Chapter 43 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

Letters

Three days after the survey trip to the old pile area, the Khâm Vân Ti team still had not left the border, citing the need for more time to process the measurement data. Diệp Sương spent most of that time pretending to be busy with daily work - teaching Little Tơ how to draw charms, helping Sầm Nguyên Trạch inventory supplies, being on duty at the observation post - while keeping her eyes on every movement of Lỗ Khắc Viên and his men, trying not to reveal anything out of the ordinary.

Little Tơ, more sensitive than Diệp Sương expected, once stopped her hand in the middle of repainting the unfinished charm and looked up. "You've been looking into the distance a lot lately," she said, her voice innocent but her eyes unusually probing for her age. "Are you worried about something?"

"I'm just thinking about adult things," Diệp Sương replied, trying to force a smile, patting the girl's head. "There's nothing you need to worry about."

Little Tơ didn't ask any more questions, just silently bent down to continue drawing, but occasionally glanced at her, as if she didn't completely believe that reassurance.

That afternoon, a lonely messenger, not wearing a military uniform, riding a skinny donkey, appeared at the Tiêu Sa Pass gate at dusk, asking directly for Diệp Sương's name without going through any formalities.

"Young Master Tat told me to deliver it personally, not to anyone else," the messenger said, his voice hoarse because of the distance, handing her a wax-sealed envelope that bore no official seal.

Diệp Sương thanked him, put some loose change and a portion of hot rice into the messenger's hand, then quickly found a deserted corner to open the letter immediately, her heart beating fast because she had a feeling that the content inside was not a small matter.

*

Tất Bá Kỳ's handwriting, which is familiar and neat, is somewhat rushed in this letter, with ink smudged in some places as if written in a hurry.

"Miss Chu," the letter said, "I apologize for not being able to send it through the usual dispatch route. After returning to the sect, I personally presented the report, including the appendix about the old stakes, to the council of elders as promised. But three days later, when I happened to ask the archives office again to add more details, I discovered that the appendix was not in the official record that had been stamped for receipt. It disappeared, as if it had never existed."

Diệp Sương reread that sentence twice, a cold feeling spread down her spine even though the afternoon was still sweltering.

"I asked directly the secretary in charge that day," the letter continued. "He said he only remembered receiving the complete set of reports, not sure why the appendix was separate from the main copy. I did not dare to ask further, for fear of causing alarm. But I began to notice, recently Elder Húc often had private, discreet meetings, with a few people wearing Khâm Vân Ti uniforms who were not of low rank. I do not have any specific evidence directly linking the two things, just a hunch that I do not know. Can't ignore it. Please be very careful."

"I also tried to find old records in the archives related to the battlefield around Vân Tiêu Peak, from the unusual rift last year," the letter added, the handwriting becoming more and more hurried as if afraid of not having time to say everything before having to fold the paper. "But most of the geological survey records around the foot of the mountain from more than ten years ago are marked 'transferred to central archives', meaning they are no longer in the sect's archives, but have been sent somewhere else - most likely to Khâm Vân Ti. I don't know if this is a normal procedure or a deliberate arrangement, but it makes me even more uneasy."

*

The same letter also had another letter, Âu Bội Nhi's familiar scribbled handwriting, much thicker than before.

"Dear Sương," the letter said, "I heard something, I don't know if it has anything to do with you, but after thinking about it, I still felt the need to write it down. A few days ago, I happened to pass by Elder Húc's office, and heard a vague conversation through the door - I didn't mean to eavesdrop, it's just that the door was ajar and his voice was a bit loud. There was a stranger, with an unfamiliar voice, mentioning the phrase 'Tiêu Sa area' and 'it needs to be dealt with quickly before anyone else gets involved. pay attention'. I couldn't hear everything clearly, because someone was coming so I had to walk quickly."

Diệp Sương clenched the paper in her hand, her palms were sweaty even though the afternoon wind was getting colder.

"I can't confirm that they are talking about you," Âu Bội Nhi continued to write, "but that phrase makes me feel a little uneasy. You and Thanh Việt remember to be careful, don't reveal that you are finding out anything. I will try to listen more, but must be very discreet, not letting anyone suspect."

*

That night, Diệp Sương brought both letters to find Thanh Việt, sitting together on the familiar steps under the crescent moon, reading each line over and over again to him.

"'Let's deal with it before anyone else notices'," Thanh Việt repeated, his voice lower. "That doesn't sound like a direct threat, but it's not a harmless statement either."

"I think they're talking about covering up information," Diệp Sương said, her voice shaking slightly. "It doesn't necessarily mean sealing you off, but sealing off what you're discovering. But if you continue to learn, perhaps, sooner or later, those two things will become one."

Thanh Việt was silent for a long time, his fingers tightening around hers. "Do you want to stop?" he asked softly, his voice not reproachful, just a sincere question. "I will support whatever you choose."

Diệp Sương looked out at the distant Hạn Thủy ravine, where the moonlight reflected dimly on the cracked ground surface, thinking of the broken Vân Tiêu battlefield, of the rotten stakes in the middle of the barren land, of Mrs. Chín Lài's advice still echoing in her head.

"No," she replied, her voice more certain than she expected. "If someone is trying to overexploit the Linh Mạch for personal gain, and that is the reason why so many people in places like Diêm Cốc village have suffered for so many years, I can't pretend I never knew. Draw a charm to save someone and finish it—my teacher once told me—and I thought this is no different from a charm I've started drawing but have not yet finished."

*

Thanh Việt looked at her for a long time, his eyes containing a mixture of worry and admiration. "Then we'll continue," he said, his voice regaining its usual calmness. "But be more careful than before. Don't write anything too obvious in the letter anymore, don't leave documents in one place, and absolutely don't let Lỗ Khắc Viên know that we are suspicious of him."

"I agree," Diệp Sương replied, folding the two letters carefully and pressing them against her chest instead of bringing them back to her room to keep in a chest as usual—a new habit formed since the night she saw Chúc Nghi Lam secretly copying her notes.

The night wind blew across the desert land, bringing with it a familiar cold breath, but this time, in the sound of that wind, Diệp Sương no longer heard the peace she had felt just a few weeks ago, but a new tense rhythm, as if this land itself was holding its breath waiting for something to happen, something that neither she nor Thanh Việt could fully see.

Before leaving, she looked up at the starry sky, telling herself she would write back to both Tất Bá Kỳ and Âu Bội Nhi the next morning, using the vaguest words possible, but enough for both to understand that she had received the warning, and would not back down.

*

The next morning, before it was completely dawn, Diệp Sương sat at the small table in the room, grinding ink with the same homemade ink stick she was used to using, carefully choosing each word when writing a reply.

To Âu Bội Nhi, she only wrote a few short lines, mentioning "received the letter, taking care of her health, thank you for always caring" - harmless words to anyone who secretly read them, but Âu Bội Nhi, who understood her better than anyone, would definitely notice the unusual silence behind those very normal words.

With Tất Bá Kỳ, she wrote more carefully, only mentioning that "the recent survey trip discovered a few more interesting things, I will tell the details when I have the opportunity to meet in person", avoiding mentioning any specific names or places that could make the letter dangerous if it fell into the hands of others.

She folded both letters, sealed them carefully, and then brought them to the same messenger riding a donkey yesterday - whom Sầm Nguyên Trạch had confirmed was a trustworthy veteran who had served under him for many years - to deliver them by his own route, without going through the official post station where the Khâm Vân Ti group could easily keep an eye on them.

When the skinny donkey disappeared behind the sand dunes, Diệp Sương stood silently at the gate for a long time, her hands still smelling of familiar ink. Her heart was relieved that she had done something, yet heavy because she knew that from that moment on, the road ahead would no longer allow her to turn back.