Mo Sang – CH 287

Chapter 287. Never Forgotten

Meng Yanqing’s experience was rich and effective.

Around dawn the next day, Li Sangrou’s high fever subsided slightly, and around dusk, she opened her eyes.

“Boss! Boss! Boss!”

Hei Ma, who had been guarding the bedside, stammered excitedly, rushing to the cabin door. “Boss! You are awake!”

Da Chang, having already heard Hei Ma’s excited shouts of “Boss! Boss!” rushed in from the rear cabin.

Li Sangrou’s vision was still a little blurry, but she could distinguish Da Chang, Hei Ma, Xiao Lu, and Meng Yanqing.

“How many days has it been?” Li Sangrou looked around, closed her eyes to rest, and asked in a hoarse voice.

“Today is the third day,” Da Chang said, his voice choked with emotion.

“You had a high fever from the afternoon the day before yesterday and all day yesterday and last night. Your body was burning hot. About an hour ago, the fever started to go down; it is not so hot anymore.

It’s alright now; you’ve made it through.” Meng Yanqing looked at Li Sangrou, explaining with a smile, trying hard to sound nonchalant, but his effort made his voice sound unnatural.

Li Sangrou’s vision was not very clear, and the voice seemed to be coming from a great distance, but she could hear it very clearly now.

She had indeed made it through.

“Alright, I will sleep for a while,” Li Sangrou said, then closed her eyes again.

Da Chang waved his hand, and several people held their breath, tiptoeing out. Hei Ma retreated to a corner of the cabin, sat down, and began wiping away tears.

Out of the cabin, Meng Yanqing put his hands on his hips, slowly exhaled a long breath, and smiled slightly, looking at Da Chang and saying, “Alright! The boss made it through.”

“Alright, I will go make some chicken soup and chop some chicken mince. The Boss will be hungry when she wakes up,” Da Chang hurriedly instructed, rushing towards the aft cabin.

Meng Yanqing stood at the bow, gesturing across the boat to Dong Chao, who was crouching on the other side of the boat, watching him intently: The Boss was awake.

Li Sangrou slept for over an hour. When she woke up, her vision was much clearer, and the sounds around her, though still somewhat unreal, did not feel as distant.

“Da Chang just made some clear chicken soup with chicken mince and chopped greens. Would you like some?” Hei Ma hurriedly asked, approaching her.

“Give me some water first; I am thirsty.” Li Sangrou’s voice was weak and low, but very clear.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Hei Ma quickly poured half a bowl of warm water and fed it to Li Sangrou with a spoon.

“Help me sit up a little,” Li Sangrou whispered.

“Da Chang!” Hei Ma quickly called out.

The Boss was badly injured, and he dared not support her alone.

Da Chang came in and called Meng Yanqing in as well. Meng Yanqing stood by watching. Da Chang and Hei Ma carefully helped Li Sangrou, placing several cushions behind her.

Li Sangrou sat up halfway. Hei Ma held a bowl to her lips, and Li Sangrou slowly drank most of the bowl of water, her forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.

After resting for a while, Li Sangrou sipped half a bowl of clear chicken soup mixed with minced chicken and chopped vegetables and fell asleep again.

The gloom that had hung over the two boats dissipated instantly with Li Sangrou’s awakening and the half bowl of clear chicken soup. The Old Yunmeng Guards began to smile, their conversation lightening.

Chuantiao and Mazha jumped onto the small boat, busy fishing and shrimping, hoping to catch some fat blackfish to make soup for the Boss.

Da Chang and Meng Yanqing whispered among themselves, compiling a long list of ingredients. Their Boss needed a good boost; even if they did not need them all, they’d buy them anyway.

Dong Chao was busy leading people to buy this and that, and while they were at it, they also bought a beautifully carved birdcage for the puppy to use as a nest—it could not always live in the stool.

They had dog cages, but they were all too ugly. This birdcage was much nicer, and it even had a water bowl for the bird, perfect for holding goat’s milk.

Anyway, the puppy was quite small; this birdcage was enough for it.

By noon the next day, Li Sangrou woke up again, her spirits and complexion much better. She could lift her uninjured arm and eat and drink with a spoon.

Her vision was clear again, and her hearing was clear again.

Hearing the puppy scratching and barking loudly in its cage, Li Sangrou slowly turned her head. Looking at the brightly colored, luxurious birdcage and the puppy inside, barking anxiously at her, she smiled and gestured to Da Chang, “Bring it here so I can see it.”

Da Chang went over, picked up the puppy, grabbed a damp cloth soaked in medicinal ink, and wiped it from head to tail. He then used another cloth to wipe it again before placing it next to Li Sangrou.

The puppy was silently wiped by the neck. When put down, it desperately tried to climb onto Li Sangrou, but its legs were too short and its body too chubby. After a long struggle, it could not get up and buried its head in Li Sangrou’s hand, whimpering pitifully for a while before falling asleep.

“Where did the Boss find this dog? They said there was a whole litter, and only this one survived,” Da Chang said, reaching out to lift the puppy back.

“Let it sleep here,” Li Sangrou said, looking at the puppy with its head in her hand. “It rolled down from the Taoist temple wall; it came to find me.” She paused, gently squeezing the puppy, and whispered, “Look at its yellow fur.”

Da Chang froze, then abruptly turned around.

Hei Ma, who was squatting nearby dissolving pills in warm water, trembled, spilling water and medicine onto his clothes. Shaking, he gripped the bowl tightly and plunged out of the cabin.

………………………………

After resting for two more days, Li Sangrou was conscious for at least half the day and could even lift her head and drink water by herself while half-sitting, half-lying down.

After drinking the morning’s medicine, Li Sangrou looked down at her blood-stained, stiff, and blackened clothes, then lowered her head slightly and sniffed.

She smelled awful!

She had not even noticed before; it seemed her sense of smell had improved.

Li Sangrou leaned back against the cushions and sighed.

With her sense of smell restored, this stench was becoming unbearable.

They cleaned and bandaged the wounds on her legs and shoulder blades thoroughly, but as for the other wounds, well, they really could not do anything about them.

“Oh well, let her smell for another day or two.”

Meng Yanqing poked his head in and saw that Li Sangrou was awake. He went into the cabin, stood at the cabin door, and smiled. “Boss, you look much better.

We are at the Jiangzhou City dock now. Should we stay here, head to Yangzhou, or somewhere else?”

“To Yangzhou,” Li Sangrou replied.

“Good, so we can set off now? Shall we go?” Meng Yanqing smiled.

“Let’s go.” Li Sangrou smiled slightly.

The two boats sailing downstream moved leisurely and slowly.

A day later, Li Sangrou had recovered some strength. She instructed Da Chang to bring in a clean set of clothes and also took a pair of scissors. She then slowly cut open her blood-stained, stiff clothes and changed into clean clothes, a process that took nearly an hour, leaving her drenched in sweat.

When the boat docked at the Anqing Prefecture pier, Li Sangrou was able to wash her face and brush her teeth by herself—the first time she had done so since her injury.

Dong Chao came in and sat down by Li Sangrou’s bedside, recounting in detail the cleaning of the Taoist temple.

“Two corpses were found at the entrance of the temple, and thirty-one more inside, making a total of thirty-three.

The steel cage was full of barbs and extremely vicious. Since I did not have any tools, I did not touch it. I counted them with a stick; there were twelve corpses inside.

Outside the cage were nineteen corpses. One died from two steel spikes piercing his chest; the rest died from the Boss’s sword.

They all lived in the three-ringed houses. Five main rooms were occupied; three were filled with the old Taoist temple’s belongings. Two rooms were combined for living, with only one bed and one person’s clothes—it seemed to be Lu Da’s quarters.

The two side rooms were also combined, each with twenty beds, arranged against the east and west walls.

The west wing had nineteen beds with bedding, and one bed was empty. Judging from the clothes, it was the women’s quarters.

The other wing had seven empty beds, and thirteen beds were occupied—the men’s quarters.

It seems everyone was here; no one escaped.

There’s another courtyard behind, which is the kitchen. A shed has been erected in the courtyard, and ten square tables are set up on either side.

Both side rooms have been converted into kitchens, each with a well, a four-burner stove, and twenty charcoal stoves, all burning water.

The main room was piled high with rice, cooking oil, vegetables, meat, salt, and other ingredients—a very plentiful feast.

Further behind, there’s another small courtyard, nestled against the mountain. Half of it was carved into the mountainside, the other half built into the hillside—a row of three-room houses. I do not know what they were used for before, but now…”

Dong Chao paused, swallowing hard.

“They are piled up with corpses; it is completely full. I counted seventy-nine skulls.

The innermost part is just a pile of bones.

The outermost four bodies are quite fresh, just beginning to decompose.

Judging from their clothing, one looks like a hunter; there’s a steel fork next to him, indicating he died from a steel spike piercing his chest.

The body piled on top of the hunter is a woman of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed as a peasant woman. Her genitals are ulcerated, and there are ropes on her wrists and ankles, the ulceration reaching the bone. There are no other wounds on her body.

The next body is a boy of about seven or eight, dressed in fine clothes and shoes, not like a local. There are no wounds on his body either; he seems to have died of illness.

And the last body, judging from their clothing, is one of their own. It is a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, pregnant. The fetus has already fallen out, hanging between her legs.”

Dong Chao paused again, glancing at Li Sangrou’s grim face, and continued, “I called a few people who know this to examine each of the female assassins. They all have firm genitals; it is not from illness but rather from being kicked in the lower abdomen.

This method is commonly used in brothels to determine a prostitute’s fertility.

I checked Lu Da’s bed again; it was dirty, covered in semen stains. The girls’ beds also had semen stains.

In the last courtyard, there was a well, weighed down by a stone. After lifting it, the bones in the well were only three or four feet from the rim. Before the bones decomposed, they must have filled the well to the brim.

Judging from the scattered hairpins and other items, they must have belonged to the Taoist priests who originally lived in the temple.

I had several buckets of oil poured into the well and into the cave dwellings, and they were all melted.”

Dong Chao paused, looking at Li Sangrou, who was leaning back against the cushions, her face pale. He glanced back at the birdcage; inside, a small puppy lay on its back, fast asleep.

“When we searched the surrounding area, to the left of the temple gate, there was a dog hole, blocked by weeds. Next to the hole were the corpses of seven puppies, all trampled to death. This one must have escaped through the hole and encountered the Boss.

There was a dog hanging in the kitchen, already skinned.”

“Was it burned clean?” After a long while, Li Sangrou asked softly.

“Yes, there were over four hundred jin of sesame oil, soybean oil, and lamp oil stored inside, all poured into the temple.” Dong Chao sighed softly.

“Tell Old Meng to pass on the instructions: this matter is to be buried forever. From today onward, do not mention it again.” Li Sangrou’s voice was weary and low.

“Yes,” Dong Chao replied, standing up, taking two steps back, and turning to leave.

Da Chang came in carrying a bowl of goat’s milk. He first scooped two spoonfuls for the puppy, then handed the bowl to Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou watched the puppy wagging its tail frantically as it drank its milk, slowly sipping her own.

“It’s like it has never had enough to eat. Old Meng said it cannot have any more, or it will burst,” Da Chang said helplessly, watching the puppy finish its milk and lick its bird-shaped water bowl in circles.

The bowl was so clean it did not need rinsing at all!

“Where is this?” Li Sangrou asked, handing the bowl to Da Chang after finishing her milk, looking out the cabin window.

It was late autumn, and fearing she would catch a cold, the cabin window had not been opened even once, so Li Sangrou could not see outside.

“We arrived at Anqing Prefecture Wharf yesterday afternoon.

Old Meng said to take it slow on the road. When we reach Yangzhou, it would be best if you could walk a few steps yourself to avoid being noticed,” Da Chang replied, taking the bowl to the back cabin before entering with Hei Ma. Hei Ma was wiping the puppy’s urine and feces, while Da Chang handed a damp cloth to Li Sangrou.

“Hmm, have Xiao Lu go to the Ye family and see if Ye Anping has returned. If he has, ask how things are in Xiuning,” Li Sangrou instructed softly.

“Alright.” Da Chang agreed, went out of the cabin, called over Xiao Lu, and relayed Li Sangrou’s words.

Xiao Lu took a long detour, first going to the Shunfeng post station outside Anqing City to get a horse, then entering the city to go to the Ye family’s house, then riding the horse out of the city to return it to the post station. By the time he returned to the ship, the sun had already set.

Xiao Lu first went to the aft cabin to wash his face and hands, changed his clothes, and then went to the front cabin to tell Li Sangrou about his journey.

“…they said that Master Ye went on a long trip and has not returned yet. The eldest son of the Ye family is home; he said he just returned from Jianle City the day before yesterday.

Master Ye’s son said he did not know where Master Ye had gone. He said Master Ye did not tell anyone where he was going when he left, only that he had to take care of something important, and the round trip would take a month. It has only been a little over twenty days since Master Ye left.

Master Ye’s son said his father always meant what he said he would do, so it will definitely take him a month or more to return to Anqing Prefecture.

Master Ye’s son also asked me to tell you that he will come back to tell his parents, and then he will head to Jianle City to spend the New Year there.

He said Nanxing is in Jianle City, and that Nanxing’s sister-in-law, Lady Shi, is also there with her two children and two younger brothers.

These are Master Ye’s son’s exact words. Just these two sentences; he asked me to tell you, saying you will understand immediately,” Xiao Lu relayed the message verbatim.

Li Sangrou slowly said, “Oh.”

Shi Acai, along with her two children and two younger brothers, were all in Jianle City, as was Yang Nanxing.

Hmm, that was good.

The ship stopped in Anqing Prefecture for four or five days, buying plenty of various medicinal herbs, before setting sail and heading downstream.