Tianling Village.
Li Erya went to the desert early in the morning to practice her sword skills. As the sun blazed overhead, she eventually returned to Ye Mo's dwelling with two wild rabbits she had hunted.
Ye Mo's residence was remote, and since he had left, it had remained vacant. The Li siblings had turned it into a secret base where they processed the game they caught and the herbs they gathered.
Li Erya efficiently prepared the two rabbits, marinating them with spices. Once done, she also treated the rabbit skins for leatherworking.
With her tasks completed, Li Erya was ready to head back to her home to weave.
As she passed by a settlement, she paused and looked toward the direction of the Tianshan Mountains.
"Wuya and Qilang must be having a blast at Tianchi Peak!"
Tomorrow was their tenth birthday, and they still hadn't returned.
Thinking about her younger siblings' excessive energy, Li Erya shook her head in helplessness and continued on her way home.
Wuya and Qilang's birthday, I wonder if Father and Third Brother can get leave to come back?
As she approached the entrance of her home, Li Erya noticed a crowd gathering in front of the courtyard gate. Furrowing her brows, she quickened her pace.
"Erya, you finally came back. Hurry, your mother fainted!" someone saw Li Erya and shouted loudly.
"What?!"
Li Erya's face turned pale in shock, and she changed from walking to running. As she did, she asked, "How could my mother have fainted?"
No one answered her, but the sympathetic and pitying gazes around her spoke volumes.
Seeing this, Li Erya's heart skipped a beat. She rushed forward and entered the Li family's courtyard.
Inside, she saw several soldiers dressed in armour. A short distance away from them, Jin Yue'e was being supported by Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife. She sat on the ground, her eyes closed, and her face devoid of colour.
Under the eaves of the main house, the rest of the Li family members were present, each wearing a troubled expression.
"Mother!"
Li Erya hurried over to Jin Yue'e and anxiously asked Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife, "What happened to my mother?"
Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife was tightly pinching Jin Yue'e's acupoint, and upon hearing Li Erya's question, she looked at the Li family members, and then at the soldiers who had come from the garrison. With some difficulty, she explained:
"Erya, your father has gone missing."
"Half a month ago, during an operation to chase down Northern Yan troops, your father went deep into the desert with a vanguard unit. He hasn't returned yet."
The desert was vast, and once someone ventured deep inside, they were likely to lose their way and never find their way out again.
Moreover, it was the scorching month of June. In the waterless desert, it was a challenge to last even two or three days, let alone ten or fifteen.
The fact that Li Changsen and the vanguard unit had disappeared into the desert signalled that they were most likely dead.
Li Erya was squatting in front of Jin Yue'e. Upon hearing Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife's words, she swayed and sat down on the ground.
Seeing Li Erya's face turn white in an instant, Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife was afraid that she might faint too. She quickly said, "Erya, your mother was frightened. We need to call a doctor. Quickly help me carry her back into the house."
Li Erya snapped back to her senses and hastily stood up. She assisted Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife in helping Jin Yue'e back into the house.
Her father was missing; her mother couldn't encounter any mishaps!
Before carrying Jin Yue'e into the room, Li Erya heard the leading soldier say, "According to the laws of Da Chu, every household with military obligations must provide a soldier. Now that Li Changsen is gone, your family needs to send another person."
The soldiers were looking at Old Master Li as they spoke. "So, which of your sons will report to the garrison? Is it your second son or your third son?"
With that statement, the expressions of all the members of the Li family changed drastically.
Li Erya's steps faltered, and she turned to look at Old Master Li.
Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife had also heard. She turned to Li Erya and said, "Erya, leave this to your grandfather. Whether your second uncle or third uncle goes to the garrison, it has nothing to do with you."
Li Erya nodded and then helped Jin Yue'e into the room.
Before closing the door, she heard Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife tell her, "Erya, your mother and I will watch over her. Hurry and find a doctor."
Li Erya nodded, wiped her face with her hand, and climbed onto the platform bed. She opened a cabinet, took out a purse, locked the cabinet, and then climbed down from the bed.
Her actions were swift and seamless, quick and efficient.
"Aunt, please watch over my mother. I'll go find a doctor." Li Erya expressed her gratitude before she hurriedly left.
Saying that she walked out of the room.
At this point, the garrison soldiers had been invited into the main hall for water, accompanied by Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife. The other members of the Li family were gathered in Old Master Li and Old Madam Li's room, presumably discussing who should go to the garrison.
Li Erya once again witnessed the indifference of the other Li family members towards their main household. Her father was missing, and her mother had fainted, yet not a single person offered a word of comfort or concern.
After glancing at the main room, Li Erya briskly left the Li residence.
"Hey, Erya, did your grandfather decide if it's your second uncle or your third uncle who's going to the garrison?" a nosy individual loudly asked Li Erya.
"I don't know."
Li Erya replied curtly and quickly moved away.
For her, whether it was Li Changlin or Li Changmu going to the garrison, it had nothing to do with the main household.
"What?!"
"Whom did they decide to send to the garrison?"
Tun Zhang's eldest son's wife looked at Old Madam Li in astonishment, and the garrison soldiers also turned their attention to her.
Old Madam Li felt a bit uncertain under their gazes, but she held her ground. "We've decided. We'll send Sanlang to the garrison to take his father's position."
Tun Zhang was genuinely taken aback. He was aware of the Li family's dynamics, and how they favoured the younger branches and neglected the main household. However, he hadn't expected the bias to extend this far.
"Sanlang hasn't even turned fifteen yet!"
Old Madam Li remained unfazed. "Everyone knows Sanlang is quite tall, taller than his uncles. He's also robust. He's the most suitable for the garrison."
Tun Zhang was seething with anger, feeling both frustrated and incredulous. "Changsen has only just left!"
"If he knew that as soon as he left, you would be sending his son to the garrison, do you think he could rest in peace underground?"
These words left both Old Master Li and Old Madam Li stunned for a moment. Soon, they turned away, one hiding her face in her hands, the other refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
Tun Zhang looked at their unyielding stance and felt even more exasperated and angry. "Dashan, you're Sanlang's biological father, his grandfather. How can you bear to do this?"
Old Master Li hung his head lower, but he still didn't change his mind.
Tun Zhang snorted twice and looked at the garrison soldiers with a helpless expression.
He was an outsider, and although he knew that Old Master Li was the head of the family, he couldn't stop what was happening.
After everything was settled, Tun Zhang escorted the garrison soldiers out of the Li residence.
Old Master Li quickly followed them.
Once the garrison soldiers had left, Old Master Li wanted to say something to Tun Zhang, but the latter completely ignored him.
At that moment, the people around them began to ask, "Tun Zhang, is it going to be Li Changlin or Li Changmu who's going to the garrison?"
Tun Zhang glanced at Old Master Li.
At this point, Old Master Li's face was filled with pleading, seemingly hoping that Tun Zhang wouldn't answer.
Tun Zhang was thoroughly disgusted by the behaviour of the elderly Li couple. He coldly snorted and said, "It's neither Li Changlin nor Li Changmu. It's Li Sanlang."
As soon as this was revealed, a murmur of surprise swept through the crowd.
"How could it be Sanlang?"
"Sanlang is not even fifteen yet, right?"
"This is really unfair. Changsen had just left!"
People from families friendly with Li Changsen and Jin Yue'e in the military camp started voicing their dissatisfaction.
Even those who had no particular relationship with them felt that Old Master Li and Old Madam Li were going too far.
One after another, they expressed their opinions, and Old Master Li's face turned red, his back hunching under the weight of their accusations.
Unable to bear the spittle and accusatory glances any longer, Old Master Li rushed into the Li residence courtyard and closed the gate.
As if that could somehow shield him from the censure of outsiders.