Suicide Squad

Rongcheng South City, Ya Hang of Shang Laojiu, stared with a twitching expression at the two children standing before him, wrapped up like dumplings with only their eyes exposed.

Amid winter, he had no interest in entertaining guests, but these two children seemed well-off and generous. As they entered the store, they threw a stack of ten silver ingots onto the table.

Shang Laojiu's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver, but just as he reached out to grab it, a hand wearing a cotton glove stopped him.

"Boss, you can't take this silver," said the person wearing the glove.

"What do you two young customers want?" Shang Laojiu inquired.

"We want to change our household registration. Do you have any connections?" Li Wuya asked.

"Change your household registration? Sigh, that's not an easy task, and even if it can be done, it will cost you quite a sum," Shang Laojiu replied.

"Money is not a problem for us. We are military households and want to become common civilians," Li Wuya explained. However, before she could finish her sentence, Shang Laojiu interrupted.

"You're military households? I'm sorry, but I cannot help you. I can't handle military household registrations; they are strictly managed, and I have no connections in that area," Shang Laojiu stated, ready to usher Li Wuya and Li Qilang out.

"Why? You just said you could do it," Li Wuya and Li Qilang refused to leave.

Shang Laojiu was getting annoyed, "That's because I didn't know you were military households. Managing military household registrations is the strictest of all. I really can't help."

Li Qilang chimed in, "We have money, so it's not an issue."

Shang Laojiu shook his head, "Even if you have all the money in the world, I still can't do it. Nowadays, with the war between Da Chu and Bei Yan, so many soldiers have died. I heard the military camps are desperately short of manpower. Even if you want to change from military to civilian households, you might end up serving in the army."

Undeterred, Li Wuya asked, "There must be some successful cases of changing military household registrations, right?"

Shang Laojiu looked around and then whispered, "Yes, there were such cases in the past. But when the new governor arrived, he conducted a thorough overhaul of the Duhu Mansion. Now, no one dares to take risks."

Glancing at Li Wuya and Li Qilang, Shang Laojiu continued, "You two. Are you running away from home? Otherwise, why would you come to me so recklessly, talking about changing household registrations?"

Seeing their puzzled expressions, he kindly explained, "Since you are a military household, there must be soldiers from your family who have gone to the battlefield. Soldiers who have seen the battlefield cannot change their household registrations. Otherwise, it would shake the morale of those who remain."

Li Wuya pressed on, "Is there no way, Boss?"

Shang Laojiu shook his head firmly, "Unless there is a special pardon from the court, otherwise, it's impossible. Come on, it's a cold winter. You two kids should go back home."

Li Wuya and Li Qilang left Ya Hang feeling dejected.

"Sis, what should we do now?" Li Qilang asked.

Li Wuya knew that changing their military household registration would not be easy, but she didn't expect it to be so difficult. Now, having money in hand wasn't enough in this strictly hierarchical ancient society; they needed status and connections.

Feeling dejected, they looked at the yamen opposite the dental shop. Li Wuya felt a bit annoyed.

"We have enough silver, but in this strict society, having money doesn't guarantee success. It's all about social status," Li Wuya sighed. "What we can't achieve by asking around, others can easily resolve with a single word."

"Let's go back home. We've been away for over half a month. If we don't return soon, Mother and Sister will be worried," Li Wuya suggested.

That day, the siblings left Rongcheng.

Shortly after their departure, the exposure of the Tianluo Gate's lair spread rapidly and became a sensation among the major powers in the northwest. However, Li Wuya and Li Qilang were completely unaware of this as they rushed towards Tianling Tun.

"Sis, my light skills have improved again. Look, now I can leave no trace in the snow," Li Qilang proudly remarked.

Li Wuya glanced back and playfully said, "But your speed is still not enough." With that, she accelerated, leaving Li Qilang far behind.

Li Qilang felt a bit frustrated and quickly caught up, pleading, "Sis, can't you give me a break?"

"Will your enemies give you a break?" Li Wuya retorted.

"Why are we going to Tianshan?" Li Qilang asked.

"We're going to Tianshan Peak to retrieve the zither and flute," Li Wuya explained. She was fortunate that she hadn't sold the ancient zither and jade flute, which were gifts from her benevolent master.

When Li Wuya and Li Qilang returned to Tianling Tun, it was already the end of October.

As they passed through the entrance of the village, they noticed the villagers looking at them with strange expressions, and both of them felt a little uneasy.

Last time, when something happened in their family, the villagers looked at them like this. Could something have happened at home again?

Anxious, Li Wuya and Li Qilang quickly approached the nearest person and asked, "Uncle, has something happened in our family?"

"Liuyar, Qilang, don't worry, it's not a big deal. Your brother got injured and was brought back," the person replied.

Before the person could finish, the siblings vanished without a trace.

Ever since Li Wuya's family moved here, Ye Mo's residence had been expanded. Previously, there was only one room, but now there were five, and the yard had also grown larger.

"Mother!"

"Second Sister!"

Even before they got close, Li Qilang's loud voice echoed through the yard.

In the kitchen, Li Erya, who was preparing herbal medicine, rushed out as soon as she opened the courtyard door. As Li Wuya and Li Qilang arrived, she anxiously asked, "Why did you only just return?"

"Sis, what happened to Brother?"

Li Wuya and Li Qilang asked in a hurry.

Leading them inside the house, Li Erya explained, "The army doctor examined Brother. He broke three ribs and has some internal bleeding. But don't worry, his condition has stabilized, and he just needs to rest well at home."

Hearing how serious it was, Li Wuya hurriedly entered the room and saw Li Sanlang lying pale on the kang.

"You're back?"

At this moment, Li Sanlang was still very weak, and his voice was faint.

Seeing him, Li Qilang rushed over, his eyes red, wanting to touch Li Sanlang, but fearing to hurt him, he could only stand awkwardly by the kang. "Brother, how did you get injured so badly?"

Li Wuya walked over with a stern face. "Was it done by the Huyan family?"

Li Sanlang shook his head. "I'm not sure. That person's skills were excellent, and I couldn't dodge his attacks. If it weren't for General Zhuang and Father arriving in time, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive right now."

"That person should be a high-level ninth-rank expert. General Zhuang and Father were injured while trying to save me," Li Sanlang hurriedly added, seeing the worry on Li Wuya and Li Qilang's faces. "Don't worry, Father is fine; he just suffered some minor external injuries."

Li Wuya didn't ask further and immediately checked Li Sanlang's pulse, while also extending her spiritual power to investigate his condition.

"Brother, rest well; nothing will happen to you," Li Wuya assured him.

Li Sanlang had already been quite optimistic about his situation, especially after taking the soup medicine prepared by his younger sister. He felt his body had significantly improved, and even minor injuries could heal quickly without the need for medication.

Even though this injury was somewhat severe, he was still at ease. Now that his younger sister was back, he was even less worried about his injuries.

After all, his younger sister was the disciple of the Tianchi Old Man.

Since Li Wuya returned, she took over the care of Li Sanlang's injury. Apart from taking medicine on time, she would also perform acupuncture on him every night.

As the silver needles pierced the acupoints, the treatment ability of her supernatural power flowed into Li Sanlang's body, quietly and imperceptibly aiding his recovery.

While others with fractured ribs would need to stay in bed for two or three months, Li Sanlang, after half a month, could already get up and move around.

"Brother, why are you getting up?" Li Erya disapproved when she saw Li Sanlang standing.

Li Sanlang smiled and moved his arms and legs. "I'm almost fine now."

"What do you mean 'almost'? Didn't Sister Five say you need to rest for three months? Don't be in a hurry to go back to Dieren Pass. It's dangerous on the battlefield. Just stay at home safely," Li Erya insisted as she helped Li Sanlang lie back on the kang. "A hundred days to heal tendons and bones; it hasn't even been that long. Just lie down properly."

Li Sanlang knew his big sister was just concerned about him, so he smiled helplessly and then looked at the sky outside the window. "Why haven't Five and Seven returned?"

Today, Li Wuya and Li Qilang went to Dieren Pass to bring some food and medicine to Li Changsen.

Li Erya also became a bit worried. "Considering their speed, they should have returned by now. Did something happen?"

Li Sanlang paused for a moment and said, "Don't worry unnecessarily; perhaps Father has been held up with something." With the lightness of Li Wuya and Li Qilang's footwork, even if they encountered an accident, it would be hard for anyone to stop them.

As the night fell, Li Wuya and Li Qilang finally returned.

Seeing their frowns, both Li Sanlang and Li Erya became anxious. "What happened? Did something happen to Father?"

Li Qilang shook his head. "No, we waited all day but didn't see Father at all."

Li Sanlang furrowed his brow. "How could that be? Was there another battle today?"

Li Wuya looked at Li Sanlang. "Something seems amiss. Today, I saw Father's deputy squad leader at Dieren Pass, and the way he looked at me made me feel uneasy."

Hearing this, Li Sanlang also couldn't remain calm. "I'll go back to Dieren Pass tomorrow."

The four siblings decided not to tell Jin Yue'e about this matter. Luckily, she didn't spend much time at home as she was working at the post station and didn't notice anything unusual.

Early the next morning, Li Sanlang took his younger siblings to Dieren Pass.

"Wait for me outside the city. If there's any news about Father, I'll come out and tell you," Li Sanlang instructed.

After entering the city, Li Sanlang went directly to the Vanguard Camp. After searching around, he didn't find any trace of Li Changsen or any information.

After a moment of silence, he headed straight to the tent of the thousand captains.

Seeing Li Sanlang, the thousand-captain was quite surprised. "Your injury is healed?"

Without answering directly, Li Sanlang asked about Li Changsen's whereabouts. "Sir, where is my father?"

Upon hearing Li Changsen's name, the thousand-captain fell silent.

Seeing this, Li Sanlang's heart sank even more. "Could something have happened to my father?"

The thousand-captain hesitated for a moment and stood up, saying, "Come with me to see General Zhuang."

Hearing this, Li Sanlang's heart sank further. His father was just a small squad leader; how could it involve General Zhuang?

Could something have happened to his father?

Li Sanlang's face instantly turned pale, especially when he thought about the ninth-rank expert who attacked him on the battlefield. He couldn't help but imagine various scenes of Li Changsen being brutally killed.

By the time he arrived at Zhuang Yutang's tent, Li Sanlang was already terrified, fearing the worst about his father.

However, his appearance was interpreted by Zhuang Yutang as someone whose injuries hadn't fully healed, yet he was forcing himself to come and inquire about Li Changsen's condition.

"Your father should be fine for now," Zhuang Yutang assured him.

Li Sanlang immediately seized on the loophole in Zhuang Yutang's words. "For now? What about later? Will something happen to him later?"

Zhuang Yutang fell silent for a moment, motioning for everyone else to leave the tent before speaking. "Recently, there were signs of a ceasefire from Beiyan. You know about this, right?"

Li Sanlang nodded.

Zhuang Yutang continued, "However, just half a month ago, Beiyan's army began to provoke conflicts again."

Li Sanlang didn't understand what this had to do with his father, but he didn't dare interrupt Zhuang Yutang, so he suppressed his anxiety and listened quietly.

Zhuang Yutang's expression didn't look good as he continued, "This matter is very strange. The Governor sent many people to investigate, and it was discovered that Beiyan's temporary cessation of hostilities was due to their food supply being insufficient."

"But half a month ago, Beiyan's army somehow managed to acquire a new supply of food, which made up for their shortages, and they started making aggressive threats again."

"Their food supply has been replenished, but we... we don't have enough to sustain continued warfare. The treasury has been emptied from years of fighting with Beiyan, and we simply can't produce enough food to support the ongoing battles."

"So..." Zhuang Yutang looked at Li Sanlang, "So, in order to force Beiyan to stop fighting, we must destroy their food supply."

Upon hearing this, Li Sanlang instantly understood what Li Changsen had gone to do. "My father..."

Zhuang Yutang said, "After reporting to the imperial court, the Governor personally selected a group of skilled soldiers to form a team responsible for burning Beiyan's food supply. Your father volunteered to participate in this operation."

"Everyone participating in this mission can request one condition. Your father's condition was to change your family's military household registration if they succeed in burning Beiyan's food supply."

Li Sanlang's body trembled, feeling unsteady on his feet.

The army's food supply was extremely crucial, and Beiyan would definitely deploy a large number of troops to guard it. It would be incredibly difficult to burn it down! Would his father be able to come back after this?

Zhuang Yutang looked at Li Sanlang, not knowing how to comfort him. "Your injuries haven't healed yet; you should go home and rest." With that, he called someone to escort Li Sanlang out.

At the city gate, Li Wuya, Li Erya, and Li Qilang saw Li Sanlang walking out, looking weak and pale. Their hearts immediately jumped to their throats.

"Brother, Father is okay, right?"

Seeing his three siblings looking anxiously at him, Li Sanlang couldn't hide his pain. His voice trembling, he told them about Li Changsen's plan to burn Beiyan's food supply.

Li Erya and Li Qilang's faces changed dramatically, and even Li Wuya's expression turned grave.

In order to change their household registration, their father had joined a suicide squad!

The army's food supply must be deep within Beiyan's rear, so could their father really come back from this?