Emperor Weapon (231)

A short man wearing a dog-skin hat squatted behind the stall, with a plastic sheet spread out in front of him. On the sheet were four short crowbars, two rolls of climbing rope, a signal gun, and three boxes of signal flares. The crowbars were exactly the same style as those used by Old Dao's men, with black duct tape wrapped around the handles and fresh scratches on the tips.

Snow Empress squatted down, picked up a crowbar, and examined it. "How much is this?"

The dog-skin hat sticks out three fingers.

"Thirty?"

"Three hundred."

Snow Empress put down the crowbar. "Too expensive. This crowbar is old, the tip is worn down like this, a new one would cost about the same."

The man in the dog-skin hat chuckled, "Girl, you have good taste. But you should know where this came from."

"They came from the edge of the Blind Zone." Snow Empress interrupted him, "Did Old Dao tell you to sell them?"

The smile on the man in the dog-skin hat froze on his face. He glanced around and lowered his voice, "You know Old Dao?"

"I don't know him. But I know he buried something in Blind Zone last year and hired people to dig it up this year. These crowbars were used by his men; the scratches on the tips are from prying up cement slabs. He asked you to sell them because he's in a hurry to cash out?"

The man in the dog-skin hat was silent for a few seconds, then tucked the plastic sheet into his pockets and said, "I'm not selling it anymore." He got up to leave.

The Vein Guardian stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. We won't cause you any trouble, we just want to ask where Old Dao is."

"I really don't know!" Dogskin Hat exclaimed anxiously. "He just had someone deliver this batch of goods to me for consignment, taking a 30% cut. I've never met him, but the middleman said his surname was Dao, and that he used to hang around the edge of the Blind Zone."

Who is the middleman?

Dog-skin hat hesitated for a moment, and Zhao the Lame coughed beside him. "Old Sun, just say it. These guys are from the Spirit Vein Bureau; they're the ones who activated the Blind Zone node. Old Dao and his gang are involved in damaging the spirit veins. If you help them dispose of the stolen goods, you won't be able to explain yourself when the police come knocking."

The man in the dog-skin hat threw the plastic sheet on the ground. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you. The middleman's surname is Liu, everyone calls him Liu Er. He collects scrap at that junkyard west of the Blind Zone. Old Dao's goods all go through him. Go find Liu Er, don't drag me into this."

Snow Empress stood up. "Where is Liu Er's junkyard?"

"Go three miles west of the Blind Zone along the old dirt road. There's a junkyard on the north side of the road; the one with piles of old tires at the entrance is it."

Snow Empress nodded to the Vein Guardian and Zhao the Lame, then turned and walked towards the outside of the riverbank. The Vein Guardian followed. "Go straight there?"

"Go straight there. Strike while the iron is hot. If Liu Er escapes, the trail will go cold again."

Zhao the Lame said he knew the scrap yard and led them along a shortcut. Leaving the town and heading west, the dirt road was flanked by vast, abandoned fields, overgrown with weeds half a person's height. After walking for about twenty minutes, a scrap yard indeed appeared on the north side of the road. It was surrounded by a metal fence, with dozens of old tires piled up at the entrance. Inside the fence, several small mountains of scrap iron, old cardboard, and rotten plastic could be seen.

Zhao the Lame stood at the door and called out, "Liu Er! We have a guest!"

A middle-aged man, as thin as a bamboo pole, emerged from behind the junkyard. He wore a greasy, patchwork blue cotton jacket and held a half-smoked cigarette in his hand. He saw Zhao the Lame, then glanced at Snow Empress and the Vein Guardian behind him, and his smile faded slightly. "Old Zhao? And who are these gentlemen?"

" From the Spirit Vein Bureau," Snow Empress said directly, "They're here to ask you about Old Dao."

Liu Er's cigarette fell to the ground. He bent down, picked it up, and put it back in his mouth, his movements a little stiff. "Old Dao... I don't know any Old Dao."

"The dog-skin hat said you were the middleman." Snow Empress took two steps forward. "Old Dao asked you to sell equipment from the Blind Zone; how much did you take?"

Liu Er still tried to deny it, but the Vein Guardian pulled his machete from his waist and slammed it against the pile of scrap metal with a crisp clang. "Liu Er, I've been wandering around this Blind Zone for forty years. I know exactly when your scrap yard opened and who supplies you. You've been selling Old Dao's goods more than once or twice. Let's talk this out today, and we won't make things difficult for you."

Liu Er squatted down, stubbed out his cigarette, and pondered for a while, head drooping. "Alright. Old Dao... Old Dao contacted me last autumn, asking me to help him dispose of a batch of stuff he'd salvaged from Blind Zone. Old devices, cables, metal sheets, and stuff like that. I bought them and resold them to the secondhand market. This year he sent over this batch of crowbars and signal guns, saying he urgently needs the money. That's all I know."

Where is he?

"I really don't know. He always sends deliveries through intermediaries, never showing his face. The delivery person is Mute; he just drops the goods and leaves, refusing to say anything when asked."

What does Mute look like?

"Of medium height, with a scar on his left cheek, wearing a black cotton-padded jacket. He always came in a donkey cart, which was covered with a straw mat."

Snow Empress and the Vein Guardian exchanged a glance. The Vein Guardian whispered, "Black cotton-padded jacket, scarred face, donkey cart—there are quite a few donkey cart drivers in the villages west of the Blind Zone, but this feature is easy to recognize."

When will he deliver next?

Liu Er thought for a moment, "The last time was half a month ago. He said there would be another batch after this one sold out. According to his pattern, it should be around these next few days."

"If he comes, how will you notify us?"

Liu Er pointed at Zhao the Lame: "I'll have Old Zhao pass on a message. The Spirit Vein Bureau is at the east end of town; I'll have Old Zhao make the trip."

"Alright." Snow Empress turned and walked out, but after taking two steps, she turned back. "Liu Er, if you had tipped off the Mute beforehand, we wouldn't have come through the main gate next time. Understand?"

"Understood, understood." Liu Er nodded vigorously.

After leaving the junkyard, Zhao the Lame went back to town first, while Snow Empress and the Vein Guardian headed towards the Spirit Vein Bureau. As they walked, the Vein Guardian pondered, "If we can cut off the lead on the Mute's delivery, we might be able to trace it back to Old Dao."

"So we need to keep an eye on Liu Er's scrap yard for the next couple of days," Snow Empress said. "I'll keep an eye on it during the day, and you keep an eye on it at night. Zhao the Lame will be in charge of relaying messages."

"Okay. I'll go tonight."

They kept watch for three days. During the day, Snow Empress would move a small stool and sit under the crooked willow tree diagonally opposite the junkyard, pretending to sew shoe soles. She actually didn't know how to sew shoe soles; her stitches were crooked and uneven, but from a distance, it looked convincing. At night Vein Guardian would climb to the top of the scrap metal pile behind the junkyard and squat there all night, with his machete beside him.

On the evening of the third day, the Mute arrived.

As Snow Empress was pretending to thread a needle, he heard the sound of donkey hooves hitting the dirt road. He looked up and saw a gray donkey pulling a flatbed cart slowly coming from the west. The cart was covered with a straw curtain, and the driver was of medium height, wearing a black cotton-padded jacket, and sure enough, he had a scar on his left cheek.

Snow Empress didn't move. She waited until the donkey cart turned into the gate of the scrap yard before standing up, dusting off her pants, and walking towards the Spirit Vein Bureau. She ran into the Vein Guardian at the street corner. He slept during the day and kept watch at night, and had just woken up to go and change shifts.

"He's here," Snow Empress said. "The Mute is unloading goods at Liu Er's place. Go keep an eye on him and see where he goes after leaving the scrap yard. I'm going to find Old Zhou to ask for him back."

The Vein Guardian turned and ran west, his woodcutter's axe clanging loudly at his waist.