The Mysterious Woman on the Water
“Go quickly! We don’t have much time!” Lu Pingchuan shouted at the fat man.
The fat man already chased the younger man back into the main room. Now, he is waiting at the door to let the people out. He heard Pingchuan’s instructions, threw away the stick and quickly ran out.
“Nanfeng, take good care.” Pingchuan did not wait anymore and went north.
“Run fast, run fast! Come on!” The fat man immediately was already running and brought the dead chicken with him.
Nanfeng threw the hatchet away and ran south with the fat man.
“Hey! Why did you throw that away? That’s ours!” The fat man shouted from behind.
“Come with me. Move faster!” The south wind shouted.
The fat man followed Nanfeng as soon as he heard him. But when he got past the small door, Afu appeared in front of him. The fat man saw this, and changed his mind. He turned north.
Nanfeng saw what happened, but he could only do so much. “Don’t go back! Just run!”
“But where am I going?” The fat man responded.
Nanfeng did not answer. He did not know where to go, either. The most important thing to do was to find a safe place to hide as soon as possible. They should never be caught by the officers and soldiers. Otherwise, they will be in a bigger trouble than where they are in right now.
Nanfeng thought of a plan. After a few more steps, he fell to the ground on purpose. He wanted to lead the two guys to chase him. The fat man couldn’t run fast. If the two guys chased him instead, he would soon be able to lose them and the fat man will escape easily.
Afu and his buddy saw Nanfeng fell, and they immediately rushed towards them.
When they were closing in on him, Nanfeng quickly got up, ran south, sidestepped to a laneway in the west, and then went south again. After passing through a dark alley, he once again changed direction and ran east this time.
Seeing that the two men had disappeared, he slowed his pace into a brisk walk. At this time, the sky was already bright, and there were pedestrians on the street. Running so fast would easily attract their attention. It’s the least of his desires right now.
Nanfeng grew here as a child, so he was very familiar with the environment. He knew where the alleys are and he knew where to hide.
After thinking about it, he decided to go to Dongcheng. He heard that Dongcheng was holding a large-scale conference recently. By going there, he would just be another face in the crowd. No one would think that he would dare show there. Another thing is that the officers will find it hard to search for him there.
After deciding where to go, Nanfeng began to pay attention to the houses and shops on both sides of the road. Being alone in this place would be very suspicious. He should try to blend in well with the environment.
He also has no extra clothes or extra stuff with him. At this time, he has reached the intersecting junction of Dongcheng and Xicheng. If he turned east, he would eventually reach Dongcheng.
Although he grew up in Chang’an City, he was not very familiar with Dongcheng. The reason is very simple. Hanakos like him could not go to certain areas. If you go to someone else’s area to beg, you will be confronted and be physically hurt. The assault, to what extent, depends on the people’s mood. They won’t mind killing beggars like Nanfeng.
Unlike the low houses and bungalows in Xicheng, most of the houses in Dongcheng are single-detached homes. They are large and spacious, and the distance between the houses are very far.
The Fa Conference had already started yesterday. Although he was not personally here, he heard people say that the Fa Conference was held in front of Zhengyangmen. The emperor lived in the Imperial Palace, which is very near the conference. The gate to the south of the Imperial City is Zhengyangmen.
At this time, people here are already busy. Unlike other nearby cities, Dongcheng’s breakfast time is earlier as people here seemed like they have a lot of work to do. Nanfeng has not eaten yet so he tried to look for small food stalls.
However, one thing that caught his attention was that many of the people who are eating in the restaurant are armed with weapons. At first glance, he thought they were the martial arts people. Some of them were priests wearing various robes.
He was lucky as he hasn’t yet seen anyone who knows him.
In front of the Zhengyang Gate, a large wooden stage was set up. The wooden stage has a height of three feet and a width of nearly three feet also.
The stage is covered with a red blanket. There are several seats on the red carpet. Since no one are present, the seats are all covered with red cloth. The top of the table is covered with a large yellow silk, which must be used like a shade from the harsh sunlight.
There are two rows of seats under the stage, carefully arranged from both sides of the wooden platform. Each row has more than a dozen seats in each row.
There are lots of sheds on the sides of the seats. Each shed has wooden tables and benches inside.
There are soldiers guarding around the perimeter. Because it is still early, there are only a few labor camps in the field. Nanfeng expects that more guards will be here once the program starts.
After looking around, he walked away from the field. There are several willow trees in the area about two miles away from here. He can rest there for a while.
Before arriving there, he discovered that these willow trees were growing beside a canal. There was a moat outside the Imperial City. He saw that the canal was drained by the moat. The canal is two feet wide. Because of the heavy rains yesterday, the water in the canal is still flowing.
Nanfeng climbed the biggest willow tree and found a strong branch to sit on. This is a weeping willow, and the drooping branches provided him with a better cover.
He relaxed a bit, and then began to worry about Chu Huairou and the others. They originally wanted to go here and participate in the conference. However, their plans were completely abolished.
Nanfeng folded the wicker in his mouth and began to meditate. He was sure that the incident a while ago was already reported to the authorities. The government could not immediately send someone to take care of it. At least it had to wait until Chen’s people had further information of what happened. They still have more time to escape before the authorities close in on them.
Chu Huai and Changle are likely to leave the city. They should. After all, Changle is a murderer and the main target of the government. Nanfeng doesn’t know if Pinchuan has reached the others in the temple. They should leave the city then.
Chu Huai and Lu Pingchuan are intelligent leaders. He should not be worried at all. What bothers him so much is the fat man. He is naive and his ability to adapt is not good. He is the one who is most likely to be caught. Nanfeng knows that he must find him.
The seven people have lived together for a few years. Although they very poor, they are true friends with each other. No matter what happens, they will be there for one another. But Nanfeng could not avoid feeling a resentment in his heart. If Changle used his mind and did not kill someone, everyone is still safe and sound right now.
On the other hand, he is also worried about Changle. If that doctor really insulted Chu Huairou, then Changle did the right thing. He did what men should do.
Before they decided to part ways, Lu Pingchuan once asked Chu Huairou if Changle had killed the wrong person. Chu Huairou did not answer. That was still up in the air.
The south wind leaned against the tree and sighed heavily.
Before climbing the tree, he saw a crow in it. He is close to it right now. Then he found that there is a white object in the crow’s nest. Although he doesn’t know what it is, it is certainly not a bird’s hair.
With suspicions in his heart, he climbed further looked looking at the nest. There is a pair of blue shoes, and underneath the shoes is a gray-white bag.
Nanfeng reached out and took out the pair of shoes. The size of the shoes is small. It could have been worn by a woman.
The south wind clamped the cloth shoes under the armpit, and grabbed the bag, and untied it. There was a neatly stacked set of women’s clothes, underwear, lining, and a set of blue coats. Child, is a woman’s clothes.
In addition to the clothes, there are some more objects in the bag. He saw a small purse inside. When he opened it, he saw some copper coins inside. There are also a few pieces of broken silver.
Nanfeng felt so lucky and glad. The first thing that came to his mind was to buy some clothes so he could blend in with the crowd.
Just as he was about to climb down the tree with the bag draped on his shoulder, the voice of a woman came from below. “Give me back my bag!”
Nanfeng followed the direction of the voice and saw the woman. What he did not expect is that the person was not on the ground. She is standing on the water.
The Mysterious Woman on the Water
“Go quickly! We don’t have much time!” Lu Pingchuan shouted at the fat man.
The fat man already chased the younger man back into the main room. Now, he is waiting at the door to let the people out. He heard Pingchuan’s instructions, threw away the stick and quickly ran out.
“Nanfeng, take good care.” Pingchuan did not wait anymore and went north.
“Run fast, run fast! Come on!” The fat man immediately was already running and brought the dead chicken with him.
Nanfeng threw the hatchet away and ran south with the fat man.
“Hey! Why did you throw that away? That’s ours!” The fat man shouted from behind.
“Come with me. Move faster!” The south wind shouted.
The fat man followed Nanfeng as soon as he heard him. But when he got past the small door, Afu appeared in front of him. The fat man saw this, and changed his mind. He turned north.
Nanfeng saw what happened, but he could only do so much. “Don’t go back! Just run!”
“But where am I going?” The fat man responded.
Nanfeng did not answer. He did not know where to go, either. The most important thing to do was to find a safe place to hide as soon as possible. They should never be caught by the officers and soldiers. Otherwise, they will be in a bigger trouble than where they are in right now.
Nanfeng thought of a plan. After a few more steps, he fell to the ground on purpose. He wanted to lead the two guys to chase him. The fat man couldn’t run fast. If the two guys chased him instead, he would soon be able to lose them and the fat man will escape easily.
Afu and his buddy saw Nanfeng fell, and they immediately rushed towards them.
When they were closing in on him, Nanfeng quickly got up, ran south, sidestepped to a laneway in the west, and then went south again. After passing through a dark alley, he once again changed direction and ran east this time.
Seeing that the two men had disappeared, he slowed his pace into a brisk walk. At this time, the sky was already bright, and there were pedestrians on the street. Running so fast would easily attract their attention. It’s the least of his desires right now.
Nanfeng grew here as a child, so he was very familiar with the environment. He knew where the alleys are and he knew where to hide.
After thinking about it, he decided to go to Dongcheng. He heard that Dongcheng was holding a large-scale conference recently. By going there, he would just be another face in the crowd. No one would think that he would dare show there. Another thing is that the officers will find it hard to search for him there.
After deciding where to go, Nanfeng began to pay attention to the houses and shops on both sides of the road. Being alone in this place would be very suspicious. He should try to blend in well with the environment.
He also has no extra clothes or extra stuff with him. At this time, he has reached the intersecting junction of Dongcheng and Xicheng. If he turned east, he would eventually reach Dongcheng.
Although he grew up in Chang’an City, he was not very familiar with Dongcheng. The reason is very simple. Hanakos like him could not go to certain areas. If you go to someone else’s area to beg, you will be confronted and be physically hurt. The assault, to what extent, depends on the people’s mood. They won’t mind killing beggars like Nanfeng.
Unlike the low houses and bungalows in Xicheng, most of the houses in Dongcheng are single-detached homes. They are large and spacious, and the distance between the houses are very far.
The Fa Conference had already started yesterday. Although he was not personally here, he heard people say that the Fa Conference was held in front of Zhengyangmen. The emperor lived in the Imperial Palace, which is very near the conference. The gate to the south of the Imperial City is Zhengyangmen.
At this time, people here are already busy. Unlike other nearby cities, Dongcheng’s breakfast time is earlier as people here seemed like they have a lot of work to do. Nanfeng has not eaten yet so he tried to look for small food stalls.
However, one thing that caught his attention was that many of the people who are eating in the restaurant are armed with weapons. At first glance, he thought they were the martial arts people. Some of them were priests wearing various robes.
He was lucky as he hasn’t yet seen anyone who knows him.
In front of the Zhengyang Gate, a large wooden stage was set up. The wooden stage has a height of three feet and a width of nearly three feet also.
The stage is covered with a red blanket. There are several seats on the red carpet. Since no one are present, the seats are all covered with red cloth. The top of the table is covered with a large yellow silk, which must be used like a shade from the harsh sunlight.
There are two rows of seats under the stage, carefully arranged from both sides of the wooden platform. Each row has more than a dozen seats in each row.
There are lots of sheds on the sides of the seats. Each shed has wooden tables and benches inside.
There are soldiers guarding around the perimeter. Because it is still early, there are only a few labor camps in the field. Nanfeng expects that more guards will be here once the program starts.
After looking around, he walked away from the field. There are several willow trees in the area about two miles away from here. He can rest there for a while.
Before arriving there, he discovered that these willow trees were growing beside a canal. There was a moat outside the Imperial City. He saw that the canal was drained by the moat. The canal is two feet wide. Because of the heavy rains yesterday, the water in the canal is still flowing.
Nanfeng climbed the biggest willow tree and found a strong branch to sit on. This is a weeping willow, and the drooping branches provided him with a better cover.
He relaxed a bit, and then began to worry about Chu Huairou and the others. They originally wanted to go here and participate in the conference. However, their plans were completely abolished.
Nanfeng folded the wicker in his mouth and began to meditate. He was sure that the incident a while ago was already reported to the authorities. The government could not immediately send someone to take care of it. At least it had to wait until Chen’s people had further information of what happened. They still have more time to escape before the authorities close in on them.
Chu Huai and Changle are likely to leave the city. They should. After all, Changle is a murderer and the main target of the government. Nanfeng doesn’t know if Pinchuan has reached the others in the temple. They should leave the city then.
Chu Huai and Lu Pingchuan are intelligent leaders. He should not be worried at all. What bothers him so much is the fat man. He is naive and his ability to adapt is not good. He is the one who is most likely to be caught. Nanfeng knows that he must find him.
The seven people have lived together for a few years. Although they very poor, they are true friends with each other. No matter what happens, they will be there for one another. But Nanfeng could not avoid feeling a resentment in his heart. If Changle used his mind and did not kill someone, everyone is still safe and sound right now.
On the other hand, he is also worried about Changle. If that doctor really insulted Chu Huairou, then Changle did the right thing. He did what men should do.
Before they decided to part ways, Lu Pingchuan once asked Chu Huairou if Changle had killed the wrong person. Chu Huairou did not answer. That was still up in the air.
The south wind leaned against the tree and sighed heavily.
Before climbing the tree, he saw a crow in it. He is close to it right now. Then he found that there is a white object in the crow’s nest. Although he doesn’t know what it is, it is certainly not a bird’s hair.
With suspicions in his heart, he climbed further looked looking at the nest. There is a pair of blue shoes, and underneath the shoes is a gray-white bag.
Nanfeng reached out and took out the pair of shoes. The size of the shoes is small. It could have been worn by a woman.
The south wind clamped the cloth shoes under the armpit, and grabbed the bag, and untied it. There was a neatly stacked set of women’s clothes, underwear, lining, and a set of blue coats. Child, is a woman’s clothes.
In addition to the clothes, there are some more objects in the bag. He saw a small purse inside. When he opened it, he saw some copper coins inside. There are also a few pieces of broken silver.
Nanfeng felt so lucky and glad. The first thing that came to his mind was to buy some clothes so he could blend in with the crowd.
Just as he was about to climb down the tree with the bag draped on his shoulder, the voice of a woman came from below. “Give me back my bag!”
Nanfeng followed the direction of the voice and saw the woman. What he did not expect is that the person was not on the ground. She is standing on the water.
