Fish Meat – Chapter 125
by Little PandaThe First Year of Zhao Wu
The Path of Ten Thousand Directions (4)
As the grandest slave trading day held every two months in the ancient Guxi country, nobles from across the nation gathered here, along with many wealthy merchants. Not to mention, numerous expensive “goods” would be displayed one by one. Therefore, the area around “Xuanguan” was heavily guarded, and ordinary citizens could only get a vague view from several zhang away, unable to enter the inner area.
Zhen Wenjun, Ah Xi, and Xiaohua climbed to the treetops. From there, they could see the situation inside the venue clearly, and they also knew how many soldiers were in the market. The chances of rash action were extremely slim.
“I remember you said this Lady Wei was ingenious and had marvelous stratagems. Perhaps she has her own calculations?” Ah Xi said, “Looking at her calm and composed demeanor, it seems she already has a plan.”
Zhen Wenjun and Xiaohua knew this point better than Ah Xi. Wei Tingxu never did anything without certainty. When she fought against Xie Fuchen in the past, moving from behind the scenes to the forefront, she had never miscalculated in all those years of “licking the knife’s edge” (an idiom meaning to live dangerously). There was only one time when she was seriously injured by Yan Ye behind the scenes, and it was also because Zhen Wenjun was causing trouble. Although she was severely wounded, she ultimately used this to win Li Yanyi’s trust. Wei Tingxu never made losing deals. Zhen Wenjun and Xiaohua didn’t think that the slave trader’s small schemes would make Wei Tingxu stumble, but they were still anxious. Especially when they saw the wound on Wei Tingxu’s mouth, Zhen Wenjun just wanted to wash the entire Guxi country with blood.
“Let’s wait and see, you two,” Ah Xi said, holding onto both of them with her hands, maintaining balance while also preventing these two “ancestors” (a humorous way to refer to troublesome people) from rushing out recklessly to their deaths.
Below Xuanguan, a local Guxi slave trader spoke with a resonant voice. He held a thick and sturdy broad leaf rolled into a wide-mouthed circular shape in front of his mouth, which could amplify his voice so that people both inside and outside the venue could hear him clearly. Every sentence he said, Ah Xi translated for Zhen Wenjun and the others.
“This slave comes from Da Yu and is a lady from a noble family of Da Yu, of noble status. She is proficient in the four arts, has an intoxicating singing voice, superb dancing skills, and can also compose poetry. Such a marvelous person is hard to find not only in Guxi but even in Da Yu. The starting price for this precious slave is ten thousand. Listen carefully, not ten thousand gold coins, but ten thousand diamonds.”
As soon as this price was announced, there was a simultaneous low exclamation from people both inside and outside the venue. For commoners, forget about ten thousand diamonds, even one diamond would be enough to buy a large family home for generations. It was a legendary stone that only the rich could possibly own, yet this Da Yu woman was priced at ten thousand! The slave trader must be crazy.
The innkeeper stood behind the curtain, closely watching the reactions of the Guxi nobles. She didn’t think she was crazy at all; this woman was definitely worth the price!
The innkeeper was originally from the Gujiang tribe, named Lanxin, and had always made a living by selling women from the Central Plains. To prevent revenge, she often changed the location of this inn called “Accommodation” which was actually a black shop for kidnapping women, moving between Sudu and Da Yu. During this period, due to continuous heavy rain, she thought no one would come, so she retreated to the forest. Lanxin had originally planned to rest for a while before going out to “hunt” again, but unexpectedly, when she was without desire, the fat prey delivered itself to her door.
When this group of people appeared before Lanxin, she immediately set her eyes on Wei Tingxu.
Although Lanxin was from the Gujiang tribe, she was born in Da Yu and lived there until she was fifteen before starting the slave trade business, so she was very familiar with Da Yu. Wei Tingxu’s attire and demeanor clearly showed that she came from a noble family, and the most outstanding one at that. Someone who would be hard to find even with a lantern and might not even be able to meet normally, yet she encountered her here.
If she could tie this person up and sell her to a Guxi noble, Lanxin could immediately “wash her hands in a golden basin” (an idiom meaning to retire from a profession), and live a life of luxury without worries for the rest of her days.
The other Da Yu ladies could also fetch a good price. Lanxin warmly welcomed Wei Tingxu and the others on the surface, while her mouth was watering three chi long (an exaggeration meaning extremely eager) in her heart, trying her best to appear calm. When that tall and strong Hu tribe woman asked for a thousand portions of food, she knew the best opportunity had come.
“Laughing Death Mushroom” only needed a tiny bit to make people laugh to death, but she didn’t want to kill anyone. She only wanted money.
As usual, controlling the dosage of the Laughing Death Mushroom wouldn’t take lives but would cause hallucinations. Once the poison took effect, she could easily separate the “goods” she wanted from the others. If someone didn’t drink the mushroom soup, she had a backup plan.
Before they set out, Lanxin had already verbally hinted that there were ghosts in Wild Fox Ridge. When the poison took effect, everyone would laugh inexplicably. In the wilderness where travel was difficult, encountering such a bizarre situation, anyone would think of the already given hint – “ghosts”. When Lanxin appeared disguised as a ghost, she could basically scare those who hadn’t eaten the mushrooms half to death. This time she did the same. However, this Da Yu woman surnamed Wei was very strange. When she saw Lanxin disguised as a ghost hanging upside down from a tree, she didn’t show much fear. At the moment when their eyes met, Lanxin was scared by her calmness instead, feeling that Wei Tingxu would brush aside her long hair and examine her face the next second. If this scene really happened, it would probably be the most embarrassing thing in her life.
However, what she imagined didn’t happen. Wei Tingxu looked at her for a few seconds and then closed her eyes, falling to the ground.
“Did she… faint?” Lanxin came down from the tree with the help of her accomplices. A circle of people surrounded Wei Tingxu, looking at her without any joy of their scheme succeeding, feeling that something was a bit strange.
Never mind, tie her up first.
They escorted Wei Tingxu and Ah Liao and others to Guxi, just in time for their “Xuanguan” auction. The two major noble families of Guxi, Tianyuan and Dicheng, would come to buy their favorite slaves. What made Lanxin even more excited was that the Haizhen nobles, who never participated in slave auctions, actually appeared.
The one with a ruby inlaid in the center of his hat, who had been silent and not bidding before, was the Haizhen noble. They came with a total of five people, and the one sitting in the center was the core figure of the Haizhen nobles, “Ahou” (a title similar to “young master” in Da Yu) Muge.
“Ahou” is in the Guxi language, with a meaning similar to “gongzi” (young master) in Da Yu. Muge was eight chi tall, with his hair tightly wrapped in a turban, revealing a wheat-colored, chiseled face. Because Guxi is located in the tropics, everyone’s skin is darker due to year-round exposure to the sun, and Muge’s skin color was even darker than most. Unlike the custom of Da Yu men growing beards when they come of age, Guxi men do not keep mustaches. Muge sat on a specially set throne with long arms and legs, seeming distracted from the moment he entered, as if waiting for something. It wasn’t until Wei Tingxu appeared that he reined in his restless emotions, looking at her carefully, seeming very interested in her.
Great.
Lanxin cheered in her heart. Not everyone could afford ten thousand diamonds, and even Guxi nobles wouldn’t casually spend so many rare gems on any slave. Lanxin was a bit nervous when setting the price. Although the slave was rare, would such an unprecedented high price fail to sell? If it didn’t sell the first time and had to be sold at a lower price next time, it might be even less likely for someone to buy. It would be a huge loss to have such good merchandise left on her hands.
It seems her worries were unnecessary. Even with a price of ten thousand diamonds, the three noble families were still very interested in this woman.
The Ahou of Tianyuan raised his hand full of jade rings, lazily pointing towards the wooden cage. His attendant immediately stood up and placed a bag full of ten thousand diamonds on the crystal table in front of the wooden frame.
The slave trader, who had been in Xuanguan for many years, knew better than anyone what kind of slave could sell for what price, and Tianyuan’s easy bidding showed that this slave still had room for a price increase. The more expensive the slave sold for, the higher his commission would be.
The slave trader continued to shout, and the Ahou of Dicheng thought for a moment more cautiously before adding one diamond, making it ten thousand and one in total.
The Ahou of Tianyuan laughed loudly, pointing at Dicheng and shouting: “You’re all so poor now, why are you still buying slaves? Go back to farming early, and you might harvest a few more carts of grain! Add a thousand more!”
Tianyuan’s mockery didn’t shake the Dicheng nobles’ resolve at all. As if in a contest, no matter how much Tianyuan bid, they always added one more. After several rounds, the Ahou of Tianyuan became furious, slammed the table and stood up, cursing them as poor troublemakers.
Lanxin was extremely happy. Fight! Fight hard! There were several other Da Yu ladies she had kidnapped this time, all of very high quality. Although one had escaped, the remaining ones could all fetch good prices. As long as she made a name for herself in this auction, she could continue to sell at big and small slave trading days in the future, making a fortune.
As Tianyuan and Dicheng fought over one slave, at first the Ahous on both sides were indeed quite interested in this Da Yu woman, purely wanting to possess her for themselves. Once they started haggling over the price, it became a contest of wills, determined to outdo each other.
Just when the two sides were struggling fiercely, Muge, who had been silent all along, personally stood up.
“Thirty thousand diamonds,” Muge said, “This woman belongs to me.”
Everyone thought the Haizhen Ahou had gone mad. Thirty thousand diamonds were enough to buy a city, yet he offered such a high price for a slave.
Wei Tingxu and Muge briefly made eye contact before she looked away. The other two Ahous were dumbfounded and speechless, unable to raise the price any further, only allowing this woman to be taken away by Muge.
Zhen Wenjun was about to call out a price. She didn’t know what diamonds were or how precious they were, she just wanted to control the situation first, absolutely not allowing Wei Tingxu to be “bought” by someone else.
“With your attire, wouldn’t you be exposed as soon as you open your mouth? Guxi absolutely does not allow foreign women who are not slaves to enter the country, let alone sell slaves to you,” Ah Xi advised her, “Let them buy Lady Wei first. Once we leave the Xuanguan market without so many guards, we’ll have a chance.”
Seeing that Wei Tingxu was about to be taken away, Zhen Wenjun and Xiaohua immediately climbed down from the tree.
Wei Tingxu was brought out of the wooden frame by the excited slave trader and Lanxin, with heavy shackles on her hands and feet, and handed over to the Haizhen nobles.
Muge’s attendant was about to take over the iron chain, but Muge personally came forward and had the shackles removed.
The slave traders, having received the money, didn’t interfere with anything else. How the slave master wanted to play was none of their business, so they agreed.
All of Wei Tingxu’s shackles were removed, and she was escorted onto their carriage under the protection of Muge’s attendants.
Zhen Wenjun, Xiaohua, and Ah Xi followed the carriage, all the way to the outside of the Haizhen noble’s castle where they hid.
Muge and Wei Tingxu got off the carriage together, and he supported her back as he led her in.
Zhen Wenjun and Xiaohua circled the castle once, investigating and finding that the north gate was a small door with only two guards. They exchanged a glance, circled around from behind, and each knocked out a guard with one palm strike.
The main gate was tightly locked and wouldn’t open, so they had to find a way to climb over.
No matter what Ah Xi said, they couldn’t wait any longer. They couldn’t bear to think about what Wei Tingxu might suffer alone imprisoned in the castle! Xiaohua bent down and braced against the wall, looking back to give Zhen Wenjun a signal. Zhen Wenjun stepped back a few paces and ran forward at full speed, stepping on Xiaohua’s back and leaping three chi high, grabbing the outer edge of the wall and flipping over, flying up to the top of the wall like a light bird. The patrol guard on the wall discovered her and was about to shout, but Zhen Wenjun hugged his neck and twisted hard. The guard whose neck was broken couldn’t cry out before he died.
Just as Xiaohua was climbing up the high wall with her bare hands, a sharp, urgent bell rang out. A guard who had witnessed the whole process of Zhen Wenjun killing someone twenty paces away was frantically shaking the copper bell under the wooden tower in panic. Hundreds of guards swarmed up, but Zhen Wenjun and Xiaohua showed no fear at all. The anger they had suppressed for so long exploded, and they charged into the crowd fiercely, fighting hard.
Xiaohua covered Zhen Wenjun as they fought their way towards the hall. Zhen Wenjun’s arms were cut with several bloody gashes, but she couldn’t feel the pain at all, focused solely on rescuing Wei Tingxu.
Kill all these beasts!
Zhen Wenjun charged into the great hall against the weapons and splashing blood. The long sword in her left hand stabbed into the abdomen of the guard at the entrance of the hall, lifting him away, then she kicked open the door and rushed in.
“Zizhuo—!” Zhen Wenjun, covered in blood, let out a great roar, then froze in place.
What she saw left her dumbfounded.
“Wenjun?” Wei Tingxu was sitting steadily in a chair in the center of the great hall, with a long table in front of her filled with vegetables, fruits, wine, and meat. Muge, holding a curved knife in his hand, was about to come forward with a panicked look on his face, but hesitated when he saw Zhen Wenjun’s bloodshot eyes.
Just as Zhen Wenjun was stunned, guards poured in, surrounding her.
Wei Tingxu immediately stood up, passed through the guards, and held Zhen Wenjun’s hand: “Are you injured?”
Zhen Wenjun looked at her, then at Muge. Muge was as confused as she was.
Obviously, Muge hadn’t done anything disrespectful to her. He had spent a fortune to “buy” Wei Tingxu back but had done nothing, just treating her to good wine and food.
“What’s going on here?” Zhen Wenjun, who had lived for nearly twenty years, rarely had moments when her mind went completely blank. This moment was one of those times when she was thoroughly at a loss.
“I thought you would come, but I didn’t expect you to come so quickly,” Wei Tingxu often made calculations and rarely miscalculated, but this time her miscalculation was precisely because she had calculated Zhen Wenjun’s abilities, yet underestimated the greater power brought by Zhen Wenjun’s feelings for her, enabling her to infiltrate Guxi and track her down in such a short time.
“Lady Wei,” Muge spoke, surprisingly in Da Yu language with a heavy Guxi accent, “Do you know each other?”
Muge was very helpless. He saw the blood on Zhen Wenjun’s body and knew that more of this blood came from his subordinates.
Xiaohua also walked in at this time, and she too noticed the strange situation.
Wei Tingxu could only say: “Lord Muge, please take my friends to the back hall to rest. If possible, please give them some hemostatic medicine. Let me explain this matter to you slowly.”
Zhen Wenjun’s arms had three bloody gashes.
The medicine in Guxi was different from Da Yu’s. It wasn’t herbal medicine, but powder that had been ground into a fine dust. Zhen Wenjun sniffed it and found that it seemed to have some fragrant substances added, very similar to the scent of spices wafting through the streets.
Zhen Wenjun was lowering her head, bandaging herself, when Wei Tingxu pushed open the door and came in.
Xiaohua had just neatly arranged all the medicines and left, vacating the room for the two of them to be alone.
After entering the room, Wei Tingxu opened the windows, letting the wind blow in to dissipate some of the stuffy air.
Just as she was about to open the fourth window, Zhen Wenjun reached out from behind her and closed it.
Wei Tingxu felt the heat of Zhen Wenjun’s body against her back.
Wei Tingxu turned around, and Zhen Wenjun stepped forward, trapping Wei Tingxu between herself and the window.
Zhen Wenjun’s face was unfriendly, visibly trying to suppress her anger. Of course, she didn’t want to lose her temper at Wei Tingxu, nor could she do so. The wound still bearing traces of blood at the corner of Wei Tingxu’s mouth made Zhen Wenjun’s heart ache. Thinking of her being placed in a wooden frame for so many people to bid on, Zhen Wenjun knew that regardless of the reason or plan, this was something Wei Tingxu would never willingly put herself through.
She couldn’t blame her, but it truly made her heart wrench.
Wei Tingxu’s strength surpassed that of ordinary people. Back then, all the probing couldn’t get any information from Wei Tingxu’s mouth, and even Yan Ye’s cruel methods didn’t elicit any plea for mercy from her. What kind of experiences had shaped the current steel-like her, Zhen Wenjun might never be able to fully understand in her entire lifetime, but she truly felt heartache and didn’t want Wei Tingxu to put herself in danger again, using her own flesh and blood to lay the foundation for victory.
Before Wei Tingxu could speak, she fell into Zhen Wenjun’s embrace.
“I need to know exactly what happened. It’s not that I want to restrict you, I just hope that you could tell me before doing these things. I know you have the ability to get the results you want, but…” Zhen Wenjun didn’t dare to imagine what kind of dangerous situation Wei Tingxu might fall into if one day she miscalculated even a little bit.
Wei Tingxu stayed in Zhen Wenjun’s embrace for a moment, her shoulder already wet.
She stroked Zhen Wenjun’s back, comforting her for a while before letting her sit down.
“I didn’t intentionally keep it from you. The situation arose suddenly, and I didn’t have time to leave you any clues. I could only go alone,” Wei Tingxu said.
Before leaving Runing, Wei Tingxu had heard about Ah Xi’s relationship with Guxi from Zhen Wenjun, and became interested in this Guxi country. Guxi was an important country on the Road to Ten Thousand Directions and also a necessary passage to reach the Liuhuo country. To open up the Road to Ten Thousand Directions trade route, it was essential to obtain Guxi’s trade rights. The domestic trade rights were in the hands of the three noble families. Li Yanyi had some information about Guxi, recording the internal conflicts in Guxi. The struggle between the three noble families had been going on for a long time, and the selling of women from the Central Plains was unique to this place. When Li Yanyi discussed with her how to obtain trade rights in such a chaotic country, Wei Tingxu already had a plan.
When Lanxin poisoned them intending to kidnap her, she went along with the plan. It was not easy to enter Guxi territory as the country was very xenophobic, so why not take this opportunity to enter Guxi?
Wei Tingxu and the others were sent into Guxi by Lanxin to participate in the upcoming “Xuanguan” auction. Wei Tingxu had Ah Zheng escape during the night, carrying a letter to find Muge, the Ahou of the Haizhen noble family.
Ah Zheng possessed the extraordinary skill of bone contraction, able to twist all the joints in her body and squeeze into a small box. Mere ropes could not constrain her at all. Not only could Ah Zheng contract her bones, but her qinggong was also excellent. Wei Tingxu had personally seen Ah Zheng float dozens of zhang on water with just a piece of tree bark. It was Ah Zheng who had sent A Xin back to Li Yanyi’s side back then.
Ah Zheng escaped without anyone noticing, avoiding all of Muge’s guards and delivering the letter to Muge’s room.
She knew Muge would definitely believe what was written in the letter.
The tradition of selling female slaves in Guxi had been going on for nearly a hundred years. Fifty years ago, all three noble families believed that women were just tools for men to use. It wasn’t until the previous Ahou of Haizhen went to study in Da Yu and returned that he single-handedly changed the customs of the Haizhen noble family. After arriving in Da Yu, this Ahou saw how Da Yu women walked under the sun, how Da Yu men loved and cherished them. Although they couldn’t enter officialdom, they could go to the frontlines to fight enemies, enter the markets, and even strive for their own love and decide their own fate. The Ahou, who had received an enlightened education, married a Da Yu woman and brought her back to Guxi. The descendants of the Haizhen noble family had Da Yu blood, and out of respect for their grandmother, the subsequent Haizhen Ahous vowed never to touch the business of selling women again, and absolutely would not appear at any slave auction venues.
Muge was determined to defeat Tianyuan and Dicheng, unify Guxi, and cure the long-standing ills of Guxi.
Wei Tingxu was precisely going to lend him a helping hand, and also for her own sake.
Fifty years ago, the Wei family was already a prestigious family in Da Yu and held high positions in the court. Muge’s grandfather might have heard of the Wei family’s reputation, and possibly mentioned it to Muge when talking about Da Yu affairs. Even if he hadn’t mentioned it, it didn’t matter. Wei Tingxu used the recent political upheavals in the Da Yu court as a foundation, citing classics and historical precedents. In the letter, she promised to help Muge subdue the other two noble families and grasp the political power of Guxi.
And in exchange, she needed to obtain Guxi’s trade rights.
Muge didn’t answer her and didn’t have a chance to answer, but Wei Tingxu was certain he would be tempted.
She arranged to meet him at the Xuanguan auction, with the wound at the corner of her mouth as a sign.
“You are very bold,” Muge praised after buying her and bringing her back. “You actually appeared at the Xuanguan auction without being certain that I would come. Do you know what the consequences would have been if you were bought by Tianyuan or Dicheng?”
Wei Tingxu said: “Yes. I didn’t think about it.”
Muge laughed heartily, admiring her courage. He was about to toast her when Zhen Wenjun burst in.
After hearing Wei Tingxu’s account, Zhen Wenjun was truly shocked into a cold sweat.
“If Ah Zheng couldn’t deliver the letter, or if that Guxi person really didn’t come, what would you have done?” Zhen Wenjun asked a question that made Wei Tingxu think for a long time. “When you decided to take this risk, did you ever think about how worried I would be?”
This was actually a simple question. Wei Tingxu of course knew that Zhen Wenjun would worry, but the first instinct that followed was “so what?”
When comparing Zhen Wenjun’s worry with what she was doing, she knew which was more important.
If they couldn’t take down Guxi and couldn’t obtain this country’s trade rights, her and Li Yanyi’s most important plan would fall through. As long as the matter of women entering officialdom wasn’t settled, they couldn’t rest easy for a day.
The importance of the big picture and the great cause of the state had always been placed in the most important position in Wei Tingxu’s heart. She had always been fighting alone on this bloody path, with no retreat behind her and never thinking about coming out unscathed. If she were to die at the hands of a powerful opponent one day, it would even be a joyous thing.
Now suddenly there was a person standing behind her, concerned about her safety, longing for her return. She found herself a bit uncomfortable, feeling constrained.
This was the Zhen Wenjun she liked, but the consequences brought by “liking” were not what she liked.
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