There was not much else to do but head towards the Western gate, crouch down in the pocket between two shops, and bide my time. It was a thin, grimy alley. A homeless beggar happened to be squatting right across from me in a puddle of filth. The man was missing all his front teeth, so I felt a little bad for him and tossed him a few coppers. He gave me a big, toothless grin, then cackled several times.

“My coin, my coin! Mine!” he said. Then repeated.

“Don’t we all treasure a nice coin?” I agreed.

He wouldn’t stop muttering it. Feeling curious, I tossed at silver ingot¹Currency in ancient china. Won't be specific. But 'coins' are like taels, ignots of silver are worth a few thousand of coppers. at him, too. At first he brought it close to his face, nibbling on it, then tossed it to the side with disappointment.

That being neither here nor there, I sat in a dejected state, waiting for Qin Fengge to find me. Surprisingly, it didn’t take too long. He stalked right past my alleyway, but soon did a doubletake and burst around the corner. Sweat dripped down his face and his mouth was a taunt grimace. As he heard the beggar’s lunatic mutterings, he barked,

“Go away.”

The beggar scattered onto the street in terror. “My coin, my coin, my coin…!” 

If Qin Fengge didn’t question the state of my mind before, he now saw me sitting in this filthy alley and had some doubts.

“...why are you here?”

As I tried to think up an excuse, I said, “I am here because…”

Allowing my eyes to glaze, I went back to examining the cracks in the ground. The shadows darkened my facial features inside the alley, making me appear especially miserable. It wasn’t long before Qin Fengge’s brows were pressed together, beginning to believe I squatted here for no other reason than that I am a deeply troubled individual.

I finally replied, “…I’m not doing anything. I got separated in the crowd and should have looked for you. However, I felt tired and I wasn’t helping with anything, so I decided to wait here…done buying supplies?”

Qin Fengge was reasonably frustrated with my madness. “Let’s go.”

The three of us met up at the gateway. Zhou Liang didn’t question what happened while he was away, his mind occupied by other matters. We mounted our steeds as usual, about to head out, but Qin Fengge forced a ripe apple into my hands.

I rolled it back and forth in my palm. “Vice-General Qin’s congee was delicious that time...”

I was ignored, so I turned my face up at him. Qin Fengge was already looking downwards at the top of my head, so when I look up our noses nearly touched. I gave a gentlemanly smile, pulling the corners of my lips so that the corners of my limpid eyes wrinkled with warmth.

Qin Fengge seemed unfazed, but I swear, it’s my ultimate charming look, so I’m confident that his heart was moved. Probably.

General Zhou turned around to us. “Do you know what I just learned? It’s General Jia siding with the Third Prince! I don’t know what he's thinking, and want to make haste back to Xi’an city. We’ll meet up with the others in the next town…I hate being close to Chong’Shan, I have to watch out for my throat every night.”

“Affirmative!” said Qin Fengge, frowning severely.

Alas, I sat back in the saddle and fiddled with my hair. The political intrigue, the power struggles. To worry over an ally slitting your own throat in the country you protected for years, what a tragic world it is! I couldn't help but be glad I quit my job before the entire imperial court went to shambles. As though summoned by my meandering thoughts, Zhou Liang slowed his horse so that it walked next to us. He reached an arm over and pinched my cheek as though inspecting livestock.

“How are you doing, Mister Fang?” he asked. “You’re older, so our pace might be tiring for you. Just sleep if you need. My brother won’t mind.”

Qin Fengge’s silence was one of resignation. And I, too, could only internalize my grievances...for now.

I just replied, “I don’t feel tired, I rested a lot in Kang city. Thanking the general for his kindness!”

“Good.” Zhou Liang sneered and led the way.

The next area of travel was covered in patchy forest, broadleaves and bamboo plants, and opened up into the agricultural villages growing millet and cutting wood. The climate here wasn't tropical, nor was it entirely cold as in the north, but was turning dryer as we went east. By the time we reached Xi’an, a flat sea of grass would be the only thing in sight.

I munched on the apple as we went along, enjoying bird songs and cicada whirrs.  

We hadn’t even traveled a li from the town when all our eyes spotted a foreboding pillar of smoke that was rising into the sky, ashy and dark. Up ahead off a side road, the tiny village that I knew was called 'Shi Village' was surrounded by a patch of forest. There was a desperate scream, coarse laughter, goats and oxen crying. Both Qin Fengge and Zhou Liang gripped their swords.

A scrawny mother and child ran out along the path. She glanced at us, shouting, “Rogues!” then carried on running.

Qin Fengge gripped his sword hilt. “General, should I get Kang city’s soldiers?”

"No." Zhou Liang held the reins with one hand and was perfectly calm. “I’ll take a look myself. Watch here and don’t let anyone into the village.”

His horse thundered off, and I bet that nasty tempered thing would kick a couple people, innocent or not. It was unfortunate. I thought he and Qin Fengge would at least go together, because how was I supposed to escape if he was still here? But hackneyed plans can fail as easily as this. Even though I went to all the trouble of stirring up ‘bandits’ to attack in the first place, to think that Zhou Liang would charge in all by himself…it was really too much. How can one guy be so heroic??

Qin Fengge trotted the horse closer to the tree line of the village, just hidden from view. There were sword exchanges and angry shouts through the trees.

I pretended to be very nervous and asked, “Will he be all right? ...shouldn’t we help?”

I observed as the corners of Qin Fengge’s mouth fell downwards. Without a doubt he was thinking that such ignorant scholar-official at the court would never understand the simplest matters of combat.

“This is a small village. There won’t be much money, so it’s unlikely a large group would ransack it. If the situation does get out of hand, General Zhou will come back.”

The bushes in front of us rustled.

“Who’s there?!”

Qin Fengge sprung off the horse with inhuman speed. He went into the brush, cutting through several branches in one arc, and a horrified man in dingy clothing rolled out the bushes on the ground. It was happening so fast my brain could barely keep up.

At first, the man tried to get away from Qin Fengge, sprawling backwards, but Qin Fengge grasped onto his neck. He dragged him up, then pressed a silvery blade against his throat. The man wasn’t Huo An himself, but one of his men. He had mismatch pouches lining his belt that clinked, giving the impression that they were filled with stolen coins.

“Don’t move, or I will kill you,” Qin Fengge said. “Are you one of those attacking Shi village?”

“Yes, yes, it was me—no, I mean it was us!” His legs quivered so much I could see it from up on the horse. “But I-I, I give up! Great sir, please spare me! I’ll never do it again!”

Qin Fengge, not expecting this degree of obedience, was somewhat puzzled.

As I watched the two, Qin Fengge continuing to question that poor man, I decided that my opportunity had arrived. I picked up the horses’ reins and dug in my heels, and my horse sped off along a nearby forest path with a whiny. I twisted my head around to enjoy the stunned look that appeared on Qin Fengge’s face.

“STOP!!” he was no longer in earshot after that livid shout.

There was nothing he could do about it other than shoot me down with an arrow, but he couldn’t really do that, either, because it’d go against the General’s orders. My horse galloped away, churning up the ground with powerful strides. I looked above my head and there was no falcon following along, either. What a joyous day it is…I'm finally a free man again.

I started chuckling and chuckling. Soon I was peeling out laughter without stop, losing my breath. It felt like all of the world was under my control, and there wasn't a single thing fettering me back!

I threw out Qin Fengge’s belongings one by one, here and there, until the horse was an entire load lighter. It all flew up then plummeted to the ground, some of it landing in foliage or mud. It wasn’t so my already sturdy war horse could run longer or faster, nothing like that, I was just being petty.

The only thing that would’ve made all this better was if I had shoved Qin Fengge off the saddle firsthand!