Chapter 2: Eating Fish, Eating Fish
Northern Qi Strange Tales By
Liu Taozi turned and dashed into the dense forest by the roadside. His strides were wide, his thick, muscular thighs trembling with every movement, as if breaking through the wind ahead. He quickly disappeared into the woods.
The two knights roared in anger, "kʰɪrγayčɪn!!"
Their warhorses galloped with full force, sweeping through like a violent storm. Leaves on the road were thrown into the air, shattered in the wind.
Two gusts of wind rushed into the dense forest. The towering trees, with their twisted forms, lashed out at the intruders with branches and thorns. The sound of armor rang out, but the branches were swiftly broken. The wind scattered all obstacles in their way—nothing could stand against the galloping warhorses, crushed and destroyed in their wake.
In a matter of moments, the distance between the lone man and the two mounted knights shrank rapidly. One knight raised an iron spear high and, with a fierce shout, hurled it forward.
The spear flew through the air with a sharp whistle. Liu Taozi made a sudden turn, but the spear grazed his arm, tearing flesh as it bit into him. The force ripped off a chunk of his skin, which flew forward and embedded itself into a tree ahead, causing the tree to tremble and shed a shower of leaves.
Despite the blood spraying from his wound, Liu Taozi continued running, darting through the gaps between the trees. His stamina showed no sign of depletion. He knew this forest well—he didn't even need to look forward to navigate; his direction had been clear from the start.
The warhorses, however, were forced to halt at every gap, as the knights pulled on the reins to navigate around obstacles. The forest grew denser, the twisted trees entwined with each other, towering and obscuring the sky. The air was thick with the smell of decay and new growth.
The two knights flanked Liu Taozi, speeding alongside him. Behind their masks, bloodthirsty eyes stared at him with unwavering focus. The iron horses and their riders flashed in and out of sight among the flickering shadows of the trees.
Suddenly, the horse on the left lost its footing, and both horse and rider plunged into a pit. The knight on the right, seeing his comrade suddenly vanish, hastily reined in his horse and turned to assist.
There were many traps here.
The horse of the fallen knight lay dead, its head tilted awkwardly, skewered by several wooden stakes. One stake had pierced its neck. Its rider, his head twisted at a horrifying angle, hung limply from his neck. Though his armor had protected him from the stakes, the fall had snapped his neck. His mask faced his comrade, though his body lay still on the horse.
The last knight began to grow uneasy. Even his horse was now nervously pawing the ground, snorting in agitation.
The knight lifted his head and scanned his surroundings. Liu Taozi was nowhere to be seen. The forest had fallen into an eerie silence. He could hear nothing but his own heavy breathing.
Suddenly, birds screeched in the distance, and a large flock took to the sky. The knight quickly looked in that direction. His horse moved forward a few steps but refused to go any further. A strange, haunting cry echoed from afar, sending chills down the knight's spine. He turned toward the sound, his grip on the ring-handled knife trembling slightly.
He had no idea how many more deadly traps lay hidden around him. Cautiously, he began to retrace his steps.
Shadows flickered through the dense forest. His horse grew more agitated, shaking its head and becoming increasingly restless.
As the knight carefully sought signs of the earlier pursuit, inching backward, a voice suddenly spoke behind him, "Why did you stop chasing?"
The knight's hair stood on end. In a furious rage, he roared, spun around, and swung his sword—but behind him, there was nothing.
His breathing grew heavier, and his back grew cold. Suddenly, the knight felt a warm, wet sensation in his hand. He looked down and saw his hand covered in bright red blood.
Looking up, his eyes met a pair of fierce, crazed eyes.
Liu Taozi, with a ferocious expression, was perched on a tree branch, glaring down at the knight. In the next instant, he lunged, dropping onto the knight with such force that they both crashed to the ground. The knight, pinned by his heavy armor, was unable to move. Liu Taozi, pressing down on the knight's throat, raised his dagger and drove it into the knight's smiling eye slit.
The knight screamed in agony, his fists pounding at Liu Taozi. But Liu Taozi, in a frenzy, continued stabbing. The dagger screeched as it carved grooves into the mask. Blood mixed with other fluids seeped from the knight's mask with each strike.
Finally, the knight stopped moving. Exhausted, Liu Taozi ripped off the mask. Underneath was a young boy, about Liu Taozi's age. Tears mixed with blood on half of his face, while his left eye had been completely destroyed.
Liu Taozi slit the boy's throat, and blood spurted out, drenching Liu Taozi's face in red, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.
He picked up the ring-handled knife and rose to his feet, turning his attention to the warhorse nearby. The horse let out a mournful cry as it collapsed heavily to the ground.
With a snarl, Liu Taozi bound his wounded arm, staunching the blood flow, and staggered toward the edge of the forest.
On the road outside the forest, the fallen knight's horse lowered its head, nudging its lifeless rider.
When the horse spotted Liu Taozi emerging from the trees, it snorted angrily and charged toward him. The ring-handled knife whistled through the air, slicing the horse's front leg clean off. The horse crashed into the ditch, exhaling thick plumes of mist. Its eyes reflected the cold steel of the raised ring-handled knife.
"Splurt~"
A crow perched on a nearby jujube tree, preening its feathers as it watched the scene unfold. Below, Liu Taozi labored to remove the knight's heavy armor, trembling from the effort. Each step he took left a bloody print on the ground.
After several attempts, darkness began to fall.
At last, Liu Taozi hoisted the knight's corpse onto his back and made his way back into the forest.
The young knight's face stared up at him blankly. Liu Taozi thought for a moment, then stuffed the fish from his basket into the knight's mouth.
Alert to his surroundings, he quickly left the area, covering the traces of blood and battle.
Back on the path, Liu Taozi meticulously cleaned himself in the stream, washing away the blood. He gazed at his distorted reflection in the water before moving along the stream toward the west.
Eventually, he encountered several shadowy figures, who became clearer as he drew closer.
"Taozi bro!"
Zhang Erlang hurried up, scanning Liu Taozi and sighing in relief. "You're safe! We thought you..."
Others surrounded him, babbling questions.
"You must not speak of what happened today to anyone. If you do, those knights will come after us and eat us all."
"But if my mother asks why we came home early, what should I say?"
"Tell her the fish were dirty, and we dared not eat them. Do not mention the knights."
He turned to Zhang Erlang. "You should stay in the village tonight; don't go back."
"Alright."
"Everyone, go home!"
With a wave of Liu Taozi's hand, the group scattered.
This path led to their village, but Liu Taozi's house wasn't in that direction. After circling around a few times, he dragged his heavy steps toward the peach grove at the southern edge of the village.
Beyond the thick peach grove, a solitary, simple courtyard came into view.
After circling the area again, he finally arrived at the back of the courtyard. Taking a deep breath, he leaped over the wall in one swift motion.
Looking up, he froze.
A knight was standing in his backyard.
Fully armed.
Wearing a mask.
Smiling.