The Woman

Nothing happened overnight. As usual, Liu Yuanzhou got up early, dressed, and went out. Jogging all the way, he soon climbed to the summit of the mountain behind the village.

It was overcast today, and the wind had risen, sweeping yellow earth into the sky until the whole heavens were gray and murky. Liu Yuanzhou stood atop the mountain, the wind howling in his ears. Looking as far as his eyes could reach, the distant mountains and the village beneath his feet were both hidden by windblown sand, as though the entire world had been reduced to him alone. He drew a deep breath. "Ah..." Then he let out a shout, which was swiftly swallowed by the wind and sand. Without stopping, he kept shouting into the air.

After venting atop the mountain, Liu Yuanzhou felt much brighter. He went back down and returned home. His parents had not yet risen, but his elder brother, Liu Yuanbo, had long been up and was tidying the new house. The walls whitewashed two days ago had already dried, and Liu Yuanbo intended to rebuild the heated brick bed today. Liu Yuanzhou said to him, "Brother, I'll go up the mountain and chop a load of firewood first. Go ahead and eat breakfast without waiting for me." With that, he took an axe and a water flask, slung a rope over his shoulder, and headed for the mountain behind the village.

The place Liu Yuanzhou was going to was called Cattle Back Ridge, quite far from the village. People from the village rarely went there. A shrub called black locust grew on Cattle Back Ridge, and its wood burned exceptionally well. Liu Yuanzhou thought that with his brother's wedding date drawing near, he should prepare more black locust for the wedding feast fires.

Following the village road for two or three li, he turned into a ravine, climbed a high mountain, then walked another five or six li along the ridge to reach Cattle Back Ridge. The journey was not far, but the mountain was thick with black locust and unknown thickets. Narrow goat trails wound between them, making the path extremely difficult. Liu Yuanzhou spent nearly half a shichen getting there and was already panting for breath. Standing on the summit, he saw that Cattle Back Ridge resembled a cow's spine, high on both sides and low in the middle. Looking west, he could faintly make out a white line in the distance: an official road.

Liu Yuanzhou found a sheltered earthen slope and sat down, taking a drink of water and planning to rest awhile. Vegetation was sparse on this hillside, and pits of all sizes were scattered across it. The small ones were as large as washbasins, while the large ones could easily fit a standing person. The village elders said these pits had been left behind by herb thieves digging up medicinal plants. Liu Yuanzhou had never seen a herb thief in all his life, so he had no idea whether it was true.

Once he had rested, Liu Yuanzhou took off his rope and water flask, set them on the ground, and carried his axe toward a clump of black locust. The black locust stood about as tall as a person and looked like a great ball, its thumb-thick branches covered in fine thorns and tangled tightly together. Liu Yuanzhou spent a great deal of effort felling one bush. He straightened up to rest his back, then prepared to break down the branches. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something flash past inside an earthen pit not far below.

"What was that? A pheasant?" Liu Yuanzhou's heart stirred. Carrying his axe, he crept over on light feet and peered inside. In an instant, he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly backed away several steps, his heart pounding wildly. That was no pheasant in there. It was clearly a person.

After a while, Liu Yuanzhou saw the person stand up from the pit. She first looked around, then turned toward him and asked, "Little brother, where is this place?" Her voice was low and hoarse.

Liu Yuanzhou saw that her hair was disheveled, obscuring her complexion. Though her voice was hoarse, he could still tell it was a woman's voice, and from her accent, she did not seem to be local. She was wrapped in a grimy gray cotton robe, tattered and torn, with the stuffing exposed beneath it.

Who was she? What was she doing here? A beggar? A herb thief? Liu Yuanzhou wondered. Steadying himself, he replied, "This is within Shi Fu County, Yan Prefecture, about a hundred li from Shi Fu County town."

"Have I entered Yan Prefecture?" the woman murmured to herself. Then she asked, "Little brother, could you do me a favor and take me to the county town? You will certainly be richly rewarded."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Yuanzhou answered, "There's a market about a dozen li from here, where you can hire a mule cart to the county town. I can take you to the market." Though he did not know where the woman had come from, taking her to Crouching Tiger Slope was no more than lifting a finger for him, and he had nothing to lose. As for taking her to the county town, that was impossible. He had never even been there himself.

"Then many thanks. But my legs are inconvenient. Could you carry me there?" the woman asked again.

Those words gave Liu Yuanzhou a tremendous fright. Stammering, he said, "Th-this... As the saying goes, men and women should not touch when giving or receiving things. Wouldn't that be improper?"

"Come take a look and you'll know. My leg is injured," the woman sighed.

Liu Yuanzhou suspected nothing and walked over to inspect her leg. Before he could see it clearly, however, a black shadow lunged viciously at his face. Startled, Liu Yuanzhou was just about to raise a hand to block it when a sharp pain suddenly struck the back of his neck. A force penetrated his body, and he instantly felt all strength leave him. His body collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud.

At that moment, Liu Yuanzhou was terrified beyond measure. What was she going to do? Could she really be a herb thief? Had I discovered her secret, so she was going to kill me to silence me? He wanted to speak in his defense, but he could not utter a single word, only make muffled "uh, uh" sounds.

The woman said apologetically, "Sorry, little brother. I'll have to wrong you for a while." With that, she dragged Liu Yuanzhou into the earthen pit where she had been hiding. Then she took off Liu Yuanzhou's cotton jacket and removed her own robe, using it to cover him. After hesitating for a moment, she put on Liu Yuanzhou's clothes. Her build was about the same as his, so they fit her well enough. Once changed, she panted and rested for a while. Then she took off Liu Yuanzhou's hat and put it on her own head, roughly tousled his hair, and grabbed a handful of dirt to smear over his head.

After finishing all this, she stepped out of the pit and looked over her handiwork with a satisfied nod. She then took a white pill the size of a fingernail from the pocket of her underclothes. A trace of hesitation flashed through her eyes, but in the end, she shut her eyes and swallowed it. Then she lay down beside the earthen pit, only four or five paces from Liu Yuanzhou. Curling her body up, she breathed in a peculiar rhythm. The intervals between inhaling and exhaling gradually lengthened until her breathing was almost inaudible.

As for Liu Yuanzhou, he could not move his body and could only let the woman manipulate him. Yet his eyes could still see, and the terror in his heart gradually turned into astonishment. What exactly was she trying to do?

Liu Yuanzhou sat motionless in the earthen pit. All he could hear was the whooshing wind and the rustling scrape of branches, yet a faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, stirring an inexplicable feeling within him.

He did not know how much time had passed before Liu Yuanzhou gradually became anxious. Why can't I still move? Could I actually be paralyzed? As he thought this, terror rose within him again. Just then, the crunch of footsteps sounded outside. Liu Yuanzhou gave a start, excitement surging through him. Had people from the village come looking for him? Then he suddenly thought of the woman beside him, and his heart turned ice-cold. Don't come over! Go back to the village and call people first!

As if hearing Liu Yuanzhou's silent cries, the footsteps stopped.

"Miss Qin, I saw you. Stop hiding. I've caught you again this time. Surely you should fulfill your promise now, shouldn't you?" the newcomer said. His voice was rough and belonged to a man. From his accent, he too was not local. Liu Yuanzhou's heart sank. Was this man here to capture her? Did they know each other?

Liu Yuanzhou could not speak, and Miss Qin beside him did not answer either.

Seeing that no one answered for a long while, the man grew impatient. "Miss Qin, they say things do not go past three times. This is the third time I've caught you. Please teach me how to use that thing." After a pause, the man softened his tone. "From the Western Borderlands to Northern Mongolia, and now Qin Province, the journey has spanned more than ten thousand li. I believe I have shown enough patience and enough sincerity. So long as you honor your word, I, Bage, swear by Eternal Heaven that I will never reveal this matter to a third person, and I will immediately offer you the antidote."

The only answer he received was still silence. Bage's anger rose slightly. I have let her go twice already. It seems she never truly intended to cooperate with me. We have now entered Yan Prefecture, Tai Xuan Sect's territory. I cannot drag this out any longer. It seems I can only use force.

Having made up his mind, Bage no longer hesitated and walked toward the earthen pit. He had long noticed the person lying beside it, but merely assumed it was a nearby villager gathering firewood who had been subdued by the woman. Did he see her beauty and try to take advantage while she was vulnerable? He doesn't know whether he lives or dies.

After hearing so much from the man, Liu Yuanzhou had roughly understood what was going on between the two of them. At this moment, the footsteps sounded again, approaching him. It seems he has mistaken me for that woman. Through his tangled hair, Liu Yuanzhou finally saw the man clearly. He was around thirty, with a coarse face, a scar across his left cheek, and a black short outfit.

"Miss Qin, forgive me," Bage said, reaching into the pit to grab Liu Yuanzhou.

Liu Yuanzhou was horrified. Brother, you've got the wrong person! I'm not the one you're looking for!

All of a sudden, a figure sprang up and pounced fiercely at the man. With a muffled thud, the figure immediately shot back.

Bage's face was filled with disbelief. When had she called for help? Had people from Tai Xuan Sect interfered? He had taken a punch to the back. There appeared to be nothing wrong on the outside, but within him, his five viscera, six bowels, and meridians had all shattered. He felt his life force draining away, and boundless regret filled his heart. I refuse to accept this! How hateful... His vision gradually blurred, and at last he fell into darkness.

Liu Yuanzhou watched as the man froze after taking the woman's blow. Then the man's entire body began to tremble, blood gushing from his eyes and nostrils before he slowly toppled to the ground. Liu Yuanzhou was so dumbstruck by everything that he temporarily forgot to be afraid. Everything the woman had done was finally explained. So she had been setting an ambush for this man.