Reencountering Bandits

"Lord Xia is joking, aren't you?" Qian He'er questioned.

Xia Yunhe replied with a smile, "Little Eunuch Qian, why would I lie to you?"

Seeing that Qian He'er remained half-skeptical, Xia Yunhe continued, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Commander Lin once he recovers somewhat."

"Without proof, that is the Duke of Dingguo we are talking about. How can Lord Xia make such baseless accusations?"

Baseless accusations?

Qian He'er's words brought a cold smile to Xia Yunhe's heart. She thought to herself: How long can Liu Rongshan's fox tail remain hidden? From the assassination during the autumn hunt, to the framed imprisonment in the imperial prison, and down to the death squads of last night... She believed that this trip to Ying County would certainly yield some evidence.

At this thought, she smiled at Qian He'er and said, "Eunuch Qian, since you are an attendant close to the Prince of Qin, I afford you a three-tenths courtesy, however..." After carefully weighing her words and swallowing the phrase "You are being far too presumptuous," she simply stated, "From now on, I will personally oversee all matters. You need only take care of Commander Lin. After all, the man was found by Eunuch Qian."

Qian He'er blocked her path, a trace of anger washing over his face. "I was sent by His Highness the Prince of Qin. Is Lord Xia's action not somewhat inappropriate?"

Xia Yunhe smiled faintly, though her eyes remained devoid of warmth. "His Highness the Prince of Qin is wise and naturally understands the weight of priorities. Eunuch Qian, would you not agree?"

Struck precisely by her words, Qian He'er felt his dissatisfaction grow even deeper, yet he had no grounds for obstruction and could only watch as Xia Yunhe flicked her sleeves and walked away.

...

Since the carriage had been destroyed, the group had no choice but to cross the vast Gobi Desert on foot. After walking for a long time, they finally spotted a dried-up riverbed where a single withered piece of wood pierced diagonally into the sandy earth, appearing remarkably abrupt.

There were no trees around, and the sun hid among the clouds, making it temporarily impossible to tell directions.

Qian He'er naturally refused to submit to Xia Yunhe. Seeing her stop by the riverbed without moving, he thought to himself: Let's see where you can go now.

Yet he forgot about Wei Sizhao. Wei Sizhao had already become entirely familiar with the road to Ying County during his previous journey there and back.

Wei Sizhao said that if they followed the traces of running water for half a day, there would be a desert inn where travelers could rest.

Upon hearing this, the entire party headed straight toward the nameless inn.

This left Qian He'er behind, carrying Lin Cang on his back while secretly fuming with suppressed anger.

Witnessing this, Lin Cang mustered his last breath and wheezed, "Eunuch Qian, if you grind your teeth any harder, they'll shatter. Lord Xia and the others are getting further and further away. If we don't hurry, we won't even be able to see them anymore."

Qian He'er threatened the man on his back, gritting out every single word, "Shut—your—mouth!"

...

By midday, they saw a wisp of white smoke rising straight into the vault of the sky, accompanied by the faint fragrance of mutton drifting through the air.

The eyes of the seven individuals instantly lit up. They quickly climbed over a barren mound that had been blocking their line of sight, and a drab, gray inn sprang into view. A weather-beaten, tattered cloth banner hung limply beside the entrance, completely motionless.

The cooking smoke was drifting precisely from the inn.

Crossing the foot-bruising sandy terrain, the party stood directly in front of the inn.

Eroded by wind and sand, the characters on the lintel plaque were barely discernible, reduced to only a few blurred, carved traces.

Wei Sizhao stated, "Within a fifty-li radius, this is the only inn."

Xia Yunhe nodded. Gently lifting the hem of her robes, she was the first to step into the inn. A pungent stench of sheep dung rushed toward her face, prompting her to hurriedly cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve while tightly knitting her brows to survey the interior.

Several mottled wooden tables were scattered across the main hall, with merely three robust men seated around one table, drinking wine and eating meat. The atmosphere felt somewhat peculiar.

After the seven of them took their seats, the three men glanced at them with gazes as sharp as knives, then shouted in coarse voices toward the back courtyard, "Mistress, we have guests!"

A woman responded from the back kitchen, and shortly after, she lifted the curtain and emerged. She appeared to be a young woman dressed in plain attire, with a round face and delicate features, though the corners of her eyes were tinged with red, bearing un-dried tear tracks. Flour still clung to her collar and cuffs as she smiled and greeted Xia Yunhe and the others, "What would you honorable guests care to have?"

Wei Sizhao said, "Mistress, we are truly starving. Whatever food you have ready, bring it out first."

The woman replied, "Three steamer baskets of mutton buns were just freshly made. I will go fetch them."

Once the woman left, Wei Sizhao lightly traced four characters on the table—"Rong tribesmen last night"—and then drew an arrow pointing toward the three burly men seated in the hall.

In a low voice, he warned, "The Rong tribesmen who ambushed us last night had builds somewhat similar to these three. Proceed with caution."

Xia Yunhe swept her gaze across the three men, noticing that their garments crossed to the left and they wore ox-hide boots, which indeed bore the traits of foreign tribes.

The expressions of the party shifted abruptly. Fortunately, having survived the fierce battle of the night before, they could be considered seasoned, so each steadied their resolve.

Mu Xiunian thought for a moment, then deliberately raised his voice and asked, "Where is the outhouse? I'll go look for it outside."

...

Having said that, he left the inn alone, walked around the perimeter, and stealthily made his way toward the back kitchen of the inn.

Xia Yunhe tilted her head toward Zhen Niang, her lips moving slightly as she silently mouthed the word "Stones." She then lightly raised three fingers and gave a subtle signal toward the direction of the three men.

Zhen Niang understood instantly, pulled out three stones, and quietly awaited the right moment.

The moment the three men lowered their heads, Zhen Niang put strength into her wrist and launched all three stones simultaneously. The two men fell limply onto the table without even a groan.

The remaining man snapped to attention, drew his saber to parry the flying stones, and launched a fierce surprise attack on Xia Yunhe.

Yet Wei Sizhao flicked his hand, sending a long nail straight into the enemy's throat. Blood spurted from the man's throat as he clutched his neck, stumbled unsteadily, and fell straight backward. In the blink of an eye, Wei Sizhao reached the man's side, caught the long saber with one hand, grabbed the burly man's collar with the other, and gently lowered him to the ground. He then rose to check the breathing of the other two men. After a moment, he turned to the group and announced, "They are all dead."

The proprietress was carrying a basket of buns and about to lift the curtain to approach when she caught sight of the horrifying scene on the floor, causing her complexion to drain of color in an instant. Her body swayed, and just as the buns were about to slip from her grasp, Mu Xiunian materialized from somewhere, steadily caught the steamer basket, and placed it on a nearby vacant table. With a flash of his unsheathed sword, he pressed the blade against the woman's neck and ordered her to walk over to Xia Yunhe.

Mu Xiunian reported, "Lord Xia, there are three more Northern Rong scouts in the back courtyard whom I have also dealt with. However, I am unsure of what this woman has placed inside the buns."

The woman abruptly dropped to her knees and trembled as she spoke to the seven of them, "Spare my life! My husband and I originally ran this shop peacefully, but unexpectedly a band of robbers broke in last night and murdered my husband. Because they wanted food, they spared my life. If you honorable people had not intervened, they would have killed me today as well."

"What was put into the buns?" Mu Xiunian asked again.

"They forced me to put it in. If I refused, they would have killed me. As for what it actually is, I truly do not know. I beg you all to spare my life; I will forever engrave your great kindness and virtue in my heart."

As she spoke, the woman began to cry, her wails growing louder and louder.

San Niang could not bear the sight and suggested, "Shouldn't we let her go?"

Xia Yunhe remained unmoved. When the woman grew tired of crying, San Niang helped her up to sit to one side and offered gentle words of comfort.

"Go check the back kitchen," Xia Yunhe said softly.

Mu Xiunian and Wei Sizhao acknowledged the order and escorted Xia Yunhe. They had not taken many steps when she paused before the fabric curtain, upon which residual dark red bloodstains lingered. Glancing at the tear-wiping proprietress, she peered through a crack in the door and caught sight of a small copper earring featuring a sharp notch stained with a speck of dark blood.

Things were likely not so simple...

A tightness gripped Xia Yunhe's heart. She drew out a handkerchief to carefully wrap the earring, looked at the others in the hall, and coldly commanded, "What are the rest of you just sitting there for? Hurry up and follow."

Thus, the entire group moved from the main hall into the back courtyard.

In the courtyard stood an ancient well covered by a wooden board, alongside two white birch trees casting down patches of shade.

Following Xia Yunhe's instructions, Mu Xiunian and Wei Sizhao carried the six scout corpses to the shaded clearing.

Xia Yunhe looked toward the proprietress and asked, "Where is your husband?"

The woman pointed toward a pile of firewood and began howling in grief once more. When the others cleared away the firewood, they indeed uncovered the corpse of a man whose eyes remained wide open in death.

Feigning casualness, Xia Yunhe glanced at the woman's ears and saw no wounds.

Recalling the blood-stained copper earring, Xia Yunhe thought to herself: This woman... has issues.

Seeing that San Niang was still comforting the woman, she spoke up, "San Niang, go with Eunuch Qian to check the kitchen and see if there is any other food."

Qian He'er protested, "Lord Xia, you... you are pushing things too far."

Xia Yunhe stepped closer to Qian He'er and said in a solemn, low voice, "There might be another corpse inside the kitchen. I must trouble Eunuch Qian to investigate it; we will handle matters out here."

Believing half of what she said, Qian He'er called upon San Niang and headed toward the kitchen.

"My life is truly bitter! I thought I could lead a good life following my husband, only to have him die like this," the proprietress wept as she edged closer to Xia Yunhe.

"What is your husband's name?" Xia Yunhe asked abruptly.

The woman was momentarily startled, then stammered, "B-Bai Yue."

Hm?

Really? Could someone be so unfamiliar with their own husband's name?

Realizing her exposure, the woman's expression shifted drastically. She pulled a curved dagger from her sleeve and slashed directly at Xia Yunhe's throat.

Zhen Niang let out a cry of alarm. At the critical moment of imminent peril, Wei Sizhao yanked her out of harm's way, and she immediately rushed over to check whether Xia Yunhe had been injured.

With a flick of his sword, Mu Xiunian knocked the dagger from the woman's hand and moved to end her life.

"Spare her life!"

Mu Xiunian asked, "Lord Xia, why keep her alive?"

Xia Yunhe looked at the woman and demanded, "Where is the true mistress of this establishment?"

The woman let out a cold laugh. "She was mixed into the mutton and made into buns. All Central Plains people deserve to die, and the night-watch scouts deserve to die even more!"

Before her voice had even faded, a flash of resolute determination crossed her eyes. She lunged forward abruptly, impaling herself directly on the tip of Mu Xiunian's sword, the blade piercing straight through her chest.

"You will never... extract a single piece of... information... from my mouth..."

Her voice grew increasingly faint as she glared viciously at Xia Yunhe until life finally left her body.

...

The scorching sun baked the earth, leaving not a breath of wind in the air.

Qian He'er pushed open the kitchen door, ran out toward the group, and unfolded a handkerchief containing an oily copper earring.

"I didn't find a corpse, but Commander Lin found this inside a bun."

Xia Yunhe produced her own handkerchief and placed the two copper earrings side by side.

The true proprietress of this establishment... had been left without even a corpse.

It was unimaginable what kind of torment this couple had suffered before their deaths...

Gazing at the woman lying in a pool of blood, she reached out to brush away the locks of hair behind the woman's ear, revealing a pair of wolf-head tattoos.

She was actually a leader...

Wei Sizhao remarked, "I had met the proprietress before. Who would have thought she was actually a Northern Rong scout?"

Xia Yunhe groped gently behind the woman's ear until her fingers touched a raised ridge where the texture did not quite match human skin.

She ordered someone to fetch water, dampened a cloth to moisten the surface, and used her fingertips to gently pick at the edge of the woman's facial skin, slowly peeling away the fake mask. Once the mask was removed, a visage with distinctly foreign features was revealed.

Everyone present gasped in astonishment.

Mu Xiunian asked, "If she was a scout, when she looked like she had been crying upon our arrival, what was she crying about?"

Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Cang said listlessly, "Sand got into the gap where the mask met her real skin and irritated her eyes red."

After re-wrapping the two earrings, Xia Yunhe asked, "Whose jurisdiction does this place fall under?"

Wei Sizhao answered, "This is a lawless zone claimed by none."

That being the case, Xia Yunhe instructed the group to gather firewood and pile it in the clearing outside the inn, dividing it into two pyres. They then laid out the seven scout corpses alongside the remains of the innkeeper in the wilderness. And those meat buns...

Xia Yunhe retrieved the pair of copper earrings and placed them gently beside the nameless innkeeper, closing his eyes for him.

To prevent wild wolves from devouring the corpses, the group set fire to the piles of firewood, cremating the bodies. Afterward, they found clean earthenware jars to separately collect the two piles of ashes and buried them in dug pits.

The Northern Rong perpetrators had chosen a lawless wasteland to brutally murder this couple. Now that vengeance had been exacted for them, their departed souls could finally rest in peace.

When everything was completed, the sun was sinking toward the horizon.

Xia Yunhe instructed everyone to fill their water skins, redistributed the dry rations, and set aside a portion to cook porridge.

While eating the porridge, Mu Xiunian mentioned that there were seven horses and a cart in the stable.

With horses and a cart at their disposal, they finally had a means of transport, which immediately uplifted everyone's spirits.

Early the next morning, the group harnessed the cart, lined it with soft blankets, and settled Lin Cang comfortably inside.

After conferring, it was decided that Zhen Niang and San Niang would ride together, Wei Sizhao would drive the cart for Lin Cang, and Eunuch Qian and Xia Yunhe would each ride a horse.

Mu Xiunian, who was skilled in handling horses, took charge of the remaining three mounts. He then asked Xia Yunhe, "Can Lord Xia's constitution handle horseback riding?"

Xia Yunhe coughed a few times, stepped onto the stirrup to mount the horse, and lightly pressed her heels against its flanks. "Riding a horse is still better than walking."

At that moment, the weather cleared beautifully, and the group leisurely rode their horses, continuing their journey onward toward Ying County.