Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 252 Walking on Water
I stood alone and could not help but sighing towards the sky. When I looked up, I saw a group of wild geese flying in a V-shape across the blue sky. The geese were in their group, but I had lost my companion.

I was distracted for a long time and recalled Li Wan's words. I should choose a secluded place in the woods to hide. These three people were so loyal that they risked their lives for me. I must not let them down.

While it was still light, I hid in the woods and found a huge dead tree stump not far from the thatched pavilion. It was enough for me to lie down or sit on.

I hid in the woods, full of anticipation, watching the movement of light and shadows, the setting sun, and the rising silver toad. I only regretted that I was a useless scholar.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. The mountains were empty and silent. Shi Gu and the others didn't come to call me. It must be because the time was not right and they didn't succeed.

The next day, when the sky was bright, I thought that the three of them would not retreat at this time, so I lay down on a tree stump and took a nap.

I tossed and turned in my dream, not knowing how much time had passed. I suddenly woke up when I heard a noisy sound of people in the distance.

Outside the woods, teams of carriages and horses passed by, making a lot of noise and causing billowing dust.

After a while, the wheels started rolling again. From the sound, it seemed that they were carrying a heavy load. However, the military discipline of this team was very good, and they marched silently like an army holding a rocket.

I didn't know what kind of team they were, and I didn't dare to go and see. Ever since I suffered from General Liu's killing of innocent people to claim credit the night before, I knew very well that during the chaos of the Wei Dynasty, the government soldiers could not be trusted.

As the sun set, the earth shook in the northeast. The loud bang almost deafened my ears. Then the sound of fighting was deafening, coming from far away and getting closer. I was panic-stricken and trembling with fear.

The sky was already pitch black. I could see flames shooting up into the sky and the sounds of loud fighting were getting closer and closer to the woods. I decided to take shelter in the depths of the dense forest for the time being.

During the day I had discovered a path in the forest leading to the southeast. Now there was nothing I could do but to leave this dangerous place first.

The mountain path was winding and rugged. I climbed for a long time using my hands and feet before I gradually got rid of the shouts of fighting.

I have never been active, and this journey on the mountain road has exhausted my physical strength. As soon as I felt a little stable, I lay on the ground, unable to move anymore.

The raging flames and the screams of killing were already far away. I didn't know how to find the thatched pavilion, nor did I know how far this place was from Feishan. I fell to the ground miserably and rested, still thinking in my heart that I might die in the mouth of a ferocious beast and would not wake up tomorrow.

It started to drizzle in the second half of the night and it was very cold.

There was a faint light in the sky. I was living in an open space in the forest. A few steps forward out of the forest, I saw huge rocks on the cliff in front of me, which could block the wind and rain.

I took a few bites of dry food and struggled to get out of the woods. I saw someone running wildly on the mountain path with a sword in his hand, staggering towards the distance.

Yu noticed that his figure and clothes were a bit like Xiao Chen, and wanted to call him, but Xiao Chen walked very quickly, turned a corner, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

I braved the rain and approached the cliff. The sky was brighter. I stood on the cliff and looked east. I could hear the waves crashing on the shore and the cries of gulls and egrets. There was a big river flowing under the cliff. A big ship was leaving the water. There were men and women on the ship. The men were holding sharp knives in their hands, and the women were bare-headed and had their hair loose. It was pitiful.

At this time, the big ship had just set sail. I saw clearly from the cliff that there was a woman leaning against the side of the ship with her hands and feet huddled. The silver-red clothes she was wearing were similar to the ones my wife Fu Niang had worn yesterday. Judging from her appearance and figure, she seemed to be Fu Niang.

I was so excited that I jumped into the air while standing on the cliff and waved my hands desperately. In a trance, I didn't know if it was an illusion, but the woman in the silver-red shirt on the boat seemed to see the movements on the cliff, and she looked up at me in a daze.

I regretted that I could not reach Fu Niang in one step. There were stone steps on the top of the cliff winding down to the bottom. The road had been in disrepair for a long time, and the overgrown vines were entangled in the pits and valleys, blocking my steps.

By the time I stumbled down the valley and reached the water's edge, the ship was already within an arrow's reach.

Suddenly, someone rowed a small boat among the reeds and called me, "Sir, the king ordered me to wait here. The king is fine and has gone ahead on the boat ahead."

I looked in astonishment. The man on the boat was wearing a straw hat and a raincoat. He rowed to the water's edge and looked at each other in surprise, saying, "You are not the military advisor. Who are you?"

I stammered, and just as I was about to ask the boatman to take me to catch up with the big boat in front, the people on the boat turned around and left the shore at a high speed, and in an instant they disappeared into the misty islets in the river, without a trace left.

The big ship was going farther and farther away. I thought I could not catch up with it and didn't know what to do. But I saw a silver-red figure climbing up the side of the ship and jumping off. The river water was stirred up with ripples, but soon it was calm again.

The big ship did not stop, but sailed quickly into the distance.

I was horrified and burst into tears. He was so close to me, yet he was suddenly separated from me forever.

The world is heartless and my heart is broken. How endless is this endless hatred?

I stood alone by the water, wondering what day it was. I didn’t know when the drizzle would stop, nor when the sun would rise and set.

Suddenly one night, I dreamed that when Fu Niang was abducted, her lips moved slightly and she whispered, "Yun Ke."

I suddenly came to realize that the person Fu Niang was talking about that day was "Yun Ke". I have seen with my own eyes that Yun Ke has profound Taoist skills. With his help, it is not impossible for Fu Niang to come back to life.

However, after Yunke set up the barrier at the villa in Cuihua Village that day, he disappeared and must have returned to Jiaozhi.

I then made up my mind that I would go to Jiaozhi to find Yunke even if it was thousands of miles away.

Li Xunzhi's "Memories of Hexiang Tower" comes to an abrupt end here.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai looked at each other in bewilderment. The story was obviously not over yet. Did he not record what happened to this Mr. Li later, or was the manuscript lost?