That was Wang Yang's first reason for hitting the handsome youth and the burly man! While slapping them, he had used a vinegar-dipped finger to draw a small circle on each man's right sleeve.
The vinegar on his fingertip had been dilute to begin with. After he drew the circles on their dark hemp clothing, evaporation made the marks even harder to distinguish with the naked eye. But once the remaining vinegar was heated, its water would evaporate, concentrating the vinegar and making the marks easier to see.
Moreover, cloth would blacken once it reached a certain temperature, known as its "carbonization temperature." Cloth soaked in vinegar had a lower carbonization temperature than ordinary cloth, so when exposed to flame, the vinegar-stained areas would scorch first.
(Hemp textiles were also a type of cloth. In medieval texts, a large proportion of references to cloth meant hemp-based fibers. Such textiles were not necessarily inferior: hemp and Indian mallow produced coarse cloth, while ramie could be woven into high-grade fabrics that were far from cheap. More on this later.)
There was nothing mysterious about this principle to Wang Yang, but the soldiers knew nothing of it. They were all astonished by what they saw, believing it really was some sort of secret message used by northern spies. This only strengthened their conviction that Wang Yang belonged to the Langya Wang clan. How could he have known such things unless he was someone important?
The burly man and the handsome youth could not see what was happening to the cloth. They merely kept shouting abuse and exposing Wang Yang. In desperation, the handsome youth even claimed that Wang Yang had killed people and was wanted for a major crime! The burly man shouted that Wang Yang was plotting rebellion!
They said whatever they thought would grab attention.
Little did they realize that these wild exaggerations, blurted out as they scrambled blindly for an escape, only made their words less believable-and undermined their earlier testimony that Wang Yang had assumed a false identity.
The Squad Leader had no patience for their nonsense. He hurriedly asked, "May I ask, young master, what does this symbol mean?"
"It is the sun," Wang Yang said. "The northern tribes have worshipped the sun and moon since ancient times. Do you not know what the Records of the Grand Historian says? 'In the morning, the chanyu leaves his camp to bow to the rising sun; in the evening, he bows to the moon.'"
The Squad Leader had never read the Records of the Grand Historian. He merely shook his head, while Wang Yang continued with an increasingly convincing air of authority. "Do you know how many northern spies cross the border every year? How many agents they recruit? They even have collaborators in the army! Otherwise, I would have exposed these men the moment I saw you. Why would I have waited until now?"
This was a question Wang Yang had wanted to explain earlier, and a substantial flaw in his story: if those four really were northern spies, why had he not revealed the truth from the outset?
Wang Yang had already prepared an explanation, but volunteering it would have seemed contrived. Now, using the conversation as an opening and mentioning it as though in passing, he made it seem far more natural.
The Squad Leader had harbored suspicions about this earlier, but had found no opportunity to ask. Hearing Wang Yang's reasonable explanation now dispelled much of his doubt.
Wang Yang continued, "Many northern spies enter our borders. Their ranks are complicated, and they belong to separate groups. To recognize one another, some put a secret mark on their right sleeve to confirm their identities. When several travel together, the one bearing the mark is the leader, and those without it are his subordinates. This is a court secret, so that is all I can tell you. If you feel you have lived long enough, by all means spread it around."
"I wouldn't dare! This lowly man would never dare spread it!" the Squad Leader said, bowing in alarm.
Wang Yang noticed that this was the first time the Squad Leader had called himself "this lowly man."
"He's a liar! A liar! Don't believe him! His surname isn't Wang! He killed people! Several people!"
"He's a fake! An impostor! A fraud! He's plotting rebellion and trying to usurp the throne!"
The burly man and the handsome youth shrieked wildly, saying whatever came into their heads, almost hysterical.
Wang Yang glanced at the two men, who were flailing about as though desperate to see him dead. Hardening his heart, he asked the Squad Leader, "How will you deal with these two?"
"Take them back and interrogate them under torture," the Squad Leader said.
Wang Yang shook his head. "Too much trouble."
"Then what do you suggest, young master...?"
Wang Yang said nothing. He merely looked toward Editor Xu's corpse.
The Squad Leader followed Wang Yang's gaze, and his heart jolted.
"That... wouldn't be proper, would it? Since they're northern spies, we're bound to learn something if we take them back and interrogate them."
Wang Yang looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Proper? When we first met, you shot two people dead without asking a single question, and you were going to hand your captives over to your superior for his amusement. What was proper about that?"
Looking embarrassed, the Squad Leader hastily explained, "Travel at night is forbidden in A Qu Forest. It was too dark earlier, and there was an official dispatch from Lu Yang..."
Wang Yang waved a hand. "Relax. I have no interest in meddling in any of that. I am merely reminding you that keeping these two alive may not be a good thing. They have no idea what they should or should not say."
"You bastard Wang! May your whole family die miserable deaths! You plot to ruin people-all your book learning went straight into a dog's belly! xxx, xxxx!"
"Don't believe him! He isn't from the Prince of Langya's clan! You bunch of fucking idiots, he's fooled you all! xxxxx! I xxxx!"
The burly man and the handsome youth grew frantic, their curses becoming increasingly foul.
Wang Yang lowered his voice. "You see? These two are diehards. Forget getting information out of them if you take them back-they won't even admit to being spies. Then they'll spew nonsense in their statements, and you may end up punished instead of rewarded. Kill them, and you have killed four northern spies. Take them back, and you are bringing back two disasters."
"But, but there's too little evidence that they're northern spies. Without a confession, that secret sun mark alone..."
"You don't need any secret sun mark. I will testify for you. Testimony from the Langya Wang clan-that is the strongest evidence! I will vouch for all four being spies. You and your men killed the spies and rescued me. A great achievement!"
The Squad Leader had been retreating to advance, waiting for precisely those words. He immediately bowed his head and cupped his hands. "As you command!"
Then he ordered, "Third, Ding Jiu, by Young Master Wang's orders, finish off these two spies."
Wang Yang knew the Squad Leader had deliberately emphasized that it was his order, but he did not care. These two had to be eliminated.
The burly man went without saying. He was vicious, had no bottom line, and had caused Editor Xu's death. Death was more than deserved.
The handsome youth had not done anything quite so wicked, but he had first exposed Wang Yang's false identity as a Vagrant, then accused him of falsely claiming the Langya Wang name. It was pure petty malice. Had Wang Yang been less fortunate and been dragged down by him, he might have died without even knowing how. If he spared someone like that, who could guarantee it would not become another tale of "the farmer and the snake"?
"Yes, sir!" Third and Ding Jiu drew their blades and approached the burly man and the handsome youth.
Seeing that they really were about to be killed on the spot, both men's legs went weak with fear. The handsome youth cried, "Dr. Wang! Dr. Wang, I was wrong! Brother Wang! I really know I was wrong! Give me another chance! I'll do whatever you say from now on! I'll be your assistant! I don't want to die! I only just transmigrated! I'm the protagonist-"
The burly man was much more defiant. "He's fooled you all! He's the northern spy! The biggest northern spy of all! Report him to your general, and you'll be richly rewarded!"
By then, a blade was already pressed against his neck. Knowing his end was near, the burly man glared and roared, "You little x bastard! You've broken the law! Premeditated murder! Incitement to murder! You'll never get back! You'll die a miser-"
The blades sliced through their throats in an instant, abruptly cutting off their curses.
Wang Yang turned away. His limbs felt cold, stiff, and numb, as though all the strength had been drained from his body.
This was the first time he had taken another person's life. But he did not regret it.
Surviving in ancient times after transmigrating had never been a simple matter. Wang Yang had always known that.
"Young Master Wang, please come with us to meet our Squad Leader Xue," the corporal said.
Still facing away, Wang Yang gave a cold snort. "Meet him? Why should I go to see some insignificant petty officer? Go back now, tell him I am here, and have him come to see me immediately."
Wang Yang was not trying to put on airs. His body felt weak and his legs were numb, and he feared showing weakness before the soldiers. More importantly, he did not actually want to meet any squad leader.
His words could fool these soldiers, but whether they could fool Squad Leader Xue was another matter entirely.
He hoped the Squad Leader would take all the soldiers away, giving him a chance to flee.
Seeing Wang Yang put on such lofty airs, the Squad Leader became even more deferential. "Yes, yes. This lowly man will go at once!"
Wang Yang felt a surge of delight as the Squad Leader gathered his men to leave. But after taking just one step, the Squad Leader turned back.
"How could we leave you without guards in such wilderness, young master?"
Without even asking Wang Yang's opinion, he ordered, "Third, Ding Jiu, stay here and attend to the young master."
The dark-skinned spearman immediately said, "Corporal, those four corpses still need to be beheaded and gathered together. Third and Ding Jiu won't be able to protect the young master while doing that. Let me stay as well."
Ding Jiu glanced at the dark-skinned man, while Wang Yang inwardly groaned.
The Squad Leader thought for a moment. "Very well." Then he added in an extremely low voice, "Be careful. Don't let him get away."
The dark-skinned man nodded in acknowledgment.
Before you continue