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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Qi pulled the arrow from his leg, waved it to signal Eunuch to leave, and turned back as if nothing had happened, continuing to enjoy the flowers with the concubines. He already knew that Gu Ping was no longer part of the horse team, but whether Gu Ping wanted anything was irrelevant. Liu Xia Emperor had set the stage for that performance; he would just watch from the side and, whenever he felt like it, shout a couple of lines as a sign of respect for the director of the play. Jie Donglai's show was just something to watch, at least that was how Liu Qi thought.
At that moment, Gu Ping and Liu Lao Jiu arrived at a secluded little village. Gu Ping frowned and said, "Uncle, this village isn't on the map."
"Who cares? What kind of monsters or demons might we encounter? If we really do run into any, I'll just slice them in half with my sword. You just get ready with some food and drink," Liu Lao Jiu said boldly as he dragged Gu Ping into the village.
As they entered the village under the Willow Tree, the branches swayed slightly, shedding a few leaves in the wind. The surrounding weeds seemed to bow their heads as if they had a spirit of their own. The dilapidated fence creaked ominously, and a thin layer of mist enveloped the village. Gu Ping and Liu Lao Jiu tied their horses at the tavern's hitching post, hoping for a good meal.
The water of the Jinsha River remained murky, flowing like muddy soup with a thunderous roar. The horse team stopped by the riverbank. Inside Ergou's sedan chair, it was already dark. Except for when he needed to relieve himself, Ergou stayed inside, afraid to step out lest someone recognize him and ruin Gu Ping's plans. Ergou never cared much about his own worthless life; after all, what value did a beggar's life hold? Yet now he suddenly felt that his life was worth preserving. Even if he lost it, it wouldn't matter much, but he couldn't deny its significance.
Ergou had no idea what was happening outside the sedan chair. He could hear the rushing sound of the river—was it really Jinsha River? It was indeed that long stretch of water as murky as thin mud soup.
Ergou had only ventured as far as this in his life; he had never been even a mile across to the other side of the river. Occasionally curious about what lay beyond Jinsha River's banks, Ergou had never dared to go because he feared that once he crossed over, no one would feed him anymore. He was afraid that if he encountered those legendary monsters or demons, he would never return. So Ergou had always kept his distance from Jinsha River.
He remembered that the farthest he had ever traveled was along Jinsha River itself, heading eastward without seeing an end for an entire day. Eventually starving, he returned to Nine Houses Village late that day when Gu Ping gave him half a steamed bun.
As for Gu Ping now, Ergou wondered how he was doing and where he might be. Was there anything fun or delicious in front of him? Surely if things were so good with Ping Ge, he wouldn't forget about Ergou. Ergou firmly believed in Gu Ping's character; if there were plenty of food around, Gu Ping would definitely think of him.
Ergou recalled fourteen days ago—just two days before the horse team entered Nine Houses Village—when someone wearing a Flying Fish Robe approached him. This person had a willow leaf soft belt and looked somewhat intimidating. They brought news about Gu Ping. The moment Ergou heard Gu Ping's name, he felt an overwhelming excitement; he thought no one would remember such a small beggar like him. But here was someone who seemed to have status coming to find him and telling him that someone who had become an official needed his help. Ergou could hardly express his excitement; his face flushed as he nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Without even thinking it through, he agreed immediately. What did someone like him—a nameless beggar—have worth remembering? Ergou even felt a bit hopeful that he finally had some use; he wanted to shout out loud to tell everyone that he was useful now—that someone important sought his help.
But Ergou held back; he knew that Gu Ping must have sent someone to find him for a reason—it couldn't be something trivial—and it was best if fewer people knew about it. Ergou wasn't foolish; why would Gu Ping trust someone like him?
As Ergou watched the sunlight filtering through the sedan chair, he thought to himself that the sunlight outside must be beautiful. He longed to take a peek at it.
Just as Ergou was lost in his fantasies about the outside world, a sudden iron arrow pierced through the curtain of the sedan chair, grazing his ear. Startled, he recalled Gu Ping's warning before leaving:
"Remember, if anyone comes looking for me, give them the box on your left side inside the sedan. No matter who it is, just hand it over. There’s nothing valuable in there anyway. Just remember, don’t hesitate to give it to anyone who asks."
In a panic, Ergou fumbled around and knocked a box against the side of the sedan with a dull thud. Trembling, he pulled out the box, his body shaking as he clearly heard the sound of swords clashing outside. Each crisp metallic sound tightened his heart; he wished desperately for a place to hide, preferably a crack in the ground where no one could find him.
But fate was not on his side. With a loud crash, the sedan came to a halt, and Ergou tumbled out onto the ground. He rolled awkwardly for a moment before scrambling to grab the box and tried to run away. However, all around the Jinsha River was an expanse of Gobi desert—where could he escape? Before him lay the swirling sands of the Jinsha River. He skidded to a stop and landed hard on the ground.
Gasping for breath, as he contemplated running in the opposite direction, the sounds of shouting and killing suddenly ceased behind him. Hesitantly, he turned his head to look back and saw a group of warriors dressed in brocade robes wielding long swords standing behind him. Trembling, Ergou extended the box from between his legs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he stole glances at those warriors. Suddenly, they parted naturally, causing Ergou to fall back onto the ground in shock. His wide eyes were almost comically large; no normal person could have eyes that big. His mouth hung open as if it could fit an entire melon.
Ergou couldn’t discern any differences in their clothing, but from the path opened by the warriors emerged an elderly man being carried by eight people on a sedan chair. Ergou instinctively stepped back as the bearers lowered the chair. The old man held a cow's eye stone in his hand, turning it as he approached.
Watching that man step closer, Ergou stopped retreating because behind him lay the Jinsha River. He glanced back just in time to see a small stone drop into the river without even causing a ripple. Despair washed over him as he trembled and pointed at the box lying beside him.
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