Guanshan Yue.
A few days ago, an earthquake had brought down half of Guanshan Yue’s building. Fortunately, the lower floors remained relatively intact. After several consecutive days of emergency repairs, they had finally managed to put together a basic framework and restore some of its former appearance.
A wind chime hung beneath the eaves. Several of the jade pieces on its strings had shattered, and they rattled noisily in the breeze.
Wu Zixu sat backstage, holding a cup of cold tea.
The past few days had turned the world upside down. The people in the city were struggling to survive, and hardly anyone came to listen to pingtan performances anymore.
Although there were countless matters in Fengdu demanding his attention, he still maintained his old habit. Whenever he had some free time, he would come and sit here. If there were guests in the audience, he would perform a section for them.
All the female musicians at Guanshan Yue who had somewhere to go had already gone their separate ways. Those with nowhere to turn had stayed behind and followed Aunt Zhao out to distribute porridge.
Only a young courtesan remained backstage. She was the same girl who had performed The Romance of the Western Chamber alongside them that day.
Holding her pipa, the young girl looked at Wu Zixu and timidly asked, “Mr. Wu, will you still come tomorrow?”
Wu Zixu smiled at her. “If you’re still here playing the pipa, then I’ll come.”
“But there have been fewer and fewer customers lately…”
“I wish to entrust my feelings to the jade zither. But how few are those who understand! If the strings break, who will listen?”
Wu Zixu spoke gently. “It doesn’t matter how many people are listening. Those willing to come here now are sincere listeners. Precisely because of that, we must treat them with even greater care.”
“Among those willing to come, there are not only people who appreciate the music, but also worthless fools who indulge in drunken revelry and try to escape reality.”
The backstage door was suddenly kicked open. Song Wentong strode inside.
“How dare you show your face in my establishment?”
The young girl was startled. Song Wentong half-pushed her out of the room.
“Tell everyone outside that no matter what noises they hear later, nobody is allowed to come in.”
Wu Zixu put down his teacup.
“Have you not been busy pretending to be Fourth Brother lately? As it happens, Lord Wu Nie brought the person back today…”
Before he could finish speaking, Song Wentong threw a punch at him.
Blood immediately streamed down Wu Zixu’s face.
“If you had simply stayed in Fengdu, I would have pretended that everything that happened before had never occurred.”
Song Wentong grabbed Wu Zixu by the collar and yanked him up.
“What are you still doing here?”
“If I stayed in Fengdu from now on, you would pretend that there was no longer anyone like me in this world. That is something I absolutely cannot accept.”
Wu Zixu wiped the blood from his face.
“I cannot simply stand by and do nothing about the people of the Ginkgo Academy.”
“How the fuck do you have the nerve to say something like that?!” Song Wentong roared at him. “You’re showing up now, playing the merciful Bodhisattva. But where the hell were you when Wu Nie was setting up the formation? Why didn’t you stop him? You knew perfectly well that once the Yin Soldiers entered the Yin-Yang Ladder, they would inevitably break into the mortal world. Weren’t you sending Fourth Brother to his death?!”
“I was at the West Gate of the city at the time,” Wu Zixu replied. “Tai Sui was setting up the formation. I was the one who went to ask Lord Wu Nie to do it. Fengdu must not fall.”
Song Wentong cursed him furiously and proceeded to beat him mercilessly, raining blows down on him without holding back. He nearly tore the entire backstage room apart. Yet Wu Zixu did not fight back. He silently endured every punch and kick.
In the end, not a single table or chair in the room remained intact. Song Wentong threw the battered and bruised Wu Zixu onto the floor and said hoarsely, “Get lost. Don’t let me see your face again. I’ll take care of Fourth Brother. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways.”
“In a few days, the Yin Soldiers will inevitably break through the seal.” Wu Zixu struggled to his feet. “What will you do then?”
Song Wentong replied coldly, “Then you’d better pray that we don’t die. Otherwise, when we meet again in Fengdu, I’ll use my blade to offer sacrifices to all the Ten Halls of Hell, from top to bottom.”
“Second Brother, if you really intend to fight your way through the Ten Halls, there may not be anyone capable of stopping you.” Wu Zixu sighed. “But do you know that even the Kings of Hell are helpless against the rampaging Yin Soldiers? If only you and Fourth Brother are left to hold them back, you will inevitably be outmatched…”
Song Wentong kicked him back to where he had been lying. Looking down at him, he said coldly, “What are you pretending to be a good person for now?”
“I know you resent me. You resent me for asking Lord Wu Nie to activate the formation.” Wu Zixu turned his head away. “But I had no choice.”
“What the fuck do you mean you had no choice?!”
“It means I was powerless. Even if I exhausted every last drop of blood and gave my life, I still couldn’t find a solution that would satisfy both sides.” Wu Zixu spoke softly. “I stayed awake for three days and three nights, thinking it over, but I was helpless. This was the only thing I could do.”
“After members of the Wu family die, they can reside in Fengdu, where they also bear the responsibility of protecting it. Once chaos breaks out in the city, the Yin-Yang Family will be the first to bear the brunt. Behind me stands my entire clan. The Wu family’s centuries of planning and painstaking efforts in Fengdu cannot be destroyed because of this.”
“I see. Between the Yin-Yang Family and Fourth Brother, you made your choice.” Song Wentong sneered. “Since that’s the case, you should take responsibility for your own actions. Why aren’t you staying in Fengdu, playing the dutiful son to your heart’s content? Why come here now and put on this hypocritical show?”
“I had no choice! But that doesn’t mean I can stand by and watch you all march to your deaths!” Wu Zixu suddenly sprang to his feet. “Second Brother, you’re the only one holding up the Mohist School. You have no family ties or burdens holding you back, so naturally, you can act freely in everything! But there are so many things in this world that people are powerless to change. You’ve experienced that feeling yourself! When the previous Mohist Master died, were you really willing to be left behind by your mother?! The bonds of family and the weight of one’s clan—you chose to accept that inheritance too!”
Song Wentong stared at him, his voice chilling.
“Say that again.”
At this point, every word was like a blade stained with blood. They were the people who knew each other best and had once been closest to one another. Naturally, they also knew exactly how to strike at each other’s most vulnerable places.
Wu Zixu looked at Song Wentong and slowly said, “If you had been the one forced to choose between your mother and Fourth Brother back then, there would have been very little difference between you and me.”
A thunderous crash shook the room. Song Wentong drew his blade and swung it at Wu Zixu. It was a killing strike without the slightest restraint.
Wu Zixu held nothing back either. They exchanged blows, countering each other’s moves. The Guwang Tobacco Pipe blocked the Shihong Blade, and both their hands trembled from the force.
Amid the grating screech of metal scraping against metal, Song Wentong spat out each word:
“Don’t you fucking dare compare me to you!”
“Fine. If we’re talking about courage and fearlessness, I cannot compare to you,” Wu Zixu said. “Because you carry no heavy burdens, you can always charge forward without a single reservation! Among the Seven Schools of the Masters, the Mohist School has always acted according to its own nature. But the Yin-Yang Family communicates between the two worlds. As its family head, I must shoulder twice the responsibility. Not only for the living, but also for the dead!”
For the first time, Wu Zixu abandoned his usual gentle, refined demeanor. He shouted at Song Wentong with utter desperation.
“You lost your mother when you were young, but whose family hasn’t been torn apart by tragedy?! At least the previous Mohist Master raised you until you were five. My mother, however, died giving birth to me! You carry the Shihong Blade, living freely and facing death without fear. But do you know what’s inside the Guwang Tobacco Pipe? It’s the ashes of every previous Wuchang Master!”
The Wu family practiced the arts of communicating with the Yin and Yang worlds, and their inheritance was strange and mysterious. Every generation’s Wuchang Master was chosen before birth. Because the ghostly energy within the womb was too strong, the mother was destined to die in childbirth, consumed by that ghostly energy. This had been the fate of every generation, and Wu Zixu’s mother was no exception.
Furthermore, the inheritance of the Wuchang Master came at the cost of the previous generation’s life. The Guwang Tobacco Pipe could summon underworld officials and command ten thousand ghosts. Its power was certainly no ordinary force. The very first pouch of tobacco Wu Zixu put into the pipe had been made from his father’s ashes.
This was the fate of every generation of Wuchang Masters.
The Wu family was destined never to have three generations living under one roof. They brought misfortune to their fathers, mothers, and wives. To be born as a Wuchang Master meant being destined to devote one’s entire life to duty, only to find no peace even after death. One spent an entire lifetime diligently guarding a family that had been torn apart by death.
The Jade-Faced Gentleman, the Smiling Wuchang—he seemed like a gifted young man, accomplished beyond his years and clever in every way. But the reason behind it was that every member of the Wu family had long since been stripped of their youthful arrogance and ignorance by the harsh lessons of death.
“Born a member of the Wu family, dead a ghost of Fengdu. This is the fate the Yin-Yang Family is destined to bear. You resent me for refusing to sacrifice everything for Fourth Brother, but I carry the inheritance of generations of Yin-Yang Masters on my shoulders. This is what countless generations of the Wu family have paid for with their broken homes and shattered families!”
Wu Zixu looked at Song Wentong, his voice hoarse and strained.
“Song Wentong may resent Wu Zixu, but the Mohist Master has no right to resent the Wuchang Master. You have no such right!”
Song Wentong had never seen Wu Zixu so utterly unrestrained before. For a moment, he seemed stunned, unable to find a response.
His voice shattered against the wreckage scattered across the floor. The entire room fell silent.
With a sharp clack, the Guwang Tobacco Pipe fell to the ground.
Wu Zixu’s voice was choked with emotion.
“Second Brother, do you know?”
“Back then, whenever I saw you and Fourth Brother fooling around in the Ginkgo Academy, I always wanted to climb that ginkgo tree by the window with you.”
“Sometimes, I would wonder whether being one of the Seven Masters was really worth it.”
“But I’ve sacrificed too much. I’ve already lost the right to turn back.”
After an unknown amount of time, Song Wentong bent down and picked up the Guwang Tobacco Pipe.
“Playing the dutiful son at home while alive, then going to Fengdu to serve as a slave after death. What a fine example of a real man. So magnificently upright, yet so thoroughly miserable.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. When it comes to verbal disputes, I’ve never been able to win against you or Fourth Brother.”
He held the tobacco pipe out to Wu Zixu.
“Take it.”
“We fought.”
At the same time, at the Chai residence.
“Mu Gesheng!” Chai Shuxin hurried after him. “Mu Gesheng! Stop!”
The two of them left the Chai residence. Mu Gesheng walked so quickly that Chai Shuxin struggled to catch up. He finally grabbed Mu Gesheng’s hand and placed his fingers against his wrist to check his pulse.
“Did you take the medicine Tai Sui gave you?”
Mu Gesheng pulled his hand back and folded his arms. “You recognized me?”
“Tai Sui’s medicine can only provide temporary relief. It consumes the body from within. Taking it is no different from quenching your thirst with poison…”
“I know what I’m doing.”
The two stared at each other. Chai Shuxin was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long silence, he finally managed to say, “…I didn’t deliberately hide it from you.”
“Don’t even start.” Mu Gesheng waved his hands repeatedly. “You’re the head of the Medicine Family. You have a mind of your own and make all the decisions. How would I dare accuse you of deliberately deceiving me?”
Chai Shuxin was already a man of few words, and now he had even less idea what to say. He took half a step back.
“I’m sorry.”
As he spoke, he bowed deeply before Mu Gesheng.
“You are the Heavenly Diviner. If one of the Masters has committed an offense, you may punish him.”
Mu Gesheng looked at the man standing before him. He stiffened his neck, stubbornly unable to say a word. After a moment, he finally cursed.
“Damn it, how did this somehow turn into me bullying you?”
He kicked the man in front of him.
“Come on. You’re buying me a drink.”
“Your current physical condition isn’t suitable for drinking…”
“Are you ever going to stop?”
The two casually found a liquor shop that was still open and ordered several jars of wine. They squatted outside the shop, drinking heavily and trying to get drunk.
Mu Gesheng had always been a heavy drinker. He drank with the reckless abandon of someone who didn’t care whether he lived or died. Before long, several jars were already empty. His eyes had turned red as he propped his head up with one hand and asked Chai Shuxin, “Did you bring money?”
“Yes.”
“Much?”
“Quite a bit.”
“I want to drink this entire liquor shop dry. Do you have enough money?”
“Drinking excessively is bad for your health.”
“Why are you saying that again? Just tell me whether you have enough.”
“…Enough.”
Mu Gesheng held out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
He took the money pouch and tossed it onto the counter.
“Shopkeeper! I’m buying out your entire shop! These are chaotic times. Take the money and get out while you still can!”
As he spoke, he began carrying jars of wine out of the shop.
“It’s a year of great calamity!”
Chai Shuxin quickly caught hold of him and apologized to the dumbfounded shopkeeper.
“I’m sorry. He’s drunk.”
As he spoke, he took out several silver dollars and handed them to the shopkeeper.
“I’ll buy all the wine in your shop.”
The shopkeeper was quick to read the situation. He immediately accepted the money, hung a curtain across the entrance, and stepped outside. When later customers approached, he cupped his hands apologetically.
“I’m sorry, the shop is closed for the day.”
“I’m not drunk!” Mu Gesheng sat cross-legged on the counter. “I used to drink vodka straight from the bottle when I was abroad. What are a few jars of yellow wine to me?”
As he spoke, he picked up a jar and tossed it into Chai Shuxin’s arms.
“People speak the truth after drinking. Come on, drink!”
Alcohol flushed Mu Gesheng’s face, but his mind remained perfectly clear. He watched as Chai Shuxin knocked the sealing clay off the jar and drank.
“Back in the winter of the third year of the Republic, when was the last time we drank together?”
“Before you went abroad. At the tavern by the docks,” Chai Shuxin replied. “You and the Mohist Master drank quite a lot. The Wuchang Master was so drunk he couldn’t even stand.”
“You left in quite a hurry that day.” Mu Gesheng exhaled a breath of wine. “I only just remembered that my father seemed to have been in the city that day too.”
“That was the first time I met Commander Mu.” Chai Shuxin took a sip of wine. “When we met, he stood by the window for a long time.”
Mu Gesheng smiled when he heard that.
“That old man.”
“I only met Commander Mu once. After that, most of our dealings were conducted through telegrams and letters. The Medicine Family provided medicinal resources, while Commander Mu also made many arrangements to facilitate our operations within the military. Waterway transportation, checkpoints across various regions—the military’s support was essential.”
Chai Shuxin continued, “Commander Mu devoted himself wholeheartedly to the country. Although I only met him once, his integrity and bearing were truly admirable.”
“Choosing to cooperate with the military was also a decision I made after repeated deliberation. The elders in my family discussed it as well.”
Chai Shuxin paused.
“It wasn’t an impulsive decision… Don’t believe everything you’ve been told.”
“I don’t know much about my father’s affairs. Although the old man doesn’t have the best memory, he’ll eventually tell me whatever I ought to know.”
Mu Gesheng let out a sigh.
“Regardless, I should thank you.”
“There’s no need for thanks between us.”
“That’s true.”
Mu Gesheng smiled and picked up his wine jar.
“Then let me toast you with a whole jar.”
Their jars clinked together. As if something had suddenly occurred to him, Mu Gesheng said, “No wonder. While I was studying abroad and traveling from place to place, no matter where I went, the first letter I received was always from you. Back then, I thought you had all agreed on an order: you’d write about important matters, Third Brother would send me money, and Second Brother would curse me out.”
“The Mohist Master and the Wuchang Master got your address from our teacher,” Chai Shuxin explained. “Our teacher was incredibly perceptive. He always seemed to know where you were.”
“That old gentleman couldn’t be bothered to calculate something like that.” Mu Gesheng scoffed. “I reported my whereabouts to him every single day, as regularly as checking in. Occasionally, when he happened to think of me, he’d add a few words of advice to Second Brother’s letters. Just bits and pieces, here and there.”
His tone suddenly changed. Mu Gesheng put down his wine jar.
“But considering everything that’s happened recently, I can’t help feeling that Master had somehow already foreseen everything we would go through.”
Chai Shuxin looked up at him.
“Why do you say that?”
“That year, I was in Moscow. Master included a reminder in Second Brother’s letter: ‘The snowstorm is growing heavier. Remember to wear more clothes and keep yourself warm.'”
Mu Gesheng spoke softly.
“The next letter I received after that brought news of Master’s death.”
“The day I received that letter, I was wearing a very thick overcoat and walked along the riverbank for a long time. I’d specifically had that coat made by a tailor beforehand. I wasn’t cold at all, yet somehow, it felt as though I’d frozen right through.”
Chai Shuxin remained silent for a moment before asking, “Did Master leave anything for you?”
“Yes.”
Mu Gesheng nodded.
“But we’re not yet at a point where we’ve exhausted every possible option. I keep feeling that the time to use it hasn’t come yet.”
As he spoke, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
“That said, I don’t have much confidence that we’ll win this battle.”
“Sorry for putting you in a difficult position within your own family.”
Mu Gesheng looked at Chai Shuxin.
“By refusing to perform this divination, I’m essentially rebelling against the Seven Families. Perhaps you believe in this so-called mandate of Heaven, but I don’t want to resign myself to fate.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Chai Shuxin shook his head.
“I believe in you.”
“To me, you and the will of Heaven are no different.”
Mu Gesheng was taken aback, then broke into a smile. “Good. That’s all I need.”
It was already late. Lamps had been lit outside the liquor shop, casting a glow of fragmented gold and dark red. Mu Gesheng looked out the window.
“If it snowed a little more, this would look just like a winter night along the Neva River.”
As he spoke, he opened a fresh jar of wine and leaned against the window.
“I’ll sing you a song.”
Mu Gesheng sang a Russian song. His voice was low and winding, slowly humming out the melody. It was soft and gentle, like snowflakes quietly falling along the riverbank.
Окрасился месяц багрянцем
(The moon was stained a deep crimson)
Где волны шумели у скал
(Where waves roared against the cliffs)
Поедем, красотка, кататься
(Come, my beauty, let us go riding)
Давно я тебя поджидал……
(I’ve been waiting for you for so long…)
Chai Shuxin slowly drank his wine. He could understand only a few scattered words, yet somehow, he felt as though he had reached back several years into the past. There, a faint light glimmered, and long shadows stretched across the snow. Rivers and mountains extended endlessly into the distance. Between them lay mountains, rivers, and oceans farther apart than any ordinary distance could measure.
And yet, on this night, after all these years, they had found each other again through a single song.
The two drank until late into the night. Mu Gesheng wanted to find Song Wentong, so he staggered his way toward Guanshan Yue.
Who would have thought that the moment he arrived at the entrance, Aunt Zhao would rush over, calling out repeatedly, “My goodness, finally! You’re here! If you’d been any later, they’d have torn my entire music house apart!”
Mu Gesheng had been a little drunk, but the earth-shaking commotion coming from inside Guanshan Yue immediately sobered him up.
“Auntie, don’t panic just yet. What happened?”
“Little Tong and Mr. Wu started fighting just after nightfall! They’ve smashed half the building to pieces!” Aunt Zhao anxiously flicked her handkerchief. “Who could possibly stop those two when they start fighting? Hurry up and go talk some sense into them!”
“Second Brother and Third Brother are fighting?” Mu Gesheng was startled at first, then immediately grinned. “Well, that’s something you don’t see every day. I haven’t seen Third Brother throw a punch in years.”
Chai Shuxin remarked, “Indeed. It’s quite a rare sight.”
“Oh, you two! Stop standing here agreeing with each other and think of something!” Aunt Zhao was so anxious that she reached out to pinch Mu Gesheng’s ear. “You ungrateful little brat! This is all I have left!”
Mu Gesheng hurriedly dodged her hand.
“Don’t worry, Aunt Zhao. Second Brother is very filial to you.”
As he spoke, he and Chai Shuxin entered the building. From upstairs came a series of loud crashes and bangs.
Mu Gesheng shook his head repeatedly.
“They rarely fight, but whenever they do, I’m always the one who suffers.”
Hearing this, Chai Shuxin took off his gloves.
“Would you like me to help separate them?”
“Don’t. They’ll probably beat you up too.” Mu Gesheng sighed. “Here’s what we’ll do. Watch which room they end up fighting in. When you see your chance, throw me inside. Just tell them I’ve had too much to drink. I’ll barge in, make a drunken scene, and cause enough chaos to distract them. Then this whole matter will blow over.”
He spoke with such ease that it was obvious he had plenty of experience with this particular strategy.
Chai Shuxin nodded. “All right.”
The private room door was suddenly flung open with a loud bang, and someone was thrown inside.
Song Wentong and Wu Zixu were locked in a fierce struggle. When they saw Mu Gesheng, both froze.
“Fourth Brother?”
“Spirit Pivot Master?”
Mu Gesheng immediately flopped onto the floor and began putting on a drunken performance, shouting and wailing in a completely off-key voice.
“My beloved consorts, please, stop fighting—!”
Chai Shuxin stood to one side, his expressionless face unchanged.
“He’s drunk.”
“I’m going to ask Aunt Zhao to make some sobering soup for him.” Song Wentong immediately turned to leave. But when he reached the doorway, he suddenly realized something.
“Wait, no! Let him lie there for now! We haven’t finished fighting yet!”
Before he could finish speaking, Chai Shuxin immobilized him with a single silver needle.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Breaking up the fight.”
Chai Shuxin held the needle and looked at Wu Zixu.
“Are you still going to fight?”
“Perhaps not.” Wu Zixu sighed at the sight of the situation and set the Guwang Tobacco Pipe aside. “I don’t think I can keep going either.”
“See? Third Brother is still the most reasonable one.”
Mu Gesheng rolled back onto his feet and looked around.
“Are you two demolishing the place or something?”
“You have the nerve to criticize me? Who do you think I’m doing this for?” Song Wentong snapped, finally realizing what had happened. He glared furiously at Mu Gesheng. “You ungrateful traitor!”
“Second Brother, calm down. Take it easy. Who benefits if you get yourself worked up to death?”
Mu Gesheng picked up a relatively intact chair and sat down. Looking at the three people in the room, he suddenly smiled.
“Setting aside that meeting of the Seven Families, it’s been many years since the four of us last sat together like this.”
Chai Shuxin remained as taciturn as ever. Wu Zixu was too exhausted to speak, while Song Wentong maintained a sour expression and refused to entertain anyone.
For a moment, no one said a word.
“Fine. Usually, I’m the one putting on a show. Looks like I’ll have to perform a solo again today.”
Mu Gesheng picked up a pastry box that hadn’t been smashed. He took out a flaky pastry, put it in his mouth, and continued eating as he spoke.
“A lot has happened recently. A few days ago, I was unconscious and unable to wake up, so none of us had a chance to sit down and discuss anything. I’ve thought about a lot of things. None of you here are outsiders, so let’s lay everything out in the open.”
Mu Gesheng spoke at length. He recounted everything, from the day he entered the Yin-Yang Ladder and encountered the Yin Soldiers, to everything he had seen and heard in his dreams; from his conversation with Wu Nie aboard the ship after waking up, to the confrontation with the people at the Chai residence, and finally, his firm refusal to perform the divination.
He left nothing out, except for the matter involving the Medicine Family and Commander Mu.
After finishing his account, Mu Gesheng chewed on his pastry and thought to himself:
I’m really something. It’s rare for me to tell so much truth in one sitting.
He glanced at Chai Shuxin from the corner of his eye. The other man’s expression remained unchanged, as though he had already anticipated that Mu Gesheng would leave out that particular matter.
Mu Gesheng pursed his lips.
This man is becoming more and more boring. He’s nothing like he was back then, when even the slightest provocation would set him off.
“That’s certainly something you would do.” Song Wentong, still immobilized by the silver needle and stuck in his half-departed position, sneered. “Since you’ve already decided not to perform the divination, most of the Seven Families will probably withdraw. Have you thought about how we’re going to defend the city?”
Mu Gesheng shrugged, looking like a bandit.
“Isn’t that what you lot are here for?”
“Do you seriously think you’ve robbed us or something? Getting something for nothing?”
“You lost a fight against me yourself. Don’t even think about going back on your word.” Mu Gesheng said, “At worst, I’ll cook you a meal after we’ve won.”
“Don’t cook,” Wu Zixu immediately interjected. “Otherwise, even if we win, I’m afraid we’ll end up being the rabbit cooked after the hunting dogs are gone.”
“Fine.”
Mu Gesheng began counting on his fingers.
“Penglai and the Zhu Family will probably leave. The Mohist School counts as one. As for the Medicine Family…”
He looked at Chai Shuxin.
“Can you handle things on your end?”
Chai Shuxin’s expression remained calm. “I have my own way of handling it.”
“Then, counting the Medicine Family as well, along with the Heavenly Diviner, that makes three families.”
Mu Gesheng looked as though he were trying to rope everyone into the same gang of bandits. He casually turned to Wu Zixu.
“Third Brother, are you joining us or not?”
Wu Zixu remained silent for a moment before asking, “Fourth Brother, have you made up your mind?”
Song Wentong immediately flared up when he heard that.
“Have you not had enough of getting beaten up?!”
“Stop shouting nonsense. You’ve taken plenty of punches from me too.”
For once, Wu Zixu managed to fire back at Song Wentong. He then turned to Mu Gesheng.
“If you performed this divination, the situation might improve considerably.”
“To determine the survival or destruction of an entire city with a single hexagram? I don’t have such an elevated sense of responsibility.”
Mu Gesheng smiled.
“In this battle, our chances of winning are thirty percent, while our chances of losing are seventy. There’s indeed little hope of victory. I’ll post public notices throughout the city. Whether to stay or leave will be entirely up to each individual.”
“If we were only dealing with the Yin Soldiers, things would be manageable. But if the front lines retreat and the enemy forces invade, our chances of winning will become even slimmer.”
Wu Zixu sighed.
“I won’t try to persuade you. I only hope you’ll think this through carefully. The people of the Seven Families are, after all, not the same as ordinary people.”
“I understand what you mean, Third Brother.”
Mu Gesheng raised a hand to stop Song Wentong, who was about to erupt again.
“I’ve often heard Master talk about the affairs of the Yin-Yang Family. You’ve always had more responsibilities to bear than the rest of us since childhood. Whether in terms of reason or sentiment, you have every right to say these things.”
“But I’m different.”
As he spoke, he broke into a smile.
“An unworthy descendant, a disgrace to my master’s teachings. Perhaps I’m not worthy of being counted among ordinary people, but at the very least, I can be an oddball among the Seven Families of the Masters.”
“To the Seven Families, you can never be an outsider.”
Wu Zixu immediately replied, “You are the Heavenly Diviner. The forty-nine Mountain Ghost Coins have acknowledged you as their master. You carry the mandate of Heaven…”
“So what?”
“If you refuse to acknowledge any of this, you’ll hurt people.” Wu Zixu looked at Mu Gesheng. “All of us inherited our positions as Masters from childhood. We’ve known since we were young that the Seven Families place the Heavenly Diviner above all others. If you dismiss all of that with a single sentence, then wouldn’t everything we’ve done all these years become a joke?”
“That’s your own fault.”
Song Wentong scoffed.
“You deserve to be called Wu Zixu. ‘Zixu’ means empty and nonexistent. You’ve always been a joke!”
“Shut up.”
Mu Gesheng slapped Song Wentong.
“Master was the one who gave Third Brother his name.”
He then looked at Chai Shuxin.
“Can you stab him with a needle and make him temporarily mute?”
Chai Shuxin duly stuck a needle into the still-raging Song Wentong.
Mu Gesheng sighed and turned back to Wu Zixu.
“Third Brother, I understand what you’re saying. I also understand the difficult position you’ve been in regarding everything that happened before. Second Brother may have gone completely berserk, but that doesn’t mean we have any grounds to blame you.”
“As for the divination, it’s not that I can’t do it. It’s that I refuse to.”
Mu Gesheng spoke softly.
“I know the Seven Families of the Masters are different from ordinary people. Since ancient times, you’ve survived through countless dynasties without ever falling. But I’m asking you, please, don’t treat me as some Heavenly Diviner, and don’t put me on a pedestal.”
“There’s a reason Master has a head full of white hair. The higher you stand, the more bitter the frost and snow.”
“That place is too cold.”
“Besides, all of you are living in the human world.”
Wu Zixu remained silent for a long time.
“Have you really thought this through?”
“Yes.”
Mu Gesheng smiled.
“Back at the Ginkgo Academy, I was always the least ambitious one. I have no lofty aspirations. I’m nothing more than an ordinary mortal with a flesh-and-blood body. I don’t wish to challenge Heaven, nor do I want to become some unparalleled hero.”
“Heaven belongs above. I can look up at it in admiration, but if Heaven comes crashing down, I’ll still stand tall.”
“…Fine, fine, fine.”
Wu Zixu shook his head repeatedly.
“It’s rare to hear you say something so reasonable. How could I possibly refuse to come and lend you a hand?”
“I cannot guarantee that the Yin-Yang Family will help. After all, the Wuchang Master himself may not necessarily be able to take action.”
He looked at Mu Gesheng.
“But as for Wu Zixu, I will do my duty without hesitation.”
“Then we’re all grasshoppers tied to the same rope.”
Mu Gesheng patted his shoulder.
“Good brother.”
The four of them talked until late into the night before finally going their separate ways.
Mu Gesheng returned to the military camp and immediately began dealing with the backlog of official business. He worked continuously until just before dawn.
He had only recently recovered from serious injuries and had spent the entire day rushing from place to place. The medicine Wu Nie had given him could not maintain its effects for long. Once its potency wore off, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion swept over him.
Unable to hold on any longer, Mu Gesheng slumped forward and fell into a deep sleep with his head on the desk.
He had mentioned the man striking the clapper whom he had previously encountered in his dream to the other three, but none of them could give him a definite answer. He vaguely sensed that the sound of the clapper was somehow connected to the Yin Soldiers, but Wu Zixu knew nothing about the details.
“It might be a prophetic dream,” the other man had finally told him. “You’ve accepted the forty-nine Mountain Ghost Coins, so you’re already the Heavenly Diviner. You may be able to foresee future events in your dreams.”
This time, however, he did not dream of the sound of a clapper.
The rapid pounding of horse hooves drew closer, accompanied by the thunderous roar of artillery. Shouts and screams rang out together, while an oppressive stench of blood filled the air.
People were running. People were falling. People were shouting. Gunfire rang out continuously, and flesh and blood exploded everywhere.
Blood-red birds fell from the sky. Thunder roared, and flames blazed in every direction.
As far as the eye could see, everything was crimson.
“Commander… Commander Mu… Please wake up!”
Mu Gesheng was shaken awake.
He had been sleeping so deeply that his orderly had struggled for quite some time to wake him. The orderly was drenched in sweat.
“You’re finally awake! I thought you’d passed out!”
“It’s morning already?”
Mu Gesheng sat up groggily, his head still heavy. He wiped the drool off the documents.
“It’s not even five yet. What’s so urgent?”
The orderly handed him a folder.
“An urgent telegram from the front lines.”
Mu Gesheng’s eyelid twitched. He took the folder and opened it.
There were only a few brief lines of black text on white paper.
The front line has fallen. All troops are to make an immediate emergency retreat.
From this point onward, every city and every inch of land shall become a strategic stronghold.
As long as one breath remains, not an inch of territory shall be surrendered without a fight.
Author’s Note:
“The Moon Was Stained Crimson” — A Russian folk song.