Exposed

With such numbers, they already held the advantage against the ambushing force at Shaozi Crag; if they opened with a surprise attack, their chances of victory would be even greater. Wu Shaoyi had eleven hundred men of his own, giving him even greater confidence when facing the allied forces of Lu Yao and the imperial troops in Xianling Village. Dividing and conquering piecemeal was, after all, standard doctrine for the Militarist School. Toward the end of the third watch, their drinking session was drawing to a close. Lu Yao's face was flushed red, and the table was a mess of scattered cups and plates. Gulping down one last mouthful of wine, he wiped his mouth and stood up. "Dawn will break in under two shichen. Lord He can put his mind at ease now, yes?" He Chunhua looked puzzled. "At ease about what?" Lu Yao chuckled, turned around, and walked away. The official had still been anxious, insisting on drinking with him just to keep him from conspiring a surprise attack with his men—unaware that Lu Yao had never intended to make a move tonight in the first place. Having drunk too much, his belly felt bloated. He found a spot to relieve himself, asking his subordinate as he did, "Why hasn't any word come from Wu Shaoyi yet?" The subordinate didn't know either and hurried off to ask around. Only when Lu Yao had grown thoroughly impatient did the man jog back, leading a scout. "General Wu indulged in the cup and only set out after sobering up, and his stomach gave him trouble along the way." Lu Yao frowned. "Why is he slacking off like this? Something's wrong." Looking around, he suddenly demanded, "Where's the fat man? Where the fuck is Fat Wang? Where the hell did he drop dead?" Normally, Fat Wang coordinated all this intelligence and brought reports directly to him; when had he ever needed to bother asking around himself? Lu Yao gulped down the sobering tea served by a villager and pressed a cold cloth to his face. As the heat faded from his head, suspicion welled up in his heart. Something was amiss. Fat Wang was always proactive; how could he have vanished for most of the night? Then he recalled how He Chunhua had inexplicably invited him to drink, keeping him at the table for hours on end. Could he have been trying to cover something up? Lu Yao glared at his men. "Go! Every last one of you, search for Fat Wang! If you don't find him, I'll eat you alive!" The men scattered in all directions. When their lives were on the line, people became astonishingly efficient. The bandits rounded up the commoners on the village's east side and demanded, "Who else saw our Brother Fatty tonight—the one staying in Zhu-shi's house?" They asked twice, but not a soul spoke up. Seeing that a little incentive was needed, a bandit added, "Whoever gives us a clue can take their child back immediately!" Only then did the villagers stir, racking their brains in deep thought. A woman in the back row deliberated for a long while before suddenly gritting her teeth. "I saw him!" "Oh?" Delighted that the boss's task was nearing completion, the bandit barked, "You, step forward and speak!" *** He Chunhua watched Lu Yao's retreating back, a cold smirk finally touching the corners of his mouth. Returning to his own side, he found his soldiers waiting with weapons at the ready, while the villagers remained anxious and uneasy. He Yue was keeping Madam Ying company, speaking with her, while Zhu Xiu'er stared blankly out the window, lost in thought. Seeing her husband, Madam Ying breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, that villain didn't make things difficult for you." "Once he drinks, he forgets himself entirely and only wishes he had more listeners." He Chunhua sat down. Seeing his face flushed red and knowing he had little tolerance for alcohol, Qian-ma quickly brought water for him to wash up, then served a bowl of sobering soup. "After my warning arrow, Wu Shaoyi's forces made no further advance; instead, he summoned the remaining troops from down the mountain," a guard stepped forward to report. "However, he keeps a spirit pet that is exceptionally sharp—it seemed to be a sable demon. When I went a second time, I was nearly pursued, so I didn't dare draw any closer." He Chunhua was overjoyed. "Heaven aids us! With a spirit pet like that, it's far more convenient than ordinary scouts. Verifying the authenticity of the letter will be child's play for Wu Shaoyi." He Yue smiled. "Then Father's whole night of drinking wasn't in vain, exhausting though it was." He Lingchuan emerged from the inner room and started when he saw He Chunhua. "Whoa, Old Man, your face is really red." He Chunhua let out a wine-tinged belch. "I haven't drunk so wildly in years! Even having taken a sobering pill beforehand, I was worried I might blabber while drunk and reveal our entire plan." Madam Ying said with distress, "Lu Yao is a vulgar bandit—how could you match drinks with him?" Then, growing anxious again, she asked, "We hold the west side of the village; the other rebels won't come from the west, will they?" "Wu Shaoyi is coming by the eastern road, so he ought to attack from the village's east and confront Lu Yao directly." He Yue said, "Wu Shaoyi halted his advance likely because he wants to join forces with Pei Xinyong. Since he is taking the eastern road, Pei Xinyong will skirt around to the west." Madam Ying's expression shifted slightly. "Won't that bring them straight toward us?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Shaozi Crag is to the west. Only if Pei Xinyong intercepts the seven hundred men Lu Yao placed in ambush will Wu Shaoyi dare attack Xianling Village with a free hand. So the west is perfectly safe." Madam Ying gave an "Oh," but her mind was only truly eased once He Chunhua nodded in agreement. Zhao Qinghe added, "To guard against unforeseen events, I placed crying-vine dolls in concealed spots along the western road. If anything passes by, these little things will wail an alarm; if things keep passing continuously, they will keep up a continuous cry." With that, he tossed several conical trinkets onto the table. The objects looked very much like hazelnuts, their wrinkled surface resembling a human face with eyes and a mouth—though that mouth was tightly shut for now. In the dead of night, if creatures passed along the western road in an unbroken stream, it could only be an army of men. He Lingchuan picked one up. "This thing looks like a hazelnut. Can you eat it?" He had only asked offhandedly, but the guard actually answered, "You can, but it's exceptionally bitter and astringent. It'll upset your stomach." He Chunhua glanced at them. "The Great Shaman gave you these, didn't he?" "Yes, sir." He Lingchuan's interest was piqued. Were they referring to Great Shaman Zhaomandu—the Great Shaman he had only heard of but never seen since waking up in this body? Right then, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Zhu-shi! Zhu Xiu'er, come out!" The voice came from the east. With a sudden turn of events at such a critical juncture, everyone's heart skipped a beat. Surprised and suspicious, Madam Ying asked Zhu-shi, "Why are the bandits looking for you?" Zhu Xiu'er shook her head, indicating she did not know. He Chunhua stood up. "Let's go outside and see." After taking a few steps toward the door, they noticed Zhu Xiu'er hadn't followed. Looking back, they saw her standing where she was, as if in a daze. Madam Ying asked with concern, "What is it?" Ever since learning Zhu Xiu'er's background, she had felt extraordinary sympathy for this young woman who had been abducted and trafficked. Zhu Xiu'er shook her head again, bowed her head, and silently followed behind. The bandits outside shouted three times before He Chunhua finally emerged, standing on the western side of the dividing line and asking, "What is the matter?" "I'm not talking to you, official!" the bandit said. "Which one of you is Zhu Xiu'er?" In truth, there were only three women in the entire group. Aside from Madam Ying and Qian-ma, everyone instinctively turned their eyes toward Zhu Xiu'er. "You're Zhu-shi!" The bandit raised a hand and pointed upward. "Look up there! What is that?" The village sat in low terrain, rising higher toward the west. The bandit was pointing directly at the winding mountain road to the west. It stood at least fifteen zhang above the ground, and along the bare cliff face, there was nothing at all.