The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 57 Convergence
A small group of people remained there, and when they looked back, they saw only a battlefield in complete disarray.

Xiao Yi and Fan Si helped Lao Pan, Xi Hou, Hu Deng, and Wu Gouzi bury the bodies of the Chanzhou soldiers and collect the remaining spoils of war. Night fell.

"That's fine, the rest can be used to feed the refugees."

"Let's find a place to shelter from the wind and snow."

“There’s a place over there.” Little Monkey pointed to the woods not far from the crossroads and said with a grin, “There’s an abandoned inn by the woods. It used to be a place for officials to rest. Although it’s dilapidated, at least there’s a wall to keep out the wind. It’s better than being an ice block in the wild…”

The monkey wasn't lying; there really was only one wall to block the wind and snow.

Besides, there were some ashes scattered on the ground, left behind by passing merchants who had stopped to rest.

"A leaky, broken wall," Hu Deng laughed and cursed.

The group propped up a roof with an oilcloth, gathered dry firewood, and lit a campfire, which made them feel a little better.

Xiao Yi was too tired and had a terrible headache. He sat there and put his hands near the fire. It quickly warmed and itched, and the fatigue and tension from not sleeping much all night gradually relaxed.

Old Pan checked Wu Gouzi and Hu Deng's injuries by the fire, then took out a palm-sized cloth bag from his pocket. Inside were some dried herbs and a roll of clean linen.

"Don't move, there's mugwort and dandelion, or you'll get tetanus."

The old soldier moved swiftly, wrapping Wu Gouzi's wound with hemp cloth, then having Hu Deng roll up his trousers. He gently pressed the wound with his palm to confirm that there was no fracture, then took out a wine bag from his saddlebag, poured some strong liquor into it, and rubbed it in his hands to warm it up.

"Bear with it, I'll help you improve blood circulation and remove the bruising. Once it's smoothed out, you can walk again tomorrow."

"Then we can get to Yedu faster."

"What's the urgency?"

"It's not a big deal for me, it's just that I'm afraid of dragging everyone down."

The little monkey chuckled and chirped, "You silly goose, does Old Pan care about that? He's a kind-hearted man, looking after you. If it were that donkey-headed Xu Sheng, he would have thrown you to the wolves long ago."

Hu Deng was in so much pain that cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He grimaced and said, "It has to be Old Pan again. This isn't the first time he's saved me."

"You're done massaging, you can rest now."

Xiao Yi was extremely sleepy, but he still joined in, handing over a warm wheat cake and saying, "Judging from the way he bandaged it, Old Pan is a veteran."

Old Pan took the wheat cake, thanked him, and replied, "I've spent most of my life in the army. In my early years, I scavenged for food in Chenzhou. Later, the Khitan dogs invaded and burned down the village. With no way to survive, I had no choice but to carry a knife and eat grain. The flags on the city walls change quickly. I can't even count the generals I've served on my fingers. These past two years, I've followed Commander Wang, and only now have I been able to sit on a heated bed and eat a few peaceful meals."

His words were calm, yet they conveyed a sense of weariness, like a lowly soldier adrift in a chaotic world.

Xiao Yi asked, "Captain or squad leader?"

"Squad leader."

"It's a waste of his talent."

"It doesn't matter. As long as I don't lose my life and can feed my little monkeys, that's enough. In this world, many people lose their lives without even realizing it."

"It's alright, I've done a great job this time."

Old Pan shook his head, looked at the flickering flames, and sighed, "At my age, I just hope to save enough money to retire safely, find a peaceful place, and raise my children... I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to live to see that day."

He smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling together, and a simple expectation appeared in his numb eyes.

Xiao Yi nodded silently, feeling inexplicably at ease, and soon fell asleep.

This time, he slept soundly, not lightly.

He seemed to have slept soundly until the world turned dark, having several dreams... Suddenly, he was awakened by a shoving and shouting.

"who is it?"

"Catch him! Don't let him get away!"

Xiao Yi instantly regained his senses, drew his sword, and leaped into the air.

"Don't worry, Captain, it's nothing serious," Fan Si said. "Someone rode up on horseback, checked the body at the crossroads, and then crept over to spy on us."

"Took it!"

"Take him back."

Not far away, shouts came from Xihou and Lao Pan, followed by another person cursing loudly.

"You son of a bitch, let go of your grandpa!"

"Judging by my decent appearance, could I possibly be a thief..."

Xiao Yi and Fan Si exchanged a glance; they had both heard the sound.

It is Lü You.

Old Pan and Little Monkey were seen flanking one person each, while Wu Gouzi led the horse behind them.

"Chief Xiao, this fellow is lurking around suspiciously; he's obviously trying to find out what's going on with us!"

"Let go, I'm also... a captain?!"

"Let him go, he's my subordinate." Lu You struggled and fell to the ground in front of Xiao Yi with a thud.

He simply sat down by the fire, took off his boots, and poured out a pile of ice shards.

"Captain, we've finally found you! We've passed Liyang, and the sounds of fighting ahead are terrifying. Mr. Hua was worried about our safety, so he sent me to scout ahead. It hasn't been an easy journey. We almost encountered river bandits just after crossing the Yellow River. Fortunately, Mr. Hua sensed something was wrong. Lady Qingwen shot and wounded the monkey scouting the area with a crossbow. Wei Liang and I revealed our Imperial Guard identities and intimidated them, but those assassins seem to still be following us."

"Where are they?"

"It was on the earthen slope behind us, but we didn't dare to go near it."

"lead the way."

Xiao Yi led the group to mount their horses.

Two points of starlight from beyond the sky illuminated the vast, snowy road.

After galloping for a while, Lü You pointed ahead and shouted, "It's right there!"

"drive."

Xiao Yi's horse was fast, and he took the lead, galloping across the open field.

At the top of the hill, someone was standing there looking around. When he saw him coming, he quickly took the horse and tried to escape.

"Qingwen?!"

Upon hearing this, the figure stopped.

Xiao Yi reined in his horse, dismounted, and rushed forward.

It was so cold that his breath fogged up his vision.

As the fog dissipated, the first thing you could see was Guo Xin's bright, sparkling eyes.

The wind and snow ruffled her hair, and a few strands clung to her red, frostbitten cheeks. She held the crossbow tightly in her hand, which slowly drooped down.

She stood there, blinking in disbelief, then her lips curled up uncontrollably, while tears slid down her cheeks, flowing to her chin, where they were thinned by the wind and slowly froze into ice crystals.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"Please don't go our separate ways anymore, okay? I'm so scared... There are soldiers in front of me and bandits behind me... I don't know what to do, sob sob..."

"it is good."

"Waaah... It's not that I'm afraid of dying, it's that I'm afraid I won't be able to protect them..."

The crossbow fell into the snow. Guo Xin couldn't help but choke up, squatted down, and buried her head in her hands, crying.

"Okay." Xiao Yi also squatted down, picked up the crossbow, and said in a low voice, "We won't split up anymore. The road ahead is safe."

"Don't let them come over."

"what?"

Guo Xin raised her head, turned it away, and said stubbornly, "Don't let anyone see me cry."

She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, sniffed, and tried to make her voice sound as clear as usual, but it still had a slight nasal tone.

"Oh, I didn't cry, I just got snow in my eyes."

"it is good."

Xiao Yi turned around and shouted, "Don't come up here!"

"Chief Xiao, are you alright?"

"fine."

"That's good……"

The shouts echoed across the open field.

Xiao Yi helped Guo Xin calm down before riding down the hillside.

Hua Nong, Wei Liang, and others have already joined up with Fan Si and Lü You.

"Brother!"

Guo Zongyi saw Xiao Yi from afar, shouted, and ran forward, kicking up clouds of snow dust.

Xiao Yi caught the child who rushed towards him and smiled.

Turning her head, Hua Nong solemnly wiped the frost off her face and bowed deeply.

"My lord, I have not failed you."

The wind and snow were still blowing, and the campfire of the abandoned inn flickered in the distance, making the wilderness and even the whole chaotic world seem less cold.

(End of this chapter)