Maomao
the next day,
with Shiyou—
nursing him, and
Xiao Hong—
looking after her. That was all there was to it. Or rather, there was nothing else to do. Looking after Xiao Hong mostly meant sharing her meals, helping her brush her teeth after eating, and wiping her body with a damp cloth. Beyond that—
"Hey, how do you read this?"
Xiao Hong was sitting on Shiyou's lap, leafing through an old book.
"That's 'myō.' The place you always go to pray."
"And this?"
"This one is—"
The uncle and niece seemed to get along splendidly. Xiao Hong had appeared shy and withdrawn, but she took well to her uncle. As for Shiyou, he was doing his best to keep his niece from getting bored in their cramped room.
"Alright. Shall we play some pebbles next?"
"Yeah!"
They lined up nuts and small stones on the floor and took turns flicking them. It was a simple game, but Xiao Hong looked like she was having fun.
(Was being separated from her parents really not that painful?)
With nothing else to do, Maomao found her thoughts wandering. The man who brought their meals was always the same one, who doubled as their guard. He even brought extra water. The treatment was close to imprisonment, but judging by Shiyou's demeanor, they were laying low more than anything. Whenever meals were delivered, a piece of paper was slipped in alongside them. Shiyou would read it without showing it to Maomao, then burn it in the candle flame.
There was a high chance that Maomao and Xiao Hong's disappearance had caused a great commotion, but the atmosphere around them hadn't changed much. At the very least, there was no uproar at the post town.
If the eccentric strategist had noticed Maomao's absence, he would have caused an uproar all the way to the post town. That was why the one who had brought Maomao—
Sparrow—
must have been handling things in her own way.
Shiyou patiently played with Xiao Hong until she grew tired and fell asleep. Xiao Hong seemed to enjoy hearing stories about his travels, and she would listen to his old tales in place of a lullaby before drifting off. Once she was sound asleep, Shiyou looked at Maomao.
"You seem to have figured quite a few things out. Don't you have any questions for me?"
"Even if I asked, you probably wouldn't answer. And even if you did, there are plenty of things I'd rather not know."
Most of what comes Maomao's way are things she really doesn't need to know.
"Then I'll tell you just one thing. I'm leaving this house in the morning. And you'll be released in the evening."
"That's the best news I could hope for."
Shiō leaves in the morning, and Maomao is released in the evening. In other words, that means whatever needs to happen will happen during that window.
(Seriously, give it a rest with the ambushes and such.)
They temporarily isolated Maomao because they didn't want Jinshi to find out about the attack. That was one way to read it.
(Somehow I don't think it was an attack.)
If that's the case, it smells even more suspicious.
"When the time comes, I'll be taking separate action. Would you refuse if I asked Xiaohong to look after you in my place?"
"...Saying that in a situation where I can't refuse doesn't really count as a request."
Maomao had no intention of refusing anyway, but she should at least put up a token protest.
But the man called Shiō was nothing like his father—
Gyokuō.
They shared nothing in common but their facial features and a peculiar sort of boldness. The boldness, in fact, seemed more natural in Shiō than in Gyokuō.
Gyokuō's boldness was not innate—it was the result of forcing himself to project it.
Shiō's was something he was simply born with.
That was how Maomao perceived it.
The things a man that bold would go to such lengths to hide, cooping himself up in a room—Maomao could half-guess what they were, but she also knew full well that confirming her suspicions would inevitably be dangerous, so she didn't ask.
"Anyway, as long as you see to it that we're safely escorted to the Western Capital, Xiaohong and I will return to the main estate. What should I do if I'm questioned about anything there?"
"Just talk while it's still fresh. You treated me when I was wounded. You came along because I still needed treatment. That's all there is to it."
"And what about Xiaohong?"
"Tell them she got attached to me and came along because she was worried. Something like that."
No, that excuse was way too harsh.
(
Jinshi...
Would I accept that excuse as valid?
Something about this felt like it would get oddly troublesome.
Still, if they could return by tomorrow, there was no problem for Maomao. She decided to go to sleep quickly and wait for the morning.
The next day, Maomao woke up to the sound of rustling movements.
Several men and one woman stood there. They all looked like escort warriors. Escort warriors were those who made a living guarding money, treasures, or important people.
"You're awake?"
Chishio was also dressed in a similar manner. Even changing from a rogue to an escort warrior didn't change his aura much. However, his posture was so straight it was hard to believe he had a gut wound.
"Sit up too straight and your wound might open."
"I've bandaged it tightly, so a little bleeding should be fine?"
His assumption that they would be moving annoyed Maomao, but she couldn't take any more responsibility.
Maomao woke up the drowsy Xiaohong. She didn't want Xiaohong to cry upon waking and finding her uncle gone.
While she was making the bleary-eyed child wave her hand, another man dressed as an escort warrior arrived.
He whispered something to the female escort warrior.
"...Should we hurry? It seems they've caught onto us here."
Her voice was low and calm. The woman knelt in front of Maomao.
"Please move while keeping the clothes. I'm sorry, but we must ask you to come with us."
"...I understand."
Maomao had no choice but to listen.
Stepping outside with a neutral expression, she boarded the prepared carriage. It wasn't an escort warrior's carriage but a regular covered wagon. The clothes handed to Maomao were of high quality. Xiaohong also received a set, so Maomao had her change first.
"Where are we moving to?"
"Please rest assured. No matter what happens, I will protect your lives."
It wasn't an answer. However, considering that only the female escort warrior was in the carriage with them, it was likely meant as consideration for Maomao and the others.
"We'll take a different route from Chishio. If we can hide successfully, we'll return to the Western Capital as is."
"Understood."
Inside the covered wagon, nothing outside could be seen. Xiaohong, anxious, clung to Maomao. The female escort warrior sat cross-legged, never letting go of the curved blade in her hand.
She appeared to be in her thirties. Her back was straight and her gaze sharp. Maomao was terrible at remembering faces, but this was almost certainly their first meeting.
For the time being, Maomao had no choice but to entrust her life to this woman.
The carriage
two hours
or so had it been traveling. The speed wasn't particularly fast. But the horses were probably getting tired by now. Even with a pair of them, a covered wagon was heavy. Normally, this would be a good time to stop and rest at least once. The fact that there was still no sign of stopping meant—
Could it be that someone was pursuing them?
The carriage clattered to a halt.
"What's wrong?"
The female escort warrior asked the driver.
"Let us stop at the next village. Those fellows are glaring at me, demanding I give the horses water."
Those fellows the driver referred to were the horses.
"Understood."
The female escort warrior returned to the cargo bed and relayed that they would be stopping at the next village. Their cover story was that of a mother and child returning to their hometown.
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
Maomao looked at Xiaohong. They bore absolutely no resemblance to each other, and besides, Xiaohong was clearly too young to have a child this old.
"In Jusei Province, it's not unusual for women to have children at a younger age than in the capital. Besides, as long as we're playing mother and child, even if the kid doesn't look like me, I can simply insist that she takes after her father."
With that, the female escort warrior promptly produced her cosmetics.
"Also, a woman can disguise herself to some extent with makeup."
With practiced hands, she began painting Maomao's face as though it were a canvas. The face powder was not so much pure white as it was tinged with red, producing a skin tone closer to that of the locals.
"...If I may ask, wouldn't it be better to simply return to the Western Capital as we are? I don't think our departure would have any significant impact."
Maomao was curious about what they were so desperate to hide that they would imprison her over it, but she couldn't even begin to guess what it might be. And since she couldn't guess, there was nothing to report to Jinshi.
The fact that she wouldn't be killed as a silencing measure at the same time—
Sparrow's
consideration, perhaps?
"The reason you aren't being sent back right now is not for Lord Shishō's sake, but for the Moon Prince's sake."
(For Jinshi?)
Without understanding a thing, Maomao could only go along with it.