The Road to Glory

Chapter 157: "Wen Yu, I Feel This Is So Unjust..."

Wen Yu wanted to explain further to him, but he urged his horse into a gallop, the howling wind drowning out all other sounds. Unless she shouted at the top of her lungs, he could hardly hear her.

However, due to the abdominal impact injury, Wen Yu truly lacked the strength to raise her voice. Hearing the sharp whistles of Zhao Bai and the Azure Guard pursuing from behind, she could only exert some force to pinch Xiao Li's hand clasped around her waist. When he lowered his gaze to look at her, she strained to say, "I'm fine. Let me go with Zhao Bai and the others."

But Xiao Li remained unmoved. The line of his jaw was taut, and after lifting his head, he even sharply tugged the reins and shouted "Hyah!", increasing the distance from the pursuers behind.

Wen Yu finally realized something was wrong—it seemed he wasn't here to help her, but to abduct her as well!

Hadn't those wood carvings he gave her meant he had thought everything through and let go?

After a brief moment of stunned confusion, Wen Yu pinched his forearm again, wanting him to lower his head and listen to her. But Xiao Li gave no further response.

Wen Yu couldn't help but grow angry, increasing the pressure with her fingertips until her nails nearly dug into his flesh. Yet he still didn't lower his head or show any intention of stopping.

The muscles beneath the fabric tensed, becoming as solid as iron lumps. Wen Yu could feel how insignificant her pinching force was to him.

His horsemanship was exceptional, and with people continuously hindering Zhao Bai's group from behind, they successfully created distance from the pursuing party.

Wen Yu had schemed for so long precisely for today, only letting her guard down because of that box of wood carvings from him.

But his current actions undoubtedly made all her defenses bristle again. Though her face remained pale, she ignored her injuries and tried to seize the reins he used to control the horse.

Noticing this, Xiao Li used a single arm to encircle both her hands, pinning them tightly against his chest. This position forced Wen Yu's back flush against his chest, her head nearly resting against his shoulder and neck. When he slightly lowered his head to speak, his exhaled breath sprayed against her ear, but his voice was cold and deep: "Don't move.As if knowing what she wanted to say, his jaw tightened, and he said in a low voice, "I gave your people a chance."

"They failed to take you away."

Wen Yu's expression turned cold and stern. She tried to pry his hand clamped on her shoulder and arm, but he struck the side of her neck with a carefully measured chop, finally causing her to lose consciousness.

Ahead was a three-way fork in the road, and Zhao Bai's group was still behind the mountain bend, not yet caught up. Several riders emerged from the dense forest, calling to Xiao Li: "Prefect!"

Xiao Li removed the cloak from Wen Yu and tossed it to them, then wrapped her securely in his own mantle, saying, "Lead them away."

The several riders galloped toward the three-way fork, leaving hoofprints on each path.

Xiao Li, meanwhile, took Wen Yu and retreated into the forest. The woods held a secret—cutting straight through led to another road, where an ambush party had prepared another carriage.

After carefully placing Wen Yu inside the carriage, Song Qin, who was responsible for hindering Zhao Bai's group, returned with his men. He reported: "Tiger's reinforcements should be nearing Thirty-Mile Pavilion soon."

If Yuan Fang and the others were ambushed halfway, they would surely send someone back to the Military Camp for reinforcements. This was also why Zhang Huai had previously instructed Zheng Hu to stay behind.Xiao Li removed his black face covering and retrieved a set of his own armor from the carriage. Before alighting, he glanced back at Wen Yu. Even in her unconscious state, her brows were slightly furrowed as if burdened by countless worries.

Pressing his lips tightly together, he let the carriage curtain fall and jumped down, saying, "I will go join Tiger immediately. I must trouble you, brother, to take her to the nunnery for shelter and promptly summon a physician for her."

Song Qin acknowledged the request.

After donning his armor, Xiao Li spurred his horse toward the Thirty-Mile Pavilion.

With Wen Yu having been abducted, to prevent Wei Qishan from suspecting him, he had to personally lead the reinforcements and present himself before Yuan Fang and Wei Ang.

Yuan Fang sat on the damaged half of a carriage shaft, his upper arm bare as a medic applied golden wound powder to stop the bleeding.

Not far away, the corpse of Pei Shiwu lay with a bloodied face, eyes still wide with fury. His robes had been torn open, revealing an eagle brand seared into his chest with a red-hot iron.

The cut inflicted on Wei Ang's foot had been insidiously vicious, severing a tendon so that he could no longer stand.

Wei Pingjin huddled inside the only intact carriage, not daring to step out again, surrounded by several dozen elite soldiers armed with halberds and shields.

The troops below were digging pits in the nearby wilderness, burying the fallen Wei soldiers and the refugees who had been mistakenly killed.

Wei Ang observed the cunningly inflicted wounds on Yuan Fang's body and then glanced at his own bandaged calf, shaking his head in disbelief. "The killing skills of these Hawk Hounds under Pei Song are truly formidable."

Many of the deceased disguised as refugees had their upper garments torn open.

It was only by the Hawk Hound brands on their bodies that Yuan Fang and Wei Ang had identified their true allegiances.

Only Pei Shiwu bore the eagle brand; the rest were marked with the hound symbol.

Yuan Fang flexed his arm, donned his felt coat, and remarked, "Do you think that after Grand Commandant Ao fell from power, the death warriors the Ao family had trained using condemned prisoners from the Ministry of Justice simply vanished?"

In those days, Grand Commandant Ao had controlled both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War, wielding absolute power in the court.

Condemned prisoners in the Ministry of Justice's dungeons who possessed exceptional skills—whether notorious bandits or ruthless killers—were secretly replaced by the Ao family and trained into death warriors loyal to the Ao clan.

Before Pei Song defected from the Party of Ao, he had spent years humbling himself under Grand Commandant Ao and had also served in the Ministry of Justice.

The answer was self-evident.

Wei Ang shook his head and muttered, "No wonder," then added, "Since they are such vicious and ruthless individuals, having betrayed Ao Qing in the past, isn't Pei Song afraid that this blade might one day turn against his own neck?"

Yuan Fang's expression turned inscrutable as he gazed at Pei Shiwu, whom he had killed. "I heard that in the early years, the Ao family used poison to control those death warriors. Pei Song was personally mentored by Ao Qing; he must have mastered every method the Ao family employed to train their hounds."

Wei Ang fell silent. Although Wei Qishan rarely left the Northern Border, during the years of intense court strife, he had heard rumors that Grand Commandant Ao kept a fiercely trained hound named Pei Song.

A cavalry troop approached on horseback, and the two men temporarily ended their conversation.

When the group drew near and the leader was revealed to be Xiao Li, Yuan Fang rose from the carriage shaft. "I am ashamed that you, our benefactor, have come personally despite your injuries to offer assistance."Xiao Li, clad in black armor with a cloak fastened at his shoulders, dismounted and strode toward the two men. Seeing Yuan Fang wrapped in multiple strips of cloth torn from undergarments, he quickly gestured for him to sit back down, his expression particularly grim. "I arrived too late."

He then asked, "What's the situation?"

Rushing back from Sanshiliang Pavilion to report to the army, then having the military camp dispatch reinforcements—even riding nonstop would take nearly half an hour. Xiao Li's arrival could hardly be considered late.

Yuan Fang hurriedly replied, "It was our failure. We didn't anticipate that group of bandits would incite the refugees to join them, using the refugees as cover, and actually attempt to kill Jiang Yu's concubine and the young master."

Xiao Li's gaze swept toward the carriage still tightly guarded by a group of Wei army soldiers, then returned to the broken carriage where Yuan Fang and the others were sitting on shattered wood. He asked, "Were the young master and Jiang Yu's concubine injured?"

Yuan Fang sighed. "The young master was frightened. As for Jiang Yu's concubine, I ordered men to take her away to divert the bandits' attention. I've just sent more people to pursue them, but there's no news yet."

Xiao Li said, "Both of you are injured. Rest here for now. I'll take some men to investigate."

Yuan Fang quickly clasped his hands in gratitude toward Xiao Li.

After Xiao Li led his troops into the distance, Wei Ang, slumped nearby, asked, "What do you think?"

Being old friends, Yuan Fang naturally understood what Wei Ang was asking. "Our benefactor doesn't seem to know about this unexpected incident."

Wei Ang felt deeply unsettled. "I didn't expect such a vicious scheme either!"

They had brought three thousand troops to escort Wei Pingjin and one of Jiang Yu's concubines. With no large-scale Pei Army remaining in the territory, their numbers should have been more than sufficient.

When they left the military camp, he thought the worst that could happen would be an ambush along the way.

Who could have predicted so many refugees would appear? And that Hawk Hounds would use the refugees as cover to indiscriminately shoot arrows at the carriages, nearly injuring Wei Pingjin.

He sighed. "We still don't know whether that group came to kidnap Jiang Yu's concubine, to kill the young master, or perhaps both."

Zhao Bai's Liang Camp forces and Pei Song's Hawk Hounds had all disguised themselves as refugees.

They identified Pei Song's men by their Hawk Hound brands, but many real refugees died in the chaos, making it impossible to distinguish who was a refugee and who belonged to the Liang Camp.

Yuan Fang said, "If that woman is kidnapped now, not to mention the marquis being unable to verify her identity and completely eliminate suspicions, just the fact that envoys from the Liang and Chen camps are still demanding her—you and I will have a hard time explaining this mission."

Both men sighed simultaneously.

After pursuing fruitlessly for over ten miles, Zhao Bai turned back to find Tong Que.

Earlier, after Tong Que and that Hawk Hound fell from the carriage, she had used her last strength to strangle her opponent with the steel cable of her grappling hook.

But she was severely injured and exhausted, unable to get up for quite some time.

When Zhao Bai arrived, she left some people behind to treat the wounded Azure Guard members while she took others to pursue Xiao Li.

By the time she returned, Tong Que had been moved to sit under a large tree by the roadside, her shoulder sprinkled with medicine and roughly bandaged.

"Did you catch up?" Tong Que asked immediately upon seeing Zhao Bai.

Zhao Bai shook her head, her beautiful face cold as she clutched the white fur cloak Wen Yu had previously worn. Her voice was heavy. "We've been tricked."

She dismounted and asked, "How are your injuries?"Tong Que glanced at her shoulder, where a fresh wound had opened over a barely healed arrow injury, and smiled faintly. "It's manageable. Not fatal."

Zhao Bai took the bronze flask from her waist and tossed it over. "Medicinal liquor. A couple of swallows will ease the pain."

Tong Que unstopped the flask without ceremony and took two hearty gulps.

Noticing a long case beside her, Zhao Bai asked, "What's this?"

Tong Que opened the lid to show her. "I found this in the princess's carriage. On our previous journey to Southern Chen, I saw the princess carrying similar wood carvings in a pouch. Assuming these were her belongings, I kept them."

At the mention of a pouch, Zhao Bai suddenly recalled Wen Yu searching for a sachet back in Pingzhou. Anything Wen Yu carried all the way to Southern Chen must have been deeply important.

Her expression grew peculiar and complex as she studied the box of wood carvings. She noticed a small brocade box inside and retrieved it.

Tong Que, who had clearly seen its contents, seemed about to warn her but was too late—Zhao Bai had already opened the box, revealing a white jade lock and the crumpled paper Wen Yu had crushed.

When smoothed out, the six characters "To your heir, for the first-year ceremony" remained clearly visible, though the writer was unknown.

Zhao Bai's face turned colder, evidently recognizing the handwriting. She said icily, "So it was him who abducted the princess!"

—

Xiao Li led the camp's cavalry to follow Wei camp's men, checking every carriage that had split off at various forks in the road, naturally finding nothing.

Yuan Fang and Wei Ang seemed prepared for this outcome.

Xiao Li invited them to rest at the camp overnight before departing the next day, but Yuan Fang politely declined, citing the need to return swiftly to Weizhou to report to Wei Qishan and the imminent wedding of Wei Pingjin.

Wei Ang, with a tendon injury in his leg that hindered movement, could recuperate in the military camp.

Thus, only Wei Ang returned to the camp with Xiao Li that night.

Given the major upheaval, Xiao Li had to write a letter to Wei Qishan clarifying the situation.

Leaving Wei Ang—Wei Qishan's eyes—in the camp helped mitigate suspicion, but it also meant Xiao Li had to act with greater caution in military affairs.

By the time the camp's myriad tasks were handled, it was already midnight.

With the central military tent's candles extinguished, the camp held no signs of life beyond the patrolling soldiers.

After a routine night patrol moved out to scout the perimeter, one rider broke away from the group and vanished into the boundless darkness.

—

A fire burned inside the abandoned nunnery, yet no cobwebs clung to the doors, windows, or beams—evidence it hadn't been deserted long.

"This place used to be where the governor of Lu Prefecture kept his household courtesans. When war broke out, it was abandoned, and the tonsured courtesans fled long ago. Our Green Forest faction took it over because of its secluded location," said the woman leaning against the doorframe.

She appeared around thirty, with fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and stood nearly eight feet tall—taller than most men. Two broadswords were strapped to her back, one narrow and one wide, both looking substantial.

Song Qin said to Xiao Li, "This is Gongsun Sanniang, whom I mentioned before. With her here protecting the young lady, you needn't worry.Before Xiao Li could speak, Gongsun Sanniang cut in, "I'm an armed escort." This job's just guarding one person on-site—good deal. As long as the pay's right, I'm game."Her gaze swept over Xiao Li from head to toe, and she suddenly teased playfully: "This little brother looks so handsome and has such a sturdy build. If you're short on escort fees, Third Sister can make an exception and let you pay on credit."

Song Qin said sternly: "Sanniang, mind your manners."

Having traveled through wind and snow all night, Xiao Li still carried a frosty chill between his brows. He tossed a pouch filled with gold fragments to Song Qin, saying only "For that female warrior," before heading straight to the backyard to find Wen Yu.

After snatching the pouch from Song Qin, Gongsun Sanniang opened it and beamed with delight, exclaiming to him: "Not bad, Old Song! You've really come through, finding me such a wealthy client."

Song Qin sighed helplessly: "You should rein in that temperament of yours."

Gongsun Sanniang directly sat cross-legged by the fire: "That girl lying in the room is beautiful as a celestial maiden. The moment he arrived, he only asked about her injuries. Do you think I can't tell that young gentleman's heart is completely focused on that girl?"

She pouted: "How long has it been since I've had any fun? With this war raging, opera troupes can't perform anymore, southern-style establishments have mostly collapsed, all the delicate beauties I raised have run off. The men I meet on the road are either filthy or stinky. Finally seeing such a handsome gentleman, can't I even enjoy some verbal banter?"

Noticing Song Qin watching her, she quickly added: "I count Mudan as a close friend too. I know about your feelings for Mudan. Don't worry, don't worry - I'd never be interested in a sluggish man like you who can't squeeze out a word even with eight blows!"

Before Song Qin could respond, she seemed to remember something and stretched her neck toward the backyard rooms, shouting: "That girl has bruises on her waist and abdomen! There's medicinal oil on the table, young gentleman - you should massage it for her!"

Hearing that Wen Yu had bruising on her waist and abdomen from impact, Song Qin recalled the pulse reading from the earlier physician and frowned: "She injured her waist and abdomen, but the pregnancy pulse remains?"

Gongsun Sanniang seemed to suddenly realize this too, pausing as she was about to put roasted sweet potato in her mouth, perplexed: "Could it be that physician wasn't skilled enough?"

After all, they had initially thought the girl had miscarried, but when Gongsun Sanniang examined her injuries, she discovered it was just a cut on her calf from a sharp object, with the blood having stained her skirt.

Song Qin thought for a moment: "You said Mad Old Jiu is also at the Northern Border?"

Gongsun Sanniang half-joked: "Exactly! Everyone knows you've risen to prominence in Northern Wei now - all our friends from the circuit are thinking of coming to seek refuge with you!"

In his earlier years traveling extensively, Song Qin had built quite a network in the greenwood brotherhood.

He glanced at Gongsun Sanniang: "If you want to rise in the world, you should control that mouth of yours."

Gongsun Sanniang covered her mouth, her eyes darting around, then suddenly laughed: "That handsome gentleman is Wei Qishan's only son, Wei Pingjin?"

Song Qin looked at her without speaking, only saying: "Send word to Mad Old Jiu, have him come here."

Though she hadn't gotten a definite answer, Gongsun Sanniang clearly restrained herself more, saying: "Fine. Mad Old Jiu may be crazy, but his medical skills have never failed."

In the side room, Xiao Li sat on a small stool beside the bed, silently observing Wen Yu who remained unconscious in the dim candlelight from the high table.

Perhaps due to the warm yellow candlelight, her complexion looked much better than in the afternoon. Her long lashes rested gently beneath her eyes, their shadows cast by the candlelight each distinct and separate.

Song Qin had said the physician checked her pulse - the child in her womb was fine. The blood on her skirt was from a sharp object cutting her calf. Aside from some scrapes and bruises, she wasn't seriously injured.Xiao Li's heart, which had been suspended for half a day, finally settled upon hearing these words.

He thought that when she woke up, he could tell her this good news.

The carp wood carving she had left behind was held in his hand, its attached cord winding countless times around his long fingers—marked by thin calluses and healing scars—much like his own tangled emotions.

He still wanted to ask her many things.

About the wood carving, about that affection she had once denied and trampled into worthlessness.

Hadn't she thrown it away? Hadn't she said to act as if it had never been recovered?

Why then bring this wood carving to the Northern Border? And then, through another person's mouth, tell him she didn't want it anymore?

Xiao Li clenched the wood carving in his hand even tighter. The taut red thread bit into his fingertips, yet he remained silent, his gaze fixed on Wen Yu. His eyes, usually fierce, now held a faint, barely noticeable redness in the candlelight.

But for some reason, they gradually grew fierce again.

He said, "Wen Yu, I find it so unfair."

How is it that I knew nothing about when you started liking me, or when you decided to abandon these feelings?

No one answered him.

Wen Yu remained quietly unconscious, with only the candle flame on the high desk flickering once.

Xiao Li seemed to take a deep breath and lowered his head, trying to calm his emotions.

But just then, the voice of the woman from the forest came from the front nunnery: "That young lady has bruises on her waist and abdomen! There's medicinal oil on the table—you, sir, go and massage it for her!"

On the bed, the person who had been in a deep coma trembled her long eyelashes almost imperceptibly.