[Water Margin] Hu Sanniang with her delicate hands - Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The Xiyu jade flask, a gift from Dǎlǐbō, rested beside Hu Sanniang’s pillow. It was like a stone dropped into the lake of her heart; the ripples it created were far from settled. The gallant figure in the daytime, the unsolicited gift at night, and the phrase, “This Liangshan… is not worthy of you,” echoed repeatedly in her mind like a mantra.
She could not discern the Liao Princess’s intentions. Her actions went beyond all of Hu Sanniang’s expectations and understanding. Was there an ulterior motive, or was it merely the pure, uninhibited nature of a grassland daughter? Regardless, it instinctively held a dangerous attraction for her.
In the past few days, Liangshan Marsh remained deceptively calm. Song Jiang and Wu Yong seemed to be in close consultation with the Liao envoys, though the specifics were unknown to Hu Sanniang. She continued to lead a secluded life, but her state of mind was no longer the same.
This afternoon, she was cleaning her Sun and Moon double sabers in the courtyard when an unfamiliar maid, dressed in Liao attire, quietly arrived outside the yard and handed her a folded piece of parchment, whispering in broken Chinese: “From the Princess to the Third Mistress.”
Hu Sanniang’s heart tightened slightly. She took the parchment and unfolded it. There were no words, only a simple sketch drawn with charcoal—a winding path leading to a secluded valley deep within the marsh, marked with strange symbols. Below the diagram, a small jade flask was drawn.
The meaning was self-evident.
An invitation? And one so secretive.
Should she go, or not?
Reason told her it was extremely risky. The other party’s identity was sensitive, and her own situation was precarious. If a private meeting were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable. Furthermore, she knew nothing about Dǎlǐbō.
But deep in her heart, an uncontainable impulse was stirring. It was an instinctive craving for the unknown, for change, for that unique light, after being trapped in a cage for too long. Dǎlǐbō was the first, and only, person she had met since falling into Liangshan who made her feel “different.”
She rubbed the jade flask by her pillow. Beneath the cool touch, she felt as if she could sense the residual strength and warmth of the giver’s fingertips.
In the end, longing overruled caution.
That night, with the moon obscured and the stars sparse, it was a good time for secret actions. Hu Sanniang changed into dark, casual clothes, concealed her sabers close to her body, and, relying on her excellent memory and the parchment map, avoided the patrolling henchmen. Like a civet cat in the dark night, she silently slipped out of the rear stockade and made her way along the edge of the marsh toward the secluded valley marked on the map.
The deeper she went, the more rugged and untraveled the path became. The sound of running water and chirping insects accentuated the profound silence. After about half an hour, the path suddenly opened up to a small valley embraced by hills, with a clear pool in the center reflecting the sparse starlight.
The pool’s edge was empty.
Hu Sanniang stopped, focusing her senses. Had the person not arrived yet, or was it… a trap?
Just as she grew wary, a very slight sound, a dry twig snapping, suddenly came from the dense woods behind her! Not an animal, but a person!
Someone was following her!
Hu Sanniang’s heart clenched. She instantly turned, her double sabers sliding into her grasp, her eyes sharp as an eagle’s, fixed on the darkness where the sound came from. “Who is it?” she whispered harshly, her voice echoing in the silent valley.
From the darkness came a lewd and familiar low laugh: “Heh heh, Third Mistress, such fine taste you have, out here alone in the wilderness this late at night… Could it be, you’re waiting for someone?”
As the voice spoke, Wang Ying’s short, sturdy figure, along with two of his trusted henchmen, emerged from behind the trees, his face alight with undisguised lust and triumph. He had clearly been following her all along!
Hu Sanniang’s anger soared, mixed with the cold realization that her plan had been exposed. She forcefully suppressed the killing intent and said coldly: “Wang Ying, what do you want?”
“What do I want?” Wang Ying rubbed his hands, closing in step by step, his gaze roaming over her body. “My feelings for the Third Mistress are witnessed by Heaven and Earth! Although Brother Song said to discuss it later, I truly cannot wait any longer! Tonight is a beautiful night, perfect for the Third Mistress and I to consummate our relationship. Once the rice is cooked, Brother won’t have anything more to say…”
The two henchmen behind him let out malicious guffaws.
Hu Sanniang’s eyes turned completely icy, and she tightened her grip on her double sabers. She knew this night could not end peacefully. Even if she could kill Wang Ying, the resulting commotion would expose her secret meeting with the Liao envoy (even if it hadn’t occurred), with unthinkable consequences. But if she were to suffer this humiliation, she would rather shatter than bend!
Just as she prepared to fight to the death, and as Wang Ying leaped forward with a sneer—
“Shuu—!”
A sharp, ear-splitting sound, like the sigh of the Grim Reaper, unexpectedly tore through the night’s silence!
A black shadow, fast as lightning, shot down from the high cliff diagonally! With a muffled “thud,” it accurately plunged into the ground less than half a chi from Wang Ying’s foot! It was a black feather arrow. The fletching was still trembling slightly, and the shaft was buried several inches deep in the earth, demonstrating the shooter’s astonishing arm strength and accuracy!
The sudden arrow startled a cry out of Wang Ying, who leaped back instantly, his face turning pale. The henchmen behind him were also terrified out of their wits, hastily drawing their weapons and looking in horror toward the source of the arrow.
Hu Sanniang’s heart was also severely shaken. She looked up.
On the high cliff not far away, the moonlight barely outlined a tall, lithe figure. The person held a longbow, their stance composed. Although their face was indiscernible, Hu Sanniang recognized the unique posture and outline immediately—it was Dǎlǐbō!
Had she been there all along? Or had she just arrived?
“Where… where did the rat sneak, daring to shoot a sneak attack!” Wang Ying roared, terrified and enraged, yet hollowly so.
The person on the high cliff did not reply. The answer was the grinding sound of a bowstring being drawn again, which set teeth on edge. A second arrow was already nocked, its tip glinting faintly in the sparse starlight, aiming squarely at Wang Ying’s throat.
No words were needed; the icy killing intent spoke volumes.
Wang Ying felt a cold chill shoot straight from his feet to the top of his head. All his intoxication and lust vanished instantly. He had no doubt that if he dared to move even one more step, the next arrow would absolutely pierce his throat!
“Go… go go go!” Frightened out of his wits, he no longer cared about any beauty or good fortune. He scrambled away, rolling and crawling, along with his two pale-faced henchmen, fleeing the valley in abject panic, as if pursued by demons.
Silence returned to the valley, broken only by the rustle of the wind through the treetops and the arrow deeply embedded in the ground, silently recounting the recent danger.
Hu Sanniang stood rooted, breathing slightly, watching Wang Ying and the others disappear, then looked up at the high cliff.
The figure lowered the longbow but did not immediately descend, standing silently at the edge of the cliff, as if confirming that the danger was completely over.
The moonlight finally broke free of the clouds, pouring its clear light down like mercury, illuminating the valley and the face of the person on the cliff.
Dǎlǐbō looked down at her. Her light brown eyes appeared especially bright in the moonlight, carrying a hint of amusement, a touch of knowingness, and an… ineffable depth.
“Now,” her voice carried on the night wind, clear and steady, “can we talk properly, Hu Sanniang?”
Hu Sanniang gazed up at her, a rush of emotions in her heart: fear afterward, relief, and a complex feeling of being seen through and protected, which she could not quite name. The carefully maintained, icy shell that kept others at a distance seemed to have cracked under the continuous unexpected events and the other woman’s forceful intervention.
She put away her double sabers, and, facing the figure on the cliff, she, for the first time, proactively gave a slight nod.