Faraway Wanderers - V1C12
Chapter 12
Exposed
Zhou Zishu suddenly halted his steps and scrutinized the four cave entrances with a frown. “There’s water and wind in here, so the likelihood of someone poisoning us is low,” he remarked.
Though he wouldn't consider himself a medical expert, he recalled the young shaman from South Xinjiang[1] who had been a captive at the capital during the current Emperor’s time as Crown Prince. This shaman was tasked by Shaman Valley to experiment with the pugilist community in Zhong Yuan using their medicines, introducing various remedies and poisons from South Xinjiang that were unfamiliar at the time.
Zhou Zishu might not have extensive expertise, but he had witnessed enough to understand that no poison existed that could induce hallucinations for such an extended period.
Wen Kexing nodded in response, “So someone must have used divination to trap us here. Do you have any knowledge about that?”
Zhou Zishu replied coolly, “You mean the concepts of ‘three directions, eight trigrams, and six jias’[ii]?”
“I’m surprised you even know about that,” Wen Kexing said, taken aback.
Zhou Zishu shrugged, “That's all I know.” He settled down since continuing to walk was out of the question. Leaning against the wall, he inadvertently pressed his wound against the surface, causing him to wince and wince in disbelief at how a mere wild beast could inflict such pain on him; such was the plight of being seen as a burden everywhere he went.
Wen Kexing thought about his own knowledge of ‘three directions and eight trigrams’ and felt slightly superior. Still, that feeling quickly vanished when he remembered Zhou Zishu's desperate situation of selling himself for two silvers. He sat beside the injured man and tilted his head to examine the wound, finding some amusement in Zhou Zishu's misfortune. “Serves you right for handling a monster like a child.”
Zhou Zishu closed his eyes to rest, ignoring him.
Wen Kexing quietly stood up, wandered off, and soon returned. Zhou Zishu felt a sudden chill on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Wen Kexing using a wet cloth to clean the wound.
Instinctively, Zhou Zishu flinched away, but Wen Kexing held his shoulder firmly. “Don’t move.”
With a pained expression, Zhou Zishu asked, “Where did you get the water?”
“From the river,” Wen Kexing replied. After a moment's thought, he added, “It’s running water, really clean.”
Zhou Zishu felt his hair stand on end. He knew it was running water, so drinking from it was no problem, much less using it to treat injuries, but he couldn’t stop thinking about those underwater creatures roaming around under there.
Wen Kexing, with his keen eyes, playfully teased Zhou Zishu after spotting his goosebumps, “How can you be disgusted when you look like a scruffy beggar? Just stop pretending to be a fine lady.”
Zhou Zishu realized there was truth in Wen Kexing’s words, but he couldn’t help glancing at the other’s handkerchief with a disapproving look. The gentle, elegant scent of beauty products wafting from it filled his nose, and he noticed a small, beautifully embroidered orchid in one corner. It was oversized and seemed a bit too simplistic for a woman. But if this belonged to a man... what kind of person would carry something like this?
Unable to resist, he shot Wen Kexing a curious look and teased back, since they were alone, “My dear friend, why are you toting around a maiden’s item? Is there a story behind it?”
As Wen Kexing carefully removed the blood-soaked fabric from an open wound, he yanked at the cloth a bit harder after hearing Zhou Zishu’s comment, his expression flat. Zhou Zishu winced, exclaiming, “Ow!” It was only then that Wen Kexing replied cheerfully, “This is a personal gift from the renowned courtesan and gentleman Su Yue from Yang Zhou City. You shouldn’t have asked if you didn’t want to look foolish.”
He then continued to rip Su Yue’s present into pieces to cover Zhou Zishu’s injury.
Zhou Zishu was surprised at the openness of people from Jiangnan. He had blurted out a question without thinking; even during times when the capital was merely thirty miles from the Wang Yue River, under that decadent Emperor, the idea of a male courtesan was unheard of.
Wen Kexing looked at him with a mix of pity and disbelief, “Were you born in a paradise? Is everyone from Tian Chuang a bumpkin? Or was I mistaken in my guess?”
Zhou Zishu scoffed, “I never said that I—”
Before he could finish, Wen Kexing suddenly struck a major acupuncture point on his chest. If it had been any other spot on his body, especially one covered by clothing, he wouldn’t have felt a thing. But he was weak, and the troublesome Nails of Seven Apertures were acting up; that gentle attack was enough to send him over the edge. He gasped in pain, bending over, “You…”
Wen Kexing stroked his chin, a knowing tone in his voice, “Your internal injuries are severe, and given your skills, there’s no way Tian Chuang will let you off easily. However, I’ve heard that the deadly reputation of the Nails of Seven Apertures isn’t to be taken lightly, yet here you are, still managing to act lively. Even if you’re a bit silly, that silliness doesn’t come from the Nails. Did I really misjudge?”
With beads of sweat on his forehead, Zhou Zishu ground out, “Wen… Kexing, screw your whole… ancestry…”
Seeing that Zhou Zishu had dropped the pretense of calling him “Brother Wen” with all its fluff, Wen Kexing felt a sense of accomplishment even in the face of curses. He replied casually, “My ancestors are just dust by now; I don’t even know their names, so that would be quite a challenge. However, if you removed your disguise and revealed a breathtaking face, I’d willingly take their place.”
Zhou Zishu was clenching his teeth, his body tense and curled up like a shrimp, doing his best to keep the Nails under control. Growing irritated by the other’s chatter, he snapped, “Can you just be quiet?”
Wen Kexing immediately fell silent, crossing his arms and watching without a hint of remorse.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Zhou Zishu opened his bloodshot eyes. Though outsiders couldn’t perceive his true expression, it was clear he wasn’t pleased. “It’s morning now,” he stated.
The Nails had settled down, indicating that dawn had arrived; they had spent the entire night trapped in this strange cave.
Wen Kexing didn’t seem worried. He nodded, saying, “It seems whoever brought you here—likely on purpose—really wants you dead.”
“It’s clearly you,” Zhou Zishu retorted.
“I’m a good person, so it couldn’t be me,” Wen Kexing replied stubbornly.
Zhou Zishu chose to ignore him and reached out to the wall to support himself as he got up. He leaned against it, beginning to plan their escape. Wen Kexing asked from beside him, “Aren’t you scared, Zhou Xu?”
“I am,” Zhou Zishu answered.
Wen Kexing looked at him, a bit taken aback. Zhou Zishu added seriously, “I haven’t accumulated enough merits yet—if I die now, who knows what I’d come back as in my next life.”
Wen Kexing pondered for a moment and declared, “You definitely weren’t a good person in your past life, then.”
Without waiting for Zhou Zishu to respond, he continued, “If that’s true, isn’t it too late to start gathering merits now?”
Zhou Zishu straightened up and moved in a particular direction. “Why? Haven’t you heard the saying ‘the moment you drop the knife is when you become Buddha’?”
Wen Kexing followed after him, asking, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to eat dog meat,” Zhou Zishu replied, “That person only traps us here...”
“Traps you,” Wen Kexing corrected him.
Zhou Zishu shot him a look filled with disdain and continued, “That beast's head is big enough to keep us fed for several days. If we run out of food, we can still catch some underwater creatures to avoid starvation. It doesn’t matter who that figure in black is; they will eventually reveal themselves.”
Wen Kexing expressed his disbelief, “Just yesterday, you were wary of that murky river water, and now you want to eat the creatures living in it?”
“And are you planning to let yourself starve and become their meal instead?” Zhou Zishu retorted, concluding, “How noble of you, Brother Wen.”
Although the cave was dim, Zhou Zishu had brought along some lighters for their escape at night. He also had a small luminous pearl he had pilfered from the riches, just enough to illuminate their surroundings. In the faint glow, Wen Kexing saw not the unpleasant facial features of Zhou Zishu but bright eyes that carried a playful glint.
That expression felt oddly familiar to Wen Kexing. Despite his best efforts to recall which beauty those eyes belonged to, he remained silent.
In the lull of their conversation, Zhou Zishu suddenly heard a breath that wasn't his or Wen Kexing’s. Smiling, he realized someone was getting impatient.
He walked over to the river, bent down to wash his hands, and in the process, killed another sneaky creature attacking them. He tossed it aside; its neck snapped, and it died quietly. Zhou Zishu scooped up some water and drank leisurely.
Wen Kexing, a carefree rogue himself, observed his companion thoughtfully before using the tip of his shoe to kick the corpse away, mimicking Zhou Zishu and drinking from the river as well.
In that moment, a blade of wind swept toward them from behind. Wen Kexing skillfully dodged by stepping aside, appearing calm and composed as the blade brushed against his robes and splashed into the water. Zhou Zishu laughed, crossing his arms as he watched, “See, Brother Wen? I told you they’re after you. Clearly, you’re not the righteous type since they’re so keen on targeting you.”
Blades flew at Wen Kexing from all angles, completely bypassing Zhou Zishu as they created a deadly maze. Yet Wen Kexing remained unperturbed, demonstrating qinggong skills that surpassed Zhou Zishu’s expectations.
Internally, he was grumbling—this Zhou person was vindictive and mean; he was not just flawed, but utterly despicable.
Wen Kexing raised his arm to deflect another blade, which barely grazed Zhou Zishu’s pants before embedding itself in the ground. “Is it your strategy to let me fend for myself in order to earn some brownie points, my charming Zhou?”
Though he wouldn't consider himself a medical expert, he recalled the young shaman from South Xinjiang[1] who had been a captive at the capital during the current Emperor’s time as Crown Prince. This shaman was tasked by Shaman Valley to experiment with the pugilist community in Zhong Yuan using their medicines, introducing various remedies and poisons from South Xinjiang that were unfamiliar at the time.
Zhou Zishu might not have extensive expertise, but he had witnessed enough to understand that no poison existed that could induce hallucinations for such an extended period.
Wen Kexing nodded in response, “So someone must have used divination to trap us here. Do you have any knowledge about that?”
Zhou Zishu replied coolly, “You mean the concepts of ‘three directions, eight trigrams, and six jias’[ii]?”
“I’m surprised you even know about that,” Wen Kexing said, taken aback.
Zhou Zishu shrugged, “That's all I know.” He settled down since continuing to walk was out of the question. Leaning against the wall, he inadvertently pressed his wound against the surface, causing him to wince and wince in disbelief at how a mere wild beast could inflict such pain on him; such was the plight of being seen as a burden everywhere he went.
Wen Kexing thought about his own knowledge of ‘three directions and eight trigrams’ and felt slightly superior. Still, that feeling quickly vanished when he remembered Zhou Zishu's desperate situation of selling himself for two silvers. He sat beside the injured man and tilted his head to examine the wound, finding some amusement in Zhou Zishu's misfortune. “Serves you right for handling a monster like a child.”
Zhou Zishu closed his eyes to rest, ignoring him.
Wen Kexing quietly stood up, wandered off, and soon returned. Zhou Zishu felt a sudden chill on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Wen Kexing using a wet cloth to clean the wound.
Instinctively, Zhou Zishu flinched away, but Wen Kexing held his shoulder firmly. “Don’t move.”
With a pained expression, Zhou Zishu asked, “Where did you get the water?”
“From the river,” Wen Kexing replied. After a moment's thought, he added, “It’s running water, really clean.”
Zhou Zishu felt his hair stand on end. He knew it was running water, so drinking from it was no problem, much less using it to treat injuries, but he couldn’t stop thinking about those underwater creatures roaming around under there.
Wen Kexing, with his keen eyes, playfully teased Zhou Zishu after spotting his goosebumps, “How can you be disgusted when you look like a scruffy beggar? Just stop pretending to be a fine lady.”
Zhou Zishu realized there was truth in Wen Kexing’s words, but he couldn’t help glancing at the other’s handkerchief with a disapproving look. The gentle, elegant scent of beauty products wafting from it filled his nose, and he noticed a small, beautifully embroidered orchid in one corner. It was oversized and seemed a bit too simplistic for a woman. But if this belonged to a man... what kind of person would carry something like this?
Unable to resist, he shot Wen Kexing a curious look and teased back, since they were alone, “My dear friend, why are you toting around a maiden’s item? Is there a story behind it?”
As Wen Kexing carefully removed the blood-soaked fabric from an open wound, he yanked at the cloth a bit harder after hearing Zhou Zishu’s comment, his expression flat. Zhou Zishu winced, exclaiming, “Ow!” It was only then that Wen Kexing replied cheerfully, “This is a personal gift from the renowned courtesan and gentleman Su Yue from Yang Zhou City. You shouldn’t have asked if you didn’t want to look foolish.”
He then continued to rip Su Yue’s present into pieces to cover Zhou Zishu’s injury.
Zhou Zishu was surprised at the openness of people from Jiangnan. He had blurted out a question without thinking; even during times when the capital was merely thirty miles from the Wang Yue River, under that decadent Emperor, the idea of a male courtesan was unheard of.
Wen Kexing looked at him with a mix of pity and disbelief, “Were you born in a paradise? Is everyone from Tian Chuang a bumpkin? Or was I mistaken in my guess?”
Zhou Zishu scoffed, “I never said that I—”
Before he could finish, Wen Kexing suddenly struck a major acupuncture point on his chest. If it had been any other spot on his body, especially one covered by clothing, he wouldn’t have felt a thing. But he was weak, and the troublesome Nails of Seven Apertures were acting up; that gentle attack was enough to send him over the edge. He gasped in pain, bending over, “You…”
Wen Kexing stroked his chin, a knowing tone in his voice, “Your internal injuries are severe, and given your skills, there’s no way Tian Chuang will let you off easily. However, I’ve heard that the deadly reputation of the Nails of Seven Apertures isn’t to be taken lightly, yet here you are, still managing to act lively. Even if you’re a bit silly, that silliness doesn’t come from the Nails. Did I really misjudge?”
With beads of sweat on his forehead, Zhou Zishu ground out, “Wen… Kexing, screw your whole… ancestry…”
Seeing that Zhou Zishu had dropped the pretense of calling him “Brother Wen” with all its fluff, Wen Kexing felt a sense of accomplishment even in the face of curses. He replied casually, “My ancestors are just dust by now; I don’t even know their names, so that would be quite a challenge. However, if you removed your disguise and revealed a breathtaking face, I’d willingly take their place.”
Zhou Zishu was clenching his teeth, his body tense and curled up like a shrimp, doing his best to keep the Nails under control. Growing irritated by the other’s chatter, he snapped, “Can you just be quiet?”
Wen Kexing immediately fell silent, crossing his arms and watching without a hint of remorse.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Zhou Zishu opened his bloodshot eyes. Though outsiders couldn’t perceive his true expression, it was clear he wasn’t pleased. “It’s morning now,” he stated.
The Nails had settled down, indicating that dawn had arrived; they had spent the entire night trapped in this strange cave.
Wen Kexing didn’t seem worried. He nodded, saying, “It seems whoever brought you here—likely on purpose—really wants you dead.”
“It’s clearly you,” Zhou Zishu retorted.
“I’m a good person, so it couldn’t be me,” Wen Kexing replied stubbornly.
Zhou Zishu chose to ignore him and reached out to the wall to support himself as he got up. He leaned against it, beginning to plan their escape. Wen Kexing asked from beside him, “Aren’t you scared, Zhou Xu?”
“I am,” Zhou Zishu answered.
Wen Kexing looked at him, a bit taken aback. Zhou Zishu added seriously, “I haven’t accumulated enough merits yet—if I die now, who knows what I’d come back as in my next life.”
Wen Kexing pondered for a moment and declared, “You definitely weren’t a good person in your past life, then.”
Without waiting for Zhou Zishu to respond, he continued, “If that’s true, isn’t it too late to start gathering merits now?”
Zhou Zishu straightened up and moved in a particular direction. “Why? Haven’t you heard the saying ‘the moment you drop the knife is when you become Buddha’?”
Wen Kexing followed after him, asking, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to eat dog meat,” Zhou Zishu replied, “That person only traps us here...”
“Traps you,” Wen Kexing corrected him.
Zhou Zishu shot him a look filled with disdain and continued, “That beast's head is big enough to keep us fed for several days. If we run out of food, we can still catch some underwater creatures to avoid starvation. It doesn’t matter who that figure in black is; they will eventually reveal themselves.”
Wen Kexing expressed his disbelief, “Just yesterday, you were wary of that murky river water, and now you want to eat the creatures living in it?”
“And are you planning to let yourself starve and become their meal instead?” Zhou Zishu retorted, concluding, “How noble of you, Brother Wen.”
Although the cave was dim, Zhou Zishu had brought along some lighters for their escape at night. He also had a small luminous pearl he had pilfered from the riches, just enough to illuminate their surroundings. In the faint glow, Wen Kexing saw not the unpleasant facial features of Zhou Zishu but bright eyes that carried a playful glint.
That expression felt oddly familiar to Wen Kexing. Despite his best efforts to recall which beauty those eyes belonged to, he remained silent.
In the lull of their conversation, Zhou Zishu suddenly heard a breath that wasn't his or Wen Kexing’s. Smiling, he realized someone was getting impatient.
He walked over to the river, bent down to wash his hands, and in the process, killed another sneaky creature attacking them. He tossed it aside; its neck snapped, and it died quietly. Zhou Zishu scooped up some water and drank leisurely.
Wen Kexing, a carefree rogue himself, observed his companion thoughtfully before using the tip of his shoe to kick the corpse away, mimicking Zhou Zishu and drinking from the river as well.
In that moment, a blade of wind swept toward them from behind. Wen Kexing skillfully dodged by stepping aside, appearing calm and composed as the blade brushed against his robes and splashed into the water. Zhou Zishu laughed, crossing his arms as he watched, “See, Brother Wen? I told you they’re after you. Clearly, you’re not the righteous type since they’re so keen on targeting you.”
Blades flew at Wen Kexing from all angles, completely bypassing Zhou Zishu as they created a deadly maze. Yet Wen Kexing remained unperturbed, demonstrating qinggong skills that surpassed Zhou Zishu’s expectations.
Internally, he was grumbling—this Zhou person was vindictive and mean; he was not just flawed, but utterly despicable.
Wen Kexing raised his arm to deflect another blade, which barely grazed Zhou Zishu’s pants before embedding itself in the ground. “Is it your strategy to let me fend for myself in order to earn some brownie points, my charming Zhou?”
[1] South Xinjiang (Nanjiang) is a vast region in northwest China located between the Tianshan Mountains to the north and the Kunlun Mountains to the south. Known as a cradle of Uyghur culture and a key segment of the ancient Silk Road, it offers a blend of desert landscapes, high-altitude plateaus, and historic oasis cities.
[2] In Chinese metaphysics and the art of Qi Men Dun Jia, these terms represent fundamental structures for understanding time, space, and energy. (qímén dùnjiǎ) is an ancient form of divination in China. The elements mentioned by Zhou Zishu are some of the aspects of Chinese metaphysics that this technique is based on.
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