The Innocent Heart - Chapter 88

Following this incident, Guan Yueyao and the other two resided within Juyong Pass, and no one dared to seek trouble with them again. However, deep down, the soldiers were not entirely convinced; while they no longer dared to provoke them, their attitude toward the trio simply shifted to one of “respectful distance.”

Shared circumstances brought the three youths together within Juyong Pass, and Chen Zhi gradually began to grow familiar with the other two. Now that Wei Qing was no longer by their side, Li Ting treated the three like divine statues, providing for them with fine food and drink. On the first day, Chen Zhi was secretly delighted, thinking he could enjoy such leisurely days even after the New Year.

But by the second day, looking at the busy silhouettes of the soldiers outside the courtyard—some drilling, some changing guard, and some patrolling the border—while the three of them remained idle, Chen Zhi began to feel uneasy.

“How can these people be like this! We aren’t here to cause trouble or do bad things; we even killed several Xiongnu. By what right do they treat us like this?!” He stood at the door of Huo Qubing’s wing, craning his neck to look out at the courtyard while muttering indignantly.

“Isn’t this just right? Back in the capital, you lot discriminated against them for being outsiders; now that you’re in their territory, they look down on you. We’re even.” Guan Yueyao sat behind Chen Zhi, clutching a handful of melon seeds and mocking him with a hint of schadenfreude.

A few months prior, when officials and soldiers from across the country entered the capital for the annual accounting and metropolitan examinations, they had received no shortage of cold shoulders and ridicule from capital scions like Chen Zhi.

“Whose side are you on?!” Chen Zhi turned to see Guan Yueyao, so angry he nearly jumped. But on second thought, knowing he could not beat the youth before him, he shifted his gaze toward Guan Yueyao’s side.

Huo Qubing was standing there idly, also peering out toward the courtyard, seemingly concentrated on something.

“Huo Qubing, why don’t you do something about her!” Chen Zhi said with some irritation.

Hearing their bickering involve him, Huo Qubing blinked innocently. “How could I possibly restrain Ayao’s actions?” He was about to tease Chen Zhi further when he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed intently beyond the courtyard.

“Eh? Aren’t those the Han civilians we rescued the other day? Where are they going?” Guan Yueyao leaned in as well, looking out at the courtyard with doubt. As she spoke, she had already stepped outside to see a squad of Han soldiers and several Han civilians on horseback, appearing as if they were about to set out.

The person leading them was none other than the Commandant, Li Ting.

“Lord Li, where are you going?” Guan Yueyao jogged to the courtyard and looked up at Li Ting, who was mounted on his horse.

Among the three, Li Ting only held a bit of good favor for this Attendant surnamed Guan. He had heard that Guan had also risen from humble beginnings, and the youth did not seem like a sycophant; he likely possessed some true ability. In the subconscious minds of the border personnel, they assumed that the Xiongnu from that day had mostly been slain by Guan Yueyao. They viewed Huo Qubing and Chen Zhi, the two imperial relatives, as villains who used their power to suppress others and falsely claim military merit.

One could not blame the soldiers for making such assumptions; at this time, such occurrences were far too common. Indeed, it would have seemed strange were it otherwise. Consequently, Li Ting felt a faint, hidden sense of sympathy for Guan Yueyao.

Hearing Guan Yueyao’s question, his expression softened slightly as he answered gently, “I am taking these commoners back to their village to assess the losses so that I may report to the Imperial Court.”

“Commandant Li, may the three of us accompany you?” Huo Qubing had caught up by now and stepped forward two paces, bowing as he inquired with a respectful attitude.

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face; moreover, what Huo Qubing requested was not a difficult or transgressive matter. Li Ting hesitated only briefly before nodding his consent.

Chen Zhi, worried that he was so idle he might start growing mushrooms, naturally thought this was wonderful. He joyfully shouted for the servants to prepare the horses and wrapped several cakes to tuck into his robe. Ever since losing his way on the prairie, Chen Zhi had developed this habit: he could only feel at peace if he carried dry rations whenever he went out.

Once everything was ready, he mounted his horse with a grin and followed the group out of the eastern gate of Juyong Pass.

The destination of the group was the very village that had been slaughtered and plundered by the Xiongnu two days prior. The village was located near the border within the foothills of the Taihang Mountains; it was remote and seldom saw visitors. According to the survivors, the land was barren, its resources were not abundant, and news was quite blocked. Despite being on the border, this was the first time in many years they had suffered a Xiongnu raid.

They never expected that this one time would bring total annihilation. The entire village had fallen victim to the Xiongnu; of over a hundred people, only eight survived.

Along the way, the eldest of the surviving villagers described the state of the village to Li Ting, and the group fell into silence. Such tragedies were too numerous to count for those stationed at the border, but for Huo Qubing and the others, it was the first time they had heard of it with such immersive proximity.

However, after riding for about an hour, when the group gradually neared the village, the youths felt a sense of shock for the first time.

The forests of the Taihang Mountains were dense and the roads difficult; even the finest warhorses could not travel at full speed. The group trudged through the narrow forest paths. The main gate of the village was still hidden in the distance among the trees, yet a faint, lingering stench had already reached their nostrils on the wind.

The complexions of the three changed. Though they did not speak, and had never smelled it before, they all had grim suspicions. Chen Zhi began to feel regret; he should have realized what state a village ransacked by Xiongnu would be in—why had he followed? Remembering the scene from the night before, the once-warm cakes in his robe now seemed tasteless.

Should I find an excuse to head back first? At this thought, Chen Zhi tightened his reins and slowed his pace. He stole a glance at his sides, but both Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao appeared composed and unphased. In fact, Guan Yueyao even noticed him falling behind and turned to look at him strangely.

If Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao were fine, how could he alone be the coward who fled before the battle? Chen Zhi steeled his heart and forced himself to keep up with the group.

After another moment, the party finally arrived at the village. Standing at the entrance, they did not even need to enter for the shocking devastation to greet the eyes of the three youths.

“My son! Oh, my son!” A heart-wrenching wail erupted from the group. Immediately, Guan Yueyao saw a man among the survivors tremble as he dismounted and stumbled into the village with staggered steps. Before long, he was prostrate beside a small corpse, weeping so hard he nearly fainted.

At this moment, the village was strewn with the corpses of the villagers. The smell of blood and rot made Guan Yueyao feel like vomiting. Yet some inexplicable emotion seemed to pull at her, making it impossible for her to look away.

“Qubing…” She saw her friend’s body move, followed by him slowly, step by step, moving into the village.

She instinctively felt a hint of fear, yet she wanted to walk in and see everything clearly. “Wait for me!” Guan Yueyao called out to her friend’s back again, jogged a few steps to reach Huo Qubing’s side, and tightly gripped his sleeve.

Only upon getting close did Guan Yueyao realize that Qubing’s body was also trembling almost imperceptibly.

Is he afraid too? Guan Yueyao thought, but then saw the corpse of a young girl lying before them. The body was already stiff; a deep blade wound at the neck seemed to indicate the cause of death. In the freezing cold, although several days had passed, the body showed no signs of decay.

However, the girl’s clothing was in disarray, and her almond-shaped eyes were wide open. Although they had long since lost their spark, in their silence, they seemed to be accusing fate of its injustice.

Looking at such remains, the fear in Guan Yueyao’s heart gradually faded, replaced by an indignation that filled her chest to the point of nearly erupting. The girl had suffered inhuman humiliation before death; Guan Yueyao could not bear for her to remain exposed in the wilderness like this after death. She reached out to untie her own cloak, stepped forward, and gently covered the girl’s body.

“Are you mad, Guan Yueyao? That is fine black fox fur, and you’re just draping it over a dead person!” Chen Zhi’s boisterous voice came from behind.

“I simply cannot bear to see her buried in such a state of disarray,” Guan Yueyao said with a somber expression, surveying the devastated village. “It is our uselessness as soldiers. we receive the provisions of the people, yet we failed to protect them.”

Upon hearing this, even Chen Zhi fell silent. His heart was not at ease either. Hearing it from others compared to seeing it with one’s own eyes brought a vastly different impact. His mood was also poor, which was why he had wanted to say something flippant to ease the heavy atmosphere between the three of them. Unexpectedly, after hearing Guan Yueyao’s words, his mood did not improve but grew even heavier.

“This debt of blood… one day, I will make the Xiongnu repay it with ten times the blood!” Suddenly, the silent Huo Qubing spoke, his eyes fixed intently on the girl’s body, his voice full of hatred. Perhaps because the enmity was so palpable, he sounded as if he were speaking through clenched teeth.

But Guan Yueyao and Chen Zhi could empathize with the indignation in Huo Qubing’s heart. Having joined the army to become soldiers, protecting the country and its people had become their primary and undeniable responsibility.

“You are right. Sooner or later, I will beat those Xiongnu until they never dare to set foot in our Han territory again!” Chen Zhi, for once, agreed with Huo Qubing’s words.

The two youths, who had enjoyed endless wealth since birth and had never felt a day of the people’s suffering, reached a consensus on something for the first time. Yet neither felt it strange; in the face of such profound national hatred, family feuds and their small personal stubbornness seemed to become insignificant.

“How does that saying go? ‘Those who offend our mighty Han, though they be far away, shall be executed!'” Guan Yueyao looked at the two former rivals who were unusually united against a common enemy, yet she did not find it funny. At this moment, only this phrase resonated in her mind, and she had to say it aloud.

“Ayao said it well! Those who offend our mighty Han, though they be far away, shall be executed!” Upon hearing this, Huo Qubing’s eyes lit up. The youth’s clear shout soon echoed through the mountains.

The soldiers who were digging pits to bury the remains of their fallen compatriots could not help but have their eyes turn red.

“Those who offend our mighty Han, though they be far away, shall be executed!” Someone muttered the repetition, and soon, the slogan carried by the wind spread through the ranks. Perhaps only such a powerful and resounding oath could temporarily soothe the souls of the innocent dead.