Chapter Sixty-Two: Pursuit 1

Early the next morning, a thunderbolt of a message struck us: Yuan Xiaobai was missing!

At first, we thought she had simply gone somewhere. Nothing in her room had been disturbed; her belongings were neatly arranged. Only the quilt seemed a bit disheveled, revealing the haste with which she must have risen.

By midday, anxiety began to set in. She was staying in the room that Miao Lan used before her marriage, separated from ours by a living room. The Miao family had a courtyard. At dawn, I had visited the outhouse— the gate was open, but I paid it no mind. Later, I learned that Grandpa Miao had closed the gate before going to sleep the night before.

The village gate was made of wood, secured inside with a horizontal beam. The walls were made of adobe, not more than two meters high— an adult could easily climb over with a stretch. Fatty scrambled onto the wall and inspected it, then told us, “There’s loose earth here; she must have climbed in, and left through the gate.”

“Someone snuck in and took a person right under our noses, and we didn’t notice?” Chen Wenbin’s temper flared suddenly. We had planned to leave that day, and last night everyone had slept with ease. Now, with this incident, how could we still go?

“Find her! I’ll go notify the villagers!” Old Miao wanted to broadcast the news, but Chen Wenbin stopped him, saying, “No, I hear many outsiders have come. If the villagers run into them, things could get even messier.”

Old Miao furiously threw his ring of keys to the ground. “Damn those scoundrels! Why come here if there’s nothing to do?!”

“And what use is there in kidnapping Yuan Xiaobai? She’s just a young girl,” Fatty voiced the very question that troubled me as well.

“There’s a letter…” Miao Lan, heavily pregnant, walked out of the room, breathless. “Found it at the head of the bed, pressed beneath the pillow…”

The letter was written on plain white paper, the handwriting messy yet deliberate— clearly from someone educated. It read: Borrowing the girl for two days, will return her. Do not search!

“Do not search?” Fatty tore the paper and rushed back inside. In moments, he emerged with Old Miao’s hunting rifle slung over his shoulder, shouting, “Let’s go! To hell with them, I refuse to believe we can’t fight back!”

Fatty, rifle in hand, barged into the village office. The dark barrel pressed against Qian Wanguan’s forehead, making his legs tremble as he clutched his head, pleading, “Brother, let’s talk this out. That thing could go off!”

Fatty jabbed the barrel forward, knocking Qian Wanguan onto his backside. “Where is she?”

“What person?”

“Enough with the act!” Fatty lifted the rifle’s strap, threatening to pull the trigger. “We saved you, and you repay us by harming our people? Today, I’ll send you to the grave!”

Fatty’s rage was palpable. I tried to intervene, but it was too late. Chen Wenbin stepped in first, raising his hand— a gunshot rang out, blasting a hole the size of a basin in the ceiling…

Chen Wenbin lowered Fatty’s rifle and glared fiercely at Qian Wanguan. “If you don’t speak, even I won’t be able to save you!”

“I truly don’t know. I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

“Don’t waste words, Master Chen. Let me shoot him!” Fatty drew the confiscated pistol from his waist. Chen Wenbin asked, “We lost someone—a girl. Do you know who took her?”

“A girl?” Qian Wanguan paused, then shook his head. “How would I know? I was drunk after coming back from your place last night.”

Chen Wenbin pressed, “Didn’t you say there were several groups? Where are they?”

“I don’t know.”

Fatty raised the rifle and struck him on the head. “Stop lying! If you’re the vanguard, you’d have to report if you found anything, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s only for emergencies—we have ways to communicate…”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Outside, a black firework was placed in the clearing. With a hiss, it shot skyward in a burst of blue smoke, then exploded in a shower of bright sparks. Qian Wanguan pointed at the fireworks scattering in the sky, “They’ll see that and come.”

“How long?”

“That’s the Qian family signal. Whoever sees it will come as quickly as possible.”

About half an hour later, two unfamiliar men arrived in the village, clad in camouflage. Fatty shoved them into the office at gunpoint. As expected, they were from the Qian family. Upon seeing the battered Qian Wanguan, they didn’t react angrily but remained calm, as if prepared for this. One looked at him and said, “The boss said you’re to deal with it yourself. We’re just here to inform you.”

Qian Wanguan, slightly shaken, asked, “The boss is here too?”

The two ignored him, instead glancing at Fatty. “State your business. We’re busy. We only came to take this useless man back.”

Chen Wenbin stepped forward. “We lost someone. What should we do?”

One replied, “That’s your problem. If someone’s missing, go find them. It’s got nothing to do with us.”

“Fine, Fatty, do it…” Chen Wenbin turned and headed for the door. I saw Fatty give Qian Wanguan an evil grin, followed by the click of the trigger.

“Wait!” Chen Wenbin stopped at the sound. The man asked, “Are you looking for a girl?”

Indeed, I grabbed his collar and demanded, “Where is she?”

“I don’t know exactly. This morning, the sentry said he saw someone leading a pretty girl west toward the mountain. Probably your person, since he said her mouth was gagged.”

“Not your doing?”

“No, there are many outsiders this time.”

Chen Wenbin returned, squatting down. “I want to see your boss.”

The two exchanged glances and nodded. “Alright, but there are rules—better not bring weapons, so things don’t get ugly.”

Fatty stomped angrily. “You don’t get to set terms. Move!”

West Mountain again, but this time it was no longer the forbidden place none dared enter. Now, it was bustling, people everywhere. Beyond several patches of woods lay a clearing, the yellow clay showing signs of ongoing construction. Seven or eight rifles immediately aimed at us. A man in a black traditional jacket with a mustache sat on a stone, elegantly sipping tea from a fine purple clay teapot.

Before we could speak, the mustached man addressed us without lifting his head, toying with his teapot, “Young men should have a bit of temper, but you must be like this tea—never rush, or you’ll burn your mouth.”

Chen Wenbin replied, “Burn your mouth and you’ll drop the pot, shattering it. Even the best tea needs a good pot and water. Without the pot, tea is meaningless.”

The man laughed, slapping his thigh and standing up. “Believe it or not, with a flick of my finger, you’ll all be buried here today.”

Chen Wenbin remained unruffled. “I have your men with me.”

“Men?” The man smiled. “I never need failures. Failure means death—they’ve known this since their first day.”

Chen Wenbin acknowledged, “People aren’t important, but loyalty cannot be bought. You’re the boss, with many watching. You wouldn’t play the rabbit-and-dog betrayal.”

“Sorry, boss…” Qian Wanguan’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. “They saved me. Da and Er are still down the mountain, wounded. We ran into trouble…”

The mustached man ignored him, instead pouring tea for Chen Wenbin. “I’ve heard there’s a fine talent down the mountain. Seeing you today, you do have some nerve. I am Qian Mantang, two generations your senior. You may call me Master Qian.”

Chen Wenbin accepted the cup but handed it to Qian Wanguan. “Drink it, and you’ll be spared.”

“Ha! Interesting!” The mustached man clapped happily. “Such composure in this situation—much stronger than I was back then. Tell me, what do you want?”

“We lost a girl, and someone left this letter.” Chen Wenbin gestured for me to hand over the note.

The man glanced at it. “I can assure you, she wasn’t taken by me. You may leave.”

Chen Wenbin pressed, “I know, but when you read the letter, I saw a flicker of surprise in your eyes. Surely Master Qian knows who did.”

Master Qian’s expression soured. “Son, being too clever isn’t always good. The note said she’ll be returned in two days, so wait patiently.”

Chen Wenbin retorted, “But I want her back today.”

“That depends on your skills. Don’t refuse the wine and insist on punishment.” As he spoke, all seven or eight rifles were instantly raised.

“I can tell you this: without me, you won’t succeed. Ask him if you don’t believe me.” With that, Chen Wenbin dragged Qian Wanguan forward. “Tell your boss what happened.”

“Boss…” He hesitated, but Fatty pressed the gun to his back, coldly commanding, “Speak honestly.”

“There are monsters…like zombies, many of them…”

The mustached man’s brow furrowed. “Zombies?”

Qian Wanguan continued, “Da was stabbed by one of those things, still unconscious. They saved me, but most of the brothers are gone…”

“Stop!” Master Qian barked. The laborers digging in the clay paused to look at him. He strode to the mound, pinched a lump of earth and sniffed it. In a moment, he smashed his treasured teapot to the ground, cursing, “Damn scoundrels, trying to use me as cannon fodder!”