Li Nian rode his horse out of the city. Before the horse could stop, he hurriedly dismounted and walked quickly to Li Man'er, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
“How is it? Are you injured?”
Li Man’er was covered in blood and looked quite disheveled.
“I’m fine; this blood belongs to others. Third Uncle, have you all taken the antidote pills?”
Li Nian nodded, “We have. Man’er, we can talk about it when we get back to the city.”
The barbarian army might be right behind them. If they didn’t leave now, it might be too late to leave later.
“Alright, Third Uncle, what about the barbarian corpses?”
“Burn them.” As for the corpses of the soldiers of the Esteemed Kingdom, they were to be transported back to the city. While they still had the capacity, they would be cremated separately, their ashes placed in urns, labeled with red paper bearing their names, a form of closure. If a real battle were to break out, they wouldn't even have time to care for the living, let alone the dead.
In the end, all these men would have to be buried in a single pit, to keep each other company on the road to the Yellow Springs.
“Okay, then let’s go back.”
Someone loaded the corpses onto carts and pushed them towards the city.
Li Man’er picked a horse she liked, mounted it, and returned to the city with Li Nian and the others.
She felt the enthusiastic welcome of heroes. All the soldiers cheered, raising their swords and shouting, as if Li Man’er were a great hero.
Before, they hadn’t been able to protect her, but now, everyone felt she had saved them all.
It wasn’t about her bravery in battle; any soldier on the battlefield would not retreat. The point was the barbarian poison, which no one could antidote. To fight head-on would only be to rush to their deaths. If it weren’t for Li Man’er, they didn’t know how many more brothers they would have lost. If they couldn’t stop those barbarians, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Therefore, at this moment, Li Man’er became a hero.
Li Nian felt deeply gratened. He looked at his niece with nothing but admiration. Although he still wanted to lecture her a few words, telling her to be careful and not act impulsively, the current atmosphere was clearly not suitable for such talk.
As the uncle and niece dismounted, a young officer approached and said, “General Li, General Luo requests your presence. And Miss Li, you are also invited!”
Li Nian frowned slightly, but he couldn't refuse. He pointed to the bloodstains on Li Man’er’s body, “Is it not rather disrespectful to see the General like this?”
Luo Sheng was not a true military man; he had never been on the battlefield or held a sword. Seeing Li Man’er covered in blood, would he not faint?
The young officer thought for a moment and said, “Very well. Miss Li has just finished a fierce battle and must be tired. After a brief rest, it would be better to see the General.”
Li Man’er wanted to laugh, but thinking of her blood-covered face, she suppressed it.
She was just a puppet on strings, a marionette, yet she dared to call herself a General.
Li Nian glanced at her subtly and then said, “Then let us go! Quickly, lest the General wait too long.”
Li Nian pulled the young officer along and left. Once they were gone, the soldiers guarding the city walls couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Li Man’er.
“Miss Li, how long can the pills we took last?”
“Yes, can they prevent all poisons? What if the barbarians change their poison next time, will these pills still be useful?”
Li Man’er cupped her hands towards everyone. “I will explain the matter of the pills to General Jia, and everyone will know. I am in no state to be seen, so I will go back first.”
Tong Xiao quickly said, “Indeed, hurry back to guard the city. The barbarians might attack again at any moment.” He thought he had smoothed things over for Li Man’er and was about to step closer to say a few words when he saw Li Man’er nod at Jia Er and walk away directly, passing him.
Tong Xiao stared at Li Man’er’s retreating back, speechless. “General, look, she just dislikes me.”
“Do you know why Miss Li dislikes you?”
Tong Xiao shook his head and thought carefully. “I don’t think I offended her, do I?”
Jia Er’s family was from the capital. He was a martial arts scholar. Although his family didn't have much background, he had been in the capital for many years and knew some of the connections.
“Let me tell you, the eldest daughter Li was once engaged.”
“Ah?” Tong Xiao thought, what does this have to do with me? It couldn’t be because of this that she dislikes me, right?
Jia Er seemed to have seen through his thoughts and said, “It is precisely so. Let me tell you! When Miss Li was young, the Empress Dowager bestowed a marriage, betrothing her to the son of the Princess Royal, the young duke of the Duke of Rong’s mansion. However, the young duke looked down on Miss Li, and it ended very unpleasantly. Later, I heard they broke off the engagement.”
“So…”
“What is the surname of the Duke of Rong’s mansion?”
“Tong.” Tong Xiao finally realized and gave a wry smile. “What does this have to do with me? My name is Tong Xiao, not Tong Qiao.”
Jia Er laughed. “Women are petty. Perhaps she just dislikes anyone with the surname Tong. Haha, you can be angry, but it’s useless. Can you defeat her?”
Could he defeat her?
Tong Xiao seriously considered this question and found it difficult to answer.
To say he could defeat her would be a lie, but to say he couldn’t would be too embarrassing.
“Alright, quickly deal with the bodies of our fallen brothers. After burning them, find urns to store them in, and don’t get the names wrong.”
“Okay.” Speaking of this, both of them became solemn. Their earlier playful mood vanished.
War meant death, but these were their brothers, their kin. How could their hearts not ache!
Perhaps the best consolation for them was to kill the barbarians, protect their homeland, and avenge them!
When Li Man’er returned to the small courtyard covered in blood, she terrified Liu Ya and the others.
“Big sister, where are you injured?” Li Qingyan was almost in tears. They had stayed in the room and hadn't gone anywhere, only to see Li Man’er return covered in blood.
“I’m fine, I’m not injured.” Li Man’er said helplessly, “This is other people’s blood, not mine.”
“Miss, you went out to fight?”
“Mm.” Li Man’er said lightly, “I thought the barbarians would be much tougher! Turns out they’re nothing special. Liu Ya, quickly get me some water to wash up, I’m all sticky.”
“Yes!” Liu Ya went to find Sister Wu, and together they heated a large barrel of hot water for Li Man’er to bathe in.
After Li Man’er changed into clean clothes, feeling much refreshed, she recounted her encounter with the small barbarian unit to everyone.
“Liu Ya, you must keep a close eye on those antidote pills. If anyone asks for them, don’t give them out. Just wait for Third Uncle to come and get them. Also, you should all take one. The anti-toxin effect is quite good; you’ll be fine for at least a day.”
Liu Ya nodded, “Your servant understands.” She wished she could charge into battle with Li Man’er, but she knew that for Li Man’er, Li Qingyan’s safety was more important.