Chapter 7: - I’m Blind

A’Ming’s words had settled Zheng Fan’s heart.

He was, after all, someone who had endured the torment of a terminal illness, and he had spent years obsessively creating horror and twisted stories. Calling him mentally unstable would be unfair, but there were probably a few wires in his head that had never been connected quite right.

A strange world. A strange situation.

Yet after hearing, “You never abandoned us, so we will never abandon you,” somehow none of it seemed quite so important anymore.

Zheng Fan sat at a table in one corner of the front hall, listening to Xue San tell stories onstage.

One modern gag after another, mixed with jokes just dirty enough to skirt the line, kept the customers below roaring with laughter.

Pa!

Stamp one “inspection passed” certificate, immediately switch to the next, and keep stamping.

And besides, A’Ming’s wine tasted excellent.

Fuck sorrow.

Fuck worry.

Fuck this gnawing unease.

Fuck reality.

Fuck the past...

Zheng Fan got drunk.

...

By the time he woke, morning had already come.

Zheng Fan sat up in bed. Hearing movement, Little Yun pushed open the door and entered with a washbasin and toothbrush.

Naturally there was no toothpaste, and the toothbrush itself was crude, but the fact that no one expected him to chew on a willow twig was already pretty good. He dipped the brush in green salt, cleaned his teeth, washed his face, and then walked out to the front hall again.

The inn did not open for business in the morning, so aside from a few hired cleaners, most people were lounging around lazily.

Breakfast was wonton noodles.

They tasted good.

After eating, Zheng Fan walked to the inn entrance.

Don’t laugh.

He had already been awake for a full day, and this was actually the first time he had stepped outside the inn.

Granted, he only crossed the threshold by a single step.

Even so, the unease he had drowned beneath wine the night before now resurfaced, stirred awake by the faint dread of the unknown.

There were plenty of people on the street. Since this was a frontier city, the crowd was a mixed one. Zheng Fan even spotted several people dressed somewhat like himself, though judging by their appearance, they were probably Fire Worshippers.

Ding!

Beside him, at the fortune-telling stall outside the inn, Blind Man Bei tapped a small bell. He lowered his head slightly and said in a soft voice:

“Good morning, Master.”

“Good morning.”

Zheng Fan sat down on the steps beside him.

Blind Man Bei made no move to stand and offer Zheng Fan his chair. He continued sitting there comfortably.

Warm, gentle sunlight spilled over him. An expression of pure enjoyment rested on his face.

It was difficult to imagine that a murderous maniac could possess such a peaceful, ordinary side.

Zheng Fan pursed his lips.

Right now, he suddenly wanted a cigarette.

“There are water pipes,” Blind Man Bei said abruptly.

“You can read my mind?”

“No. I simply thought Master would probably want a smoke around now.”

“Forget the water pipe. I’m not used to it.”

“I’ll mention it to the Fourth Lady later. She can try finding someone to make rolled cigarettes.”

“You can buy tobacco here?”

Blind Man Bei paused. Apparently understanding what Zheng Fan truly wanted to ask, he began explaining.

“The city we’re in is called Tiger Head City. It sits beside the desert. The population isn’t large, perhaps twenty or thirty thousand, but because this is where our territory meets the Barbarian sphere of influence, a great many merchant caravans pass through here as a transfer point. Not many of our inn’s customers are locals. Most come with the caravans.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

A’Ming had said before that while Zheng Fan remained unconscious, they had no interest in exploring this unfamiliar world and no real need to.

The only one among them who understood even a little about the outside world was Blind Man Bei, who sat at the inn entrance every day.

“What country does this city belong to?” Zheng Fan asked.

Blind Man Bei lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

“Tiger Head City lies within the territory of the State of Yan.”

“The State of Yan?”

“But it shouldn’t be any dynasty or state from ancient Chinese history. South of Yan is another country called the State of Qian, and there are several other states as well. Their merchant caravans do not come through here as often. Around Tiger Head City, most caravans belong to Yan or Qian. Beyond the desert are the Barbarian tribes. They acknowledge a Royal Court, but in practice each tribe largely governs itself. Master can think of them as resembling the nomadic peoples of ancient China. Their civilization and material resources are relatively underdeveloped, so they need to trade here for essential goods.”

“So we’re basically sitting on the frontier?”

“More or less.”

“Then is this world... an ordinary world?”

“An ordinary world?”

Clearly, Bei did not immediately understand what he meant.

“I mean, are the people here all ordinary humans? No magic, no battle qi, no cultivators, that sort of thing?”

From Zheng Fan’s perspective, if this truly was an ordinary world, then even if the Seven Demon Kings beneath him never recovered their original powers, at least surviving here should not be much of a problem.

Blind Man Bei nodded thoughtfully.

“It is an ordinary world. Everyone I’ve encountered over the last half year has been an ordinary person.”

“That’s good.”

If everyone stood at roughly the same starting line, then at least there was some sense of security in that.

However, at that very moment, a rapid thunder of hooves came from the far end of the street.

A troop of riders was galloping toward them.

Tiger Head City might be small, but anyone who dared gallop a horse through its streets clearly possessed serious backing.

As the riders came closer, Zheng Fan could see that they wore matching armor, with small black banners fixed behind their backs. They appeared to be cavalry belonging to the authorities.

Or rather, cavalry of Yan.

“Out of the way!”

“Move! Move!”

The riders in front cleared the road, cracking leather whips as they advanced.

The street instantly erupted into chaos. People stumbled and scattered in every direction. Two passersby, dodging the horses, crashed straight into Blind Man Bei’s stall.

Fortunately, Zheng Fan grabbed Bei first, keeping him from being knocked down together with the stall.

At that moment, a group of armored soldiers appeared from the opposite end of the street.

The men in front carried long spears.

Those behind them carried crossbows.

The riders had no choice but to haul on their reins and force their mounts to a stop, though their faces remained furious.

“Galloping horses inside the city is a grave offense!”

An officer among the armored soldiers shouted.

Tiger Head City was small, but because it was a frontier settlement, the garrison soldiers here were quite well equipped and possessed decent morale.

“Insolence! His Excellency the Pacification Commissioner is here with urgent military intelligence for Tiger Head City’s commanding officer! Who dares block the road?”

The soldiers barring their way were taken aback.

Even the officer leading them had clearly not expected that answer.

Still, none of the armored soldiers moved aside.

Biting the bullet, the officer shouted:

“Do you have proof?”

His tone was already considerably weaker than before.

The riders suddenly parted in the middle.

A very fat man in a blue official robe and official hat urged his mount forward.

He had an enormous belly and was clearly the leader of the group. Fat though he was, he carried the unmistakable authority of a high official.

But when the man emerged from the cavalry formation, Zheng Fan’s mouth opened slightly in astonishment.

It was not the official’s bearing that intimidated him.

Modern people might flatter officials just as eagerly as people in ancient times, but they were not usually reduced to kneeling in the street and wailing, “Our great upright magistrate has come to save us!”

No.

What truly astonished Zheng Fan was the creature the fat official was riding.

At first, he had assumed it was a horse.

A taller, stronger horse than the mounts beneath the other riders.

But once the official urged it forward alone, Zheng Fan finally got a clear look.

It was not a horse.

Its head resembled one, except its mouth was larger, its face longer, and the whole thing uglier.

And at the top of its head, a short horn protruded slightly.

Earlier, Zheng Fan had assumed the glimmer across its body came from armor fitted over a warhorse.

Only now, seeing it from up close, did he realize those were not plates of armor at all.

They were scales.

The creature itself was covered in them.

The fat official pointed down at his mount and roared at the soldiers blocking the road:

“Proof? This is my proof! Is that enough for you?”

The officer among the armored soldiers immediately dropped to one knee.

“Greetings, Your Excellency the Pacification Commissioner!”

Then he hurriedly barked at his subordinates to move aside and clear the road.

Zheng Fan, meanwhile, extended his left index finger and poked Blind Man Bei on the shoulder.

“Look.”

Look.

Go on.

Tell me again this is an ordinary world.

“What?” Blind Man Bei asked in confusion.

“Look for yourself,” Zheng Fan said.

“I’m blind.”

“...” Zheng Fan.

[End of Chapter 7]