Chapter 22: Visitors from the Stone Country

Li Qing’an relieved himself thoroughly behind the tavern, ready to head back. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind hit him, causing his chest and abdomen to churn violently, forcing him to rush to a corner…
Time passed slowly. He gradually raised his head and took a breath. Just then, a wet towel appeared before his eyes.
“If you can’t drink, don’t force yourself. Didn’t you see those guys deliberately pouring it down your throat?” Gao Wu complained.
“Thank you!” Li Qing’an took the towel and wiped his face, feeling much better. He tried to stand up, but his legs were weak, lacking any strength.
“Wu Niang, help me up.”
“Ah! You used to be known as the best archer in Anxi! Now you probably can’t even hold a bow.”
Wu Niang helped him up and supported him as they walked back. “I came out for some fresh air. I happened to see you in pain here. I thought I shouldn’t interfere, but then I felt sorry for you. Still, I thought you deserved it. You men—is drinking that important?”
“I didn’t want to drink either, but as you saw, if I don’t, will they leave me alone?”
“Hmph! Whether you drink or not is none of my business. I was just talking casually. Don’t think I care about you!”
With that, Gao Wu led Li Qing’an back into the tavern. “Don’t rush in yet. Rest for a while. Go back up once you’re sober. I came out for air. I’m going for a walk.”
Gao Wu waved at a waiter. “Hey, serve this military officer a cup of tea—strong. And remember to help him back up later.”
“Sure! Don’t worry, miss. I’ll take care of it.”
After arranging things for Li Qing’an, Gao Wu walked away leisurely with her hands behind her back.
Li Qing’an leaned against a cabinet, feeling extremely unwell in his chest and abdomen, as if utterly exhausted, with no strength left in his body.
At that moment, several Sogdian men entered the door. They looked tired, clearly having come from afar and just arrived in Kucha.
“Owner, give us a bowl of soup each, and thirty cakes.”
They spoke Chinese fluently. As soon as they entered, they sat in a corner, whispering among themselves. Li Qing’an was sitting at the back entrance, facing away from them, about ten steps away. He didn’t pay much attention to these Sogdians and continued sipping his strong tea.
“Here’s your soup, gentlemen.”
“Young man, here’s a reward of a hundred coins. I have a question.”
“Oh! You’re too kind, sir. Please go ahead and ask.”
“I’d like to ask if you’ve ever heard of a gemstone that emits flames?”

Li Qing’an’s teacup jolted violently, and his mind cleared instantly, as if he had encountered a ghost in broad daylight. He turned around in utter surprise to look at the Sogdians.

Over the past year, he had almost forgotten about that so-called sun stone. He had visited several jewelry stores, but none of them offered a price exceeding eighty guan. Two months ago, he returned to Bohuan City and discovered that the “old Sogdian shop” had long since closed. That Sogdian named Sunin, who had been willing to pay ten thousand guan to buy his gem, had become a distant and unreal memory. Unexpectedly, at the most unexpected moment, he heard news about that gem again.

There were five people in total. Judging from their seating arrangement, there were two masters and three servants. One of the masters was in his forties, with a patch of goatee, while the other was a young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a pointed hat with gold trim. He had a fairly handsome appearance, a long narrow face, a sharp chin, and his face was pale, devoid of any color. His long, thin eyes had mostly black irises, giving him an insincere appearance.

“Sir, I’m truly sorry. I’ve never heard of a gem with flames.”
“Think again. Hasn’t anyone in the Tang army mentioned it either?”

As the middle-aged man asked, he glanced at Li Qing’an intentionally or unintentionally. Li Qing’an was slumped over the table, pretending to be drunk, but his ears were perked up, allowing him to hear every word clearly. Perhaps feeling embarrassed after taking a hundred coins, the clerk thought for a moment and said, “Someone has indeed mentioned gems, but they were all ordinary gems worth only a dozen guan or so. No one has ever spoken of a gem with flames.”

The middle-aged man whispered a few words to the young man. Although Li Qing’an couldn’t hear what they said, he could tell the young man’s face showed disappointment.

“I think we should first find that Sunin and then track down the gem’s whereabouts.”

The young man spoke in Turkic, and Li Qing’an heard him clearly. “That Sunin! Then it’s true—they’re looking for my mysterious gem.”

“But that Sunin has disappeared.”
“That doesn’t matter. I have a way to find him. Let’s head back to Tuozhi City first.”

The young man was clearly impatient. Without hesitation, he stood up and strode toward the door. The middle-aged man hurriedly cleared the dishes from the table. Seeing the young man already leaving, he anxiously called out, “Yuanen, don’t rush! Let’s stay in Kucha for one night before leaving.”

After hastily packing up, he rushed after him.

“Yuanen?” Li Qing’an thought to himself. “So this young man’s name is Yuanen.”

“I’m truly sorry, sir. I will definitely keep an eye on the rubies for you,” the shopkeeper said respectfully as he escorted them out. As soon as he turned back, Li Qing’an waved him over. “Hey, come here for a moment.” “Captain Li, please give your orders.” Li Qing’an took out a string of coins and smiled. “Keep an eye on those people from earlier. Remember where they went and who they met in Kucha City. This string of coins is for your efforts. If the information you bring me satisfies me, I’ll give you an additional reward.” The shopkeeper was overjoyed. He usually earned only 500 coins a month, yet here he got 2 strings of coins at once. He immediately took the money and said, “Please rest assured, Captain Li. I will definitely get you the best information.”

…

The next evening, while Li Qing’an was writing a report in the barracks, a soldier came in and reported, “General, there’s someone outside the barracks. He says he’s a worker from the Central Plains tavern and that the general sent him here.” “I know!” Li Qing’an took two strings of coins and headed outside. The worker from the Central Plains tavern must have come regarding those Sogdians from last night. Even if he hadn’t come, Li Qing’an would have gone to the tavern to inquire.

Outside the barracks, the tavern worker was stretching his neck to look around. When he saw Li Qing’an coming out, he hurried over with a smile. “Captain Li, I have news about them.” “What have you found?” “After leaving the tavern last night, they went to the Yue Lai Inn at the city gate. They haven’t come out since, nor has anyone come to look for them. At dawn, they rode away from Kucha City. According to the innkeeper, they went back to the Stone Country, apparently to find someone named Su Ning. I saw them heading west. I stayed by the road all day, but they never returned, so I rushed here to report to the general.” After saying that, he stared at Li Qing’an eagerly. He hadn’t slept all night and had spent another day by the road, hoping to get another string of coins as a reward. “You’ve done very well!” Li Qing’an smiled as he handed him the money. “This is two strings of coins—double the reward. If you get any more news about them, come tell me immediately. I’ll give you an even bigger reward, understand?” The tavern worker accepted the reward with deep gratitude, bowing repeatedly. “Please rest assured, General. As soon as they show up, I’ll inform you right away.”

Li Qingan returned to his tent. He opened his personal trunk and took out a small wooden box from beneath it. Gently opening it, a gemstone covered in a faint glow appeared before him. He carefully picked up the egg-sized ruby, and a mysterious flame within the gemstone flared up again. Li Qingan’s eyes gradually narrowed as he wondered what secrets lay hidden within this gemstone.