Chapter 28

Tian Yao hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Any slight rustle of wind or grass outside the room would wake him, and he’d stare alertly out the window until the disturbance passed, only then closing his eyes lightly.

After several days of this, the skin beneath Tian Yao’s eyes was a layer of dark bluish-black.

“You’ve been too tense lately,” Yu Nian said, seated at the table. He peeled an egg for him, then had him lean his head against Yu Nian’s leg while he gently rolled the warm egg over his lower eyelids.

“I’ve never encountered something like this before. I’m a bit scared,” Tian Yao sighed. “I hope this matter passes quickly. I’d already made plans with Aunt Shun—when spring starts, I’ll get a few chicks from her house to raise.”

“And those seeds… I was hoping to plant them as soon as the ground thaws.”

Yu Nian finished massaging his eyes and simply said, “The news of refugees has been circulating for days now. The Yamen should have countermeasures by now. You don’t need to be so panicked.”

Tian Yao nodded, taking the egg that had been rolled over his eyes from him. Two bites, and it was gone—not a bit wasted.

Fearing Yu Nian wouldn’t be able to protect himself in a sudden emergency, Tian Yao had placed Father’s bow, arrows, and arrowheads in their bedroom. The arrowheads were sharpened to a fine point, placed right where Yu Nian could reach them.

And Tian Yao’s vigilance proved its great worth one later night.

That day had been sunny, but once night fell, the rain began. Tian Yao had never much liked rainy days. Even with Yu Nian lying next to him, he remained somewhat agitated.

Yu Nian slept rather deeply. Tian Yao’s tossing and turning didn’t wake him. Tian Yao lay with his eyes open, shifting a bit closer to Yu Nian, feeling that the closer he was to him, the more settled his heart became.

In the darkness, Little Gray, who had been fast asleep, suddenly bristled its fur. Tian Yao’s eyes snapped open in an instant. Little Gray was already at his side. Tian Yao held a finger to its muzzle, and it didn’t bark.

Tian Yao had been just about to fall asleep; now his eyes were crystal clear. Lately, worried about nighttime dangers, they both slept fully clothed. He nudged Yu Nian’s shoulder, and Yu Nian awoke.

Yu Nian, having studied martial arts before, had exceptionally sharp ears. Now, through the rain sounds, he could also make out the footsteps outside. Very disorderly. About ten or so people. They had already entered the courtyard.

Tian Yao felt for the hatchet at the head of the bed. Yu Nian had already drawn his bowstring back. Little Gray stood at their feet, baring its fierce fangs.

With a creak, the courtyard gate was opened. Tian Yao moved to the bedroom doorway. Little Gray positioned itself on the other side of the door.

“Quick, here.”

Tian Yao heard the leader’s lowered voice.

“This place is far from the rest of the village. After we kill them, we’ll head for the village tomorrow.”

Tian Yao and Yu Nian exchanged a look in the darkness. They heard someone rummaging through the adjacent room; someone else came toward this room. The bedroom door was pushed open a crack. Little Gray seized the opportunity, immediately biting down on the man’s trouser leg.

The man let out an agonized howl. Instantly, those who had been searching the storage room all swarmed to the bedroom. The bedroom door was flung wide. The moment it opened, an arrow screamed out from the darkness. It didn’t hit a fatal spot, but it also struck a leg.

“Ambush!”

Tian Yao emerged right on cue. He didn’t swing the hatchet; instead, he sent a punch directly at the man trying to slash at Little Gray.

He used his full, absolute strength. Little Gray also released its bite. The man who received Tian Yao’s punch was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall with a thunderous bang. He spat two mouthfuls of blood, then went utterly still.

They hadn’t expected the people inside to be on guard. Seeing one companion injured, another man’s eyes turned vicious, his knife slashing straight for Tian Yao’s body.

The bedroom doorway was still somewhat narrow, and Yu Nian was still inside the room. Tian Yao couldn’t let them get close to Yu Nian. So while swinging his fists—he didn’t understand any martial arts techniques, relying purely on brute force to overpower them—he managed to keep them at bay. Little Gray stayed by his side, sharp-eyed and swift-fanged.

Tian Yao’s objective was clear: he would not let them enter the room. If they got inside, he might not have the capacity to protect Yu Nian at the same time.

“Yao Ge’er, come back!” Yu Nian knew Tian Yao was doing this for his sake. He shouted, but Tian Yao didn’t turn back.

Tian Yao and Little Gray worked in excellent coordination. Whenever someone tried to use a blade, Little Gray would lunge, biting their wrist, and Tian Yao would follow up with a punch, sending them flying.

The leader of this group hadn’t expected a single Ger to be so troublesome. He looked past Tian Yao; inside that bedroom, there should be another person. He shot a glance at the man beside him, and that man charged toward the room.

“Little Gray, guard Daddy!” Tian Yao’s body was already soaked by the rain, sticky and uncomfortable. He truly, truly hated rainy days.

Little Gray shook its tail and bit the man who was trying to get into the room after Yu Nian. But Little Gray was just a dog, after all. It had already given its utmost. Even if it had wolf’s blood in its veins, it couldn’t fight two men at once. When a blade cut into its front paw, it still didn’t let go of the man’s leg.

Yu Nian maneuvered his wheelchair to the doorway and saw the blood on Little Gray’s front paw. He shot another arrow, striking the arm of the man who had slashed Little Gray.

Only then did the intruders realize that the person this Ger was so desperately protecting was a cripple.

Now they stopped tangling solely with Tian Yao. Their focus fell squarely on Yu Nian.

Tian Yao realized this too. So he retreated to Yu Nian’s side. He had never learned any lethal combat techniques. He only knew how to brawl wildly. Not everyone could withstand a full-force punch from him. In the face of absolute strength, all fancy moves became mere tricks.

Of those ten-odd men, three had already fallen. Tian Yao was panting. He patted Little Gray. “Go to the village! Get people to come!”

Little Gray looked toward Tian Yao, reluctant to leave.

“Go! Now!” Tian Yao averted his eyes and saw its front paw. His heart gave a violent lurch.

Little Gray gave a single bark and bolted for the gate.

“Quick! Stop that beast!”

But it was already too late. Little Gray had reached the gate. Even as it ran, it began to howl.

Its own body held the bloodline of the wolf. The moment its howl rang out, almost every dog in the village began barking almost simultaneously.

The barking resounded across the entire village. Little Gray ran straight for the Chen household. Little Gray often went to that house with Tian Yao, so its first instinct was to go to Chen Xu’s home.

Liu Zhi was already a light sleeper at night. Hearing the entire village’s dogs erupt, he immediately sat up and pushed Chen Xu. “Ah Xu, wake up! Something must have happened.”

Chen Xu promptly pulled on his clothes. He heard the scratching at the door. Throwing on his raincoat, he opened the door and found Little Gray, blood flowing from its front paw.

“That’s Yao Ge’er’s dog.” Chen Xu snatched a blade from the woodshed instantly. “Something might have happened at Yao Ge’er’s house.”

He clapped Liu Zhi on the shoulder. “Stay in the house. Guard Father and Mother. I’ve got to go help.”

Liu Zhi didn’t answer him, just gave him a push. “Be careful! I’ll look after Mom and Dad.”

Chen Xu quickly left the house. He saw that others were already assembling in the streets.

Soon, the village’s able-bodied young men had gathered and were all rushing toward Tian Yao’s house.

In the moment Little Gray had bolted, four or five men charged Tian Yao at once. No matter how great his strength, it was hard to resist so many. His arm was slashed by a blade. Just as a knife was about to fall onto his head, the hand holding it was shot by an arrow. The knife clattered down beside Tian Yao, shearing off a chunk of his hair on one side.

Those four men were still pinning Tian Yao down. Another man, having dodged an arrow Yu Nian sent his way, raised his blade, ready to hack down onto Yu Nian.

Tian Yao saw that knife glinting with cold light. He gritted his teeth. In that instant, every ounce of his strength erupted. His fists pummeled wildly, he didn’t even know where they landed. Finally feeling the force restraining him loosen just a fraction, he immediately surged to his feet, only to realize with horror that there was absolutely no way to intercept that blade anymore. He could only throw himself onto Yu Nian, and the searing pain followed immediately.

At that moment, the villagers finally arrived. What they saw was the group poised to plunge their blades into the two men again.

Tian Yao slumped against Yu Nian. Seeing Yu Nian’s reddened eyes, he suddenly felt as if the pain wasn’t so bad. He reached up and touched Yu Nian’s face. “It doesn’t hurt at all. I don’t think I ever told you—besides being really strong, I’m also very resistant to pain. Don’t be scared.”

The Village Chief had also arrived by now. While everyone else was still panicking, he began taking command, restoring order. Tian Yao finally let out a breath. His whole body went limp. Yu Nian didn’t dare hold him too tightly, just encircling him lightly. Then he felt a wetness on his hands. He lifted his hand up—in the firelight, it was a shocking, stark crimson.

“Dazhuang, get those scoundrels tied up first!”

“Chen Xu, go back to the village and find a few aunties and gers to come! Yao Ge’er’s injured—we need hands right now!”

“Yu Nian! What are you frozen there for? Don’t you know some medicine?! Go tend to Yao Ge’er’s wounds first!”

Yu Nian was only staring at his own blood-soaked hands. Someone helped him carry Tian Yao into the room. Only then, forcing down the overwhelming emotion surging inside him, did Yu Nian manage to maneuver his wheelchair back inside.

Tian Yao was lying on his stomach on the bed, completely soaked through, the bedding beneath him already sodden as well. Yu Nian’s hands were trembling slightly as he peeled open Tian Yao’s clothes.

The knife wound was very deep, still oozing blood. Yu Nian found his own handkerchief and first wiped away the congealed blood around it.

Liu Zhi had arrived at some point. His pregnancy was already showing. Now he came to Yu Nian’s side, his arms cradling various jars and bottles. “Yu Nian, this is all wound-healing ointment. From my family. It works really well.”

Yu Nian didn’t stand on ceremony. He took it and applied it to Tian Yao. The medicine’s effect was indeed remarkable; almost the instant it touched the wounds, the bleeding stopped.

Liu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, then handed him the ginseng his family had given him for the New Year. “I don’t know if this is useful. If you need it, give it to him.”

Only now did Yu Nian seem to find his center again. His reason slowly returned. “…Thank you. But it won’t be necessary. For external flesh wounds, ginseng might actually clash and be counterproductive.”

Liu Zhi nodded. “Alright then.”

Outside, the Village Chief had already more or less dealt with the situation. However, it wasn’t convenient for him to enter their bedroom, so he was still waiting outside.

Yu Nian knew the Village Chief likely had matters to discuss. He said to Liu Zhi, “Please watch him for a moment. The Village Chief probably still needs me. And I also need to decoct medicine for him. I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Liu Zhi hurriedly shook his head. “No, no, it’s no trouble. You go do what you need to do. I’ll be here.”

Liu Zhi looked at Tian Yao’s face—always so rosy-cheeked before, now completely drained of color—and a wave of lingering fear washed over him.