Chapter 30
An Army of dry bones
A man dressed like a peasant farmer was walking in the city. He wore a unique straw hat to cover his face, and his footwear looked very worn out. From a distance, he appeared healthy and well, making it hard to believe he was just a local farmer from a nearby town.
Suddenly, a group of bystanders noticed him and curiously approached. They believed he wasn't a native of the area. Ten men surrounded the peasant, who had stopped walking in the middle of the busy street market. He lowered his head and clenched his fists.
The leader of the bystanders came from behind, tilting his head slightly to the side to get a better look. The peasant concealed his face under the straw hat.
The leader noticed the man's sharp eyebrows and closed eyes.
The leader adjusted the straw hat and said, "Teach him some humility."
He returned to the group, and they prepared to attack.
Suddenly, attacks came from the left and right as the men began punching and kicking the peasant. Despite being clearly foreign to the city, the peasant did not fight back. He was severely beaten by the group. As he crawled on the ground, the leader approached, crouched down, and lifted the peasant's chin.
Looking at him, the leader said, "Isn't this enough?"
The leader studied the man's face, but there was no sign of humility, despite the bloodied appearance.
He ordered the group to take the man, saying, "If humility won't do, we'll teach you what the underworld is about."
The leader signaled to the group, and they dragged the peasant into a mossy forest.
Though capable of fighting back, the peasant allowed the bystanders to do as they pleased, leaving them exhausted by the day's end. The peasant was now hanging from a gigantic pine tree, his neck strangled by a thick rope. His feet were tied above, and a lone post stood beneath him.
One of the bystanders was chopping at the lower part of the post, nearly halfway through. It seemed like it might be the end for the peasant. No humility was visible on his face or in his eyes. He remained expressionless, as if dead inside, yet his proud exterior remained. His defined face revealed tired eyes.
He thought to himself, "If this is the only way to find you again, then so be it."
As afternoon turned to dusk, the cold, mossy forest awaited sundown. Dark hawks began flying overhead, and bats circled the sky. The sounds of insects filled the air, and the presence of ferocious beasts added to the eerie atmosphere.
The bystanders, familiar with the route, prepared to teach the man what the underworld was like as he hung helplessly from the tree, showing no hope.
The leader mocked the post, saying that three swings of the ax could bring down the massive tree.
The peasant, accepting his fate, listened in silence and did not resist. He had already made peace with this outcome, preferring it over returning to his brothers to reveal the truth.
On the last swing of the ax, someone suddenly appeared.
She seized the ax by force.
All eyes turned to the long, coiled rope binding the ax, and then, with a strong pull, she yanked it from their hands.
Suddenly, a hellish face appeared, with eyes like those of a bloodthirsty vampire.
She revealed her face, standing in the middle of the group.
Their knees turned weak like soft bamboo, and a chilling fear filled the air. It seemed as though they would taste the underworld before their victim did. The woman held the ax and swung a whip, which caught them all. The whip left painful marks on their arms, like fangs biting into their muscles.
"How many times must you learn not to joke about the underworld?" she said.
"It seems you are the ones who need a lesson in humility."
Her voice was foxy and husky, with a hint of an owl's haunting call.
Suddenly, all eyes were on her, captivated by her unspeakable beauty.
Her black hood, foxy face, and the fragrant scent she carried, like the early dew of plum blossoms, dropped around her as a cold wind blew. It was as if they were in a dream, but reality snapped them back.
One of the bystander leaders shouted, "They're from the underworld! Everyone, retreat! Run for your lives! They'll feed your souls to the underworld!"
The entire group fled the mossy forest, leaving their victim behind, still hanging from the tree.
The delicate woman saw the straw hat left on the ground. The woman with the hellish face used the ax to cut the rope from the tree. As the peasant fell, the whip swiftly caught him before he hit the ground.
As Viper untied the rope from around the man's neck, he looked at her face and softly asked, "Is this what the underworld looks like?"
He closed his eyes and passed out.
Chu Qiao pitied the man and said to Viper, "Put him on the horse. He'll be dead by tomorrow if we don't help him today."
"Yes, Mimi Gongzhu," Viper replied. He lifted the man's shoulders, carefully placing him on a sturdy black horse, his feet hanging down and his body leaning against the horse's back.
A night fox howled deep in the mossy forest as the three figures slowed their pace, journeying through the thousand caves.
The sun was up, and Yuwen Yue, feeling much better, opened his eyes and asked, "Zuo, where is this place?"
Zuo was about to respond when Zao interrupted, "Your Highness, didn't you ask about the keys to the secret doors of Chu Jing Kingdom?"
Yuwen Yue's cold eyes narrowed. Realizing he was being carried on Zuo's back, he suddenly stopped them from walking.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Yuwen Yue stood straight, dusting himself off and smoothing the creases in his clothing. He straightened his posture, filling his chest with air.
Zuo, watching his handsome master so conscious of his appearance, thought to himself,"Thank the heavens, this god is well."
Yuwen Yue, sensing he might have overheard something, asked, "Are you praying to the gods?"
Zuo replied, "Your Highness, why would I pray when I am walking with one?"
Zao smirked and added, "Yeah, you're right! Only a god could cure you and save you from that deadly poison."
Yuwen Yue gave them both a cold stare, as if they had soreness in their noses.
Zuo, trying to lighten the mood, said to Zao, "If you're a god, then you're the worst one!" He smiled at Zao.
Zao, still smirking, replied, "Young people nowadays! If you didn't look so much like Yue Qi, I wouldn't have bothered saving you."
Zuo asked with a sly smile, "Dear god, who is Yue Qi?"
Zao glanced at Yuwen Yue, who was walking ahead, deep in thought.
Yuwen Yue, sensing Zao's gaze, said, "Enough, both of you. Stay still." He picked up his pace, and a bird flew toward him, tweeting, "Yue Qi dead, dead, dead." The Yuwen parrot landed on his shoulder.
"Yue Qi is dead?" Zuo asked, but received no answer. Silence hung between Zao and Yuwen Yue.
Suddenly, a woman from the Skyshadow Clan appeared and said to Zao, "All is clear, except for this." She showed them an ax and a long, thick rope.
Yuwen Yue stepped closer and examined the items. He looked around the mossy forest and said, "Someone has been here. It may have been a group."
Yuwen Yue noticed horse hoof prints and footprints left in the ground.
With his cunning mind and sharp instincts for investigation, he allowed his companions to rest for a while and asked Zuo to come along with him.
Yuwen Yue whispered, "A bonfire, a stand post, a gigantic pine tree, a rope, an ax, horse hooves, and footprints all around. And finally, tiny petals of plum blossoms."
In a flash, he replayed the scene in his mind.
"Zuo, someone was strangled here. But there's no sign of blood. The victim was hanged from the tree, and someone was chopping at this post. At the last swing, someone stopped it. It looks like many people ran away, afraid of someone with a fragrant plum blossom scent."
Yuwen Yue finally opened his eyes.
"Your Highness, that's clever thinking. Should I search the area?"
Zuo scratched his head, marveling at his master's ability to piece together the events in the mossy forest with such precision.
"No, this happened yesterday afternoon, and by twilight, they were gone. We won't be able to track them now. The sun is already up."
Yuwen Yue, cold and expressionless, didn't share everything with Zuo, but he thought to himself,It's the secret princess, her spy, and a victim they took from the pine tree.
Zao and the Skyshadow woman remained behind, and she asked, "Are we going to help the man who holds the Poe Yue Jian sword?"
Zao replied, "I understand how you feel. Let me tell you something. I've known Yuwen Yue since he was a child, one of the esteemed Fourth Young Masters and the son of Yuwen Hao, master of the Eyes of God. I saw him use that sword when he came to my shop, accompanied by his female spy. I also saw the Canhong sword with the female spy, so I trapped them inside the cave. I could have killed them both, but for some reason, I didn't. I don't know why. I even gave them precious items, like maps, a pair of wings, underworld clothing, and the black sword to help the female spy kill Yuwen Yue's great-uncle, Yuwen Xi, to avenge our Chu Jing Kingdom. I didn't realize at the time that Yuwen Yue was the lost son of the Qinghai King. It wasn't until he used the Poe Yue Jian sword to break your curse yesterday that I understood."
"Why can't any man use the Poe Yue Jian sword if they have it?" asked the Skyshadow woman.
"No man can wield the Poe Yue Jian unless it was bestowed by the Qinghai King himself. Perhaps Yuwen Hao took the sword during the chaos in our kingdom and gave it to Yuwen Yue, recognizing him as his true son. But I've also heard about the icy lake tragedy, where Yuwen Yue was said to have died when the Prince of Yanbei lured him. There's a rumor that the son of the Qinghai King was hidden in a noble household in Wei, but no one knows for sure if it's true."
Zao continued, "Yuwen Yue wielding the Poe Yue Jian sword and releasing its power is the only sign that he is the lost son of the Qinghai King." Zao withheld more sensitive information, knowing this wasn't the place for it.
He paused before adding, "There are many stories, and Luo He, our underworld spy leader, knows this well. I don't fully understand how things have come to this point today, but the Qinghai King can only pass on the sword's true power to the rightful heir of the Qinghai throne."
Speaking in a more informal tone, Zao looked directly at the Skyshadow woman.
Suddenly, she understood Zao's implication. She was being forced to accept that the son of the man who destroyed Chu Jing Kingdom was also the son of the Qinghai King.
It didn't make sense to her.
"By the way, you said you met Mimi Gongzhu?" Zao asked.
"Yes, I've been with her for over a year, but the bad news is she's lost her memories."
"She's lost her memories?" Zao said, suddenly reminded of Xinger.
Skyshadow had been keeping the master healer of Chu Jing Kingdom updated since they last met a year ago.
"Yes, Viper and I have been helping her, and with her aid, we've begun to restore Chu Jing Kingdom. Some of the residents have returned to rebuild the ruins," Skyshadow added.
"What's more, we were attacked by the Chasing Sand Drizzle Master. So, Viper and Mimi Gongzhu decided to meet with you. They're on their way to the Thousand Caves to find you."
"You need to help her recover more of her memories before winter comes. I came ahead to make sure you were at the Thousand Caves before their arrival."
Zao, looking both surprised and excited, shouted with frustration in his voice, "You should have told me earlier! The mooncake was free for you. You didn't need to buy it to send me a message! How am I supposed to split my attention between the Qinghai Crown Prince and now the Mimi Gongzhu? This is unexpected!"
"I did inform you with the mooncake. Before my curse was broken, I was blind. Yesterday, I thought the two people who came to us were Viper and Mimi Gongzhu. I could feel their hearts were pure, but they were disguised to protect themselves, so I let them pass."
"Then why did you attack us afterward? Are you ready to break the rules just for Mimi Gongzhu?" Zao questioned Skyshadow's actions.
"I smelled blood and poison. Being blind, I couldn't see who was in the cave, but I let them pass if they had the coin. That's the rule. I thought Mimi Gongzhu might have been attacked by you. Remember, we hadn't seen each other in a year, and you only arrived yesterday."
"We need to hurry back to the Thousand Caves for Mimi Gongzhu," Zao said anxiously.
As they prepared to leave, Zuo suddenly stepped in front of them and asked, "Where are you two going?" Yuwen Yue appeared behind them with his usual calm apperance and asked, "What is happening here?"
The Skyshadow woman stepped forward, coming face to face with Zuo, and said, "We can't let you know. It is a secret."
"After all we've done for you, this is how you repay us?" Zuo replied, giving her a stern look.
"We are sorry, but we cannot go any further," the Skyshadow woman insisted.
Yuwen Yue responded calmly, "We have our band of brothers waiting in the Chu Jing Kingdom. Zao said you could help us find the key."
The Skyshadow woman sneered at Yuwen Yue. "What makes you think I would help the son of the man who destroyed Chu Jing Kingdom?" Yuwen Yue raised his eyebrows, realizing she was referring to his father, Yuwen Hao.
Suddenly, Zao Baocung stepped between Yuwen Yue and the Skyshadow woman, trying to reconcile them. "Your Highness, I apologize for her behavior. She's confused about your status. I'll explain later, but for now, we need to go back and meet with the Mimi Gongzhu."
Yuwen Yue asked, "You mean the secret princess?"
The Skyshadow woman, surprised, asked, "How do you know her?"
Zuo and Yuwen Yue exchanged glances.
"No," Yuwen Yue said, his tone cold and indifferent.
Zuo and the Skyshadow woman began to bicker, but suddenly, an unknown assailant appeared in the mossy forest and showered them with Sand Drizzle needles before disappearing.
Yuwen Yue quickly countered with his sword, turning the needles to ashes, but in the confusion, Zao and the Skyshadow woman managed to escape. Yuwen Yue and Zuo Zong were left alone.
Yuwen Yue, realizing he had run out of time, let them go. He needed to return to Qinghai, while Zuo, angered by the two who abandoned them, fumed.
The peasant man suddenly woke up, feeling better than the day before. He opened one eye, the other half-closed with sleep crust, and groaned, "Am I in the underworld?" Viper was about to smack him when he fell off the horse.
"Urgh… ow… ow…" The man groaned in pain, unsure whether it was from the fall or the bruises he was still nursing after being beaten by the bystander group.
Viper leaned in, examining his bruised face and black eyes. "Did you let them punish you, or were you trying to pass their hazing to impress that ugly leader and join them?"
The man, his voice hoarse, replied, "None of the above."
Viper shrugged. "Very well. Get up. There's a stream nearby where you can clean up. Undress your filthy clothes."
"What?" the man protested, wincing in pain.
"Did you not hear me? If you don't obey, I'll drag you out there and let you have a taste of this," she said, cracking her whip against a nearby rock, clearly impatient and offering no sympathy.
"Okay, okay, easy girl. I'll obey," the man grumbled.
"Good! Move!" Viper barked, still bossy, but secretly enjoying the situation. Though the man was muscular, his circumstances had rendered him helpless.
He grunted under his breath, "I don't take orders from anyone except my general, and certainly not from some underworld girl who looks like she lives in a bat cave."
"Did you just call me a bat cave girl?" Viper snapped.
The man chuckled nervously. "No, no! I said you're a nice girl, helping a... batman! I mean, a nice guy!"
"You! Be respectful to the batgirl or my whip will give you another round of hazing!" Viper warned, cracking her whip again.
Slightly afraid, the man stood up straight and hurried to the stream.
Halfway through undressing, with plans to wash himself, Viper, standing a distance away, plucked a long stalk of grass, putting it in her mouth while stealing glances at the man.
He caught her gaze, swallowed nervously, and paused. But the sight of her whip convinced him to continue. Viper narrowed her eyes, enjoying the sight of his muscular, though bruised, body, a rare vision, like a statue of Adonis, with its chiseled perfection.
The man suddenly complained, "I can't take a bath with someone watching me."
"And my whip can't control itself if you try to escape while my back is turned. Keep going, or die!" she snapped.
Left with no choice, the man continued stripping under Viper's fierce, amused gaze. He peeled off his shirt, then his inner shirt, and removed his outer pants and inner pants, leaving only his undergarments and a bandana on his head. His impressive physique, despite the bruises, made Viper swallow hard, even though the air was cold.
After a few moments, Viper, looking pleased, walked over and grabbed him by the waist, swaying him to the other side. She then slammed her whip into the water. Suddenly, a crocodile's mouth burst open nearby, causing the man to instinctively reach for a sword that wasn't there.
Viper, acting swiftly, leaped into the water like a predator, using her whip to bind the crocodile's mouth shut.
Proud of herself, she said, "I'm not the only one watching you. Move faster! Now!" she shouted.
The man quickly dressed, skipping any attempt to wash further, and they both left the stream.
As they walked uphill, Chu Qiao met them halfway and teasingly said to Viper, "Did you get jealous of the crocs and hurry him along before he could wash his clothes?"
The man, surprised, stared wide-eyed at the divine figure of Chu Qiao, frozen in awe.
Viper, still in a foul mood, retorted, "No, I plan to feed him to the crocs later, after he eats."
Chu Qiao gave a cold smile and said, "Both of you, come along. Ciao!"
While they were eating, the man frequently glanced at Chu Qiao, feeling a bit awkward. Noticing this, Viper broke the silence by asking, "What's your name?"
"I am He Xiao…" he started but then stopped himself.
Chu Qiao, curious, asked, "Where are you from?"
He Xiao seemed lost in thought and didn't respond right away, as if hoping Chu Qiao would recognize him. But she simply stared back blankly.
Viper pressed again, "Why did you come here? And what did you mean about the underworld?"
He Xiao looked at Viper and replied, "I came here to search for someone and ended up discovering the underworld."
"No one steps foot in the underworld and survives. Obviously, you haven't discovered it yet." Viper pressed further, "Why are you really here?"
All eyes were on He Xiao as Chu Qiao listened intently, waiting for his answer. Finally, He Xiao said, "I came because of her."
Chu Qiao stopped eating and stared at him, while Viper followed up, "Because of her?"
"Yes, she is my General. Our General of the Xuili Army from Yanbei."
Viper looked at Chu Qiao, who stood up and took a few steps away, her back turned.
Despite limping, He Xiao followed her and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, come back and let's continue eating."
Chu Qiao asked calmly, "You said I am your General, the leader of the Xuili Army?"
"Yes, you went missing a year ago after the frozen lake incident. We thought you had died there." He Xiao noticed a sudden coldness in Chu Qiao's face. "If this is too much, we can take time to discuss it. I'm here to provide you with information about the Xuili Army. They are exhausted from the relentless orders of the Prince of Yanbei. The army has been sent on suicidal missions, and many have perished."
Chu Qiao felt a surge of empathy, though she didn't fully understand why. She asked, "Where is the Xuili Army now?"
"They are at the Meilin border. As we speak, they may already be reduced to dried bones and buried before winter. It has been six months since I left them in the hands of the next in command. I came here, hoping to find you. We've had no food or weapons, and we are besieged daily by Prince Yuan Che's Xiaoqi cavalry. We truly believe we've been abandoned by Prince Yan Xun, the commander in chief." He Xiao looked down, his tears quietly falling as he shuffled his feet through the autumn leaves.
Chu Qiao, lost in thought, stood silent.
The cold wind blew through the forest, brushing the ground with the red, yellow, and brown colors of autumn. Heavy clouds gathered, turning the sky a deep gray. Lightning flashed, followed by a roar of thunder, signaling the coming storm. Thin, hair-like raindrops began to fall, soaking the mossy forest floor.
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