A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Splendid, Jacob Mooe, Varun Madhu, Mp Gaming, Gonzalo Sumalavia, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, ZaberZ, Jose Sierra, Salim, Silver, ManyEB, Александр Радняный, John Doe, Kyle Bates, Acedia.
You can read 50 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
Though it was late afternoon, with the sun dipping westward—an inopportune time for military action—Fei Qian's camp in the southwest suburbs of Anyi bustled with activity. After a chaotic gathering, a general-like figure led a large contingent of troops eastward, leaving only a small number of soldiers behind in the camp.
Atop the city wall, the junhou watched unblinkingly as the troops departed. Only when the clamor faded and the dust settled did he turn to ask, "Heizi, did you count them?"
"Count what?" Heizi blinked, puzzled.
The junhou swatted Heizi, making him stumble. "You fool! Didn't I tell you to count with me?" He raised his hand to deliver another smack for good measure.
"I counted! I counted!" Heizi yelped, rubbing his head and dodging the junhou's hand.
"Then how many?" the junhou demanded.
"Uh… well…" Heizi scratched his head, struggling, then blurted, "Second Uncle, I forgot! Don't hit me! It's 'cause you smacked me that I forgot!"
"You idiot!" The junhou chased after him, landing several slaps on the back of Heizi's head before calming down. Sighing, he said, "All you do is eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Can't you make something of yourself? I told you to learn to count, but you don't use your brain! If it weren't for your late mother, who'd bother with you? You're gonna give me a heart attack!"
Heizi, still rubbing his head, grinned ingratiatingly and sidled closer. "I've got you, Second Uncle!"
"Your Second Uncle's getting old!" The junhou shot him a sidelong glance, restraining himself from another smack. He turned and headed down the wall, muttering, "You're not a kid anymore. After this job, with some money, we'll find you a wife to carry on the family line. Otherwise, how'll I face your mother in the afterlife…?"
Heizi followed, grinning. "Second Uncle, that widow from the Guan family in the south alley's not bad. Big hips, sturdy waist, big chest—a fine piece of land…"
The junhou grunted, then swatted Heizi's head again. "You rascal! Already sneaking around, huh? Can't learn anything useful, but you're quick to climb walls!"
---
Night fell, and silence enveloped the surroundings.
Suddenly, faint noises stirred on Anyi's west wall. Shadows moved along the ramparts, and several figures were lowered in baskets to the ground below. They swiftly crossed the open space outside the wall and vanished into the roadside woods. The wall fell quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
A short while later, a dark figure slid down from a tree near the wall, moving stealthily along the shadowed roadside toward Fei Qian's camp.
Fei Qian's camp, in the southwest suburbs, faced the main road, with a large area cleared for drilling soldiers. Behind the camp lay a forest, though trees within a hundred paces had been felled, leaving only scattered stumps.
With most of the soldiers gone, the camp was eerily quiet at night.
Only a few torches flickered in the camp, lonely specks of light in the darkness.
Perhaps due to the reduced garrison or a slacking watchman, the lookout tower remained unmanned long after the guard descended…
The junhou in the woods frowned, sensing something amiss. Yet the camp's open gate was like succulent meat, radiating temptation.
The camp's rear was silent. The junhou listened carefully, hearing no sound. He glanced at Heizi, whispered, "Follow me," and, gritting his teeth, signaled his men. Crouching low, he led them out of the woods toward the camp.
Just as they emerged and approached the camp, a deafening roar erupted from within. A massive fire blazed skyward, staining the night blood-red.
"Who the hell started that fire?!" The junhou was dumbfounded. They hadn't even reached the camp, hadn't made a move, yet the fire was already raging?
Suddenly, a dozen torches were hurled from the camp, illuminating the junhou and his men on the open ground.
In the firelight, figures could be seen drawing bows, their arrowheads glinting like the fangs of a feral beast.
"Ambush! We've been tricked!" The junhou sprang up—not to charge forward, but to grab Heizi and run back toward the woods, hoping to escape.
"Quick! Quick!" The junhou angled his body, pushing Heizi while wildly swinging his ring-handled saber behind him, trying to deflect arrows from the darkness.
Heizi, running, heard a muffled grunt. The hand on his back went limp and fell away…
Turning back in the firelight, he saw the junhou collapsed on the ground, a white-feathered arrow protruding from his back, like the soul-summoning poles used in funeral processions…
"Second Uncle!"
Heizi doubled back, dropping beside the junhou. Desperately, he dragged him, stumbling toward the woods. He knew if they reached the trees, pursuit would be unlikely, offering a chance at survival.
Arrows whistled like soul-reaping ghosts. Men around him screamed, struck down. Heizi, gasping like a sprinting wild dog, ignored everything and plunged into the forest…
In the darkness, with a thud, Heizi tripped over a root or vine, sending both men crashing to the ground. Ignoring his own pain, he scrambled to prop the junhou against himself, hoping to ease his uncle's suffering.
The junhou leaned heavily on Heizi, gasping with difficulty, coughing up bloody foam. He touched his chest, where the arrowhead had pierced through. "Heizi… cough… this wound's fatal… don't bother with me… go!"
Heizi, tears streaming, shook his head fiercely, biting his lip to stifle sobs, as if crying would make his uncle truly leave.
"No… cough… no…" The junhou coughed more blood, pulled a small money pouch from his chest, and pressed it into Heizi's hand. "Go… don't go back to the city… head north… find a mountain village with Han folk… cough… say you escaped from the Hu… don't be a soldier anymore… this… world…"
His voice grew fainter. He raised a hand, as if to touch Heizi one last time or push him away, but it fell limp halfway, hitting the ground with a crack, like something collapsing…