Chapter 657: Sun Baolu

Chapter 657: Sun Baolu

"Yuer Kingdom?" Yang Xiaohai frowned in bewilderment. He had been following Master Li all the way here, yet he had never heard of such a place.

Seeing the puzzled expression on Yang Xiaohai's face, Sun Baolu asked in surprise, "What? You don't know? The Four Qi and Nanping regions have both been annihilated—destroyed by the Law Sect."

"They've lumped these territories together and called it Yuer Kingdom. It's said that the state religion is the Law Sect. Right now, Yuer Kingdom is at war with the people of Later Shu. They say it's an intense battle—the gods themselves have descended from heaven. If you were to go to Later Shu right now, you'd be dead no matter which side you ended up on."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaohai's youthful face immediately darkened. He had finally returned to Qingqiu after so much hardship, and was almost at the border of Later Shu, only for this to happen.

If he had learned this news earlier, perhaps he could have stayed in Niu Xin Village for several years. But now that he had come this far, going or not going seemed equally difficult.

"And I heard from refugees escaping from Later Shu that their Hui ethnic group can't stand up to Yuer Kingdom. Now, in Later Shu, every man over the size of a cart wheel must be drafted into the army. Child, you really shouldn't go."

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai became extremely anxious and worried. "Are they drafting every man to fight? Then my father and brothers will be forced to go too?"

"Is your father a citizen of Later Shu? If so, he'll likely be caught up in it."

Yang Xiaohai's heart grew even more agitated upon hearing this. He had just found news of his family, and now his family was about to be lost?

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Xiaohai glanced at Zhao Xiumei beside him, then looked resolutely at Sun Baolu and said, "Baolu Brother, can you do me a favor? My wife will stay with you for now. I plan to go alone to Later Shu to scout ahead."

"No!"

"No!"

The two "no"s came simultaneously—one from Sun Baolu, the other from Zhao Xiumei.

"A woman marries her husband, and if she's married, she follows him wherever he goes! Since I'm your wife, you can't abandon me!"

"Child, I'm not trying to scare you, but it's truly unsafe to go to Later Shu now! Even merchant caravans and guards are gone there."

"Listen to me first!" Yang Xiaohai stood up, his eyes red with emotion, his voice overpowering the two.

"When I was begging, did you know how much I envied those children who had mothers and fathers? Those kids had their parents buy them dumplings and candy, while I could only scavenge leftover food with other beggars!"

"Their parents bought them pretty tiger-head shoes and hats, but I had to strip the dead bodies from the graveyard!"

At this point, Yang Xiaohai choked up. "Do you know how much I want to see my father and mother one more time? I just want those people who once called me a bastard to know that I am indeed a child with parents!"

As Yang Xiaohai spoke, Sun Baolu's mother walked over and silently listened.

Gradually, his voice softened. "Since my family is in danger, I cannot not go to save them. And... and if my father and brothers really are gone, I can still take my mother to live in Niu Xin Village, rather than let her starve to death there."

"I've been a beggar—I know that among beggars, the most vulnerable are the old beggar women."

Zhao Xiumei, watching Yang Xiaohai with deep sympathy, felt a pang of sorrow. Though her husband had grown taller, he was still just a boy who longed for his parents.

"Child, I understand you're worried about your parents, but..." Just as Sun Baolu tried to persuade him further, his mother gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered something in his ear.

"Fine, I'll start the fire." As Sun Baolu stood up to leave, his mother walked over to Yang Xiaohai and embraced him tenderly, patting his back gently. "It's okay, child. We'll think of a solution together."

Soon, Yang Xiaohai witnessed a strange sight. As Sun Baolu cleared a spot and lit a campfire, the people of Qingqiu gathered around him.

Sun Baolu pointed at Yang Xiaohai and muttered some obscure Qingqiu words. Immediately, everyone began chattering excitedly. They spoke in Qingqiu dialect, and Yang Xiaohai couldn't understand a single word.

"This is a custom of Qingqiu—we use Qingqiu language to explain things, but it's hard to make sense of it. Anyway, the general idea is that when someone encounters trouble, they light a fire to summon the wisdom of the Sky God to help solve the problem," Sun Baolu explained to Yang Xiaohai.

"Will it work?" Yang Xiaohai hesitated. Honestly, he wasn't eager to venture into the deadly Later Shu. If there were a way to meet his parents safely, that would be best.

"Haven't you seen the many elderly people among the crowd? A household with an elder is like having a treasure. They have lots of experience, and this method has proven useful before."

Looking at the withered old men sitting cross-legged on the yellow grass, Yang Xiaohai nodded slightly and waited quietly. During this time, he told Sun Baolu about what happened after leaving Qingqiu.

The smoke from the campfire drifted slowly, but since there was no wind, the choking smoke spread around, enveloping everyone.

"Cough cough~!" After inhaling some smoke, Yang Xiaohai felt dizzy.

This so-called borrowing wisdom from the Sky God felt strange. The smoke from ordinary campfires didn't have this effect.

After listening to the jargon of Qingqiu dialect for a while, Yang Xiaohai gradually heard the voices fade.

"Heh~!" With a chorus of "heh," everyone clapped their hands, and the thick smoke instantly cleared.

After listening for a while near the elderly Qingqiu men, Sun Baolu stood up and said to Yang Xiaohai, "We have a solution. You said your parents are both sea-going fishermen, right?"

"Yes."

"That's perfect. Don't go by land, go by water. The elders remembered that there are private boats at the border between Qingqiu and Later Shu. If you pay well, they'll take you directly to your parents. That way, you won't encounter soldiers on the road."

"Really?!" Yang Xiaohai's expression lit up with excitement.

"Yeah, the elders probably aren't mistaken. They said they took that route ten years ago. Wait here, I'll have the elders draw you a map and write a letter to the boat captain so they don't stop halfway and cheat you."

With Sun Baolu's busy efforts, Yang Xiaohai obtained a way home and a map of the border between Qingqiu and Later Shu.

Looking at the map showing how close his family was, Yang Xiaohai's heart burned with anticipation—he was about to reunite with his family.

"Baolu Brother, thank you so much. This really helped me a lot," Yang Xiaohai held out the heavy gold bar with both hands toward Sun Baolu.

"What's this? Are you looking down on me?" Sun Baolu pushed the gold bar away, then leaned closer and asked, "Child, are there still plenty of empty houses in Niu Xin Village?"

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Next chapter update at 11:32 PM.

(End of Chapter)