An Oriental Odyssey

Yuan An: (speaking to Zhao Lanzhi) Those assailants with wrapped heads, I cut off half of one's head, and he fell to the ground, just as I saw the dry pieces in the dwarf's hand. I thought I had earned something tonight, taking a life. But before I could catch my breath, the guy with half a head climbed up from the ground, arms extended, and grabbed my neck tightly. I had never seen such a bizarre scene, and instantly, I was paralyzed, unable to breathe, with blue stars in front of my eyes..." Luckily, before time could run out, Zhao Lanzhi saw that she was overwhelmed and immediately jumped out of the encirclement where he was fighting with the other wrapped-head people. With a swift movement, he severed the hands that were gripping her neck. She took a deep breath, still shaken, and spoke with a stutter: "What's going on? What is all this?"

Zhao Lanzhi turned to look at the other wrapped-head assailants and coldly smiled, "You've never seen this before, have you?"

Yuan An: "No, I haven't."

Zhao Lanzhi: "Me neither."

Yuan An: (still flustered)

Dwarf: Hahaha!

Zhao Lanzhi: "If you're afraid, you don't have to intervene. I have a bone to pick with them. Just do one thing for me." He said, cracking his neck side to side, looking as if he were just going to get serious.

Yuan An asked, "What do I need to do?"

Zhao Lanzhi: "There are six of them, actually five and a half. Close your eyes and count to thirty for me."

With an unquestionable assurance in his words, Yuan An closed her eyes and started counting: One, two, three, four. Sounds of weapons clashing, blades cutting flesh, and fists breaking the wind echoed around her. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine. Yuan An opened her eyes and saw that the six wrapped-head assailants had each been dealt with by Zhao Lanzhi, with severed hands and feet, but they still struggled forward, proving to be quite persistent.

Thirty. Yuan An counted the final number.

Zhao Lanzhi, as if urged, suddenly used the wall to propel himself and leaped over the six assailants, heading straight for the dwarf behind the counter.

The dwarf was startled, but it was too late to escape, Zhao Lanzhi kicked him on the ground, raising his blade to chop off his hand, the dwarf yelled, his voice becoming a shrill and high female voice: "No!"

At the same time, one of the severed arms holding a sword moving toward Yuan'an suddenly lost all strength and fell to the ground.

Yuan'an jumped over, but saw that the dwarf was cowering in fright and twelve thin threads that had been cut flowed from his sleeve.

The dwarf's face was full of tears, crying bitterly: "Two heroes, please spare my life, spare my life!"

Zhao Lanzhi grabbed him and threw him on the counter.

Yuan'an touched the thin thread from the dwarf's sleeve, she pulled one, and saw one of the severed hands move, and instantly understood what was going on: "Yo? Your kung fu is interesting, marionette?"

Startled, the dwarf tried to evade, but it was too late. Zhao Lanzhi kicked him to the ground, holding the blade against him, and shouted, "Don't play games with us!"

Dwarf: "Hehehe, if you're not playing with me, then why are you here?"

Zhao Lanzhi: "Tell us about that little snake. What's its purpose?"

The dwarf flattered, "You've got a keen eye, young master."

Yuan An asked, "So, you controlled them using these poisonous candles?"

The dwarf explained, "In the martial world, deception is common. I was only playing around with you two. Haha, it's just a little game!"

Zhao Lanzhi pressed the blade closer to his neck, "Stop the nonsense! Hand over the items!"

The dwarf said, "Are you talking about the little snake? It's gone; I sold the last one. Even if you kill me, I can't get it back."

Zhao Lanzhi asked, "What exactly is it?"

The dwarf chuckled, "It's a substance from the Great Shi Country, more potent than opium. A muddy, semi-transparent material that leaves no residue when burned. People use it as a candlewick. After inhaling the smoke, they experience hallucinations. Some enjoy a euphoric state, while others can't bear it and die."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lanzhi turned and looked at Yuan An, "You were right! It's indeed a deadly poison. And where did you get it from?"

"A foreign merchant," the dwarf replied.

"To whom did you sell it?"

"I forgot."

Yuan An rushed forward and wrapped a thin rope around the dwarf's neck, "Stop lying! How could you not keep records when selling such things? Show me the ledger! Otherwise, I'll strangle you!"

"No, I don't have it!" the dwarf looked around, hesitating with his words.

Zhao Lanzhi became alert and pried his arms open, discovering a blue leather notebook inside his clothes. He opened it and read through it, his brows furrowing, his expression changing. He then snapped the ledger shut and stashed it in his own clothes.

"Did you find it? Is that it?" Yuan An asked.

"Yes, that's it," Zhao Lanzhi replied with a fake smile. He quickly used the thin rope in Yuan An's hand to tie the dwarf up like a dumpling (rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves). "Thank you! Young master Ye, let's go!"

Yuan An followed Zhao Lanzhi and they quickly left the scene.

The dwarf rolled on the ground, shouting, "Help! Someone stole my ledger!"

As he yelled, he suddenly stopped, lying quietly on the ground when the drawer, filled with various herbs, was turned, a hidden door was revealed. A person walked out from inside, went forward, and untied the dwarf. As the dwarf got up, loosening his limbs, he sought praise, "I did as you instructed, and look, they've messed things up for me."

The person smiled and said, "You've done well; everything went smoothly."

The dwarf bowed, "I'll rely on you for future guidance."

The two chuckled together.

Back to Yuan An and Zhao Lanzhi, they rode their horses until they reached the river bank. There, they caught the last ferry back to the city before the Ghost Market closed. After securing their horses, Yuan An, with excitement written all over her face, went bouncing over to speak with Zhao Lanzhi. However, he seemed to have something on his mind, as his expression fluctuated in the glistening water. "What are you thinking about?"

Zhao Lanzhi did not respond immediately, but looked at Yuan An seriously. Then, he reached into his clothes and took out the blue leather ledger, handing it to Yuan An, she reached for it, but he wouldn't let go.