Heavy snow fell like goose feathers, blurring the boundaries between gray, white, and black in the world around. A long trail of footprints stretched across the snowy ground as Lu Chang struggled forward. Though the scenery seemed familiar, he couldn’t recall where he was.
After walking aimlessly for some time, he suddenly heard a clear voice calling from behind.
“Elder Brother Lu…”
He turned to see a red figure running through the snow.
It was a little girl in a fire-red cloak, about nine years old, struggling to follow his footsteps. As she approached step by step, her appearance gradually changed, growing from nine to ten, then to fifteen years old…
Her way of addressing him changed with her growth.
“Brother… Big Brother… Lu Chang…”
“Lu Chang!”
Lu Chang stood still, watching as she ran up to him and leaped into his arms. They fell together into the snow. Her hood fell back, revealing a bright, lovely smiling face.
“Lu Chang, will you marry me?” She lay on his chest, looking up with a proud smile.
“Yes…” He embraced her, thinking how wonderful it was that she was still here.
She was overjoyed: “Then I’ll wait for you to pass the imperial examinations! Will you come?”
“I will.” Lu Chang lay in the snow, his back against the cold softness while his chest felt warm and fragrant, like an unreal dream.
She smiled, her eyes curving: “Good, then it’s a promise.” She held out her pinky to make a pinky swear, “I’ll wait for you in Jiangning, you must come.”
Jiangning?
Wait for him in Jiangning?
A sudden pain stabbed his chest.
Jiangning… no, no, she couldn’t stay in Jiangning…
“Ming Shu, come with me, don’t stay in Jiangning!” He held her tight, seized by an inexplicable fear.
She looked confused: “I can’t go with you. My father, my home is in Jiangning. I can’t go with you, I must stay in Jiangning…”
“No! You can’t stay, you must come with me!” Lu Chang grew increasingly frightened, his arms tightening around her.
“I can’t… I must stay in Jiangning… with my father… Lu Chang, again…” Her voice suddenly grew distant.
His arms suddenly emptied as the vibrant young woman instantly turned to snow, crumbling in his embrace.
Her voice disappeared completely with the flying snow powder.
“Ming Shu—” Lu Chang’s eyes snapped open.
The snowy scene vanished, leaving only a dimly lit room with flickering candles.
“Chang’er.” His mother’s urgent voice sounded beside his ear.
His foggy consciousness gradually cleared as the scene before him came into focus: Madam Zeng’s worried face, the familiar room, his heavy head… He propped himself up from the bed, looked around, and asked hoarsely while holding his forehead: “Mother, where is Ming Shu?”
Madam Zeng’s eyes reddened as she took a letter from the table and handed it to Lu Chang: “That child… read it yourself…”
Lu Chang’s head was still heavy, but he forced himself to focus on the letters. A moment later, as if the snow from his dream had been stuffed down his collar, his whole body went cold. He suddenly remembered everything that had happened before.
The letter slowly crumpled in his clenched fist as he sat expressionless on the bed. After a long while, he asked: “Mother, what time is it?”
“The hour of Hai.”
The hour of Hai…
She had left four or five hours ago and had already left the city…
Lu Chang sat still for a moment, then suddenly threw off his blanket. Outside, it was pitch black, and he had no idea where Ming Shu might be now. The road to Jiangning was long and dangerous. Never mind revenge – if she encountered danger… Lu Chang dared not think further. His heart felt like it was both on fire and suspended in mid-air.
He splashed the cold water from the basin onto his face, soaking his hair and clothes, which helped him calm down slightly. He put on his clothes properly and said, “Mother, I’m going to find Uncle Wei,” before stepping out of the room.
The sleepless night was long and difficult to endure, passing who knows how.
As the gates of Bianjing City slowly opened with the dawn’s first light, the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from a distant alley.
A bay horse galloped out with the first rays of sunlight.
August 13th, Lin’an. As the autumn equinox approached, the air had grown cool. It was the season when osmanthus fragrance filled the air, just before the Mid-Autumn Festival’s full moon night.
The distance from Bianjing to Lin’an was about the same as from Bianjing to Jiangning.
Compared to Bianjing, Lin’an was equally prosperous and wealthy, no worse than the capital. If Bianjing was like a refined and elegant young nobleman, then Lin’an was like a graceful and charming lady.
Wealthy places attracted merchants, and many businesses, goods, and money flowing from all directions required escort services, making the escort business flourish. Among Lin’an’s three most famous escort agencies, Weishun Agency held one of the top positions.
The agency was a proper three-courtyard compound where, besides the chief escort’s family, many young escorts lived. Every morning, the sound of escorts practicing martial arts would carry over the walls. Curious children would often peek over the walls or through the half-open gates to watch the strong escorts practicing shirtless under the large “Escort” character on the wall. When the old escort supervisor discovered these peeping toms, he would come over with a stern face to chase them away.
“Go on, get out of here, what’s there to see? Little kids shouldn’t be watching such things!” The old escort, with his handlebar mustache, was thin and tall, looking nothing like his martial arts nickname “Mountain Shaker” would suggest.
Today was no different – the old escort again spotted someone peering in from outside and went to chase them away, displeased.
The door creaked open to reveal a young lady standing outside, wearing plain clothes with no ornamental flowers or hairpins, just three small white pearls in her hair. Her pretty face showed no fear as she smiled at the fierce-looking old escort.
“Old master, I’m looking for someone,” she said in a pleasant voice.
The old escort couldn’t help softening his tone: “Who are you looking for?”
“Chief Escort Zhao Tingyun, is he here?” she asked with a sweet smile.
The old escort was taken aback: “What would a young lady like you want with our chief?”
“I want to hire him for an escort job.”
“An escort job? You can discuss that with me. How much silver’s worth of goods do you want to transport?” The old escort didn’t take her words seriously, asking casually.
The young lady kept smiling and said: “Not much, I want to transport silver, thirty thousand taels.”
“How much?” The old escort thought his ears must be playing tricks on him.
The young lady brushed back the hair near her ear, revealing the gold bracelet on her wrist.
“Thirty thousand taels of silver.”
August 15th, Jiangning County.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival night when families gathered together, the market’s new wine was sold out, and the sound of music drifted over walls, echoing through the streets…
It was a lively day, but the Qingchu Mountain in the outskirts was exceptionally desolate. The mountain was covered with graves of various sizes, looking eerily gloomy in the darkness. Lu Chang had been waiting in a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain for seven days. He had pursued from Bianjing City, galloping madly while searching along the way until he reached Jiangning. He thought that even if Ming Shu was clever enough to avoid him on the road, as long as he reached Jiangning first and waited here, he would surely catch her.
If she returned to Jiangning, she would come here first.
This mountain held the graves of her father and thirty-six other members of the Jian family.
She would surely come to pay her respects.
But after waiting seven days, he still hadn’t seen her. He had also posted people to watch all the places in the city where she might appear, but there was still no news.
Lu Chang stood outside the hut, looking up at the sky where only a bright moon hung.
Ming Shu, Ming Shu – meaning bright moon. She said she was the Jian family’s little moon, and that brightness had also shone into his heart.
He rubbed his face, cold from the mountain wind, his mind full of thoughts of his little moon.
Where had she gone?
Could something have happened to her on the road? No, no, she was too clever, having even deceived him. She must have made thorough preparations before leaving Bianjing, she wouldn’t fail on the journey…
Perhaps he had guessed wrong, and she hadn’t come to Jiangning?
But if not Jiangning, where else could she have gone?
He frowned deeply, growing more unfocused the longer he waited.
Unexpectedly, his mind flashed to Ming Shu holding the dagger that night – when even the moon had lost its light. That night’s Ming Shu was like a moon without light, just like Tang Li.
Tang Li?
Tang Li…
Lu Chang suddenly froze, his hand stiff at his brow as a terrible thought gradually formed in his mind.
Would she become a second Tang Li?
Lu Chang saw his own hands trembling slightly.
Ming Shu should understand better than anyone that she stood no chance against Cao Hai alone, so if leaving Bianjing wasn’t about Cao Hai…?
Lin’an. She had gone to Lin’an.
On August 16th, the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Weishun Escort Agency took on a major job.
Thirty thousand taels of silver in ten large boxes, personally escorted by Chief Escort Zhao Tingyun, grandly departed the city.
A carriage accompanied the escort party. It was tightly covered, concealing its occupant from outside view. Besides Zhao Tingyun, no one knew who had hired them for this job.
The heavy boxes left deep wheel tracks in the mud, trailing far behind.
After two days of travel, they reached a remote mountain area where Zhao Tingyun ordered a rest stop.
The sky was growing dark, and all was quiet except for the insects chirping in the mountains and occasional sharp bird calls. The wind grew stronger, making the grass and trees rustle, suggesting an approaching mountain storm. Zhao Tingyun stood in the forest for a moment, then walked to the carriage and said something quietly. The person inside responded somehow, and Zhao Tingyun nodded and stepped back.
As night fell, rustling sounds came from the grass and trees, growing closer and closer.
The Weishun Escort Agency people seemed prepared, quickly forming a circle around the carriage. Soon, flashes of blade light appeared in the vegetation, and in the blink of an eye, the carriage and escort agency people were surrounded by figures who suddenly emerged from the grass and trees.
They were mountain bandits, and judging by the dense mass of figures emerging from the undergrowth, there were no fewer than a hundred.
The escort agency had only about ten people protecting the cargo – no match at all. Zhao Tingyun bit his lip and called out their escort signal, but the other side showed no courtesy. Someone just said coldly: “Leave the goods and go if you want to live.”
Zhao Tingyun wiped the sweat from his brow and asked: “Might you be Master Jiao Chunlu?”
That person made a surprised sound and stepped out from the crowd, asking in return: “How did you know it was me?”
Zhao Tingyun clasped his hands in greeting but said nothing, merely waving to gather his escort guards and retreating outside the caravan. Seeing them ready to abandon the cargo without resistance, Jiao Chunlu was surprised.
Were they not even going to put up a token resistance?
He also waved his hand, signaling his men to check the cargo, while he walked to the tightly covered carriage. Cautiously, he used his long sword to lift the curtain, but before he could raise it, he heard a huge crash behind him as one of the large boxes was pushed over.
“Boss… this is… these are stones!”
Jiao Chunlu turned in shock, pointing his sword at them: “Open them all!”
The boxes were opened one by one, and each contained only stones.
Jiao Chunlu and his bandits stared in disbelief – such a grand show, they had expected at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, but they were transporting boxes full of stones.
No wonder they offered no resistance.
Jiao Chunlu flew into a rage: “Playing games with me?!”
He raised his sword, about to give orders, when a delicate voice called from the carriage.
“Don’t be angry, Master Jiao.”
Jiao Chunlu turned to see a slender, fair hand lifting the carriage curtain. Around the wrist was a red gold bracelet with tinkling bells, and a dressed figure emerged from the carriage.
“I have a major business proposition to discuss with you, so I used this method to request a meeting with Master Jiao. Please don’t take offense.”
With these words, Ming Shu lightly jumped down from the carriage.
The appearance of such a delicate beauty in this remote location and under these circumstances surprised not only the bandits but even Jiao Chunlu himself.
“Who are you?”
“My surname is Jian, I’m the daughter of the Jian family from Jiangning. You must be familiar with it. That night, you were there too, weren’t you…”
These words stopped Jiao Chunlu short.
Ming Shu smiled: “Don’t worry, Master Jiao. Every debt has its debtor, I know that. I’ve come to find you to discuss a business deal worth thirty thousand taels… of gold. I wonder if you’re interested?”
“Thirty thousand taels of gold? Such big talk! Your Jian family was massacred and all your wealth was plundered. Where would you get thirty thousand taels of gold?” Jiao Chunlu first gasped, then sneered.
“What you plundered was the eighty thousand taels of silver and some jewelry stored in my father’s family vault, right? But what business did my family do? We dealt in gold, and we stored gold.” As she spoke, she removed the two filigreed openwork red gold bracelets from her wrist, and before his eyes, she gently twisted one of them, triggering some mechanism that split it in two. From inside, she easily extracted a thin key. “Look carefully, this is the key to the gold vault! In this world, besides me, no one else knows where that gold is hidden.”
Her smile grew wider.
Revenge, after all, was about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Whatever suffering her family had endured, she would make Cao Hai experience personally – that bone-deep, heart-wrenching pain.