Chapter 18: Into the Mountains

Chapter 18: Into the Mountains

It was a well-known fact in the army that Zhang Qishan acted quickly.

They went to sleep after midnight, but it was still dark the next morning when Lieutenant was done sorting out the accompanying soldiers in the yard. They were all wearing casual clothes, their pistols were hidden under the water bags on their saddles, and their bayonets were placed on their hips.

As the sun rose, Zhang Qishan checked his Colt and asked the groom to take his horse to the outskirts of the city first. Then, he and several soldiers got in the car and drove away. It was past eight o'clock when their group gathered on the slope near the railway on the outskirts of the city. With a total of fourteen people, they decided to split up. A group of six disguised themselves as a caravan and went twenty miles ahead, while the second group of four disguised themselves as traveling tea merchants so they could go around and investigate. Zhang Qishan, Lieutenant, and two mess cooks brought up the rear. They would gather intelligence along the way and double-check to ensure they were going in the right direction.

After the first two teams left, it took a long time for Qi Tiezui to arrive. Zhang Qishan and Lieutenant were dressed like betel nut vendors with tobacco boxes on their backs. Qi Tiezui arrived dressed like a fortune teller and riding a donkey.

Fortunately, Changsha had been a major transportation and trade hub for generations, so it wasnt uncommon for strange people and businessmen to travel from south to north.

But the donkey walked too slowly and often fell two or three miles behind, so Zhang Qishan and the others ended up having to wait half an hour for it to catch up. Zhang Qishan endured it halfway and then sighed: "Fortune teller, I asked you to disguise yourself. What are you doing riding a donkey?"

"Fo Ye, if a fortune-teller didnt ride a donkey, but a tall horse, wouldnt that be like telling the world I have business here? Don't look down on my getup. Once we get further into the mountains, youll see how useful it is."

After they entered the mountain, Lieutenant constantly remained vigilant. Whenever a bird flew up, he would stop his horse and look at it for a long time. He had rarely looked back, but after listening to Qi Tiezui's words, he said, "The Taoist priests in this mountain are already poor and extinct. Most of the so-called Taoist priests are lone mountain bandits who hide in abandoned temples deep in the mountains and scam people. They steal children from the village, bring them back, and raise them to be violent bandits. If youre seen looking like this, someone may beat you to death."

The railroad tracks were two miles away, so there was no way back for the time being. Their group went into a Dong village on the mountainside, and then looked for the old relay station that was said to be on this part of the Southern Silk Road. It had been run by locals to supplement their income, since hundreds of businessmen and other travelers could gather in one place. All those people came from various ethnic groups and had different characters.

The Dong village was built on the mountainside, but the relay station was set up along the mountain road on the edge of the cliff. The long straw eaves stretched along the road for half a mile, just like some sort of dragon. The hundreds of people sleeping in the long station ignored the abyss waiting under their pillows, which was a very scary thought.

Qi Tiezuis pale face was covered in dirt, and he shook his head. "Fo Ye, if you go pee in the middle of the night and make a wrong step, youll suffer a terrible death."

Zhang Qishan patted the dust from his body, walked up to the relay stations railing, and looked out at the vast valley.

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TN Notes:

(1) A Chinese Taoist meditation text. Wiki link here

(2) Pig blood curd, also known as "blood tofu" or "blood pudding", is a popular Cantonese delicacy. Its basically solidified blood (*barf*). Manufacturers coagulate fresh blood by letting it sit in a clean container for ~10 minutes. The blood cube is cut into smaller pieces, then heated in a pot with medium heat with water. During the heating process, salt is added to solidify the blood cubes. More info here Updated from novelbIn.(c)om