Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Lucky Talisman for Blessing

Night shrouded the land for a thousand miles, and within that same darkness, every place held a different kind of loneliness. The Chen family residence was tucked away in a deep alley corner of Longjin Ward; the narrow space and high walls made for poor lighting. Their home was small, low, and aged. The soot-covered rafters and damaged wooden windows gave the entire space a gloomy tone... it was enough to make one think of a haunted house from a story.

Only now did Yulian realize a small benefit of the Chen man; she hadn't been this afraid when he was still alive. She curled up against the wall, the more afraid she became, the less she could sleep.

Do ghosts exist after death? Before Yulian’s eyes, she seemed to see the corpse as it had been when it first died—face covered in blood, eyes staring blankly. She shivered and whispered into the pitch-black air: "Don't blame me, don't blame me... I was wrong, I shouldn't have wished for your death in my heart, but I didn't kill you, nor was I an accomplice! It was all out of helplessness. As a woman, I truly couldn't endure those days. If I hadn't been at the end of my rope, my heart wouldn't have been so vicious..."

She kept comforting herself until she finally drifted into a hazy sleep. After all, this wasn't the most terrifying place; at least it was still in the great metropolis of Tokyo. The reason it felt so frightening was perhaps because a dead body had just been left in the sewer outside.

Yulian felt the most terrifying place was the place where she grew up, the place that haunted her dreams.

She was still young when she left her hometown, yet people always remember their earliest surroundings with startling clarity. The mud-walled thatched hut was darker and more dilapidated than the Chen residence in Tokyo. In the countryside, once night fell, it was pitch black outside; there wasn't a single lamp to be found in the middle of the night. Behind the house were barren hills, and on those hills were many wild graves. Yulian still had vivid memories of being too terrified to go out to relieve herself at night when she was a child.

She vaguely remembered that her hometown belonged to Gaoping in Hedong. She had heard the old men chatting, saying that Gaoping used to be called Changping—the site of the ancient Battle of Changping between the Qin and Zhao states long ago. Rumor had it that the Qin general Bai Qi had buried four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers alive on that very land! No wonder the villagers often dug up white bones by accident. Back then, Yulian loved listening to the adults' wild gossip, but she would be terrified afterward.

Later, she was sold to the household of Li Shouzhen in Hezhong Prefecture. She still remembered that densely populated city, the deep courtyards with people coming and going, and the bright, clean houses. There was never a shortage of lamp oil or candles, and lanterns were hung outside at night. She had fallen in love with that place instantly. At the very least, she had initially believed it was a wonderful place where every corner was filled with sunshine.

She didn't know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, the bright, clean house was gone, replaced by the darkness of reality, with the faint scent of wood ash permeating the air.

Yulian’s eyes widened in the dark. She didn't dare light a lamp; the windows were drafty, and the flickering oil lamp would only be more terrifying. Besides, if a light were seen in the middle of the night, there might be gossip. Just then, she felt something gently press against her soft chest. She reached out to grope for it and discovered it was the good-luck charm she had prayed for at the Taoist temple a few days ago, still hanging around her neck on a thin string.

The charm was for Shao-ge; it had been several days ago, before the murder had occurred.

It was said to be very efficacious, having been consecrated before the Bodhisattva and drawn by a high-ranking Taoist. The talisman was drawn on red silk, folded into a triangle, and tied with a string to be worn. Shao-ge had said he would be going on a campaign soon. Yulian hoped he would return from the battlefield alive; besides praying and seeking a charm, what else could she do?

The abbess of that Yuzhen Temple was a female Taoist. Since the temple was in the city, it was very popular among women. Yulian had been very interested in inquiring about the abbess's background. It was said her name used to be Jingniang, and many years ago she had known the Imperial Guard general Zhao Kuangyin. Later, wounded by love, she saw through the vanity of the world and became a nun at a temple she built in Tokyo. Women loved such romantic rumors; no wonder the incense at Yuzhen Temple was so flourishing.

Yulian rubbed the charm in her palm, hesitating over whether to give it to Shao-ge. Tomorrow morning was the last chance to give it to him; at daybreak, he would return to the barracks.

In her heart, Yulian did not blame Guo Shao for killing her husband; she even secretly felt a sense of gratitude... She certainly thought highly of a young man like Shao-ge. Not only did he have courage and strength, but he was no simple-minded brute. Yulian believed his insight was extraordinary; if his luck held, he might truly earn wealth and status. But could a young officer of eighteen or nineteen really take a fancy to a woman who was effectively on her third marriage and unable to bear children?

If she acted too impatiently, she would only debase herself: her husband’s body was not yet cold, and she was already being intimate with another man—wouldn't that make her a fickle, loose woman? Yulian understood very well that if she did not respect herself, others would look down on her and treat her as an insignificant object to be discarded at will.

If only it were a few years earlier, back when she was at Li Shouzhen’s mansion... But back then, Shao-ge seemed to have his heart set on the Fu woman, willing even to die for her. Even now, had he truly let go?

Heaven was never fair. Some people were born to be cherished by all; even if they did nothing, others would be willing to sacrifice everything for them. Like the Fu woman—noble by birth, beautiful and virtuous—no matter how many times she married, she remained a fairy in people's hearts.

...

Guo Shao got up early and opened the back door, finding a red object that had fallen out of the door crack. He picked it up, examined it carefully for a moment, then put it away and turned to glance into the alley.

...According to the military orders of the Privy Council, the Imperial Guard soldiers were to assemble and report to their respective barracks in advance, and they would set out after two days of troop inspections. Guo Shao arrived at the barracks one day ahead of the deadline.

Although he would only be at the barracks for two days, it was truly a bit idle for Guo Shao, as he hadn't even warmed the seat of his position as *Doutou* before being demoted back to a *Shijiang*. The Fourth Team of the main battalion only had twenty-some people, all of whom were old acquaintances, so there was nothing to worry about.

He sat on the threshold basking in the sun, looking listless. The spring sun was warm, and the pear blossoms in the courtyard were budding. The weather was perfectly mild, making one not want to move at all. He usually looked lazy when he had nothing to do, as if he lacked spirit. He didn't talk much and would never stand if he could sit.

Just then, a white rabbit emerged from somewhere, immediately catching his attention. But he didn't move, just watched it very intently.

A little white rabbit in spring—cute, but easily startled. If one didn't approach slowly, it would be frightened away immediately... Guo Shao pinched the lucky charm at his neck, staring at the rabbit in a trance, a smile appearing in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, a brute suddenly rushed over from somewhere, clad in heavy armor. Without a word, he clattered over and lunged fiercely at the rabbit. His bulky body hit the ground with a "thud." He didn't catch the rabbit, which darted away in a flash, but he ended up with a mouthful of mud.

"Damn you, Luo Er! Look at how stupid you are!" Guo Shao cursed.

This fellow was called Luo Mengzi, a small soldier in the Fourth Team. He seemed to have hurt himself from the fall; he grinned as he climbed up dejectedly, patted off the dirt, and limped over, handing him the bow from his back: "Guo Shijiang, shoot that rabbit."

Guo Shao took the bow and an arrow. He didn't see where the startled white rabbit had gone, so he casually plucked the bowstring. His eyes widened immediately: "Good fellow, this must be a two-stone heavy bow. Where did it come from?"

Luo Mengzi said: "Didn't you get promoted two days ago, Guo Shijiang? Commander Wang rewarded it, but you weren't in the barracks."

Just then, a voice with an unpleasant tone said: "I wonder if a *Shijiang* has the skill to draw something meant for a *Doutou*."

Guo Shao and Luo Mengzi turned to look and saw Yang Biao and a dozen soldiers walking over, carrying a skinned sheep. That Yang Biao was burly, with a fierce, horse-like face, but his words were laced with acidity. This fellow was now the deputy commander of the Fourth Team, one rank lower than Guo Shao, but he had previously been a *Baifu* (centurion) and seemed unwilling to be managed by an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old kid like Shao-ge. Moreover, since Guo Shao had been demoted from *Doutou* back to *Shijiang* yesterday, dragging him down another rank, he likely didn't look kindly upon Guo Shao.

For the past two days, the Palace Command had been very good to the soldiers because they were about to go on a campaign, rewarding them with money, pork, mutton, and wine. Everyone was in high spirits, so they began to cheer and tease, wanting Guo Shao to show off his skills.

"I can draw it," Guo Shao replied calmly. He happened to notice the white rabbit from earlier had reappeared, ears perked up under the eaves across the courtyard. The soldiers followed his gaze and easily spotted the distinctively colored rabbit. It wasn't far, perhaps twenty or thirty paces, but the target was small. The crowd grew more expectant, and hisses of anticipation rose among them.

In this situation, Guo Shao couldn't back down. He unhurriedly grabbed a handful of sand from the ground, rubbed it in his hands, and put on his finger guard.

His movements were lazy and slow, just like his usual style. But suddenly, he took a deep breath, his whole body filling with strength. He nocked the arrow and bent the bow into a full moon. The two-stone heavy bow was usually used for practicing arm strength and rarely used in actual combat. With him pulling it like this, he could probably pull another stone's worth!

The tendons on his long, steady fingers bulged. The ox-tendon string made a "creaking" sound as it tightened, as if it were about to snap, or like the noise produced by the massive tension of a catapult, making people inexplicably nervous.

A bow and arrow are not firearms; one can aim, but reliability is a bit of a joke—hitting the target depends entirely on feel. From standing still to drawing the bow, every movement was actually aiming, searching for the feel of the target. This feeling was an intuition formed from countless hits and misses, completely indescribable and untraceable. Whenever he picked up a bow, this feeling made Guo Shao inexplicably excited, as if he were facing a girl he was deeply in love with—having already won her heart, yet feeling a sense of anxiety and loss, fearing she might quietly slip away, unable to bear any distracting thoughts. At this moment, Guo Shao had forgotten whether he was in a modern academy or the war-torn Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms; in his eyes, there was only the arrow!

"Thwack!" A powerful sound of the string rang out, the lingering echo seemingly carrying the whistling sound of a sharp edge piercing the air, startling the onlookers. In that brief moment, many were infected by Guo Shao’s focus, from his eyes to every part of his body. The sound of the string finally brought them back to reality.

"Good!" Luo Mengzi was the first to shout excitedly. Regardless of whether he hit it or not, this force was enough to shock everyone.

As the sound faded, the white rabbit was seen pinned firmly to the corner of the wall, without even room to struggle.

Yang Biao’s expression showed surprise, followed by a bit of embarrassment: "You’ve got some skills."

Guo Shao’s expression relaxed, and he ignored the opening Yang Biao had offered... Was this the attitude a subordinate should have toward a superior? Although Yang Biao had been a centurion not long ago, he was now just a deputy team commander! The one thing the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms didn't lack was arrogant soldiers and fierce generals. This was not a place that valued the virtue of humility; concession would only make people think you were easy to bully, a fun punching bag. Guo Shao handed the bow to Yang Biao: "You try."

The atmosphere, which had just improved, tightened slightly again. Everyone turned their eyes to the square-faced man.

Yang Biao was not old, but his face was weathered, his skin dark and sallow—he was clearly a veteran of many battles. But being a veteran didn't mean everyone was a master of archery; in fact, very few were. One look at his expression showed he clearly lacked confidence.

Unexpectedly, this fellow was the type to die before admitting defeat. He immediately said: "It’s just being accurate with an arrow."

Guo Shao sneered: "You don't even dare to try? Then you’d better learn a bit about the rules of rank."

Yang Biao’s face turned red and then white, unable to find words. With the surrounding soldiers mocking him, he said bitterly: "Guo Shijiang’s arrows may have eyes, but the arrows on the battlefield don't!"

What did that mean? It was a naked threat—was he planning to trip him up on the battlefield?