A massive flow of snow came with the thunderous roar. That it was an avalanche, Maomao knew from her studies.
Snow cascaded down from the cliff behind her like a waterfall. The flow stopped quickly and never reached where she stood, but the area where the warehouse-like structure had been was now hidden behind a curtain of snow dust.
Maomao watched the scene from the terrace.
The underground explosion had driven most of the workers to flee, with the rest busy fighting the fires. On top of that, an avalanche meant they had to divert more personnel. Soldiers spilled out from the outer walls, standing there in stunned disbelief at the situation.
And there were those who would not let such an opportunity slip by.
Something white crept in through the now-undermanned outer wall.
It blended in with the snow, making it hard to spot from a distance. But she could see the panicked soldiers clashing with it, sprays of red scattering through the air.
Blood splattered across the pristine white snow.
The white shapes were intruders. When they cast off their white cloaks, armor was revealed beneath.
Maomao recognized the figure leading the charge.
Even in armor, that elegance was infuriatingly unchanged. Every sweep of the blade sent his hair flying. On a blood-soaked battlefield no less—it was like watching a sword dance.
(So he's come to retake the place.)
A high-ranking consort fleeing the rear palace was tantamount to rebellion. And with her family holed up in a fortress like this, there was no room for excuses.
And then she looked at Jinshi.
Few were of a rank to wear deep purple. She had never expected Jinshi would be here in his eunuch's guise.
She felt a small measure of relief, but knew she couldn't let her guard down yet.
Sulfur.
The smell still lingered. If she stayed here much longer, she might suffer from poisoning. What was the situation below? The fortress was made of stone and brick, so fire shouldn't spread easily, but she'd need to watch out for the smoke.
Even setting that aside, Kamihi might fly into a rage and do something drastic. Given how she'd been treating Maomao, she probably hadn't realized the girl had ties to that eccentric man with the monocle—and Maomao couldn't imagine Loulan would let anything slip.
If it came to that, she planned to leap from the terrace, land on the snow, and make her escape.
This was the worst possible outcome.
Maomao looked at the five children lying on their beds as though asleep. They had no breath, no pulse—only their pale, lifeless skin remained, a painful sight.
(If only they had gotten away.)
The thought was aimed at Loulan, but equally at herself.
She did not fully understand what Loulan intended to do, but she felt she had at least grasped the reason Loulan had brought her here.
For that reason, Maomao could not leave this place.
Heavy footsteps drew closer. The ringing of metal echoed through the air.
Something crashed to the ground as the door was kicked open.
In came a soldier wearing a white overcoat. Scattered across the white fabric were red polka dots like a pattern.
"...Who are you?"
He squinted in confusion, studying Maomao intently.
"Hey, what's going on?"
A familiar voice drew closer. Peering in was a well-known errand dog.
"Could this be her?"
The soldier turned to the errand dog— Li Bai— for confirmation.
Li Bai tilted his head, crossed his arms, and furrowed his brow as he drew closer.
"Pardon the intrusion, but she bears a resemblance to a girl named Maomao who works at the court."
"That would be me."
Li Bai asked a rather foolish question, but rather than his usual official robes, he wore armor. In his hand he carried a staff.
"Why are you here?"
"It seems I was abducted."
Li Bai's head tilted even further, bent almost completely horizontal.
"Hey, so your old man—"
"Pretty sure he's roughly what you're imagining, so please don't say his name. 'That old guy' works fine."
Maomao's request prompted Li Bai to hold his tongue, but he visibly cringed, then wore an oddly satisfied expression and smacked his fist into his palm with a pop.
I'm not sure what realization he came to, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way.
When Li Bai pointed at Maomao and said, "This one, this one," his subordinate made a dubious face but pulled a flute from inside his robes and played it.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. If that's what you say, then that's what it is. Still, what a rough-looking outfit. Huh? Is one of your ears bandaged?"
He was as rude as ever, but he peered over with genuine concern. This military officer, who had a personality that was somehow hard to hate, was also covered in blood—when he drew close, he smelled of iron.
"Quit getting yourself hurt, will you? That old guy couldn't even exercise properly but kept saying he'd follow along, and sure enough, he couldn't move anymore."
He really did use "that old guy."
It was probably "that old guy" who came up with this ambush strategy. The avalanche, too—Maomao was certain "that old guy" must have done something to cause it.
Li Bai seemed like the kind of guy with no sense of urgency, but he'd ordered his subordinate to keep watch in front of the door.
"What's this? Is a child sleeping here?"
As Li Bai thudded closer, Maomao spread both arms wide to stop him.
"He's not breathing. It looks like he inhaled poison."
Li Bai's face twisted at Maomao's words.
He probably thought it was a ghastly sight. But even if they survived here, the only path remaining was the gallows.
Even an attempted assassination of a high-ranking consort meant the perpetrator would be hanged, and the family would have their assets seized and face punishment of varying degrees.
This time, it was beyond comparison.
Whether women or children—it wouldn't matter. They would all be executed.
Li Bai wore a pained expression; Maomao wanted to confirm something.
"Will those who've been executed simply be thrown away?"
"That shouldn't happen. They'll be placed in a dedicated cemetery. Though they'll be cremated."
"Could they at least be buried alongside their mothers?"
At Maomao's words, Li Bai wore an expression that was hard to read. He scratched his head vigorously, groaning.
"I don't really understand it. That sort of thing isn't my job."
However, when Li Bai approached, he picked up one of the children. He tore off the bedspread, sliced it in half, and wrapped the child in it like a swaddling blanket.
"Looks like they're asleep. I was thinking I might be able to carry them all at once, but they're surprisingly heavy."
With that, Li Bai wrapped the next child in the remainder of the bedspread. In the same manner he sliced apart the sheets and wrapped them one after another.
Just when it seemed the cloth wouldn't be enough for the last child, he strode over to the door, stripped the coat off the subordinate keeping watch there, and brought it back.
"Hey, go call two more people."
Having said only that, he tucked the children under both arms.
"Lord Li Bai?"
"I can't give them a proper burial together, but I can't just leave them here either. Sneaking over and burying them near the graveyard is something I can manage."
Li Bai flashed a grin, showing his white teeth.
"Won't you be held accountable?"
"No idea. But if that happens, you figure something out for me."
"What do you mean, 'figure something out'?"
As Maomao crossed both arms with a scowl, Li Bai's face lit up as if he'd just had an idea.
"Oh, I've got a good idea!"
"What is it?"
Li Bai's lips curled into a smirk.
"If you were to call him 'Papa' or something like that, wouldn't that old man do whatever you asked?"
Needless to say, Maomao's reaction to those words was quite something.
"...Sorry, forget I said that."
Li Bai immediately averted his gaze and apologized.
Apparently, he had that kind of expression on his face.