July, the tenth year of Tianbao.
Cheng'an County.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky, casting a shadow over a world that felt grim and cold. On the scorched earth, a lone dead tree stood by the roadside, a crow perched atop it, tilting its head, watching intently into the distance.
A figure stood at the roadside, his body smeared with mud, his appearance entirely blackened, hair matted and obscuring his face, rendering his features unrecognizable. His humped back and frail form made it impossible to discern his age. His emaciated, filthy body was exposed, ribs nearly breaking through the skin of his abdomen.
He moved awkwardly, shuffling forward bit by bit, his withered genitals swaying as he advanced. In the distance, the sound of heavy hooves echoed, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The man turned his head.
Three tall, powerful warhorses raced towards him, carrying their rider. The horses were clad in heavy armor, iron chains woven together, even their heads adorned with chains that bore a fan-shaped iron plate. As they galloped, the chains clanked ominously.
The rider, similarly encased in heavy armor, had three dark feathers atop his helm and a mask covering his face—a bronze mask with a grotesque, smiling visage. It was unsettling.
As they met, the knight, wielding a broadsword, turned sideways, poised to strike.
"Puh!"
"Ga~~~"
The crow let out a sharp, piercing cry, flapping its wings as it soared into the sky. The knight sheathed his sword and vanished down the road, leaving behind a headless corpse standing at a distance. Blood weakly oozed from the neck before it collapsed heavily to the ground.
The crow flew over the road, a flurry of images flashing before its eyes, ultimately settling on a turbulent river—the Zhang River. A solitary fishing boat struggled against the murky waters.
Four or five older children stood on the boat, hauling in their nets. The rushing water battered the frail vessel, causing it to groan and sway violently. Yet the children stood firm, shouting excitedly to one another.
The river was a grimy yellow, obscuring the depths beneath. Shadows seemed to flit past the boat, splashes of water spraying against its sides. The children toiled to pull up the net, revealing only a meager catch. As they overturned the mud, small fish flopped helplessly, their dull gray eyes cold and vacant.
Zhang Erlang squatted in the middle, digging through the muck until he seized a sizable fish. Just as he was about to smile and say something, his peripheral vision caught something.
"Ah!!"
He abruptly tossed the fish aside, recoiling in terror as he stumbled back, losing his balance and nearly tumbling into the Zhang River.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events, frozen in shock. A powerful hand seized Zhang Erlang by the neck, large enough to envelop his entire face, and yanked him up.
Once pulled aboard, Erlang knelt on the deck, clutching his throat and gasping for breath. He looked up to see the person who had saved him—a youth no older than twenty, tall and imposing, taking up the space of three or four people. His short tunic was taut against his muscular frame, and he wielded a fishing spear. His sharp, rugged face was dark and rough, and despite the swaying of the boat, he stood unwavering, solid as a mountain.
At that moment, he leaned down, surveying Zhang Erlang.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother Taozi... the fish... that fish..."
Zhang Erlang trembled as he pointed towards the net.
Liu Taozi glanced at the net and spoke, "Pull to shore."
The children obediently grabbed the oars, frantically rowing towards the bank, but the Zhang River held them tightly, unwilling to let them escape.
They paddled for what felt like ages, the chaos of their actions finally guiding the boat to shore. Once secured, they jumped off in haste. Liu Taozi alone pulled the net from the boat, forcefully throwing it onto the ground.
Zhang Erlang cautiously stood by, pointing to the large fish. Liu Taozi picked it up, examining it closely. Suddenly, he yanked something from the fish's mouth.
A crooked finger.
He set the finger aside and continued to sift through the muck. Soon, the spoils began to accumulate—fingers, ears, and half-eaten human heads, one of which was small, just slightly larger than Liu Taozi's fist.
"Ugh~~~"
The other boys could no longer contain themselves, bending over to vomit. Liu Taozi lost track of how long he searched, rising to look left, where the human remains had piled up.
"Erlang, we won't need the boat anymore. When your grandfather returns, tell him not to fish for the time being."
"We can't eat these fish."
Liu Taozi stated firmly.
Zhang Erlang nodded in understanding. Liu Taozi gestured to the others, signaling it was time to leave.
Suddenly, Zhang Erlang shouted, "Brother Taozi! What do we do with these fish?!"
"Bury them."
"Ga~~~"
A piercing crow caw echoed from above. Liu Taozi halted, raising his head as a crow circled overhead.
In the distance, the sound of hooves grew louder, causing the ground to tremble. The boys turned pale, retreating a few steps.
Three knights donned with eerie masks rode toward them on their steeds. As the warhorses charged, the earth shook, and the boys tried to evade, their legs weak, unable to move.
The horses thundered to a halt in front of Liu Taozi, the riders pulling back, their horses' heads nearly touching Liu Taozi's face. The horses' angry breaths whipped his hair.
Liu Taozi met the gaze of the horses, remaining still. A blood-soaked bundle hung from the horse's side.
The knight surveyed the group, his eyes fixed on their necks, calculating the value of their heads.
"γʊr qʊrɪqa! kʰɪr?"
The leader glanced at the person on his left and spoke.
The children exchanged glances; they recognized the words as Xianbei but couldn't understand.
Liu Taozi took a step back, bowing his head, and replied, "pɪrʊɪrgɪn."
The three knights suddenly focused on Liu Taozi, and the leader laughed, "A countryman?"
"Han."
"Oh... What brings you here?"
"We're fishermen from the area."
The knights' eyes fell on the nearby clearing, where the fishing nets and remains lay.
"You've had a decent haul, but why leave those fish there?"
"Why not eat them?"
Zhang Erlang interjected eagerly, "We found bodies!!"
The knight ignored him, his gaze fixed on Liu Taozi.
Liu Taozi replied, "These fish don't seem very clean."
"No, these fish are quite clean."
"They're cleaner than an untouched maiden."
"Go on, eat them." The knight offered cheerfully.
Liu Taozi remained silent. The leader slowly drew his broadsword, blood dripping from its edge onto the darkened ground.
Liu Taozi looked at the mask, where the eyes and mouth seemed to smile broadly, appearing to laugh heartily.
He turned to the others, "Why are you still dazed? Gather the fish... let's take them home to eat."
The group trembled as they approached the nets, trembling hands struggling to pick up the fish. After several attempts, they finally managed to load the fish into baskets.
Once all the fish were stowed, Liu Taozi cast one last glance at the three knights before leading the group away from the site.
On the muddy road, the children walked barefoot.
Zhang Erlang wiped his tears, unable to hold back his sobs.
The others were similarly distressed, tears streaming down their terrified faces, but they dared not stop.
"Brother Taozi, are we going to die?"
"What happens if we die?"
"Will it hurt?"
"Walk slowly, don't run, don't look back, just keep this pace."
Liu Taozi's calm tone eased some of their fear.
They walked for a long time, yet no one dared to look back.
Eventually, they reached a fork in the road, flanked by protective trees, with three paths ahead.
Liu Taozi slowly turned around.
On the distant hill, the three knights sat astride their steeds.
Even from afar, Liu Taozi felt he could see their laughing masks.
A flicker of ferocity crossed Liu Taozi's left eye.
He led the others down the left path.
"Brother Taozi... is this the way to the boar forest? Where are we going?"
"Soon, I will fall. You toss the fish baskets to me and keep walking... don't look back, take the stone bridge home."
"What about you..."
"Don't worry about me; if anyone dares to look back, dare to return... I'll feed them to the fish."
Liu Taozi's words made the others nod in agreement.
They continued for a long while until Liu Taozi stumbled and fell to the ground, struggling to rise. His friends quickly placed the fish baskets before him and hurried