At sunset, Zhang San and Li Si were escorted by the yamen runners to the relay station in the west of the city. The relay officer arranged a simple sleeping room for them and brought two simple meals—two bowls of golden millet porridge, two plain steamed cakes without filling, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
Note: Steamed cakes are a Xuan-style wheat food. Those with filling are like baozi, while those without filling are like mantou.
Li Si sat at the table and looked back at the two yamen runners who had not moved from outside the courtyard gate. Hesitating, he did not move. Zhang San was the first to pick up a steamed cake and stuff it into his mouth. With his cheeks bulging, he said, “Eat. That county magistrate is timid as a mouse. He doesn’t have the guts to poison a little envoy like you.”
Hearing him say this, Li Si felt relieved and buried his face into the large bowl of millet porridge, silently drinking. Seeing his obedient way of eating, Zhang San could not help laughing again. “So cautious? Yet this morning you dared eat my noodle sheets in soup?”
Li Si lowered his head and seriously drank his porridge, not answering him.
Zhang San teased him again. “I didn’t know last night that you were a drill instructor of the Longwei Army. What do you teach?”
Li Si still did not answer. He drank half the bowl of porridge in one breath, then put down the bowl and carefully wiped his mouth before finally speaking. “Bows, crossbows, mounted archery… I’ve also taught formations, fists, and sabers.”
Zhang San laughed. “Aiya, you teach that much? Don’t tell me you’re some chief instructor?”
Li Si shook his head. “I’m a bow, crossbow, and mounted archery instructor. The fist, saber, and formation instructors were often busy, so they had me substitute for them.”
Zhang San’s smile wrinkled up. “Little idiot ghost, that means they were bullying you.”
Li Si tilted his head in confusion. His second uncle had said the same thing, and his second uncle had even quarreled with those instructors before. But Li Si himself did not think it was bullying. The instructors had not beaten or scolded him, nor had they randomly touched or teased him. How could that be called bullying?
On his rest days, he only practiced martial arts at home anyway and had nothing else to do. Returning to the drill ground to lead others in training was also fine.
However, after his second uncle quarreled with the instructors, his second uncle often took him out to eat sweet fruits during his rest days.
Eating sweet fruits was also very good. Apart from being scolded by Grandmother after returning home, everything else was good.
Li Si looked seriously at Zhang San, waiting for whatever else he wanted to ask. Zhang San finally discovered that Li Si’s habit was to not speak while eating and not eat while speaking, so he quickly waved a hand. “It’s nothing. Eat properly! I won’t ask anymore!”
Li Si then lowered his head and picked up the bowl again.
——
The yamen runners at the door suddenly disappeared. A familiar figure stood in the courtyard, saluting from afar with clasped fists. “Greetings, honored officials!”
Li Si paused in the act of drinking porridge and raised his face warily—only for Zhang San to cover the back of his head and press him back down. “Eat yours. Come in!”
The young constable hurried inside, his manners still proper. “Honored officials, forgive this disturbance.”
The honored officials, however, had little manners. The younger one kept his head down and ate heartily, while the slightly older one lazily stirred the pickled vegetables with his chopsticks. Zhang San said, “What is it? Did the county magistrate order you to find an excuse to chase us two plagues out?”
The young constable froze, and that familiar awkward look appeared on his face again. “You misunderstand, sir. This subordinate has something to ask.”
Zhang San did not invite him to sit. He only looked up at him and said calmly, “Speak.”
The young constable had already seen the tattoo on Zhang San’s face at the city gate that afternoon, and now he noticed there was also a tattoo on the back of his hand. He knew this fellow townsman, who had served in two armies, marched for eight years, and dared draw his saber to hack someone right in front of the county magistrate, had no simple background. Standing two meters away at the doorway, the young constable respectfully said, “This subordinate wishes to ask about that Daoist Ma’s background.”
Zhang San mocked, “Aiya, isn’t he an Immortal Master?”
Having seen the conflict between the two of them and Daoist Ma, and personally witnessed Li Si draw his saber to cut Daoist Ma down, the young constable was now certain they were not on the same side. He cursed without worry, “That demon Daoist knows demonic arts and has bewitched the county magistrate, but he hasn’t bewitched me.”
Zhang San smiled. Seeing that Li Si was almost at the bottom of his bowl of porridge, he said, “Sit and wait a moment.”
The young constable had no idea what he was supposed to wait for. Bewildered, he found the chair farthest to the side and sat down.
Both of them waited as Li Si quietly sipped the last mouthful of porridge. This clean-faced little official carefully licked his lips once, then cautiously wiped the corners of his mouth before turning his dark gaze toward the two men. Seeing both of them staring at him, he tilted his head slightly in confusion.
Zhang San said, “Tell us about that Daoist’s background. What is he called, and why did he come to Kuiyuan with you?”
Li Si thought for a moment, organized his words, and said, “His surname is Ma. I don’t know his given name. He is a disciple of the Divine Firmament True Master. The True Master wanted him to come with us because he can breathe fire.”
The young constable was utterly confused, but Zhang San was starting to grasp the situation. “And who is the Divine Firmament True Master?”
Li Si recalled for a moment. “The one treating His Majesty’s illness.”
The moment the other two heard “His Majesty,” they suddenly understood. They might not know the other details, but they now understood why the county magistrate had been bewitched. Daoist Ma was the disciple of the great Immortal Master by His Majesty’s side—how could he be an ordinary person? Naturally, one would have to quickly build a temple and enshrine him.
The more the young constable thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed a palm onto the table, making the bowl of thin porridge Zhang San had not yet drunk tremble so hard it nearly spilled.
Li Si acted in time and protected Zhang San’s bowl.
“Our magistrate is muddleheaded! For the sake of currying favor with an Immortal Master by His Majesty’s side, he treats city defense like a child’s game!” The young constable was so angry he blurted it out, but then immediately realized he had lost composure. He hurriedly stood and saluted with clasped fists. “This subordinate spoke out of turn. Honored officials, please forgive me. It is truly because Daoist Ma is full of nonsense and has deceived our magistrate. If he merely stayed in Ant County and gained some benefits, that would be one thing, but he actually wants to interfere in city defense. He wants the magistrate to find fifty commoners whose Five Elements belong to fire and make them learn some worthless Daoist arts to resist the enemy army, sending them to their deaths for nothing. This concerns the safety of the entire county. I absolutely cannot allow him to act recklessly…”
Zhang San waved a hand to show it was fine. “Sit. Perfect timing. I also have something to ask you.”
“Please speak, sir.”
“When that Daoist came yesterday, how did he deceive your magistrate into letting him stay? Did he mention being ordered by imperial decree to deliver a letter to Kuiyuan?”
The young constable shook his head. “He said he came from the capital and was entrusted by his master to inspect the battle situation in Kuiyuan and set up an altar here to pray for Kuiyuan.”
Zhang San then asked Li Si, “Does he not know about the secret letter? Or is he too cowardly to enter Kuiyuan and has no secret letter in hand, so he made up some random excuse to stay first?”
Li Si had never thought about such brain-taxing matters before. With a blank face, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Zhang San asked Li Si again, “Now that you’ve succeeded as envoy, those remaining twenty-some soldiers—do they listen to you or to the Daoist?”
Li Si’s face grew even blanker, clearly written with: Huh? They can listen to me?
Zhang San tapped his forehead with his chopsticks, his face clearly saying, What damn use are you?
Li Si had been hit, but he remembered his second uncle tapping his forehead in the same way, and his lashes lowered.
Zhang San stopped asking him and turned back to the young constable. “Looking at those twenty-some soldiers, do they seem of one mind with the Daoist?”
The young constable thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Hard to say. Last night, I did not dare let the soldiers enter the city and only allowed Daoist Ma in alone. Daoist Ma paid respects to the magistrate and said there were still twenty-some accompanying guards outside the city. The magistrate then allowed them in as well. But those soldiers do not seem close to Daoist Ma. Moreover, I instructed the constables to keep them isolated in the duty rooms and closely watch them. Both sides have not had much contact.”
Zhang San asked again, “Where is the Daoist staying?”
The young constable glanced at Zhang San and said, “He is staying in the rear courtyard of the county office. Aside from his own Guardian Strongman and two subordinates, no other guards have been arranged.”
Zhang San immediately understood, and the two exchanged a glance.
The young constable lowered his voice and added in detail, “The county magistrate has a private residence elsewhere and does not live in the county office. There are no other people in the rear courtyard. Daoist Ma is staying in the left wing room, and the Strongman is staying in the right wing room. The Strongman’s two subordinates are staying in the servants’ room beside the right wing. Right now, the county office has eight yamen runners carrying sabers on night duty, all guarding the prison in the front courtyard. It would take them some time to reach the rear courtyard.”
——
Zhang San and the young constable exchanged a few more casual words. He praised the constable for personally guarding the city gate and arranging the city-gate defenses very thoroughly, then rose to send him out.
Before the young constable left, he quietly pleaded, “Sir, the young runners and clerks of the county office know nothing. Please do not harm the innocent.”
Zhang San nodded. “Don’t worry. I know my limits.”
Turning back to the table, he picked up the now-cold bowl of porridge and took a sip, sighing to Li Si. “That constable looks just as honest as you, but he’s much less honest than you! With such a muddleheaded magistrate, Ant County is lucky to have that constable!”
Li Si could not tell whether Zhang San was praising him or scolding him. Instinctively, he felt it was not anything good, but he was not angry at Zhang San either.
He did not understand why Zhang San and the young constable had said so much, nor could he understand the looks exchanged between them. But Zhang San had taken the initiative to say he would help him kill Daoist Ma, and now kept asking about Daoist Ma, so he must truly be helping him.
Since childhood, Li Si had always been alone. He had only relied on Grandmother and his second uncle. Usually, whatever his family said, he did. His mind was gray and hazy, and he never thought for himself. After meeting Zhang San, his mind had suddenly become bright and clear, but he remained ignorant and muddled. So, for some reason, he was also willing to rely on Zhang San and listen to Zhang San’s words.
He could not explain why, but he knew Zhang San would not harm him—if Zhang San had wanted to harm him, he could have done so while Li Si was unconscious in the underground cavern.
Zhang San had a wicked mouth and always said teasing things. His hands were wicked too, always touching, playing with, and bullying him. But Zhang San had helped him dig a grave and bury his second uncle. When he fell toward the horse-trap pit below the city wall, Zhang San had also protected him. When Pighead tried to curse him, Zhang San stood in front of him. Knowing that he spoke slowly, Zhang San let him finish properly every time. He looked fierce, but he had smiled at him many times.
When Zhang San smiled, the tiny tips of his tiger teeth would show, and his eyes would curve slightly, bright and beautiful.
Zhang San also used chopsticks to tap his forehead, just like Grandmother and his second uncle.
In the capital, winter snow drifted and the cold cut to the bone. The stray little cats on the road would always cautiously sniff the hand a passerby bent down to offer, as if knowing who would tuck it into their arms and take it home, and who would feed it a warm bowl of soup.
Perhaps good people’s hands had a special scent.
So Li Si picked up Zhang San’s tattooed left hand and seriously sniffed the back of it, smelling a scent of earth. That was because Zhang San had helped him dig and fill a grave that morning, getting dust and mud all over his sleeves.
Zhang San, baffled, pulled his hand back and smelled it himself. “I washed my hands before eating. What’s wrong?”
Li Si shook his head, then pushed the cooled porridge bowl and pickled vegetables toward him, signaling him to hurry and eat.
Zhang San sniffed again, depressed. “You’re just a poor military household, so how are you this particular? I really did wash. Didn’t you watch me do it?”
——
After they ate their porridge, the sun had just set. Zhang San loudly complained that eating full made him sleepy, then flopped onto the bed that creaked with every movement, pulled the blanket over his head, and slept heavily.
Li Si asked the relay officer for a block of oil ointment and carefully treated his own saber. Then he treated every steel-tipped arrow in his quiver as well. In the flickering candlelight, he turned back to look at Zhang San on the bed. Zhang San had only taken off his shoes. His padded coat was still on, and the blanket did not cover him fully. He slept spread out in a bold “大” shape.
Li Si stood and walked over quietly, bending down to touch the saber at Zhang San’s waist, wanting to care for it as well. But Zhang San suddenly pressed down on his wrist.
With his eyes still closed, Zhang San said, “Little colt, don’t take advantage of me. I told you, I’m not into men.”
“I want your saber,” Li Si said honestly.
Zhang San did not suspect him of anything. He only tugged Li Si’s wrist downward, pulling his head closer, then patted his cheek with his other hand and said in a low voice, “Tell me honestly, why do you want to kill Daoist Ma? You’re not the sort of person who kills.”
Li Si bent at the waist, pulled in front of him. When he lowered his eyes, he could see the firm chest right in front of him. Warm breath rushed over his face, and he instantly remembered the embarrassment of being knocked unconscious the previous night, wanting only to stand and flee.
However, Zhang San’s palm was warm and locked around his wrist tightly. Li Si struggled lightly twice, but could not break free. He could only answer like this. “During the landslide, he breathed fire and caused my second uncle’s death, as well as the deaths of more than twenty comrades. He deserved to die to begin with, and the Command Envoy also ordered me to kill him before he died.”
Zhang San nodded. “He does deserve to die.”
Then he patted Li Si’s face again, yawned, and said tiredly, “Hurry and sleep. When the night is dark and the wind is high, the time will come. We’ll handle my business first. Once that’s done, we’ll go handle Daoist Ma together… Why is your face so hot?”
Before Zhang San could open his eyes to look, Li Si quickly stood and retreated. He slapped out the candle flame with one palm and dove into the other bed like a frightened little beast. Hearing his flustered movements, Zhang San curved his lips in amusement, turned over, swung one long leg over the quilt, and continued sleeping.
——
When they had slept until midnight, Li Si was awakened by Zhang San patting and touching his cheek. The two looked outside through the crack of the door, where cold wind blew straight in. They saw that the two yamen runners keeping watch had shut the courtyard gate and lit a small campfire in the front courtyard. They crouched beside it with necks hunched, warming themselves.
The two stuffed pillows under the quilts and bundled them into shapes resembling human figures. Then they quietly pushed open the window. Taking advantage of the howling wind, they slipped soundlessly out of the room, slid along the corner of the wall to the rear of the courtyard, and Zhang San cupped both hands. Li Si stepped onto his palms and leapt up, climbing onto the courtyard wall before turning back to pull Zhang San up.
The two moved like swimming dragons beneath the moonlight, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
——
Back at the earthen fortress, Zhang San had used the secret-letter wax pellet to make a deal with Li Si, asking Li Si to bring him into Ant County to handle one matter. Now was the time to handle that matter first.
Taking advantage of the night, the two moved from the west of the city to the south. Zhang San understood the winding, twisting terrain of this little city even better than the young constable. He led Li Si through streets and alleys, retracing in reverse the temples, schools, medicine shops, taverns, teahouses, and markets they had passed that afternoon, finally stopping before a small courtyard in a corner of the marketplace.
A small mountain city was not like the bustling capital. There was no night market, and the streets and alleys were unlit at night. Only a hunched night watchman carried a dim lantern and walked along unsteadily.
Zhang San flipped over and pressed Li Si into the shadow beneath the eaves. Their bodies pressed tightly together as they waited for the elderly night watchman to pass behind them. They waited for a long time before finally seeing his figure disappear around the alley corner.
Zhang San released Li Si. The night was too dark for him to notice how red Li Si’s face was. He only turned and looked at the earthen courtyard opposite, then moved forward. “Follow.”
Li Si pressed his lips together and followed silently behind him. Fortunately, the cold wind cut across his face, and in the blink of an eye, it blew away that faint heat.
As before, one cupped his hands and the other climbed the wall. Soon both of them swiftly dropped into the courtyard.
Li Si blinked and looked around. This small courtyard was narrow and shabby, with nothing but bare walls. Some firewood was scattered on the ground, and beneath the grass shed was a simple stove—almost exactly like Li Si’s poor home back in the capital.
Zhang San had not hesitated to use the wax pellet to threaten him in order to come to Ant County and “handle one matter.” Judging by Zhang San’s habit of drawing his saber and hacking people at the slightest provocation, Li Si had thought it would be something like revenge, settling grievances, robbing the rich to aid the poor, or some other killing matter. Who would have expected they would come to such an ordinary home?
Zhang San was no longer as relaxed and casual as usual. Instead, he became nervous and awkward. He stood dazedly in place for a long time before suddenly lifting his foot and walking toward the stove. With practiced ease, he lifted the wooden pot lid, reached into the iron pot rack, and picked out a round steamed cake.
He stuffed the steamed cake into his mouth and bit down. His movement froze, and after freezing for a long while, he slowly began to chew.
The sky was too dark for Li Si to see his expression. Curious, he followed too, reached out, and picked up a steamed cake as well, placing it into his mouth in puzzlement. The cake had been made during the day and was already cold and hard, somewhat difficult to chew, but there was actually meat filling inside. The meat filling was oily, smooth, fragrant, and soft. Though cold, it was still extremely delicious, making it simply impossible to imagine how good it must have tasted when hot.
Li Si’s eyes lit up as he ate. Seeing two more steamed cakes still in the pot, he took both out and stuffed them into his robes. Zhang San kept his head lowered, focused on eating his cake, and did not notice Li Si’s sneaky movements.
Just then, the door of the side room opened, and a small figure emerged from the darkness.
That little figure wore a thick padded coat, neck hunched, yawning all the way. He did not notice the two strangely acting people beneath the grass shed. Holding a chamber pot that steamed with heat, he pulled open the courtyard gate with a creak and poured the pot into the gutter outside the door.
Steam rose with the gurgling sound of liquid in the wind. The gutter had already frozen and could not flow, so a foul smell drifted faintly along the wind.
The steamed cake in Li Si’s mouth immediately stopped tasting good. He stuffed the remaining half into his mouth and raised a hand to cover his nose.
After pouring out the golden water, the small figure was thoroughly chilled. Trembling, he shut the courtyard gate and hurried back toward the room. Just as he reached the grass shed, he let out a short cry of alarm. Zhang San acted in time, covering his mouth, grabbing him around the waist, dragging him under the grass shed, and pressing him before the stove. The scabbard pressed against his throat.
“Shh,” Zhang San said quietly.
This little person was a young boy who looked around twelve or thirteen, thin and weak, trembling like a little lamb beneath Zhang San’s tiger palm. He was clever and calm enough not to scream, only begging in a tiny voice, “Hero brother, spare me, spare me.”
Zhang San asked quietly, “Does a Madam Zhang live here?”
The boy nodded.
“Who else is in the house?”
“Madam Zhang’s husband is… is here too,” the boy said, then quickly added, “Hero brother, we are all good commoners and have never done anything wicked. I know where the family money is. I’ll give it all to you, and I absolutely won’t mention you to the authorities. Just take the money and leave. Please don’t hurt our lives.”
Zhang San slightly loosened the scabbard pressed against his throat and scoffed. “Who wants that little bit of money? Who are you? Why do you live here?”
“I’m Madam Zhang’s younger brother…”
Zhang San froze—but very quickly, he grew angry. “Nonsense! Madam Zhang’s parents died long ago. Where would she get a younger brother your age?”
The boy was so frightened he trembled all over, and tears instantly filled his eyes. “I’m not… not lying. She picked… picked me up.”
Zhang San let out a breath, finally lowering the scabbard from his throat. He pushed the boy into Li Si’s arms. “Watch him. Don’t let him shout.”
Li Si had never done such an evil thing as bullying commoners, let alone bullying a child, and for a moment he felt completely at a loss. He gathered the trembling boy protectively into his arms, imitating the way Grandmother touched his face, stroking the child’s face as he quietly coaxed, “Don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you. Just don’t speak.”
Zhang San had never seen such a gentle kidnapper before. He turned and glared at Li Si, then crossed the courtyard on his own, went to the window of the main room, and poked a hole through the thin window cloth with his finger. Pressing his face to it, he looked inside for a long time.
After a long while, he returned to the courtyard and took out a finely made little pouch from his robes—the very pouch of broken silver belonging to the Command Envoy that he had taken from Li Si the previous night—and tossed it into the boy’s arms.
The boy and Li Si both raised their heads together, one small and one large, both looking at him blankly.
“Tell Madam Zhang you found this money pouch on the road. Don’t say you saw me.”
The boy held the money pouch and stared at Zhang San in astonishment. Zhang San stepped forward, stuffed the pouch firmly into the boy’s robes, tightened his padded coat around him, and pushed him toward the side room. “Go in quickly! Don’t catch cold and make her worry again! You’re not allowed to say you saw me. Otherwise…” He made a throat-cutting gesture.
The boy trembled all over again in fright and quickly shrank his neck, hiding back inside the room. Zhang San pulled Li Si with him and swiftly retreated to the courtyard wall. As before, the two climbed out of the courtyard.
——
The alley was still filled with howling wind and thin moonlight. The cold wind cut across their faces like knives, drawing out a slight sting. Li Si suddenly raised his hand and, imitating what Zhang San had done to him during the day, gently wiped Zhang San’s cheek a few times with his thumb.
He did not know what relationship that Madam Zhang in the home had with Zhang San. But Zhang San had stayed in the earthen fortress for half a month, only finding this chance to come look for her after many twists and turns, yet he did not even meet her once or say a single word. He looked through a hole in the window for a few minutes and then left as if fully satisfied. Zhang San had no one and nothing to his name. Even the silver he gave her had been snatched only yesterday.
For some reason, Li Si felt that Zhang San in the darkness was lonely and sad.
Zhang San quietly let him wipe his face without dodging or getting angry. After a while, he finally spoke stiffly. “What are you touching randomly for? I’m not crying.”
Li Si withdrew his hand and rubbed his fingers together. Indeed, he felt no wetness.
Zhang San said, “I’ll pay you back later. Once we win the battle, I’ll give you all my reward silver.”
Li Si shook his head. “No need to pay it back. I picked it up too.”
Zhang San did not argue with him. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly and fully. Calmly, he said, “Let’s go. It’s time to see blood.”
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