Chapter Twelve: Frosty Cold (II)

After crossing the Shui River and climbing Mount Longma, the more westward they went, the desolate the scenery became. On the winding, muddy mountain paths, not a soul was in sight for a long time; all that could be seen were rows of lush cypress trees and short, twisted shrubs. With deep autumn and frost falling, the ground was covered with yellow, orange, and red fallen leaves. The horses made a rustling sound as they stepped on the dry leaves.
The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, and the brilliant hues of the sunset filtered through the shaded branches, casting dappled light. They had been traveling for seven or eight days yet were still wandering in the mountains. Whether they were soldiers seeking fame in the army or merchants aiming to trade beyond the borders, everyone’s morale was at its lowest. Although the guide, Master You, kept assuring them that Jincheng was behind the next mountain range, there were simply too many mountains in Minzhou. After climbing one peak, another would appear right in front of them, driving people to the brink of frustration.
Li Kuo, a military officer of the Zhuque Regiment of the Shence Army, rode on Qingfeng, his mind filled with worry. Since leaving Shanggui City, they had not found any places to replenish their rations along the way. Fresh water was not a concern, as there were clear streams everywhere in the mountains. If they wished, they could drink their fill at any time. But dry food could not be created out of thin air. Although he ordered the soldiers to hunt for food along the way, not every valley would suddenly produce an antelope or a deer. Watching the pouches at everyone’s waist gradually shrink, Li Kuo sighed. If they did not escape these endless mountains within a week, they would face the risk of running out of food.
“General, look over there!” Dou Qing pointed at a cluster of shrubs and urged him.
Li Kuo pulled himself out of his thoughts and directed his horse toward the shrubs. After dismounting, he walked a dozen steps into the forest before being shocked. Dozens of corpses lay scattered among the bushes, already half-decomposed. Each victim had only a headless torso, and their deaths were extremely gruesome. Almost all valuables from the bodies had been stolen, even the fine clothes they wore—evident from the thread scraps left on one of the shrubs.
You Long dismounted and strode toward the bushes. When he got closer, he carelessly bent down to touch the back of one of the corpses, feeling it lightly, unafraid that ghosts might mistake him for the killer.
“These people have been dead for about a week. The cold weather has prevented them from fully decaying.”
You Long stood up and walked a dozen steps westward from the corpses, stopping at another cluster of shrubs. He bent down and picked up an intricately carved feather arrow from the weeds at the base of the tree.

“That’s right. These people must be some merchants dealing in goods, who came from Longma Mountain. Unfortunately, they encountered bandits in these mountains. They probably all had horses and, under the lead of their leader, fled toward this thicket. The trees here are low and branched, so the merchants struggled to move far before getting stuck. So they dismounted and ran frantically northward.”
You Long pieced together the scene step by step. “By then, the bandits were gradually closing in. They shot arrows at them, and the unarmed merchants were killed one after another in an instant. This also explains why the victims all lay face down—they were shot while trying to escape.”
Li Kuo nodded slightly but asked doubtfully, “If what Brother You says is true, it makes sense. But I have one question: since these merchants were shot from behind, why wasn’t a single arrow found?”
You Long smiled and said, “General Li, you don’t know everything. In these remote mountains, arrows are very precious. Generally, the bandits in small villages can’t afford arrows and rely only on swords to survive. Those who can afford arrows are the leaders in a radius of hundreds of miles. Even they wouldn’t waste arrows on a group of merchants. They’d take them and use them again later.”
“But then why did you find an arrow at that tree corner?”
Zhang Yanji appeared out of nowhere, looking suspicious.
“Well, if you were a merchant being chased, with ruthless bandits right behind you, which direction would you run?”
You Long played along, teasing Zhang Yanji.
“Hmm, northward. There are dense bushes to the north; the bandits can’t catch us!”
Zhang Yanji blurted out without thinking.
“Wrong. It’s clearly westward. Mortals, after all.”
Zhou Wucui gave Zhang Yanji a disdainful look and sighed.
You Long clapped his hands and said, “Captain Zhou is right. They should have run westward. Although there are bushes to the north for cover, they would eventually be caught by the bandits. Besides, the bandits have enough arrows to shoot them from a hundred paces away! If they turned west, it might seem like they’re separated from their companions, making it more dangerous. But if you were a bandit, would you chase one sheep or a whole flock?”
“I see!”

Zhang Yanji tapped his head, suddenly realizing. “That merchant ran in the opposite direction from his companions. Naturally, the bandits wouldn’t let him go and would scatter in all directions. But they surely wouldn’t send someone specifically to chase after that merchant, as there were greater gains waiting for them. And since that merchant managed to escape, these arrows ended up scattered around the tree trunks.”
“You’re not completely hopeless after all.”
Zhou Wucui shrugged, looking indifferent.
“You, fat idiot, who do you think is stupid?”
Zhang Yanji wasn’t willing to suffer a loss without a fight and prepared to challenge Zhou Wucui to a fistfight.
“Stop arguing, both of you. Listen to Brother You’s analysis.”
Li Kuo sternly stopped their quarrel and nodded at You Long.
“It’s actually quite simple. If I’m not mistaken, this is an assassination for hire.”
You Long tapped his fingers and reached a conclusion. “If it were for robbery, there would be no need to be so ruthless. If it were out of revenge, no one would be left alive. The only logical explanation is assassination for hire. Having received the buyer’s money, they naturally had to kill all the merchants. But if one or two slipped through, the buyer wouldn’t notice. That’s why all the victims lost their heads—heads are tokens!”
“Damn it, it’s just like how our Tang Dynasty rewards military achievements: one head equals one point.”
Pu Dachui punched the tree trunk hard, knocking off a bunch of leaves.
Li Kuo frowned and said, “But if it’s not for robbery, why did the bandits even take the victims’ clothes?”
You Long shrugged. “I’m not sure about that. Maybe it’s to cover up their tracks. But for these bandits, they’re not afraid of any ghosts or spirits. They’re in a desperate situation, so they’ll take whatever extra money they can get.”
“Then we’d better leave here soon before these bandits notice us and drag us into trouble.”
Zhang Yanji turned and walked away, muttering in complaint.
“Who would have thought that a high-ranking officer would be afraid of ghosts?”
Ni Xin’s annoyingly big face appeared again, his words sharp and harsh.
“Who’s afraid of ghosts? There are no ghosts in this world at all. They’re just things invented by people with guilty consciences. Besides, even if there really were ghosts, I, Zhang Yanji, am not afraid. We have hundreds of brothers, each armed with a blade. What are a few stray ghosts compared to that? They were bullied and suffered in life—how could they gain an advantage after death?”
Zhang Yanji trembled as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, trying to boost his courage.
“Then you’d better stay close and not get separated.”

Ni Xin walked slowly to Zhang Yanji’s side and whispered in a very low voice, “Ghosts love to bully cowardly men like you the most. Do you know why? Because your courage is even less than that of ghosts!” After saying that, she quickly went to her mount, leaped onto its back. “You, big-faced fool! Come back here!” Zhang Yanji waved his fists, breathing heavily. “I don’t want to be with such cowards—I’m afraid ghosts will possess me!” Ni Xin spurred her horse and rode away in a cloud of dust. The setting sun stretched out the shadows, with withered grass stretching across the twilight sky. Amidst the thick, twisted branches, a figure in black moved swiftly, instantly darkening the red leaves on the hillside.