Volume One: A Free and Unfettered Journey Amid Unfathomable Leaves, Chapter Ninety-Three: Trap

As the sun sank in the west, Yang Ning rode steadily toward Gorge Mountain. Before long, the silhouette of the range rose ahead of him. The lands of Jiangling were full of hills, though none were high; they rolled away in gentle, undulating lines.

Riding fast, he soon saw a river only a few li from the foothills of Gorge Mountain. He knew at once that it must be the Red Sand River. It wound and turned in a lazy curve, its waters murmuring as they flowed, clear to the eye. The broad fields east of it had already been harvested and lay open and barren, while the setting sun spread gold across the horizon.

Yang Ning knew the storehouses stood by the riverbank. He spurred his horse along the Red Sand River, and before the sun had fully set, he saw several stone buildings ahead, stark and distinct beneath the vast, dim sky.

He knew those were the agreed meeting place, so he rode closer. Around the storehouses there was no sign of life. Nearing them, he saw that they stood in a row, three or four in all. Clearly, for the sake of security, they had all been built of stone, the rocks seeming as though they had been quarried from the mountain itself.

The buildings faced east and backed onto the west, with the Red Sand River behind them; only a few li beyond the river rose the mountains of Gorge Mountain. It seemed likely that when these storehouses were built, the stone had been hauled directly from the hills.

A storehouse made of mountain stone would naturally be sturdy and secure.

Yang Ning rode to the front and found four storehouses aligned in a row. He did not dismount. Instead, he reached into his robe and drew out the Cold Blade, gripping it in one hand while the other held the reins. Glancing over the buildings, he saw that the doors of three of the storehouses stood open, while only the middle one was shut, latched from the outside but not locked.

Inside the three open storehouses it was pitch black. Buildings like these were meant for temporary grain storage, sheltered from wind and rain, and had no windows at all. Once the doors were shut, they became sealed chambers; with the sun gone, little light could reach within.

"I am here already!" Yang Ning said sternly. "Since you summoned me here, there is no need to hide like cowards. Where are you? Why not show yourselves?"

No one answered.

Frowning, Yang Ning waited a moment, then called again, "Since this young marquis has come all the way here, do you still lack the courage to come out?" No sooner had the words left his mouth than he heard a faint voice drift out: "Ning'er, is that you? Ning'er, I am here." The voice was weak and faint, but Yang Ning's hearing was keen; he recognized at once that it was Gu Qinghan. Joy surged in his heart, yet he did not let down his guard. He dismounted, blade in hand, and called loudly, "Third Aunt, where are you?"

Gu Qinghan's voice came again: "I... I do not know where I am either. Ning'er, I... I have no strength. Where are you?" The voice came from the shut storehouse.

Yang Ning stepped forward at once. He saw that the door was latched from the outside. With the Cold Blade, he slipped the latch free and pushed the door open. The room inside was dim and empty. Entering, he looked left and right, then saw a figure curled in the corner. In the faint light he could make out that it was indeed Gu Qinghan. He hurried over. "Third Aunt, it truly is you."

Gu Qinghan wore only a thin gown, her long hair loose about her shoulders, and leaned weakly against the wall. When she saw clearly that it was Yang Ning, she asked, "Ning'er, where is this? I... when I awoke from sleep, I was already here. What place is this?"

"Third Aunt, someone drugged you with incense." Yang Ning put away the Cold Blade. "How do you feel now? Can you stand?"

Gu Qinghan raised a hand to the wall and tried to rise, but after only the slightest movement she shook her head. "I have no strength in my body. I do not know what has happened."

"This is no place to linger. Say nothing for now; let us leave first." Yang Ning reached out to carry her, and Gu Qinghan, knowing the situation left no room for objection, made no resistance.

At that very moment, there came a loud clank. The storehouse door had suddenly been shut. Yang Ning turned in alarm, and from outside came a rustling sound, as though someone were fastening the door from the other side.

There were no windows in the storehouse. Once the door was closed, darkness fell at once.

Yang Ning knew then that they had fallen into a trap. People must be lying in ambush nearby; once he entered, they had immediately shut the door. Still, with the Cold Blade in hand, he was not afraid he could not get out.

"Ning'er, what is it?" Seeing the door suddenly closed, Gu Qinghan cried out in alarm. "Who is outside? Why... why did they shut the door?"

She did not know that Yang Ning had come alone, thinking only that attendants he had brought were still outside. The sudden closing of the door made her heart sink.

Yang Ning did not answer at once. He moved to the door and said in a low voice, "Since this young marquis has come, if you have any terms, you may state them now. Did you lure me here not to force me into submission? Since you dared to strike at me, why do you not have the courage to face me and speak?"

Outside, there was still no sound. The silence was dead and absolute.

"So it really is a bunch of cowards." Hearing no movement at all, Yang Ning sneered. "Do you think that merely closing a door can stop this young marquis from leaving?"

This time, a deep voice came from outside. "There is no need for the young marquis to rush out. There will be plenty of entertainment tonight, and we will not disappoint you. And do not think of coming out through the main door. Allow me a kind reminder: two crossbow bolts are now trained on the doorway. If you step out, you will be shot dead at once."

A moment later, there were two dull thuds against the door, as though something had been driven into it. The deep voice said, "Now the young marquis need not doubt it."

Though Gu Qinghan was weak and limp, she had heard every word clearly. Alarmed, she asked, "Ning'er, who are they? Who are they?" By now she understood that she had been abducted.

Yang Ning knew the other side was not merely bluffing. He could not be certain whether crossbows truly aimed at the door, but if they had crossbows in hand, it was probably no lie. With the Cold Blade, breaking out of the door would not be difficult, but clearly he could not rush out through the front.

Following the sound, he found Gu Qinghan's side in the darkness. The room was utterly black, his eyes not yet adjusted, and he could see nothing at all. By chance his hand touched something soft, and Gu Qinghan shuddered. Yang Ning withdrew his hand at once. In the dark he could not make out her expression, so he said softly, "Third Aunt, Ning'er is here. You need not be afraid."

"Ning'er, you do not know who these people are either, do you?" Gu Qinghan asked anxiously. "Did you come here alone?"

"You were taken last night. We searched everywhere but could not find you. Then a letter was delivered to the old residence, telling me to come here alone for the meeting." Yang Ning said, "They said you were in the storehouse by the Red Sand River, so I followed the river all the way here."

Gu Qinghan's voice was both anxious and angry. "You foolish child, do you not know this is a trap? They only wanted to lure you here. How could you... how could you put yourself in danger for me?" By now she fully understood that Yang Ning had come to rescue her, and her heart was filled with both gratitude and alarm.

Yang Ning smiled lightly. "Was I to stand by and watch you fall into the hands of those vile creatures? Third Aunt, I said I would protect you properly, and I naturally will not let you be harmed. This time, you were taken because I did not protect you well. It is my fault, and I will of course rescue you."

"You...!" Gu Qinghan sighed. "Ning'er, you are the heir of the Marquis of Brocade. My safety is of little consequence, but you... if anything were to happen to you, how could I face the two generations of marquises? How could I face the ancestors of the Qi family?"

Yang Ning knew how anxious she was and comforted her, saying, "Life and death are fated, wealth and rank depend on heaven. I could not simply ignore you." Lowering his voice, he added, "Do not worry, Third Aunt. I have a way out."

"Ah?" Gu Qinghan knew there were people outside and also lowered her voice. "There are crossbows by the door. You must not take risks."

"They assume there is only that one exit, but we do not need to leave by it."

Gu Qinghan said in surprise, "I just felt the wall. It must have been built from mountain stone, and there is not even a window in this storehouse. We cannot get out at all." Then, self-reproach filled her voice. "It is all my fault, Third Aunt. I should never have brought you back to the old residence. Otherwise... otherwise you would not have fallen into this danger."

"Fortune and disaster lean upon one another; within disaster may lie fortune. Since we have fallen into this plight, we may yet gain something from it." Yang Ning spoke softly. "Third Aunt, those who abducted you must know the layout of the old residence very well. And if they imprisoned you in the storehouse we built by the Red Sand River, then they also know this area well. From this, it seems the people who struck against us this time are likely someone we know."

Gu Qinghan asked at once, "Who do you suspect?"

Yang Ning was about to answer when suddenly a faint fragrance drifted into his nose. It was somewhat like crabapple blossoms, but certainly not Gu Qinghan's natural scent. Something felt strange. He asked, "Third Aunt, do you smell any fragrance?"

Gu Qinghan said, "You smell it too? It seems... it seems like the scent of crabapple flowers. How could there be crabapple flowers here?"

"No, it is somewhat like crabapple, but there is something else mixed in..." Yang Ning could not see clearly in the darkness, nor could he tell where the fragrance came from. Yet he was naturally alert, and the scent had appeared too abruptly; there had to be something suspicious about it. Using the Cold Blade, he cut a strip from his own clothes and said quietly, "This fragrance is odd. Third Aunt, cover your mouth and nose. Do not let too much of it enter your body."

In a weak voice, Gu Qinghan said, "Ning'er, I have no strength. You... you help me tear off a piece of cloth..."

Yang Ning asked, "From your clothes or mine? I have a piece here. Do you want it?"

Gu Qinghan had come from wealth and refinement, and had always lived with meticulous propriety. Perhaps she would not wish to use a strip torn from his garments. So she reproved him softly, "At a time like this, must you still be so particular? Besides... besides, my clothes are too thin; there is nowhere to tear."

Yang Ning handed over the cloth strip and said gently, "Can Third Aunt see me?" The words were scarcely spoken when he knew they were foolish. If even he could not see clearly, how could Gu Qinghan possibly see? Before she could answer, he said, "Stretch out your hand."

Though her body was weak and limp, she could still raise an arm. When her hand found Yang Ning's arm, he immediately took hold and placed the strip of cloth in her jade hand. "Just cover your mouth and nose."

After she took it, Yang Ning cut another piece from his own clothing, covered his mouth and nose with it, and tied it in place. Then he reached out and found the wall, thinking that the Cold Blade could cut through iron like mud. If the people outside were careless for an instant, he might be able to use it to carve an opening through the wall.

Ordinary weapons could never do it, but with a divine blade such as the Cold Blade, there was naturally great hope. Even so, to break a passage through a wall made of mountain stone would still take some time.