N-A-A Chapter 269: Past Feelings
Chapter 269: Past Feelings
In the smoky kitchen, a tall, strong and honest man squinted his eyes and stared at the casserole on the stove. Inside the casserole were herbs prepared by the best doctor in Disha for the grandmother. The heat was very strict. He endured the smoke and did not dare to slack off even for a moment.
An hour passed, and Li Changsheng took down the casserole with a thick cloth. However, because Qiao Wenruo had broken four fingers on his right hand before, it was extremely inconvenient to use it. He carefully filtered out the residue and then quickly walked towards his grandmother's room.
At this time, the old chief of Dixiong was discussing things with Li Jiuzhan. Seeing Li Changsheng bringing in the medicine, the old chief took it with a smile and drank it slowly.
Li Jiuzhan said: "Changsheng, thank you for your hard work."
Li Changsheng looked at his grandmother's hair, which had almost turned white again, and shook his head, saying, "It's not hard to make medicine for grandma. I don't want to listen to the big things you are talking about. You tell me what to do, and I will do it."
This was not something he said out of anger. Li Changsheng had a kind nature and had been well protected by his elders since he was a child. He did not like killing and fighting, but he was only concerned about his family, the tribe, and Jiuli, and he was willing to sacrifice his own life at any time.
The old grandmother took a sip of the medicine and said, "Changsheng, please sit down. I have something important to tell you two brothers."
Seeing that his grandmother spoke seriously, Li Changsheng sat down immediately.
The old grandmother said, "Ah Zhan has not rested for the past two days. He has been looking for information about the Blood Maple Forest."
"Emperor Qiu!" Li Changsheng said excitedly.
Li Jiuzhan pressed his hand, signaling him to speak more quietly, "That day after we came out of the Honglu Hall, you questioned me, and I secretly swore at that time that I must find the treasure left by my ancestors and never let anyone bully me again!"
Li Changsheng thought of the tragedy that happened that day and remained silent.
The old grandmother patted Li Changsheng on the shoulder and said, "It has already happened. We can only look forward. Now, the opportunity has come."
Li Changsheng nodded, "Where is Diqiu?"
Li Jiuzhan waved his hand, signaling him not to worry. "Three years ago, I saved a child from the Jiuli tribe from a beast monster. The child's father is now a capable deputy general in the Disha Army. Last night, I went to drink with him and accidentally mentioned the matter of Diqiu. After getting drunk, he only said four words, 'Old Man Yunshan'."
Li Changsheng asked curiously: "Who is this person? Why have I never heard of him?"
Li Jiuzhan glanced at the old grandmother and continued, "This old man Yunshan is a reclusive master of Jiuli. He has been in seclusion for many years. He has four disciples, who are the four vanguard generals of the current Disha Army, Fenglinhuoshan."
"what……"
Li Changsheng suddenly realized. Although he had never heard of Old Man Yunshan, in recent years, the Disha had been conquering the Southern Barbarians and had been able to crush them wherever they went. In addition to the notorious Li Hao, the names of the four generals "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain" were also well-known.
"So he is their master. How come he knows the whereabouts of Diqiu?"
Li Jiuzhan looked at his grandmother again but said nothing more.
Li Changsheng noticed that he looked strange, so he asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything you can't tell me?"
The old patriarch said quickly: "That's not the case. Ah Zhan is not convenient to talk about it, so let me tell you."
Li Changsheng knew there must be some hidden story, so he nodded and listened carefully.
The old patriarch looked at the fallen leaves outside the window and recalled: "This old man Yunshan's real name is Li Che. He can be considered...can be considered an old friend of mine..."
Li Changsheng was surprised. Even if they were old friends of his grandmother, it was not surprising. But why were the two of them so unhappy when they talked about it? However, he did not interrupt.
The old patriarch continued to speak to himself, "That was more than fifty years ago. The southern barbarians fought for years. Although I was only a girl of seventeen or eighteen, I followed my father to ride a horse and fight the enemy with a sword."
When the two brothers listened to their grandmother talking about the past, all they could think of were scenes of war and battles. But at the same time, it was still a series of internal strife and bloodshed, which was sad and lamentable.
The old patriarch said, "Once, the army led by my father and I was dispersed. After the battle, the situation was so chaotic that I couldn't find my father for a while. I led dozens of soldiers to retreat westward, wanting to return to Dixiong Fortress first. However, the climate and terrain of the southern barbarians are unpredictable. We couldn't find the way after walking for two days. During this time, we encountered attacks from other tribes. In the end, under the desperate protection of the soldiers, I was the only one who survived."
The two brothers seldom heard their grandmother talk about her youth, as if their grandmother was born the way she is now, old, yet knowledgeable and wise. They seemed to have forgotten that she was once dressed in gorgeous clothes and in her prime.
But the fact is, it was the disasters and hardships she experienced, and the baptism of those years that made her what she is today.
The two men saw that their grandmother's expression was slightly changed, which was very unusual. She must be thinking of sad things in the past, so they couldn't bear to interrupt her.
After a long while, the old patriarch continued, "Those few days were really hard. I ate everything to survive and encountered many poisonous snakes and beasts. I didn't know if I could see the sun tomorrow. Later, I met a group of soldiers. The leader was Li Che. He was twenty-five or twenty-six years old at that time. He was very brave and powerful. When he saw me, a lonely dying woman, he saved me."
Li Changsheng exclaimed, "Ah!" Only then did he realize that Elder Yunshan was actually his grandmother's lifesaver. "If I meet this Elder Li, I will definitely thank him very much."
The old patriarch said, "I followed Li Che's men back to the camp in a daze. It took me two days to recover before I could walk. I also learned that they were from the Disha tribe. At that time, there was no hostility between our two tribes as there was later. I continued to recuperate in the camp, and Li Che helped me find out about my father."
Li Changsheng asked: "What happened next?"
The old chief took another sip of the medicine soup. "After seven or eight days, I was almost recovered, but Li Che said he had not yet heard any news about our tribe, so I had to stay a few more days. Li Che had profound skills and was generous in giving me a lot of advice. Later one night, I heard a few drunken soldiers chatting and learned that Li Che had already known my father's whereabouts, but deliberately didn't tell me."
Li Changsheng asked nervously, "This person... is this person going to harm my grandmother?"
The old patriarch shook his head and paused for a moment, his face actually blushing a little, "No, he just... just wanted to keep me for a few more days, wanted to see me every day."
"Ah..." Li Changsheng finally understood what his grandmother meant and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The old patriarch continued, "I was young and ignorant at that time. Facing such an outstanding brother who had me in his heart, I naturally would not remain indifferent. But at that time, intermarriage between tribes was not allowed, so we suppressed this emotion in our hearts and no one said it out. Not long after, my father came to find me, and I returned to Dixiong with him."
Li Changsheng mustered up the courage to ask, "Then... did you meet him after that?"