Chapter 18: Cleverly Acquiring the Letter

The campfire had burned down to ashes. Except for a few who remained to tidy up the grounds, all those who had worked the entire day returned home to rest, and the village once again settled into tranquility.

As the night grew deep and silent, the summer cicadas had long since ended their chorus, and only the sporadic calls of tree frogs could be heard, leaping across the muddy road, following the footprints left behind.

Lord Wang was restless, his right eyelid twitching incessantly. Little Lackey A was nowhere to be found the whole night and, upon returning home, collapsed onto the straw mat and fell asleep. Little Lackey B carried a bucket from the well, grunting as he drew water. The small fire at the doorway crackled as the wind rustled through the heap of weeds. Glancing around and seeing no one, Little Lackey B went back inside.

There was no telling where Luo Gan and Erhu had fallen asleep; they hadn't returned all night. Lord Wang drank some of the water, his teeth chattering with cold. After so many days on the run, not a single day had been easy. To see the sunrise tomorrow was reason enough to burn incense in thanks.

Looking at the sleeping Little Lackey A, Lord Wang felt little resentment. It was no small thing to have someone accompany him in his misfortune. Little Lackey B was truly loyal, still tending to him day and night.

Lord Wang spoke, "If there’s nothing else, go and get some sleep."
Little Lackey B replied, "Once you’re settled, I’ll rest as well."
Lord Wang’s gaze softened, shedding its usual harshness. "I have neither power nor influence now. Why… do you go to such lengths?"
Deeply moved, Little Lackey B said, "My lord, I only know that on the battlefield, had you not taken a bullet for me, I’d be a wandering ghost by now."
Lord Wang nodded. "How long has it been since you went home?"
Little Lackey B shook his head, and Lord Wang was puzzled.
"Don’t you wish to return?"
"It’s not that I don’t wish to… I can’t," Little Lackey B replied.

For those who live by the sword, a life of wandering is all they have. Barely escaping with one’s life, what home is there to speak of?

A rooster strutted across Luo Gan, bobbing its head before crowing at the sky, startling Luo Gan awake.

"Good heavens, a natural alarm clock!" Luo Gan exclaimed.

Erhu, reacting instinctively, sprang to his feet, dusted himself off, and looked at the disheveled Luo Gan.

"Look at you, can’t even hold your drink," Erhu teased.

"You’re no better," Luo Gan retorted. "So boastful usually, but last night you were dead drunk too."

Erhu grinned sheepishly. "At least I carried you here. Otherwise, who knows where you would have ended up?"

The rooster’s crow set off all the others in the vicinity, and soon the dawn chorus began. Yet, with Luo Gan and Erhu right beside the roosters, their ears could hardly bear the racket.

Luo Gan looked around with mock solemnity. "Wow, what a place—sleeping on the earth, woken by roosters at dawn."

"Enough chatter, time to get to work," Erhu grumbled.

He slung a towel over his shoulder and, seeing Luo Gan still rubbing his face, came back to pull him up and support him as they returned.

Upon entering the house, they found only Little Lackey B resting; Lord Wang and Little Lackey A were nowhere to be seen.

Erhu dropped Luo Gan onto the straw mat, made sure he was settled, then left.

Luo Gan, still groggy, waited for Erhu to leave before gingerly getting up. He tiptoed to Little Lackey B, confirming that both Lord Wang and Little Lackey A were absent.

Luo Gan thought, Wasn’t taking them in just to find a clue? Now, with that meddlesome fellow gone and Little Lackey B asleep, maybe I should take the opportunity to snatch that thing and have a look?

With this in mind, Luo Gan began to search for their belongings, looking here and there, but finding nothing of value, let alone a clue.

In the process, he accidentally knocked a wooden bucket, making a noise. Little Lackey B turned over, nearly scaring Luo Gan out of his wits.

Unable to find what he sought, Luo Gan crept out the door. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to waste time. He lightly slapped his own face, glancing back at Little Lackey B, who was still asleep, though his vision showed no change.

What kind of wicked game design is this, Luo Gan thought, that I have to slap myself to get a hint? By the time this game is over, my face will be a mess. I’ll need cosmetic injections just to fix it. Hardly worth it. But the prize is so tempting—instant winner if I get it.

He took a deep breath and gave himself a hard slap. This time the sound was sharp, and a red mark appeared on his cheek.

He couldn’t help but cry out. Little Lackey B frowned in his sleep and began to talk in his dreams: "Don’t harm my lord, if you have to, come after me!"

Luo Gan tiptoed back into the room and saw a set of clothes under Little Lackey B’s bed glowing with a bright marker—there was no mistaking it, this had to be the clue!

He tread lightly, every step on his toes, afraid to disturb Little Lackey B’s sleep. Sweat poured down his back as the floorboards creaked beneath him. Then, losing his balance, Luo Gan stumbled and fell with a thud.

Little Lackey B sat up, eyes still closed, and shouted, "Hey! Beauty, come after me!"

Then he collapsed back onto the bed. Luo Gan wiped the sweat from his brow—this fellow was no pushover.

He continued cautiously, finally managing to retrieve the clothes from beneath the bed. Inside, he found a letter wrapped in silk.

Unwrapping the silk, he discovered the envelope was pristine, but the ink upon it was nearly indecipherable—so scrawled and messy. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, running script had become popular, but this letter was practically cursive.

The handwriting was so wild as to be a foreign language; it reminded him of the cryptic prescriptions scribbled by doctors.

Just as Luo Gan was puzzling over the letter, Little Lackey B sat up in bed, staring straight at him.

Startled, Luo Gan tried to hide the letter behind his back like a schoolboy caught cheating, but the more he thought about it, the more obvious it seemed. In his panic, he didn’t know what to do.

He hurried to explain, "Ah… it’s not what you think…"

But Little Lackey B was calm, as if nothing had happened. "That’s the letter that’s brought us so much trouble. Have you found anything wrong with it?"

"Uh? I… I just found it by accident while tidying up. The writing’s so messy, I can barely make it out," Luo Gan replied.

Little Lackey B lowered his head in silence before speaking. "My lord says this letter is a false accusation. He told me to toss it away."

"This letter isn’t simple," Luo Gan blurted out. But thinking further, he realized he couldn’t reveal everything. He had no way to explain why an undecipherable letter was so important, and if asked, he’d only arouse more suspicion.

"Isn’t that so!" Little Lackey B agreed. "I thought the same. I wanted to keep it, to clear my lord’s name."

"Still, keeping it isn’t a good idea. If it’s such an ill-omened thing, it shouldn’t be carried around any longer," Luo Gan said, trying to coax the letter from them for his own investigation.

Little Lackey B struggled for words. "But…"

Luo Gan patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly. "I understand your loyalty, but your lord has already chosen his path. If this letter is found on you, it will only bring more disaster."

At last, Little Lackey B nodded, and Luo Gan put the letter away.

"Where is your master?"

Little Lackey B scratched his head. "Lord Wang sent Little Lackey A out to buy wine. He’s up already, stretching his limbs—a long time since he’s had a proper exercise."

"Then you should get some rest. Don’t worry, I’ll leave the letter here. I won’t take it out or mention it to anyone. Your safety is my top priority." Luo Gan reassured him.

Little Lackey B was half convinced, but in times like these, there was no one left to trust.

Luo Gan left the room, racking his brain for any classic or famous work related to the letter’s contents. If it was an important clue, and since the Peach Blossom Fan had its poetry, what was this scrawl trying to say?

Meanwhile, several miles away, Little Lackey A was returning with wine when Adao caught him by the shoulder. Several men stood nearby, hefting hoes and clubs, eyes glinting with menace.

Adao’s voice was low and forceful: "We need to talk."