Liu Sanjiu went on to explain that he was originally from Tusu City. Eleven years ago, on the eve of its fall, he had fled to Weicheng. Just when he had finally managed to settle down, after merely a few short years, he was forced onto the road of exile once again.
The old man of his family was already seventy-two, an age rarely seen across the Panlong Wasteland these days. Hearing that the Baling army was marching in once more, Old Man Liu flatly refused to leave this time. Clasping a pillar with all his might, he insisted on dying alongside the city. Try as they might, dragging and pulling until their strength gave out, Liu Sanjiu and his wife could do nothing to sway him. In the end, they could only tearfully bid farewell to his father and retreat eastward with their son and daughter.
When Liu Sanjiu reached this part of the tale, his eyes were bloodshot, and it was hard to tell whether the moisture running down his cheeks was rain or tears. He knew full well that Old Man Liu knew he could not walk fast and had refused to be a burden that dragged the rest of the family down.
Such heartbreaking partings between life and death were all too common among the refugee column; pull aside any household at random, and they would have a bellyful of bitterness and tears to pour out.
Just then, Liu Sanjiu’s son grew exhausted as well, crying out for his father to carry him.
He was only ten years old. Trudging through the rain across the plains for several hours had completely drained his reserves.
Liu Sanjiu was already carrying his daughter in his arms, and the little donkey was burdened so heavily by their baggage that its back bowed; putting the boy on top would likely break the creature’s back.
He Lingchuan felt a pang of sympathy. “Let me help you—” He had initially intended to offer to carry the child, but thought better of it on second thought. Reaching out, he took hold of a large bundle from the donkey’s back. “—carry this luggage. You can set the boy on the donkey.”
Being overly eager would make him look like a child trafficker. In a refugee column like this, it was not unusual for children to wander off or be abducted.
The bundle he took held only bedding and clothes—bulky and space-consuming, but of little monetary value. Seeing this, Liu Sanjiu immediately looked at him with even deeper gratitude.
To meet a good Samaritan in the midst of fleeing war was truly a blessing earned through immense good karma.
Every so often, refugees hurried up from behind, overtaking Liu Sanjiu’s family as they rushed onward. Fleeing the scourge of war was much like outrunning a tiger; as long as you could outrun your companions, your chances of survival increased dramatically.
There was nothing commoners like Liu Sanjiu could do about it. The pace they were keeping right now was already their absolute limit.
Now and then, small groups of light cavalry rode in from the east, moving against the flow of the column.
The sight of the Gale Army brought a flicker of comfort to everyone’s hearts.
Liu Sanjiu pointed toward them and told his little daughter, “Those uncles will protect us. As long as we keep walking toward them, we’ll be safe!”
Just then, a cry of alarm rang out ahead.
He Lingchuan looked up to see an elderly man in his sixties collapse to the ground. After swaying twice, he pitched forward. His elderly wife, who had been riding a mule, scrambled down in a panic. Their son rushed to pull his father up, but the old man had already passed out cold.
The son looked to be in his early forties, sallow and gaunt, barely able to keep his own balance. He tried to hoist his father onto his back, but after taking less than two steps, he fell flat on his face, splashing mud all over himself.
The other refugees watched in silence, then walked past them without looking back.
In this column, everyone was struggling just to look after themselves. Who had any spare strength left to perform acts of charity?
Liu Sanjiu and his wife exchanged a glance, lowered their heads in similar fashion, and led their donkey past.
At that very moment, three horsemen galloped over. The one in the lead reined in his mount and asked, “What happened here?”
“Officer, my father can’t walk another step!” the man cried through tears. “Have mercy, I beg you for help!”
He Lingchuan looked up and was startled.
Slender brows, narrow eyes, an aloof face—wait, wasn’t this an old acquaintance?
Wasn’t this the very Gale Army commander who had attacked the Blackwater City troops back in Panlong Wasteland City, the one who had escorted them out of the desert under the Black Dragon’s command?
Except back then he had been a heroic spirit, possessing fierce valor but incapable of speech, never interacting with He Lingchuan at all. Now, he was a living, breathing human being, and this was the first time He Lingchuan had ever heard him speak.
Even so, He Lingchuan hastily lowered his head, for the commander’s sharp gaze swept over almost instantly.
Though they had never spoken back then, He Lingchuan still vividly remembered this fellow’s habit of skewering people with his spear without uttering a single word.
Fortunately, the other refugees gathered around at that moment, wanting to see how the Gale Army would resolve the matter.
The commander withdrew his gaze and remained silent for a brief moment before saying, “Cast away your goods, and help your father onto the mule.”
Aside from carrying the elderly woman, the mule bore the entirety of this three-person family's worldly possessions. Hearing this, the man’s face turned pale. “Officer, my mule is lame; it can’t bear two people. Could you spare a horse for us?”
The commander replied, “Then cast away your goods, help your father onto the mule, and carry your mother on your back.”
The old woman stepped forward, clutching the reins of his horse and wailing, “My old man can’t walk anymore, please have mercy! You won’t miss a single horse, but to us, it’s a human life!”
Her sparse white hair, soaked through with rain, clung in wet strands across her face, making her look thoroughly pitiful.
The commander’s gaze swept across her face, then shifted to the unconscious old man on the ground, and finally to the man looking at him with eyes full of pleading. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Everyone watching could tell that he was hesitating.
The man immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed several times. “Have mercy, please lend us a horse!” He repeated his desperate plea four or five times.
The commander let out a long breath.
Just as He Lingchuan thought he was about to compromise, the commander pointed toward a low hill not far away. “There’s a cave on that hill where you can shelter from the rain. I can have my men help your father up there to rest, and we’ll come back to pick him up tomorrow or the day after.”
The man was stunned. “Send my father up the hill? That’s a dead end too! What if the enemy catches up?”
The old woman’s wailing grew louder, and the man could not help shouting, “Mother, stop crying!”
“Your only choice is to take the gamble. Decide right now!” the commander said coldly. “Once the enemy falls back in a day or two, I will definitely send men here on patrol.”
He waited where he was for a few breaths. Seeing that the man still could not make up his mind, he shook his reins, preparing to depart.
“W-wait!” The man gritted his teeth. “I’ve decided. S-send my father up the hill. Please help us!”
The commander gave a slight nod to his subordinate, who immediately helped the old man up onto the pommel of his saddle. Suddenly, the woman spoke up: “Take me along! I’ll stay with my old man!”
Her tone was exceptionally resolute. The man mumbled a couple of times, but did not object.
And so, the cavalryman took the elderly couple with him, spurring his mount toward the low hill some seventy paces away.
The commander continued forward without lingering any longer.
The man stood watching for a while, his face full of desolation, before turning to lead his mule forward.
Now, of their family of three, only he remained.
Liu Sanjiu’s wife whispered, “That man is so pitiful, and that commander’s heart is so hard. Here I thought the Gale Army was kind to us commoners.”
Liu Sanjiu said glumly, “They can’t help everyone. Who among us here doesn’t need help?”
If the commander had helped that elderly couple, the other refugees would certainly have swarmed forward to plead for aid as well.
*Why help them and not us? Aren’t we all refugees?*
These soldiers’ mission was not rescue, but escorting the march and holding off the enemy. If they were tied down here and failed to reinforce the rear, it would only bring disaster to the comrades holding the rearguard!
His wife frowned, displeased. “You’re still taking their side!”
“At a time like this, whose side can we take?” Liu Sanjiu offered a bitter smile. “At least the Gale Army has come out to escort us. We aren’t even Panlong City folk to begin with.”
Chapter 86