Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 69 Wandering Dragon

Ning Qi and Ye Zi, who had moved closer, heard Yun Luo Bai's question to Yun Ping clearly.

In the darkness of night, Yunping gazed at the bright crescent moon in the sky and let out a long sigh.

The moon is not full, just like his life, which has been covered in dust for half his life.

He didn't want to talk about it because he didn't want to bring trouble upon others, let alone the young people beside him.

But things have come to this point, and he couldn't help but kill someone to protect his son. It seems that the day has truly come when he can no longer hide it.

Perhaps he should go back and find a roadside stall, have the three of them sit around and listen to him recount that past event, but if anyone else overhears even a fraction of it, it could bring about his death.

Yunping decided to speak slowly to the people around him on the way back.

The moon was bright and the stars were few, just like that night when he was on the frontier.

"I came from the Wen Family Escort Agency. Because I was still unsettled, I didn't drink too much with Wen Ran. I originally came here to find Ma Ben and kill him, but I happened to see you rushing this way, so I followed. I didn't expect that by chance, I actually managed to kill him."

Yunping sighed, but his heart felt much lighter with the death of Ma Ben.

"Wen Ran and I have always been good friends. We settled in Ningzhou Prefecture together back then, and many people in Ningzhou Prefecture know this. But no one knows that Wen Ran and I are actually wanted criminals of the imperial court."

"A wanted criminal by the imperial court? What did you and Uncle Wen do wrong?"

Ning Qi couldn't help but ask a question from the side.

"Brother, don't rush, let my father explain slowly."

Hearing Yun Luobai say this, Ning Qi obediently shut his mouth.

"Wen Ran and I were both orphans who survived the ravages of war. We met while begging together when we were young. Later, by chance, we were taken in by a carpenter. We later learned that this carpenter was actually a retired master who had taught us martial arts. I learned to use a knife, and Wen Ran learned to use a spear. With our martial arts skills and youthful vigor, we thought about joining the army to protect our country and perhaps one day make something of ourselves."

"More than twenty years ago, the Youjiao Army was recruiting soldiers, and Wenran and I gladly went. At that time, Persia had already unified the Western Regions with its strong national power and changed its name to Sith, eyeing the Central Plains with covetousness. The Youjiao Army was expanding its forces precisely to go to the frontier to resist foreign invasion. The Youjiao Army was an elite army, and the requirements for selecting soldiers were much stricter, but Wenran and I were both selected, so we went to the frontier with the army."

"The Youjiao Army... why does that sound so familiar..."

Ning Qi muttered to himself, then quickly covered his mouth, remembering Yun Luobai's earlier warning.

His rugged appearance combined with his careful movements made Yun Luobai and Ye Zi beside him chuckle.

"Yes, that's the Youjiao Army, the one that was completely wiped out more than twenty years ago in Xiyang Valley. A total of 150,000 men, all wiped out..."

Ning Qi wanted to say something more, but before speaking, he looked at Yun Luobai. After the latter nodded helplessly, he couldn't help but speak again.

"That's not right. If the Youjiao Army was completely wiped out back then, how did you and Uncle Wen survive? Rumor has it that the Youjiao Army was strong and well-supplied, and its final defeat at Xiyang Valley was because there was a traitor within the Youjiao Army who leaked the army's marching route map to Sith, which is why the Youjiao Army was ambushed at Xiyang Valley..."

"That's right, Wen Ran and I are the so-called spies."

Ningqi's world has been struck by a massive earthquake.

"Uncle Yun, you guys... no way..."

"What are you thinking? How could Uncle Yun be that kind of person? There must be more to the story."

Ye Zi chimed in from the side, but she was equally curious about what had happened.

"At that time, I was a garrison commander in the army, and Wenran was a cavalry captain. To put it simply, I was just a handyman for General Luo Duo, often doing things like cleaning the tents or leading his horse and bringing him food. Wenran was in charge of feeding the horses in the stable. Neither of us were considered important in the army. However, there were frequent battles on the border, and we both knew that as long as we participated in the battle, we would definitely be able to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, so we were not in a hurry and just lived a peaceful life in the camp."

"The change happened the night before the Battle of Hiyangol. When I went to deliver food to Rhodo, I overheard him talking to a mysterious man outside his tent. The next morning, Rhodo would lead his army of 150,000 men out to war, and finally surrender to the Sith at Hiyangol."

"What? Surrender?!"

Ning Qi exclaimed in surprise.

This inside story is completely inconsistent with what he had heard about Youjiao's army fighting to the death against the enemy in Xiyang Valley until the entire army was wiped out...

"That was my reaction at the time. I joined Youjiao Army to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, but now Luo Duo wants to lead us to surrender to the enemy country, and then we won't be able to come back. But I'm just a lowly guard, and my voice carries no weight. If I expose this, Luo Duo will definitely arrest me on the grounds that I'm disrupting the morale of the army..."

When talking about the past, Yunping was filled with worry.

He was still young at the time, about the same age as the boys and girls around him, and naturally didn't know what to do in the face of this sudden situation.

"After thinking it over, I immediately went to find Wenran after delivering food to Luo Duo. We discussed it and decided that we shouldn't stay here any longer. If we stayed, we would become rebels, so we might as well run away now. So that night, we avoided the soldiers on duty, escaped together, and plunged into the deep mountains."

"This is indeed the most appropriate choice given the current situation. Father, you've done the right thing."

Yun Luobai agreed with Yun Ping's approach, but he also knew in his heart that since things had developed to this point, the events of that year were definitely not that simple.

"Wen Ran and I originally planned to secretly return to the Central Plains after Luo Duo surrendered to the enemy in Xiyang Valley. At that time, it would be reasonable for us to run away because we didn't want to surrender. However, after we hid in the deep mountains for a day, when we went out again, we heard from the hunters nearby that Youjiao Army had been completely wiped out in Xiyang Valley, with not a single one of the 150,000 soldiers surviving..."

"How could this happen?"

"Wen Ran and I were also puzzled, not knowing why this happened. We originally thought that if Luo Duo led his men to surrender to the enemy country, we wouldn't be implicated even if we deserted. But why did Luo Duo, who originally planned to surrender, lead the Youjiao Army to be completely wiped out, and even he himself died in this great battle?"

"The most critical thing is that the officials who were later ordered to investigate found a handwritten order from Luo Duo at the original camp. It stated that Wen Ran and I had leaked military intelligence, and that any soldier who discovered our whereabouts could be executed immediately. So, how do you think the court will view Wen Ran and me...?"

As Yunping stopped, the lights of the bustling street ahead illuminated his weathered face.

The three young men behind him looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, and none of them uttered a word.