Xia Yunting and Rong Zhi took Yu Cheng home, and on the way, they couldn't help but attract some sideways glances.
Yu Cheng kept his hands tucked in, looking uncomfortable. It was clear that he cared a lot about the villagers' opinions.
Fortunately, they soon returned to the haunted house. The moment they entered, Rong Zhi noticed Yu Cheng visibly relax.
"Uncle Yu, you rest for a while. I'll go make dinner."
"Alright."
Xia Yunting pulled up a chair for Yu Cheng, letting him sit in the courtyard.
Sensing that Yu Cheng had something to say, Xia Yunting didn't leave and sat opposite him.
"Young man, did you fight in a war before?"
In fact, he had wanted to ask this since their first meeting. Xia Yunting carried a certain killing aura, unique to those who had been in the army. Yu Cheng, who had also experienced war in his youth, could detect it even though Xia Yunting deliberately restrained it.
He thought that if Xia Yunting had indeed fought in a war, he might have news of his son. However, the reality disappointed him.
"Uncle Yu, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything from the past."
"Ah... I see..."
Disappointment flickered across Yu Cheng's face, followed by a forced smile.
"It's alright, I was just asking."
"Uncle Yu, where did your son go to fight?"
"He... when he was taken away back then, he didn't say where he was going. I only heard that we are always at war with the Great Yuan Kingdom. The Great Yuan Kingdom is to our south, so he's probably in some town down south."
Xia Yunting nodded slightly. There were indeed several places to the south where battles were being fought. He had led troops to patrol each of these areas, and they had now stabilized. Logically, if any soldier wanted to return home, they could report it.
"Uncle Yu, what is your son's name?"
"My son's name is Da Li."
Da Li...
That name was too common. Whenever new soldiers enlisted, the roster would have ten or eight Da Lis. If he only knew one name, it was truly like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Alas, young man, you don't need to worry about me. My son hasn't returned for five years. Perhaps he's already..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence. Although he tried his best to hide the sadness on his face, a hint of loneliness still leaked through.
"Uncle Yu, you don't need to be sad. The border still needs people. Perhaps Da Li volunteered to defend the country. If he gets a rank or two, he might be able to return home in a few years."
Although these were clearly comforting words, they did make one feel better.
Yu Cheng's expression brightened a little.
"If only that could be true."
"Uncle Yu, have a sip of water first."
Rong Zhi brought over two cups of water, giving the other to Xia Yunting.
"Are you discussing war matters?"
Xia Yunting nodded.
Rong Zhi curved her lips.
"Indeed. You're so obsessed with martial arts, perhaps talking about these things might help your memory recover."
Her tone was sarcastic, but Xia Yunting pretended not to notice.
Rong Zhi then asked Yu Cheng.
"Uncle Yu, have you heard of the name Xia Yunting? I heard he's a famous general on the battlefield."
At this, Xia Yunting frowned, wondering what kind of trouble this little girl was up to now.
"Xia Yunting..." Upon hearing the name, Yu Cheng's expression clearly worsened.
"Hmph, of course, I've heard of him. Not just me, our entire village, our entire Changping County has heard of him."
Xia Yunting was surprised by his fame, but his tone... it seemed his impression wasn't good!
"Oh? Then, Uncle Yu, what kind of person is General Xia?"
"What kind of person? A beast, a monster, worse than a pig or a dog!"
With every word, Yu Cheng's tone grew heavier, and Xia Yunting's brow twitched.
This was the first time he had been so directly insulted up close.
It was also normal. As the saying goes, "A general's triumph is built on ten thousand bones." When he led troops in battle, there were inevitably sacrifices among his men. Even if it was unavoidable, those sacrificed were still someone's loved ones. So, he could completely understand why people would curse him.
Rong Zhi thought the same way, so she didn't find anything wrong with it. She suppressed a smile and continued to ask.
"Did he do anything that was worse than an animal?"
"Alas, young lady, you've just arrived here and don't know. During the intense years of war a few years ago, not just the young men, but anyone with any strength in our village was conscripted by that surname Xia."
"Was Brother Yu taken away then?"
Rong Zhi also sat down beside them.
When foreign enemies invaded, conscription was common. However, this wasn't something Xia Yunting could decide. Usually, such matters were decided by the court. Yet, the common folk were cursing Xia Yunting.
This Xia Yunting was truly unfortunate.
Yu Cheng's expression became even more somber.
"Yes. If it were ordinary recruitment, it would be fine. The government issued a notice that each household should provide one conscript. But when they came to take people, it wasn't like that at all. The village chief's family had three sons, and all of them were taken away. Isn't that deliberately trying to make them childless!"
This was the government's fault...
Rong Zhi glanced at Xia Yunting. It seemed changing his name was the right decision. Given the villagers' hatred for Xia Yunting, the assassins would probably not even get close before Xia Yunting was beaten to death by the villagers.
"I don't ask for anything else now. I just hope my son is still alive. Even if he never returns, I'll accept it."
After speaking, he suddenly realized something and looked at the two of them apologetically.
"Oh dear, I... what nonsense am I talking about? Just pretend you didn't hear me. When people get old, their mouths tend to run away with them."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"It's okay, Uncle Yu. I believe Brother Yu is definitely still alive. Let's eat first!"
The meal was ready. Only then did Yu Cheng stop the topic.
Perhaps it had been too long since he had eaten with others at the same table. Yu Cheng was still a bit unaccustomed to it and was eager to leave after finishing. Rong Zhi did not insist on him staying.
"Uncle Yu, come visit often if you have time. The poison you have... perhaps I can cure it for you."
Yu Cheng's body trembled, as if he had heard something incredible.
"How did you know I was poisoned?"
"I am a physician."
Rong Zhi smiled.
A glimmer of hope gradually appeared in Yu Cheng's eyes.
"Don't worry, Uncle Yu. I'm quite confident."
"Ah, thank you so much, young lady."
Uncle Yu didn't know what else to say and could only smile awkwardly, leaving the haunted house under Rong Zhi's gaze.
Xia Yunting was washing the dishes. Rong Zhi, with water still on her hands, nudged him with her elbow.
"Thank me quickly. If I hadn't taken you to get treatment, disguised you, and helped you change your name, you would have been torn apart by the villagers."
"Oh, thank you, Xiao Mo."
Xia Yunting, taking her words in stride, offered a very sincere thank you.
Rong Zhi felt like she had punched cotton. She didn't see the expected angry reaction from Xia Yunting, and instead felt a bit stifled.
"Aren't you angry? Being spoken of like that."
If it were her, even if she had amnesia, being called a beast, a monster, worse than a pig or a dog by name, she would still be angry.
"Uncle Yu lost his son. No matter how much he curses, it's not excessive. Besides, he's just cursing the person who took his son away. He just doesn't know who the blame should fall on, so he's venting his anger using my name."
Rong Zhi paused her hand-wiping. This Xia Yunting was quite reasonable.
People who had fought on battlefields for a long time, accustomed to the clash of swords and the reality of life and death, were usually indifferent to such matters. And those in Xia Yunting's position ten times out of ten would have a certain arrogance and would not tolerate criticism.
The first time she met Xia Yunting and saw him decisively deal with the assassins at Zui Xian Ju, she thought he was that kind of person.
Now, it seemed, Xia Yunting was only like that towards his enemies...
"I didn't expect that, although you look fierce, you're actually quite kind-hearted inside."
She said it casually, and the next moment a gaze fell upon her.
"Do I look fierce?"
He asked with utter seriousness, yet his tone inexplicably held a hint of grievance.
Uh...
She had just said it offhand. She had actually wanted to say imposing, but she thought that would make him too pleased with himself, so she changed the word at the last minute.
He's a grown man, after all. He doesn't need to be so wronged!
"You're disgusted with me again!"
Xia Yunting threw down the plate he was holding and stomped out in a huff.
"Hey... how inexplicable."
Rong Zhi had no choice but to take the unfinished plates. Halfway through washing them, she suddenly realized something and shouted outside.
"If you don't want to wash dishes, just say so!"
The next day, the weather was excellent, and Rong Zhi decided to go up the mountain to collect herbs as promised.
Actually, she wanted Xia Yunting to go with her, but Xia Yunting refused, citing the prevalence of human traffickers in the area. He said he needed to set up some traps at the doorstep, and also to guard against the wild man from that day.
Rong Zhi thought this was just an excuse. He must be doing something secretly behind her back that he didn't want her to know.
Since he didn't want to say, Rong Zhi didn't ask further.
She didn't care to know.
The mountain path after the rain was still a bit slippery. Qing He held a stick to push aside the grass ahead and to guard against snakes underfoot.
Even so, Rong Zhi's shoes quickly became wet. She glanced at the vast, rolling hills and decided to head deeper into the mountains.
In the village, there were always a few people who recognized some herbs, so the foothills near the settlement were mostly devoid of them. Although the deep mountains were somewhat dangerous, they were also rich in herbs. And these dangers were nothing to her.
Rong Zhi waded through the dewy, wet grass and passed a pine forest. After crossing several gullies, she saw a very dense forest. Looking around, various herbs grew on the ground, and each one was of excellent quality.
"So much! I've found a treasure!" Rong Zhi's eyes lit up, and she became excited.
Without further ado, she began to sweep up the herbs on the ground into her basket.
Three-leaf ganoderma, silver leaf grass, evergreen flower... Soon, her basket was full, but the herbs on the ground seemed to have hardly diminished.
Rong Zhi felt a pang of regret. If only she had brought Xia Yunting with her. He was so tall, he could have carried a larger basket and collected all these herbs.
But now, let alone taking them all back, the basket on her back was already heavy.
Greed makes one lose one's perspective. No matter how regrettable it was, Rong Zhi had to give up the idea of collecting more herbs. Considering the time to walk back, she had already been out for most of the day, and it was time to return.
She tightened the straps of her basket and was about to leave when she suddenly heard a terrifying growl from the depths of the forest, like a wounded beast.
Rong Zhi frowned. If she didn't have this basket of herbs on her back, she could have played with the beast. But now, she didn't have the leisure for that and should stay as far away as possible.
She tiptoed, slowly retreated. When she exited the forest and was about to accelerate, she heard the ground shake. A pitch-black wild boar, groaning, charged out of the jungle and straight towards Rong Zhi.
"My goodness, it's huge!"