Chapter 72: Corpse Transformation! (Part One)

After giving Zheng Fan silver and parting from him, the Sixth Prince did not return directly to the Marquis’s residence.

Instead, he followed the alley behind him, avoided the lively market streets, and walked back to the clandestine brothel.

The red curtains hanging on either side of the entrance swayed in the wind.

Who knew how many men’s hearts had been made to sway along with them?

They swayed and swayed.

From a thousand years ago until now.

And they would sway and sway again, destined to keep swaying a thousand years into the future.

The Sixth Prince entered once more.

The same compartment.

The same towering Western beauty.

Blonde hair.

Blue eyes.

Exotic and seductive.

The Western woman rose and saluted.

Then she walked to the rear of the compartment and opened a hidden panel.

The Sixth Prince stepped through.

Below was a secret room illuminated by candles.

A woman in a green brocade robe sat there working an abacus while keeping accounts.

When she heard someone enter, she looked up.

The instant she saw who it was, she rose from her seat and bowed.

“Sixth Lord.”

The Sixth Prince sat down.

His voice was calm.

“Report.”

“Yes, Sixth Lord.”

The woman took a porcelain bottle from a box on the table.

She removed the stopper and handed it to the Sixth Prince.

“Sixth Lord, have a smell.”

The Sixth Prince brought the bottle beneath his nose and inhaled lightly.

Then he closed his eyes and slowly savored it.

At last, he said, “That smells like gold.”

“Sixth Lord is discerning.”

“Where did it come from?”

“Goods sold by a Western merchant house in Tuman City.”

“Tell our trading house there to buy every bit they can.

“Don’t haggle too hard over the price.

“Move the goods out.

“Then take them to the capital.

“After that, send them through the capitals of Qian, Jin, and Chu as well.”

“This servant has already issued those instructions.”

“You did very well.”

The Sixth Prince took out his purse.

He pulled out a small piece of silver and tossed it to the woman.

“A reward.”

“Thank you for Sixth Lord’s reward.”

“But if this were the only matter, it would not have been worth asking me to make a special trip back here.”

The Sixth Prince picked up the teacup on the table.

He slowly turned it in his hands.

“Sixth Lord, the man you brought in with you earlier— would you like this servant to investigate him?”

“Investigate him?”

The Sixth Prince smiled.

“What about him?”

“The woman assigned to that compartment started her monthly bleeding today and wasn’t there at all.

“If he had merely pretended, that would be one thing.

“But a woman’s voice still came from inside.”

“What if he knows ventriloquism?”

“Sixth Lord jests.”

“I’m not joking.

“Cuiping, have you controlled affairs in Beifeng Commandery for so long that your ambitions have started growing?”

“This servant would not dare!”

Cuiping immediately dropped to her knees before the Sixth Prince.

Cold sweat covered her body.

“I told all of you the rule a long time ago.

“No one is permitted to involve themselves with the people around me.

“The trading houses are yours to manage.

“My own affairs—

I handle myself.”

“This servant knows her error.

“Sixth Lord, please calm your anger.”

The Sixth Prince lifted the tip of his shoe.

He pressed it beneath Cuiping’s chin and slowly raised her face.

Cuiping looked at the Sixth Prince.

Tears shimmered in her eyes.

“Don’t cry.

“I’m not blaming you.

“I’m taking pity on you.”

“This servant understands.”

“No.

“You don’t.”

“This servant forgot that he is Sixth Lord’s lifesaving benefactor.”

“Heh.

“Yes.

“A lifesaving benefactor.

“A man capable of making the barbarian Left Guli King personally give him a ladder to climb before dying— do you think someone like that is a person a little girl like you can casually investigate?”

“...” Cuiping.

“Besides, he’s quite interesting.

“I enjoy talking to him.

“A person who has been investigated until every last detail is exposed is like a stalk of sugarcane that’s already been chewed dry.

“There’s no flavor left.

“Do you understand?”

Cuiping stared at the Sixth Prince blankly.

“Forget it.

“You don’t understand.

“That’s why you can only be a shopkeeper.”

“To be Sixth Lord’s shopkeeper is this servant’s good fortune.”

“Fine.

“Anything else?”

“Yes, Sixth Lord.

“Our people nearby captured Xu Wenzu.”

“Xu Wenzu?

“The Pacification Commissioner responsible for western Beifeng Commandery?”

“Yes, Sixth Lord.”

“How did you catch him?”

“He slipped into the city.

“Our people noticed him.

“Because... he is far too fat.

“No amount of disguise could conceal it.”

“Heh heh.

“Yes.

“I remember him.

“He truly is fat.

“Interesting.

“The Pacification Commissioner of western Beifeng Commandery secretly trying to infiltrate the Marquis’s residence.”

“Sixth Lord, this servant only heard one thing from him.

“He woke from sleep after muttering a sentence in a dream.”

“What did he say?”

“He said:

‘Thank goodness I got out of the carriage to relieve myself back then.’”

“Got out of the carriage...”

The Sixth Prince’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Does he know whose people you are?”

“He doesn’t.

“While awake, he refuses to say anything either.

“Sixth Lord, should this servant use torture?”

“No need.

“Why would he secretly come to the Marquis’s residence at a time like this?

“Isn’t the answer obvious?

“Heh heh.

“This world is always full of clever men who think themselves cleverer than everyone else.

“Give him a horse.

“Tsk.

“No.

“Give him two horses.

“Give him dried provisions and silver as well.

“Release him.

“Tell him to go back wherever he came from.”

“Yes.

“This servant understands.”

“All right.

“I don’t have much time.

“I need to return.”

“This servant will see Sixth Lord out.”

Cuiping walked ahead carrying a candlestick.

She led the Sixth Prince out through the secret passage.

But when they returned to the compartment, Cuiping’s gaze suddenly froze.

She immediately clamped one hand over her mouth, afraid she might scream.

Inside the compartment, the towering Western woman from before was still sitting on the rug.

But her eyes were opened unnaturally wide.

Her left hand was raised in the gesture of someone waving hello.

Clearly, she was already dead.

Most horrifying of all, even in death, she remained posed like a doll almost like a beckoning lucky cat.

The Sixth Prince bent down.

He looked at the dead woman.

Then said, “See?

“I told you.

“Don’t casually investigate the people around me.

“Heh.

“We ran into an expert.

“They already knew exactly what these red-curtain brothels are used for.”

“This servant... this servant...”

“It’s fine.

“They were only saying hello.

“Nothing serious.

“Nothing serious.”

With that, the Sixth Prince actually raised his own hand.

He waved at the dead woman.

And called out:

“Hi.”

...

Out in the desert, a man led a horse slowly forward.

A young boy sat on his shoulders.

Suddenly, the man stopped.

The horse beside him stopped as well.

The boy on his shoulders instantly drew a dagger from inside his clothes.

His eyes glowed green as they swept warily across the surrounding darkness.

After a moment, the man reached up and patted the boy’s leg, signaling that there was no need for alarm.

From the darkness ahead, a woman’s silhouette appeared.

Then came her voice:

“Well, fuck me.

“This is coincidence piled on top of coincidence.

“The desert is endless.

“How the hell did I manage to run into you?”

“I don’t know either.”

“If the Blind Man were here, he’d definitely be playing his erhu while singing:

‘It must be a very special kind of fate...’”

Feng Siniang walked closer.

She looked at Liang Cheng.

Then at the child sitting on his shoulders.

The boy stared at Feng Siniang too.

At this point, Feng Siniang had already removed her disguise and revealed her true appearance.

The boy became visibly excited.

He grabbed Liang Cheng’s shoulder.

Then, in clumsy, half-learned Chinese, he said, “Woman... beautiful... capture her... bring home... give you babies...”

Clearly, the boy meant that Liang Cheng should capture the beautiful woman before him and take her home to reproduce.

The worldview of desert peoples was just that simple and unadorned.

“Hey.

“You three haven’t even been in the desert that long, have you?

“How efficient are you?

“You already produced a kid?

“You zombies reproduce almost as fast as cockroaches.”

As Feng Siniang joked, she carefully examined the boy.

“A little wolf cub.”

“I brought him back first to make preparations in Tiger Head City.

“A’Ming and Fan Li are behind, migrating his tribe.”

“Tsk, tsk.

“So you really found the manpower?”

“We did not fail the mission.”

“Not bad.”

“What are you doing here?”

“This old lady was on her way back.

“Right.

“Master is at the oasis not far ahead.”

“The Marquis’s residence?”

“Looks like your geography is pretty good.”

“Is Master in danger?”

“Danger is everywhere.

“Ordinary people can choke to death while eating.

“If I had to guess, this should count more as an opportunity.

“This evening, Master had only just visited a brothel together with the Sixth Prince of The Great Yan Dynasty.”

“That is... quite a leap.”

“I thought so too.

“But that prince isn’t harmless either.

“I was worried he might look down on Master, so before leaving I gave him a little greeting.”

“Master cannot be left without someone beside him.”

“Well, isn’t this perfect timing?

“How about this: you go back first.

“I’ll return to the oasis and stay with Master.”

“All right.”

“I’ll tell you what happened these past few days first.

“When you get back and see the Blind Man and the others, they’ll know what’s going on too.”

“All right.”

Liang Cheng lifted the boy down from his shoulders.

Then he took dried provisions from his pack.

“I have wine and meat.

“Eat mine.”

Liang Cheng nodded and accepted the food Feng Siniang handed him.

The boy grabbed meat in one hand and the wineskin in the other.

One mouthful of wine.

One mouthful of meat.

He ate with astonishing swagger.

“This little wolf cub really is quite cute.”

Feng Siniang teased him.

The boy seemed able to understand Chinese but could not speak it fluently.

Now that he had drunk some wine, a heroic spirit rose in him.

He declared, “Woman... beautiful... when I grow up...

I capture you... you give me babies...”

“Ohoho.

“What ambition.”

Praise from a child was always the purest kind.

Even if this particular child was a little precocious.

Liang Cheng ignored the boy for the moment.

Instead, he looked at Feng Siniang.

“Has your relationship with Master progressed any further?”

Feng Siniang looked down at her own hand.

“Mm.

“You could say that.”

“Mm.”

SMACK!

Liang Cheng slapped the boy so hard he flipped over onto the ground.

The child’s head buried itself in the yellow sand.

“Master’s woman.

“You are not permitted to profane her.”

The boy struggled until he pulled his own head free.

Then he sat off to the side, cheeks puffed in annoyance.

He continued tearing aggressively into his food.

No crying.

No tantrum.

“Ohohohoho...

“Not bad.

“Being treated like the mistress of the household really does feel pretty good.”

At that moment, Liang Cheng suddenly stood.

He turned toward the oasis.

The smile vanished from Feng Siniang’s face as well.

She became serious.

“What is it?”

“I sensed it...”

“Sensed what?”

“Someone is drawing baleful energy into a corpse!”

(End of Chapter)