Although Xu Xinnian often privately disdained his uncouth father and elder brother, a father was still a father. He could despise them himself, but how could he allow others to slander them?
So, upon hearing Zhao Panyi’s accusation, Xu Xinnian first quickly calculated his and his sister’s ages in his mind, confirming that he was indeed his parents’ biological child. Only then did he become furious, sneering coldly:
“Zhao Panyi, you keep saying my father is ungrateful. What evidence do you have?”
The Shanhai Pass battle happened 21 years ago. He was 20 years old, and Lingyu was 18. The timeline didn’t match, so he and Lingyu weren’t Zhou’s orphans.
Zhao Panyi snorted derisively: “The man’s been dead for 21 years, what evidence could there be? But Xu Pingzhi’s ingratitude is a fact. Why would I bother slandering him?”
Xu Erlang didn’t believe it. He waved his hand: “Come, seize this scoundrel!”
The soldiers cooking meat had been paying attention to the commotion. Hearing the order, they drew their swords and swarmed over, surrounding Zhao Panyi and his thirty soldiers.
Zhao Panyi’s subordinates drew their swords, facing off against their comrades with fierce expressions. Despite being wounded and outnumbered, they showed no fear.
Being on the battlefield was like being in hell. Since the expedition began, they had been fighting the Jing Nation’s cavalry in turns. Their murderous aura had long since been cultivated; no one feared death.
Zhao Panyi lowered his hand, signaling his subordinates not to act rashly. He spat and said contemptuously: “I won’t fight to the death with fellow soldiers, unlike some people. Like father, like son, all ungrateful dogs.”
Xu Erlang’s face darkened. He shouted: “Tie them up!”
The soldiers rushed forward, using their sword hilts to knock down Zhao Panyi and his men, then bound them tightly and tossed them aside before returning to cook the horse meat.
Zhao Panyi continued to curse and swear, insulting the Xu family’s ancestors for eighteen generations, including the women.
Xu Xinnian then ordered his soldiers to gag Zhao Panyi, leaving him only able to make muffled sounds, unable to spew more profanities.
“Family matters?” Chu Yuanzhen saw his furrowed brow and probed with a smile.
Xu Xinnian shook his head, his gaze falling to the ground not far away. He hesitated before saying: “I don’t believe my father would be such a person, but Zhao Panyi’s words reminded me of something. So I’ll keep him here for now.”
In his youth, his elder brother and mother had a poor relationship, which troubled his father greatly. So his father often spoke of fighting back-to-back with his uncle, how his uncle took a sword for him and died on the battlefield.
Xu Erlang had heard this story since childhood. Now, this suddenly appearing Zhou Biao seemed very unreasonable and strange.
He looked at Chu Yuanzhen and said: “You seem to have a way to contact my elder brother?”
Xu Erlang is quite cautious. There’s no one else here, so why not just mention the Earth Book directly… Chu Yuanzhen reached out and took out the Earth Book fragment, asking: “Do you want to contact Ning Yan? What’s the matter?”
Xu Xinnian looked at the Earth Book fragment with curiosity and said: “Tell him about what happened here, and ask him to verify with my father.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Chu Yuanzhen using his hand as a pen, writing on the surface of the small jade mirror.
…
The sun had been completely swallowed by the horizon, and the sky was dark blue. Xu Qi’an finished dinner and took advantage of the twilight before night fell completely to leisurely digest his meal in the courtyard, playing shuttlecock with Little Bean.
Little Bean couldn’t control her strength well yet, always kicking the shuttlecock flying into the outer courtyard, or leaving a hole in the ground.
Her strength has grown too fast, hasn’t it? She’s only been practicing the Force Insect Sect’s body-strengthening technique for a few months. Is it her good fortune or mine… Xu Qi’an watched, almost dumbfounded.
“Li Na, what’s going on with Lingyin? Her progress is too exaggerated, isn’t it?” He turned his head to look at Li Na, who was sitting nearby peeling an orange.
Li Na wrinkled her nose at the question: “I’ve told you before that Lingyin has bones as strong as a young ox and abundant qi and blood. She’s a good seedling for cultivating Force Insect techniques. Don’t you trust my judgment?”
This ‘good seedling’ is too good, I’m almost jealous… Xu Qi’an held the shuttlecock in his hand, looking at the shallow pit under Xu Lingyin’s feet. He said helplessly:
“She still can’t control her strength now. She might use too much force accidentally. Let’s slow down her cultivation for a while.”
Little Bean was a lively and active child, and quite attached to her aunt. At the beginning of the year when she went to school, whenever she came home, she would run into the hall with her little backpack, charging like a reckless bull towards her mother’s round, perky peach-like bottom.
Now that she was staying at home, she wasn’t as clingy to her aunt anymore.
Who knows, maybe one day she’ll go out again… and with her current strength, the Xu family might end up with three more motherless children.
“Oh!” Li Na nodded. She remembered that Lingyin wasn’t a child of the Force Insect Sect. The children of the Force Insect Sect could use violence recklessly without fear of hurting their family members.
And if they broke household items or objects, they’d have to be careful of their parents using violence against them recklessly.
But Lingyin couldn’t do that; the Xu family were all ordinary people.
Xu Qi’an was satisfied. The little dark-skinned girl from the Southern Borderlands might be a bit simple, but the advantage of being simple was that she wasn’t spoiled and was obedient and sensible.
If it were the same question posed to Li Miaozhen, she would say: Don’t worry, from now on, we’ll double the training intensity. I guarantee she’ll control her strength in the shortest time possible.
If it were Lin’an: Then let’s stop learning! Let’s play together instead.
If it were Caiwei: Cultivation is so boring, let’s eat something.
If it were Huai Qing: Are you trying to teach me what to do?
At this moment, the familiar sense of heart palpitations came. Xu Qi’an immediately left Little Bean and Li Na, hurrying into the room.
He took out the Earth Book fragment from under his pillow. It was Chu Yuanzhen requesting a private conversation.
[Three: Brother Chu, how’s the war in the north?]
[Four: The war is difficult but still manageable. We’ve had both victories and losses. I’m contacting you on behalf of Erlang to ask about something.]
A dozen seconds later, the second message came: [Four: We encountered a Company Commander from Xiyi County in Yong Province named Zhao Panyi, who claims to have been good friends with Second Uncle Xu during the Shanhai Pass battle.]
[He started cursing as soon as he saw Xu Erlang, calling Second Uncle Xu an ungrateful person. The reason is that back then, Zhao Panyi, Second Uncle Xu, and someone named Zhou Biao were good friends in the same unit, fighting back-to-back on the battlefield.]
[Later, Zhou Biao took a sword for Second Uncle Xu and died on the battlefield. Second Uncle Xu swore to take care of his family, but he broke his promise and never visited Zhou Biao’s family in twenty years. Erlang doesn’t believe this, so he asked me to message you and have you inquire with Second Uncle Xu.]
Xu Qi’an replied with trembling hands: [Wait for me!]
After putting away the Earth Book fragment, he didn’t immediately go to find Second Uncle. Instead, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it slowly. When he finished the water, his hands had stopped shaking.
“Creak…”
Opening the door, Xu Qi’an walked expressionlessly towards the east wing room and knocked on the door that was emitting candlelight.
Second Uncle Xu, wearing casual clothes, came to open the door, smiling: “Ning Yan, is something the matter?”
Xu Qi’an opened his mouth, then closed it. After choosing his words for a few seconds, he asked softly: “Second Uncle, do you know Zhao Panyi?”
Second Uncle Xu was taken aback, his tiger-like eyes widening slightly in surprise: “How do you know about the brother I made during the Shanhai Pass battle? Let me tell you, he was a brother I shared life-and-death experiences with.”
Xu Qi’an nodded: “Why didn’t you keep in touch later?”
Second Uncle Xu shook his head with a wry smile: “You don’t understand. In military life, we’re scattered to the four winds, each with our responsibilities. As time passes, relationships fade.”
Xu Qi’an nodded again and asked: “Then I suppose you also know Zhou Biao?”
Second Uncle Xu scrutinized his nephew, his thick eyebrows furrowing. “What’s wrong with you today? Why do you know about Zhao Panyi and Zhou Biao?”
Xu Qi’an shook his head slightly: “Second Uncle, please answer me first. Did Zhou Biao die in battle?”
“Yes, it’s a pity we lost a brother.”
“How did he die?”
“Back then, we were sent to intercept the Shaman Religion’s undead army. Zhou Biao died in that battle,” Second Uncle Xu said, his face full of regret.
“He didn’t take a sword for you?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? The one who took a sword for me was your father.”
“…”
A desolate autumn wind blew by. Under the eaves, the lantern swayed slightly, the candlelight flickering, casting Xu Qi’an’s face in an uncertain light.
“I understand now. Thank you, Second Uncle…” After a long while, Xu Qi’an said in a hoarse voice. Then, under Second Uncle Xu’s confused gaze, he slowly turned and left.
Second Uncle Xu watched his nephew’s retreating figure, then returned to the room. Aunt, wearing a white undershirt, was sitting on the bed with her long legs bent, looking at a picture book of folk tales.
The picture book was specially developed for young children and people like Aunt who couldn’t read.
The beautiful and voluptuous Aunt didn’t raise her head, focused on the picture book, and said: “What did Ning Yan want? I heard you talking about some brothers.”
Second Uncle Xu frowned, puzzled:
“It’s strange. He asked about two brothers who fought life-and-death battles with me during the Shanhai Pass battle. But one has already died in battle, and the other is far away in Yong Province. He shouldn’t know them.”
“He even asked if Zhou Biao took a sword for me. Am I that weak on the battlefield? This one taking a sword for me, that one taking a sword for me.”
Aunt raised her head, her black, lively eyes examining him. She frowned and said: “Wait, who was it again?”
“Zhou Biao. You don’t know him. He was my brother from when I was in the army.”
Aunt shook her head, “No, I remember him. When you wrote letters home, you seemed to have mentioned this person, saying something about how you only survived thanks to him. I remember that letter was read to me by Ning Yan’s mother.”
Unfortunately, the letters from twenty years ago were long gone.
Second Uncle Xu’s face suddenly froze, looking at his wife in disbelief, as if he were looking at a madwoman.
…
[Three: Tell Erlang that this person indeed exists, and Second Uncle did let him down.]
After sending the message, Xu Qi’an gently placed the Earth Book fragment face-down on the table and said softly: “Please go out for a while. I need some time alone to think.”
Not far away, Zhong Li on the small couch looked at him cautiously, then dragged her embroidered shoes and tiptoed out of the room.
As the door closed, Xu Qi’an sat motionless at the table for a very long time, like a statue.
…
In the distant northern frontier, Chu Yuanzhen finished reading the message and remained silent for a moment before turning to look at Xu Xinnian beside him.
Seeing his expression, Xu Xinnian’s heart suddenly sank. Sure enough, he heard Chu Yuanzhen say: “Ning Yan says that what Zhao Panyi said is true.”
Xu Xinnian’s face turned extremely ugly. He remained silent for a good while, then drew his sword and walked towards Zhao Panyi.
Zhao Panyi’s eyes suddenly widened, staring fixedly at Xu Xinnian, making muffled “mmm” sounds through his gag.
His subordinates were on high alert, cursing angrily.
The soldiers eating meat soup also looked over at the commotion.
Xu Xinnian flipped his wrist, cutting the ropes with one slash, then tossed the sword aside. He bowed deeply: “It was my father who failed to be a decent human being. A son pays for his father’s debts. Whatever you want to do, I’ll accept it.”
Zhao Panyi slowly stood up, both contemptuous and confused, unable to understand why this young man’s attitude had changed so drastically.
He sneered: “Xu Pingzhi didn’t wrong me. Why are you putting on this act with me?”
Zhao Panyi spat at Xu Xinnian’s feet, bent down to pick up his sword, and began untying his subordinates, preparing to leave.
“Wait!” Xu Xinnian called out, saying: “Our brothers are all injured and starving. Stay to bandage your wounds and have a bowl of meat soup before you go.”
Seeing that Zhao Panyi wasn’t appreciative, he quickly added: “Your issue with my father is a personal matter, unrelated to our brothers. You can’t jeopardize the lives of our Great Shang soldiers because of your grudge.”
Xu Xinnian successfully persuaded Zhao Panyi. He reluctantly agreed to stay, and they sat around the bonfire, sharing the fragrant, tender meat soup with their comrades, smiles of satisfaction appearing on their faces.
Xu Xinnian returned to Chu Yuanzhen’s side, staring at the small jade mirror in his hand with wonder: “Is this how you communicate with my elder brother?”
Chu Yuanzhen chuckled, his smile carefree: “Of course, the Earth Book can transmit messages thousands of miles away…”
His smile suddenly froze, and he slowly turned his neck, staring blankly at Xu Xinnian.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Xinnian asked, puzzled.
“You… don’t… know about… the Earth Book fragment?” Chu Yuanzhen said word by word, his mouth agape.
“What’s an Earth Book fragment?” Xu Xinnian remained confused.
Thump thump thump… Chu Yuanzhen stepped back in shock, his voice tinged with sharpness: “You’re not Number Three?!”
“What’s Number Three?”
Clatter… The Earth Book fragment slipped from Chu Yuanzhen’s hand and fell to the ground.
…
Night had deepened. Xu Qi’an rose from his desk and opened the door. Looking around, he saw Zhong Li hugging her knees, leaning against the window, fast asleep.
He sighed, bent down, and slipped his arm under her knees, lifting her. His arm felt the roundness and fullness of her body.
Returning to the room, he placed Zhong Li on the small couch and covered her with a thin blanket. It was autumn now, and if he didn’t cover her, with her bad luck aura, she’d catch a cold by morning.
“Whoosh…”
Blowing out the candle, Xu Qi’an also crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately.
As drowsiness overtook him, his last thought was: I seem to have overlooked something very important!