Chapter 37

After finishing the meal and tidying up the table, Wei Ling took out a piece of iron pine wood and started to shave it in front of the oil lamp.

At first, Cheng Duo couldn't tell what he was doing. It wasn't until the next day when Wei Ling placed the shaved iron pine wood over the fire, slowly shaping it, that Cheng Duo realized it was the limb of a wooden bow.

Considering Wei Ling's arm length, this bow was obviously too small for him. Cheng Duo guessed that it was for Yong-ge. After thinking about it, he quietly went to inquire with a blacksmith from a neighboring village and eventually obtained a well-tanned piece of cowhide and a dried cow horn.

"What's this…" Wei Ling was somewhat surprised when he saw what Cheng Duo silently handed over. He had originally planned to dismantle his large iron bow and transfer the materials to the limb of the iron pine wood. Although a hastily made bow and arrow would be rough and inaccurate, it would be sufficient for a novice like Yong-ge. And in another month or two, he could bring the carefully crafted bow and arrow made from the exotic wood. With Yong-ge's diligence and hard work, his archery skills would have improved by then, and it would be the perfect time to switch to the new bow.

"Take it, but don't tell Yong-ge it's from me," Cheng Duo said.

Wei Ling contemplated for a moment but didn't refuse. After having a fight with Cheng Duo and living under the same roof for three days, he felt a faint sense of understanding. As men, he could sense the subtle struggle within Cheng Duo, but he chose to uphold his responsibility. If he were in Cheng Duo's shoes, he probably wouldn't have handled it any better. Wei Ling thought about it and felt relieved. Besides, this was what Cheng Duo owed Yong-ge, so why should he refuse?

Wei Ling knew that he couldn't stay in Yang Village for long. When teaching Yong-ge, he had covered every detail and shared his experiences and techniques. The day before leaving, he presented the iron pine wood bow he had made himself. Worried that Yong-ge might refuse, he had prepared an excuse in advance, "This is something I made myself. It's not worth much, just consider it a parting gift."

Yong-ge was surprised. "Why are you so kind to me, Young Master Wei?"

He gently touched the polished bow, clearly seeing the craftsmanship that went into it. If Young Master Wei had coveted his tiger bone whistle, he had returned it the next day. If he had any ulterior motives towards him, it was unlikely. From start to finish, he had given him a feeling similar to his father…

"Because when I look at you, I see my own younger brother, and I can't help but want to treat you well," Wei Ling said with a smile, still not entirely sure. But even if he was wrong, it didn't matter. Yong-ge was so sincere and kind-hearted that he would still want to treat him well.

Yong-ge also felt a kinship with Wei Ling, but the other party's identity as a junior general made him hesitate. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to push it…

As for the bow and arrow, it was also very precious to him, and Yong-ge didn't know whether he should accept it.

Seeing his hesitation, Wei Ling added, "If you feel unworthy, next time I come, you can treat me with something you've hunted yourself. Let me test the results of my first time being a teacher."

Relieved that Wei Ling would come again, Yong-ge nodded after pondering for a moment and agreed, "Alright, I won't let my teacher down."

Wei Ling quickly added, "Just a way of speaking. Please, don't call me 'teacher'… I don't want to be called old by you."

If Yong-ge was really part of their Wei family, it would complicate matters, and his uncle would kill him.

"Oh…" Yong-ge felt a bit disappointed but quickly understood. Wei Gongzi was indeed too young, and calling themselves teacher and student might lead to misunderstandings?

***

Yong-ge's expectations were correct. Li Wang did want to go with Wei Ling to find someone. For this reason, he prepared a large amount of dry rations and water, and even divided the family's money into two parts, one for Yong-ge to take and one for himself.

"Yong-ge, I don't know how long this trip will take. You stay at home and behave yourself. I've privately asked Village Head LI to take care of you. If you need anything, feel free to go find him."

"Father, can I go with you…"

Li Wang waved his hand to interrupt him. "Do you think repairing the city wall is a place to be? It's inconvenient for eating, drinking, and even using the toilet. The ones working there are all prisoners… Father can handle it alone."

Li Wang could imagine that staying at the border for a long time, isolated from the world, even if it were prisoners, the soldiers guarding them would still have their eyes on the girls and boys. Under such circumstances, could he dare to bring Yong-ge along?

Yong-ge realized that it was indeed unrealistic and had to give up. "Well, Father, take care of yourself and find Eldest Brother and Second Brother as soon as possible."

Yong-ge felt a bit uneasy. He had never been separated from his father in his life. Moreover, his father had mobility issues. If they hadn't had a falling out with Uncle, it would have been better… Well, even if they hadn't fallen out, his Uncle and Aunt would not have agreed to help.

As for seeking assistance, they couldn't afford to pay so much money. His father was going to find someone, and it was hard to say how long it would take. They could ask the villagers for help for a day or two, but they couldn't expect others to neglect their own work and help them without any compensation.

So, apart from his father, they couldn't find anyone else in their family.

Li Wang left quietly without letting Yong-ge see him off. Before leaving, he instructed Yong-ge that if anyone asked, he should say that his father had gone out to work and could be gone for a day. He could deceive for at least one day.

Li Wang was also in a dilemma. Both choices had their downsides. Yong-ge would at least have Village Head Li and others taking care of him in the village. If Ah Da and Ah Er were really taken away to repair the city wall, they would be risking their lives every day. How could he not rush to find them?

Initially, Wei Ling planned to personally accompany Li Wang to the area around Yufang Mountain to find someone. However, when he reported back to the military camp, he learned from the personal guard that the Rong people were heading south, and the Wei family's army had already set off for Hangu Pass.

"Young General, you've finally returned! The General ordered me to wait here. I've already packed our luggage. Let's set off now," the personal guard eagerly said, leading out two horses, with Wei Ling's weapons and luggage hanging from the horses.

"This…" Wei Ling helplessly looked at Li Wang. "With military orders in hand, I can only apologize to Uncle Li."

Wei Ling had thought of letting Li Wang wait for him to return, but his return was uncertain, and Li Wang might not be willing to wait.

Because of what Cheng Duo and the villagers had told him, Wei Ling didn't particularly like Li Da and Li Er. But he didn't have any ill feelings towards Li Wang. He had even considered finding the person first and seeing if they had truly repented. If they were still the same, he would keep it a secret from Li Wang and let those two rascals suffer a bit more.

Of course, he wouldn't harm them. Li Wang only had these two sons, and it would be too much to take someone's middle-aged child away from them.

Wei Ling thought for a moment, then wrote a letter for Li Wang, instructing him to reveal his identity when he found the person, and if Li Da and Li Er were truly mistaken for someone else and captured, the guards would naturally release them.

Li Wang expressed his thousand thanks, and after seeing Wei Ling off, he set out alone on the journey to find the person in the Yufang Mountain area.

Meanwhile, Wei Ling rode his horse for a day and night and arrived at Hangu Pass. He saw the entire army, from generals to soldiers, busy preparing to face the enemy.

As soon as the Grand General Wei Zhenyuan saw him, he grabbed him and brought him into the big tent. "Wei Ling, you've returned just in time. Several generals and I are discussing the defense arrangements. Come over and listen."

Wei Ling hesitated for a moment but decided not to show the drawing of the tiger bone whistle. Never mind, he should focus on facing the enemy. He couldn't afford to distract his uncle at this moment.

After Wei Ling left, Cheng Duo felt that his physical condition was worsening. It started with vomiting blood every two days, then progressed to once a day, and even twice a day… Each time it happened, the pain was unbearable, and afterwards, he felt like he had been fished out of water.

At the same time, his appetite became extremely voracious. He finished the seventy to eighty catties of wild boar meat in less than three days.

Cheng Duo couldn't go hunting, so he tried to buy as much food as possible in the village.

Yong-ge heard some news and became worried. After pondering for a while, he decided to visit Cheng Duo.

Fine, he would just take a look and then leave if Cheng Duo was fine.

The gate of Cheng Duo's house was tightly closed. Yong-ge knocked for a long time before someone came to open it. It was Cheng Duo, but he didn't let Yong-ge inside. He only opened a crack in the gate and asked, "Why are you here? What's the matter?"

He knew Li Wang wasn't there and hesitated for a long time, but he couldn't just leave Yong-ge unattended.

"I came to see you," Yong-ge felt a bit uneasy, but soon became puzzled. Cheng Duo was always straightforward about everything. Even if he didn't want to see him, he wouldn't refuse to open the door, would he?

When Cheng Duo noticed that Yong-ge looked inside, he unconsciously took a step back.

Although he tried to hide it, Yong-ge still saw his current appearance.

This man's cheeks were sunken, his forehead and neck veins were bulging, and he looked extremely emaciated. Yong-ge couldn't believe it. It had only been ten short days since they last met!

"Why have you become so thin?" A sense of unease crept into Yong-ge's heart. He realized that Cheng Duo was about to close the door, so he quickly put his hand in to stop it.

"Let go," Cheng Duo said.

Yong-ge ignored him. "You say you're fine, but is this how you look when you're fine? It's gotten so serious, why won't you see a doctor?"

Cheng Duo lowered his eyes and coldly said, "This is my business, you don't need to worry about it."

"If I don't worry, I'll end up burying you!" Yong-ge shouted angrily. Immediately regretting his outburst, he softened his tone and said, "Open the door and let me in."

Cheng Duo stood still as a mountain. "Aren't you afraid of me infecting you?"

"If I get infected, then so be it!" Yong-ge didn't know where he found the courage. Looking at Cheng Duo's current ghostly appearance, he was truly afraid that if he left today, this person wouldn't be alive tomorrow.

Cheng Duo remained silent for a while, then suddenly reached out and twisted Yong-ge's finger. "This is my business, let go! If you don't let go, don't blame me if I hurt you."

Yong-ge became furious. "Hurt me! My hand is staying right here today. If you want to hurt me, go ahead! What's the point of twisting my finger? Coward!"

Yong-ge not only held onto the door tightly with his fingers but also extended one foot inside, stubbornly refusing to leave Cheng Duo's house.

What could Cheng Duo do? He couldn't really break Yong-ge's finger, could he?

He fell into a longer silence this time, but in the end, he couldn't resist Yong-ge. Slowly, he opened the door.

Yong-ge saw Cheng Duo's appearance clearly and his eyes welled up with tears. This man, who used to be as strong as a bull, was now so thin, reduced to a mere skeleton… Tears flowed down Yong-ge's cheeks involuntarily. "What happened to you?"

As Yong-ge continued to speak, his voice became choked with tears. He threw himself into Cheng Duo's arms, and tears quickly fell.

Cheng Duo felt at a loss. It was false to say that he wasn't afraid of death, but when Yong-ge cried in his arms like this, he somehow felt that death wasn't as terrifying. Hesitant, he reached out his hand and patted Yong-ge's back. "I'm fine, stop crying."

"You still say you're fine!" Yong-ge choked out. "Cheng Duo, don't be stubborn. Can I please call a doctor for you? Last time, you recovered from such serious injuries, and this time, with medicine maybe it could help you."

Seeing Yong-ge being so worried as he was, Cheng Duo couldn't help but soften his tone. "Fine, go ahead." But Cheng Duo suddenly started having a seizure.

Yong-ge's heart was in a panicked state. He recalled the two previous times he saw Cheng Duo having episodes, and now he saw how drastically he had lost weight…

He couldn't afford to think about anything else now. Releasing his grip on Cheng Duo, he wiped his face hastily and was about to leave.

This time, Cheng Duo stopped him. "Don't go."