Futile Devices Scans

After Zhang San finished washing the clothes, he took Li Si to the storeroom in the county yamen’s side courtyard and let him choose a Tang-style horizontal saber from the saber chest.

This saber was somewhat similar in form to the Great Xuan imperial saber, but its workmanship was more delicate and intricate, its blade longer, narrower, and sharper, and the blade itself carried a long, narrow groove that increased its strength while also reducing its weight. Though it was not a long-handled saber, it was still ten or twenty inches longer than an ordinary hand saber, making it convenient for slashing left and right even from horseback.

Li Si lightly stroked the bright blade with his fingertips and only felt that it was light, handy, hard, and sharp. His eyes shone brightly.

The side courtyard was spacious and empty, so he took the opportunity to practice a saber routine in the courtyard.

He had not studied under any famous general, and the saber technique he practiced now was only the most basic set used in the imperial guards. It was ordinary, plain, and unadorned. Yet he had trained hard day after day, year after year, so every slash, every stance, every advance, and every retreat was steady, smooth, and refined.

He wore black, while the saber blade was bright as snow. As he shifted lightly, the moving blade seemed like flowing light, circling with his tall, slender figure.

It was broad daylight, yet Zhang San, in a daze, seemed once again to see that little immortal who had come down carrying the moon.

–

Liu Wu hurried into the county yamen. Unable to find Commissioner Zhang in the rear courtyard, he circled around to the side courtyard instead. He had just been about to greet him when he saw Envoy Li practicing saber in the courtyard. Commissioner Zhang was holding a long modao in both hands, pretending to examine it, but both his eyes were staring foolishly at Envoy Li, and the watery tenderness in them was practically overflowing!

Liu Wu: “…” I was not mistaken! There really is something wrong between those two!

Liu Wu coughed.

Commissioner Zhang immediately withdrew his gaze and began to examine the saber in earnest. He seemed to seriously stroke the hilt and test the weight of the blade before casually turning back to Liu Wu, still wearing a perfectly open and honest expression.

“Commander,” Liu Wu saluted.

“Brother Liu, you’re here.” Zhang San greeted him with the same open composure while carrying the saber over.

Li Si also stopped moving at this moment. He knew Liu Wu was older than him, and since Wang Xu was Brother Wang, he also saluted and called, “Brother Liu.”

Liu Wu hurriedly returned the courtesy. “Envoy Li, I dare not accept.”

Over the past few days, Li Si had been recovering from his wounds, training soldiers, and feeling sad about parting from Brother Xiao, so he had not recalled the experience of being beaten in the jail. After “talking things through” with Brother Xiao last night and finally sleeping together again, his mood relaxed, and his mind became a little clearer than before.

Only now did he remember that when he had been bound in the torture chamber and whipped, half-awake and half-unconscious, he had heard Brother Liu negotiating with that bad Head Constable. Afterward, not only had he no longer been beaten, he had also been carried up into a room for treatment.

So he said seriously, “Brother Liu, thank you for helping me that day.”

Helping with what? Zhang San looked at him blankly, then at Liu Wu.

Liu Wu did good deeds without seeking credit and had never even mentioned to the Commissioner that he had saved someone. He only shook his head and said, “It was my duty. Envoy, there is no need to thank me. Rather, I have always wanted to thank Envoy for removing that demon Daoist and preserving peace for the county.”

Li Si said seriously again, “Only now do I remember that the two constable brothers were also taking care of me. I even hit them. I’m truly sorry. Brother Liu, may I find them and apologize?”

What is he talking about now? Zhang San looked at Liu Wu blankly again.

Liu Wu said, “Those two constable brothers have gone to Jiao County and have not returned yet. They are honest men by nature, so I expect they will not mind. Envoy, please do not take it to heart.”

At this point, Liu Wu quickly said to Zhang San, “Commander, I was just looking for you to discuss this matter. Of the two groups sent out from the North Gate secret path to scout the roads, the ones who went to Jiao County have not yet returned, but the ones who went to Tianmen Pass have already come back. They suffered some injuries, so I arranged for them to stay in the training grounds’ quarters. General She has also awakened. Commander, please come with me at once.”

–

The three hurried to the training grounds. Hearing that the physician was changing General She’s dressings, they first went to see the two scouts who had just returned.

These two men were also constables of the county yamen. Because they were strong and sturdy, Liu Wu had sent them toward Tianmen Pass, where the mountain road was more rugged. Judging from the mysterious map, Tianmen Pass was very close, and it seemed they should have been able to make the round trip in one or two days, but the two of them had only returned on the fifth day after setting out.

The moment Zhang San saw them, he was startled.

It had only been four or five days, yet the two scouts looked as if they had wasted away, and both bore many injuries. One of them had even broken a leg. The physician had just set the bone and wrapped it in bamboo splints, leaving him pale from pain.

“You two brothers have worked hard. How did you end up so badly hurt?” Zhang San stepped forward to examine the man’s broken leg.

The man with the broken leg was too weak to speak. The other, whose injuries were lighter, said, “Commander, that mountain path is truly too dangerous. This brother slipped and broke his leg by accident. I helped him all the way back, and that delayed us by several days.”

Zhang San expressed concern for both of them, and the man continued describing what they had seen on the road.

“Commander, that path leads to a cliff halfway up the mountain. There is an iron-chain bridge on the cliff that crosses to the opposite cliff, and below the opposite mountain is Tianmen Pass. But that bridge has already broken and is extremely hidden. If this brother had not stepped wrong and nearly fallen off the cliff, we would never have discovered those iron chains.”

Zhang San looked at Liu Wu, and joy appeared in both their eyes. Zhang San said, “If we send craftsmen to the other side and repair the iron-chain bridge, wouldn’t that create a direct route to Tianmen Pass?”

But the scout shook his head. “The two sides of the cliff are about one or two hundred meters apart, and the Fen River is below the cliff, so there is no way across. Also, we vaguely saw Xiao Army flags planted on the walls of Tianmen Pass. The soldiers coming and going there also looked like Xiao soldiers from a distance.”

Zhang San frowned. “The Xiao bandits have already taken Tianmen Pass?” He turned to Liu Wu. “A dozen days ago, Envoy Li and I met a General Sun, who said he had come through Tianmen Pass to reinforce Kuiyuan. At that time, Tianmen Pass should still have been open.”

Tianmen Pass was easy to defend and hard to attack, and it was Kuiyuan’s gateway to the west. If it had fallen, reinforcements from the west would find it even harder to approach Kuiyuan. Very likely, after experiencing General Sun’s night raid, the Xiao Army had realized its importance and gathered a heavy force to seize Tianmen Pass.

He thought of how General She had also come from the upper reaches of the Fen River to the west last night—that was also the direction of Tianmen Pass.

He said to Liu Wu again, “Hurry, let’s go see General She.”

–

General She was about the same age as Wang Xu, with dark skin and rough, hard features, bearing the appearance of a man from beyond the frontier. He originally had the tall frame of a fierce general, but after being imprisoned for a month, fleeing for days, and fighting through several fierce battles, he was covered in wounds, gaunt and skeletal.

He had just had his medicine changed and lay on the couch with a gray complexion and faint breathing.

Hearing the footsteps of everyone entering, he opened his eyes. Though he looked as sickly as dry bones, his gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s.

Zhang San hurriedly saluted. “Greetings, General She. I am Zhang San, Militia Commissioner of Ant County and Subordinate Commander of the Shengjie Army. This is County Commandant Liu Wu, and this is Envoy Li from the capital.”

General She’s gaze moved across them one by one before finally settling on Zhang San’s face. In a hoarse voice, he said, “The She clan has many members… how did you know I am a general…”

The She clan had risen during the chaotic era of the previous dynasty and had lived in Fuzhou for generations. Their clansmen were brave and skilled in battle, with an illustrious reputation. After Great Xuan was founded, the She clan voluntarily pledged allegiance to Great Xuan, becoming a powerful and prestigious clan on Great Xuan’s northwestern frontier. Fuzhou belonged to Hedong Circuit and lay on the border between Xuan, Western Xia, and Northern Lang, so the She Family Army had always been one of Great Xuan’s main forces resisting Western Xia and Northern Lang.

However, this man’s identity was not so simple as merely being a member of the She clan.

Zhang San replied, “I once followed Chief Commander Wang in suppressing the Fang La rebels and may have met you once, General. Forgive my presumption, but may I ask if you are General She Ke Cun, who fought in the campaign against the Fang La rebels?”

General She studied him carefully for a long while before slowly saying, “I remember you now… you were indeed under Chief Commander Wang’s command at the time… young, and skilled with a fine saber…”

General She’s expression finally relaxed, and he said slowly, “Young General Zhang… many thanks for saving me last night… She is deeply grateful…”

Zhang San cupped his fists and said, “General, you are too courteous. May I ask why you came here, and where those Xiao soldiers from last night came from?”

General She sighed softly and slowly began his tale.

–

This General She was also one of Hedong Circuit’s great generals, the most outstanding figure of the younger generation of the She clan, with numerous military accomplishments to his name. After Grand Preceptor Tong fled south, General She came under the command of Prefect Zhang, who had succeeded him as commander.

A month ago, when the Xiao Army attacked Yanmen Pass north of Kuiyuan, Yanmen Pass sent out requests for aid. Prefect Zhang ordered General She to lead troops north to reinforce them. Who could have expected the Xiao Army to be so ferocious? Yanmen Pass fell, and General She was defeated and captured. Because he was a famous member of the illustrious She clan and a valiant general besides, the Xiao Army was reluctant to kill him. Instead, they escorted him north to Yunzhou, the Xiao Army’s main camp, hoping to persuade him to surrender.

General She feigned surrender and waited for an opportunity to escape. After many twists and turns, he made his way south back toward Kuiyuan. When he saw that Kuiyuan City was surrounded, he intended to pass through Tianmen Pass and return to his homeland of Fuzhou to seek reinforcements from the She Family Army.

In the end, General She sighed. “Who would have thought Tianmen Pass had already fallen to the Xiao bandits as well… I was discovered by their sentries and pursued by a large force… Fortunately, you all rescued me…”

Zhang San’s mood grew heavy. Although General She had escaped, he was unable to return home for reinforcements. On top of that, Tianmen Pass had been cut off. Kuiyuan’s chances of survival now seemed even slimmer.

He proceeded to question General She about everything he had seen and heard while sneaking back from Yunzhou, as well as the deployment of Xiao forces throughout the various prefectures and counties along the way. The two spoke for a long time while Liu Wu and Li Si listened quietly beside them.

At the end, Zhang San asked General She to rest well and took his leave with Liu Wu and Li Si.

–

In front of the soldiers training in the garden, Zhang San’s expression remained unchanged. But after he walked all the way out of the training grounds and into a deserted alleyway, his face finally grew completely grave.

Liu Wu said, “Commander, what should we do now? Should we immediately write to Chief Commander Wang?”

A few days earlier, Zhang San had already had Chen Lu write a pigeon message reporting the discovery of the armory and the secret tunnel beneath the North Gate. Chief Commander Wang had replied that they should first determine where the tunnel led before making further plans.

Zhang San shook his head. “Wait until the scouts who went south return. We’ll report everything together.”

Liu Wu said, “Then what about Tianmen Pass…?”

Zhang San glanced at the sky. Seeing that the sun was nearly setting, he let out a sigh. “Things are what they are. Let’s eat first.”

Liu Wu: “Huh?”

Zhang San tilted his head toward the quiet Li Si standing beside them. “Sisi wants steamed cakes.”

Liu Wu: “Huh?”

“If Brother Liu has no other arrangements, you’re welcome to join us.”

“…Huh?”

⸻

Things being what they were, Brother Liu ended up tagging along for a meal.

Zhang San brought Li Si and Liu Wu home. As soon as they stepped through the door and finished introducing everyone to one another, his elder sister immediately called him over to help at the stove.

As she kneaded dough, she handed him a chunk of pork and told him to mince it into filling. Zhang San chopped away with a loud bang bang bang of his cleaver, and his sister took the opportunity to ask in a low voice, “You talked things through? Made up?”

Zhang San glanced over his shoulder. Sisi was sitting on a small stool, learning how to weave straw sandals from his brother-in-law. His fingers were long and nimble, and he was both smart and serious. After only a few glances, he was already weaving quite skillfully. Liu Wu and Little Brother squatted nearby watching, praising him endlessly.

Turning back, Zhang San said to his sister, “We made up.”

His sister asked, “Then what are the two of you planning?”

Lowering his eyes, Zhang San replied, “There’s no plan. Sis, I already told you before. He’ll be returning to the capital in a few days.”

His sister remained silent for a long while. After thinking it over, she still tried to comfort him. “You’re both still young. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll become a great general and be able to buy a house in the capital.”

Zhang San drooped miserably. “For someone like me, who lives every day with a blade at his throat, what future is there…” Only after speaking did he realize his mistake. Words like that would only make his sister sad. He quickly looked up at her, intending to make amends—

—and was immediately smacked on the head with a rolling pin!

“You spineless thing!”

–

Not long afterward, the siblings produced three large steamers full of steamed cakes. Zhang San sat eating with everyone else, a swelling bump on his forehead, sneaking glances around with guilty eyes.

His brother-in-law and Little Brother were doing their utmost not to laugh. Li Si, unconcerned with anyone else, wanted to cup Zhang San’s face and inspect the bump, but Zhang San hurriedly pushed him away. Liu Wu sat upright and proper at the side, yet his eyes kept darting toward the two of them.

Liu Wu was only twenty-four or twenty-five himself, in the prime of life. The three grown men sat around the table and stuffed themselves. The three large steamers of cakes vanished in the blink of an eye.

Elder Sister and her husband each ate only one. Little Brother ate only half of one, still holding the remaining half in his hand while staring blankly at the three of them.

Liu Wu still was not full, but he was too embarrassed to say so. Instead, he remarked, “Elder Sister’s cooking is wonderful. If she opened a steamed-cake stall in the market, business would surely flourish.”

“My sister’s talents go beyond this,” Zhang San boasted. “Her braised pork is unmatched too.”

Elder Sister said, “I originally planned to stew a pot of pork to treat County Commandant Liu today, but the butcher’s shop hasn’t opened these past few days. The owner said he was keeping his pigs and sheep for his own family. This meal of pork-filled steamed cakes may well be the last one…”

The moment Li Si heard that, his eyes widened. Regretting how quickly he had eaten earlier, he held the last bite of steamed cake in his hand and could not bear to put it into his mouth.

“You can still eat game. I’ll take you into the mountains to hunt roe deer,” Zhang San hurriedly reassured him.

His brother-in-law went off to cook a huge pot of hand-pulled noodle soup, and the whole family slurped and ate until everyone was finally full.

–

After chatting for a while after the meal, Liu Wu left to inspect the construction work at the North Gate. Zhang San and Liu Wu each oversaw half of the projects, so Zhang San also needed to check on the South Gate and soon bid everyone farewell as well.

Li Si refused to return to the county yamen and rest by himself. Instead, he followed Zhang San to the South Gate.

The two carried a lantern that Elder Sister had given them and walked through the dim, quiet alleyways. From time to time they had to climb slopes and step over ledges, so Zhang San reached out to support Li Si. In truth, Li Si’s injuries had improved considerably. He could even leap along the tops of the maze walls again and did not need assistance. Nevertheless, he obediently accepted Zhang San’s hand.

At first Zhang San held his wrist. Later it gradually became hand in hand. Then, little by little, their fingers intertwined…

It was Zhang San’s first time holding hands with someone like this. The farther they walked, the faster his heart beat.

It was Li Si’s first time holding hands with someone too. He did not understand much. He only felt that Brother Xiao’s palm was warm and soft, with some rough calluses. Holding it made him feel very secure.

All day long, he had been aware of Brother Xiao’s mood. Ever since learning that Tianmen Pass had fallen, Brother Xiao had been depressed. While eating at Elder Sister’s home, his mood had improved somewhat. But after leaving, he had grown downcast again. Only after they began holding hands did he seem happier.

—Does Brother Xiao also feel reassured when he holds my hand like this? When Brother Xiao comforts me, he touches my hand too, but he doesn’t let me touch other people’s. It seems touching hands only works for Brother Xiao and me.

Thinking this, Li Si tightened his grip a little more, hoping to make Brother Xiao feel even more at ease. Zhang San, meanwhile, assumed that Li Si’s injuries were making his legs weak and that he feared falling, so he tightened his grip as well.

–

The two held hands tightly all the way to the South Gate. The moment Zhang San spotted the soldiers guarding the gate in the distance, he quickly let go.

Li Si was baffled. His fingers even followed after Zhang San’s hand.

Zhang San coaxed him, “Ahem, our hands are sweaty. We’ll hold hands again in a little while.”

Li Si accompanied him around the gate works and saw that the newly built outer barbican was already beginning to take shape. After Zhang San gave a few more instructions to the gate guards, he led Li Si back.

They had not gone more than a dozen steps when Zhang San noticed Li Si gazing at him expectantly. Letting out a soft laugh, he held out his hand. Li Si immediately grabbed it again.

“You really know how to act spoiled,” Zhang San said cheerfully.

Li Si turned to look at him, utterly confused.

Wasn’t it you who needed to hold hands to feel reassured? If anyone is acting spoiled, it’s you!

The moment Zhang San saw his expression, he knew Li Si was thinking something cheeky. He grabbed Li Si’s hand and bit it hard!

Li Si cried out in pain. Two round dents from tiger-like teeth appeared on the back of his hand.

He looked at the marks on his hand with grievance. Fortunately, the skin had not broken and there was no blood. Even so, he did not let go of Zhang San’s hand. Instead, he gripped it even tighter.

Seeing how obedient he was, Zhang San liked him more and more. He wanted nothing more than to knead him into a ball and swallow him whole, yet all those wicked thoughts could only be swallowed back down by himself.

With his eyes, he practically devoured Li Si from head to toe before calmly saying, “Come on. Let’s head back and get some rest early.”

–

The two did not manage to rest early after all. They had only just entered the front courtyard of the county yamen. The main gate had not yet been closed when a rapid clatter of hoofbeats suddenly echoed from the street outside.

Great Xuan lacked horses. Even wealthy households relied on ox carts. Ant County was a shabby little mountain town where there was not a single horse in the city. Most villagers could live their entire lives without ever seeing one. General Sun’s horse was still being kept down at the fortress below the mountain. Even if it was an immortal horse capable of “flying,” it could not crawl through tunnels or climb a well shaft.

So where had these hoofbeats come from?

Both men were astonished and hurried outside. In the distance, they saw Liu Wu riding a horse toward them in a wobbly, lopsided manner! This usually calm and seasoned County Commandant was riding a horse for the first time in his life and was completely flustered, shouting all the way:

“Hey! Hey! Hey!”

Seeing that he was about to fall off, Li Si released Zhang San’s hand and sprinted forward. As he passed by Liu Wu, he leaped onto the horse’s back, seized the reins, and called out, “Whoa!” bringing the horse under control.

Zhang San hurried over and helped Li Si pull the bedraggled County Commandant Liu off the horse.

As he supported him, Zhang San asked, “Where did this horse come from? How did you get a horse?”

Panting, Liu Wu pointed behind him. “They… they’re back!”

Zhang San looked up and was slightly startled.

—Two more horses were galloping toward them from the far end of the street.

Each horse carried a man dressed in ordinary commoner’s clothing and wearing a windproof face covering. Behind each rider sat a yamen constable.

They were the very two constables who had gone south toward Jiao County to scout the roads.

–

The four men dismounted one after another in front of the county yamen. Both constables were injured and had to be helped down.

“Commander, we ran into Xiao Army scouts outside Jiao County and nearly got killed! These two brothers saved us!”

Liu Wu had finally caught his breath and hurriedly introduced them.

“Brothers, this is our county’s Militia Commissioner, Zhang San. And this is the Envoy Li you came here to find.”

Li Si had originally been standing quietly to one side, helping support one of the constable brothers. Hearing those words, he lifted his eyes in confusion.

The two men removed the face coverings from their faces and first cupped their fists toward Zhang San in salute, respectfully greeting him as Commander Zhang. Then they both turned to look at Sisi. Although they recognized him, their eyes were filled with confusion.

Sisi was startled. He recognized them as well.

—Fifteen days earlier, after the soldiers had arrived at Jiao County south of Kuiyuan, they had dismounted and proceeded on foot toward Ant County in secret. Before departing, the Commander had left two subordinates from the Imperial City Directorate in the woods outside Jiao County to guard the baggage and horses and to receive the group upon their return.

These two men were those very Imperial City Directorate subordinates who had remained behind.

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