Chapter Thirty-Three: The Town of Ping'an

Bleached bones lay bare in the wilderness, and for a thousand miles, not a single rooster crowed! For Li Yang, such scenes had always been just a notion—without having experienced them firsthand, one could scarcely imagine such desolation. Ever since he left Nuqing County, heading east, every few hundred meters along the road, there would appear corpses—some frozen, some starved, some mauled by wild beasts. The land was nothing but barren wasteland, and Li Yang had long grown numb to the sight.

In these chaotic times, with bandits rampant, Li Yang and his party had encountered more marauders than they could count in the month they’d been on the road. Some roamed in gangs, others wandered alone in tattered clothes, their eyes green with hunger. Those well-armed and gleaming, like the villains in movies, were rare; most were just desperate commoners, banded together temporarily by the harshness of the times.

For such people, Li Yang would always first try to dissuade them. If they refused to listen, he was by no means a soft-hearted man—he would turn them all into fodder for the golden toad, providing nourishment for its growth.

“Madam, the day is drawing to a close. Let’s rest in the county town up ahead,” Li Yang said, lifting the carriage curtain and speaking to Madam He, whose face was etched with exhaustion as she gazed at the setting sun.

“I’ll follow your lead…” Madam He offered a faint smile and resumed reading some notes on cultivation that Li Yang had copied for her.

By the time it would take to finish a cup of tea, the roads had grown broader, and the presence of people increased along the way.

“Ping’an County Town,” Li Yang murmured, frowning at the low, gray walls before him.

The county town looked much like Nuqing, but soldiers guarded its gates, clear evidence of an entrenched power. With their carts laden with gold and silver, if the guards at the gate discovered them, Li Yang was not afraid—but he had no desire to court unnecessary trouble.

He pulled the carriage aside onto a patch of wasteland and lifted the curtain. “Madam, there are warlords stationed in this town. We don’t know whose forces they are. Bringing all this treasure inside may not be wise.”

“Then perhaps we should hurry on. We can rest once we find a safer place,” Madam He replied, worry clouding her face as she grasped Li Yang’s hand. The journey had been fraught with bandits and refugees. Though nothing untoward had happened with Li Yang to protect them, she lived in constant anxiety. Having come from a wealthy family, she knew all too well the true face of warlords in these times—often more ruthless than the bandits themselves.

“Don’t worry, Madam. We’ve nearly run out of provisions. Even if we don’t stay overnight, we must at least enter the town to restock before moving on.”

“So, let’s have just the two of us go in. Sister Jinling, please watch over our belongings and keep strangers away. I’ll leave the golden toad with you—if trouble comes, just call out, and it will know what to do.” As he spoke, Li Yang took the fist-sized golden toad from his sleeve and handed it over.

“Don’t worry, I’ll guard everything here. I’d like to see who dares to challenge us,” Jinling said, stroking the toad affectionately.

“You three, keep a close eye on the carriages. If any of you entertain improper thoughts, you know what I’m capable of,” Li Yang warned the three hired drivers, his gaze cold as steel.

“Y-yes, sir, rest assured—we would never dare,” the drivers stammered, terrified. They had already witnessed enough of Li Yang’s ruthless methods on this journey to know not to cross him.

Satisfied with their obedience, Li Yang knew that in these times, one could never be too cautious. Sometimes harsh measures were necessary to keep people in line.

He led Madam He toward the county town. After a month’s recuperation, some color had returned to his face—though still pale, he no longer looked frightening. Madam He wore a silk scarf over her head, concealing her delicate features.

After paying the entry fee, the guards at the gate let them pass without incident.

The town was small, about the size of Nuqing, but far livelier. Here, at least, the rule of law seemed intact; peddlers hawked their wares, and the air carried a peculiar odor. While it was nothing like the scenes in the movies, a county town with such vitality was rare in these troubled times.

As they strolled through the streets, they saw beggars now and then, but the roadside was clean—none of the filth and stench that plagued Nuqing.

“Big brother… please, buy me. I’m cheap, just two silver coins. I’m obedient, and I know how to do laundry.”

Li Yang was just looking around when he felt a tug at his trouser leg, followed by a timid child’s voice.

Looking down, he saw a pitiful little girl, filthy from head to toe, kneeling on the ground with a blade of grass stuck in her hair. She gazed up at him, her large, clear eyes brimming with hope, though her clothes were in tatters and her face was smeared with grime.

A pang of sorrow struck Li Yang. He took a silver ingot from his pocket, then thought better of it and broke off a small piece to hand her. It wasn’t that he begrudged her the money, but in these times, a little girl of three or four carrying a whole ingot might bring herself harm.

“Hurry home now. Don’t let your family worry,” he said gently, patting her head and wiping her face.

“I… I have no home…” She hesitated for a long while before lifting her head, tears glimmering in her eyes.

“She has a blade of grass in her hair—it means she’s selling herself,” Madam He said, crouching down in sympathy. “Little one, where is your family?”

“Grandpa… Grandpa was bitten to death by a bad dog, waa…” The girl’s words caught, and then she broke into sobs. “I… I couldn’t carry him. I have no money. I just wanted to sell myself so I could bury Grandpa…”

Moved by the scene, Madam He gathered the girl into her arms, heedless of the dirt, and asked gently, “Poor child, what is your name?”

“I… I don’t have a name. Grandpa called me Tuantuan,” the girl replied, squirming nervously in her embrace.

Madam He comforted her softly until the child calmed down, then asked her to lead the way. After several twists and turns through the backstreets, a quarter of an hour later, the little girl led Li Yang and Madam He into a secluded alleyway.