Bian Lingbai nodded. After another moment of thought, he asked, “Should we send a team to guard it?”
“Disguising a few soldiers as bandits to patrol the foot of the mountain is fine, but nobody’s been there for almost twenty years; there’s no urgency. Right now the only people who know of this are you, me, and Young Master Zhao here, so there’s no chance of it getting out. You needn’t worry, General Bian,” Fei Hongde explained.
“All right,” Bian Lingbai said. “That’s reasonable.”
He broke out in hearty laughter again, then waved Duan Ling over to sit beside him. Patting him firmly on the shoulder, he said, “The heavens sent you to help me! This matter is a done deal.”
Duan Ling nodded, smiling at Bian Lingbai. Fei Hongde turned his gaze toward Duan Ling and said, “Young man, you’ve had a tough journey. I just arrived here myself from Western Liang.”
“It wasn’t too bad,” Duan Ling replied. “Wu Du was with me.”
“I see,” Fei Hongde said. “And when did you arrive in Xichuan?”
“At the start of spring this year,” Duan Ling answered.
“Your father’s former subordinates in the Shandong Garrison joined the Ministry of War after the troops were relieved. It seems you chose to follow Wu Du instead of seeking them out. This was a wise decision,” Fei Hongde said.
“I didn’t dare show myself too openly. After all, people’s hearts are hard to know.”
Fei Hongde nodded. “Remind me, which family did your cousin marry into?”
Duan Ling’s heart pounded. Fei Hongde was obviously pretending to reminisce with him while attempting to verify his identity. Thanking the heavens that he’d done his research, he asked, “Which cousin?”
“Ah, I don’t remember,” Fei Hongde said with a smile. “When I worked for the late emperor in Shandong, I heard there was an exquisitely beautiful girl in your mother’s family…”
“Ah, you must mean my fourth sister,” Duan Ling replied in a snap. “But she fell ill after she married.”
Fei Hongde’s understanding nod was slow and measured.
“Mister Fei has traveled extensively,” Bian Lingbai told Duan Ling. “Though he’s Tangut by birth, he serves as a scribe in my army. Feel free to ask him for advice.”
“Thank you very much,” Duan Ling said.
Fei Hongde turned once more to Bian Lingbai. “General, we’ll need a map of the area north of Tong Pass before we can discuss this in more detail.”
Duan Ling sensed they were through with him, so it was unsurprising when Bian Lingbai said a few kind words and dismissed him to go and get a good rest. Bian Lingbai’s attitude toward him now was poles apart compared to when Duan Ling had first arrived; he seemed to regard Duan Ling now almost as a younger brother.
Once Duan Ling had left the study, Bian Lingbai turned back to Fei Hongde. “So?”
The man deliberated for a moment before replying. “There’s no mistake about his identity. He’s certainly Zhao Pu’s relative.”
Bian Lingbai was reassured by this. “It’s still possible he’s impersonating someone, though.”
“That seems unlikely. You observed him as well—the child must come from a family of scholars, yet he also displays some military manners. He speaks little, but when he does, his words are natural and composed. He is not afraid of you, which means he’s confident in himself. He isn’t the cowering sort you could find anywhere. Where could Wu Du possibly locate such a young man for a ruse? Besides, what benefit is there for him in fooling us?”
Bian Lingbai had to agree. What would Wu Du gain from dragging a young man all the way across the country with a treasure map in hand, just to deliver his enemy a trove of money?
“He betrayed General Zhao, and caused Li Jianhong’s death,” Bian Lingbai said, befuddled. “Though he’s under Mu Kuangda’s command right now, his life must be hard going. He’s probably hoping to find a better master.”
“Wu Du is an indecisive man,” Fei Hongde said. “He took refuge with the Mu family, but Changliu-jun certainly won’t let him stand out or receive any rewards. It makes sense that he would seek you out, General.”
“If Helan Jie hadn’t come to me earlier, Wu Du would’ve been ideal for our purposes,” Bian Lingbai mused.
Fei Hongde sighed at the reminder. “Speaking of Helan Jie… I remain against you taking him in. If the court learns he’s here, you’re bound to be implicated in the murder of the late emperor.”
“Never mind that.” Bian Lingbai waved his hand impatiently. “That’s enough.”
Fei Hongde tipped his head, acknowledging the dismissal. “I will survey the site within a few days.”
With that, he took his leave. Alone in his study, Bian Lingbai allowed his face to split into a broad grin. He unfolded the map, studying its details over and over with an avaricious gleam in his eyes.
Wu Du and Duan Ling walked back together through the night-darkened corridors. A bright moon hung over Tong Pass, so large it seemed unreal, its clear brilliance glowing across the land. A light breeze blew past, and Duan Ling froze in place at the end of the corridor, sensing something. Wu Du stopped too, his brows quirking. He glanced at Duan Ling in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Duan Ling shook his head, unable to put the strange feeling to words.
Wu Du laid a hand on Duan Ling’s shoulder, and the two looked out over the courtyard. Under the languid light of the moon, Duan Ling felt he’d truly become Zhao Rong.
“The waters of Diannan, the moon of Tong Pass,” Wu Du said. “The pines of Mount Yuheng, the snow of Lan Pass.”
Duan Ling’s head snapped around. “You know this, too?”
“Know what?” Wu Du replied.
“Those…” Duan Ling recalled what Li Jianhong had told him about the Central Plains. He paused, gathering his thoughts. “My dad used to tell me there are too many beautiful places in this world.”
“Those of the jianghu have unfettered souls,” Wu Du said with a casual diffidence.
“So this is the moon of Tong Pass,” Duan Ling reflected aloud. “And the maple groves beneath Yubi Pass…”
“You’ll see those too someday,” Wu Du said to him. “Come on.”
“Are you saying you’ll take me there?” Duan Ling asked.
“You can think of it that way, if you’d like,” Wu Du replied carelessly.
They guarded their words inside Bian Lingbai’s residence, but Duan Ling knew what he meant: After this mission, Wu Du would take him wherever he wanted.