South of Taihe City, crossing dozens of li of plains, lay the fief belonging to Prince Bai Feng Ze Sheng. The blue sky was cloudless, with the morning sun shining down unobstructed.
At the foot of the mountain not far from the dye house, a small town had formed from stone dwellings built against the mountain and beside the water. Past the town’s main street, the dwellings grew sparse, scattered across the hillside.
Opposite the back hall of Prince Bai’s temporary palace, in a hollow of the mountain peak, stood a simple stone courtyard – this was Hunter Han Fourth Father’s home. At this moment, violent coughing sounds emerged from the crude kitchen in the east room.
With a crash, the kitchen’s crude wooden door fell to the ground, and a man and woman rushed out amid thick smoke.
Both were coughing heavily from the smoke, unable to straighten their backs from discomfort.
“Brother Fourteen, have some water!” The woman took up a gourd ladle and scooped water from the vat to hand to him.
The man pushed the water ladle back to her, took several deep breaths, and smiled, “Seventh Miss, you drink first, I’m much better.”
“It’s Seventh Miss’s fault… wuu wuu…”
As she spoke, she began wiping tears, her smoke-stained face instantly becoming like an ink painting. Her hand holding the gourd ladle trembled, spilling water everywhere.
The man quickly took it from her, but instead of drinking, he placed the ladle on the water vat and held her hand, saying softly, “My Seventh Miss is the best! Let’s clean your face, you’ve become like a painted cat.”
The woman was deeply moved but pulled her hand away, stubbornly saying, “I won’t wash. I refuse to believe I can’t cook properly today!” She turned to head back into the kitchen.
The back courtyard’s small door was pushed open, and Jing Yuan Yang, wearing a blue short-collared shirt and black loose pants, entered carrying water on a shoulder pole. Looking up to see smoke billowing from the kitchen, he couldn’t help but furrow his handsome brows as he picked up a bucket of water and walked over.
“Hiss—” A whole bucket of water was poured into the stove. The icy spring water from the mountain stream hit the still-burning firewood, creating a hissing sound as blue smoke rose straight up. Water mixed with black soot flowed out from the stove. The already crude kitchen became a mess of dirty water.
For Seventh Miss Niu, who wanted to cook a good meal, trying to light a fire in the wet stove had become an almost impossible task. She pointed at Jing Yuan Yang and shouted angrily, “Third Young Master Yang, what are you doing?”
Yang Jing Yuan stood in the courtyard and raised his head to look at the roof when he heard her.
What was he looking at? Was there a bird flying to the roof? The simple-minded Seventh Miss Niu forgot her anger and instinctively stood on tiptoe to look at the roof.
“Do you know why you and Fourteen Sang were suffering from smoke while cooking?” Yang Jing Yuan’s voice was like the rising morning sun, carrying a hint of laziness.
The straightforward Seventh Miss Niu’s attention was quickly diverted: “Ah? Why?”
Yang Jing Yuan looked at her sympathetically, put down the water bucket by the wall, and kindly told her the reason: “Because I blocked the chimney.”
Third Young Master Yang blocked the chimney. He played such a trick on her and Fourteen Sang? “Third Young Master Yang, you’ve gone too far!” Seventh Miss Niu’s willow brows stood straight as she struck a palm toward Yang Jing Yuan.
Hearing the wind from her palm, Yang Jing Yuan moved his right foot half a step back, barely avoiding the strike. Before Seventh Miss Niu could rush forward to grapple with him, he said flatly, “Do you know why I blocked the chimney before going to fetch water?”
“I don’t care why! You played such a cruel trick on Brother Fourteen and me, you’ve gone too far! You’re just asking for a beating!”
Seventh Miss Niu paused briefly, then rolled up her sleeves ready to fight again. At this point, Fourteen Sang realized the two were about to fight and quickly jumped between them, smiling bitterly: “Third Brother, I know seeing Seven and me so close makes you think of Second Miss Ji and feel uncomfortable. Even if you’re jealous of me, you shouldn’t play such tricks on us. Since when did you become so petty?”
So Third Young Master Yang was triggered. Seventh Miss Niu’s anger subsided considerably, and she sweetly tugged at Fourteen Sang’s sleeve, saying softly, “Brother Fourteen, I’ll go up to the roof to clear the chimney and then cook for you.”
“No cooking allowed.” Yang Jing Yuan looked at the two with disdain, crossing his arms and sneering, “Fourteen Sang, I haven’t become that petty yet. You pair of idiots!”
“Third Young Master Yang, I wasn’t going to hold it against you anymore, yet you dare insult Brother Fourteen…” Seventh Miss Niu was so angry smoke could have come from her head. If Fourteen Sang hadn’t held her back, she would have beaten Yang Jing Yuan flat.
Yang Jing Yuan couldn’t be bothered with her. He picked up the other water bucket and turned to pour it into the water vat, saying irritably, “Fourth Father Han lives alone and makes his living by hunting. This morning he went to town to gather news and sell games for oil, salt, and grain. When he’s not home and smoke rises from the chimney, is it the kitchen on fire or someone cooking? Seventh Miss Niu, your pig-headed sister betrayed your father – do you want to follow her example and sell me and Fourteen Sang to the Nanzhao people?”
These words left Fourteen Sang and Seventh Miss Niu speechless. Seeing Seventh Miss Niu’s hurt expression, Fourteen Sang quickly pulled her away: “Seventh Miss, let’s go behind the house to wash our faces.”
He gave Yang Jing Yuan a placating grin and hurriedly pulled Seventh Miss Niu out through the back door.
The sun rose higher, making the ground blindingly bright, stinging Yang Jing Yuan’s eye sockets. He put down the water bucket and sat on the courtyard wall. Several robust bougainvillea plants grew by the wall, still blooming with fire-like flowers in winter, hiding his figure but not blocking his gaze toward the dye house at the foot of the mountain.
Nanzhao had occupied and plundered Yizhou, now defending the natural barrier of the Dadu River. Yang Jing Yuan thought the court couldn’t swallow such humiliation and was just waiting for the order to lead troops across the river. However, after taking south a large number of captured craftsmen and gaining many advantages, the cunning Nanzhao sovereign had already sent envoys to Chang’an seeking peace. With various excuses and deflections, claiming to share the emperor’s burdens, they pushed all responsibility onto the greedy military governors. The emperor wanted to display heaven’s might, but the national treasury had no money. Unable to resist the persuasion of the cowardly civil officials who took turns lobbying, thinking to advance by retreating and waiting for a day when they had money to fight back, he gladly agreed to Nanzhao’s peace proposal.
The Tang army withdrew, “generously” giving the barbaric land across the Dadu River to Nanzhao. Yang Jing Yuan’s dream of riding into Nanzhao was shattered. Master Shu said Tang would eventually fight back. But when was “early”? When was “late”? The court could wait for an opportunity, but Yang Jing Yuan couldn’t wait. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was Ying Ying Ji, glimpsed from afar on the pontoon bridge.
How would the Nanzhao people treat her? In his night dreams, Yang Jing Yuan saw her covered in blood. He couldn’t stay still for a single day.
Master Shu couldn’t stop him. Old Master Yang’s life-saving favor earned Master Shu’s cunning glance as his small eyes turned slyly—Tang would eventually teach Nanzhao a lesson, so let Yang Jing Yuan infiltrate Nanzhao as a scout.
The Dongchuan Military Governor didn’t object. The court’s war-weariness didn’t mean he accepted defeat. When the emperor wanted to attack Nanzhao in the future, the troops stationed in Jiannan would lead the attack. Since that was the case, sending a scout into Nanzhao to prepare early was good.
Deputy Commander Niu died for his country, Fifth Miss Niu was captured, and Fifth Miss Niu protected her mother to Chang’an. Madam Niu’s spirit had been drained by her husband and most beloved daughter. Madam Niu missed her husband, after all, Deputy Commander Niu had passed away. The living Fifth Miss Niu had become Madam Niu’s heart ailment.
A heart ailment needs heart medicine to cure. Madam Niu had sons to care for her, while Seventh Miss Niu, relying on her innate divine strength, packed a bundle planning to go to Nanzhao to rescue Fifth Miss Niu. She spoke tragically, saying the mourning period was three years anyway – if she couldn’t rescue her sister, she wouldn’t return for three years, and Fourteen Sang should marry another. How could Fourteen Sang let her go alone? Unable to stop the incredibly strong Seventh Miss Niu, he simply went with her.
The two met Yang Jing Yuan and Fourth Father Han by the Dadu River.
Fourth Father Han was a hereditary Tang scout. During the Tianbao years when Tang attacked Nanzhao, the entire army was destroyed. Fourth Father Han’s ancestor, being skilled, escaped into the mountains and was saved by a Nanzhao woman, becoming a Nanzhao son-in-law. Until death, he didn’t forget to pass his scout token to his son. When Feng Ze Sheng led his army to attack Yizhou, Fourth Father Han, not yet fifty, was also conscripted. Living alone, he tried to take the chance to escape back to Tang, but was captured by Tang forces and brought before Master Shu, then sent back to Nanzhao with a scout’s mission.
Last night, Fourth Father Han successfully led the three across mountains and ridges back to White Stone Cliff. Like a drop of water falling into a river, Fourth Father Han, returning home alone after being separated from his unit while pursued by Tang forces, raised no suspicion.
Early this morning, Fourth Father Han carried the game they had caught on the road down the mountain to exchange for oil, salt, and grain. His acquaintances in town were happy for him and even reduced prices by ten percent.
Fourth Father Han looked toward the dye house at the end of the long street, smiling as he walked over carrying two wild rabbits.
He firmly remembered the image of Ying Ying Ji that Fourteen Sang had drawn.
At this moment, the gates of Bai Ya Palace were thrown wide open as Feng Ze Sheng led a squad of guards racing down the mountain like lightning.