Chapter 79
HELIAN BO IMMEDIATELY—and personally—set aside a portion of his party’s rations to feed Duan Ling. Now that Duan Ling had been found, Shang Leguan ordered the men to patrol the area and prevent their discovery.
Duan Ling spoke between rapid bites. “Bian Lingbai’s definitely gonna kill me…”
Helian Bo shushed him, gesturing for Duan Ling to focus on stuffing his face if he was so hungry. Duan Ling rummaged through the rations sack; the jerky he’d been gnawing was both tough and overly salty. Helian Bo broke him off pieces of cheese from his own meal, and Shang Leguan brought over a leftover roasted rabbit leg from dinner. It was just what Duan Ling needed.
Once his stomach was full, Duan Ling let out a long sigh and told Helian Bo, “I’m gonna go wash.”
Helian Bo followed him to the river, and when Duan Ling beckoned him to join, the pair stripped down and jumped in together. Within moments they were splashing each other, wrestling and choking on water until they finally climbed ashore. After dressing again, they lay down side by side on the hilltop, gazing at the starlit night sky.
“O-one year!” Helian Bo said.
Duan Ling realized that, as of that day, it had been exactly one year since they parted.
“I-I’m sorry,” Helian Bo added.
“Huh?” Duan Ling sat up, cross-legged, and looked at Helian Bo with confusion.
Guilty and anxious to express himself, Helian Bo stammered, “I-I-I shouldn’t have tried to talk terms with you. N-n-no terms. I’ve done you wrong… I-it’s my f-fault. D-Duan Ling, y-y-you’re the only…f-friend I have left.”
Duan Ling was utterly perplexed by this outburst.
“No trade; no need to,” Helian Bo continued, frowning deeply and slapping his own chest. The anxious lines of his furrowed brow conveyed more than his spoken words. “Brother, I-I will kill for you!”
Duan Ling had always been closer to Helian Bo than most. Back at Ming Academy, whenever Helian Bo had tried to speak, Huyan had always made fun of him, Batu had impatiently told him to shut his mouth, and Cai Yan’s expression had always been shaded with derision. Even the headmaster would merely offer a half-hearted nod to indicate he’d heard. Only Duan Ling had listened with any seriousness; only Duan Ling had understood him.
In his eagerness to speak, Helian Bo stopped worrying about choosing succinct wording to avoid his stammer and simply poured everything out. “I-i-is it because I-I didn’t immediately agree, th-th-that you went to do something d-dangerous? I-I-I was so worried…”
Finally, Duan Ling grasped the situation.
Bian Lingbai had returned with a man missing and had needed to provide an explanation; when Helian Bo asked him, he claimed to have dispatched Duan Ling on an errand. Yet very shortly thereafter, Fei Hongde had approached Helian Bo with a vaguely worded warning that Duan Ling had disappeared and might be in danger. He’d then suggested that he knew Bian Lingbai was colluding with Helian Bo’s uncle and handed Helian Bo a map, urging him to search for Duan Ling without delay.
This chain of events had led Helian Bo to believe that, after their negotiation ended inconclusively, with Duan Ling unable to produce any concrete terms for a trade, Duan Ling, out of desperation, had attempted to investigate the Western Liang army hiding on Qin Ridge himself. When Duan Ling disappeared, Helian Bo was racked with regret—this “trade” might have cost the life of his dear friend. What if Duan Ling had been attacked, or kidnapped? Clinging to a thread of hope, Helian Bo had searched the area laid out on Fei Hongde’s map, and thankfully, his efforts had borne fruit: Duan Ling had been found unharmed.
Of course, the swelling on his forehead from their wrestling match was a different story.
Helian Bo plowed ahead without waiting for Duan Ling to respond. “I-I-I will go back and find my uncle. Withdrawn! Th-the army will be w-withdrawn!”
Duan Ling waved his hands, motioning for Helian Bo to hear him out. Though puzzled, Helian Bo gave him his full attention.
“Where do I even begin?” Duan Ling sighed. He had so much to say he didn’t know where to start. Finally, he began, “My name isn’t actually Bian Rong. Or Zhao Rong, for that matter.” Helian Bo nodded, and Duan Ling added, “My name is Wang Shan, at least for now.”
Helian Bo stared blankly at him.
“Anyway”—Duan Ling waved a hand again—“my name is not important.”
Helian Bo nodded emphatically and patted Duan Ling firmly on the shoulder before yanking him hard into his arms and squeezing him in a tight hug. “Wh-wh-who you are i-isn’t i-important. Y-you are my b-b-b-best f-friend,” Helian Bo declared, undeterred by his stutter.
Duan Ling nearly broke into tears. You Tangut barbarian, can’t you be more subtle like the Han instead of making people get all emotional like this?
Helian Bo released Duan Ling and patted him again, gesturing for him to continue.
Faced with this declaration of friendship, Duan Ling contemplated for several moments, unable to decide whether or not to reveal his true identity. But what could Helian Bo do, even if he knew? Lend Duan Ling an army to help him reclaim his rightful place? Helian Bo himself was in a delicate position at home; if their two kingdoms were to clash in war, it’d be their innocent peoples and soldiers who’d suffer.
Besides, friendships shouldn’t be manipulated like that.
In the end, Duan Ling said, “I’m assisting Southern Chen’s prime minister. I came under the name Zhao Rong in order to infiltrate Bian Lingbai’s residence and collect evidence of his intent to rebel…”
Duan Ling proceeded to confess everything to Helian Bo, including what he knew about the army of twenty thousand lying in ambush at Tong Pass, as well as Bian Lingbai’s deal with Helian Da to dispatch Helian Bo on the border between their two nations. He even recounted to Helian Bo how Bian Lingbai had urged Helan Jie to return as soon as possible in order to carry out the assassination.
Though Helian Bo had matured considerably in the time they’d been apart, he was struggling to process everything he was learning. Dazed, he motioned for Duan Ling to give him a moment to digest it all.
“Wu Du went back to Xichuan to request an imperial edict,” Duan Ling said. “Once we have the prime minister’s approval, I’ll give you the papers to bring back to Western Liang…”
“Wu Du.” For some reason, within that deluge of information, Helian Bo had neglected all other details and honed in on this single name.
“Helian?” Duan Ling asked, exasperated. “Did you hear me?”
Helian Bo nodded, but gestured emphatically, as if nothing was more important than his next question: “Wh-wh-who is Wu Du to you?”
Duan Ling opened his mouth to explain that Wu Du was his friend in the same way Helian Bo was, then paused. That explanation didn’t feel right. “He’s my…” He trailed off, unsure how to answer. Subordinate? That wasn’t right either. Partner? Even weirder. After some thought, the only apt description would be family, but as far as Helian Bo knew, Duan Ling didn’t really have any. Besides, Helian Bo had seen Lang Junxia before and even come over for dinner in the past. Duan Ling didn’t want to digress into this, nor explain why Lang Junxia wasn’t with him anymore.