Chapter 153: Pursuers

The convoy started moving again.

The Yan family’s ox cart was filled with young children.

The older ones sat on top, under Da Ya’s care.

The smaller ones, having taken off their tiny shoes, crawled around below.

Li Xuemei told them stories for a while before leading them in a game. A small handkerchief was passed around, hidden and revealed, and whoever got caught had to be lifted onto the upper bunk.

One of the older children would then be swapped down.

The children played happily, laughing as they were lifted up and down.

Yan Xiangheng, the one doing all the lifting, was having a tough time. He remained tense, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Before noon, the children started getting drowsy.

They rubbed their eyes but were reluctant to sleep.

Li Xuemei arranged them neatly and gently instructed them, “Put your little hands at your sides, stretch your little legs, curl up like a caterpillar, and roll…”

Before long, they had all quieted down and fallen asleep.

Even the clingy Hu Xiaoni finally closed her eyes.

Yan Yu tiptoed away.

Liang Fengnian, who had been walking near her family’s ox cart, saw her coming down and quickly approached her.

“Xiao Er-ge, when will our Young Scouts rewards be given out?”

“Did someone ask you?” Yan Yu tilted her head.

“No!” Liang Fengnian lowered his voice. “I just want to know who gets the top merit.”

Yan Yu smiled slyly and teased, “Of course, it’s me! All thanks to my brilliant command, hahaha!”

Liang Fengnian thought for a moment and then nodded seriously, agreeing, “Yes, the top merit must be yours.”

His solemnity made Yan Yu feel a little embarrassed.

“It’s everyone’s effort. No rush for now. We’re in a hurry to travel and can’t spare time for this. Once we settle into a routine, traveling six hours a day like before, we’ll gather everyone and discuss it properly.”

She patiently explained, “The adults have all received their share of meat. Right now, no one lacks food, and keeping the rewards with my family for now saves them from carrying extra weight.”

“My dad got meat too,” Liang Fengnian murmured, looking down.

“Uncle Liang was incredible. Many people didn’t dare to charge forward, but he did!” Yan Yu said sincerely. Liang Manshan hadn’t killed anyone, but he had still played a vital role.

He had scoured the battlefield for arrows—stealing her father’s job.

In that moment, being unarmed yet supporting the frontline was a wise decision.

Without those helpers, Old Yan wouldn’t have achieved such an impressive battle record.

After all, there had only been ten arrows.

“My dad was actually really scared,” Liang Fengnian admitted. “His face was pale when we came back. He even talked in his sleep…”

Yan Yu looked at him in surprise. “Isn’t that normal? Who wouldn’t be scared? Even my dad and all the other uncles were afraid. But they knew that even if they were scared, they had to charge forward to protect their families. And they did it! They protected all of us!”

Liang Fengnian looked up at her, the stars in his eyes turning into a bright smile.

“Xiao Er-ge, you really understand a lot.”

“Hahaha! Big Uncle taught me!” Yan Yu shamelessly credited Old Yan.

—

“Sir, this is the place where we were ambushed.”

A group of over a hundred men rode in on horseback.

The leader had eyes as sharp as blades. He suddenly yanked his reins, bringing the entire cavalry to a synchronized halt.

He scanned the surroundings, assessing the terrain before dismounting. Tossing his reins to a subordinate, he gripped his sword and began investigating the area.

Several men followed closely behind him, their expressions cold and silent. Even in this flat terrain, they remained alert, not letting their guard down.

“You, come here.” The leader pointed at the man who had guided them there.

The man swallowed nervously and hurried over.

“How many horses were sent out with your group?”

“Aside from Lord Qin, who brought his own, all others were issued by the camp.”

“Dig here,” the leader ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

A team swiftly rushed forward and began digging at the indicated spot.

The stench spread.

Yet neither the leader nor his subordinates so much as flinched.

When the diggers reported the number of bodies, the leader nodded.

He then examined the recovered horses along the route, making a rough estimate.

“The so-called defiant commoners you mentioned have returned to the official road,” he said coldly. “Once they mix into regular travelers, they’ll be hard to track.”

“Sir! Their leader was a scholar…”

The man addressed as “Sir” interrupted with a sneer. “Empty words. Just because those refugees claimed he was a scholar, we’re supposed to believe it? Do you even know his name? Where he’s from? What dialect he speaks? Either those refugees are deliberately covering for him, or that group is hiding their true identity and falsely claiming scholar status.”

“Then… who do you think they really are?”

“You said they used bamboo crossbows and wooden clubs, but one person wielded an iron crossbow, didn’t they?”

“Yes, sir. That iron crossbow was incredibly powerful—one shot, and both man and horse fell dead.”

“Such a strong crossbow exists only in military arsenals.” He looked northeast—the direction Yan Huaiwen’s group had been heading.

“They’re traveling toward Guanzhou, are tall and strong, carrying military-grade weapons, and have gathered refugees… Haha. Could it be that Guanzhou has the same ambitions as us? Have there been any reports of hidden private mines in Guanzhou’s territory?”

“None, sir.”

“Then they must be recruiting soldiers.” His eyes narrowed as he pondered before signaling to his horse handler. The man immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed over the reins.

Swinging onto his horse, the leader turned to his men and commanded, “Regardless of their motives, they’ve disrupted Xizhou’s plans. We cannot let them go unpunished. Follow the official road—pursue them!”

“Yes, sir!”

One rider galloped ahead, with the others following close behind.

Under the scorching sun, dust billowed into the air.

Only the unearthed corpses remained, exposed beneath the blinding light…

—

Yan Lao’er studied the road ahead, constantly comparing it with the map in his hand.

Sitting beside him on the driver’s bench, Yan Huaiwen fanned himself lazily, his demeanor relaxed and charismatic.

“Tianyou, how is it?”

“We’re almost there, Big Brother!” Yan Lao’er pointed at a spot on the map. “According to our route, we should be entering Guanzhou from the west.

The distance chart doesn’t specify the exact location, but it’s fine. If we keep going, we should reach a settlement soon. I’ll go ask for directions then.”

Yan Lao’er was excited. Finally—finally, they were almost there!

They had traveled so hard for so long, unsure how they had even endured it.

If not for the horse meat and the water sources they found along the way, they wouldn’t have made it.

With constant food and water replenishment, they had barely stopped—sleeping only three hours a day, spending the rest of their time on the road.

Because of this, they were several days ahead of schedule.

Guanzhou was just ahead!

“Guanzhou… the west side…” Yan Huaiwen recalled something and said decisively, “That should be Beirong Post.”

“There aren’t many settlements near Beirong Post—it’s mostly military farmland, so asking for directions might be difficult.”

“Big Brother, this Beirong Post—is it for guarding against the foreign tribes?”

Yan Huaiwen nodded. “‘Foreign tribes’ is a general term we in the central provinces use for those beyond our borders. They are divided into various clans, living separately. The western tribes are called Xirong, while the northern tribes are Beirong. Xizhou’s external threats come from Xirong, and Guanzhou’s come from Beirong.”