Chapter Thirteen: On the Run

In late spring, dusk fell later and later. At the hour of the rooster’s crow, the sky was dim, faintly revealing the outline of five fingers when one reached out.

Stepping out from the west gate of Bianliang City, one entered the nearby suburbs of the capital. At this hour, the city gates bustled with crowds all heading out.

Most were suburban folk who had spent the day working or trading in Bianliang City.

Li Xubai sat atop the carriage shaft, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, muttering softly, “I have to say, your disguise does look quite convincing. But what’s at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple? It’s deep in the mountains and forests. Why must you insist on going?”

He jabbered on for a while but no one responded, so he chewed the grass with boredom.

“Li Xubai, you’re punctual as promised,” Miss Gu Qi said with a radiant smile as she approached the carriage. She was no longer dressed as she had been that afternoon.

She wore a plain dark coarse cloth outfit, without a single ornament on her head or body, her face smeared with a dull yellow waxy hue.

Li Xubai clicked his tongue in disapproval.

This was no longer just modesty; it was outright ugliness.

Miss Gu Qi was completely unaware that her appearance was far from attractive. She reached out her hand to Li Xubai. “The carriage is quite high, give me a hand.”

Li Xubai lowered his eyelids, not daring to glance at her, and grasped her hand to pull her up into the carriage.

This posture, in Miss Gu Qi’s eyes, seemed like a guilty secret with hidden meaning.

She chuckled softly and slipped inside the carriage.

The maid, Xiao Jing, carrying a small bundle, followed in.

The coachman raised his whip high and cracked it sharply; the carriage sped away, kicking up dust.

They left the city gate and headed west along the official road, but the farther they went, the sparser the population became. Villages dwindled, and only a few homes still burned lights.

“Li Xubai, where is your home?” Miss Gu Qi asked through the carriage curtain.

Perhaps freed from the city’s confines, entering the suburbs relaxed her. Her voice was lighter, more talkative, no longer so aloof as in the afternoon.

“Just past Zhou Bridge,” Li Xubai replied perfunctorily.

Miss Gu Qi seemed not to notice his evasiveness and eagerly pressed on, “Beyond Zhou Bridge, the place is bigger. Where exactly is it?”

“Tian Shui Alley.”

“Oh,” she paused, then asked, “How many people are in your family?”

“Five.”

“Who are they?”

“Brothers and sisters,” Li Xubai began, then instinctively glanced aside before adding, “and my sister-in-law.”

“You only have a sister-in-law? What about your brother? Your parents?”

“They’re dead.”

Miss Gu Qi was silent, her expression beneath the curtain dark and unreadable.

The night deepened. The carriage hurried on, trailing a thin veil of dust.

Inside and out, voices gradually faded away.

Only the wheels’ clatter against the road disturbed the stillness of the night.

After some time, the carriage slowed abruptly.

“Are we near Qishan?” Miss Gu Qi seemed to awaken suddenly and lifted the curtain to look outside.

The sky was faintly brightening, a distant, hazy horizon stretched far beyond. There, layered mountain ranges emerged from the gray-white morning mist, their once lush greenery now appearing ancient and somber.

Li Xubai stretched lazily. After bouncing on the carriage shaft all night, his bones felt almost shaken apart.

“Li Xubai, are we almost at Qishan?” Miss Gu Qi fixed her gaze on his back and asked.

Li Xubai did not turn around. “Looking at the mountain will tire the horse. That range looks close, but we still have about…” He glanced at the coachman, who signaled a number with his fingers. He continued, “About two more hours.”

“Two hours!” Miss Gu Qi complained, “Then we won’t get to Qishan until noon. Why are you so slow? I’m going to deduct your rent!”

Li Xubai suddenly turned his head. “Miss Gu, you can’t say that. We’re traveling at night—can’t exactly take flight. If you want to be immortal, I’m terrified!”

“You little waiter, how dare you curse our lady!” Xiao Jing snapped, lifting the curtain in anger.

“Enough, Xiao Jing,” Miss Gu Qi’s eyes flickered, and she let go of the argument, lowering the curtain.

Li Xubai snorted and turned away silently.

After passing a difficult stretch, the road smoothed out again.

The carriage picked up speed.

By nearly noon, they arrived at the foot of Qishan Mountain.

But this was not the end—it was another beginning.

Qishan was not very far from Bianliang City; traveling by day, one could easily reach it within a day.

However, Qishan’s terrain was complex and vast, and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple lay deep within its heart. The mountain paths were treacherous; carriages could not ascend. One had to climb on foot.

It would take a full day to walk from the mountain’s base to the temple.

By this reckoning, arriving at Qishan at this hour meant that even if they climbed nonstop, they would only see the temple gates by late night.

Li Xubai stood at the foot of the mountain, hands on hips, gazing far into the distance but could not spot the temple amid the dazzling green mountains.

He sighed anxiously.

Now he understood why this deal was so expensive.

At the foot of the mountain, only a shabby tea stall stood, offering neither fine tea nor snacks.

Miss Gu Qi sat down, brewed some tea she had brought, ate two pieces of her own snacks, then glanced at the dozing coachman and the troubled Li Xubai, who was gazing wistfully at the mountain. She whispered an instruction to Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing hurried off to find the shopkeeper and inquire about the location of the latrine, then helped Miss Gu Qi walk behind the tea stall.

The coachman lifted his bamboo hat at the sound, glanced over, and saw the half-opened bundle on the bench and the half-finished tea and snacks on the worn elm table.

He lowered his head again.

After a while, Li Xubai returned to the tea stall but did not see Miss Gu Qi and her maid. He was momentarily stunned, then hurried over to ask the coachman, “Where’s the crybaby?”

“Went to the latrine,” the coachman replied softly.

Li Xubai shook his head impatiently. “Women are so troublesome!”

The coachman suddenly looked up and gave Li Xubai a sharp glare.

Li Xubai quickly amended, “Not you!”

They waited for some time. The tea on the elm table had cooled, the tea stall emptied, but Miss Gu Qi and her maid did not return.

A bad feeling rose in Li Xubai’s heart. He slapped his thigh hard. “They’ve been gone so long. Could they have fallen into the latrine pit?”

“They’ve run off!” The coachman flung his bamboo hat aside, revealing a face striking even without makeup, and dashed toward the back of the stall. “Hurry and find them!”

Li Xubai frowned and followed. “Don’t be scared. They paid their silver. Why run? Two women running into the deep mountains—aren’t they afraid of tigers or lions?”

“I can’t explain it to you!” Song Shiyu didn’t look back, running swiftly to the latrine door and kicked it open with a single heavy blow.

A stench billowed out, and flies buzzed in swarms.

The latrine was empty.

“They really did run off. But why?” Li Xubai said, bewildered.