Just then, a voice called from behind, "Zhi Ge, Zhi Ge."
Hearing this, Yang Zhi's face instantly lit up with joy as he spun around.
"Yang Bo, it's Yang Bo."
The others also turned their heads, following the sound. From the woods of Hulugu, a figure rushed out rapidly and onto the winding path.
Clad in a blue robe, just like Yang Zhi's attire.
Yang Zhi sprinted to meet him, and the two brothers embraced and wept.
"Yang Bo, where were you hiding?"
Yang Bo replied with a tearful voice, "Last night, I heard you running, so I just ran blindly. In the darkness, I got lost and stayed hidden until dawn. Only then did I find my way out. I never expected to hear you calling."
After a brief reunion, Yang Zhi led him to Chen Xiaobei.
"This is my savior, Chen Xiaobei. I was poisoned last night. If it weren't for him, I would surely be dead by now."
Yang Bo bowed deeply to Chen Xiaobei once more in thanks.
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand.
"Alright, no need for excessive gratitude. You two continue with your tasks."
Yang Zhi pulled Yang Bo to the edge of the cliff and said with deep emotion, "Below are all our good brothers. We cannot leave them to be exposed to the elements."
"Understood."
Chen Xiaobei beckoned, and some village guards stepped forward, handing Yang Zhi and his brother a rope.
They tied one end of the rope to a protruding rock and let the other end dangle down the cliff. Then, gripping the rope, they slowly descended to the bottom.
Seeing them go down, Lidong, standing nearby, couldn't help but sigh.
"They were ambushed, and the casualties must have been heavy. We don't know how many are down there."
"It's a pity, buried here. Their descendants, even if they wanted to mourn, wouldn't know where to find their graves," Chen Xiaobei murmured, a wave of emotion washing over him. His thoughts turned to his own fate; he had been hit by a car, but at least his family had a physical body to mourn. Even if it had turned to ash now, they still had a spiritual anchor.
But these men? Buried here, their descendants might only be able to remember them, no, to cherish their memory.
After his reflections, Chen Xiaobei recalled last night's events. "Brother Lidong, did you encounter gunpowder when you were a soldier?"
Lidong's eyes widened, and he stared intently at Chen Xiaobei. After a long pause, he shook his head. "You should ask a physician that question. How would I know about medicine?"
"It's not medicine. It's a powder that can explode when ignited."
Chen Xiaobei explained for a long time, but it was in vain. Lidong had no idea what he was talking about.
If it wasn't even present in the army, it seemed gunpowder hadn't been invented in this Great Cang Kingdom, or at least not yet applied to warfare.
Since it wasn't available, he would have to make it himself. Sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal. He had memorized this recipe in school and even experimented with it. He had gone to great lengths, even rummaging through other people's latrines, to get saltpeter.
They waited for over an hour before seeing the rope tremble. Yang Zhi climbed back up.
On his back, he carried a burly man.
This man had blond hair and blue eyes, his appearance completely different from the locals.
Seeing that he had brought someone up, Lidong and the others rushed forward to help Yang Zhi unload the man.
It was evident that this man was still alive.
Soon after, Yang Bo also ascended, carrying several bundles.
After setting the man down, Yang Zhi explained, "This is my elder brother, the leader of our Vermillion Bird Gang, named Raldo. He is still alive, and I must take him down the mountain."
The man's face was pale, and the hair at the back of his head was matted together, appearing dried and bloody. Lidong stepped forward, examined it, and then turned to Chen Xiaobei, "His head is injured."
He then reached out to feel his limbs, "His arms are fine, but his leg is broken. It seems he fell quite hard!"
Chen Xiaobei was reminded of the time he treated Liu Tie.
Liu Tie had also broken all his limbs then, but he had been conscious. Later, he was carried down on a stretcher.
Yang Zhi called Yang Bo over, intending to carry Raldo, but Chen Xiaobei stopped him.
"We don't know if his internal organs are damaged. Carrying him like this will only harm him."
After much persuasion, Yang Zhi finally agreed to use a stretcher.
As Lidong led his men to cut branches, Chen Xiaobei noticed Yang Zhi and Yang Bo opening the bundles and sorting through their contents.
Chen Xiaobei then saw that among the items were several repeating crossbows and various bottles and jars.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei staring at them, Yang Zhi looked a bit embarrassed and explained with a blush, "These are all medicines, meant for everyone to carry separately."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. In this era of extreme material scarcity, a few pills could save a life. It was understandable that they had brought all these medicines up.
Yang Zhi took two pills from a bottle and placed them into Raldo's mouth.
Chen Xiaobei stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, he noticed that the bodies hanging from the trees were gone. It seemed the Yang brothers had already dealt with them.
Witnessing this, Chen Xiaobei felt a deep respect for the Yang brothers; they were truly loyal men.
Soon, a simple stretcher was made. The village guards took turns carrying Raldo down the mountain. Yang Zhi's expression remained grim.
Chen Xiaobei understood his feelings; so many lives had been lost, all brothers he had grown up with. Anyone would feel heavy-hearted.
All the way down the mountain, Raldo showed no signs of waking. Yang Zhi became anxious and took out two more pills, intending to give them to Raldo, but Chen Xiaobei stopped him.
"Brother Yang Zhi, what kind of medicine is that?"
Yang Zhi looked at the pills and said earnestly, "It's for healing injuries."
"Alright," Chen Xiaobei continued, "Your elder brother is unconscious and has a head injury. Perhaps these aren't the most suitable."
Yang Zhi looked at Chen Xiaobei. "You, understand medicine?"
Lidong, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Yang Zhi, are you an idiot? Who saved you last night when you were poisoned?"
Yang Zhi then snapped back to reality and was about to kneel before Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei quickly stopped him. "Alright, no need for such formality. It was my wife who saved you."
He then instructed someone to inform Cui Hongyu to come quickly to the great locust tree to help.
As they arrived, Cui Hongyu was already there.
Yang Zhi and Yang Bo stepped forward again, bowing to Cui Hongyu. "Please, Miss, save my elder brother."
Being greeted with such deference, Cui Hongyu felt awkward and a little flustered.
She cast a pleading look towards Chen Xiaobei.
Seeing Cui Hongyu's expression, Chen Xiaobei felt a touch of sentimentality. Such a cute and innocent Cui Hongyu, unsure how to handle such expressions of gratitude.