The Road to Glory

Chapter 96: Reunion

The sun had already set, leaving only fiery clouds dyeing half the sky crimson where the mountains met the heavens.

Xiao Li washed his blade in the river, the bloodstains flowing into the current and quickly disappearing. A dozen or so soldiers in ochre uniforms lay haphazardly on the riverbank, large pools of blood spreading beneath them—clearly already dead.

He shook the water off his blade, sheathed it, and without another glance at the soldiers, went straight to the tree where his horse was tethered.

Ever since he had saved those commoners being hunted and slaughtered by Jin City soldiers days ago, it seemed the city had issued a warrant for his arrest. For several days in a row, Jin City troops had been pursuing and ambushing him.

Xiao Li untied the rope from the tree, stroked the horse’s mane, and was about to mount when he suddenly heard shouts and killing cries from afar.

The horse startled, stomping its hooves restlessly. Xiao Li looked up and saw a group of cavalry chasing a man also dressed in a soldier’s uniform.

The man was burly, nearly nine chi tall, and seemed to be carrying someone on his back. As he sprinted, the cavalry occasionally shot arrows but appeared to intentionally spare their lives, avoiding vital areas. Thanks to this, the man managed to flee toward Xiao Li while carrying his burden.

Recognizing that the cavalry also wore Jin City uniforms, Xiao Li’s gaze darkened, and his hand moved to the bow and arrows hanging from his saddle.

The fleeing man spotted him from a distance and shouted for help.

The voice sounded familiar. Squinting for a closer look, Xiao Li immediately drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Several white-feathered arrows instantly struck down the leading cavalrymen. Those following closely behind yanked their reins hard, but the warhorses reared and neighed, panicking and trampling chaotically.

Even those not killed by arrows were crushed under the hooves. In moments, the cavalry’s pursuit was disrupted, thrown into disarray.

Seizing this brief respite, the man finally put some distance between himself and his pursuers. Panting like bellows, he ran desperately forward, too preoccupied to look back. Despite his mountainous build, he wept like a child, tears and snot covering his face. He jostled the old man higher on his back and spoke with childlike determination, "Don’t be scared, Grandpa. A Niu will get you out of here..."

The arrows did not deter the cavalry. They quickly regrouped and gave chase again.

Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, A Niu ran with all his might, but two legs were no match for four. Sweat mixed with grime dripped into his eyes, stinging sharply. Gasping and sobbing, he strained to keep his eyes open on the path ahead.

Then he saw the archer standing silhouetted against the vast sunset. The fiery clouds cast a faint crimson glow over the distant mountains and nearby river. The figure drew his longbow once more, and the arrows whistling through the air seemed to carry immense force, striking down the closest pursuers and sending them tumbling from their horses.The man finally stumbled and fell before Xiao Li while carrying the old man on his back. His face was covered in dust and bloodstains as he tried to incoherently express his gratitude to Xiao Li. But upon clearly seeing Xiao Li’s face, whether from the relief of surviving a disaster or the overwhelming joy of reuniting with an old acquaintance, he burst into tears: "Big brother... save Grandpa, please save Grandpa..."

Xiao Li had recognized the two being pursued as Doctor Tao and his grandson A Niu—the very ones who had once saved him and Wen Yu—the moment A Niu called out to him from afar. Now, seeing Doctor Tao lying on the ground with A Niu, eyes tightly shut and uncertain whether he was alive or dead, his coarse brown cloth garment torn open and stained with bloodstains from whipping, Xiao Li’s expression turned cold. He put away his bow and arrows, drew the long blade he had just cleaned of blood, and said to A Niu while staring at the leader of the cavalry: "Take your grandfather and hide in the back."

Though A Niu had the mind of a seven- or eight-year-old child, he understood that with so many pursuers, Xiao Li alone might struggle to hold them off. He planned to move Doctor Tao to a slightly safer spot and then return to help Xiao Li. But as he lifted his grandfather onto his back and headed toward the rear, he caught sight of the scattered corpses of soldiers and froze in shock.

The soldier leading the cavalry had initially thought he was dealing with an arrogant young man who didn’t know his limits. But from his horse, he now saw the bodies of the soldiers behind Xiao Li and his face changed. A vein bulged at his temple as he pointed his whip at Xiao Li: "How dare you slaughter our Jin City soldiers like this? Capture this insolent rebel!"

This cavalry unit was clearly a regular army, unlike the previous troops who had been rounding up civilians or searching aimlessly for Xiao Li. Each rider was highly skilled, maintaining formation even during the assault. As over a dozen of them surrounded Xiao Li, two broke off to capture A Niu and Doctor Tao.

Relying on his brute strength, A Niu rolled aside as two cavalrymen charged toward him on horseback. He snatched a blade from the corpse of a soldier Xiao Li had killed and swung it at the oncoming warhorse. The horse whinnied, reared, and crashed to the ground, throwing its rider headfirst. The following cavalryman quickly yanked the reins to turn his horse, narrowly avoiding the fallen steed. A Niu rushed forward, grabbed the reins, and pulled sideways with all his might, toppling the horse and trapping the soldier’s leg beneath it. The man screamed, unable to free himself.

A Niu pummeled the soldier’s head with his fists, crying as he struck: "You beat my grandpa... you killed my grandma..."

The cavalryman who had been thrown far by the crippled warhorse staggered to his feet, dazed. Seeing his companion already bleeding from all facial orifices under A Niu’s blows, he picked up a blade from the ground and aimed for the back of A Niu’s neck. But a spear pierced through his back, and he fell forward, eyes wide and blood gushing from his mouth.

Xiao Li had already dealt with the dozen or so cavalrymen. After kicking a fallen spear toward the soldier attempting to strike A Niu, he pointed his long blade at the wounded leader who had rolled to the ground: "They are not from Yi Zhou, nor are they on the list of households to be relocated with Yi Zhou’s counties. Why were you pursuing them?"The soldier captain was a tough nut to crack. He spat a mouthful of blood at Xiao Li and snarled viciously, "The remnants of Great Liang have no shame, colluding with the Chen State to attack our Central Plains. As a son of the Central Plains, it is our duty to enlist and kill the enemy. That fool didn’t know what was good for him—after being conscripted, he repeatedly violated military discipline and even had the audacity to escape with forced laborers. The Grand Guardian, valuing his talent, ordered us not to take his life but to bring him back. I am the Grand Guardian Han’s direct subordinate—do you dare kill me..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Li’s blade fell, and the soldier captain’s head was severed from his body.

Xiao Li had asked the soldier captain that question because he noticed A Niu’s unusually large stature and the fact that he was wearing a well-fitting Jingzhou military uniform, which didn’t seem like it had been randomly stripped from another soldier. Once he understood the reason, he had no patience to listen to the soldier captain’s ramblings.

Xiao Li sheathed his blade and saw A Niu still venting his rage, punching the cavalryman he had already beaten beyond recognition. He walked over, placed a hand on A Niu’s shoulder, and waited until A Niu caught his breath and looked at him before saying, "He’s already dead."

A Niu’s eyes were bloodshot, his face covered in dust and bloodstains, making it impossible to discern his original complexion. His entire neck and chest were flushed red. He stared at Xiao Li, weeping like a child: "They beat Granny to death, beat Auntie to death, stripped Sister Yin Qiao of her clothes, and killed Brother Da Zhu..."

Xiao Li knew that the "Granny" he referred to must be Granny Tao. As for the others, they were likely villagers from the same village.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. He just hadn’t expected this day to come so quickly—even the secluded Tao Village had not escaped the turmoil of this chaotic era.

He silently kept his hand on A Niu’s shoulder for a while before finally saying, "You’ve avenged them."

Then he glanced at Doctor Tao, who had been set aside, and said, "Let me check your grandfather’s injuries first."

Only then did A Niu wipe his eyes clumsily, like a lost puppy, and shuffle helplessly to Doctor Tao’s side, watching as Xiao Li checked the old man’s pulse.

Xiao Li was no physician and could only roughly assess the pulse. Doctor Tao’s injuries were severe, his back crisscrossed with whip marks and stained with blood. At his age, suffering such torment was more than his frail body could bear.

Xiao Li took out some wound-healing medicine, tossed a bottle to A Niu to treat his own injuries, and then roughly dressed the wounds on Doctor Tao’s back.

The medicine he used was potent, and in the midst of the treatment, Doctor Tao was jolted awake by the pain. Seeing Xiao Li, he mustered his last strength, tears streaming down his aged face, and entrusted A Niu to Xiao Li’s care. Xiao Li had no choice but to agree, hoping to calm the old man’s agitation.

Lying on the ground, Doctor Tao’s face was ashen. With tear-filled eyes, he looked at Xiao Li and said, "Perhaps it was fate that allowed this old man to save your life back then. My A Niu... is a good child, just a bit simple-minded. From now on, as long as you give him a meal to eat and prevent him from... from committing wicked deeds, you may command him as you see fit..."

A Niu wept anxiously, tears rolling from his eyes, tracing paths through the grime, blood, and sweat on his face, falling in large drops. He opened his mouth but could only utter the words, "Grandpa..."

Xiao Li said, "Rest assured, elder. From now on, I, Xiao Li, will treat A Niu as my own brother. Your injuries are mostly superficial. Though you’ve suffered greatly, you can recover with time."Doctor Tao only shook his head, lamenting mournfully, "This old bones of mine would only be a burden if I followed you. Young man, take my A Niu and escape. Don’t let those jackals capture him again and force him to do those conscience-defying deeds..."

A Niu quickly shook his head, weeping and refusing to leave, saying, "They killed Grandma. A Niu won’t listen to them anymore..."

Xiao Li, who had earlier learned from the soldier captain that A Niu had been conscripted, couldn’t help but ask, "Why did the Jin City soldiers conscript Brother A Niu and then force you into hard labor as well? They didn’t even spare Grandma?"

At the memory of his wife’s death, Doctor Tao’s eyes reddened again, and murky tears streamed down: "They drove the entire village toward Jinzhou—it wasn’t just for conscription! They wanted us for hard labor, to build Jinzhou’s city defenses! My wife and I, with our old bones, couldn’t possibly move those bricks and stones for the walls. We held A Niu back—otherwise, with his skills, he could have escaped. He wouldn’t have had to endure those jackals barking orders at him to do their bidding..."

Xiao Li’s expression shifted slightly, and in that moment, he understood Pei Song’s true purpose: by having Yizhou implement a scorched-earth policy and driving civilians from neighboring counties to Jinzhou, Pei Song had already abandoned Yizhou. While luring Northern Wei and Southern Chen into conflict, he had designated Jinzhou as the battlefield to halt Southern Chen’s northern advance.

To rapidly expand the army in Jinzhou, the most effective method was naturally forced conscription, while also detaining the conscripts’ families in the city for hard labor to build the city defenses.

This way, they not only secured enough laborers for the defenses but also maximized control over the forcibly conscripted new soldiers.

Doctor Tao seemed to have lost the will to live. After speaking, he murmured to himself, "With A Niu entrusted to you, young man, this old man has no more attachments. I can go in peace to find my wife..."

A Niu, who had never faced so many partings and deaths in his life until today, curled into a ball, sobbing and shaking his head incessantly—fragile and pitiable, like a large dog about to be abandoned.

Seeing this, Xiao Li said, "I know your heart aches deeply after Grandma’s tragic fate, but Brother A Niu risked his life to bring you out. Don’t betray his devotion—after all, you’re the only family he has left in this world. As for the pursuers, with Xiao here, you need not worry."Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solutions: Mengyi 38 bottles; Jishishu 37 bottles; Tasuoxingcao 36 bottles; Yudoufu Shoupaifen Na 24 bottles; Chen 20 bottles; 46680410, Feixu, Juaner, Susu, Xiangcui Suansun 10 bottles each; Jun Tingbai, Liusha, Jingyu Buchi Xiangcai, Lam, Gu You, Qingfeng Chanming 5 bottles each; Dasheng de Mama Shi Shitou 4 bottles; Riri Riri Riri, Taiyang Nuanyangyang 2 bottles each; Stella, kfpy_L, 65140677, Huan Mu Ji, Muzi Shuoshu, shinecherry, 45814802, Qing Ni Chi Shengcai, 41103409, Jinshu Yanhui, Suisui Taoyan Suisui, Gai Ge Ming Ba 1 bottle each;

Thank you all very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!