A treasure more precious than anything
A treasure more precious than anything
"Sigh..."
"Ugh..."
"..."
The expressions of the three of us leaving Wang Yun's private residence were far from bright.
In my case, on top of narrowly escaping the Chain Stratagem (presumably), my insides were still twisting at the reminder that Luoyang was a place where I couldn't let my guard down for a single moment.
In Ji Ling's case, with mountains of delicacies and fine wine laid out before her, she hadn't managed a single drop until the very end—so of course her expression couldn't be bright.
And Xu Rong's expression was dark to begin with, just as usual.
Anyway, despite receiving decent hospitality and enjoying a fine spectacle, the mood was hardly pleasant. Wanting to lighten the gloom, I placed a hand on Ji Ling's shoulder and rested my chin on it.
"You worked hard. Let's have a drink once we're home."
"Huh? But..."
"Once we're home, today's duties are over, aren't they? Right?"
With those words, I discreetly waved the wine I had gotten from Wang Yun. Seeing that, Ji Ling's face lit up instantly.
"Ohhh...! As expected of my lord! Thank you so much~! You're the only one who thinks of us, I tell you~!"
"Haaah..."
Ji Ling expressed her thanks buoyantly. Watching Xu Rong let out a small sigh beside us, I said with a smile,
"Since it's a rare occasion, let's have a drink too, Xu Rong. You couldn't drink comfortably all this time because of guard duty and such."
"If my lord says so..."
Feigning reluctance, Xu Rong's expression brightened a little. With the mood considerably relaxed, our steps toward home began to quicken slightly.
"By the way, my lord, that woman Diaochan was incredible, wasn't she? Even as a woman myself, I thought she was really something."
"I agree. It was to the point that if you saw the legendary Xi Shi in real life, it would feel like that."
"Yeah, she was definitely pretty. She's surely the greatest beauty I've ever laid eyes on."
The problem is, there might be thorns hidden behind that beautiful face...
"In that light, you're truly remarkable, my lord. To turn down the offer to have such a beauty with a single word."
"Right, right. Sometimes I almost suspect you might be a eunuch—owww..."
"Sorry, but that's not the case, okay? Even now I'm getting distracted by your chest that you're barely covering with cotton cloth, so stop talking nonsense."
"Uuuu—stop pulling—oww—"
As I stretched Ji Ling's cheeks, I smiled wryly inside at the two of them marveling at what had just happened.
Frankly, if I hadn't had background knowledge of the Chain Stratagem, and if I didn't already have a woman who had promised me her future, I wouldn't have been able to reject Wang Yun's offer so instantly. Diaochan possessed a charm that was hard to refuse to that extent. Thinking I had gotten past one dangerous hurdle, I set aside my worries and headed home.
*
The world is never merciful.
Not to those starving from famine. Not to those dying as they flee bandits. And... not to a girl left alone after losing her family.
"Kill them all!"
"Sweep them all away in the name of the Yellow Turbans!"
"The Azure Heaven Is Dead! The Yellow Heaven Shall Rise!"
"Gyaaak!"
"S-spare... urk—"
Screams echoed from all directions.
Bodies collapsing one by one to the ground, and the stench of blood stinging the nose.
And... vicious-looking men charging with weapons.
In the midst of this utterly terrifying chaos, all a young girl could do was run.
Where to go, whom to follow—the girl knew nothing. She simply dashed forward, just to get one more step away from the bandits chasing her.
But... even that sole option was by no means easy for the girl.
Having starved for days, her entire body had no strength. Each step brought pain, and the breath climbing to her throat delivered excruciating agony. Despite such pain, seized by the instinct to survive alone, the girl simply kept running forward.
How long had she moved like that? In the end, her body, having wrung out even its last remaining strength, collapsed to the ground. She wanted to take even one more step, but her body no longer obeyed. All she could see was the cursedly blue sky and the blazing sun at its center. The screams of people and the shouts of bandits were no longer heard, but to the girl, it no longer mattered.
'Hungry... thirsty...'
She had starved so long that she no longer felt the pain of hunger. It was only extreme helplessness that signaled her limits. Her hands and feet grew cold. Her consciousness dimmed. In that slowly dying sensation, the girl turned her head with difficulty to look around.
Around her remained a few people who had fled this far together. But the girl knew very well that they would not help her. No, far from helping, some were already watching with unsettling eyes, waiting for her breath to stop. What those glances meant was easy to guess, thinking of the fate of those who had starved and collapsed before her.
In extreme situations, human decency was nothing more than a cumbersome facade. At the crossroads between life and death, what remained... was nothing but the beastly nature of drinking each other's blood and devouring each other's flesh. And it was the same for the girl, who in that moment clutched tightly the dagger hidden in her bosom.
She didn't want to die. She didn't want to end like this. No matter how wretched and meaningless a life, she didn't want it to end like this... being torn apart all over like a beast.
She saw a figure slowly approaching. With eyes that had lost reason, a man approaching, drooling sticky saliva. The hand gripping the dagger began to shake. Along with the words that she must never lose it, it was the last keepsake her mother left, a known heirloom. It was a treasured blade said to cut even steel, but to the girl now, it held no more meaning than a dying beast's last fang.
Holding it in her hand, the girl began to pray desperately in the midst of deep terror. Even knowing it could never reach anyone... Even having experienced bone-deep that this world holds no mercy.
Please... help... Anyone... please...
Please... I... Save me.
Then.
"!"
"...?"
When he was just a few steps from the girl, the man suddenly stopped. Then, as if the girl didn't even register, he urgently started running somewhere. No, not just that man. Everyone here, as if possessed, hurried toward some place.
Had bandits appeared again? No... the atmosphere felt quite different. Then what on earth was happening now? A question that filled the girl's head in an instant. But... unfortunately, the girl no longer had the energy to figure it out. As the taut tension loosened, exhaustion rushed in. Feeling even keeping her eyes open as difficult, the girl slowly closed them. A sense of peace more tranquil than she expected enveloped her body. She thought that if she had known it would be this comfortable, maybe she should have given up this miserable life long ago.
Then.
"...?"
A sudden unfamiliar sensation. Along with a rough yet somehow warm feeling, the girl realized that someone was supporting her body.
And...
"!..."
A cool sensation flowing into her mouth. Realizing it was water, the girl struggled to push it past her throat. Her parched body became moistened. At the same time, her fading breath returned, and the girl slowly... opened her eyes.
"Are you coming to?"
"... Ah..."
What she saw after that was the face of a man. A man with a fine appearance, like the hero from the old tales her mother used to tell her. Holding her frail body in his arms, he carefully brought the gourd filled with water to her mouth again.
A sensation so sweet, washing away the remaining thirst. Only then, belatedly... she realized that this was not just water, but honey water. A pleasant feeling gently cradling her parched tongue. As her hazy mind cleared, vitality began to return to her dim eyes.
"Th... thank you. I... I'm fine now..."
-Growl...
A small sound heard as she tried to express thanks with a trembling voice. In that instant, embarrassment made the girl forget even her hunger as she felt ashamed.
And, watching the girl, the man smiled calmly and carefully handed her something. Something fist-sized wrapped in pure white cloth. Her nose, sharpened by hunger, told her there was something inside that made her mouth water. As if entranced, the girl picked it up. Inside the white cloth was a rice ball, still warm.
Fluffy white rice, lightly seasoned with salt. To someone who had barely survived on millet gruel for months, it was so precious that the girl, feeling even urgency, popped it into her mouth.
"Chew it well and eat slowly. If you're still hungry, just say so."
With his kind words, the hunger that had long tormented her gradually subsided. As she felt her once-jagged nerves settle, the girl could finally perceive what was happening around her. In that moment, she saw others like herself putting rice balls into their mouths. There were no longer any beasts seized by hunger and madness like just moments before. All that existed were the figures of 'humans' absently putting rice balls into their mouths.
With tears welling up, expressing gratitude, the pitiful people bowing repeatedly to the soldiers sharing food. Taking in that sight, the girl looked again at what was in her own hand.
A rice ball wrapped in cloth... a snow-white treasure more precious than anything under heaven, which had instantly turned beasts who had forgotten humanity back into humans. And the person who had shared it without asking anything in return.
That image was etched forever in the girl's memory, unforgettable.
*
The old cloth in her hand.
As the woman gazed at it, the memory of that day vividly resurfaced in her mind.
The warm, white rice ball that had been inside. The sweet sensation of honey water that lingered in her mouth. And... the image of the man who had shared them.
Compared to back then, the man had not changed much. His fine appearance. His endlessly warm heart. But the woman who had been a starving girl back then had become someone entirely different. Like a caterpillar shedding its cocoon to become a butterfly, she now possessed a brilliantly blossomed beauty.
Whether because of her changed appearance... or because it hadn't been such a significant memory for him, the man she met again did not recognize her. But to the woman, that wasn't so important.
What mattered was her wish, which she hadn't forgotten for a single moment since that day. Though her first attempt had failed because of his generous heart. Nevertheless, the woman...
The one bearing the name Diaochan carefully tucked her treasure into her bosom, then delicately lifted the cup beside her. A sweet sensation at the same time. Savoring the taste that evoked nostalgia, she steeled her resolve once more.
'I will not give up... I will surely... repay that kindness with my very being...'