The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, painted the vast northern land white...
Heavy clouds loomed in the sky, with occasional weak sunlight piercing through, offering no warmth but a chilling sensation.
Yun Siman blew his nose and brushed the frost from his eyelashes, glancing towards the military camp.
Hundreds of soldiers stood in an open space, holding long spears and diligently practicing. Their unpolished stances were comical, the conscripts listless as if still half-asleep, their forced shouts of 'Hee-ha!' echoing in the air...
One-Eyed Dragon, holding a horsewhip, stood at the forefront, supervising the soldiers' training.
Yun Siman tied up his fine horse and searched meticulously, but found no trace of his second brother. The thought of his second brother freezing to death in the snow filled him with burning rage...
"Hey, who are you?"
Seeing Yun Siman storming towards One-Eyed Dragon, two soldiers quickly stepped forward to intercept him.
"What a kid, wearing a mask in this cold weather. Trying to look cool and not afraid of freezing to death."
Yun Siman narrowed his cold eyes and, with two swift punches, knocked the soldiers to the ground...
Upon witnessing this, One-Eyed Dragon roared, "Insolent! How dare you trespass in this military stronghold? Guards, seize him and give him thirty military lashes!"
With his command, over a dozen officers and soldiers, carrying clubs, surrounded Yun Siman in an instant.
"Where is my second brother?" Yun Siman glared at One-Eyed Dragon, gritting his teeth.
One-Eyed Dragon: "???"
What second brother? I'm your third brother. If I don't teach this scoundrel a lesson today, how can I show my face?
"What are you waiting for? Beat him! Beat him hard..." One-Eyed Dragon commanded.
Just as the soldiers surged forward, Yun Siman pulled a silver token from his怀, a red tassel hanging from its bottom. The pure white snow light shone on the token, making it gleam and emit a dazzling radiance.
One-Eyed Dragon blinked in surprise, muttering, "Gu... Marquis Gu?"
The fame of Marquis Pingyang, Gu Mingyan, was known throughout the Liang Kingdom. Those who dared to oppose him met unfortunate ends. One-Eyed Dragon didn't recognize Xiao Xitian's death-exempt token, but he had seen Marquis Gu's token before.
"I'll ask you again, where is my second brother?" Yun Siman, holding the token high, pushed through the crowd and slowly approached One-Eyed Dragon.
One-Eyed Dragon felt a pang of unease. He glanced around, his face a mask of confusion, "What... what is your second brother's name?"
"Yun Erman!" Yun Siman replied calmly, his eyes like venom, incredibly menacing. "He's from Dashui Village. You captured him halfway. If you know what's good for you, hand him over quickly, or I'll rip your head off!"
One-Eyed Dragon: "..."
This young man, so young, why does he speak so venomously?
One-Eyed Dragon, having seen his fair share of the world, found his spirit completely crushed before Yun Siman.
"Go, go ask if there's anyone named Yun Erman in the camp!" One-Eyed Dragon hurriedly instructed his subordinates to find the person.
The adjutant said, "Captain, no need to ask. That Yun Erman is in the kitchen, tending the fire. I'll go bring him here..."
Upon hearing this, One-Eyed Dragon's face lit up with joy. Just as he was about to tell the adjutant to bring the person, Yun Siman dashed out and disappeared into the kitchen in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, Yun Erman and Yun Sanman were lifting a large block of ice together, throwing it into a large pot with a splash. The fire in the hearth roared, and as the ice block hit the water, it began to melt rapidly...
A few days prior, Yun Erman had helped One-Eyed Dragon prepare a cold shredded mustard dish. One-Eyed Dragon praised it highly and assigned him and Sanman to help in the kitchen.
"Phew, phew, I'm exhausted!" Yun Erman rubbed his aching back. Just as he straightened up, he saw a figure rush in...
Yun Siman burst into the kitchen, shouting, "Second brother, second brother!~"
Yun Erman turned his head and froze in place.
Yun Sanman reacted the fastest, dropping his water dipper and rushing forward, "Siman, haha!"
"Hmm? Fourth brother is here?" Yun Erman blinked and also hurried forward.
The three brothers, after much wandering and hardship, were finally reunited...
"Siman, it really is you! A while ago, I saw someone riding a fast horse towards the northern border. I told Second Brother it was you, but he didn't believe me!" Yun Sanman was extremely excited.
Yun Siman blinked slightly, staring at Sanman for a moment, and asked doubtfully, "Third, Third Brother, why were you captured too?"
Fortunately, he arrived in time. Otherwise, if both his second and third brothers were captured, who would help with the work at home in the future...
Yun Sanman smiled and said, "It's a long story. I'll tell you slowly later!"
Yun Siman nodded and, taking his second and third brothers' hands, said, "Let's go, I'll take you back to Dashui Village!~" With the token in his hand, even if One-Eyed Dragon had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to stop him.
Leaving the kitchen, Yun Siman called One-Eyed Dragon over and instructed, "Go, find me a horse-drawn sled, and prepare enough food and provisions for the journey. If anything is missing, I'll report your conscription to General Gu and see how he deals with you..."
In fact, even if Yun Siman hadn't said anything, Kong Xingzhuo would have handled it. Given Gu Zhenshan's temper, if he found out about the conscription, One-Eyed Dragon's fate was obvious.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll go prepare it now!" One-Eyed Dragon dared not delay. He personally went to find a sled for the three brothers and prepared some frozen meat and dry provisions for their journey.
Yun Erman leaned close to Siman's ear and whispered a few words.
Upon hearing this, Siman grabbed One-Eyed Dragon by the collar and questioned loudly, "Where is my sister's token? Hand it over quickly..." That gold token was given to his sister by Young Master Xiao. If One-Eyed Dragon dared to keep it, Yun Siman would beat him to a pulp.
One-Eyed Dragon was terrified by Siman's demeanor and didn't dare to pocket the token. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he obediently produced the token.
At noon, a loud horn call echoed outside the military camp.
"Hup, hup!~"
Two fine horses pulled a large sled, galloping towards the vast snowfield...
Yun Siman, cracking his whip to urge the horses, sat with Erman and Sanman behind him. They exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.
It was wonderful. If no unexpected situations occurred on the way, they would reach home in half a month. They would definitely be reunited with their families before the Minor New Year.
"Fourth, why did you come all the way to the northern border this time?" Yun Erman asked, rubbing his frozen hands. Could it be that he came specifically to rescue him and Third Brother...
Yun Siman sighed, "I'm here on a mission!~" To be precise, he was here to apprehend someone.
Yun Erman wanted to probe further, but Sanman quickly nudged him and whispered, "Second Brother, don't ask what you shouldn't!" Fourth Brother has his own work. It must be very secretive for him to travel all the way to the northern border, so it's best not to ask...
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore, haha!~" Yun Erman leaned against his baggage, wrapped in a blanket, and surprisingly fell asleep with a snore.
At the same time, on the official road from Dashui Village to the county town, a horse-drawn sled was approaching.