Tan Hua - Chapter 54

Outside the city wall where the missing person notice was posted, a crowd had gathered. They were all marveling at the staggering reward being offered, each person fantasizing about being the lucky one favored by the heavens.

 

No one noticed a ragged, disheveled figure on the outskirts of the crowd. It was early winter, and it had already started snowing, with a biting cold wind blowing. The person was only wrapped in a torn burlap sack for warmth, holding a wooden stick for support. Accidentally, he bumped into someone beside him.

 

The person immediately erupted in anger.

 

“Are you blind? You filthy beggar!”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Don’t touch me! You’re bad luck! Get lost!”

 

The beggar, however, apologized gently, bowed, and slowly moved in another direction, finally managing to extricate himself from the crowd.

 

Leaning against the city wall that provided some shelter from the wind, he slowly squatted down and then sat on the ground. After catching his breath, he tied up his disheveled hair with a piece of cloth, revealing part of his face.

 

It was none other than Song Liqing, who had walked all the way from the capital to Jiayuguan.

 

He had woken up inside a coffin.

 

As for how many days he had been unconscious, Song Liqing had no idea. He only knew that he had a fever and was in a delirious state. The voice of Jun Qiyu kept ringing in his mind, plunging him into deeper pain, as he felt his body sinking further and further…

 

When Song Liqing regained consciousness, he found another person lying beside him—more accurately, it was a wet, cold corpse because this “person” was already stiff and icy.

 

Strangely, Song Liqing wasn’t afraid at all. He had never done anything in his life to feel guilty about, so he didn’t fear ghosts or gods.

 

In fact, he even felt a bit grateful. Perhaps it was this “person’s” wet and cold body that was thrown into the coffin with him, causing his fever to drop.

 

By some twist of fate, this saved his life.

 

Just as Song Liqing was trying to gather his strength to escape, he heard a faint cry at his feet.

 

It was the weak cry of an infant.

 

Feeling around in the coffin, Song Liqing found a baby at his feet, not much longer than his hand, clearly just born.

 

“Who would abandon a baby, leaving it in a coffin with a corpse?” Song Liqing was shocked.

 

Smelling the blood in the coffin and touching the slippery blood beneath him, he suddenly understood.

 

“This is… a coffin-born child.”

 

Qi Mao had once told Song Liqing about a strange tale. There was a pregnant woman who had been murdered, resulting in the deaths of both mother and child. However, the baby was born alive inside the coffin, leading to the term “coffin-born child.”

 

Moreover, this child wasn’t destined to be obscure. Later, he became the founding emperor of the previous dynasty.

 

Qi Mao had mentioned that such cases were not uncommon. If the fetus was full-term, even if the mother died, it was still possible for the baby to be born.

 

And children like this often had extraordinary fates, frequently becoming figures of great importance.

 

Song Liqing held the infant in his arms, and the baby’s cries gradually subsided.

 

For a moment, Song Liqing felt lost. He was barely able to take care of himself; how could he possibly care for a newborn baby who still needed to be nursed?

 

But he would never abandon the child.

 

“Sister, you saved my life by accident. I swear I will protect your child with my life. You can rest in peace. If I survive, I will return one day to build a grave and erect a tombstone for you, so you won’t be a wandering ghost without a resting place.”

 

Song Liqing named the baby Guan Sheng.

 

He left the funeral home with the newborn Guan Sheng in his arms. His eyes were blind, so he couldn’t tell directions and ended up heading west by mistake. After wandering for several days, he finally encountered some people who informed him that he was a hundred miles away from the capital.

 

“My father must think I’m dead. If I return, it might bring him some momentary joy, but in the end… my days are numbered, and it would be better to let him grieve only once.”

 

Song Liqing thought to himself, feeling that his heart had long since turned to ashes. His will to live wasn’t strong.

 

Moreover, with Jun Qiyu in the capital, if he died on the road to the Western Regions, it would fulfill their promise never to meet again in this life or the next.

 

So, Song Liqing wandered aimlessly, and two months passed. During this time, he encountered many bad people who treated him as a beggar and drove him away, as well as some kind people who gave him food or a few coins. He lived a meager existence, and eventually found himself at Jiayuguan.

 

But the closer he got to the poor northwest frontier, the fewer people were willing to give alms. After going hungry for three days and having nothing left, Song Liqing tried to sell his writing. However, when people saw his appearance, no one believed him. It wasn’t until two days ago that an old scholar, who valued talent, stopped.

 

“I can tell from your voice and appearance that you’re young. Have you fallen on hard times?” the old scholar asked him.

 

Song Liqing only replied, “I was seeking help from a distant relative, but things didn’t work out, and I fell into hardship.”

 

“From your speech, it seems you are a scholar,” the old scholar said. “Here’s what I’ll do. I have ink, brush, paper, and an inkstone. If you can write some good characters, I can give you some money in return.”

 

“Could you exchange it for food? And… some milk,” Song Liqing hesitated before saying, “I don’t want money. It will only get stolen.”

 

The old scholar, seeing his blindness and sickly appearance, understood the principle of a treasure inviting trouble.

 

“Alright.”

 

Song Liqing felt the rice paper and suddenly had the urge to cry. It was the first time in a long while that he had touched a brush and paper. After setting the paper straight, he dipped the brush in ink with the old scholar’s help and began to write.

 

As soon as he started writing, the scholar’s cloudy old eyes widened.

 

Even though he couldn’t see, his brush strokes were decisive, his wrist moving with ease as he wrote in a flowing script. The characters he produced were upright, elegant, and full of vitality, showing the refined style of a master. It was clear he had practiced extensively. If not for his blindness, he certainly wouldn’t be an ordinary person.

 

“Someone who can write like this can’t be a nobody,” the scholar murmured.

 

After the old scholar treated Song Liqing to a full meal, he also gave him a bag of steamed buns and some camel milk before reluctantly sending him on his way.

 

The last steamed bun that Song Liqing took out of his bag was the very last one. 

 

He took a bite, then opened his clothes to reveal Guan Sheng’s soft little face. The baby’s lips were rosy, his skin was fair, and his eyes were round and dark. He looked at Song Liqing with curiosity, not crying or fussing, just blowing bubbles with his saliva.

 

After carefully chewing the bun, Song Liqing passed the softened food into Guan Sheng’s mouth.

 

Though Song Liqing himself had been barely surviving along the way, he managed to keep Guan Sheng from starving or freezing. Perhaps it was as Qi Mao had said, that children born from coffins have a strong fate. Despite the sun and rain, this little one had survived without even catching a cold.

 

The two of them relied on each other to survive. Besides a sense of obligation to repay a debt of gratitude, Song Liqing also developed a unique affection for the baby, as if he were his own child.

 

The road ahead was long, and the immediate challenge for Song Liqing was how to pass through Jiayuguan. Jun Qiyu had posted many notices searching for him, so the border was strictly guarded.

 

As long as they could make it past the pass and into the territory of Loulan, things would be easier to manage.

 

Now, however, they were out of food, and it seemed they were at the end of their rope…

 

After feeding Guan Sheng the last bite of bun and tucking him into his clothes, Song Liqing used his cane to stand up. His most pressing task was to find more food.

 

But kind and talented people like the old scholar were rare. The pass was mostly filled with merchants in a hurry, who didn’t care whether his handwriting was good or not.

 

Among the trading caravans, a merchant with a Western Region appearance—broad forehead, bushy beard, and three gold teeth—noticed the lost and bewildered Song Liqing.

 

“Are you looking to trade your calligraphy for food?”

 

“I write quite well, or I could write couplets for you. The New Year is approaching, and you might find them useful.”

 

Having grown up in the Song family, Song Liqing had never suffered like this before, so his attempt at self-promotion seemed awkward and shy.

 

“Oh.”

 

The merchant lifted a lock of hair from Song Liqing’s forehead. Although his eyes couldn’t see, they were clear and bright. His skin, though dirty, was delicate and fair beneath his neck, which caught the merchant’s eye.

 

When Song Liqing was touched, he instinctively took a step back in defense.

 

“Don’t be afraid, you’re young,” the merchant observed. “Is your calligraphy really that good?”

 

“I…” Song Liqing hesitated. “I won’t sell it anymore. Sorry.”

 

“Wait…” The merchant called after him. “You might survive a few days without food, but what about that little baby? How long can he go without eating?”

 

Song Liqing tightened his hold on Guan Sheng.

 

Seeing his hesitation, the merchant said, “My name is Wuer Shan. I’m from the Loulan Kingdom. We don’t have the custom of putting up couplets in the Central Plains. Here’s the deal—I trade between Loulan and Jingguo, but I can’t read Central Plains script, which has cost me quite a bit. If you teach me some characters, I’ll give you food and money as payment. Consider it employment. I have many camels in my caravan, and camel’s milk is even better than cow’s milk. It could keep your little one healthy.”

 

Lacking much worldly experience, and having heard from Pei Xingxu that Loulan people were warm and simple-hearted, Song Liqing relaxed his guard a little.

 

Besides, feeding Guan Sheng only mashed buns wasn’t sustainable.

 

So he decided to take a chance.

 

“Can you get me out of the pass?”

 

“Of course,” Wuer Shan smiled. “I have the connections to ensure smooth passage every time.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Song Liqing agreed.

 

Wuer Shan was true to his word. He ordered someone to bring a bamboo tube of camel’s milk. Song Liqing fed it to Guan Sheng mouth-to-mouth, and the sound of the baby swallowing with little gulps finally brought a faint smile to his face.

 

“Come on, get in my cart.”

 

Wuer Shan personally escorted Song Liqing into the cart. As they approached the pass, he spoke briefly with the border guards of Jingguo. They didn’t inspect his caravan or goods and allowed him to pass through.

 

Amid the sound of camel bells, Song Liqing left his homeland for the first time.

 

He lifted the curtain of the cart, and a gust of wind and sand stung his eyes. The wind was dry, carrying a sharp chill like a knife, which meant they were now in the desert.

 

What had Jun Qiyu felt when he first saw the endless desert? Had he felt the same melancholy as Song Liqing did now?

 

Song Liqing’s heart seemed to start beating again, and it beat faster and faster.

 

He was finally experiencing the same wind and sand Jun Qiyu had, hearing the same camel bells and wild geese.

 

Song Liqing was drawing infinitely closer to Jun Qiyu, trying desperately to understand what kind of person he was. Had he been disoriented when he first heard the Western Region’s language? Had he been scared when he first charged into battle?

 

At the same time, Song Liqing was also moving further and further away from Jun Qiyu, finding a place where Jun Qiyu could never find him.

 

Goodbye, Jun Qiyu.

 

Author’s note: The setting is fictional, please do not associate it with real-world geography.