The Blood Crown - Chapter 302

After Yan Sikong hurried out the door, he saw Yuan Nanyu and the others waiting in the courtyard.

From a short distance, the two brothers gazed at each other sorrowfully. In that instant, it was as if time had turned back twenty years, and the old memories buried under Liaodong’s snow revealed their true faces.

“Second Brother,” Yuan Nanyu called out tremulously.

Yan Sikong looked at Yuan Nanyu’s face, so similar to his own. Finally, he no longer had to see that heavy mask on it. Finally, he no longer had to see unfamiliarity and hesitation on it.

“Second Brother,” Yuan Nanyu called again. This one cry conveyed all his sorrow and guilt. His eyes reddened, and he stepped forward with large strides.

Yan Sikong also stepped forward quickly. “Yu’er!”

The two brothers embraced tightly. Overwhelmed with emotion, they nearly wept.

“Second Brother, I’m sorry,” Yuan Nanyu choked out. “I left you alone in the enemy camp. I… I even forgot about you.”

“It’s not your fault. Second Brother has never blamed you,” Yan Sikong said, gripping Yuan Nanyu’s shoulder and holding the back of his neck. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with tears. “You’ve suffered so much. You’ve endured so much for me. If anyone should apologize, it’s me.”

“There’s no such thing as enduring for someone else. I was willing. I knew only you could avenge Father,” Yuan Nanyu said sorrowfully. “But haven’t you also suffered in these twenty years? Thankfully, heaven had eyes. We’re still alive to reunite, and we can… go home.”

Yan Sikong closed his eyes. “Yes, we’re going home.”

—

The seventy thousand troops Feng Ye brought were the largest force he could spare from the capital, as the rear was still under the watchful eyes of Chen Mi and various other warlords.

Although Zhuo Letai’s forces still outnumbered them two to one, Guangning felt impenetrable now that it had the Wolf King and the Feng family army. At least the previously desperate people of Liaodong finally saw a glimmer of hope.

As the twelfth lunar month arrived, Liaodong entered its peak winter. Guangning Garrison and its surroundings were covered in a blanket of white snow. The piercing northern winds lashed at faces like knives.

The Huang River had completely frozen over, yet Zhuo Letai showed no signs of attacking, seemingly still preparing for war.

Everyone analyzed that Zhuo Letai was deliberately stalling for time. If they delayed until late winter or early spring, it would be an ideal time to attack Guangning.

Traditionally, wars were most suited to post-autumn campaigns because provisions were plentiful, and the temperatures were moderate. Summer was avoided due to the scarcity of provisions and the unbearable heat. Winter and spring were the least favorable. Winter was too harsh, and if war began in spring, there would be no time for farming, which meant no provisions for the following year.

The Jurchens primarily relied on cattle and horses for food and did not farm. If Zhuo Letai was waiting for the turn of winter to spring, it was indeed a sinister plan. They aimed for a swift victory, knowing that if the war dragged into the planting season, Guangning’s fields would yield nothing the next year.

Zhuo Letai was either intent on stalling until after spring planting or forcing them to take the initiative and attack.

After a day of deliberation, no conclusion was reached. They decided to continue sending scouts to gather intelligence on the enemy.

After the meeting dispersed, Yan Sikong said to Yuan Nanyu, “I’ve been back in Guangning for several days now and have been wanting to visit the old Yuan family residence. But I didn’t want to go alone. Come with me, brother.”

Yuan Nanyu smiled bitterly. “That place has been abandoned for years. I’m afraid seeing it will only add to the sorrow.”

“Don’t you want to go?”

“I do,” Yuan Nanyu said, lowering his gaze. “I want to, but I’m also a little scared.”

Yan Sikong smiled. “Me too. That’s why I’m asking you to come along for courage.”

“Let’s go.”

“Sikong,” Feng Ye approached.

Yan Sikong glanced at him, his expression calm.

“Where are you going?”

“To visit the old family residence.”

Feng Ye hesitated. “Can I come with you?”

“The Wolf King has important military affairs to handle. Don’t waste time on trivial matters like this.”

“That place holds memories of our childhood. How could it be trivial?”

Yan Sikong frowned. “That is my family’s home, a place for me and my brother. If the Wolf King wishes to reminisce, perhaps another time.”

Feng Ye’s face darkened. He lowered his voice and said, “Bring it in.”

One of Feng Ye’s personal guards entered, carrying a thick fur cloak.

Yan Sikong and Yuan Nanyu immediately recognized it. It was the bear cloak Feng Ye had made for Yan Sikong.

Feng Ye picked up the bear cloak and said softly, “Since I left Taiyuan, I’ve kept it with me, hoping that one day it could shield you from the cold once more.”

“There’s no need. I…”

“Put it on,” Feng Ye said earnestly, looking at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong didn’t want to linger on the matter. In truth, saying one less word to Feng Ye was always preferable. He replied, “Thank you, Wolf King.”

Feng Ye unfolded the bear cloak and moved behind Yan Sikong to drape it over him personally. As it settled on Yan Sikong’s shoulders, Feng Ye longed to wrap his arms around him from behind, hoping that he, not the cloak, could shield Yan Sikong from the cold.

Yuan Nanyu watched silently, saying nothing as he observed Feng Ye and Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong adjusted the cloak, bowed to Feng Ye, and then pulled Yuan Nanyu along as they departed.

The magistrate’s office under Liang Huiyong was not far from the old Yuan family residence. The two walked side by side along the thin layer of snow.

“Do you still remember this street? We ran up and down it countless times as kids,” Yuan Nanyu asked.

“Of course I remember,” Yan Sikong replied with a faint smile. “This street had so many delicious foods and fun things to do. That tofu shop—Mother made us queue there early in the morning. The earlier we arrived, the fresher the tofu we got. And that shop selling knives and axes—the owner was such a burly, intimidating man…” Following the thread of his memories, Yuan Nanyu recounted his impressions of the street in vivid detail. Finally, he sighed. “As kids, this street felt so long, like walking it back and forth took up the whole day. But now, is it really this short?”

“It is,” Yan Sikong said, echoing his sentiment. “Back then, Guangning felt so vast, boundless. Now, it seems so small. Guangning hasn’t changed—it’s us who’ve grown up.”

Yuan Nanyu fell silent. The scars of the past twenty years etched into their lives were painful to recount.

The air between them grew heavy with sorrow.

“Second Brother,” Yuan Nanyu eventually said, “I haven’t asked yet—did you plan to fake your death and disappear, or…”

Yan Sikong softly replied, “Does it matter anymore?”

“I want to know,” Yuan Nanyu said, turning to look at him.

Yan Sikong hesitated for a moment before saying, “I didn’t plan to leave. It was Ali who pulled me from the fire.”

Yuan Nanyu took a deep breath, his chest tightening. “Second Brother, why? Why would you risk your life like that?”

“The words ‘risk my life’ aren’t quite right for me,” Yan Sikong said calmly. “I wasn’t in despair seeking death. At that moment, I simply believed that dying was better than living.”

Yuan Nanyu bit his lip and said, dejectedly, “Was it because of what I said to you?”

“No,” Yan Sikong quickly replied. “It had nothing to do with you.”

“Then was it… because of Feng Ye?”

Yan Sikong lowered his gaze, offering no answer.

“Second Brother,” Yuan Nanyu began, his voice tinged with guilt, “I watched the two of you end up like this—because of Eldest Brother, because of me…”

“No, Yu’er,” Yan Sikong said with a faint smile. “The way he and I ended up like this actually has little to do with you two. I indeed owed him in the past, but the upheavals he faced turned him into someone completely different. Between us, the damage is irreparable.”

“… But he does, without a doubt, feel something for you…” Yuan Nanyu hesitated, unsure whether to continue.

“Yes, he has feelings for me—I know,” Yan Sikong said, his gaze losing focus as it drifted over the vast white snow. “But what does it matter? I fear even he himself can’t distinguish between love, hatred, and obsession. Nor can I. When he loves me, it’s wholehearted; when he hates me, it’s cruel. Which of these is the real him? Perhaps both are. How am I to trust that his affection today won’t turn into something else tomorrow?”

Yuan Nanyu let out a heavy sigh.

“Right now, all I care about is using the Feng family army to protect Liaodong. Everything else is insignificant,” Yan Sikong said, his gaze growing cold and resolute. “Especially something as fleeting and insubstantial as ‘love.'”