Chapter 420: The Witch Child

She has two days at most before dying of dehydration.

He Lingchuan prided himself on having seen plenty over the past half year, yet even he could not help but ask, “Who did this?”

Doing something so cruel to a child, even calling whoever did this deranged hardly seems enough.

Instinctively, He Lingchuan drew his dagger. The little girl flinched and took a step back, fear flashing across her face.

Fushan Yue, however, acted as though this were nothing out of the ordinary. He waved a hand and said, “Don’t. She’s a cursed child[1].”

He Lingchuan had no idea what that meant. The girl, meanwhile, started gesturing awkwardly at Fushan Yue.

“People, lots of people... outside... fighting?”

The girl nodded.

“Alright, don’t draw attention. Come inside.”

She immediately smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, though with her mouth sewn shut, the smile could only lift so much.

He Lingchuan scooped her up and carried her in.

Outside was thick grass, with a shallow drainage ditch in the alley beyond. The light was dim. The moment the girl saw the food on the table, she swallowed hard, staring at the two men with pleading eyes.

“I shouldn’t get involved with a cursed child, but you helped me.” Fushan Yue sighed. “Alright, come here.”

The girl walked over. Fushan Yue raised his right hand. His fingernails lengthened and sharpened. Then, with a light flick across her lips, the stitches snapped apart without cutting her skin.

The girl immediately dropped to her knees and knocked her head hard against the floor.

“Eat.”

She did not hold back. She grabbed a pan-fried bun and stuffed it into her mouth, barely chewing. She swallowed two in quick succession and nearly choked.

He Lingchuan silently handed her a cup of water. She took it and drained it in one go.

The six or seven-year-old girl who had been starving ate like a little beast.

Watching from the side, He Lingchuan asked, “So what exactly is a cursed child?”

“You should know that the Twilight Plains is a relatively special place. This place used to be the capital of the State of Yuān. When Yuān fell, over eight hundred thousand soldiers and civilians were slaughtered here. The baleful qi[2] left behind from the undispersing resentment is so heavy that no amount of rites to release the souls from their suffering can cleanse it.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Fushan Yue’s expression grew solemn. “I’m a ba, so I sense the blightful energy in the earth far more keenly than ordinary people. There’s a reason why there’s a local belief that the local blight or baleful qi often latches onto the weakest children, bringing misfortune to everyone around them. Local witches will point out a cursed family, pointing out a child to be the evil or unlucky star who had been tainted by the earth blight. If it isn’t dealt with, the baleful qi will grow and spread, harming not just that household, but others as well.”

“Let me guess,” He Lingchuan snorted. “The process to deal with it costs a fortune.”

“Naturally.” Fushan Yue nodded. “Families that can’t afford it have no choice but to let the witch sew the child’s mouth shut and let them die of either hunger or thirst. Around here, people avoid cursed children like the plague. Saving one is forbidden, and anyone who does is said to be tainted by baleful qi themselves.”

“Then why are you saving her?” He Lingchuan asked. Fushan Yue did not exactly look like the charitable type, and this was hardly a convenient moment.

“She saved me when I was injured a few days ago. No one lingers where she stays, so the pursuers didn’t search too carefully,” Fushan Yue replied lightly. “At that time, I promised her that I’d take her away.”

He had never been handed a good guy plaque, but when he gave his word, he kept it, even if it meant dragging along an extra burden.

“Aren’t you afraid of the misfortune she brings?”

Fushan Yue laughed coldly. “Do I look like I fear baleful qi?” As a ba, born alongside such forces, why would he? “Besides, do you really think I can’t easily find someone to deal with baleful qi or dispel some curse? And honestly, the misery of most such people has little to do with the earth blight.”

Both of them were smart, so there were some things that needed not be said aloud.

He Lingchuan understood at once.

The true source of suffering on the Twilight Plains was their identity as descendants of the State of Yuān.

Born with original sin branded on them, what difference did a little extra misfortune make? Unable to resist those in power, they turned their knives on those even weaker.

Lingxu City had long declared that the pariah of the Twilight Plains were forbidden from leaving. Anyone who helped them would share their status. This was said to be the will of the gods and the monster emperor. Yuān’s descendants were thus pinned to a pillar of shame for generations, as proof of divine authority.

However, He Lingchuan could see from Fushan Yue’s demeanor that he clearly did not care about such decrees.

The crushing mountain over this cursed child’s head was something he could shatter with a single step.

The girl might have been small, but her appetite was enormous. She finished Fushan Yue’s leftover noodles, drank half a bowl of soup, and devoured five more buns. Afraid that she would overeat, He Lingchuan raised a hand and said, “Alright, that’s enough.” It truly was during times of famine or long periods without food that people came to be more likely to overeat themselves to their deaths.

The girl obediently put the bowl down, though with clear reluctance, and let out a long, satisfied burp.

He Lingchuan beckoned her over and carefully removed the remaining threads from her lips. The stitches had been there for three days and had already begun to grow into the flesh. Pulling them out meant more pain, so he first applied a numbing agent, then medicine.

It was delicate work. Fushan Yue propped his chin on his hand, watching. “You’re surprisingly gentle. Want me to give her to you?”

“This is your mess, so you clean it up.” He Lingchuan shot him a glance. “Anyway, do you really plan on just hiding out here?”

“I’m injured. Where else can I go right now?” Fushan Yue said lazily, flopping onto the bed. “If you can bring me a few people to eat, I’ll recover faster.”

He Lingchuan ignored him, stepped outside, and told the attendant to extend the room. As long as you paid enough, Golden Spring Elegant Baths allowed overnight stays.

About two hours later, Second Boss Shi returned, beaming.

It was not even midnight yet. Clearly, even in a place of indulgence, Second Boss Shi knew to practice moderation. He truly was the kind of man who was bound to make money.

He Lingchuan told him that Fushan Yue wanted to join the caravan.

Brother He casually picking up the eldest prince of the State of Chiyan is already shocking enough, but now the man himself even wants to travel with us?

Second Boss Shi was overjoyed. When He Lingchuan explained the father–son conflict involved, he let out a long “Oh.”

He understood exactly what this meant.

He Lingchuan did not interfere. This was a gamble that concerned the future of the Stone Gate Merchant Guild, and Second Boss Shi had to decide for himself.

If they won the bet, meaning that Fushan Yue successfully took power, then, remembering today’s protection, he might repay them richly. Still, He Lingchuan added, “If you don’t want to take the risk, I’ll send him away.”

Second Boss Shi asked, “We only need to escort him to the border of the State of Chiyan, right? Someone will meet him there?”

“Yes,” He Lingchuan said. “My guess that the Chiyan King doesn’t have long to live is only speculation.”

“From here to the Chiyan border is barely two hundred kilometers,” Second Boss Shi laughed. “That’s nothing. Invite him aboard. We’ll give him the best food and carriage.”

Doing business across Beijia territory was already a risk for merchants from a small state. Otherwise, why endure routes of several thousand kilometers?

In the pursuit of wealth, if you want to gamble, then you might as well gamble big.

He Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder, gaining new respect for the Shi brothers.

* * *

Before dawn, the Stone Gate Merchant Caravan set out.

The men yawned as they walked, some unsteady on their feet, clearly showing that they were still quite tired.

A den of pleasure burned not just silver, but stamina.

Second Boss Shi ignored it all and ordered an immediate departure. The night before, he had met Fushan Yue and, after barely a quarter-hour conversation, handed him a blank travel permit on the spot.

Issued by the State of Fu, it bore an official seal, needing only a name. He Lingchuan laughed. “Second Boss Shi, you’re really thorough.”

Second Boss Shi replied, “Better safe than sorry.”

They assigned a separate carriage to Fushan Yue and the cursed child. Once the curtains were drawn, no one could see inside.

When he had first seen the cursed child the night before, Second Boss Shi had been startled. However, he had already decided to help the eldest prince of the State of Chiyan, so adding a cursed child was no big deal. It had simply become a buy one, get one kind of deal. Fushan Yue also assured him that he could hide the girl’s identity.

Caravans carrying passengers were nothing unusual.

The girl wore He Lingchuan’s cloak and did not dare look around. Life had already taught this six-year-old the meaning of caution.

She had been sitting quietly beside Fushan Yue, but when she glanced sideways, she suddenly squeezed deeper into the carriage and pulled the curtain shut.

He Lingchuan looked in that direction and saw a poorly dressed couple approaching, glancing around anxiously, with three children trailing behind them.

The woman’s eyes were red from crying, and her features faintly resembled the girl’s.

After they had gone, He Lingchuan climbed into the carriage. “Were those your parents?”

The girl pressed her lips together and nodded.

Fushan Yue, still resting with eyes closed, spoke flatly. “No farewells.”

The girl nodded again, this time more firmly.

Fushan Yue explained, “Her parents are looking for her. They’re afraid that she might tear out the stitches. If anybody finds out, then their entire family will be shunned by everyone in the county city.”

When children were many, lives were cheap. Sacrificing one to save the rest was not a hard choice.

The thought that such parents had was that they could always just have another child.

The girl stared toward where her parents had gone, but she did not lift the curtain.

She was smart. Most children her age would cling and cry, refusing to part.

She had bathed the night before and now looked clean and neat. Aside from being thin, she looked completely fine.

For a child to survive three days with her mouth sewn shut, then recover after two meals and a night’s sleep, spoke of a strong constitution and fierce will to live.

If it was not for her having displayed such qualities, Fushan Yue would not have bothered bringing her.

She tugged at He Lingchuan’s sleeve, pointing at the wound on her mouth.

“Needle wounds heal fast. Those wounds will be gone in half a day at most,” He Lingchuan said gently.

Ling Guang’s medicine has always been effective. What a pity, Ling Guang likes having little friends. If he were here, he’d probably be playing with this little cursed child, wouldn’t he?

“What’s your name?”

The cursed child blinked her eyes and shook her head.

It seemed that she did not have an actual name. This was actually not all that strange. In the countryside, children were often just given cheap nicknames rather than formal names.

Fushan Yue said lazily, “From now on, you’re called Peach[3].”

1. The author originally wrote 巫童, which literally translates to witch child, here, but I’ve opted for this translation as it’s much more comprehensible and just reads better in English. ☜

2. This is the first time the term has been used, but it honestly seems to just be some sort of energy that results from resentment and hatred. It also seems to be some sort of blightful energy. ☜

3. I know that this is pretty inconsistent with how I’ve transliterated most of the human names in this novel, but I really feel like calling her Taozi just doesn’t read as well in English. Anyway, Fun Fact: While Peach/Taozi (桃子) is a relatively uncommon name in either Chinese or English, it’s actually pretty common in Japanese, though typically said as Momoko. However, I do feel like it isn’t that uncommon of a nickname, especially for children, particularly rather cute and plump children that look really enticing to nibble lol. ☜