Taiheiki

Chapter 3: East Gate

Dongmen

Go out of the east gate and don't look back.

When I came into the door, I felt sad and disappointed.

There is not a grain of rice stored in the pot, and there are no clothes hanging on the rack.

I drew my sword and left for the East Gate. The mother of the child in the house pulled at my clothes and cried:
"If his family is rich and powerful, I will share the food with you.

"The upper part uses Canglangtian, and the lower part should use this yellow-mouthed child. But it is not the case now!"

"Hey! Go! It's too late for me to leave! It's hard to stay here long when my hair is grey." (Han Dynasty Yuefu)
It was already afternoon, and the autumn sun shone brightly on Wei Cong's forehead, filtering through the sparse leaves of the mixed forest. Sweat dried and clung to his skin, making it uncomfortable. Although he had been working in the geological team for two years, his stamina couldn't match that of the seasoned mountain geologists. After only a dozen miles, he felt his calves cramping and couldn't keep up.

"Captain Cao, Captain Cao!" Wei Cong shouted to the man in front.

"What's wrong?" The man turned around. His face was weather-beaten and he looked to be at least fifty years old, but in fact he was only in his early forties. His name was Cao Ke, and he was Wei Cong's immediate superior. He had been working in the wild for nearly twenty years.

"Hehe!" Wei Cong laughed dryly twice: "Captain Cao, I need to relieve myself!"

"Rest?" Cao Ke looked at Wei Cong suspiciously and snorted coldly, "Want to be lazy? You've already relieved yourself twice on the way!"

"Hehe, this time it's real!" Wei Cong said with a wry smile: "My stomach is a little uncomfortable, this time it's big!"

"Lazy cows and horses poop and piss a lot!" Cao Ke muttered, and shouted to the people in front: "Stop, take a break!"

Wei Cong walked a dozen steps to the side of the road, found a big rock, unzipped his pants and squatted down behind it. While defecating, he was thinking about how to ask for leave from his immediate boss. A few days ago, his mother called and said that her square dance bestie introduced her to a girl and asked her to go back to her hometown for a blind date. He graduated from graduate school and started working. He is almost 27 years old. It is not a good idea to drag it on like this. He will never find a wife if he keeps struggling in the wild.

"Whatever. If Old Cao doesn't grant me leave, I'll have nothing to do with him!" Wei Cong made up his mind. After he finished his bowel movement and cleaned up, he stood up and was surprised to find that several of his colleagues were gone. Did Old Cao abandon him? He was still a small leader after all, and if anything went wrong during his subordinates' outdoor activities, he would be held responsible.

"Captain Cao, Captain Cao! Where have you been?" Wei Cong shouted, looking around for his colleagues, but all he could see were weeds and trees, no sign of anyone. Wei Cong was getting irritated. He pulled out his phone and tried to make a call, but the signal bar was zero—this place was a dead zone.

"Damn it, you think you can get away without me? I'll have you all for nothing when I get back!" Wei Cong raged. It was obvious these old bastards had bullied a newcomer like him, abandoning him mid-trip, and were planning to gang up on him. He checked his solar-powered multi-functional sports watch, confirmed the direction and altitude, and then pulled out a map to compare them. Once he was sure of his direction, he headed forward.

Wei Cong walked along the mountain path for a while. The vegetation grew increasingly lush. At first, you could make out human paths, but later, only animal trails remained. He had to pull out the machete from his backpack to clear the way. His heart was pounding, but he stubbornly kept going. The weather wasn't kind either. Just a few moments ago, the scorching heat of autumn had suddenly changed, bringing clouds and rain. The mountain wind blew up the rotten grass and dust, making the sky gloomy and dark. Wei Cong pulled up his hood, leaned forward, and quickened his pace.

The dust-laden rain lashed his face. He squinted his eyes, the wind and rain intensified. Wei Cong wiped his face hastily and looked for a place to shelter from the wind and rain. If he got wet in the wilderness, catching a cold was no joke.

Then he saw the old mulberry tree that looked like an umbrella. Under the tree stood a strange man who was unaware of the rain and was looking at the sky. There were also corpses lying all over the ground.

"How could I actually run into someone filming a movie in this remote place? What a coincidence! Hey! Why can't I see any camera? They're really good at hiding it!" Wei Cong slowed down his pace, looked around, but couldn't find the camera he imagined.

Whoops!

Wei Cong felt that he was tripped. He looked down and saw a person lying on the ground. He reached out and touched it, and found it was sticky and full of warm liquid. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a man in his early thirties. His eyes were wide open on his pale face, and there was a huge gap on his neck with blood flowing out.

"Death, death, this is real, not a movie!" Wei Cong screamed. The strange man turned around, his eyes cold. Wei Cong only then noticed that the strange man was wearing a long black robe and had a bun on his head. His hair was gray, which made him look a bit like an old Taoist priest in a TV series. A long sword was stuck in the ground at his feet, and there was a faint trace of blood on the blade.

"Murderer, you're a murderer!" Wei Cong took a step back, pointing at the strange man. He had already noticed the various weapons scattered around the corpses. A rough count showed that there were at least four or five people. Could this strange man have killed so many people with just a sword? This was too dangerous. Wei Cong felt like his heart was about to beat out of his mouth. He even forgot to notice that the man and the corpse on the ground were dressed very differently from modern people.

The strange man raised his eyebrows, held the sword in his right hand, and seemed to say something. Wei Cong didn't hear clearly, he turned and ran away as fast as he could, not caring whether the strange man caught up with him or not.

Wei Cong didn't know how far he ran, but he felt exhausted. His legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Holy crap! How could I get lost in the mountains and run into a serial killer? Luckily I escaped! But that guy's got some serious skills. He could kill so many people with just a sword. Even in ancient times, he'd be a master. When I get a signal on my phone, I have to explain clearly. The police won't be a match for me. I'll need the armed police!" Wei Cong sat on the ground, his mouth pounding with thirst. He took two sips from his canteen before it was gone, forcing him to get up and search for water. This time, he was lucky and soon found a small pool. He drank his fill, then ate two biscuits from his backpack, regaining his strength. After discovering the "slasher," Wei Cong changed his mind. He didn't plan to continue forward to reunite with his colleagues, after all, there was a chance he'd run into him again. He simply followed the current down the mountain, following the stream. There were usually settlements near streams, and where there were settlements, there were definitely cell towers. As long as he could get a signal, everything would be easy.

Wei Cong filled his kettle and walked down the mountain along the stream. He took out his mobile phone from time to time to check, but the signal icon was always "no signal". He could only comfort himself that when he returned this time, he must ask his unit to buy a mobile phone with satellite communication function to avoid being at a loss when entering a signal blind spot.

The rain gradually stopped, the evening breeze grew gentler, and darkness gradually enveloped them. Wei Cong had to turn on his phone, using the dim screen light to illuminate the road. From time to time, the chirping of night birds and the low howls of wild animals could be heard all around him. He couldn't help but instinctively tighten his grip on the hilt of his knife. Fear, like an invisible hand, gripped his heart tightly. Should he stop for the night or keep going? If it was completely dark, he would fall into the ditch and be finished.

Just as Wei Cong was hesitating, a bright light suddenly flashed before his eyes. He stopped and took out his telescope to confirm it. It was a fire. Great! He finally met someone.

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166 AD (the ninth year of Yanxi in the Han Dynasty)
A blazing bonfire dispelled the darkness. People sat cross-legged around it, the flickering light illuminating the lines of their faces like solid rock. They exchanged wineskins, taking turns drinking to dispel the chill. The crackling flames and the gentle sigh of the evening breeze evoked an ancient legend.

"That bastard Cao Wujiu!" Wang Shou spat into the fire in anger. "He's so shameless in this loan sharking business that he even forced a veteran like Zhao Yannian, who had fought the Qiang Rebellion, to death. Now, his entire family is dead, and he's causing us to suffer in vain! We're forced to sit in the mountains and starve in the middle of the night!"

"Yes, I heard that Zhao Yannian not only fought against the Qiang Rebellion, but also went to fight against the Wuling Barbarians when they rebelled. He even killed the bandit chief and was awarded a title for his meritorious service!"

"Is this true? How could Zhao Yannian, despite his title, live such a miserable life? I heard he was so poor he only had a sword. His wife and children were sold into slavery to pay off his debts! His ancestors' graves were even dug up!"

"It's just a Bu Geng (the fourth rank of the twenty ranks of nobility, exempt from night watch duty), not a Guan Nei Hou (the nineteenth rank of the twenty ranks of nobility, second only to Lie Hou)!" Someone sneered, "Besides, it's been years since land and houses have been granted according to nobility. The emperor bestows a certain rank every few years. You can buy it on the market for a little money. What's so strange about it?"

"Actually, Guannei Hou isn't anything special anymore! Have you heard? A few years ago, news came out from Luoyang that the emperor was selling Guannei Hou, Huben, and Yulin Lang, all with clearly marked prices, and they were paid for the goods!"

"Is this true? The Guannei Hou is okay, but the Huben and Yulin Lang are the personal guards of the emperor. They are not afraid of selling them--" After saying this, the person did not dare to continue.

"Of course it's true! I have a distant relative who is a student at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, and he told me so himself! As for the Tiger Guards and Feathered Guards, their quarters are separated from the emperor by a wall. The ones who actually guard the emperor personally are the eunuchs, those castrated men!"

"Oh--"

Everyone around the fire smiled meaningfully. After a while, someone sighed, "Come to think of it, the world is different now. Although the Emperor is still the Liu family, the eunuchs are in power. Even the Three Dukes—that's the highest position, right?—are in charge of these eunuchs! The five eunuchs who destroyed Liang Ji were all made marquises. The one with the highest salary received 20,000 households, and the one with the lowest received over 10,000 households. How many of the founding officials of this dynasty received salary exceeding 10,000 households? Speaking of merit, no matter how great those eunuchs' contributions were, they couldn't compare to the Yuntai generals who followed Emperor Guangwu to pacify the Red Eyebrows and Bronze Horses and defeat Gongsun Shu, right?"

"Did you hear that? Someone's coming!"

"Get up quickly and get your stuff!"

Just as the people around the fire were sighing over the eunuchs' reign of power, footsteps were heard not far away. The county soldiers, tasked with hunting down bandits, rose to their feet and drew their weapons. But it wasn't the expected murderer, Zhao Yannian, who had murdered an entire family. Instead, it was a strangely dressed man. He was tall, over eight feet tall (23 cm in Han Chinese), dressed in black, carrying a large bag, and bareheaded, as if he had been subjected to the punishment of tonsure. He stared at the crowd in amazement, as if frightened by them.

"Where are you from? Where are you going? Why are you wandering in the mountains at night?" The patrol officer Cai Buyi (a local official in the Qin and Han dynasties, in charge of catching thieves) shouted sternly, gesturing with his right hand behind his back. The soldiers from the counties and states who were traveling with him understood and dispersed, and they had already formed a semi-encirclement of the newcomer.

"What's going on? These people are dressed like ancient people. Have I traveled through time?" By the light of the campfire, Wei Cong could clearly see the faces and attire of those around him, a dozen steps away: rough linen clothing, messy buns, straw sandals, and the iron weapons they held. He wouldn't mistake this for a film shoot—it was already dark, and if it was a photoshoot, they would definitely need specialized lighting equipment, so he wouldn't miss it.

"Wait a minute!"

Cai Buyi stopped a soldier who was trying to stab the newcomer with a spear. He was already somewhat interested in the origin of this uninvited guest. Although this guy was dressed a little strangely and had his hair shaved, his eight-foot height was undeniable. He also had a straight nose and a square mouth, and no scars on his face. He really had an extraordinary demeanor and did not seem to be from an ordinary family.

Such a distinguished figure should be living in a prestigious city like Wan or Luo, enjoying a comfortable life with a steady following. How could he be found in the mountains of Jingzhou? He straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed to Wei Cong. "I am Cai Buyi, a patrol officer from Xinye County, Nanyang Commandery, here to apprehend a criminal. You must be tired after all this travel. How about you rest with us by the fire?"

Due to the changes in accents between ancient and modern times, Wei Cong could no longer understand what the person in front of him was saying, but he could guess about 70% from Cai Buyi's actions. He thought about it, nodded, imitated the other party's bow in return, and then walked towards the fire.

Seeing that Wei Cong didn't resort to violence or flee, Cai Buyi breathed a sigh of relief. He signaled his men to put away their weapons and walked with him to the fire. Wei Cong put down his backpack, sat cross-legged, and warmed his hands by the fire. A nearby soldier noticed that the backpack looked completely different from ordinary bags, and he couldn't even tell where the opening was. Curious, he reached out to touch it. It felt incredibly smooth, like the finest leather, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What fine leather!"

Wei Cong heard the noise and turned around to see what had happened. Cai Buyi, who was standing by, was embarrassed and shouted, "Wang Shou, why are you trying to get your hands on someone else's things?"

(End of this chapter)