this wilderness?
The Land Temple was built by the villagers to bless the land, not near any village or neighboring shop. So why had they come here?
While contemplating this, Tiesheng took out some bread from his provisions, broke it into pieces, and shared it with the others, sitting around to eat. The rain outside intensified, and Uncle Yue, always chatty, began sharing news he had heard from north and south markets.
"I heard Li's army has been circling outside the city for days; they might be about to attack."
"That's right, everyone is saying the Wei Dynasty is about to crumble," Tiesheng chimed in, "Things have been turbulent lately, maybe we shouldn't go to the capital to sell our hunt, it's better to go to the nearby markets."
"Yes, this despotic emperor has been oppressive for so many years. Who knows what kind of person Li is, what if he's even more cruel than the current emperor?"
Yue Li, holding a dry branch, stirred the ashes in the fire. With her keen hearing from years of hunting, she suddenly heard a faint sobbing from across the room. As she looked up, she met the gaze of the man surrounded by the others, and she sensed a sharpness in his eyes that made her uncomfortable.
"Why cry? I'm not dead yet for you to mourn," the man scolded lowly, and the woman brewing the medicine quickly stopped crying.
She handed the man the pot of medicine, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and then refrained from crying further.
"The world is restless, full of turmoil. Who knows if we'll see tomorrow. Let me tell you, that despotic emperor should have died long ago!" Tiesheng, who loved gossip, finally found an opportunity to speak his mind after hearing so much negativity about the emperor.
The others fell silent, and Yue Li discreetly lifted her eyelids, noticing the man still looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment, and she felt unease from his intense gaze.
A spark splashed on the back of her hand, and she suddenly felt a sharp pain.
"All right, we've rested enough, let's go," she told the resting group, beating off the ash on her body.
Tiesheng looked at her in surprise, "Sis, it's pouring outside, let's rest a bit longer."
"No," Yue Li's voice was firm and resolute, not open to negotiation.
She didn't know why, but a voice inside urged her to leave quickly. She didn't want to linger in this place any longer, quickly picking up each person's cloak and distributing them, tying the straps, and saying, "The rain won't stop anytime soon. My aunt is still waiting for us at home. Let's go."
"But...the rain is heavy and the mountain road is difficult to travel..." Uncle Yue was exhausted today and didn't want to travel the night road. He tried to persuade Yue Li to wait.
"Uncle, please go back early. It's been raining a lot lately, and I want to go back to dig the ditch behind the house and channel water to the pond to raise some winter fish," Yue Li insisted.
The group exchanged glances, and even Yue's father stood up, "Let's go back, we should head back."
With the elder brother giving the order, Uncle Yue and the others reluctantly got up to leave. In no time, they packed up their belongings and hurried out of the Land Temple.
The eyes of the two men guarding the entrance were fixed on them. Yue Li's peripheral vision swept over their stern postures, and she suddenly recalled why things felt so odd.
During her time with the An family, she had seen many soldiers coming and going, with the same bearing as these two men.
Were they imperial soldiers?
Considering their reaction when they heard the news about the impending attack on the capital, Yue Li speculated that they might be high-ranking officials fleeing the chaos.
Not wanting to attract trouble, she decided it was best to leave early.
"Let's go," she urged Tiesheng, whose legs were so tired he could barely move.
"Plop!"
A sound of shattered porcelain suddenly echoed from inside the temple, sounding particularly frightening in the rain-soaked mountains. Yue Li's growing unease prompted her to tighten her grip on her longbow, her hands involuntarily clenching.
With the sudden shattering of porcelain, a sharp blade unsheathed, and as the blade lunged towards her, Yue Li instinctively dodged to the side. The blade narrowly grazed her face, slicing past strands of her hair by her ear.
"What... what do you want?" Yue Li asked, her voice trembling.
Uncle Yue also sensed the danger and quickly drew his hatchet from his waist, watching them warily. But they remained silent, their fierce eyes glaring at them.
"Die," they said.
Yue Li's palms were sweaty, her eyes widened in shock as several more figures emerged from the thick night darkness, charging towards them.
All skilled hunters, they immediately grabbed their weapons to resist, but they were outnumbered and the attackers more agile.
Yue Li saw a man with a menacing blade turning, the sharp light of the blade gleaming as it headed straight for her father's neck.
The night wind swayed the temple lanterns, casting light on the man's blade and her father's eyes filled with fear.
"Dad!" Tears welled up in Yue Li's eyes in an instant, as she nocked an arrow on her bow.
Before she could release the arrow, she saw another glint of cold light amidst the hazy firelight. The man about to strike her father was momentarily blinded, squinting his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a chill in his throat. Looking down, he saw a long knife held at his neck, barely visible in the dim light of the night.
"General Wang!"
Another man, taken aback, shouted, but rain flooded his mouth, stifling his voice. Wei Zhan's spear flew from his hand, piercing through the skull of the man in front of Yue Li.
Ice ran through Yue Li's veins as she watched the burly man before her fall to the ground with a dull thud.
A black cloak fell over her, enveloping her from head to toe. Wei Zhan swiftly dismounted, his once pristine brocade robe now dirtied by mud. His white jade crown soaked by the rain shone dimly in the faint candlelight.
He bent slightly, his dark lashes lowered in concern as he looked at her, extending his well-defined hand in front of her eyes. "What's the matter? Scared?"
Countless soldiers surged from the mountain pass, dispersing the group that had surrounded Yue Li.
Amidst the chaos, someone reported, "Young General, the despotic emperor has fled!"
Wei Zhan glanced briefly and faintly discerned several shadows dismounting and disappearing along the mountain path. Unhurried, he turned and retrieved an arrow from Yue Li's quiver, handing it to her with a smile. "You're good at hunting, right? Can you shoot the one who wanted to kill you?"
Knees trembling, Yue Li nearly fell to the ground, but Wei Zhan caught her elbow just in time. As she steadied herself, moving forward.
"It doesn't matter if you miss." Wei Zhan smirked, "Stay put. I'll avenge you." He knelt beside the fallen soldier, retrieved his spear, and with a swift leap, mounted his horse. He charged towards the figures disappearing down the mountain path, the Li Emperor and his men.
Just as he neared them, a shrill whistle tore through the air. A sharp arrow arced overhead, finding its mark on a man not far from the Emperor. Wei Zhan saw the figure, the notorious Li Emperor, lurched back a few times before collapsing, his reign of terror finally ended.
Silence descended upon the rain-soaked wilderness.
"Sister⦠you killed him?" Tiesheng's voice, laced with terror, echoed behind Yueli. She spun around to see her uncle and father sprawled on the ground, bodies wracked with tremors, their wounds staining the earth red.
Another turn revealed a macabre scene: the mountains and fields littered with corpses. The young man who had just left her side was now returning on horseback. Shivering with a chill that ran deeper than the rain, Yueli took a calming breath and retrieved a handkerchief from her bag, desperately trying to staunch the blood oozing from her knuckles, a testament to the powerful longbow she wielded.
"That was incredible," the young man said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Thank you," Yueli whispered, her voice barely audible.
"You're welcome."Wei Zhan simply nodded in response.
With the Li Emperor dead, his soldiers awaited his orders. However, Wei Zhan remained preoccupied, turning his attention to other pressing matters.
Yueli's heart pounded like a drum. Every fiber of her being had tensed with the release of the arrow, her heart threatening to escape her chest. Trembling, she sank down onto a nearby stone, clutching her clothes as if for comfort.
A strange scent tickled her nostrils. She looked down to realize she was still wrapped in the young general's cloak.
Just when she was distracted, Wei Zhan's voice resounded from above, "Let's go."
Gathering her thoughts, Yue Li glanced at him, her eyes reddened inexplicably. "Where are my father and uncle?"
"They're injured. I sent them to the camp," Wei Zhan's voice turned lighter yet still sharp, like a brook flowing in spring.
Remembering the recent events, Yue Li's lips quivered, "I need to find them."
Awakened from her daze, she removed Wei Zhan's damp cloak from her body. "Your clothes, thank you."
"I'll escort you home." Wei Zhan declined the cloak, "The rain is too heavy, wear it."
Reluctantly, she wrapped herself in the cloak again, but there were no spare horses for her to ride. Wei Zhan leaned down, offering his hand, "Come, I'll take you."
After a moment's hesitation, she hesitantly reached out her hand, allowing him to hoist her onto the horse. The horse stumbled along the mountain path, and as Wei Zhan, accustomed to riding, caught the faint scent of grass and wood from the woman before him, he felt a strange dizziness, and his grip on the reins became unfamiliar.
After a long journey, they finally saw the outline of Xiao Tao Village, and Yue Li was stiff from the cold. Back home, she lit a lamp. Their small house was neat and minimal, devoid of extra items. She wanted to offer Wei Zhan a drink, but after being away for days, the jug was already empty.
"Sorry, we've been hunting in the mountains these past few days, and we have no water at home now," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed, tugging at her clothes.
Although the light in the house was dim, it shone on Wei Zhan's face, his eyes blinked, the glow in his attractive peach blossom eyes adding a touch of radiance. He looked up, seeing the young woman standing at the door trembling like a quail.
"I didn't realize until you mentioned it, I am actually quite thirsty."
Yue Li waited for a while before he suddenly spoke, hesitating before saying softly, "Please wait a moment, I'll go fetch some water."
She was quick and nimble, fetching the upside-down water bucket.
"Can you still carry water while shaking like this?" Wei Zhan tilted his head to look at her, taking the bucket from her. "Where is the well?"
After the recent events, Yue Li felt drained of strength, so she simply followed his directions and pointed in a direction.
Wei Zhan went out with the bucket of water but returned shortly. He entered the kitchen, where Yue Li had already started a fire.
The flickering candlelight illuminated the crouching figure at the stove, casting shadows. Wei Zhan walked up to the hearth with the bucket, and Yue Li stood up, brushed her hair back, and approached with a ladle.
Grabbing her wrist, Wei Zhan stopped her movements. Yue Li looked up, her clear eyes meeting his, and she asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"You should go change your clothes first; I'll handle this," Wei Zhan said.
Yue Li stared at him in surprise.
"Your father and uncle are injured. When they get back, they'll need you to take care of them," Wei Zhan looked at her sternly. "You can't afford to fall ill."
In the dilapidated house, with a cold wind blowing, Yue Li finally spoke after a long pause, "Then I'll trouble you."
She handed the ladle to Wei Zhan and went back to her room to change into clean clothes. Her body instinctively shook, out of fear and cold.
As she was tying her clothes, she heard a clinking sound from the kitchen, as if something had fallen.
She suddenly remembered the pampered young general in the kitchen and rushed in.
Wei Zhan was stooped, picking up a broken bowl. Hearing Yue Li's footsteps, he looked up awkwardly, scratching his head. "It was an accident."
"It's okay," Yue Li said lightly. Accustomed to rising with the sunrise and resting with the sunset, they were usually asleep by this time of night, and with no candles at home, she rummaged through a cabinet, finding a small jar of tung oil. Pouring it into the shards of the bowl, she took a wick and lit it, casting a dim light in the kitchen. "Our house is too dark."
She sniffed and caught a whiff of the aroma of eggs cooking in the pot.
Wei Zhan lowered his head, inadvertently meeting her gaze.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I saw two eggs on the stove earlier, so I made you some egg tea," he said as he scooped boiling water from the pot into a bowl containing beaten eggs.
The fragrant aroma of egg tea filled the room.
"Try it," Wei Zhan held the bowl out to her.
Her eyes suddenly felt warm, she took the bowl, blew off the floating egg flowers, and took a sip. The hot liquid warmed her throat and stomach, dispelling the cold that had enveloped her for so long.
After finishing the large bowl, she felt warm all over, the chill from the rain dissipated.
"Feeling better?" Wei Zhan asked softly.
Yue Li remained silent, nodding her head slightly after a while.
"Get a good night's sleep. If you're feeling unwell tomorrow, drink some ginger tea," Wei Zhan advised, glancing at her.
Seeing her gaze on him, he quickly averted his eyes. "I have to go back, your father and uncle are in the camp, and when their condition has improved, I'll have them brought back to you."
"Thank you," Yue Li said in a clear voice.
Wei Zhan's eyes caught sight of the cloak she had left aside, and for some reason, he quickly looked away, saying gravely, "No need to thank me. If you have any problems, feel free to come find me. When you go to the camp, tell them you're looking for Wei Zhan."
Yue Li gazed at him with misty eyes, seeming a bit puzzled.
She didn't like to get involved in disputes and preferred to keep her distance. She had accidentally saved his sister and Ah Heng before, and today he had coincidentally saved her, perhaps they were now even.
She didn't want to get entangled in unnecessary matters; minimal interaction with him would suffice.
Even so, she still nodded, "Okay."
"Remember that," Wei Zhan reminded, fearing she might forget. "My name is Wei Zhan."
Yue Li looked blank for a moment, then nodded, murmuring, "Uh-huh."
With her affirmative response, Wei Zhan finally left.
Watching his figure disappear into the heavy rain, Yue Li belatedly remembered she had forgotten to offer him an umbrella. Then she thought about how thirsty he had mentioned being, yet he left so hastily without even drinking a sip of water. Her gaze fell upon the cloak he had casually draped over a chair earlier...
She rubbed her head, wondering if she had truly been scared silly.
Feeling wide awake now, she decided to wash and clean his cloak. Such a person must have expensive clothes, and she felt she had no reason to touch such precious garments.
Once the cloak was washed and dried, she resolved to return it to him in due time.
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TNote:
While "é¿å (Ä xiÅng)" and "大å¥/"å¥å¥" (dà gÄ / gÄgÄ)" both translate to "older brother" in English, they have slightly different nuances in Chinese culture.
In essence, "é¿å " is reserved for formal settings or when addressing an older brother with utmost respect.
"大å¥" is suitable for both formal and informal situations, striking a balance between respect and familiarity.
"å¥å¥" is best used in informal settings or among close friends, where a casual and affectionate tone is desired.