Shuli Go Stories Vol. 5: The Two Keepers

Part 10

The magistrate had arrived back from the wedding he officiated in the middle of the night and was not happy to be awoken so early, but when Lian explained who she was and what Li Jie and she had planned, he was happy to provide the paper and ink she required to reach Captain Puotong. The magistrate also presented a new problem though.

Li Jie, Fen, and seven villagers walked into the same dirt floored building Lian had originally fought Kang in, and she told them the bad news.

"We can't take the extra horse."

"Why?" Li Jie asked.

"The magistrate's horse is sick. Came down with a fever last night as they came in. And we'll need the messenger to get to my friend today."

"We packed an extra three days' worth of food on the horse, and tents for everyone."

"Split the food among everyone, but we'll have to go without the tents. If we don't do this in three or four days anyway, we'll probably have bigger problems than sleeping outside."

Li Jie nodded and led the villagers outside to redistribute their supplies, as Lian wrote her notes. Quan watched her, and after she finished the first letter asked, "Two letters?"

"That's right."

"Why?"

"Because I still need him to let me – let both of us – in and out of the country after this. Have to be polite. In the first letter at least."

"What's in the second letter then?"

Lian looked at her son and smiled. "The universal currency of bureaucrats, politicians, and the army. Dirt."

The magistrate provided an older woman as the messenger and set her off for Puotong's outpost with the first letter and instructions to meet again at the ruins Li Jie had spoken of with any reply. The rest of the party set off walking towards Li Jie's Lily Valley.

The villagers were in surprisingly good hopes, holding their makeshift weapons with confidence. Lian knew that confidence would disappear the instant a single bandit with a real weapon was bearing down on them. In reality she didn't expect the villagers to do much, but Lian had fought enough bandits to know that a single arrow – even fired haphazardly – hitting the right person at the right time could break spirits and end the threat of a group of outlaws. She just hoped the arrows coming back weren't too accurate to break her little troupe's spirits first.

Lily Valley was mostly the spitting image of Brilliant River Valley, except lilies grew there and there was no river nearby. The other exception was Li Jie's house, which was much statelier than his brother's rented home. The villagers there were all related to the villagers from Brilliant River Valley, and when the two groups met there was much laughter and back slapping. It was by far the most adventurous thing any of the villagers had ever done, and the thrill of it was contagious. When word got out that the fearsome Shuli Go who'd singlehandedly defeated Xue Kang and his dozen followers – such was the growth of her legend – four years earlier, was the same one now sending word for a band of troops, their spirits raised even more. They marched off to the southeast singing local folk songs about great battles and ancient heroes. Lian smiled and said a few words of encouragement to the young men and women, though she ensured she and Li Jie remained ahead of the pack on their horses, to keep from letting slip just how useless she knew the villagers were likely to be.

Quan and Fen followed close by, the two teenagers sullen as they walked a half-dozen paces away from one another. Lian had noticed just how obvious their glances towards each other were, and she was pretty sure Li Jie had noticed it too. Lian knew Zhosian boys and girls didn't mix in the liberal way Imperial children were raised to, but she couldn't believe just how bad her son was at approaching someone he was attracted to. Especially when it was clear Fen was just as attracted to him. Granted, she thought, there are obviously going to be some confusing emotions on both sides considering the larger situation. But Imperial teenagers weren't usually shy about putting the larger situation to the side if there was a chance to cut through some sexual tension.