Song Fengsui saw through the reason for Duan Yan’s silence along the way. Once they returned to the town, he accompanied him to the homes of those who had died, delivering condolences. Wherever comfort was needed, he offered it; wherever compensation was appropriate, he provided it.
They did everything they could to make the best possible arrangements. Only then did Duan Yan’s spirits improve somewhat.
The goods had been brought back to town in several successive shipments. Fortunately, this was the final batch. The salt, medicinal herbs, and miscellaneous supplies they had previously entrusted to the escort agency had all arrived safely and been stored in the warehouses.
Duan Yan checked the figures in the account books twice and found no discrepancies. Seeing that the warehouses at the estate and the shops were nearly crammed full, he finally felt a little more at ease.
They had left through the pass at the end of September. After all the twists and turns of the journey, nearly two months had passed before they knew it.
They had already been exhausted by the arduous trip, but after returning to town, Duan Yan had immediately thrown himself into arranging funerals for his men. He had barely had a moment to catch his breath.
Near noon that day, he rode back to the residence from the countryside. His body felt heavy, and his head was throbbing.
The moment Song Fengsui saw him, he grabbed him and dragged him inside. He checked his temperature, felt his pulse, and then stripped off his clothes. Sure enough, the wounds on Duan Yan’s body were badly swollen and had merged into one inflamed patch. They had become infected.
“You simply refuse to stop, don’t you? After the funerals were over, I told you to stay home and rest for a few days to recover. Yet the moment my back was turned, you ran out again. The wound is on your back—did you think your eyes grew on the back of your head? You didn’t even realize it had become inflamed and infected!”
Song Fengsui carefully cleaned and treated the wound. The more he looked at the broad, angry gash, the more distressed—and furious—he became. He could not help scolding him.
“So now your head finally hurts. If you keep forcing yourself, one day you’ll collapse in a ditch before you realize how serious this is.”
“How long has it been since your body last recovered? Have you already forgotten everything you suffered before?”
Duan Yan sat heavily in the chair, head drooping as he let Song Fengsui berate him. After a while, he picked up a cup of tea from the table and offered it to him, apparently afraid that Song Fengsui would talk himself hoarse.
Song Fengsui did not take it. Instead, he pulled the bandage a little tighter.
“Ah—ah! Doctor, spare my life!”
Duan Yan hastily caught his hand. “I’ve heard you. I won’t go wandering around anymore. Once you say I’m fit to move about, I’ll leave the house again, all right?”
Only then did the cold expression on Song Fengsui’s small face soften. He lightened his touch and continued wrapping the wound.
“I know there are still many things that need handling, but don’t we still have Father and Second Uncle? You’ve suffered such serious injuries. If you don’t take proper care of yourself now, what are you going to do with all the long years ahead?”
“After what happened with the bandits, I truly haven’t been in a good state of mind,” Duan Yan admitted. “That’s why I kept trying to think of every possibility, hoping to protect the families of those who died as much as I could. They gave up their lives to accompany us on that journey. I couldn’t let their sacrifice be for nothing.”
He acknowledged his mistake. “But you’re right. If I don’t heal properly now, there are still many years ahead of us.”
Song Fengsui sat down beside him. He had only been worried about him; he had never truly wanted to remain angry.
He fetched a clean undershirt and gently helped Duan Yan put it on. “As long as you understand.”
Hearing the faintly petulant note in his voice, Duan Yan stared at him.
It was winter, and Song Fengsui was bundled up in thick clothing. The layers made his body look a full size larger, which only made his small face appear even more delicate.
They were sitting close together. The smell of medicine mingled with his cool, clean scent, making it seem as though the two of them were engaged in some intimate contact.
Although Duan Yan had suffered only flesh wounds, they did not prevent his body from reacting normally. In particular, Song Fengsui’s slightly icy hands sliding over skin that was hotter than usual from the inflammation felt unmistakably like a piece of cool ice placed into a blazing fire.
Song Fengsui lifted his eyes and found Duan Yan staring at him without moving. The light in his gaze seemed even more scorching than the heat radiating from his feverish body.
Song Fengsui drew back slightly, then raised his chin and suddenly leaned toward him.
Duan Yan had been rushing from place to place and had used little water over the past two days. With the fever as well, his lips were dry—and hot.
That was what Song Fengsui thought.
He slowly lowered his chin again. He had only meant to offer Duan Yan some comfort after his injuries, whether for the wounds on his body or those in his heart.
Whatever happened, he would be there with him.
For a moment, Duan Yan’s mind went completely blank. Only after that warm, soft sensation disappeared did he belatedly come back to himself.
He had nearly forgotten to breathe, while his heart pounded like a drum. Acting on instinct, he seized Song Fengsui around his supple waist, leaned forward, and reclaimed that exquisite sensation he had never experienced before.
Song Fengsui was afraid of the cold, so he had shut all the doors and windows. The room fell utterly silent, with no sound of conversation.
Yet within that silence, the air seemed almost to boil.
“Duan… Duan Yan…”
Amid that tentative yet intoxicating contact, Song Fengsui finally could not help pushing at the man who seemed intent on devouring him whole.
Duan Yan had more or less lost his reason, but he still cared deeply about Song Fengsui’s feelings. When he felt the resistance in that push, he was reluctant to stop, yet he halted at once.
Seeing Song Fengsui’s brows drawn together, he worried that his eagerness had made the other man feel pressured or angry, and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”
Song Fengsui’s ears instantly grew hot. What kind of foolish question was that?
He pressed his lips together and voiced his complaint. “What a hateful man you are. I couldn’t breathe.”
Anyone else might have been able to go half a day without breathing as Duan Yan did. With a body as sturdy as an ox’s, he naturally had no trouble. But Song Fengsui was frail and slender—how could he possibly keep up?
Duan Yan saw that his jade-pale face had indeed flushed from a lack of air. He felt both embarrassed and guilty.
“Don’t be angry. I’ve never done this before, so I’m lacking in experience.”
Song Fengsui lowered his eyes slightly. Duan Yan certainly knew how to say sweet things to get his way.
Seeing that Song Fengsui did not speak and was no longer frowning as tightly, Duan Yan took his hand and tugged him closer.
Song Fengsui’s head was still dizzy, and without realizing it, he ended up sitting in Duan Yan’s lap. Leaning against Duan Yan’s shoulder, he only had to turn his head slightly for his lips to brush against Duan Yan’s neck.
And that was exactly what he did.
How could Duan Yan withstand such an invitation? He lifted Song Fengsui’s chin, lowered his head, and kissed him again.
Song Fengsui reclined halfway in his arms. After a moment, he raised his arms and embraced Duan Yan’s neck. In that position, breathing was much easier.
He returned Duan Yan’s kiss as well. This way was far more comfortable than before.
The two of them spent the next three or four days at home, ostensibly recuperating, but mostly clinging to each other and barely leaving the residence.
Then, one day, Lin Er came to report that nearly half a month had passed since they had given Nine-Beard the deposit, yet they had not received the slightest news.
Although the agreement stated that the second shipment of salt was to be delivered to Kang County before the New Year, and there was still plenty of time, the continued silence left him uncertain.
Duan Yan told Lin Er to be patient and wait a little longer. If there was still no news by then, they could make other arrangements. With the situation outside growing chaotic and the roads sealed off, it was only natural that the transport of illicit salt had ground to a halt.
Kang County was isolated, and news traveled slowly. Though things appeared calm on the surface, no one knew how thoroughly the north and south had already descended into chaos.
With Song Fengsui’s permission, Duan Yan had gone out to the office to see how the bandits captured earlier were faring under interrogation.
Song Wushen and Tax Officer Qin both knew that Duan Yan had been injured in the encounter with the bandits. Since he had been recuperating at home, they had deliberately refrained from troubling him with any news, wanting him to take proper care of himself.
Now that he had returned to the office, they naturally asked about his condition again. After learning that he had recovered well, they told him about the various troublesome matters that had arisen there in recent days.
As for Song Wushen, he had sent out a covert message long ago to investigate what sort of person the next garrison magistrate would be. Only after much difficulty had news finally arrived—and it was not good. The new magistrate was being transferred from the east. He was neither one of the Song family’s people nor an acquaintance of Tax Officer Qin’s.
With communications currently blocked, it was difficult to determine whether this man was an agent of their political enemies or simply an outsider with no ties to anyone.
If he proved hostile, they would have to make preparations in advance and deal with him before he arrived. But if he was merely an outsider who knew nothing of the local situation, then it would be difficult to take action against him so readily.
It had taken Song Wushen considerable effort to bring the town office fully under his control and unite it with Tax Officer Qin. Matters of administration, mobilization, and the assignment of personnel could all be decided by the two of them. Naturally, neither was willing to let someone with a thirst for power interfere at such a critical juncture.
That was one troublesome matter. As for the several bandits they had captured, their mouths had been remarkably hard. After several days of torture, they had finally confessed to some of the truth.
They were discussing this very matter when Third Son Qian also hurried to the office, specifically to ask about the interrogation. Several of his carts of goods had fallen into the bandits’ hands, and now that they had finally captured some of the culprits alive, he was desperate to learn where his cargo was so he could recover it.
He had also made a circuit outside Kang County and heard some disturbing news. Having realized how important food and supplies had become, he was now as anxious as if his backside were on fire.
Since he had come in person and had also contributed to the fight against the bandits, Song Wushen, Tax Officer Qin, and Duan Yan tacitly refrained from discussing any sensitive matters in his presence and spoke only of the bandits.
“Though the bandits were hiding in the mountains, they knew quite a bit about what was happening. Those poisonous vermin had already caught wind of the chaos outside and intended to fill their own storehouses during the autumn months. When they saw merchants repeatedly traveling in and out of our town, they set their sights on our roads and lay in ambush to rob them.”
Tax Officer Qin felt deeply ashamed as he spoke. When Song Wushen had first told him that the world was in turmoil, Qin had still harbored some doubts. After all, he had heard it from Song Wushen alone and had never personally confirmed the news. He had feared that Song Wushen might have ulterior motives and be using the disorder as an excuse to pursue his own private agenda.
But when the same information had been pried from the bandits’ mouths, he had been both shocked and secretly relieved.
Fortunately, he had listened to Song Wushen and had not obstructed his proposals. He had even hurriedly sent word to his family, telling them to come to Yan Town for refuge.
Otherwise, by the time they learned of the war in a remote mountain hollow like this, the fighting would likely already have reached Qianzhou, and the roads around Kang County would have been sealed off. How difficult would things have been then? Thankfully, they had made preparations ahead of time and stockpiled some food. Even if the surrounding roads were all closed, they would not be thrown into quite such a panic.
“Those vermin were stubborn, but in the end they could not withstand the instruments of torture. They have already revealed the location of one of their hideouts near Kang County.”
“Then what are we waiting for? I’ve gathered my men. We’ll sneak over there and wipe them out in one stroke!”
Third Son Qian spoke with his tongue thick from anger. “A bunch of damned scum! They swallowed up so much of our town’s cargo, and while we’re the ones suffering losses, they’re stuffing themselves full!”
Duan Yan glanced at the arm Third Son Qian still had slung across his chest in a bandage and said flatly, “How many bandits can you fight with one arm? Your mouth is certainly doing more work than your hands.”
“If it were your cargo that had been lost, I’d like to see whether you’d still be this calm. You’re standing there talking as though it costs you nothing.”
Third Son Qian glared at Duan Yan. “Setting everything else in Qianzhou aside, the mountain bandits are notorious for being both numerous and vicious. Now that the world outside has fallen into chaos, once the roads are cut off and the passes sealed, those damned men won’t merely lie in wait along the roads. They’ll come straight for the town!”
“They know we’ve stored food and supplies here. They’re bound to be watching us like a fat piece of meat. Now that we know where their hideout is, if we don’t strike while the iron is hot and wipe them out, we’ll be leaving behind a grave danger.”
Duan Yan, however, was not roused to action by Third Son Qian’s words. Having already crossed blades with the bandits, he remained clearheaded.
“When they came to rob us that day, did you not see how sharp their blades were and how well supplied they were with weapons? Every one of them was trained in combat, and their attacks were vicious beyond measure. They were there to take lives. Not one showed the slightest mercy.”
“There were fewer of them than the combined forces of your group and mine, yet we still gained little advantage once the fighting began. If the constables from the office had not arrived in time, we don’t know how heavy our losses would have been.”
“Remember, the men we sent into the fight were the best fighters our town had to offer. In an ordinary small place, those with any real skill and the courage to wield a blade are usually butchers, who kill livestock for a living; blacksmiths, who handle weapons often; or hunters, who depend on the mountains for their livelihood.”
Duan Yan drew his brows tightly together. “We sent our strongest men against those bandits, and we fought them on an open main road. Even then, we barely came away the better for it. Now, even if we know the location of their hideout, do you really think they’ll be foolish enough to sit there unprepared and wait for us to capture them? Once we enter the mountains and the forest, are you certain we can outfight a band of bandits as sly as mountain monkeys?”
Duan Yan’s words extinguished Third Son Qian’s enthusiasm. He calmed down and thought it over carefully. The battle with the bandits still made his heart pound whenever he recalled it.
To be fair, it had taken all of Duan Yan’s impressive skill just to secure a barely stable outcome. By the end of the clash, their best fighters had been wounded or killed, and the thought of it weighed heavily on everyone.
If they had to fight another battle, even with the constables present, what use would those men be? Everyone knew what sort of people worked in the office. They relied on the authority of the law and the reputation of the government to intimidate others, but in a real fight with live steel, most of them were little more than useless weaklings—indeed, less capable than the brothers under his own command.
He cast a sidelong glance at Duan Yan. He had to admit that Duan Yan had considered the matter more thoroughly. He asked, “Then what do you suggest we do?”
Tax Officer Qin listened from the side, afraid that the two young men might start wrestling again if they disagreed. Fortunately, they argued with words alone and did not come to blows.
Song Wushen had remained composed and silent all along, listening as everyone offered their opinions. Only when they finally asked for a solution did he speak.
“We must pool our wisdom and deliberate carefully. The peace of the town from this point onward will depend on all of us watching over it together.”
“You both have a point. Bandits are indeed a scourge. Even if the fighting doesn’t reach us, those vicious men could easily attack the peaceful folk of Pinghan. Sooner or later, their presence will threaten the town’s safety.”
“But Xiao Duan has thought this through as well. With the town’s current weapons and manpower, how could we possibly fight the bandits head-on?”
Song Wushen said, “In my opinion, to be safe, we should report the bandit problem to the county and have the county send troops to suppress them.”
Third Son Qian thought to himself that if the county authorities were competent, the bandits around Kang County would never have been allowed to run rampant in the first place.
But how could he say that in the government office? Even without him voicing it, everyone knew it perfectly well.
Still, given their current military strength, there truly was no better option. They couldn’t simply lead people out to throw their lives away when they lacked the ability to win. Everyone had parents who had raised them, after all.
Tax Officer Qin said, “Lord Song is quite right. We’ll make arrangements for the bandits as you suggested.”
“Now that we have some grain and fodder secured, we needn’t fear the pass being closed for the time being. Our most urgent task is to recruit men and train them as soldiers, so we can build up the town’s defenses.”
Duan Yan said, “It’s one thing that we lack the strength to suppress the bandits this time, but we can’t remain powerless forever. If we don’t prepare now, then when the bandits come to raid and slaughter us, we’ll have no means of resistance and can only wait to be butchered.”
Song Wushen and Tax Officer Qin both nodded solemnly.
After a pause, Tax Officer Qin looked up and said, “Xiao Duan, you’ll take charge of this matter. Qian Saner, you’ll assist him.”
Both men understood the importance of the task and showed no intention of shirking their responsibilities.
Still, upon hearing that they would have to work together, they couldn’t help feeling a twist in their guts. In an eerily tacit display of mutual distaste, they glanced at each other.
For the sake of the future, Duan Yan did his best to remain calm as he said to Third Son Qian, “Spread the word. We need to smoke and preserve more meat for storage.”
Third Son Qian thought, As if I need you to tell me that. But he held his tongue and said instead, “How am I supposed to preserve that much meat without you giving me salt?”
“Take some money to Lin Er at the grain shop. He’ll know what to give you.”
Third Son Qian’s eyes widened. “I never knew you were such a miser!”
Duan Yan said, “Who gets to take supplies without paying? You’d better curb that bully’s habit of yours.”
Third Son Qian nodded. “Fine. When the meat’s smoked, don’t expect to get any of it.”
Duan Yan’s brow tightened slightly as he realized that Third Son Qian had meant for them to share their resources.
He coughed awkwardly and tried to make amends. “The money for the salt was borrowed by my father. You and your father mocked him plenty over it back in the village, so don’t think I didn’t hear about it just because I was out beyond the pass.”
Third Son Qian glanced away uneasily, then shamelessly retorted, “Enough with all that nonsense. The goods that were seized before were bought with my father’s coffin money too.”
The two exchanged a pair of eye-rolls. In the end, Duan Yan brought out two hundred jin of sea salt, while Third Son Qian provided several dozen chickens, ducks, and rabbits. The meat was slaughtered, salted, and smoked, then stored in Little Wild Goose Village.
The people of the town learned that the outside world had fallen into complete chaos because Duan Yan had sent someone to Kang County to check on their second shipment of contraband salt and, while there, inquire about the new garrison magistrate.
Unexpectedly, the trip brought no news of the salt. Instead, they heard the shocking news that the garrison magistrate had died on the eastern road.
The new garrison magistrate had come from the east, where the Qin family’s rebel army was locked in fierce fighting with the local authorities. Bandits and thieves ran rampant throughout the region. As the magistrate traveled to take up his post, the great number of carts, horses, and belongings he brought attracted the attention of bandits amid the chaos. They had cut off his head and stolen everything he had.
Nor was this the only incident of an appointed official being killed. With forces rising in rebellion everywhere, those opposing the imperial court specifically targeted officials as acts of defiance.
When the news reached Kang County, the county magistrate was scared half to death. He had also been due for a transfer to a post in the north, but because the distance was not particularly great, he had delayed his departure. Now that he knew what had happened, how could he possibly dare leave the pass?
Many of the provinces beyond Qianzhou had already severed their roads and lines of communication. Countless travelers from other regions were stranded in Qianzhou, while those who had gone to other prefectures could no longer return.
Duan Yan’s salt was supposed to come from Shu, but this shipment was now hopeless. The hundred taels of silver he had paid the salt smugglers had gone to waste.
The money was one thing. In times of war, paper currency was worthless; what mattered was supplies. With the roads blocked, the most infuriating problem was their salt. They had already stockpiled quite a lot, but nowhere near enough to let them rest easy.
Just as Duan Yan was fuming, the situation took a turn for the better.
Tax Officer Qin’s family had received his earlier message. Though he had not dared mention the coming war openly in the letter, fearing that it might fall into the wrong hands and cause a major disaster, the unusual nature of the letter had nevertheless alerted his family that something was wrong. They hurriedly gathered their valuables and set out to join him.
As mentioned before, Tax Officer Qin’s wife’s elder brother was in the salt trade. He traveled widely and had access to well-informed sources. Even before the family received Qin’s letter, he had already heard one or two rumors. Afterward, having seen the letter, his brother-in-law immediately decided to bring the entire family to seek refuge with Tax Officer Qin.
When they came, the whole extended family left behind their fine clothes and beautiful possessions, emptied their trunks, and used them to transport a full ten yin of salt.
Tax Officer Qin entrusted Duan Yan with leading men to meet them beyond the pass and protect them along the dangerous roads. He remained trembling with fear until he saw the entire family arrive safely, at which point his heart finally settled back into his chest.
Duan Yan, meanwhile, breathed a long sigh of relief at the salt brought by the Qin family. With the supplies gathered from all sides, there was now enough to cover the town’s needs for several years.
News of the war outside reached Kang County and was carried back to the town by merchants who had gone out to purchase goods. In an instant, the people of the entire town were plunged into unprecedented panic.
Within two or three days, news of the war blew into every household on the cold winter winds. Even the farmers in the villages learned of the chaos beyond their borders. Their fear was no less than it had been during the earlier outbreak of disease.
At this critical juncture, Song Wushen and Tax Officer Qin stepped forward to reassure the people. They ordered merchants and ordinary residents not to enter or leave the town unless absolutely necessary, sealed every passage through the town’s defenses with an iron fist, and strictly maintained order.
These measures won them considerable popular support.
The garrison magistrate had died outside, while the county magistrate, who had also been due for a transfer, was barely able to look after himself. The imperial court was in complete disarray, and no one had the time or energy to concern themselves with a remote little town.
From then on, until the war ended and peace returned to the realm, Rock Town would likely remain beyond the court’s control.
In other words, Qin Cheng and Song Wushen took full charge of every affair in Rock Town and became its true leaders.
For the next several years, Rock Town shut its gates and lived in isolation.
The realm was fractured and engulfed in war. Then came several consecutive years of bitter famine. Under such a lethal combination of upheaval and natural disaster, Rock Town nevertheless became, through the united efforts and leadership of Duan Yan and the other leading figures, something close to a peaceful paradise apart from the world.
Naturally, that was all still to come.
