Chapter 289
A bamboo plaque was placed on the table.
“Li Shaoxia, the person you’re looking for is here too. There’s nothing for you to worry about now.”
They stepped out of the central military tent.
Huang Donglai whispered, “Li brother, are you alright?”
“I... let’s go. We need to deliver the compensation to Lu Yi’s family.”
Li Mo shook his head, his gaze fixed and distant.
He only wanted to achieve great deeds on the battlefield, to be a hero of unmatched prowess.
But this military plaque lay before him, glaringly bright.
Indeed, a clay pot won’t stray far from the well; a general is bound to fall in battle.
Isn’t it normal for war to bring bloodshed and death?
He had never met this soldier named Lu Yi. Helping to deliver the compensation to his family would be a good deed, wouldn’t it?
But what if...
What if this war was sparked because of him?
About ten minutes later, the two arrived at the supply tent, which was also a makeshift structure.
The supply officer took the military plaque and began to count out copper coins.
“Li Shaoxia, this is all we have.”
“Is that it?”
“There are indeed regulations in the court: twelve taels of silver for the families of the fallen. But here, far from the emperor’s reach, the military pay is still funded by the prince’s private wealth…”
Three or four dozen copper coins, each polished to a shine, reflected the pale face of the young man.
...
PS: Here’s the second update. I’m sorry for the delay; the last chapter was a bit of a struggle.
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Chapter 314: Lullaby for the Ice Lump, the Hero of the Ages
Ying Bing had been observing the divine intent until evening.
She was now just a step away from comprehending the five orifices of the divine, having grasped thirty percent of the essence of the Hundred Birds.
It may sound little, but those were over thirty extreme forms, each requiring a lifetime for an ordinary person to understand. Yet, she didn’t feel it was fast at all.
In this life, her journey had been much less convoluted.
However, some obstacles had to be faced whenever she wanted to move forward.
For instance, the Jade Phoenix God.
That was something the Demon Cult was determined to obtain, and it was something she could never give up.
“Why hasn’t he returned yet?”
Ying Bing looked at the empty table and chairs, rubbing the large-headed doll at her waist. She pushed the door open and stepped outside.
But just as she was about to descend the stairs, her footsteps suddenly halted.
The tavern, frequented by soldiers, was unusually quiet today.
In a corner, he sat there quietly, like a soulless statue.
What held his attention was a letter from home that could never be sent, along with a handful of copper coins.
Once a spirited young man, now his solitary figure seemed like that of a wandering soul lost in despair.
“Fairy sister, your husband has been sitting there all afternoon.”
“They say couples quarrel at the head of the bed and make up at the foot…”
The tavern owner, thinking they had a disagreement, offered some words of advice.
“Back already?”
Ying Bing’s eyes, dark as lacquer, held an unspoken depth.
She knew him well; even if she didn’t want to, she could tell what was on his mind the moment she saw him.
He wasn’t the type to hide behind a facade of laughter and anger; he was straightforward, often wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
He would always do things I liked to eat...
In the end, Ying Bing gave up on the idea of cooking and quietly sat beside him, sharing the silence.
After a long while, Li Mo murmured:
“Ice Lump, the father of Fu Yingzi, the one I’ve been searching for, has died.”
“He died on the way to deliver military news because war is upon us.”
Having grown up in peace, little Li had only known war through books, envisioning the heroic deeds of great generals.
He had never realized that behind the numbers glossed over in history lay countless letters that would never reach their intended hands.
Lu Yi was just one of many such stories.
The real war hadn’t even begun yet.
Many more would perish in the chaos.
And this turmoil was inextricably linked to him.
“Ice Lump, shouldn’t we have never come to the Southern Frontier in the first place?”
“We haven’t done anything wrong, so why are so many people suddenly going to die?”
Li Mo addressed her, but it felt more like he was questioning himself.
Each of his doubts struck a chord in Ying Bing’s heart.
She felt a strange yet familiar pain within her.
Lowering her gaze, she gently took his hand in hers and said softly:
“The tide of fate is like this; in war, there’s no right or wrong, only what should and shouldn’t be.”
“Perhaps it’s just a matter of someone arriving a little earlier or later, nothing more.”
In her past life, the disaster of the Beast Tide, secretly plotted by the remnants of the Great Shang, had also erupted, but only after the fall of the Qingyuan Sect.
Not to mention Qingmu City; even the Southern Pass had been breached, wreaking havoc all the way to Yunzhou.
“Barely any family assets... young hero…”
Li Mo glanced at the pile of copper coins and then at the already opened letter.
The letter’s words were long, but its meaning was simple: all it sought was peace.
“But I can’t even protect the peace of a small family…”
Ying Bing replied with a soft “Mm,” gazing into the young man’s eyes, and said:
“Words are often powerless; only through experience can one truly understand.”
“Once you’ve experienced it, you learn to grow up.”
Her voice was gentle.
Li Mo opened his mouth, turning to look at her. She seemed to bring a glimmer of moonlight into this cloud-covered night.
He wanted to ask Ice Lump if she had known all along that war was coming, that something would happen in the Southern Frontier.
But upon seeing her eyes, he felt there was no need to ask.
She knew.
From the moment he wished for peace and joy before the Jade Phoenix God, she had known.
Li Mo finally realized that she understood the weight of that wish even more than he did.
She was waiting for him to grow.
“Ice Lump, what are your plans?”
“Just like yours.”
“I’m so tired, Ice Lump.”
“Then sleep. Just rest easy.”
In the quiet, still tavern, a song suddenly flowed like a gentle breeze through a secluded valley, sweet and melodious.
“The sky is dark, rain is about to fall…”
“The sky is dark… dark…”
The night sky, long shrouded in clouds, seemed to part slightly, as if the moon wanted to listen in.
A sliver of moonlight peeked through, illuminating her as she sang the nursery rhyme, and the boy sleeping on her lap.
...
The next morning.
In front of the sugar painting stall, Huzi was no longer the king of children, but he occasionally helped his grandfather with the stall, wielding the pot of syrup with authority, a position that needed no further explanation.
He was seriously squatting in front of the stone slab, practicing sugar painting with a small pot of syrup, surrounded by a group of little ones eagerly waiting for sweets.
“Brother Huzi, do you think our boss is a famous hero on the Hidden Dragon List?”
“Ranked eleventh? What’s his name… Wang Qi Douhun?”
“Is that really our boss? No wonder he’s our boss; even his nickname is so unique.”
“Is that true? Our boss wouldn’t be pulling our leg, would he?”
Hearing the doubts, Huzi immediately became displeased.
He pointed at the painting on the stone slab and said:
“Our boss was so impressive back then; can’t you see it in my drawing?”
The little ones shook their heads, only able to tell that it looked delicious.
After all, Huzi was still learning to draw, and his doodles barely resembled a sugar figure, looking more like a big-headed, small-bodied character that was not only unimpressive but also a bit comical.
“Can I eat sugar for free since I’m friends with your boss?”
A voice suddenly came from the side.
Without looking, they knew it could only be their mount brother, who was too broke to afford anything.
In truth, Huang Donglai wasn’t poor; he just didn’t carry cash. He had meticulously exchanged his money for practical items, after all, money couldn’t be eaten or used to poison someone.
“Are you a friend of the boss?” Huzi looked at Huang Donglai with skepticism.
“He is.”
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Huzi and the group of little ones, including Huang Donglai, were momentarily stunned.
Turning around, they saw Li Mo not far away, smiling brightly, as sunny and cheerful as ever, but with a touch more restraint and warmth.
“Boss!”
“Li brother?”
“Donglai, you know a war is about to break out, yet you’re still here? That’s not like you.”
Li Mo greeted the little ones and casually asked.
Huang Donglai took the sugar ball Huzi offered: “I wanted to taste the sugar… aren’t you the same?”
“I plan to leave.”
“Hmm?”
Huang Donglai looked at Li Mo.
With war looming, it was natural to look out for oneself, yet he felt this wasn’t like Li Mo at all.
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