Chapter 6

When the two left Xiyang County, it was the afternoon of the hour of Wei. Mo Wen did not turn his head to look back as they headed north. Although Xiyang County was his hometown, it had now become a dead city. After the sun set, the city was filled with eerie winds. At this moment, he only wanted to leave as soon as possible.

After traveling for a short while, they came to a fork in the road. It had snowed not long ago, and there were no footprints or wheel tracks on either path.

"Master, which road should we take?" Lao Wu asked.

"Let's take the main road," Mo Wen said after some thought. He did not know which road was the right one and could only rely on luck.

Lao Wu nodded and turned onto the left road. Both of them were traveling far from home for the first time, and neither had any experience traveling, so they could only take one step at a time.

Winter nights fell early, and it was already dark by the hour of You. The two were in the middle of a wilderness, with no villages in sight, and could only walk in the snow, their steps deep and shallow in the darkness.

At the second watch of the night, they saw a long wall in the distance. Based on their speed and the time it took, this should be Qingping City, which was fifty miles from Xiyang County. This city had no civilians and was a military camp for the State of Jin.

Seeing the city, the two quickened their pace. As they got closer, Mo Wen noticed there was no light in the city, which meant no barbarians were living there. Compared to ghosts, Mo Wen was more afraid of the barbarians, so the lack of light in the city made him feel more at ease.

The city gates were open, and the snow had not completely covered the traces of the massacre. There were corpses scattered throughout the city, but the two were no longer as frightened by the sight of bodies as they used to be. They found an abandoned barracks to rest.

"Master, can we start a fire?" Lao Wu asked, stomping his feet.

"There's no harm in it; the barbarians probably won't come back," Mo Wen said after a brief pause. Before this, his parents had taken care of everything, and he was not used to making decisions, but now he had to learn to make them.

The barracks had a fire pit, and there were scattered pieces of wood and kindling around. Lao Wu quickly started a fire. After walking for dozens of miles in the snow, their shoes were soaked. After starting the fire, they dried their wet shoes by the fire.

"Master, are we on the right path?" Lao Wu asked.

"Yes," Mo Wen nodded.

"How do you know the barbarians took this road?" Lao Wu asked, puzzled.

"The bodies on the main road in the city have been moved to the sides, clearly to make way for carts. The barbarians came on horseback but would use carts to carry the loot on their way back," Mo Wen explained.

"They rode horses and drove carts; we can't catch up to them," Lao Wu said, slightly dejected.

"They will have to stop eventually," Mo Wen said.

"Master, after Qingping City, it's the territory of the barbarians. If they see us, will they kill us?" Lao Wu asked, worried.

"Probably not. A classmate of mine fled from the State of Zhao to Xiyang a few years ago. According to him, in Zhao, the barbarians cannot kill Han people at will," Mo Wen said.

"If the barbarians don't kill Han people, why did his family flee?" Lao Wu asked again.

Mo Wen smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I heard that in Zhao, the barbarians can take whatever they want from Han people, even their women, and the authorities won't investigate."

"We have nothing left now. As long as we hide our silver well, we don't have to worry about them taking it," Lao Wu said.

"Indeed, we shouldn't keep it in our bags," Mo Wen nodded.

"Where should we hide it?" Lao Wu asked, concerned for himself.

"Melt it and hide it in our shoes," Mo Wen said, having an idea while drying his shoes.

"Truly a clever plan," Lao Wu said, giving Mo Wen a thumbs up.

Mo Wen frowned and glanced at Lao Wu. Servants of literati families often knew some official language, but they only learned it occasionally from their masters and often misused it.

At that time, there was no official currency, and the people worked and traded using coins or gold and silver from the previous dynasty. When accumulated, the gold and silver were melted into ingots for storage. Therefore, melting gold and silver was common, and Lao Wu knew how to do it. They melted the gold cakes into four strips, each carrying two. The small pieces that fell off during the process were kept outside for spending.

"Master, do you think Madam and my fiancée are still alive?" Lao Wu asked, handing Mo Wen some dry food after they finished.

"Fiancée is not the right term for someone who hasn't married yet," Mo Wen said, feeling both amused and sad. He was amused because Lao Wu still thought about Lin Ruochen's maid, and sad because this was a question he had been afraid to think about.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Lao Wu stared at Mo Wen.

"Yes," Mo Wen said, closing his eyes.

"The barbarians eat people; how do you know they are still alive?" Lao Wu asked again.

Mo Wen did not answer but pretended to wipe away tears. He had carefully considered his words. Lin Ruochen and the maid should still be alive, but the reason they survived was something he did not want to face.

"Master, speak up," Lao Wu said, not noticing Mo Wen's actions. Although Mo Wen called him Lao Wu, he was actually Xiao Wu, a year younger than Mo Wen.

"The two of them are beautiful; the barbarians wouldn't eat them," Mo Wen said, his voice trembling. After the great tragedy, he realized that cruel things would happen regardless of whether one closed their eyes. Some things were bound to happen, whether one wanted to see them or not.

"Do you mean the barbarians will keep Madam and my fiancée to sell for a good price?" Lao Wu asked.

Mo Wen was extremely sad. Lin Ruochen would inevitably suffer humiliation at the hands of the barbarians, and this was a fate he could not prevent or change. It made him heartbroken and desperate. However, Lao Wu's words also made him laugh. Lao Wu was always concerned about the promise Mo Wen had made, fearing that it would not be kept, which was why he kept calling the maid "fiancée" and "wife."

"You're right. The barbarians will keep them to sell, so they are still alive. We have over thirty taels of gold, and we can certainly buy them back. Then I will let you marry," Mo Wen said after a moment of silence. He did not want to upset Xiao Wu and did not reveal the full truth.

"Thank you, Master," Lao Wu said gratefully.

Mo Wen nodded and smiled, but his heart was filled with sorrow.

A servant's loyalty partly comes from blood and partly from the master's genuine treatment. Mo Wen's words deeply moved Xiao Wu, who served him diligently, fetching water and laying out the bed.

"Master, these boots are for officials; they're for you," Lao Wu said, handing a pair of dried boots to Mo Wen.

"Your shoes are broken; you keep them," Mo Wen waved his hand.

"Alright," Lao Wu tried on the boots. They were well-made with rabbit fur insoles, making them very comfortable.

Lao Wu walked around in the boots, testing if they fit. Mo Wen suddenly thought of something. "These boots can't be worn."

"I have a strong constitution; I'm not afraid of wearing something a dead person wore," Lao Wu said casually.

"These boots belong to a Jin military officer. If you wear them, you might be mistaken for a spy in Zhao," Mo Wen explained.

"What's a spy?" Lao Wu asked, hearing the term for the first time.

"A scout," Mo Wen explained.

Lao Wu's face turned pale, and he quickly took off the boots and threw them into the fire. However, he immediately grabbed them back, saving the unburned rabbit fur insoles.

"Master, you're becoming more like Grandfather. You think things through very well," Lao Wu said to Mo Wen.

Mo Wen did not respond but stared at the branches in the fire, lost in thought. He felt that he had been thinking more lately. Without his parents' protection, he had to rely on himself. People are like trees; losing a parent is like a tree losing its crown. As the saying goes, "When the crown is broken, new buds grow; when the father is gone, the son must take charge." The loss of his family forced him to learn to think and survive quickly and cruelly.

"Master, listen," Lao Wu said, interrupting Mo Wen's thoughts.

Mo Wen came to his senses and listened carefully, hearing footsteps outside. The footsteps were quick and getting closer, clearly heading for their room.

The sudden footsteps startled the two. When they arrived, there were no footprints in Qingping City, so the person outside must have come from outside the city.

"Master, what should we do?" Lao Wu asked urgently.

Mo Wen was extremely panicked and instinctively wanted to run, but he suddenly realized that the footsteps were from only one person, likely not a barbarian, and there was no reason for the barbarians to come at night to catch them.

"It's probably not a barbarian," Mo Wen said, making his judgment.

Mo Wen's judgment was accurate. The person was indeed not a barbarian. However, his panic made him think for too long, and just as he finished speaking, a voice came from outside, "Boundless Heaven."

Mo Wen turned and saw a young Taoist in a blue robe standing outside. He was about twenty years old, fair-skinned, and beardless, with a Taoist bun on his head. He held a large package in his left hand and a long sword in his right.

"Could the two of you do me a favor and let me rest here for a moment?" the young Taoist asked.

"We are just passing through; please come in, Daoist," Mo Wen said, standing up to welcome him. As long as it wasn't a barbarian, he welcomed anyone, whether a monk, a Taoist, a man, or a woman.

The Taoist entered the room with Mo Wen's permission, put down his package and sword, and bowed to the two, "I bow."

By the firelight, Mo Wen noticed that the Taoist's bowing gesture was different from the common one. People usually made a fist with their right hand and held it with their left, but the Taoist held his left thumb with his right hand.

"Please sit, Daoist," Mo Wen invited again.

The Taoist, clearly frozen, quickly moved to the fire to warm himself.

"Lao Wu, get some food for the Daoist," Mo Wen said to Lao Wu.

Lao Wu took a piece of bread from the bag and handed it to the young Taoist, who thanked him and ate slowly. Seeing that he was having difficulty swallowing, Mo Wen poured him a half-bowl of warm water, which the Taoist gratefully drank.

"Thank you both," the young Taoist said, standing up as if to leave.

"The night is cold; please stay here for the night, Daoist," Mo Wen said, trying to keep him. He and Lao Wu were new to traveling and were eager to talk to someone and learn about the outside world.

"I have a long journey ahead and cannot delay. Here are two wooden talismans for you, perhaps they will bring you good fortune," the young Taoist said, taking out two palm-sized yellow wooden talismans from his package and giving one to Mo Wen and one to Lao Wu.

"Thank you, Daoist," Mo Wen said, taking the talisman. The Taoist's package contained many such talismans, likely to be given to pilgrims as amulets.

The young Taoist did not stay long, bid farewell, and left quickly.

"Master, this Taoist's amulet is a bit strange," Lao Wu said.

"How so?" Mo Wen asked, standing at the door and watching the Taoist leave.

"I can't understand the symbols on other Taoists' amulets, but I recognize a word on this one," Lao Wu said.

Mo Wen was puzzled. Lao Wu, though diligent, was not fond of reading and knew fewer than a hundred characters. Curious, Mo Wen walked to the fire and examined the talisman closely. He found that this was not a typical Taoist amulet but had writing on both sides. The writing on the back was small and numerous, hard to read in the dim light, while the front had only two large red seal script characters:

Shangqing!

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