Entanglements

"What else?" Lu Han prompted him. "If I wanted to cast a curse on you, what else would I need to know? Countless people share the same name—what if I cursed the wrong person?" "The Eight Characters of birth?" "Exactly. The Eight Characters of birth, plus the name given by your parents—that is what makes you you," Lu Han said with a laugh. "So all I need to do is go to the registry archives, change my name to He Chunhua, swap my birth date and hour for his, take up the post in Xiazhou as an official, and pick up the Yuan coin. Then the damn thing will glow! Granted, changing one's Eight Characters isn't easy. You have to perform a rebirth ritual to hoodwink Heaven itself. But people have pulled it off before, and I have my ways." He snapped his fingers. "No matter what, we must get our hands on that official seal and his commission papers. Once we reach Xiazhou, you might all have to address me as—" His men shouted in unison, "Lord He!" Laughter broke out among them. Only then did a subordinate ask cautiously, "Then... do we still make our move tonight?" General Lu had originally said they would let these soldiers off the hook and part ways come morning. "No!" General Lu waved a broad hand, full of swagger. "Hold your ground. No one is to strike the first blow!" Everyone froze in surprise. Weren't they going to seize the seal and papers? Why call off the fight now? Soon, a trusted confidant caught on. "General Lu wants to delay the battle until tomorrow—ideally until the squads under Wu and Pei arrive as well." "Any soldiers that dog official brought on a long march are strapping men picked with care, and likely seasoned in battle. On top of that, he possesses a State Token, granting his troops the blessing of origin power. A force of three hundred could easily fight with the strength of four hundred," General Lu said coolly. "Even if we could wipe them out completely, our losses wouldn't be light. When we face the Wu and Pei crews afterward, we'd be at a disadvantage. Isn't it better to wait until everyone gathers, and slaughter these cursed imperial dogs together to consecrate our banner in blood?" His men chimed in with enthusiastic agreement. Just then, a commotion rose outside, sounding like the shouting of many voices. The last thing Lu Han wanted right now was an unforeseen accident. Tossing aside his duck leg, he wiped the grease off on his trousers and strode outside. *** Fat Wang entered the house and seated himself unceremoniously on a bamboo chair. *Creak.* The bamboo chair groaned in protest, buckling under an unbearable weight. In the presence of nobility, such an act was exceedingly rude, but he couldn't care less at this point. Glaring at Zhu-shi, he snapped, "Are you stupid? Hurry up and pour some water for me... and the young master!" He couldn't vent his rage at this pup, but surely he could yell at his "own" woman, couldn't he? Zhu-shi turned in silence. Before she had taken two steps, the fat man reached out and smacked her backside. "Hurry it up!" Zhu-shi looked back. The man's gaze, fierce as a rampaging bear, filled her with deep dread. He Lingchuan smiled faintly. "It seems you've had a few years of schooling after all, knowing fancy words like 'humble home is graced by your presence.'" "Ah, right." Fat Wang chanted silently in his heart: *Keep your temper, keep your temper. Later, I'll rip this brat's tongue out. Whether I roast it or braise it spicy, I'll do whatever I damn well please!* He Lingchuan changed the subject. "Do you work under Boss Lu?" "Huh?" The fat man startled. "Ah, no." "Then how many years was Boss Lu away before he returned?" Fat Wang was at a loss for words; there was simply no answer to that question. "I don't remember. Why are you asking all this?" "I just felt that Boss Lu seems like a man with a story." He Lingchuan shrugged. "Let's change the subject, then. How long have you and Zhu-shi been married?" Years of hard labor and exposure to the sun and wind had darkened Zhu-shi's skin and flushed her cheeks red. Yet upon closer inspection, her features were delicate and her figure slender. "Her?" Caught off guard by this sudden pivot, the fat man blinked. "Quite a few years." "How did she end up marrying—" He Lingchuan gestured up and down his bulky frame, "—you? No offense, but the two of you don't really seem like a match." It was like a fresh flower planted in cow dung, or a piece of fine jade embedded in rotting mud. Fat Wang's face turned red—not from embarrassment, but from sheer fury. "Out of all the men in this village, she took a fancy to me and wouldn't marry anyone else!" he growled sharply. "Is that a crime?" "Not at all, not at all. I just wonder what she saw in you. Your love for sleeping, or your habit of never bathing?" "I have money!" The fat man ground out the words through clenched teeth. "I went out to make a living in my younger days and came back with savings!" He Lingchuan sighed and muttered a few words under his breath—something about a bright pearl gathering dust—before asking, "How many children do you have?" "...Two." Why was this brat picking a fight on purpose? Did he have his eye on Zhu-shi, or had he secretly made contact with her? A moment ago, fury had rushed straight to Fat Wang's head, leaving no room for thought. Now that his temper was cooling, he began to sense that something was amiss. "Where are the kids?" He Lingchuan glanced toward the inner room. "I don't seem to see them." There wasn't a sound from the inner room. This fat man clearly possessed the volatile temper of a firecracker, yet despite being repeatedly humiliated with escalating insolence, he hadn't blown up. He Lingchuan deduced that these fellows were indeed planning to strike in the dead of night. Fat Wang choked on his words. This guy's questions were flying like cannonballs—one after another, swift and relentless, making them remarkably difficult to handle. Fortunately, he had some quick wit. "Sent them to relatives in town," he said evasively. "They're playing there for a couple of days before coming back." He dreaded that He Lingchuan would follow up by asking, "Which relatives?" Fortunately, he didn't. Just then, Zhu-shi emerged carrying a kettle of boiled water and two wooden cups, pouring a cup for each of them. He Lingchuan didn't drink, and neither did the fat man. It had suddenly occurred to Fat Wang that some farming households kept rat poison. As the saying went, nothing was more venomous than a woman's heart. What if she had slipped something into the water...? "Please get some rest. I'm heading back to my room; call me if you need anything." Swallowing his anger, Fat Wang turned to Zhu-shi with a scowl. "Come on, into the bedroom." He would vent his fury on this wench first. Right now he was the "master of the household." No matter how he tormented his own woman under his own roof, that He brat would just have to listen from the side. As he stood up, the chair gave another long, agonizing creak, as if rejoicing that it hadn't completely shattered. Zhu-shi stared at the chair, well aware that her fate upon entering the room with him would be far worse than that of the bamboo. What could she do? Her only saviors were the young master of the He family in this room and his personal guards. Just as panic was consuming her, He Lingchuan's voice came from behind Fat Wang: "By the way, fat master of the house, what's the story with the water spirit tablet?" The question was directed so pointedly that the fat man had no choice but to turn around. "What about it?" "Living by the water, you live off the water. The water spirit you worship must be a spiritual creature from this lake, right?" He Lingchuan pointed toward the great lake outside. "What is your water spirit's true form?" "Ah, yes." This was a question Fat Wang couldn't answer, yet the woman behind him kept her mouth clamped shut like a clam. "Why the sudden interest in it?" Since a Water Spirit Shrine had been erected here, it meant the local water deity had received an official imperial investiture and held a recognized post. But spirits and monsters came in all shapes and sizes; unless the locals spoke up, an outsider had no way of knowing what kind of creature the water deity originally was.