The young woman seemed accustomed to his appearance and was not frightened. She even tugged the corners of her mouth into a smile before turning and running away.
The man lowered his head and stared at the blackish lump on the ground, his expression unreadable.
“You lot eat it. Don’t waste it,” a hoarse voice said from beside him.
They all knew that the Young General would never eat food brought by the common people, especially food brought by women.
Because they all knew how those women had obtained it.
This food was mixed with the blood, tears, and humiliation of their fellow Han people. Anyone with a conscience would find it difficult to swallow.
But they had to eat. They had to stay alive until the day they found an opportunity…
Besides, the food had been saved from the people’s own meager rations. If the Ji soldiers discovered it, the people who had given it to them might also be implicated.
At once, a hand as thin as a chicken’s claw seized the food. Taking advantage of the guards’ inattention, the man divided the black lump into several portions and passed them around.
Such a tiny amount could keep them alive for another day or two.
In the distance, the young woman watched as the man ultimately refused to eat the lump of food she had painstakingly saved. Her heart ached. But when she saw the others eat it, a smile appeared on her face.
She was not very old, perhaps only thirteen or fourteen. Extremely thin, she seemed unaccustomed to smiling, and her face looked stiff and rather plain.
The woman standing beside her glanced at her and sighed. Her younger sister was still too young. How could the Young General possibly eat food they had obtained by trading their bodies?
In fact, she was not the only one who brought food to the Young General. Many other Han people in the city did the same—they were now slaves of the Ji people.
Just like these women, they secretly gave away what little food they had, simply because they knew that the Northwestern Army had once fought to the death to protect the people of Chongzhou.
The Northwestern Army’s general had even been executed, his head hung from the city wall and left to bake beneath the sun, be scoured by wind and snow, until nothing remained but bone.
She raised her somewhat vacant eyes toward the blazing sun and murmured, “A-Yuan, do you think Mother and Big Brother managed to escape?”
A-Yuan leaned against her. “They must have. The village head and the others too. They must have made it to Lin County.”
The young woman gave a quiet hum. “I heard Lin County is a Han city. Once they get inside, they’ll be able to live. I just don’t know what Lin County is like now.”
A-Yuan’s face filled with longing. “It must be wonderful. I wonder if Big Brother can take good care of Mother.”
“I miss them.”
After a long while, she whispered those words.
Her eyes reddened. She lifted her head so the tears would not fall.
A-Yuan said nothing more. She merely hugged her elder sister’s arm. The sun was scorching, yet she felt cold.
Just then, another woman slowly emerged from the dilapidated house.
“Your village head in Pear Blossom Village certainly had foresight. He led your people away early on. Unlike us—our entire village was…”
The sisters, A-Yuan and her elder sister, fell silent. The subject was too heavy, and they did not know how to offer comfort.
They were the elder and younger sisters from Pear Blossom Village, Sun Bu’s sisters. Their names were Sun Xi and Sun Yuan. After being captured by the Ji army, they had been moved from place to place and sold several times before finally ending up in Wenxia.
“We were lucky to survive this long,” Sun Xi replied quietly, tightening her grip on her sister’s hand.
The fact that the sisters had remained together and both survived until now truly was a stroke of luck.
As for how much longer they could live, they had no idea. Perhaps until today. Perhaps until tomorrow.
In truth, there was little difference between the two. The only thing that kept them clinging to life was their concern for their family.
The women squatted or stood beneath the wall, enjoying the sunlight—a rare source of warmth for them, even though its fiery rays made their skin ache.
“You filthy slaves, what are you doing out here? Get back inside! The soldiers are waiting!” a burly Ji woman roared at them.
Fear flashed through Sun Xi and the others’ eyes. Their bodies instinctively shrank back, but they obediently lowered their heads and went inside.
Thud.
Several coarse-grain steamed buns were thrown in front of the Young General and the others.
A handsome Han man stood over them, looking down arrogantly. “Here. These are for you. They’re what I didn’t finish eating today.”
The Young General closed his eyes. His shackled hands tightened slightly, just like the heart in his chest, which felt so painfully constricted that he wanted nothing more than to destroy the entire city.
The man snorted and turned to leave.
One of the Ji soldiers accompanying him laughed with open contempt. “Heh. A Han man’s pride is worth nothing in the face of life and death.”
“Hahaha! The dignified Young Marquis Wei Tai was so tough back then. But now, just for a bite to eat, he still ends up moaning beneath General Jibo. Turns out he’s nothing special.”
The voice was loud. The man who had already turned away—none other than the Young Marquis, Wei Tai—had a dark, vicious glint in his eyes. Yet his expression did not change in the slightest. He even wore a faint smile.
The Young General’s face twisted with fury. Like a trapped beast, he let out a roar and lunged at the Ji soldier. Unfortunately, his hands were firmly chained to the pillar.
The fresh and old wounds around his wrists were a bloody mess, but he could not break free. He came to a halt less than half a zhang from the soldier.
The soldier had clearly anticipated this. He grinned with deliberate humiliation.
“Chu Qing, the Young General? Hahaha! Why don’t you submit beneath my general too? As long as you surrender, you can have all the steamed buns you want.”
“Hmph. You barbarians are only capable of this sort of thing. Come any closer, and I guarantee I’ll tear you into twelve pieces.”
The hoarse man who had earlier told everyone to eat spoke up again.
Fear flickered in the Ji soldier’s eyes. He naturally did not dare approach. Everyone who had survived until now was a ruthless fighter.
He stepped back two paces, drew his whip, and lashed it at Chu Qing.
Though Chu Qing was terribly weak from hunger, he caught the whip with perfect accuracy. Ignoring the spikes along it, he yanked hard.
The soldier’s heart jolted, but he was a seasoned fighter himself. He quickly retreated two steps and pulled back with all his strength.
After suffering prolonged starvation, Chu Qing’s body was in terrible condition. He could not hold on to the whip.
With a sharp swish, it tore across his palm, leaving a bloody gash.
The soldier was still not satisfied. He brought the whip down again. “You really think you’re still the Young General?”
Smack!
This time, the hoarse man caught the whip.
“What exactly do you think you are?” he demanded.
The soldier sneered and yanked the whip back. He looked at the dozen or so men glaring furiously at him.
“Hmph. Han military officers may have been warriors once, but before the Ji army, you’re no better than dogs.”
The hoarse man panted heavily, forcing himself not to collapse. “Even so, we’re still better than filthy creatures like you!”
The soldier let out a mocking laugh and looked toward Chu Qing.
“Heh. You eat steamed buns bought with your own friend’s body, and you still think you’re noble?”
Chu Qing clenched his teeth and said nothing more.
The soldier was beginning to lose interest and was about to teach these stubborn men another lesson when a commotion rose in the distance.
Everyone looked up. A group of rough-looking Han men were approaching, cursing as they came.
A squad of Ji scouts was accompanying them.
