News of war spreading through the city had only emerged over the past two or three days, yet the merchants seemed to have made an agreement among themselves and collectively raised their prices. Rice and other provisions were especially affected, with prices changing every day and each shop charging more than the last.
Earlier, when an epidemic had broken out around Yan Town, Duan Yan and Song Fengsui had witnessed the ensuing chaos firsthand. But they had been in only a small town then; no matter how disorderly things became, there were only so many people and shops. Now that they were in a county city, the sight of merchants wantonly raising prices and ordinary folk complaining bitterly and scrambling for food was far more shocking.
The county yamen had sent more constables to mediate the price disputes. Patrols on the streets had visibly increased as well, with officers everywhere arresting people who discussed or spread news of war breaking out elsewhere.
This did little to improve matters. If anything, it only made people even more anxious.
Duan Yan had no time to concern himself with such things. Before prices rose even higher, he hurriedly used the money on hand to purchase enough goods to fill seven carts. Then, without daring to delay, he led the group back.
Along the official road outside the city, the traveling merchants hauling goods all wore grim expressions. Perhaps it was merely their imagination, or perhaps the world truly had become more unsettled, but the merchants they encountered after leaving Fuyang City seemed far more subdued than those they had met on the way from the prefectural capital.
Duan Yan’s party dragged their heavy loads along, not one of them daring to call out for a rest. They kept their heads down, thinking only of bringing the goods safely back to town as quickly as possible.
After five or six days of continuous travel, they were nearing Kang County. The closer they drew to their own county, however, the quieter things became. Perhaps fewer merchants were traveling in and out of this area, so news did not spread. Everything still seemed just as it had before—peaceful and still.
Even so, no one dared relax for a moment. Although home was getting closer, the official road was becoming increasingly difficult to travel. To make matters worse, they ran into a stretch of unending winter rain. The road turned slick with mud, the livestock stumbled, and the carts overturned twice.
Whenever they reached a steep slope, the animals—worn down by days of travel—no longer had the strength to keep going. Even when whipped, they would not budge. The group had no choice but to climb down and use their own strength to push the carts, one by one, up the steep inclines.
The mud along the road reached past their calves. They were practically wading through a slurry, and by the end, every one of them was exhausted and disheveled.
That day, they finally entered Kang County’s territory, and everyone let out a slight sigh of relief.
They had eaten some dry rations at the relay station that morning. After several consecutive days of rain, the weather had at last cleared. Duan Yan’s party wanted to take advantage of the break and hurry onward. If they kept up this pace, they would reach town in another two days.
Song Fengsui sat inside one of the carts. The forests around Kang County were dense, and once winter arrived, the cold was truly biting.
He wrapped his clothes tightly around himself and lifted the curtain covering the cart window. Although it was no longer raining outside, the fog was extremely thick. The sky was dark and overcast, and anything more than a few feet away was impossible to make out—man and beast alike vanished into the gray.
The weather made him uneasy. It suddenly reminded him of the time he had gotten lost in the mountains. The fog had been just as thick then, the darkness pressing down from above. Though he had been following the road, it had felt as if he were walking straight into some nest of mist.
Duan Yan, riding atop his horse, was keeping a close eye on the road ahead. When he noticed that the curtain of the cart had been lifted a little, he urged his horse over.
“What is it? Are you feeling unwell?”
After several days of hurrying along with little rest, Song Fengsui’s face had grown visibly pale.
The weather was cold as well, and Duan Yan was worried that his body would not be able to withstand it. That was why he kept a constant eye on him.
Song Fengsui had been sitting in the cart for so long that his body had gone stiff. He had not slept well, and the uneven road had jolted his stomach until he felt nauseous. But he knew everyone was having a hard time and could not bring himself to be overly particular.
He shook his head lightly. “I’m fine. I just noticed that the fog is very thick.”
Duan Yan raised his head and glanced at the dense mist. He could more or less guess what Song Fengsui was thinking and reassured him, “We’re on the official road. As long as we stay on the main path and don’t take a wrong turn, we could make it home with our eyes closed.”
Song Fengsui smiled and gave a soft acknowledgment. Through the fog, he saw that Duan Yan’s cheeks looked somewhat cold and hard. The man’s expression was always calm, giving others a sense of security, but the pressure weighing on his shoulders was no small matter. He simply kept it buried in his own heart. Even his lips had begun to crack and peel.
Song Fengsui removed the waterskin from his waist and held it out. “It’s still warm. Have some.”
Duan Yan took the waterskin as instructed and raised it to his mouth for a sip. Before he could drink any more, a dull thud suddenly sounded from up ahead.
The noise was loud enough to startle an entire flock of birds from the woods.
“Big brother, this is bad! The goods have spilled!”
Hearing the shout, Duan Yan hurriedly handed the waterskin back to Song Fengsui and instructed him not to get down from the cart lest he dirty his shoes and socks. Then he tugged on the reins and rushed forward.
The horse pulling one of the carts had fallen flat on its back, all four legs in the air, its belly heaving as it panted. The cart had overturned as well, and the goods inside had spilled directly onto the road.
Duan Yan first hurried to check on Old Yang, who had been driving. Fortunately, the man had reacted quickly and jumped from the cart. Otherwise, he might have been thrown down and crushed beneath it.
Though he had avoided that fate, he had still injured his arm when he landed. A stone on the ground had torn through his skin, and blood was streaming down his arm, making the wound look frightening.
“Gou San’er, take Old Yang over to the young master’s cart and have the young master see whether the injury is serious.”
“The rest of you, get the horse back on its feet.”
“Gather the goods carefully. Don’t worry if they get muddy.”
Fortunately, when they had bought the tea earlier, they had taken the weather into account and spent extra money to have the goods prone to water damage wrapped in several layers of waterproof packaging. Otherwise, after such a spill, there would hardly have been anything worth salvaging by the time they reached home.
The whole group stopped the carts and hurried to clean everything up. Yet in the shifting fog, it constantly felt as though a few extra pairs of hands had joined them.
“Damn it! Who the hell are you?”
“Not good! Bandits!”
Amid the sudden commotion, several bandits had evidently taken advantage of the confusion to sneak in through the thick fog. Now that they had been discovered, a shout rang out from the forest:
“Brothers! Seize the goods!”
Immediately afterward, eight or nine men wielding swords poured out.
The fog obscured everything, and they could make out only several large gray shadows leaping onto the official road.
Seeing that the situation was going badly, Duan Yan twisted to the side and pulled a large saber from where it had been wedged inside a cargo cart. He then kicked two of the approaching bandits to the ground.
“You bunch of damned bastards are asking to die!”
At the sound of this, Tie Da also yanked a massive iron hammer from one of the cargo boxes. He brought it down on the men rushing toward him with two heavy blows.
In an instant, the scene dissolved into a chaotic brawl.
Song Fengsui had been inside the cart bandaging Old Yang’s wound, with Gou San’er helping him. Suddenly, they heard the commotion outside.
Shock flashed across all three of their faces.
“B-bandits are robbing the goods!” Old Yang’s injured arm trembled, and he could not hide the fear in his eyes.
With a single sweeping motion, Gou San’er rose and shielded Song Fengsui and Old Yang. Carefully, he used the knife at his waist to lift a corner of the curtain and peered outside.
All three people inside the cart saw shadowy figures shifting through the dense fog, like countless fierce giant cats leaping about with claws bared.
Suddenly, a burly man with a full beard charged straight toward the cart, cleaver raised high in his hand. Blood was visibly dripping from the blade.
Song Fengsui’s heart leaped into his throat. He hurriedly gripped the dagger at his waist, ready for whatever might come.
With a sharp crack, the cleaver hacked through the carriage curtain. The thick, razor-edged blade thrust inside, bringing with it a gust of air steeped in the stench of blood.
The three people in the carriage were scared out of their wits.
Song Fengsui’s heart nearly leaped from his chest. As he shrank back, he hurriedly pulled a packet of powder from the satchel slung across his body and flung it at the bandit, who had half climbed into the carriage to see whether he had killed anyone.
The powder struck the man squarely in his beard and eyes. He immediately let out a furious roar. “My eyes! My eyes!”
“Quick, get out!” Song Fengsui shouted.
Gou San’er helped Old Yang down from the carriage, and Song Fengsui followed close behind.
The powder had left the bandit’s eyes burning painfully. Where it had touched the skin beneath his beard, it caused an unbearable itching and stinging. Before long, both his eyes had reddened, and tears streamed from them.
It was even more tormenting than taking a knife wound. With one eye barely open, he spotted Song Fengsui sliding down from the carriage. Flying into a rage, he swung his cleaver at him.
Song Fengsui felt a gust of force sweep across his shoulder and back, so cold that it chilled him to the bone. For an instant, he nearly forgot how to breathe.
He had expected a dull, crushing pain, but before the blade could strike his thin body, a figure moved first and took the fatal blow for him.
Two heavy blades collided with a resounding impact that made one’s teeth ache and ears ring.
Duan Yan knocked the descending blade aside with the back of his hand, then followed with a kick that sent the bandit flying. Blood spread through the mud.
Although most of their party were strong, well-built men who knew some martial arts, when it came to fighting for their lives, how could they compare with bandits who made their living through robbery and murder?
Only Duan Yan and Tie Er—one swift and nimble, the other powerful and skilled in combat—could barely keep the situation under control.
That was why, even after Duan Yan dealt with one bandit, he had no time to comfort Song Fengsui. He hurriedly turned to meet another blade stabbing through the fog.
“Damn it! They’ve got reinforcements!”
Tie Da took a slash to the arm, flesh torn open and blood spraying. In fury, he brought his hammer down on the attacker, nearly crushing the bandit’s head.
He had no time to tend to his own wound. From within the fog, he suddenly saw six or seven more men climbing up from the forest.
“Big brother, how are we supposed to beat them?”
No matter how capable they were, they did not have three heads and six arms. Their strength would eventually run out. How could they withstand a whole swarm of bandits?
Seeing that things were going badly, Duan Yan quickly retreated until he was beside Song Fengsui. Then he scooped him up, set him onto the horse he had been riding, and mounted behind him.
He flicked the reins, and the horse galloped forward. The bandits tried to block their path, but Duan Yan swept his blades through them, forcing the horse out of the chaos.
“Sui Sui, follow the main road and keep running.”
Song Fengsui was pressed briefly against Duan Yan’s body. From his arms came a thick smell of blood, and for a moment Song Fengsui could not tell whether it belonged to Duan Yan or the bandits.
Before he could react, Duan Yan shoved the reins into his hands, then gripped his hand and squeezed it tightly. He gave Song Fengsui no chance to protest before leaping off the horse.
Song Fengsui hurriedly turned his head, but the horse was moving so fast that Duan Yan’s face soon vanished into the thick fog.
His nose stung, and his eyes abruptly reddened. “Duan Yan!”
“Catch the one who got away!”
A shout rang out from within the fog.
Duan Yan leveled his long saber. “First, let’s see whether you have what it takes to get past my blade.”
After sending Song Fengsui away, he felt somewhat less burdened. His gaze darkened as he raised his saber and charged straight at the bandits.
“Big brother, why does the air smell wrong? Could there be trouble up ahead?”
At that moment, a group was proceeding cautiously along the road behind them. The man leading the way sniffed the air from side to side, then called out uneasily to the men behind him.
“It’s just the fog. You’re always imagining things!”
Old Third Qian had his legs clamped around the horse’s belly. After scolding the man, he continued, “I’ve even brought along the big slaughtering knife this time. Those damn bastards had better have the nerve to show up again. Today, we’ll settle both old and new scores!”
As luck would have it, the people on the road were Old Third Qian and his men. Some time ago, he had hurriedly taken the money and passed through the checkpoint to purchase supplies. He had loaded five full carts with goods and was on his way back when, by sheer bad luck, he ran into a band of mountain bandits.
They had leaped out and robbed him on the spot.
At the time, he had only wanted to finish buying his supplies and had made little preparation. He had not dared fight the bandits, and to save his life he could only flee, leaving all his goods to fill the bandits’ pockets. It had infuriated him beyond words.
Recently, many merchants from the town had been coming and going to purchase supplies. The formerly desolate road had grown lively, which had apparently led those cowardly hermits hiding in the deep mountains to crawl out at the first scent of business.
Old Third Qian was not the only one who had been robbed. Several other merchants had fallen victim as well.
When the authorities heard the merchants’ reports, they organized constables to patrol and stand guard along the route. Otherwise, the merchants would hardly have dared leave town to buy supplies again.
Old Third Qian still couldn’t stop thinking about the goods he had lost. Two thousand silver taels’ worth of merchandise—who wouldn’t feel a stab of pain over that?
“Big brother! Big brother! Something’s definitely wrong. It sounds like there’s fighting up ahead!”
The man who had been scouting the road came galloping back, shouting loudly enough for everyone in the group to hear.
Butchers had exceptionally keen noses. As they drew nearer, they too began to catch the faint scent of blood in the air.
“Should we take a detour, big brother?”
Old Third Qian cursed. “The carts are on the road. Where are we supposed to detour?”
“Grab your weapons and go take a look. If it’s that same pack of bastards from last time, we’ll butcher them like pigs today!”
At Old Third Qian’s command, the entire group charged forward in a flurry.
Old Third Qian rode at the front. From far away, he saw a tall figure in the gray-white fog, wielding a long cleaver like a whirlwind. The men rushing to surround him either fell beneath his blade or were sent staggering by his fists and feet.
Their screams rang out one after another.
He immediately slowed his horse. Whoever was fighting with such savage efficiency was clearly no ordinary man. Charging in recklessly might well cost them their lives.
But before he could decide, the men behind him—whom he had just roused into action—charged forward with their knives raised, unaware of the danger. He had no time to call them back.
Old Third Qian had no choice but to spur his horse after them.
Once he drew closer, he let out a startled cry.
Why, the man entangled in combat with the bandits was none other than Duan Yan!
Old Third Qian spat and cursed. “If I’d known it was you, brat, I wouldn’t have come even if I’d been sleeping right in front of you.”
No sooner had he spoken than one of the men shouted, “Big brother, it’s the Bearded Man—the same bunch who robbed our goods before!”
Old Third Qian’s expression changed. All thoughts of his grudges with Duan Yan vanished at once. He called out to his men, intending to use this opportunity to recover the goods they had lost.
This time, the blacksmiths from Rock Town and the butchers had gathered together, bringing all their strongest men to strike at the mountain bandits.
As more people joined the fight, Duan Yan and his men finally had a chance to catch their breath. But the bandits were no pushovers. They fought with brutal, reckless abandon, and even with Third Son Qian and his men joining them, neither side could gain the upper hand.
The standoff lasted for roughly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Then the sound of galloping horses rang out from the direction of Yan Town, the clear cry cutting through the fog:
“How dare you bandits come out in broad daylight to rob people!”
“The constables are here! The constables are here!”
Someone shouted.
The bandits panicked at once. With the arrival of the authorities, Duan Yan and Old Third Qian’s men were able to hold their ground. Seeing that the situation had turned against them, the bandits who could still run darted into the woods and scattered in every direction.
Everyone chased after them, but the bandits had lived in the mountains for years. Once they entered the forest, they moved as nimbly as mountain monkeys. With the fog so thick, it was nearly impossible to catch them.
The constables joined the search, but after scouring the woods, they failed to capture even one.
With so many people gathered, the scene was a complete mess. Goods lay scattered all over the road, mingled with blood and bodies, while the fog made everything look even more ghastly.
Holding his butcher’s knife, Old Third Qian was furious that he had failed to catch the Bearded Man. When he saw Duan Yan, who had also chased into the woods, the two men met each other’s eyes and exchanged equally disdainful looks.
“I think you did that on purpose! You were so capable just now—you could take on three or four men at once. You could clearly have brought the Bearded Man down with a single stroke, yet you deliberately let him get away! You did it because you didn’t want my goods back!”
Duan Yan could not hold back any longer and cursed at him. “Who was the one shouting for me to keep him alive just now? You made it sound as though that bandit with the beard was a relative of yours and you couldn’t bear to see him killed. If you hadn’t kept yapping, would he have gotten away today?!”
“Hey, who the hell would have a damn mountain bandit for a relative? Don’t you—”
Third Son Qian was raising his voice to curse back when, at the height of his anger, he suddenly saw a hurried figure rush into Duan Yan’s arms.
Song Fengsui had stepped over corpses and pushed past one person after another, yet he had been unable to find any sign of Duan Yan. His heart had nearly sunk to the bottom of an icy lake.
After searching in several places, he entered the woods and finally spotted two figures standing there, arguing furiously. He was both overjoyed and angry.
Duan Yan froze for a moment before quickly wrapping his arms around him in return. Only after seeing that Song Fengsui was safe and sound did the taut string in his heart finally relax.
He had been afraid that the bandits who escaped might accidentally run into Song Fengsui, which was why he had wanted to wipe them all out.
Duan Yan hurriedly looked Song Fengsui up and down. “Why did you come back? Are you hurt?”
Song Fengsui took two breaths before answering, “I rode along the main road for a while and ran into a patrol from the local constabulary. I explained the situation to them, and we hurried here together.”
He looked at Duan Yan, whose body was covered in blood. Song Fengsui himself had not been injured, though he had been badly frightened. Meanwhile, this fool was a complete mess, his clothes slashed open by the bandits.
“Don’t stand here any longer. Let me look at your wounds. Just look at you…”
Song Fengsui lifted Duan Yan’s arm and saw that it was covered in blood. His eyes reddened again.
Duan Yan comforted him. “It’s all right now. It’s all right. The wounds aren’t serious.”
With that, the two of them supported each other as they made their way back to the main road.
Old Third Qian, who had been completely forgotten and treated like air, watched the couple share such a tender reunion. All he could do was awkwardly rub his nose. The fire in his belly had also been extinguished, and he limped back to the road in a disgruntled silence.
Both sides had suffered heavy losses in the dangerous ambush. No one knew exactly how many bandits had been lying in wait—the fog had been too thick and the battle too chaotic—but six of them had died. Three others had been seriously wounded and captured. When questioned about the location of their hideout, the men clamped their mouths shut and refused to answer, so they were first taken back to the constabulary for interrogation.
Among Duan Yan’s group, two had died and three had been seriously wounded. Everyone else had suffered injuries of varying severity. Old Third Qian’s men had arrived late, but they had still lost one man, and not a single person had escaped unhurt.
As everyone cleaned up the aftermath, their spirits were heavy.
If Duan Yan and Tie Da had not fought desperately to hold the line, they would never have lasted until Old Third Qian and his men arrived to support them. The entire group of more than ten people might well have died beneath the bandits’ blades.
But no matter what, they had still lost companions in the ambush.
Duan Yan’s entire body was wrapped in bandages. He had more than ten knife wounds, some so deep that the bone was nearly visible. Song Fengsui’s heart had twisted painfully while stitching them closed.
Yet compared with the injuries on his body, Duan Yan found the weight of repression and guilt in his heart even more difficult to bear.
His expression was grim, and on the journey back, he hardly spoke at all.
