Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 5 (part 2)

Jochi sinks into silence. Li Jianhong gathers Duan Ling to himself, and holding him, he leans back against the wall, closing his eyes to get some rest without falling asleep, getting ready for the second round of their escape at dawn.

Duan Ling drifts off to sleep at some point, then once he wakes, he finds himself curled up in Li Jianhong’s lap, and the first thing he does is to look across the room. He spots Batu, who has been awake all this time. Thinking how they’ll soon part, and how they may end up in opposite corners of the earth and never get the chance to see each other again, Duan Ling feels a melancholy filling up the bottom of his heart.

Batu has been waiting for Duan Ling to wake, and now that he has, he beckons at Duan Ling. Then he crouches down, thinking he can crawl to him under the table; Duan Ling also frees himself from Li Jianhong’s embrace and look around beneath the table, but they’ve already grown — they’re no longer the children of yesteryear and the gap under the table can no longer accommodate their half-grown bodies.

Batu has a sheathed bone dagger in his hand, and holding it lengthwise he pushes it across at Duan Ling under the table.

“For you …” Batu mouths the words.

Duan Ling looks at him quietly.

Batu lets go of the dagger and with a flick of a finger he slides the bone dagger over to Duan Ling, indicating that he should take it.

Duan Ling is at a loss as to what to do, but that’s because he didn’t bring anything that he can gift Batu in return. After all, he wasn’t planning to say goodbye to Batu under these circumstances. Batu looks at Duan Ling earnestly, and Duan Ling hesitates for a long time before he finally places his hand on the dagger, and takes it.

Jochi is suddenly awake. He grabs Batu’s collar and drags him back, letting him know he should sit still and not cause any more problems. Batu’s cheeks go beet red, repeatedly struggling.

Li Jianhong opens his eyes as well. Duan Ling feels really apprehensive and wants to return the bone dagger, but Li Jianhong tells him, “Take it. It’s a promise.”

A ray of dawn light dances into the book pavilion. Li Jianhong rises. “Let’s go.”

A streak of fish-belly white edges the sky at dawn. In the Illustrious Hall’s back courtyard, Li Jianghong pulls out the cart for shuttling daily necessities. He makes Batu get on it first, cover him with hay, and put a bamboo hat on himself. Jochi stops next to the cart and falls silent for a while, and in the end he raises a hand.

Li Jianhong also raises a hand; the two strike their palms together three times. Jochi gets on the cart in one step and crawls into the hay pile.

Li Jianhong jumps onto the cart. Noticing Duan Ling’s curious gaze he explains, “You strike your palms together to make a vow. It means you’d never go back on your word.”

“What did you two agree on?” Duan Ling asks.

Li Jianhong’s horse is somehow already waiting for them in the back alley. He hitches it to the cart, cracks the whip, then leaning in he quietly says to Duan LIng, “When they’re back on their turf, Batu’s dad will deploy part of his troops, close in on Mount Jiangjun, and occupy Liao territory.”

“And then?” Duan Ling has a vague idea that Li Jianhong is getting ready for a great undertaking.

“Your dad will use this to make a deal with Yelü Dashi.” Li Jianhong says nonchalantly, “Looks like we’ll need a bit of luck to get through the city gates today. Let’s see how the heavens is planning to treat us. Gup!”

Li Jianhong approaches the city gates with a horse-drawn cart loaded full of hay. Vehicles and horses swarm the gates as soon as they open in the morning; the travelling merchants outside want to come in, the people inside want to get out as early in the day as possible, packing the street so densely it’s watertight. The guards are questioning everyone and even checking the cargo on each vehicle individually.

“We’ll wait here.” Li Jianhong says, “Let them go first.”

He stops the cart out of the way. Li Jianhong pulls his hat low over his face and stares at the guard from a distance, unstacking a handful of coppers in his hand to count them one by one.

“Do you want to buy breakfast?” Duan Ling asks.

“No, these are concealed weapons,” Li Jianhong replies, spreading his fingers, then with a grabbing motion he hides them in his palm.

Upon hearing that, Duan Ling realises Li Jianhong means to rush through by force. He says nervously, “They’ll definitely chase after us.”

“If we run out of options, this is the last resort.” Li Jianhong says to Duan Ling, “When you do anything, you must plan for every possibility.”

Li Jianhong seems to be waiting for someone — until a carriage enters his field of vision.

He’s seen that carriage before; it’s beautifully decorated. It’s the Viburnum’s carriage, rushing over from the main street on its way out of the city. Li Jianhong raises his eyebrows ever so slightly.

“Is that the Viburnum’s carriage?” Li Jianhong is a trifle surprised.

Duan Ling says, “Yes, they’re Lang Junxia’s friends. Do you know them too, dad?”

Li Jianhong thinks to himself for a moment before saying, “The Viburnum … Alright then, this is a risk worth taking. Son, go inside that carriage and show something to the person sitting inside.”

Duan LIng finishes listening to Li Jianhong’s instructions, hops off the cart, and runs to the Viburnum’s carriage. Li Jianhong pulls down his hat, blocking half of his handsome face.

The carriage’s curtain opens, letting Duan Ling come inside.

But the person sitting inside isn’t Ding Zhi but a young upper-class lady.

“Who are you?” Duan LIng says blankly.

“I should be the one asking you that. Who are you?” The lady says.

Pfft, the girl next to the lady starts to laugh, “What are you doing? You’ve come up here for no reason, and you didn’t even know who’s sitting in the carriage?”

Duan Ling hesitates for a moment. Perhaps it’s because he’s pretty, with features as delicately polished as fine jade, that the lady doesn’t shoo him off. She merely looks at him carefully, scrutinising his features.

“My dad told me to come in here to show you something,“ Duan Ling says, feeling a little uneasy as he pulls out the red string from beneath his lapel. He opens the embroidered pouch and takes out the white jade arc to show her.

The lady is suddenly quiet, and her face turns deathly pale; her breath catches, and quite nearly breathless she says shakily, “What … what did you say just now? Your dad? You would be …”

“You can only look, not touch.” Duan Ling notices the lady’s hand trembling as it reaches out towards him, and he turns the jade arc this way and that to show her before putting carefully away as soon as he’s able.

“Madam?” The girl asks worriedly.

“My dad would like your help with something.” Then Duan Ling courteously raises his hands over his head and makes a formal bow to the lady.

She hastens to say, “You flatter me, sir. You need only address me as the madam.”

And as she finishes speaking, she rises from her seat, smooths out the folds in her embroidered gown, and returns the bow.

Not long after that, the Viburnum’s carriage sets off once more. It’s changed direction, and Li Jianhong’s hay-filled cart now follows closely behind it.

As they pass through the city gates, a slender and pale hand stretches out from the Viburnum’s carriage holding a token that authenticates her identity.

“The cart behind us is helping us carry goods.”

The curtain opens, revealing the madam’s profile; she merely gives the guards a single glance before they nod and move to either side to make way. Li Jianhong drives the cart unhurriedly behind the carriage, and they leave the city without any trouble.

Once reaching the highway, Duan Ling comes down from the carriage and runs towards Li Jianhong, who leans in close to his ear to teach him a few more things to say, so Duan Ling goes back to stand in front of the carriage. “My dad said he is very grateful for your help. When he returns to Shangjing he’ll be sure to come by the Viburnum for a drink.”

“You’re more than welcome.” The madam hurriedly opens the curtain and moves to descend, but Duan Ling stops her, telling her what Li Jianhong taught him to say, “It’s not safe to tarry here for long, so let’s save you the trouble, madam.”

“Good fortune to you, sir.” The madam says confidently, “Heavens bless our Great Chen.”

Duan Ling looks at her in wondering silence.

Everything around them is coloured in spring; orioles fly over long grasses. In swathes of swaying, blooming rushes at the end of the open fields, their cottony blossoms seem like stars in the boundless milky way, flitting across this vivacious season. But in this bright and beautiful sunlight Duan Ling can faintly feel some measure of dignity and hope.

“Heavens bless our Great Chen,” Duan Ling says to himself, as though the words themselves contain unquestionable faith.

“Come on out,” Li Jianhong says.

Having overextended themselves all night, Batu and Jochi are more than tired, and they rest against the side of the cart. Duan Ling returns to the driver’s seat to lean into Li Jianhong’s lap. From time to time he looks behind him, but it looks to him like Batu does not intend to speak to him again. The cart wobbles along, and in the spring breeze, Duan Ling gradually falls asleep as well.

As he lies in deep slumber, he hears Batu’s voice.

“Don’t wake him.”

Duan Ling turns over, and half-conscious, he feels someone patting his head.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when he wakes again. The hay-filled cart is parked on a slope, and Li Jianhong is lying in the cart bed with a grass straw in his mouth, languidly staring up at the luminous spring sky and its pure white clouds.

Soft spring breeze caresses his cheeks; Duan Ling yawns, stretches, and slowly wakes in Li Jianhong’s arms. Li Jianhong affectionately kisses him on the forehead.

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

“Where’s Batu?” With a quiver, Duan Ling wakes the rest of the way.

“He’s left.” Li Jianhong rests his arm over his son’s shoulders. “That barbarian kid wants you to be his anda. That’s some good thinking ahead, alright.”

“What’s an anda?” Duan Ling asks.

“Means you live and die together. Good thing we didn’t have anything good to trade with, otherwise we’d have been conned out of it.”

Duan Ling feels a bit downcast. “Dad, will I ever see Batu again?”

“Everything in the world is driven by a set of laws governed by fate. Any chance meeting is like a gust of wind; people are like the clouds you see above you — there’s a time for them to meet and a time for them to part. They come and go; you’ll make more friends. No need to feel sad.”

Duan Ling replies with an affirmative hum. He doesn’t know how, but to hear Li Jianhong put it like that, he does feel a bit better.

“Will you leave me too?” Suddenly, Duan Ling feels even worse.

Li Jianhong roars with laughter. “Before I answer that, you’re going to have to pay me that favour.”

Duan Ling stares at him blankly. Then he remembers, oh right, and so he can only ask, “What do you want?”

Li Jianhong looks Duan Ling up and down, and laughs. “What are you looking so eager for? You plan to kill your dear father?”

Duan Ling bursts out laughing — he just finds Li Jianhong too funny. Soon, Li Jianhong speaks again, “Come over here, grab a straw, and give your dad’s ears a cleaning.”

So Duan Ling snaps off a straw, makes Li Jianhong put his head on his thigh, and begins to clean his ears attentively. Li Jianhong has his eyes closed, looking like he’s either fallen asleep or thinking about something.

“My son.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think of your dad’s skills?”

“Amazing,” Duan Ling praises him from the bottom of his heart.

“With such amazing skills I can live however I like, so of course I’m not about to leave my son — otherwise what’s the point of learning all that for?”

With a perfectly deadpan face, Duan Ling says, “If you’re going to the Viburnum for drinks, you’ll meet girls, and once you meet girls, you’ll remarry, and if you remarry you’ll have a baby, then naturally you won’t want me anymore.”

Li Jianhong gives a slight start. “Kid, are you jealous?”

Duan Ling laughs; even he’s finding it a little embarrassing, but he’s not really serious about it. It’s only natural that Li Jianhong knows he’s not being serious either.

Yet he answers this question seriously all the same.

“I won’t.” Li Jianhong says offhandedly, “Dad owes you. No one is going to take your place ever.”

Duan Ling’s hand trembles, and Li Jianhong says, “Aiyoh, watch it.”

All the complicated emotions that have been filling Duan LIng’s chest vanish like a puff of smoke, and he bends down once more to carefully clean Li Jianhong’s ears.

“These days, never mind the harem,” Li Jianhong says, “even our own children have to fight each other for favour, huh.”

Duan Ling doesn’t know what to say to that. He keeps getting mocked by his father, but Li Jianhong is telling him solemnly, “Dad understands. I used to fight your fourth uncle for our dad’s favour too. It’s way too normal.”

“Fourth uncle?” Duan Ling asks.

Once Duan Ling finishes cleaning his ears, Li Jianhong sits up looking quite satisfied; he unhitches the horse from the cart, pats the horse on the back, and says to Duan Ling, “Since we’re out anyway, we can go on a trip. Wanna go?”

Duan Ling’s attention is once more distracted and he cheers; He knows Li Jianhong is saying this because he most likely wants to go have fun, and he immediately runs over to let him help him up the horse. He asks, “Are we staying out overnight?”

“Whatever you like.”

“Are we going to our home in the south? Was our old home in the south?”

“Yeah, but it’s not ours anymore. Do you want to go back? Have you stayed long enough in Shangjing to find it stifling?”

Duan Ling sits on the horse with Li Jianhong’s arms around him, and they move south at a leisurely canter. It’s a beautiful, radiant spring day, the breeze gentle and sweet, and everything around them is seasonally coming back to life. Li Jianhong has been in Shangjing for nearly a month. This is their first long trip away.

“Then where are we going?”

“To meet with one of dad’s old friends — got a few questions to consult him about.”

“What questions?” Duan Ling finds it quite fascinating.

“Questions about fate,” Li Jianhong replies.

Duan Ling quietly thinks on this.

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