Chapter 32: Broken Home
A sliver of dawn light filtered through the gap in the window. In the dormitory, Guo Xin’s snores rose and fell.
Xiao Yi opened his eyes, and amidst the pauses in the snoring, he detected an unusual sound.
It was like the wind whistling through ancient cypresses, yet deeper and more chaotic than the wind, faintly audible, intermittent, carried from a great distance by the wind.
He sat up and listened intently. That sound… was it shouting? Impacting?
It seemed to be coming from the direction of the Guo Residence.
Guo Zongyi was startled by him and got up, rubbing his eyes.
From behind the curtain, Guo Wuniang also lifted the fabric and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll go and see.”
Xiao Yi put on his clothes and went out. He stood in the snow and listened for a while. The sound was real, not his own hallucination.
He turned his head and saw Guo Wuniang and Guo Zongyi standing behind him, their faces completely drained of color.
“Is it the family? Did something happen?”
“It’s hard to say.”
Xiao Yi looked up and around. He saw a towering five-story pavilion next to the Octagonal Glazed Hall and said, “I’ll go up and take a look.”
Guo Wuniang immediately said, “I’ll go too.”
Guo Zongyi said, “I’ll go wake Third Uncle.”
“He’s a heavy sleeper. Let him sleep. It might not be something serious.”
Xiao Yi knew Guo Xin was impulsive and deliberately did not wake him.
The three of them closed the door and walked along the corridor. Ancient trees towered in the temple, their shadows dancing, with few people around.
“Dong!”
“Dong—”
The morning bell had rung, and the monks were each holding a wooden fish and heading to the main hall for morning prayers.
Xiao Yi suddenly stopped. Under the bell tower, two young monks were ringing the bell.
He circled the bell tower, climbed over a low courtyard wall outside the pavilion, opened the small door, let Guo Wuniang and Guo Zongyi in, and re-latched the door.
Climbing the steps onto the stone base, the sound of an old monk chanting drifted from inside the pavilion, his tone as light as spider silk hanging from the eaves.
They slowed their steps.
Looking up, the plaque was inscribed with the three large characters “Paiyun Pavilion,” and the content of the couplets on either side seemed to comfort them.
“Buddhist Law saves three thousand, all steadfast wishes transcend the sea of suffering;”
“Revered titles number five hundred, their appearances are difficult to judge, yet all share the benevolent vessel.”
Inside the pavilion, the Buddha statue had its eyes lowered, its gaze compassionate, as if watching them.
The three dared not disturb the gray-robed old monk kneeling on the prayer mat. Staying close to the wall, they slowly moved towards the staircase.
The wooden ladder was narrow, and the steps had cracked seams. Xiao Yi stepped on the fifth step, and the mortise and tenon made a creaking sound.
Fortunately, the old monk was hard of hearing and did not react, continuing his chanting.
This pavilion looked like five stories from the outside, but it actually had seven. The last section of the stairs was very steep, and one could only go up by stooping.
The door on the top floor was ajar. Xiao Yi pushed it open, and the wind rushed in with a whoosh, making him squint.
He took a few steps to the north-facing window, leaned on the window frame, and looked out. Kaifeng City spread out before him like a vast scroll painting.
His gaze swept over the densely packed houses and quickly found the direction of the Guo Residence.
The sounds of shouting and killing grew clearer in his ears.
The plaque of the Guo Residence was already shattered on the ground, and the mansion gate was wide open. Imperial Guard soldiers in shining armor, like ants swarming, were continuously charging inside.
The front courtyard was filled with figures, fighting fiercely. Arrows crisscrossed like a swarm, and from time to time, Imperial Guards fell, but more people poured in, howling.
“Second Brother?!”
Guo Wuniang let out a suppressed sob.
Xiao Yi also saw him: a man covered in blood, holding a spear like a solid rock, guarding the gate, it was Guo Tong.
Guo Erlang was completely devoid of his usual gentleness. His helmet had fallen off, his hair was disheveled, and his lamellar armor was tattered. Wounds bled profusely, dyeing him red. Only his spear danced like a dragon, and with every strike, an Imperial Guard would cry out and be sent flying or impaled. The guards beside him were also brave, forming a formation and fighting desperately, protecting him with their flesh and blood.
“They… why haven’t they left the residence yet?”
Xiao Yi felt a pain in his shoulder. It was Guo Wuniang unconsciously gripping him, her voice choked with sobs, “You sent the warning so early, why didn’t they leave?”
“Because…”
Xiao Yi’s voice was hoarse, unsure how to answer.
How could they leave? Guo Tong must have sent people to investigate, and all the city gates were already closed. With so many women and children, could they really try to force their way through the gates?
They could only try to negotiate and mediate before the Imperial Court took action against the Guo family. But today, negotiations had ultimately failed.
But why wouldn’t they keep the Guo family as hostages to threaten Guo Wei? There must have been some change of events.
“Second Uncle? What happened to Second Uncle?”
Guo Zongyi couldn’t reach the windowsill and couldn’t see outside. He was so anxious his little face turned pale, and tears streamed down his face.
As if in response to the child, Guo Tong’s angry roar could be heard.
“Those who barge in, die!”
Even from a distance, one could hear boundless grief and resolve in that desperate roar.
Xiao Yi could even see his beard and hair bristling, his eyes about to burst from their sockets.
He roared and fiercely thrust his spear, impaling the foremost Imperial Guard, lifting him high, and smashing him hard into the enemy ranks.
But there were too many Imperial Guards. A formidable captain seized the opportunity, rushing out from the side with a large axe, and brought it down. Guo Tong parried with his spear, his shoulder blade cracking, blood spraying wildly. In the instant his body faltered, several spears pierced his body from different angles, the tips emerging from the other side.
On the tower, Xiao Yi’s pupils contracted sharply, and Guo Wuniang let out a soft “ge” sound from her throat, her fingers gripping tighter.
Guo Tong still hadn’t fallen. He used the spears to steady himself, his arms bulging, and thrust his spear forward again, piercing it fiercely into the formidable captain’s neck.
The surrounding Imperial Guards were startled, then reacted. More swords and spears hacked at him.
Guo Tong’s figure was submerged by the surging crowd and weapons.
Xiao Yi’s heart sank.
However,
“Those who— barge—in— die!”
Guo Tong was still roaring, and the spear in his hand, enveloped by the chaotic enemy, was raised high once more.
After a long time, it did not fall.
Time on the tower seemed to stop.
“No…”
Guo Wuniang’s emotions completely broke down, and she was about to scream.
Xiao Yi quickly extended his left arm, encircling her, and with his right hand, he firmly covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing her cry.
“Mmm… mmm mmm!”
Guo Wuniang struggled wildly, tears and snot quickly soaking Xiao Yi’s palm.
She bit his hand, pinched his flesh, resisting violently like a wild beast, wishing she could jump out the window.
Xiao Yi’s expression was blank, his eyes cold, his arm unmoving like an iron clamp.
Guo Zongyi didn’t see what was happening and, seeing the situation, was so scared he started crying.
“No crying!”
Xiao Yi rebuked, his voice very soft yet incredibly stern.
Guo Zongyi choked back a sob and cried silently.
Xiao Yi tightly held the increasingly struggling Guo Wuniang and asked, “Did you see that person?”
It was a figure outside the Guo Residence, riding a tall horse and wearing a red cloak, fiercely arguing with another purple-robed official. Xiao Yi easily recognized the latter.
“Liu Zhu.”
“Prefect of Kaifeng, Liu Zhu. Remember him. If you survive, seek revenge on him.”
For a moment, Xiao Yi recalled Li Zhaoning’s eyes, filled with hatred and a strong will to survive.
Where his gaze fell, outside the Guo Residence gate, the purple-robed official angrily brushed his sleeves and left. Liu Zhu raised his hand and gestured down forcefully.
Though far away, he seemed to see Shi Hongzhao holding up three fingers.
Guo Wuniang gave a shudder, and more tears gushed out.
Xiao Yi reacted swiftly and decisively, delivering a heavy palm strike that knocked her unconscious.
“Deliver the order—”
“Kill without mercy! Leave no one alive!”
“Deliver the order—”
“Kill without mercy…”
The shouts carried far away.
Xiao Yi squatted down, gently laying Guo Wuniang down. Seeing Guo Zongyi trembling uncontrollably, he reached out and covered the child’s ears.
“It’s okay.”
The words caught in his throat. Xiao Yi ultimately couldn’t say them.
The wind, carrying faint screams, blew into the pavilion, brushing past the compassionate eyes of the Buddha statue.
The incense stick in the small brazier burned down bit by bit.
Xiao Yi squatted there for a long time without moving, protecting the two in his arms.
Occasionally, he would look up. Under the eaves outside the window hung prayer flags, long since tattered and faded, torn to shreds by the wind and rain.
