Upon returning home, Li Wuya expressed her idea of going to assist their father.
Venturing deep into the rear of the Northern Yan Army, even if her father's team managed to burn down the enemy's grain depot, it was likely to alert the Northern Yan forces, making it difficult for them to return alive.
Li Sanlang didn't oppose the idea but didn't immediately agree either. He understood the urgency of their father's situation, but he couldn't rashly take his younger siblings to the rescue.
If they were to go and not succeed in rescuing their father, it could result in even more danger for all of them. The situation required careful consideration, and even if they decided to assist their father, the choice of who should go had to be well thought out.
Li Wuya could see her brother's heaviness, knowing that he was worried about their safety. She calmly explained her thoughts, taking into account each of their strengths and weaknesses.
"Brother, don't worry, we will bring Father back safely. Now we need to think about what preparations we should make," Li Wuya said confidently.
Li Sanlang, moved by her determination, nodded. He realized that their years of martial arts training had been for moments like this. As their father faced danger, it was their duty as children to do everything they could to rescue him.
Li Wuya addressed her older sister, who seemed downcast, assuring her, "Sister, staying at home is even more important. Don't worry, I will take care of Mother. You must ensure Father's safe return."
Li Erya smiled and held Li Wuya's hand firmly. "You're right. I'll take good care of Mother. And you guys must bring Father back safely."
With a plan in mind, Li Wuya went to prepare medicine. Despite her healing abilities, they needed actual medicinal supplies to maintain their cover.
On December 1st, the sky was illuminated by a sea of flames above the Northern Yan Army's camp.
Standing atop the walls of Die Ling Pass, Zhuang Yutang watched the night sky aglow with fire. Although the immediate crisis seemed to have been resolved, his brow remained furrowed.
The war situation was temporarily under control, but he feared that Li Changsen's team might not make it back alive.
General Cai Jiancheng arrived at the scene, looking exhausted and impatient.
"General, coming to Die Ling Pass in the dead of night, is there something urgent?" Zhuang Yutang inquired.
Cai Jiancheng didn't speak but had one of his guards hand over a letter to Zhuang Yutang.
Reading the letter, Zhuang Yutang's eyes widened in surprise. "Cai Xiaohouye secretly followed the grain-burning squad to the Northern Yan Army's grain depot?!"
The letter was from Cai Xiaohouye, stating that he had gone to achieve great accomplishments.
Cai Jiancheng was livid. "That brat of mine is ignorant and arrogant. He learned a bit of martial arts and now thinks he's invincible. I wish he'd die out there so I wouldn't have to see him causing trouble."
The guard, seeing Cai Jiancheng's anger, interjected, "General, be careful what you say. If the Madam and the Lady hear you speak about Young Master like this, they might confront you."
He then anxiously looked at Zhuang Yutang. "Lord Zhuang, our master's family is already in dire straits. Cai Xiaohouye is their only son. If something happens to him, Madam and the Lady won't be able to bear it."
Zhuang Yutang felt a headache coming on. The Cai family was connected to the Emperor through marriage, and he was reluctant to get involved in their affairs.
Seeing the distressed Cai Jiancheng, Zhuang Yutang sighed. "General, is there anything I can do to help?"
Cai Jiancheng understood that it wasn't the time to worry about appearances and straightforwardly said, "All my manpower has been sent out, and even if I call them back now, it won't be in time. Can you see if there's anything you can do?"
Zhuang Yutang understood his meaning and replied, "Sir, I can immediately assign a team of guards to you. However, Die Ling Pass has been closely monitored by Tuoba Yun. I'm afraid that if they make a move, Northern Yan will notice."
Cai Jiancheng fell silent for a moment and then sighed, "Let's do everything we can and leave the rest to fate. If... if they really can't come back, then it's that brat's fate!"
Gritting his teeth, he continued, "For the sake of Da Chu, others can die in battle, and he naturally can too."
Zhuang Yutang didn't say much and immediately went to gather the guard team.
In the deep rear of Northern Yan, the sudden outbreak of the fire in the grain depot shook the entire Northern Yan army and angered them greatly. For soldiers, the grain was their lifeline, and the squad led by Li Changsen, who burned down the depot, faced a frantic retaliation from the Northern Yan army.
Despite Li Changsen and his team's strength, which included at least seventh-grade experts, they couldn't break free from the encirclement of the Northern Yan forces.
Watching the grain depot ablaze, Northern Yan's leader, Tuoba Yun, was filled with rage. The batch of grain had been acquired at a great cost, and now it was all gone.
"Kill them all! Not a single one shall be spared!" Tuoba Yun ordered, summoning the most elite guards. With the arrival of these soldiers, the pungent smell of blood filled the air.
In a short period, the land surrounding the grain depot was drenched in blood, and one after another, Chu's soldiers lay silently in a pool of blood.
Half an hour later, the area fell silent, with only the guards holding blood-stained swords repeatedly checking the bodies. Whenever they saw Chu's soldiers, regardless of whether they were still breathing, they wouldn't hesitate and would stab them repeatedly in a fit of fury.
When Li Wuya, Li Sanlang, and Li Qilang arrived, they found nothing at the scene except for the strong smell of blood and the burnt grain.
"We arrived too late?" The three siblings felt heavy-hearted.
Li Sanlang clenched his teeth and said, "Let's keep searching ahead. No matter what, we must bring Father back."
After a while, through Li Wuya's mental exploration, they discovered a large mass grave guarded by over ten Northern Yan soldiers.
"General Tuoba is furious. He said they will take these Chu soldiers' bodies to Die Ling Pass tomorrow and use them to show off in front of all Chu soldiers, chopping their bodies into pieces and feeding them to the dogs."
"But they're already dead. Can this frighten the Chu soldiers?"
"It can. The Chu people place great importance on resting in peace after death."
Li Wuya relayed the conversation between the Northern Yan soldiers to her brothers who were hiding behind a snowdrift about ten meters away.
Li Sanlang gazed at the mass grave and said, "When we deal with those Northern Yan soldiers later, we'll take Father away from here. We'll set fire to this place to prevent any further insult to the bodies of our fellow Chu soldiers."
They couldn't bring the bodies of the Chu soldiers back, but they could at least ensure that they were not dishonoured.
As they were discussing, Li Wuya noticed something strange and quickly looked towards a certain spot in the mass grave.
"Wuya, what's wrong?" Li Sanlang noticed her reaction.
Li Wuya pointed down, "It seems like there's someone still alive."
Li Sanlang immediately instructed Li Qilang to carry Li Changsen while he jumped into the pit. "Where is he?"
Li Wuya followed him, and soon, they found a heavily injured person still alive amidst the corpses.
Without a second thought, Li Sanlang carried the survivor on his back. He couldn't help but ask Li Wuya, "Wuya, look again, see if there's anyone else alive?"
Li Wuya used her mental abilities to search once more and shook her head, "No one else is alive."
Li Sanlang sighed, "Saving two people is already a miracle. I got greedy. Let's leave quickly."