Chapter Five: Escape

After speaking, the two of them died on the spot. Dao Sansheng looked at the pair lying lifeless on their chairs, the table still laden with half-eaten food. Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside—fire! Fire! Through the window, he could see the crimson glow lighting up the sky, as if the flames would soon engulf everything.

“Damn that Dao clan patriarch!” Dao Sansheng roared.

He knelt and knocked his head three times against the ground. “Father, Mother, rest assured. I will avenge you, no matter what lies behind all this. I, Dao Sansheng, will never shrink back.” Just as he turned to leave, he noticed something clenched in the old man’s hand.

He stepped forward and gently pried apart the fingers. A scroll fell to the floor. Dao Sansheng slowly unrolled it and read:

“Sansheng, if you are reading this, it means we have passed on. Our only worry is Dao Qian’er. Promise us, you will take care of her. She is to be your wife; her betrothal to you was decided when you were both children—she knows this well. Remember, do not cause trouble for the patriarch.”

Dao Sansheng, still kneeling, was stunned. Outside, the fire raged ever fiercer; a figure approached the window, then suddenly pushed the door open.

Frightened, Dao Sansheng scrambled under the table. The newcomer was none other than Third Uncle Dao. He searched the corpses but failed to find what he sought.

“Where did it go? Luckily, I have a backup,” Third Uncle muttered before leaving.

Dao Sansheng slipped out quietly. The fire was mostly under control now, but he needed to flee before the courtyard was sealed off. Clumsily, he crawled out through the sewer behind the house—thank goodness he knew the layout, or he’d never have escaped.

Just as he stood up, a large dark figure emerged behind him. Dao Sansheng kicked at it repeatedly.

“Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me! I didn’t start the fire, Dao Sansheng did! Go after him!” The black-clad figure curled up, trembling.

“You idiot, you fat traitor! You dare betray me? Lucky for you it’s just me here—otherwise, you’d have given me away for sure!” Dao Sansheng fumed.

“Oh, it’s you!”

The fat boy leapt up and shoved Dao Sansheng to the ground.

“I risked my neck setting fire to the clan warehouse, and you’re still here lying in wait to ambush me? That’s it, our friendship is over. Get lost!”

“Someone’s coming—run!” Dao Sansheng grabbed the fat boy and bolted.

“Huff… Huff… I can’t run anymore…” The fat boy collapsed to the ground, panting and spent.

“It’s fine—I was just teasing! No one’s chasing us,” Dao Sansheng said, doubled over with laughter.

“Come on, hand over all the wild horse meat! That’s your apology,” the fat boy demanded, both angry and resigned.

“Kid, I’ll have you know, that’s not wild horse meat—it’s python meat. I was afraid you wouldn’t eat it, so I lied.” Dao Sansheng pulled out a large chunk and handed it over.

The fat boy took the meat and started to eat. “Dao Sansheng, I’m not that kind of person. Even if you hadn’t lied, I’d have helped you. My parents died when I was little—I’m an orphan. When we herded spirit beasts together, you were the only one who didn’t shun me. If you’re in trouble, I’ll help, no question.”

“Stop right there!” A group was closing in behind them.

They ran and ran, but the pursuers were gaining. Dao Sansheng dragged the fat boy into the forest, and the others followed hot on their heels.

Leading the chase was the steward in white silk, followed by a group of servants in coarse black tunics. He held up a hand to halt them.

“That brat must have run into the woods—you all saw it. But the forest is vast; searching won’t be easy. Split into teams of two or three. If you find them, send up a signal flare. I’ll come at once. Your job is only to find them—understand?”

He ground his teeth as he spoke, as if he meant to tear Dao Sansheng apart with his bare hands.

The servants quickly broke into groups and began combing the forest.

Six boys huddled together. “Dao Sansheng’s really in big trouble this time. But as brothers, if we see anything, we act like we saw nothing. Got it?” said a thin, sallow-faced youth of about sixteen, hands on his hips, addressing the group.

“Yes, Big Ox!” the others chorused.

Once they dispersed, the boy called Big Ox strode off in a determined direction.

The fat boy ran, gasping for breath, but pressed on.

“Dao Sansheng, why aren’t you running? Let’s go to the secret base—the one we found together. We’ll be safe there. Hurry!”

Dao Sansheng stood motionless, leaning against a tree, lost in thought. He didn’t reply, just stared ahead.

The fat boy stopped and walked back. “Sansheng, are you planning to wait for death, or will you take your own life? Don’t do it—what’ll I do then? Poor Sansheng, dead at eight—no, you must be nine now.”

“Come, I’ll take you somewhere they’ll never find us.” Dao Sansheng oriented himself and marched off in a new direction.

Footsteps echoed everywhere in the forest. Dao Sansheng led the fat boy in stealth, narrowly avoiding detection several times. At last, they reached a cliff face and stopped.

“Sansheng, you want to climb those vines? I can’t do it. Forget it—let them catch me. After tonight, I’m dead on my feet. If I’m going to die, I’d rather they catch me—I might at least get a decent meal first.”

Dao Sansheng crossed his arms and studied the vines intently. Hearing the fat boy’s complaints, he turned.

“You’d rather let them kill you? Better I cook and eat you myself—you’d be doing a friend a favor.”

The fat boy was indignant. “Some friend you are! Shameless, despicable, base, a true hypocrite!”

Dao Sansheng approached the cliff, shifted a stone aside, and pulled away the vines to reveal an entrance, then slipped inside. The fat boy, seeing this, quickly followed.

“Weren’t you just calling me despicable, shameless, a hypocrite? How can you bear to hide with such a villain?”

Dao Sansheng turned and grinned at him.

The fat boy grinned back, “I was praising you! I said you’re handsome, clever, and kind. What you overheard was me reflecting on myself—I was calling myself despicable and a hypocrite, not you. Don’t you think I’m right?”

Dao Sansheng was speechless. He’d never met anyone so shameless.

Inside, the cave was just as it had always been, though it was the fat boy’s first time here, and he looked around curiously.

“This is huge! When did you find it, Sansheng? Why so quiet—what’s this?” The fat boy wandered over, picked up some bottles, and turned them upside down, then ran to another bottle to inspect it. “How come there’s no advanced techniques? Dao Sansheng, are you hiding things? Fess up!”