The Road to Glory

Chapter 97 Ambition

Before dusk completely settled, Xiao Li led Doctor Tao and his grandson to take shelter in a dilapidated farmhouse.

The farmhouse appeared to have been abandoned for a long time, with the broken clay jars in the courtyard covered in a thick layer of dust.

It was unclear whether the owners had fled with their families to escape the war or had been forcibly conscripted as soldiers or laborers by Jin City. The house was practically bare except for some large furniture that hadn't been taken away. The cabinet doors were wide open, and when illuminated by the torch, they revealed completely empty interiors.

The bed was so bare that only a few bed boards riddled with wormholes remained. Xiao Li pressed his hand against the boards to test their sturdiness before searching the entire house inside and out. Not only were there no bedding or quilts, but not even half a foot of cloth could be found. He went to the woodshed and, fortunately, found many bundles of dried grass tied up with straw ropes for kindling.

Xiao Li carried several bundles of dried grass into the house, spreading them over the bed boards to prevent discomfort, then gestured for A Niu to lay Doctor Tao down.

The stove in the kitchen was still usable, but there was clearly no food to cook in the farmhouse. Doctor Tao was not only injured all over but also emaciated. To help him recover, nourishment was essential.

After some thought, Xiao Li had A Niu stay at the farmhouse while he took his bow and arrows and went out. When he returned half an hour later, he was carrying two wild rabbits tied up with straw ropes.

A Niu was delighted to see the rabbits and circled around Xiao Li excitedly like a frolicking calf ever since he entered.

Ever since they met while being pursued, A Niu had regarded Xiao Li as someone like his own grandparents. But Xiao Li was far stronger than his grandparents, and staying by his side made A Niu feel none of the fear he had experienced since being conscripted.

Xiao Li tossed the rabbits to him and asked, "Can you handle them?"

A Niu nodded: "A Niu... used to set traps to catch rabbits! Helped Granny... kill them!"

As he spoke, he gestured with the rabbits. When he used to gather herbs in the mountains with Doctor Tao, he would also set traps to catch small game. Either Doctor Tao would sell them at the market when selling herbs, or Granny Tao would turn them into cured meat that could be stored for a long time.

Xiao Li said, "Kill both rabbits."

A Niu weighed the two rabbits in his hand, seeming hesitant to keep one alive. In the past, Granny Tao had been very frugal with meat. A Niu knew meat was valuable and couldn't be eaten freely because they were poor.

However, the rabbits were caught by Xiao Li, his grandfather needed nourishment to recover, and they were still being pursued by soldiers. They couldn't carry a live rabbit on the road anyway. After frowning and struggling for a moment with his round face, A Niu did as Xiao Li said and went to the well to kill both rabbits.

When he brought the two processed rabbits to the kitchen to find Xiao Li, he saw that Xiao Li had already cleaned the rust-covered pot on the stove and sorted out some usable bowls and containers.

There were no seasonings, and Doctor Tao, covered in injuries, needed to eat lightly. However, to prevent the rabbit stew from being too gamey, Xiao Li had dug up some wild ginger he spotted by the river on his way back.

One rabbit was chopped into pieces and thrown into the pot to boil. Xiao Li sharpened a wooden stick and skewered the other rabbit to roast over the fire, occasionally squeezing some herb juices onto it for flavor.

A Niu squatted nearby, sniffing continuously at the enticing aroma. After swallowing his saliva several times, Xiao Li finally sliced off a small piece for him to taste.A Niu didn't mind the heat, stuffing the food into his mouth and swallowing after a couple of careless chews. He even licked the grease off his fingers clean: "Delicious..."

Seeing that the rabbit was nearly done roasting, Xiao Li wrapped a rabbit leg with a clean reed leaf, tore it off, and handed it to A Niu, letting him eat first. Then he ladled a bowl of stewed rabbit meat from the pot and brought it to Doctor Tao.

Since being taken away from Tao Village, the grandfather and grandson hadn't tasted any meat. Though the rabbit stewed with wild ginger was still somewhat gamey, Doctor Tao finished the entire bowl, soup and all.

Xiao Li asked Doctor Tao to prescribe him a tonic formula. He planned to go into town tomorrow to purchase some supplies and would stop by the pharmacy to get the medicine.

After giving these instructions, Xiao Li returned to the kitchen and saw that A Niu still had more than half of the rabbit leg left. The boy was holding something in his other hand—taking a bite of the meat himself before extending the leg toward the object, muttering, "One bite for A Niu, one bite for the puppy..."

Noticing Xiao Li enter, A Niu proudly showed him the object: "The puppy you carved for A Niu, A Niu takes good care of it!"

In the firelight, it was clear the wooden carving of the puppy had been worn smooth from constant handling, evidently carried with him at all times.

Memories that Xiao Li had deliberately avoided recalling seemed to crack open abruptly and obscurely because of this wooden puppy.

His silence was unusually heavy. He merely responded with an "Mm" to acknowledge A Niu, then sat down and sliced a piece of rabbit meat with his dagger, putting it in his mouth.

A Niu, with his childlike nature, wasn't dampened by Xiao Li's cold reaction nor did he perceive anything amiss. Instead, he continued munching on the rabbit leg while chattering, "Big sister has Little Fish, A Niu has the puppy..."

At this point, A Niu seemed to finally remember something and asked Xiao Li, "Where is Big sister?"

Xiao Li's hand paused slightly as he sliced the rabbit meat with his dagger. He only said, "She's doing very well now."

Hearing this, A Niu felt relieved, but soon followed up with a confused question, "Why isn't Big sister with you?"

His knife cut a bit too fiercely, causing a large amount of grease to seep from the rabbit meat. Xiao Li flicked the grease off his dagger toward the fire, his tone calm: "She has her own matters to attend to."

A Niu, holding the rabbit leg, looked troubled. After scratching his head for a while, he asked, "Isn't Big sister your wife? Why don't you go help her?"

Xiao Li, who had been about to wipe the grease off his knife with a cloth, paused again at the question. He then recalled that when he and Wen Yu were rescued by Doctor Tao's family, to avoid drawing attention, Wen Yu had falsely claimed they were husband and wife.

His brief daze and silence were interpreted by A Niu as not understanding why he should help her. So A Niu earnestly began to educate him: "My grandma said, once you marry a wife, you have to cherish her, coax her, yield to her, rush to do all the dirty and hard work, and give the money you earn to your wife to save..."

A Niu counted off on his fingers one by one, and to add credibility, even gave an example: "Big Brother Dazhu and Sister-in-law Lianqiao are like that. Grandma also said, those who marry a wife but don't cherish her will end up with the wife running away..."

After saying this, he suddenly froze himself, cautiously looking at Xiao Li with his round, wide eyes.

But Xiao Li didn't say another word. He just sheathed his dagger, placed the remaining rabbit meat on a bamboo sieve lined with reed leaves, stood up, and said, "Finish eating and go back to your room to rest. I'll keep watch tonight."A Niu stared at his retreating back, dazed for a moment before picking up his wooden carved puppy and murmuring, "Oh no... the big brother seems to have lost his wife..."

Tonight, the wind swept away the layers of dark clouds in the sky, and the silver moon hanging high in the dome appeared colder and more desolate than usual.

Xiao Li lay on the ridge of the roof with his arms pillowing his head, gazing absently at the moon.

After leaving Pingzhou, he had traveled northward, hearing little news about Pingzhou. However, the prefectures of Xin and Yi had reopened their southern routes, indicating that the alliance between Daliang and Wei Qishan had clearly been established.

He wasn't particularly surprised that Pei Song had chosen to station troops in Jinzhou to block the Chen army's northern advance.

Daliang's current border was at Hundred Blades Pass, but during the previous dynasty when Wei Qishan served, the border was an iron wall formed by the three prefectures of Xin, Yi, and Tao. When the Chen state ruled the Central Plains, the border was Jinzhou, where the old Great Wall stood.

Pei Song's men were extensively capturing refugees from surrounding areas, likely to repair Jinzhou's old Great Wall. Even if they ultimately couldn't withstand Chen's cavalry, delaying until winter would force Wei Qishan to withdraw troops to secure the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, giving Pei Song a breathing space.

However, the remnants of Daliang, the Chen state, and Wei Qishan's forces in the Southern Border had now joined together, making it easy to break through Pei Song's defense line in Jinzhou.

Pei Song might have backup plans, but victory was clearly leaning toward Wen Yu.

Xiao Li thought that her resolute choice to side with Southern Chen was probably correct.

But that didn't necessarily mean he had lost.

Those seemingly calm eyes gazing at the cold moon revealed ambition through the gray mist under the moonlight.

Pingzhou.

When Tong Que brought silver ear soup into the study, Wen Yu had just finished reviewing the last memorial.

Having only recently come to serve Wen Yu, Tong Que didn't know she had always worked this hard every day. While setting down the soup bowl, she advised, "You've been reading since this afternoon—you should be careful not to strain your eyes."

The chilled silver ear soup refreshed Wen Yu after just a few sips, dispelling much of the summer heat and fatigue. She said, "After delegating many affairs to Governor Chen and Lord Li, I've actually had more free time."

Although she had instructed Zhao Bai to properly settle Tong Que and the others, and promised generous compensation to those who wished to retire, none of the guards from Zhou residence were willing to leave. After a brief rest, they all took up their respective duties.

Tong Que had already served Wen Yu during their previous escape journey and knew her daily habits. Having voluntarily chosen to stay by her side, she sighed at Wen Yu's words: "This servant worries about your health..."

Wen Yu rubbed her slightly sore neck without responding, instead asking, "Has there been any news from Zhao Bai?"

Tong Que still didn't know that Xiao Li had left, only aware that Zhao Bai was handling matters for Wen Yu. She shook her head, then hesitated slightly before adding, "But the envoy from Chen has been challenging people to martial arts contests in the military camp recently, specifically asking when General Xiao Yi... General Xiao will return from suppressing bandits. No one in the army can match him in martial arts, and we've lost several matches already. Lord Chen is quite troubled by this and wanted to request your permission to recall General Xiao, but Elder Li Yao refused on your behalf."

Wen Yu's dark eyelashes lifted slightly in the candlelight as she simply said, "I understand."

The next day, as dawn barely broke, Xiao Li instructed A Niu to guard Doctor Tao at the farmhouse before heading into the city alone to purchase supplies and gather information.All the Jinzhou officers and soldiers who had seen his face had fallen beneath his blade. Xiao Li surmised that the initial squad of soldiers he killed must have failed to report back, alerting the Jinzhou Military Camp to something amiss. They likely captured the refugees he had saved that day for interrogation, and upon learning of his existence, launched subsequent pursuits.

In these turbulent times, many desperate civilians turned to banditry or rebellion. The loss of a few small squads of soldiers dispatched from the military camp wasn’t considered significant. Besides, Xiao Li had been wearing a bamboo hat that day, so presumably no refugee got a clear look at his face. However, the Miao blade he wielded was quite distinctive and easily recognizable.

For this outing, Xiao Li had left that Miao blade behind.

He would soon be traveling with A Niu and Doctor Tao. According to the squad leader’s words yesterday, the Grand Tutor of Jinzhou City seemed to have already met A Niu and held his abilities in high regard. After his elite forces failed to capture them, it was uncertain what the Grand Tutor’s next move would be. Xiao Li needed to gauge the situation first.

When entering the city, the guards at the gate conducted only lax inspections, with a steady stream of civilians coming and going.

Villages south of Jinzhou were largely deserted, with nine out of ten homes empty. Jinzhou City benefited from being the second prefecture to surrender after Yongzhou’s capitulation. Pei Song’s subordinates, whether for appearances or not, refrained from openly oppressing the local populace. Thus, conscription and forced labor were mostly imposed on people from other regions. Local civilians could barely scrape by and keep their lives by tightening their belts and paying sufficient money or grain.

Xiao Li wandered through the outer city’s market, purchasing what he needed and the herbs for Doctor Tao.

Doctor Tao seemed aware that in these chaotic times, medicinal ingredients were precious—some even unavailable for money. His prescriptions consisted of common herbs, and since they weren’t for staunching bleeding or treating external wounds, the military hadn’t bulk-purchased them, so apothecaries weren’t experiencing shortages.

The sun was already high, and Xiao Li had gathered little useful information from the market. He decided to head back. Not far from the apothecary, he noticed a crowd gathered noisily at a street corner.

A clear voice could faintly be heard: “…Since ancient times, the tides of power have always followed this pattern: long division leads to unity, long unity leads to division. The Great Liang of today should be called the Northern Wei, Southern Liang, and Central Pei Jackal. The Northern Wei needs no elaboration from this humble scholar—the former dynasty’s famed general Wei Qishan, long known as the Tiger of Youzhou, though this tiger now grows old and feeble. As for Southern Liang, under the Wen Shi lineage, the orphaned daughter of Changlian Wang holds power. She appears accomplished thus far, and after allying with the defeated former Chen Kingdom through marriage, gained another ally. But what lies ahead remains uncertain. As for the Central Pei Jackal…”

The speaker paused, seemingly tapping a metal object. “This humble scholar has spoken at length and is terribly parched. Those with means, spare a coin; those without, spare your presence. Once I’ve collected enough for a cup of tea, I’ll continue elucidating for you all…”

The onlookers immediately scoffed in unison, flicked their sleeves, and dispersed.

“Hey, hey! Don’t go! Why does everyone leave as soon as I ask for money?”

The young man in plain cloth futilely struck his copper bowl twice. Watching the crowd vanish from his stall, he seemed accustomed to it and sat back down, propping his chin lazily as he resumed his drawn-out cry: “Storytelling—fortune-telling, here—”As his gaze swept across the street, it caught on a tall, imposing figure. The young man took a second look, the laziness in his eyes vanishing abruptly as he darted forward like a weasel: "Benefactor! Benefactor, wait!"

Xiao Li had already lost interest halfway through the speaker's words amidst the crowd. He turned and took a few steps but heard urgent shouts behind him. Sensing someone approaching rapidly, he sidestepped, and the young man, unable to stop in time, crashed headfirst into a pillar at the shop entrance.

Clutching his forehead with a pained grimace, the young man scrambled to his feet and exclaimed to Xiao Li, "Benefactor, I've been searching for you everywhere!"

Xiao Li frowned slightly, studying the young man for a moment before recognizing him as the scholar he had saved earlier.

Wasn't he supposed to be heading to Pingzhou?

Why had he appeared in Jincheng instead?

Recalling the recent pursuits and ambushes by government troops, Xiao Li lifted his eyelids slightly, discreetly scanning the surroundings for any ambush before speaking in a tone that betrayed no sharpness: "Why are you looking for me?""

Yet the other proved remarkably perceptive, catching the fleeting murderous intent in Xiao Li's demeanor. His smile faded as he bowed respectfully and stated solemnly, "To serve at your command and pursue what you pursue."

"This humble scholar knows the purpose of your journey, Benefactor."