Chapter 12: A Dark and Windy Night for Killing

Mu Baizhi’s voice had the soft, sweet lilt of a southern woman, pleasant to hear.

“You’re mine now. You should call me husband, or dear Yuan,” Gao Yuan corrected her.

She pouted and pointed at Feng Lingxue and Lin Hongxiu. “But they don’t!”

He rubbed his brow. “They’re different.”

“I don’t care! If they don’t, neither will I!”

Gao smiled. Though he had not known her long, he could see she was guileless. He lightly tapped her nose. “We’re going to do something important. Wait here like a good girl. Once it’s done, you can live comfortably.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “Will I get lots of meat and pretty clothes?”

“All the meat you can eat and whatever clothes you like.”

She pictured it at once, chin in her hands, blinking with anticipation. Her expression was rather endearing.

“By the way, are you from Nanyue?” Gao asked.

At the name, her face fell. After a moment she said quietly, “Yes. My aunt always told me I was a Nanyue noble. But Wei destroyed our country. Otherwise I’d be living in silks and eating fine food now.”

Thirteen years earlier, Wei’s supreme general Wei Wuyang had led an army to conquer Nanyue. When the city fell, its ruler set fire to the palace, burning himself, his consorts, and his children inside. It was a tragic story, but he had seen no choice. Had the consorts fallen into the hands of Wei’s soldiers, they might have been treated worse than livestock. At least this way Nanyue retained a last measure of dignity.

“And your aunt?” Gao asked.

Mu Baizhi’s eyes reddened. “She’s gone. We were going to Beimang, but she fell ill and died when we reached Dangyang. She left me there alone, and then the bandits caught me.”

Gao sighed. Wars and court struggles were everywhere. A lord or powerful minister today might be imprisoned or killed in battle tomorrow. Many young women had fallen from comfort into misery. In his own view, Mu Baizhi was fortunate to have met him: among the bandits, she might have been sexually assaulted by several men, who showed little mercy to those in their power.

She wiped her eyes. “Will I have to serve you from now on? If you really become my husband, will you promise me something?”

She had never thought of escaping, nor dared to try. But her first terror had eased; seeing that Gao meant her no harm, she had grown bolder as they talked.

“What is it?”

She looked up at him earnestly. “Help me kill Wei Wuyang!”

Gao nearly fell off the platform. He coughed violently, pounding his chest. Fourth Ding dropped his saber in fright, and the other two bandits stared. The girl would say anything!

Wei Wuyang was a figure like a god of war. He commanded more than a hundred thousand Wei soldiers and had conquered everywhere he went. In another place, a remark like that alone could cost a person her head.

Mu Baizhi looked around. “Is it very hard?” she murmured.

Her aunt had always taken care of everything, leaving her with little knowledge of the world. She knew Wei Wuyang had destroyed Nanyue and owed her a blood debt. Hearing that Gao Yuan had faced General Wu Xiangbei and made him withdraw had filled her with admiration. In her mind, both men were generals; if Gao could defeat Wu, surely he could defeat Wei as well.

Gao looked at her innocent face and sighed. He turned to Feng Lingxue. “Lingxue, find some time to explain it to her.” In these troubled times, having someone so naive beside him was no small concern.

Lin Hongxiu’s eyelid twitched at the familiar use of Lingxue’s name, but Feng seemed unconcerned and nodded.

The room fell quiet again, with only the mountain wind coming through the window.

More than an hour later, Sun Shuanghu returned and pushed open the door. “Brother Yuan, they’ve all dispersed.” His voice trembled with tension and excitement.

He had once thought he could live out his days as a minor bandit, but today he had seen another path, like a light guiding him through darkness. It was risky, but the reward could be great. If they succeeded tonight, his life might change. Later events would prove his choice right.

Gao looked around at the others. “Then let’s move.”

It was a dark and windy night, fit for killing. Tonight he would hold the knife; his enemies would lie beneath it.

……

The group went straight to Xu Mazi’s house. A sentry stood by the door, glassy-eyed and belching as he leaned against the wall. He had clearly drunk plenty. This was their own stronghold; everyone felt safe, and he had scarcely taken guard duty seriously.

When he saw them approach, he rubbed his eyes. “What are you doing wandering around instead of sleeping?”

The words had barely left his mouth when steel flashed. A blade cut his throat as a hand covered his mouth, preventing him from making a sound. Lin Hongxiu had struck, swift and clean.

Fourth Ding felt a chill at his own neck. He no longer dared steal even a glance at her backside, afraid she might cut him down too.

Sun Shuanghu slipped a dagger through the crack in the door and gradually lifted the bolt. He pushed the door open, and Gao Yuan and Lin Hongxiu entered with blades drawn, moving on tiptoe like cats in the dark.

They soon reached Xu Mazi’s bed. A veteran who had survived among corpses, Xu seemed to sense something. His eyes flew open. He flung the quilt at them, snatched up the blade beside him, and thrust.

His reaction was quick. Sun Shuanghu and Fourth Ding would have been thrown into confusion. Unfortunately for Xu, he faced Lin Hongxiu and Gao Yuan.

They split to either side as the quilt flew up. Gao kicked Xu’s arm, knocking away his weapon. An instant later, Lin’s short blade flashed before him.

Her hand rose and fell. Xu Mazi’s throat opened.