While speaking, Qin Yunuan put the fourth map back. Wanyan Su tended to stop her and asked, “Are you sure about this? What if you’re wrong?”
“Or, do you have any better way?” Qin Yunuan stroked the other three map pieces and tried hard to recall every hint she saw in Sun Chengzhen’s room. But he was so cautious and left a few messages. As for why she could infer a clue from the Sparrow Tongue tea, she had learned something about it, when she followed Shen Xun to make deals with tea traders in the regions south of the River.
Wanyan Su was worried and said, “Mrs. Leng, do you know you are putting 170 lives at risk by doing so?”
“So what?” Qin Yunuan turned her head slightly. Seemingly, Wanyan Su could look into her black eyes through the white silk. Although she couldn’t see now, she was still able to read other people’s minds. “If we choose to stay here or take rash actions, we’re doomed to die too. Your Highness, please make it clear that you have no other people to rely on if you don’t trust me now.”
Wanyan Su clenched his fist and stroked the fourth map Qin Yunuan found out. After a long time, he pointed at the map and said, “Tomorrow, I will send people to find the eagle-mouth-shaped megalith on this map.”
As long as they found the right way, they could move ahead safely, which was the only thing Wanyan Su cared about now.
When Qin Yunuan came out of Wanyan Su’s tent, the sun had already gone down. And she saw Yaqi waited for her near the tent.
“Why are you here? Are you not cold?”
“Madam, I’m afraid that you will feel cold.” Yaqi obediently handed out the cloak she held and helped Qin Yunuan to put it on. Yaqi already warmed the double-layer cloak up by holding it close to herself.
“Thank you for specially sending the cloak to me and even warming it up.” Qin Yunuan looked at Yaqi with a smile and praised her.
“This is what I should do.” Yaqi lowered her head, and she seemed shy. Then Qin Yunuan came back to the tent where Leng Changxi and she lived. Soldiers on patrol would pass by from time to time. It was quiet in the valley which looked quirkier than the village.
Leng Changxi gently took off the white silk on Qin Yunuan’s eyes and carefully applied newly ground herbs to her eyes. Looking at Qin Yunuan’s eyes that were as clean as the washed diamond, Leng Changxi couldn’t help sighing, “Why haven’t your eyes recovered?”
“I’ve changed to use medicine Lu Wuyi prescribed, and I may get well soon.” Qin Yunuan reached out to Leng Changxi’s stubby chin. Lu Wuyi was the accompanying physician in the army, and thanks to him, many soldiers who were bit by vipers in the Viper Valley survived.
Other than Leng Changxi, Qin Yunuan, Lu Wuyi, Wanyan Su and Maomu, all other people coming to this valley thought they were here to find treasures the Qidan Nationality left. Only they five knew there were things way more precious than treasures such as gold and silver. As long as they found the rare weapons and the most advanced technologies, the whole world would change.
It was exactly the desire for such huge power that bound Wanyan Su and Leng Changxi, who were entangled in two nations’ politics, together. Now they were partners, but once they found the arsenal in this valley, they would definitely become opponents. It seemed that Leng Changxi was at a disadvantage but in fact…
“Who can guarantee that Wanyan Su’s over 100 soldiers can find the arsenal alive?” Right after Leng Changxi had a deep and meaningful sigh, they heard soldiers outside were shouting.
“Help! There’s a monster in the water! It kills our man!”
Behind the hill, there originally was a small pond which was home to rain and brooks flowing down the hill. The pond was one of the reasons why Wanyan Su chose to encamp here, but unexpectedly, they still met with many troubles.
Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi pulled back the curtain and walked out of their tent immediately. They saw a group of Wanyan Su’s guards gathering around the pond. These veterans who had fought in numerous wars all stared at the water surface in shock as if even the ripple on it could appall them. Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi stood afar on the upland so that they could see what happened in the pond clearly. Leng Changxi turned to Qin Yunuan a bit to hold her in his arms and told her everything that happened in the water.
Suddenly, the crowd exclaimed, and a huge splash drew everyone’s attention. Leng Changxi stared at the surface and whispered to Qin Yunuan, “A human-shaped thing jumps out. No, she has a human body and a fishtail. A man or more accurately, a dead man is hung on her tail.”
With another splash, the monster took the corpse back to the pond again. A more solid ashore couldn’t bear standing by, and he cursed unmercifully, “D*mn it. She’s just a big fish. Let me dive down to catch her.”
“Don’t be rash.” Wanyan Su showed up at the end of the line and said seriously, “Most of us are good at horse riding but can’t swim. If you dive down rashly, you’ll step in that monster’s trap.”
“Your Highness, that’s our lieutenant who shared weal and woe with us.” Someone said angrily.
Speaking of the lieutenant, Wanyan Su was in a trance, and he already kept all merits of this lieutenant in his mind. Then, someone shouted, “Your Highness, he dived down to catch fish and cook fresh soup for you tomorrow morning. Please, please allow us to save him. We can’t save his life by doing so, but at least we can save his body and bury him.”
Seeing these excited soldiers afar, Leng Changxi whispered and explained to Qin Yunuan, “See, Sun Chengzhen played a wonderful trick. He doesn’t have to kill a bunch of people all together but kill them one by one. He first demoralizes them and then stirs up a conflict between Wanyan Su, who won’t agree to save the dead man for the sake of all people, and his followers, who are determined to save their companion. This will demoralize soldiers more. Therefore, it won’t be easy for them to work together well in future.”
“Shake popular morale? What a smart trick.” Qin Yunuan frowned, and through the white silk, she could see the splash on the shiny water surface. The extremely bright moonlight tonight seemed to foreshadow this fatal accident.
Several soldiers had disobeyed Wanyan Su and jumped into the pond. They tried hard to slap the water surface with their sword or stir the water with sticks, in order to attract the monster’s attention. However, the pond suddenly quieted down, and nothing happened.
Not long, a corpse floated in the water, and that was their lieutenant.
After hearing Leng Changxi’s detailed description of the situation, Qin Yunuan already figured out everything and said, “That man must have been killed before being thrown into the pond. If he was drowned, he would definitely struggle in the water. In this way, pond water would fill his lung and mouth so that he couldn’t float in a short time. In general, he would sink to the pond bottom and float after his limbs swelled.”
Leng Changxi nodded to agree with her assumption.
When soldiers carried the corpse to the shore in a bustle, someone pointed at the surface and shouted, “See, that monster shows up.”
When everyone looked back at the water surface, they saw that monster swing her large carp-like tail over the water, and she jumped out of the pond. Her silvery scales, with glittering and translucent drops, seemed to be made of silver. Then, she dived back to the water and swam to soldiers ashore quickly. Although soldiers hated this monster very much, they were still scared for what she had done. The bunch of soldiers who stood nearest to the pond shuddered, and their fingers, which held machetes, were trembling.
Leng Changxi stood on the upland and issued an order suddenly, “Everyone, gather in the campsite. Nose count!”
Nearly at the same time, the ripples on the water surface disappeared, and that monster was back to the bottom immediately. All soldiers there were talking about what power Mr. Tuoba, Prince Wanyan’s honored guest, had so that even the monster was scared of him?
Not long, everyone gathered in the campsite, waiting for Leng Changxi to issue orders. That lieutenant had already been buried. His whole body was terrifyingly cold as if he had been stored in an icehouse before. Actually, no matter how low the temperature at night was and how cold the water he soaked in was, his body temperature couldn’t be that low.
After the nose count, one guard reported to Wanyan Su. Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi stood aside, and they could hear everything the guard said. “We have 168 soldiers in total, and everyone is here.”
Wanyan Su nodded. He didn’t know why Leng Changxi suddenly asked for a nose count, but he had to listen to him for now. Because he needed Leng Changxi’s map and he couldn’t directly snatch it given that Leng Changxi was skilled in martial arts.
“Are you sure everyone is here?” Qin Yunuan smiled suddenly. She held Leng Changxi’s hands and asked him to show her around these soldiers. Then she laughed and said, “Indeed, all men are here but do you still remember that, other than me, there is another girl? Why isn’t she here?”
That guard was motionless for a moment. Qin Yunuan frowned and suddenly raised her voice, “Take me to the tent.”
Wanyan Su followed them in surprise, doing nothing but to ask his retinues to catch up. Qin Yunuan didn’t come back to her tent but to a small conical one nearby. That tent was simply built on fist-thick logs and covered with an earthy yellow felt. If people chose to hide there, they would definitely be found out.
That was Yaqi’s tent.
“Get in to take her out.” Qin Yunuan ordered Lu Wuyi. Immediately, a girl’s charming voice came out, “Who’s there? I’m getting changed. Don’t come in.”
Leng Changxi smiled and said, “Getting changed? Humph.” Then, he threw up his spear to break off the logs that were tied to the tent directly. The felt immediately fell down, and everyone saw clearly the woman inside. That was Yaqi. But she wasn’t getting changed as she said. She was well dressed with hair sticking onto her face, and she looked a bit pale.
“Yaqi. Why is your hair wet?” Looking at Yaqi, Qin Yunuan smiled and asked.
