The Quzhao commander instinctively pulled a soldier beside him to act as a human shield.
Thwack.
An arrow pierced through the back of the soldier's neck, its bloody arrowhead nearly striking the commander's face.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "Everyone, charge with me! Slaughter the Jinyang Army!"
There was no running away; he knew full well the range and power of the Jinyang Army's repeating crossbows.
Before his voice even faded, he shoved the corpse forward, holding his blade in front of him to deflect the incoming arrows with a series of sharp clangs.
Taking advantage of a gap in the volley, he charged at Jiang Jin with a do-or-die determination.
The other Quzhao soldiers also followed behind him fearlessly.
Watching the woman get closer and closer, the Quzhao commander's eyes flashed with a triumphant and gleeful smile.
He leaped high into the air and thrust out his blade, the tip aimed straight at Jiang Jin's neck.
Blood sprayed, and crimson spread.
Yun Chengxuan's weapon pierced right through the Quzhao commander's chest, hoisting him entirely into the air and letting the blood rain down.
Looking at the Quzhao commander, who was held high like a flag by Yun Chengxuan and still spurting blood, Jiang Jin silently took two steps back.
Come to think of it, it was about time the Jinyang Army had its own flag. She would have to design one properly once they got back.
Thud.
The Quzhao commander was flung over a dozen meters away by Yun Chengxuan, his corpse crashing down right in front of Nan Wen and splashing him with blood.
Nan Wen took two steps back, his face turning pale.
He finally understood why the Quzhao soldiers had been so terrified of these few dozen people earlier; they were practically human killing machines, and every single one of them at that.
Having been in the military for so many years, he had never seen such formidable repeating crossbows. This wasn't an equal battle at all; it was a one-sided massacre.
And then there was this youth who had just hurled a corpse in front of him. He had a fair and tender face, yet he could effortlessly toss a grown man into the air. What kind of monstrous strength was this?
What was the meaning of tossing the body right in front of him? Was it a threat to stay put?
Riding on his horse, Yun Chengxuan used his bloody blade to continuously slash away several Quzhao soldiers who had managed to break through the heavy barrage of arrows.
At this moment, a few more Quzhao soldiers charged over from the flank.
Jiang Jin brought her blade down, the sharp edge cleaving a man right open from the top of his head...
Nan Wen's mouth fell slightly open. This woman, who looked like she hadn't even reached the hairpin age of adulthood, was actually just as ferocious!
On a hillside not far from the Gefeng official road, Tian Erniang and Tian Cuihua were digging a pit with hoes, which they had borrowed from Gefeng.
Although both had eaten, their bodies were still very weak, forcing them to stop and pant after every couple of strikes.
But neither of them stopped for long; once they caught their breath, they kept going.
Amidst the flying dust, they finally dug a pit deep enough.
Tian Erniang carefully wrapped Erya's tiny body in a piece of coarse sackcloth. This cloth was a gift from Liu Mi, who couldn't bear the sight and had bought it with his own money to give to her.
Placing the child into the pit, Tian Erniang hesitated to cover her with dirt. Looking at that tiny bundle, just as small as when she was first born, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Erya, it's Mother's fault for not protecting you well. In your next life, you must be reincarnated into a good family. Don't come looking for Mother, I don't deserve it. I only hope that you will be well from now on."
Tian Cuihua's eyes also grew red. "Tian Erniang, how about you go back first? I can handle this."
Tian Erniang stared blankly at her child below, then suddenly leaned down, gently touching her forehead against Erya's head, sobbing uncontrollably.
Tears seeped through the sackcloth onto Erya's forever closed eyelids, moistening her pale skin.
After a long time, Tian Erniang stood up and, weeping, sprinkled the dirt over her...
Another small earthen mound was added to the hillside. She had asked Lady Liu, who said it was permissible to raise a burial mound.
If it were anywhere else, she wouldn't have dared to do so, fearing it would be dug up by someone.
But here it was fine. Gefeng was right ahead, and no one would dare come here to dig up corpses.
"Thank you, Sister Cuihua," Tian Erniang said, sitting in front of the mound and gazing at Gefeng City in the distance.
Back then, her husband had agreed with her father-in-law to trade Erya to another family. She refused to eat someone else's child, and it was even more impossible for her to let her own child be eaten by others.
That was the first time in her life she had resisted, only to be pinned down to the ground by her own husband and mother-in-law, unable to move.
Just when she was in despair, Tian Cuihua charged over with a fire poker. She actually couldn't quite remember the chaos of that moment clearly.
She only remembered that under the swing of Tian Cuihua's fire poker, she had fought with her life to break free from the constraints of her husband and mother-in-law.
In the end, with the two of them fighting desperately, they managed to escape with Daya and Erya. Escaping alongside them were Tian Cuihua's children, Dalang and Dani.
Tian Cuihua looked at the three children sitting in a row in front of their temporary shelter and twitched her lips. "First it was Erya, then it would be Daya, and finally, my Dani."
She had married into the family before Tian Erniang and had better luck, giving birth to a boy as her first child, so her status in the in-laws' house was better than Tian Erniang's, who had only given birth to two girls.
But she knew very well that this was only relative. In her in-laws' house, she and Tian Erniang were the same, and her Dani was the same as Daya and Erya.
Once one thing happens, a second will follow. It was only a matter of time before her Dani was traded for food, so she didn't want to live that life anymore.
Or rather, she didn't want to live anymore. She knew full well what the consequences would be for two women leaving with children.
But what did it matter? It was going to happen sooner or later anyway. They might as well have a satisfying fight. To be honest, she had wanted to beat up the Yuan family for a long time.
And she did exactly that. At that time, she swung the stick with reckless abandon, and every member of the Yuan family was hit by it.
It was just that she hadn't expected her son to run away with her too.
"Haha..." She couldn't help but laugh out loud. "The old Yuan family is going to have no heirs."
As she laughed, tears flowed out. She hadn't expected that they could still survive, surviving all the way to Gefeng.
Tian Erniang's eyes turned red. After a long time, she softly replied, "Dalang is a good boy. When we register for our household records, let's change his surname."
Tian Cuihua wiped her tears. "Alright, we'll change it to my surname. Lady Liu said that in Gefeng, women can be the head of the household. We can finally be the masters of our own home."
Saying this, her face held a look of anticipation. "I really want to go into Gefeng City and take a look. The people inside must live very well. It's a pity we still have to stay outside for a few days."
Tian Erniang turned back, her thin, rough hands gently stroking the fresh soil. "Erya, Mother is leaving. I'll come see you when I have time. Remember to find a good family to be reborn into."
She slowly stood up, pulled Tian Cuihua up, and walked towards Gefeng, the sunlight stretching their shadows long.
On the official road, corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like a river. Not a single Quzhao soldier was left alive.
The scene was dead silent. The cart slaves were all so terrified that they knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Nan Wen and his fellow bandits were also entirely silent, even taking two steps back.
Yun Chengxuan wiped the blood from his face and flashed a wide smile at Jiang Jin. "Auntie, I just killed so many people."
Jiang Jin: "...I'll make you some pastries when we get back."
Yun Chengxuan's eyes lit up. "Okay."
Jiang Jin flicked the blood off her blade and turned to Nan Wen. "Well? You have no objections to these rations belonging to us, right?"
Nan Wen: "..." He naturally had objections, but he didn't dare voice them.
He didn't think his eight hundred men would fare any differently from Quzhao's six or seven hundred men. It would probably just cost them a few more arrows.
Thinking of all the mouths waiting to be fed back on the mountain, he couldn't just resign himself to failure. Gathering his courage, he asked, "I wonder if these provisions are for sale? It doesn't matter if the price is a bit steep."
They did have money back on the mountain. It wasn't a fortune, but it should be enough to buy this grain.
Jiang Jin looked at the burly man. He wore an expression of deep, scheming calculation, but in reality, he was far too simple-minded to actually plot anything. She asked, "Were you soldiers in the past?"
Nan Wen froze for a second and blurted out, "How did you know?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had just outed himself. A wave of chagrin washed over him. "Did you just trick me into confessing?"
Jiang Jin was speechless. "...Would I even need to trick you? Anyone could tell just by looking at your combat stances."
Nan Wen: "..."
He stubbornly returned to his original question: "So, are you selling this grain?"
Jiang Jin was just as stubborn in ignoring him: "Do you have a military strategist on your mountain?"
Nan Wen was dumbfounded. "H-how did you know?"
As soon as he spoke, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself across the face. How had he exposed them again?
Jiang Jin couldn't hold back a laugh. "How about you take me up to your mountain to have a look?"
