Terror in the Night

Black Han asked in surprise, "What's wrong with that?"

"If he really is some noble family's son like you said, how could he possibly eat with us? Even that bastard Village Head in our village wouldn't eat with us-"

Black Han put on a stern face. "Don't talk nonsense! What do you mean, bastard Village Head? You should call him the honorable Village Head!"

"He's always making you work for him for nothing, and won't even give you a few measures of beans. He's an old bastard!" Little A-Wu said stubbornly.

"That's it. I have to give you a beating today!"

Father and daughter tumbled into a laughing, playful scuffle.

Once she was worn out, little A-Wu sprawled on the bed and said, "Dad, you have to be careful. Don't let anyone trick you."

Black Han laughed. "Who do you think taught you to be such a clever little imp?"

Little A-Wu sprang upright with a carp-like flip. "You did!"

"So whatever you can see, I can see too. And whatever you can't see, I can still see. What are you worrying about, then?"

"Hmph!" Little A-Wu looked unconvinced. After a while, she said, "But he wouldn't even drink the mallow soup. I suppose he can't be an ordinary person."

"A-Wu, in life, you have to look farther ahead."

Hearing her father's earnest tone, little A-Wu knew another lesson was coming and immediately sat up straight. Her father continued:

"If you begrudge a bowl of mallow soup or a bowl of bean and wheat porridge, you'll never accomplish anything. It's like sowing in spring. If you begrudge the seeds, or can't help eating the seed grain, how will you have a harvest in autumn? If you want to reap anything, you have to be willing to give something first. Do you understand?"

Little A-Wu thought for a moment, then said, "You mean if I want two bowls of mallow soup, I have to give this bowl away first, right?"

Black Han roared with laughter. "Two bowls? Two bowls are far too few! One day I'll set out a hundred bowls for you and let you drink your fill!"

"I don't want a hundred bowls. Two are enough!" Little A-Wu looked perfectly serious.

"Hah, what's mallow soup compared to this? Look what I've got!" Black Han took a cloth bundle from inside his clothes and opened it.

"Dried fish!" Little A-Wu's eyes lit up.

In the east room, Wang Yang lay beneath a tattered quilt, listening to the warm laughter of father and daughter, and felt a little lonely.

Since crossing through time, he had faced one crisis after another. He had had no time to think back on his old friends, family, and life, no time to plan his next steps, and not even time to consider the time travel itself.

He was like someone chased by a wild beast who had run for a whole day and night, only now finally finding a chance to catch his breath.

He began to consider what conditions had made the time travel possible.

If it had been the Soul Bottle, what mechanism had triggered it?

Back in the museum, five people had gathered around the Soul Bottle. At that very same moment, here in Southern Qi, five people had also been gathered around it. Was that a coincidence?

Could that coincidence have caused the time travel? But why had only four people ultimately crossed over?

And where was this body's original owner? Why did he have none of the original owner's memories? Was it possible that, at the same moment he had traveled into the past, the original owner had traveled into the modern world?

Now the Soul Bottle was shattered, and he was the only survivor of the four who had crossed over. There was probably no hope of ever going home again. But what about his mother?

Ah, Mom's smart and cheerful, and she isn't short of money. She can live perfectly well without me.

That was all Wang Yang could tell himself for comfort.

"Original owner, oh, original owner, if you really have crossed over to the modern world, please take good care of my mom for me, and live a good life in my place." Wang Yang closed his eyes and prayed silently. After a while, he murmured, "I'll live a good life in your place too."

Bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

A sudden pounding at the door broke the night.

Wang Yang bolted upright. His first thought was that his false identity had been exposed, and Squad Leader Xue had brought men to arrest him!

"Open up! Open the door! If you don't, we'll break it down!" someone shouted outside.

Black Han's expression changed sharply. He reached back and grabbed his saber, but after a moment's thought, set it back beside the bed. "Whatever you do, don't come out!" he told little A-Wu, then hurried to open the door.

Four burly men barged in, instantly filling half the little room.

"You're back. Why didn't you send word?" A middle-aged man in a yellow silk robe, wearing a gold ring set with a gemstone, walked in with a smile.

He dressed like an ordinary wealthy merchant and wore a neatly trimmed mustache. Though his eyes were hawklike, his smile was mild and refined, and he treated Black Han quite amiably. But anyone who took him for a kindly soul would have been the greatest fool under heaven.

Black Han hastily bowed. "I only just returned, Third Master. I haven't had time to come pay my respects."

Third Master Du was all smiles. "That's all right. As long as you repay the money, there's still time to pay your respects now."

"I've found out everything! That woman married a wealthy merchant and is living in Jiankang now. She must have the money to repay-"

Third Master Du's smile paused. "You mean you want me to go to the Capital to find her?"

"I wouldn't dare!" Black Han said urgently. "It's just... she was the one who borrowed the money. She ran off with it all. I never saw a single coin!"

Third Master Du said unhurriedly, "A wife's debts are paid by her husband. It's been that way since ancient times."

"But we divorced long ago-"

Third Master Du said pleasantly:

"Whether you divorced her or repudiated her has nothing to do with me. You're the one who signed the guarantee, and your daughter is the collateral. Either repay the money or hand over your daughter. Choose."

Black Han hated himself for his stupidity. That woman had returned a year ago and begged him pitifully, kowtowing and weeping, swearing to heaven that she would mend her ways. His hitting her had also played a part in their earlier divorce, so partly out of guilt, partly for old affection's sake, and partly for A-Wu, Xin Yi softened and he agreed to reconcile.

It wasn't that he had taken no precautions, but her act had been so convincing that she had lowered his guard!

He had truly believed she wanted to make a proper life with him. Otherwise, he would never have believed that nonsense about borrowing money to invest in a cloth shop!

Worse still, she had found someone to help her switch the documents and pull the wool over his eyes, putting A-Wu up as collateral! Otherwise, he would never, under any circumstances, have signed the guarantee!

Black Han dropped to his knees and knocked his head hard against the ground three times, pleading earnestly:

"Third Master, she's my only daughter! I was tricked into signing that guarantee! With your far-reaching powers, who couldn't you find? Zhang A-Nü married a wax merchant named Liu. They're living in Jiankang right now! Please, I beg you, leave me a way to live!"

"Shh-" Third Master Du bent down and steadied Black Han, whose forehead was swollen and smeared with dust. The smile on his face sent a chill through Black Han.

"Look at you. You're making me seem like a bully." Third Master Du brushed Black Han's clothes as though dusting him off and said with a smile, "I'm actually a very simple man. As long as you follow the rules, I certainly won't make things difficult for you. Repay the money or hand over the girl. You have to choose one. If you choose neither..."

He patted Black Han's trembling face and smiled. "Then you can't blame me."

"I... I don't have the money right now. Take this house. Anything inside it, you can-"

"Heh, heh, heh..." Before Black Han could finish, Third Master Du's laughter cut him off. The four men beside him began laughing too.

"Are you trying to amuse me? I wouldn't take this wretched house even if you gave it to me for nothing. Enough. Hurry up and say a few words to your daughter, then pack a few changes of clothes for her. I'll give you half a quarter-hour."

Notes: ① Yellow did not become a color reserved for the imperial household until after the mid-Tang period, so Third Master Du could wear yellow at this time.

② According to research by the great Qing scholar Zhao Yi, the use of "master" as an honorific originated in the Tang dynasty (Collected Critical Studies). During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the word meant "father." Strictly speaking, therefore, the form of address "Third Master Du" most likely would not have appeared in Southern Qi, unless nicknames like "Old Dad" or "Third Pa" were also popular in the underworld then. However, historical sources for the Northern and Southern Dynasties are relatively sparse compared with those of later periods, and mostly focus on aristocrats and scholar-officials. Unlike after the rise of the commoner class during the Song dynasty, when records of ordinary people's lives gradually became more numerous, they do not allow a fully detailed reconstruction of society at the time. To help readers quickly grasp the characters, "master" has still been used here. Forms of address such as "young master" and "prince" will also appear later, though none of these necessarily accords with historical usage.

③ The respectful Chinese pronoun for "you" did not yet exist during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Replacing every respectful "you" with another form of address would make the prose rather cumbersome, while using the ordinary "you" would not quite fit modern reading conventions. To help readers follow the tone of the dialogue, the respectful pronoun has still been used.