Thriller Night Talk-Chapter 158: Li Ershao

Translator-Rhapsodite

Editor-PerpetualMreow, Proofreader-Spring Flower

Wei Fuyuan was very nervous, but he followed Bei Quan’s instructions and took his outer clothes off, leaving only his thin inner clothing.

Step by step, he slowly walked into the Pool of All Beings.

If he had to describe it, Wei Fuyuan felt that the moment he entered the pool water was somewhat similar to the “empathy” he had experienced countless times.

Dizziness hit him, his vision first blurred, and then suddenly went black.

Unlike the empathetic experience he had before, however, Wei Fuyuan did not have a sense of fragmented consciousness.

Until he saw a completely different view in front of him, he was aware of how everything had changed…

‘Plop!’

The scabbard fell heavily on Wei Fuyuan’s body.

‘Plop!’

Another hit.

‘Plop!’

The third hit followed.

Wei Fuyuan could feel the pain of his flesh tearing apart, and he could hear himself desperately suppressing the scream in his throat.

But at the same time, he clearly couldn’t do anything, not even scream.

He could only endure the almost suffocating pain together with his past self.

While suffering, the memories washed away by Meng Po’s soup appeared in Wei Fuyuan’s mind.

He remembered his background and how he had fallen into such a situation.

In his past life, Wei Fuyuan’s surname was Li, and he was from a county in Southwest China, which was an important hub on the Tea Horse Road.

He was born into a famous local family that operated its own caravan and tea, salt, horse, and grain business, making them very wealthy.

The head of the Li family in this generation was Wei Fuyuan’s biological father in his past life.

He was the second youngest in the family, with an older brother six years his senior, and a younger brother eight years his junior.

Wei Fuyuan, or Li Ershao as he was also called, had an older brother who, upon reaching adulthood, traveled with the caravan to the Western Regions, back and forth along the Tea Horse Road.

He was only home for four months out of the whole year.

Li Ershao, like his older brother, aspired to carry on the family business and travel with the caravan.

So he diligently practiced archery and horseback riding, and at a young age, he had already acquired remarkable skills.

However, before Li Ershao could reach adulthood, an unexpected incident occurred.

He was fourteen years old that year.

It was the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a time of turmoil and frequent internal strife. The country was divided into five parts, and chaos reigned.

The Liang Wang, stationed in the southwest, was loyal and devoted to the Yuan Dynasty. Anyone who was reported to have plotted against the dynasty was suppressed with an iron fist.

The Li family was implicated as a result. The entire family was raided, and they met with a sudden downfall.

At that time, Li Ershao was just a young teenager who didn’t understand many things. He didn’t know what crime his family had committed.

He only knew that suddenly one day, dozens of ferocious government servants broke into their home. No matter whether they were men, women, old or young, they were all shackled and imprisoned.

The mansion was sealed, and all the family’s belongings were confiscated. The Li family’s ancestral business, which had lasted for a century, was destroyed overnight.

Thus, he became a criminal as the second young master of the Li family.

The imperial court accused the Li family of smuggling weapons.

All adult men in the clan were sentenced to be executed after autumn, women were forced to become officials’ slaves, and underage boys were exiled a thousand miles away to the north, to the war-torn land…

While revisiting these unbearable memories of his past life, Wei Fuyuan secretly admired himself from his previous life.

He was born and raised in a peaceful era and was well-loved and cared for since he was a child. It’s really hard to imagine how a fourteen-year-old child would dare after suddenly losing his family overnight and getting exiled a thousand miles away in these chaotic times…

It was a miracle that he survived.

It was early autumn when Li Ershao was escorted on the road by an official, along with several younger members of his clan and his youngest brother, who was only six years old.

The officials were afraid of being criticized for delaying, and hurried to send the prisoner to the northwestern frontier before the heavy snow blocked the road.

They drove this group of children like livestock, who were forced to endure the harsh wind and rain every day, and were even beaten and scolded.

Before they left the southwestern region, Li Xiao, who was the youngest and weakest, had a high fever due to a cold.

Seeing that his younger brother was heating up to the point of delirium, Li Ershao was anxious, and together with a few cousins, he begged the officers and soldiers, who were escorting them, to help his brother find a doctor. For this, he also took out the gold earrings that his mother asked him to hide in his jacket as a reward.

But the officials not only took his gold earrings, but also searched for valuable items hidden on everyone’s body. Then they beat Li Ershao hard for not obeying, and the next day they herded them with leather whips and threatened them with the knives at their waists.

Finally, two days later, Li Sanshao, who was burning with high fever, lay on his brother’s back and quietly closed his eyes, never to wake up again.

However, the constables didn’t even give the Li family a chance to bury their younger brother, and directly threw the small body into the wilderness…

……

Wei Fuyuan relived this experience in Li Ershao’s memory, feeling extreme anger and the deep resentment and hatred of his past life.

Li Ershao’s hatred was like boiling magma dormant deep in a volcano, waiting for the day when it would suddenly erupt.

His brother’s death was the trigger for the outburst.

That night, Li Ershao, who had not yet recovered from his back injury, stole a pocket knife and killed several officials who were sleeping, leaving none alive.

After killing the officials and the escorts, Li Ershao and several other boys from the Li family could no longer maintain their “exiled criminal” status.

They had no choice but to become fugitives, become bandits, and join a group of bandits nearby…

………………..

As he recalled his memories of his past life up to this point, Wei Fuyuan felt empathy but also confusion.

He had thought that in his past life he had lived as a true saint and a living bodhisattva who spent his days eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and thinking about how to build bridges and roads to help all living beings.

He never expected that the reality was so different.

Since he had become a bandit, he was naturally not a good person.

As a bandit, even if he didn’t kill or commit crimes, could he be considered a righteous thief? How did he do good deeds and accumulate virtue?

Perhaps for Li Ershao, the following period of time did not leave a particularly deep impression in his memory. When he recalled it, it was like fast-forwarding a videotape, quickly flashing through his mind.

Ten whole years had passed.

Li Ershao had grown from a fourteen-year-old boy into a handsome young man of twenty-four.

In these ten years, the rule of the court had become increasingly unbearable, and the situation had also become increasingly chaotic, with wars rising everywhere and people struggling to make ends meet.

Amidst troubled times, there was no lack of heroes, and among them, the leader of the bandits stood as a ruthless figure deserving to be hailed as a hero.

Under his leadership, the stronghold quickly absorbed nearby refugees and ruffians, growing from a hundred or so people to ten thousand, and established its banner, calling itself the “Mountain Bandits”, becoming a significant armed force.

Li Ershao was also awarded the title of “General” by the King of the Bandit for his bravery in battle and remarkable martial arts skills.

Wei Fuyuan used Li Ershao’s memory to look back on the ten years of his previous life and felt that although he was a bandit, overall he should still be considered a good person.

Although he killed and smuggled, he never forgot his background and maintained his bottom line. Not only did he restrain himself, but he also restrained his subordinates, only seizing officials from the Yuan Dynasty, and did not attack the common people.

Of course, from Wei Fuyuan’s perspective as a modern person, Li Ershao’s actions during his ten years as an outlaw were still full of flaws. However, considering that he was forced into this situation and still managed to maintain his conscience in such circumstances, it was already commendable and not easy.

——However, this could not be counted as doing good deeds, could it?

Wei Fuyuan was still very puzzled.

Memories continued to play on.

In the same year, the country’s situation became increasingly severe. While the Prince of Liang sent troops to support the court, he also paid more attention to the rebellious forces in his jurisdiction.

Finally, the army of bandit hunters approached the area where the King of the Bandits was stationed. ｂｅｄ𝚗ｏ𝚟𝚎𝚕.𝚌𝚘ｍ

The King of the Bandits had some military strategy and, relying on his familiarity with the nearby terrain, he led his soldiers to decisively hide in the mountains. The army of bandit hunters sent by the court played a cat-and-mouse game of “retreat when the enemy advances, pursue when the enemy retreats.”

As a general valued by the boss, Li Ershao led about 2,000 “elite soldiers” and fought against the court army several times, winning victories with excellent strategies and brave combat.

One day, a scout under Li Ershao reported that there was a court army of more than 2,000 people about ten miles southeast of them, moving along the south bank of the river valley, seemingly chasing another group of people ahead.

Li Ershao naturally wanted to find out who was being chased.

The scout couldn’t answer clearly, but judging from the clothes of those people, they might be from an unknown ethnic minority tribe in the mountains.

The southwest mountains were dense with forests, and the terrain was rugged and complex, with many tribes. Many tribes were too remote and had little contact with the outside world. Even others may not have known of their existence, which was not surprising to Li Ershao.

He looked at the map and confirmed that if the court army continued to move along the south bank of the river valley, they would only move further away from their current hiding camp and should not pose a threat to them for the time being.

If Li Ershao had followed his usual character, he should have opted for caution and not worried about the chasing soldiers.

But for some reason, Li Ershao was moved by compassion that day.

He immediately announced the withdrawal of the camp and led the troops to chase after the soldiers…

Wei Fuyuan experienced the battle that took place over 600 years ago through Li Ershao’s perspective.

In Li Ershao’s memory, the details of the battle were very clear and vivid. This was because it was the most difficult and dangerous battle that Li Ershao had experienced up to that point.

It took place in an open area of the river valley, where the bandits lost the cover of the forest and the familiar terrain advantage. They could only engage in close combat with the court army, and it was 3,000 against 2,000, which put them at a disadvantage and made the battle even more difficult.

Fortunately, General Li managed to lead his brothers to victory in the difficult fight in the end.

However, although they won, Li Ershao’s elite troops suffered heavy losses, with nearly half of them having been killed or injured.