Chapter 3

"Master, Madam, something terrible has happened." Outside the house, Xiao Wu's anxious voice could be heard shouting.

Mo Wen heard the voice, put down the bamboo flute, and opened the door to go out. Xiao Wu had just run to the door of the east wing and, upon seeing Mo Wen, immediately spoke, "Young Master, a lone soldier came to buy medicine for wounds, saying that the Hu people have already breached Qingping City."

"Ah? How could it happen so quickly?" Mo Wen was suddenly shocked. Qingping City was a military checkpoint to the north of Xiyang County, less than fifty miles away, serving as the northern gateway to Xiyang County.

"He said the Hu people sent monsters as vanguards, and they couldn't hold them off at all..." Xiao Wu saw that the Master and Madam had come out of the main house and quickly turned to inform them of the situation.

"Monsters, what kind of monsters?" Madam Mo was instantly frightened, her face turning pale.

Master Mo was also greatly alarmed, but being old and experienced, he quickly made a decision after a brief frown, "Let's go, leave immediately!"

Madam Mo turned to go back to the hall to pack, but was stopped by Grandfather Mo, "We've already packed most of it. Throw away what we can, and you go help Wen pack."

Madam Mo immediately headed to the east wing, and Mo Wen, now reacting, returned to the house to pack with his mother and wife. After a short while, the packing was done, and three carriages immediately set off.

"The Hu people are about to arrive, and the villagers don't know yet. Xiao Wu, you're quick on your feet, go to the Lin family and tell Lin Master and the villagers to take cover as soon as possible. We'll wait for you by the river." Master Mo said to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, handed the reins to Mo Wen, and jumped off the carriage to run back.

The Mo family pharmacy usually hired helpers, and the household servants were only the Wu family and two maids. Mo Wen, Old Wu, and his father each drove a carriage, quickly leaving the city gate and heading south.

Xiyang County was about ten miles from the Yellow River. After leaving the city, the three of them drove the carriages at breakneck speed. Although they had not seen the cruelty of the Hu people, they had heard stories from refugees from the north. The big-nosed Hu people not only looked different from the Han people but also had a completely different temperament. The Han people fought each other for territory and would treat innocent civilians well after capturing a city. However, if the Hu people captured a city in the Jin Kingdom, they would plunder and loot, leaving no livestock or grain, and would take all the women, using them for their pleasure at night and slaughtering them for food during the day. Now that the northern Qingping City had fallen, the Hu people would soon arrive, and the consequences of falling into their hands were unimaginable.

After running for three miles, Mo Wen turned back and saw that the people of Xiyang County, having received the alarm, were pouring out of the southern city gate like ants leaving their nest. No one had expected the Hu people to come so quickly, and in the panic, they dragged their children, stumbled, and cried, creating a chaotic scene.

The three carriages were originally used to transport herbs and did not have canopies. Madam Mo and Lin Ruochen sat in the first carriage driven by Lin Master. Mo Wen drove the second carriage, which carried the two maids and Lin Ruochen's attendants. Old Wu and his wife were in the last carriage, which mainly carried the pharmacy's equipment and various herbs.

It had snowed the day before, and there was a three-inch layer of snow on the ground. The horses often slipped and fell, causing the carriages to jolt violently, but in the rush to escape, everyone paid no attention, frequently whipping the horses to speed up. After a short while, they could see the frozen river surface about five miles ahead.

"Father, can the carriages run on the ice?" Mo Wen shouted loudly. Mo Wen usually addressed his father formally, but in the rush to escape, he didn't have time to be so formal.

"Hard to say." Master Mo responded loudly.

"Then let's leave the carriages at the riverbank and save our lives." Mo Wen shouted.

"The family's livelihood is in the carriages. How will we live if we abandon them?" Master Mo shook his head and said.

Mo Wen had never encountered such a situation before and was inevitably panicked. Worried about Xiao Wu's safety, he kept looking back, and thus encountered several dangers in the snow. The last time, the carriage almost tipped over, and Mo Wen, drenched in cold sweat, no longer dared to be distracted and focused on driving, following his father.

After about an hour, the carriages reached the riverbank, and everyone stopped to catch their breath and wait for Xiao Wu.

Mo Wen stood on the carriage and looked north, seeing no Hu troops among the fleeing civilians, which calmed him slightly. He then turned his head and soon spotted Xiao Wu running at the front of the crowd.

Xiao Wu had good legs and was familiar with the terrain, so he quickly approached. However, when Xiao Wu was still about a hundred paces away, Mo Wen saw a large group of Hu cavalry appear on the northern ridge, less than five miles from the river. Due to the distance, Mo Wen couldn't see the Hu people's faces, but he could see them chasing and killing the fleeing civilians.

"Father, the Hu people are here." Mo Wen shouted in fear.

Master Mo's brows furrowed, and he anxiously looked back at Xiao Wu, who was still far away.

"Master, let's go first." In the critical moment, Old Wu whipped the reins and was the first to drive onto the ice.

"Be careful." Master Mo followed, knowing that Old Wu was leading the way to test the ice. Old Wu's carriage was the heaviest, and if he could cross, the other two carriages would be safe.

"Young Master, go quickly, I can catch up." Xiao Wu's voice reached them before he did.

Mo Wen didn't immediately drive onto the ice but was shocked by the sight of the Hu cavalry on the northern side. The Hu people wore barbarian clothing, had large noses, and were bearded. They were loudly shouting and slashing at the fleeing civilians with their curved swords, which were extremely sharp, cutting off heads as easily as slicing melons. The heads of the civilians, once cut off, spurted blood two feet high, and those hit in the back screamed in despair and pain, unable to die immediately. Mo Wen had never seen such a bloody scene before and was so shocked that his body trembled uncontrollably, and his hands and feet wouldn't obey him.

"Go!" Xiao Wu, drenched in sweat, ran over, took the reins, and drove the carriage onto the ice.

The river was several hundred feet wide, and the ice was slippery. The iron horseshoes made it dangerous to go too fast, as the horses might fall. The three carriages maintained a distance of about five feet and cautiously moved toward the opposite bank.

"Father, faster." Xiao Wu looked back and shouted to Old Wu, who was leading the way.

"Father!" Just as Xiao Wu finished speaking, Lin Ruochen, who was in the middle carriage, let out a heart-wrenching scream. Mo Wen turned back in confusion and saw his father-in-law, who had just reached the riverbank, being split in half from his left shoulder to his right rib by a Hu soldier.

After Lin Ruochen screamed, she fainted. Mo Wen didn't faint, but he vomited. He saw his father-in-law's blood and organs, and just two hours earlier, his father-in-law had been alive and smiling as he sent him off on his horse.

As Mo Wen was vomiting, a cold, crisp cracking sound made his hair stand on end. This was the sound of the ice cracking under the weight.

"Master, this won't work, go downstream..." Old Wu's words were drowned out by a loud cracking sound.

Mo Wen stopped vomiting and looked up, seeing that Old Wu and his wife, along with the carriage they were driving, had fallen into the ice hole. Since the carriage was wooden, it did not sink immediately as the horses struggled to swim.

"Old Wu, grab the reins!" Master Mo quickly got off the carriage and ran to the ice hole to help.

"Father, Mother, I'll save you." In a panic, Xiao Wu jumped off the carriage and rushed forward.

"Don't come!" Master Mo shouted to stop him, but it was too late. The ice already had cracks, and before Xiao Wu reached the crack, the ice collapsed again, and the two people on the ice and the second carriage fell into the water instantly.

Mo Wen, who had been frightened to the point of losing his wits, was driven by instinct to jump off the carriage and run to the ice hole. Upon reaching it, he reached out to pull his mother and Lin Ruochen, who were closer, but the ice could not bear the weight, and he slipped, his nose and mouth filled with icy water.

Mo Wen was a decent swimmer and, upon falling into the water, immediately held his breath and lifted Lin Ruochen, who had been awakened by the icy water, onto the ice. He then tried to save his mother, but she was middle-aged and overweight, and her cotton clothes, once wet, became heavy, making it impossible to save her after several attempts.

The icy water was extremely cold, and Mo Wen soon felt his body becoming numb and stiff. Looking around, he saw that his father and Old Wu were nowhere to be seen, and Xiao Wu was doing the same thing.

"Where's my father?" Mo Wen shouted to Xiao Wu.

"They've all been swept away! Mother, what are you doing? What are you doing?" Xiao Wu's voice was tinged with tears. Although the river was frozen, the water beneath the ice was still flowing.

"Child, save the Madam." Xiao Wu's mother forcefully pried her son's fingers loose and disappeared into the water in an instant.

"Mother!" Xiao Wu cried and dove into the water to search, but after several attempts, he could not find her.

Seeing no hope, Xiao Wu struggled to swim over and, together with Mo Wen, tried to lift Madam Mo onto the ice. With their combined efforts, they managed to push Madam Mo's upper body onto the ice, but Mo Wen soon noticed something strange. His mother, who had been climbing up, suddenly stopped. Looking up, he saw that a foot-long arrow had pierced her forehead, entering from the front and exiting from the back, and she was already dead. A one-eyed Hu soldier was pulling the carriage that had not fallen into the water toward the north bank, with Lin Ruochen and the maids on it, frozen in shock.

"I'll fight you to the death." The tragic death of his mother and the capture of his wife filled Mo Wen with great sorrow and anger. In his rage, he summoned a burst of strength, quickly climbed onto the ice, and trembled as he charged at the Hu soldier.

Mo Wen's shout startled the Hu soldier, who turned, drew an arrow, and fired. With a distance of less than five feet, Mo Wen was immediately hit in the chest and fell onto the ice.

After being hit by the arrow, Mo Wen did not immediately lose consciousness, but his severe injuries left him unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as the red figure on the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance...