Chapter Six: Yun Fei

The elder of the clan knew how eager Qi Jun was to avenge his family, and couldn't help but look at him with concern.

"This young man... how pitiful," the clan leader sighed inwardly, his heart a complex swirl of emotions.

Qi Jun was a child he had watched grow up—bright, diligent, obedient, and sensible, though lacking in confidence and courage. The catastrophe that befell his family had not crushed him into despair; instead, it had awakened a boldness to fight the bandits.

The elder pondered, feeling both heartened and sorrowful. Adversity is what shapes a person, hastening their maturity, yet the cost of a shattered home and lost family was almost unbearably harsh for him.

"Don't think too much, just rest for now, child," the clan leader gently patted Qi Jun's shoulder, put away his smoking pipe, and, supported by Liu Kui, slowly rose and walked outside.

"Everyone, disperse now! While there's still daylight, go home and find something to fill your stomachs!" the elder called out to the assembly.

Indeed, compared to the looming threat on Panlong Ridge, the gnawing hunger was a constant torment for every villager.

Those who accompanied the clan elder today were heads of their households; their families lay weakly on their beds, conserving every ounce of energy. If not for the elder’s summons to the Qi house for gratitude, they would have already scattered across the hills, gathering wild vegetables and digging for roots. With the sun still up, there was still time to forage for food.

With this thought, the crowd could no longer afford to waste effort idly here. They hurriedly rose and rushed toward the nearby slopes, eager and anxious, racing each other.

Wild vegetables were scarce, and if someone else got there first, they might not make it through the night.

Aunt Zhao saw the clan leader to the door, gave a few more instructions to Qi Jun and his brother Qi Feng, then hastily joined the wild vegetable gathering party outside.

Inside, only the two brothers remained, and the house suddenly felt quiet.

Qi Jun stretched lazily, intending to sleep again. Qi Feng, seeing him about to lie down, grew anxious and grabbed his arm, shaking it vigorously.

"If you have anything else to say, just say it. You’re going to tear open my wounds," Qi Jun gritted his teeth, frowning.

"Um... Brother, you have to take me with you when you avenge our family!" Qi Feng immediately let go, his gaze resolute. "Others might not believe in you, but I do! Whatever you say, I'll do."

Qi Jun reached out and patted his brother's head. He was still just as trusting and reliant as when they were children.

"Let’s wait until I’m almost healed. That Song fellow was vicious..." Qi Jun glanced at the whip marks on his body, grimacing, then looked at their drafty, dilapidated house. "We need to fix this old house, too. With the way sound travels here, even a fart in bed could be heard across the whole village. If you speak too loudly, Aunt Zhao next door hears everything."

"What? Are you saying Aunt Zhao...?" Qi Feng’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Impossible! Her husband and child were killed by the bandits. She’s always treated us like her own children. She could never be a spy, Brother, you’re wrong to think that!"

Qi Jun was taken aback by Qi Feng’s words. "What are you talking about? When did I say Aunt Zhao was a spy? That’s not what I meant. I mean this house is terrible for privacy; we can’t talk about important things here."

He rolled his eyes at Qi Feng and flicked his forehead.

"How is my brother so dimwitted?" Qi Jun thought to himself.

"Still, no matter how bad it is, it’s our home... Besides, there’s nowhere else for us to live right now..." Qi Feng rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Mother, in her haste to gather ransom to save Father, pawned the ancestral house in the county. The manager at Tonghe Pawnshop knew she was desperate and deliberately offered a low price!" Qi Feng said bitterly.

"Luckily, we still have this old village house. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known where to carry you that day," Qi Feng continued, his tone despondent.

The people of Dongling Village lived in poverty; each family only had a simple hut. It wasn’t that the villagers were unwilling to take them in—it was simply that there was nowhere to accommodate the brothers.

Their grandfather, Qi Mingshan, had passed the imperial exam, but his upright character and lack of political savvy meant his career never flourished. Aside from the courtyard house in the county awarded for his achievement, he left little of value to his family.

Qi Jun’s mother supported his father’s studies with her skill at weaving and spinning. Though the Qi household was never wealthy, they managed to scrape by in Anqiang County.

"It’s alright. With me here, things will get better," Qi Jun reassured, patting Qi Feng’s thin shoulder and ruffling his hair.

"Mm, I believe you!" Qi Feng smiled. He had never doubted his brother’s words. "Lie down a bit more. I’ll gather some firewood before the sun sets, so we can have something good tonight!"

Qi Feng, treating the few millet cakes Aunt Zhao brought as treasure, counted them several times, then excitedly picked up a hemp rope and ran outside.

"Mm," Qi Jun watched him leave, a smile curling at his lips. After the day’s exhaustion, the quiet house felt peaceful, and he soon fell into a deep sleep, wrapped tightly in his patched quilt.

He didn’t know how long he slept. A gentle breeze wafted through, carrying a tantalizing aroma of food, stirring his hungry stomach.

Qi Jun knew Qi Feng had returned. He rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, only to see, beside the flickering firewood, the warm glow revealing the crouched silhouette of a girl.

Qi Jun was bewildered, momentarily suspecting the girl had entered the wrong house.

"Who could she be..." Qi Jun furrowed his brow, searching his memory.

The girl sensed his gaze, paused her work, wiped her hands on her apron, stood up, and turned toward Qi Jun.

The next moment, as their eyes met briefly, her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head, turning aside.

She looked to be seventeen or eighteen, with two neat braids draped over her shoulders. The sunset’s afterglow illuminated her fair, delicate face, like a flawless pearl bathed in rosy light. With her hand shielding her face, Qi Jun found her innocence all the more endearing.

"Ahem..." Feeling Qi Jun’s gaze, the girl shyly reminded him.

Qi Jun realized he was being rude and quickly averted his eyes, awkwardly searching for a way to shift the conversation.

"Um, you..." Qi Jun stammered, unsure what to say.

"Jun... Jun brother, the meal is ready. You two eat first, I’ll head home now..." The girl tidied her hair, but before Qi Jun could respond, she hurried out.

No sooner had she left than Qi Feng entered, arms full of firewood. He glanced after the girl, puzzled. "Brother, why did Sister Yunfei leave? She’s not staying to eat with us?"

"Her name is Yunfei?" Hearing Qi Feng’s question, Qi Jun suddenly remembered something.