Chapter 5

"Useless! Every last one of you is useless!!"

At that moment, on the top floor of the Many-Treasures Pagoda at Lotus Flower Temple, Bao Lang, the special envoy charged with escorting the treasure, was roaring in a towering rage. He drew his Horizontal Saber and cleaved the incense table in two. Splinters flew, incense ash scattered across the floor, and Wu Zhiyuan, standing nearby, hurriedly dodged aside.

Someone had just come from the Prison Ward to report that another suspect had died under torture. Bao Lang's expression changed violently, and he drew his saber and hacked away to vent his fury, a bloodthirsty red gleam flickering in his eyes. The monk Liaoru stood trembling beside him, not daring to utter a sound.

Wu Zhiyuan pleaded shakily, "Please calm your anger, Special Envoy! Please calm your anger!"

"Calm my anger? Mine can be calmed, but can you calm Military Commissioner Cui's?! This was the place you recommended and vouched for!" Bao Lang demanded loudly, then turned and roared at the petty official from the Prison Ward, "Interrogate them again! Keep interrogating them!"

The jailer had not even had time to wash the blood from his hands. He hastily dropped to his knees and agreed, knocking his head against the floor like a pestle pounding garlic, then scrambled and tumbled down the pagoda.

Who on earth could have stolen the military governor's precious Baozhu from this pagoda, sealed so tightly that not even the wind could get through?

Wu Zhiyuan tucked both hands into his sleeves and racked his brains, to no avail. He had exhausted every trick to curry favor for the sake of his career, only to bring this calamity upon himself. His endless regret went without saying; in just a few days, his hair had turned completely white. He had originally thought Bao Lang cut an imposing figure and had a boundless future, and had even considered marrying his daughter to him. Now that the man had turned against him, he was like a savage beast, killing without blinking, showing no mercy even to his own guards who had been on duty.

Five days earlier, the three men in charge—Bao Lang, who oversaw the escort, the magistrate of Xiagui County, and the abbot of Lotus Flower Temple—had together carried the Lacquer Box containing the Baozhu to the top floor of the Many-Treasures Pagoda and placed it before Skanda Bodhisattva as an offering. After all three had inspected it, they descended together and locked the door, each with his own lock and each keeping his own key. Without any one of them, the door could not be opened.

Because this was a Baozhu the Wuwei Army's Military Governor intended to present to the emperor, everyone had taken extreme care. Bao Lang had personally inspected the pagoda inside and out several times. The personal guards he had brought from Xuzhou patrolled alongside the Unworthy Men of Xiagui County, and every morning the three men gathered to open the pagoda and inspect the treasure together.

Even with these supposedly foolproof precautions, the Baozhu had vanished as though it had sprouted wings.

The morning before last, the three of them had unlocked the door and climbed the pagoda, only to find the Lacquer Box empty, with nothing left but the soft brocade cushion that had supported the pearl. They could scarcely believe their eyes. Bao Lang hurriedly pulled aside the brocade to search, revealing a slip of paper beneath the cushion with a few words written on it.

Stranger still, a white snake was coiled around Skanda Bodhisattva's Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestle. Its entire body gleamed like jade, and its two eyes resembled rubies as it silently stared at the three men.

In terror, the monk Liaoru cried, "The Baozhu was stolen by the white snake!"

Bao Lang immediately flew into a rage and turned on him. If Wu Zhiyuan had not intervened, the abbot's blood would have splashed across the floor then and there. Amid the confusion, the snake vanished as well.

The Unworthy Men coming on duty were frightened out of their wits. They rushed next door to the monastery to inform their commander, Luo Chengye, only to find him brutally murdered in his home. His head had vanished, his signature weapon, the Four-Sided Pattern-Welded Iron Mace, was embedded in his abdomen, and a bloody length of intestines hung high from a roof beam. The room resembled a slaughterhouse.

Not only was the Four-Sided Pattern-Welded Iron Mace Luo Chengye's own weapon, it had neither a pointed tip nor a sharpened edge. An iron rod had been driven bodily into his belly. Despite the Lion Hound's astonishing martial prowess, he had apparently been given no chance to resist. What formidable skill that must have required.

Moreover, Luo Chengye's corpse had been grievously mutilated. The killer seemed to harbor immense hatred for him, going so far as to slit open his belly and rip out his organs to savage them viciously.

Twenty guards and monks who could approach the Many-Treasures Pagoda were arrested in all. Three were tortured to death that very night, and seven others, unable to endure the torture, confessed to stealing the pearl, yet could not say where it was.

Wu Zhiyuan pleaded in despair, "Special Envoy, I have already ordered every officer in Xiagui County to search the city for the thief with all their strength. But the theft of this Baozhu truly lay beyond human powers. Even if Lord Cui punishes this lowly official, there is nothing I can do."

"Beyond human powers? Could it be the will of Heaven, then?"

Bao Lang muttered to himself and looked up at the top of the pagoda. The Many-Treasures Pagoda had been built by master craftsmen of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Its roof spread like an umbrella, and shafts of light streamed through the gaps between its ribs, radiating from the center in every direction like the blazing midday sun, like the Buddha's wheel of the Dharma.

In Bao Lang's mind rose the white snake's glittering crimson eyes, thick fresh blood gushing from beneath its white scales...

"If a person couldn't get in, then was it a bird? A monkey? A child? Whatever stole my Baozhu, I'll slaughter it and take the pearl back!!"

Bao Lang viciously hacked the wreckage of the incense table again. His expression was so savage and crazed that even Wu Zhiyuan, who was over fifty and had weathered many storms, felt a chill run through him.

As for the dead Unworthy Marshal, Bao Lang did not care. As the special escort envoy, he naturally cared only about the stolen Baozhu. With the pearl lost, Luo Chengye, who had been responsible for guarding it, deserved to die anyway. Even if he had not been murdered that day, Bao Lang would long since have cut him in two himself. But two days had passed without the slightest lead in the case, and only today did Bao Lang finally remember to ask about that dead dog.

His voice shifted instantly from fury to icy calm. "Where is Luo Chengye's body?"

The speed of his change frightened Wu Zhiyuan, raising gooseflesh across his back. He answered, "Special Envoy, because of the hot weather, it has been taken back to the county offices and placed beneath the Prison Ward, where the decay can be slowed somewhat."

"What did the coroner say?"

Wu Zhiyuan immediately produced the autopsy report and presented it. "The examination found only one fatal wound, in his abdomen. His head was cut off after death."

"The murder weapon was his own Four-Sided Pattern-Welded Iron Mace?"

"Precisely."

Bao Lang said, "Lead the way. I want to inspect his home."

Incense smoke curled upward as Skanda Bodhisattva, holding his vajra pestle, gazed down upon it all in stern silence.

When night fell, Thirteenth Son offered to bring his bedding and sleep in Baozhu's room so that he could look out for her. She agreed without a second thought.

All was silent in Xiagui. Through the darkness came a faint shout or two from the officers. She did not know how far their search had progressed, but sooner or later they would reach the inn where they were staying. Though the innkeeper was attentive now, once the officers came through the door, a petty businessman like him would never dare conceal her presence.

In the darkness, she heard Thirteenth Son turn over.

Wei Xun's whereabouts were still unknown.

This little novice, the only person connected to him, could not say where his senior brother had gone. Baozhu sensed that he might know something, but for some reason was unwilling or unable to explain. His concern for her, however, was quite sincere and did not seem feigned. Now that he was sleeping on her floor, he had laid his bedding right behind the door, with his wooden staff beside him for protection.

Unable to sleep despite tossing and turning, Baozhu quietly rose and gazed out the window at the Many-Treasures Pagoda of Lotus Flower Temple beneath the moon.

A master thief with extraordinary skills had stolen the treasure from the top of the pagoda and ruthlessly killed the Unworthy Marshal guarding it. Who could skim rooftops and scale walls, stealing even within the imperial city as easily as plucking something from a pocket?

If the constables came to search her and force answers from her, subjecting her once more to the humiliation she had suffered outside Anhua Gate, what was she to do? All four city gates had been sealed. Even if she wished to flee now, she had nowhere to go.

At the thought, Baozhu shed two tears of hurt and grievance. Suddenly, an exceedingly faint sound came from the roof tiles, like a stray cat passing over them. Had she been asleep, she would not have noticed it. But she was carefully recalling everything that had happened over the past two days, her senses keenly alert, and caught the faint sound at once.

Joy welled up in her heart, and she could not help calling softly, "You're back?!"

She had left the window for him, without bolting it from within. A figure gently pushed it open and crouched on the frame, staring at her with the moonlight behind them.

Baozhu immediately sensed something wrong: neither the build nor the clothes were right. The figure wore tight black clothing and was considerably taller than an ordinary man, with broad shoulders, long legs, and a black cloth covering the face like an assassin's.

The black-clad intruder swung down from the window frame and walked toward her.

"Who are you?!"

Baozhu challenged the intruder aloud. Just as Wei Xun had warned, the distance was too short; it was too late to draw her bow. She could only pull an arrow from her quiver and hold its sharp point before her to defend herself.

The intruder paused.

Thirteenth Son had also been startled awake. Grabbing his wooden staff, he rushed over and planted himself between them.

With him blocking the way, Baozhu retreated while drawing her bow, managing to nock an arrow in time. Unexpectedly, Thirteenth Son cried, "Seventh Senior Brother!" He immediately dropped his weapon and hurried to fetch a candle.

The black-clad intruder stopped advancing and offered a compliment. "What a lovely young lady!" The voice was clear and crisp-a woman's voice.

Only after Thirteenth Son lit the candle did Baozhu see clearly that, although the newcomer was tall, she had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and pronounced curves. She was a woman whose body radiated strength.

The black-clad woman reached up and pulled away the cloth covering her face, revealing features both beautiful and fearsome. She must originally have been remarkably handsome, but a diagonal slash ran from her left forehead down to her right jaw. The scar was long and deep, the flesh turned outward. Though it had healed, it remained a shocking sight.

"When Four-Fatty said Wei Da had been captured alive by a young lady riding a donkey, I didn't believe him. Now that I've seen your beauty for myself, my lady, I'm halfway convinced."

The woman looked her up and down appreciatively, and Baozhu involuntarily blushed. Though the black-clad visitor was a woman, she possessed a charm that blurred the line between masculine and feminine, every movement brimming with heroic grace. She was the sort of figure who could leave countless young women dizzy with longing, haunting their dreams in their springtime chambers.

"I am Huo Qilang, Wei Xun's junior brother. My greetings, young lady."

She cupped her hands and gave the easy, dashing salute men used when meeting, then stepped back a few paces and hopped onto the window frame to sit.

Baozhu was still shaken, and rather bewildered. From her build and features to her voice, this person was clearly a woman, yet she called herself "Seventh Son," and Thirteenth Son addressed her as his senior brother. Baozhu did not know why.

The woman studied her with interest for a moment, then asked, "Is Wei Da not here? I wanted to discuss a piece of business with him."

"What business?" Baozhu asked warily.

"Didn't he steal a Luminous Pearl an inch across from the pagoda? He can't just hide the pearl away and use it as a candle, so naturally he'll have to sell it. I thought I'd act as a broker and earn a little commission to buy wine."

Baozhu's heart lurched. "How do you know he stole it?"

Huo Qilang said carelessly, "I didn't see it with my own eyes, but this was a tough nut to crack. Only he could have pulled it off. Huo Qi could climb the pagoda, but I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't touch a single bell. Even if I managed that by sheer luck, I don't have the bone-contracting art to squeeze into the top. So under all of Heaven, only Eldest Senior Brother could come and go there with ease."

Not only the local powers, but even his own fellow disciples believed Wei Xun had stolen the treasure!

Baozhu's emotions surged. Though Thirteenth Son had already identified the visitor, she had never relaxed her bowstring. Seeing her whole body taut and constantly on guard, Huo Qilang knew she was unwelcome and rubbed her nose helplessly. Having seen the mysterious beauty of the rumors without finding Wei Xun, she said, "Sorry for the intrusion," then swung herself out through the window and slipped away.

After Huo Qilang left, Baozhu remained badly shaken. After a moment's thought, she closed and bolted the window. She checked the door bolt as well, and, making certain there was no one else in the room, seized Thirteenth Son by the collar and shouted in anxious anger, "Everyone else has caught the scent and come knocking, and you still won't tell me what Wei Xun went off to do?!"

The little novice shook his head like a pellet drum and raised three fingers in an oath. "Shanyuan swears before the Buddha that I truly do not know where Eldest Senior Brother is now! If I'm lying, may Heaven strike me dead with lightning!"

Baozhu hastily caught the child's hand and covered his mouth. "Don't say such things! They might come true!"

She remembered wheedling her father as a child, clutching his robe and swearing, "If I ever leave Papa's side, may a little thief steal your Pearl away!" Now, far from her native home and adrift in the world, had she not indeed been stolen away by a little thief? Not only had he stolen her, he had abandoned her alone amid danger and left without a word.

Her strength drained away. She sat dejectedly on the couch and murmured, "Where on earth has he gone?"

Thirteenth Son sat down beside her, his head hanging. "Everyone in the world says Eldest Senior Brother stole that treasure. Do you think so too, Ninth Lady? Are you worried he stole it and fled alone with the loot?"

Baozhu let out a long sigh and shook her head. "No, I don't think that. Though every clue points to that mischievous wretch, and I don't have any proof..."

Thirteenth Son gazed at her with bright eyes, full of hope as he waited for her to continue.

Baozhu said, "It's only common sense. Since he could steal oranges from the imperial tribute storehouse, he could just as easily come and go in the treasury. Anything he took would be worth a fortune. He wouldn't suddenly become dazzled by money only after reaching Xiagui. I've seen more than enough people who chase nothing but profit. There must be something strange behind this. Besides, he's always acted without restraint. Even if he decided on a whim to steal the pearl, he wouldn't hide it. As for that 'Lion Hound'..."

Baozhu tilted her face toward the ceiling and sighed in frustration. "Ah, I truly have no idea what to make of this."

Wei Xun concealed many mysteries she knew nothing about, and he deliberately used Spring Code to keep her from learning more.

When she had held up the lamp and looked into the underground river, had he, too, been one of the monsters lurking beneath its dark surface?