Chapter 411: Matters of the Heart

Mo Qiyun kissed the calico cat on the head. "Shou'er has to attend class today too. No mischief in the classroom — you must listen carefully to the teacher's lecture. If you can't remember, you'll get a spanking. This Teacher De is very formidable, so don't you go provoking him."

She brought the calico cat to the classroom. The other women arrived one after another. They were all startled to see the cat Mo Qiyun had brought, but seeing Teacher De's utterly unconcerned manner, they crowded around one after another to pet the calico cat for a while, chattering away as they spoke to the little cat.

Qiu Mingcui also arrived. She froze for a moment upon seeing the little cat, then hurried over to sit close beside Mo Qiyun. Tugging at her sleeve, she whispered, "I've been searching everywhere for it and couldn't find it — I was worried sick. How could you bring it to the classroom? Teacher De will scold us."

Mo Qiyun tilted her head and replied, "Teacher De likes cats too. He told me to bring it."

Qiu Mingcui looked full of doubt. She raised her head to look at the lectern, only to see Teacher De acting as if he had heard nothing. Unhurriedly, he opened the small pouch he carried, carefully laid out its contents on his teaching materials, and then turned the wooden man target beside him to face the students.

Once these preparations were done, Teacher De gave a light cough, and the women all promptly returned to their seats.

"Begin the lesson."

Mo Qiyun immediately called out loudly, "Students, pay respects."

The women all rose together to salute. "Teacher De, we thank you for your efforts."

De Ye waved his hand lightly, gesturing for everyone to sit. Holding the little cat in her arms, Mo Qiyun remained seated in the front row, directly facing Teacher De's teaching materials. She watched as he slowly opened the small pouch and took out that finger-length curved short blade, laying it gently on the tabletop. The dark blade emitted a faint, cold metallic sheen, and the classroom instantly fell dead silent.

De Ye slowly raised his head. His gaze, seemingly vacant yet carrying tangible substance, swept across the women one by one, as if scanning a group of lifeless objects. The moment Mo Qiyun met that gaze, her scalp went numb, and her hand petting the cat stopped still. The other women reacted exactly the same — in an instant, none dared move even a finger.

De Ye slowly raised the small curved blade. "Yesterday, I taught you the usage of the curved blade. Mo Qiyun, recite its usage."

"This blade is portable. It is suited for slashing, not stabbing. When attacking an enemy with this blade, one should approach from behind. When striking, the wrist must be supple. Target only the throat. With sudden force, slash horizontally from one side to the other. The wound must be deep and long. Once the windpipe is severed, the enemy cannot cry for help."

De Ye nodded. "Not poorly said. Did you practice last evening?"

Mo Qiyun immediately replied, "This student did practice, and dared not be negligent."

"Today's assessment is simple. You will test this blade."

Mo Qiyun hurriedly stood up, preparing to put the cat down and go to the wooden man, but De Ye picked up the curved blade and handed it over. "Today, we do not kill the wooden man."

Mo Qiyun took it and asked, puzzled, "Then what shall this student test it on?"

De Ye's gaze shifted to the calico cat in Mo Qiyun's arms. In a tone utterly flat and calm, he said softly, "It."

……

Blood dripped profusely from the desk, falling drop by drop along the edge to the floor. The little cat's fur was matted all over with blood, its body still twitching faintly.

Mo Qiyun knelt prostrate on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. The other women's faces were deathly pale, biting their lips. Qiu Mingcui, who was holding the cat's paw, kept her head buried, her expression unreadable.

Teacher De suddenly barked, "All of you, raise your heads! Look at that cat for this old man!"

The women trembled in fright and could only turn their eyes to the little cat on the tabletop. Immediately, two more burst into tears.

Teacher De swept his gaze across the classroom, his tone cold. "What do you think this place is? A secluded boudoir in Yangzhou, or a grand mansion in Jinling? With just a courtyard wall between you and the world, is this a place of peace in chaotic times?"

The sound of sobbing among the women in the hall continued. Teacher De stepped down from the lectern and walked to Qiu Mingcui's side. He studied her for a moment, then said, "Whether man or woman, born into chaotic times, there is no room for leisure. This is the Academy of the Dark Sentinel Division. This old man does not care how any of you came to be here. Since you have already set foot on this path, there is no return road to walk. One day, you will leave these high walls, and you will not know where you are headed — perhaps the prosperous lands of Jiangnan, perhaps a grand courtyard in the Capital, or perhaps, alone, into an enemy camp. Your opponents are not this motionless wooden man before you, but rioters, roving bandits, local bandits, grunts. Every single one who has survived these chaotic times is ruthless and merciless, to say nothing of those eastern slaves and northern Tartars."

"In a private school, if you fail to learn real skill, you merely learn fewer essays. In this Academy, if you fail to learn real skill, what you lose is your life." The sobbing in the hall gradually subsided. Teacher De turned his head and looked calmly at Mo Qiyun on the floor. "The tasks you will perform in the future may not require you to kill with your own hands, but they will decide the life and death of many. Compared to learning the curved blade technique, the killing art in your hearts is what will ensure you can carry out your duties. It is not that this old man wants you to love killing — only that you must treat killing as an ordinary task. This is the art that today's lesson is meant to teach."

……

Night fell. The bright moon hung high in the night sky. Lanterns were still lit around the courtyard of the Women's Academy. Those practicing at the targets gradually stopped, and after a moment of rest and meditation, returned to their respective dormitories.

Mo Qiyun sat indifferently under the covered corridor, staring blankly at the base of the wall in the southwest corner.

Qiu Mingcui came and sat down beside her. She opened her mouth but said nothing. After a pause, she finally spoke. "I just got back from helping in the kitchen. Today they had me deliver food to the back, so I was delayed a while. Shou'er is buried right over there. Sister, don't dwell on it too much."

Mo Qiyun's tears began to flow again. She turned her head to look at Qiu Mingcui, whose face was now somewhat blurred before her. Sobbing, she said, "I don't know how I ended up in this place, how it came to be that I must do the work of killing. Making me learn these things is one thing, but I even dragged Jiang Jiejie into this — I don't even know where she's gone. Teacher De said today it might be a place like where the roving bandits or Tartars are. It was all because I coveted those great households in Jinling back then. I've harmed Jiang Jiejie."

"This… who knows how any of us ended up here." Qiu Mingcui sighed. "You were at that mother's house in Yangzhou or wherever, and you still had the hope of going to a great household in Jinling. In those days, at least there was something to look forward to. In the end, it was still better than me. I never had anything to look forward to, and in the end, I don't even know how I ended up here either."

Mo Qiyun wiped her tears and tilted her head to look at Qiu Mingcui. "Your family were butchers. Could they not even feed a family? Did they really have to sell you off to another household?"

"Being sold to another household would have been the good outcome. When I was born and they saw I was a girl, my father threw me outside the city gate that very night. It was my mother who found out in the middle of the night, and while still bleeding, searched until dawn to find me and bring me back. She said she wanted to save my life." Qiu Mingcui raised her head and stared blankly at the bright moon hanging in the sky. After a long while, she said softly, "Actually, it would have been better to have died that very night. Then I wouldn't have had to know what came after. To know nothing at all — that would have been quite nice."

Mo Qiyun asked blankly, "Did that family later treat you poorly?"

"I won't tell you about those things. Even just hearing about them would only bring sorrow."

Tears streamed down Mo Qiyun's face. She embraced Qiu Mingcui and began to cry softly. Qiu Mingcui held her too, but did not weep. "Speaking of this place, there's nothing to look forward to either. But being with these sisters, that is truly joyful. Academy Director Yuan gave me this name, Mingcui. I've almost forgotten who I myself even am."

At that moment, two figures entered through the main gate. Qiu Mingcui immediately patted Mo Qiyun. "The Garrison Inspector soldiers are here. They'll be sounding the Quiet Drum soon."

Mo Qiyun hurriedly got up to return to the dormitory. She glanced back and saw that the two Garrison Inspector soldiers had already split up to patrol the corridor. A familiar figure was walking in this direction.

Mo Qiyun unconsciously slowed her pace, falling behind Qiu Mingcui. The footsteps of the Garrison Inspector soldier drew near. When Mo Qiyun looked back again, Spit Garrison Inspector extended his hand and passed her an object. Mo Qiyun jumped in surprise. After a brief hesitation, she quickly took it. It felt hard in her hand, as if made of bamboo strips.

After her moment of fluster, Mo Qiyun looked up. Under the lantern light, Spit Garrison Inspector revealed a trace of a warm smile.

Mo Qiyun quickly lowered her head and hurried back to the dormitory. Taking advantage of Qiu Mingcui tidying the bed, she secretly took out the object from her bosom and looked at it. It was actually a vividly lifelike bamboo grasshopper.

After staring blankly for a moment, Mo Qiyun clasped the bamboo grasshopper in both hands and slowly pressed it against her heart.

……

In Anqing Prefectural City, Huaining County, on City Wall Street near Jixian Gate, Second Locust sat on the ground inside a small grain shop. He suddenly swung his hand up and slapped himself across the face.

When he lowered his hand, there was indeed a mosquito on it. Second Locust shook his hand and cursed under his breath, "What kind of broken place is this Anqing? Even the mosquitoes are this fierce."

Beside him, Xiao Wazi let out a chuckle. Both men were stripped to the waist, looking dark and thin, with scars lining their shoulders — virtually indistinguishable from the laborers in the city. This was not by their own choice, but a requirement of Yu Zhangjia's. Only by doing so could they pass for porters. After several months of laboring work, judging by appearance alone, no one would suspect them now.

Second Locust waved his hand in front of him, shooing away two newly arrived mosquitoes, and cursed again, "How long are we going to wait around like fools? That woman disappeared the moment she arrived, and Yu Zhangjia too — gone for so many days this time, no telling when he'll be back. All he does is tell us to wait…"

Xiao Wazi suddenly stretched out a foot and nudged him. "Stop talking. Yu Baodao is back."

By the time Second Locust stood up, Yu Baodao had already hurried into the shop. Wang Dashan smiled at him ingratiatingly, but Yu Baodao ignored him and walked directly around the counter into the back room.

This rice and beans shop was nominally opened by Wang Dashan, because his identity as a local would not draw attention. Yu Zhangjia was the shopkeeper, while Second Locust and Xiao Wazi were the porters, helping transport grain on ordinary days.

Over these past few months, someone had delivered silver again. They did not rely on this grain shop business to make a living, but they still needed the shop to have some business; otherwise, a few idle outsiders would attract notice. Yu Baodao would leave for a period every so often. This time had been the longest — he had been gone for over ten days.

The two quickly followed him into the back room. Yu Zhangjia did not sit on a chair, but crouched on the floor against the wall. He pulled a filthy flatbread from his bosom and said as he ate, "Those women are in Zongyang."

Second Locust immediately said, "Since we've scouted it out clearly, when do we go raid the place and bring them out? Let's leave this place soon."

Yu Zhangjia let out a somewhat amused snort. "Raid and bring them out? That place in Zongyang is some kind of Academy. Inside and out, all you see are soldiers. Nearby, there are several hundred Land Troops from the Water Camp — just like those at Mianyang Port. Can the few of us fight our way through that?"

Xiao Wazi said from the side, "If we can't fight through, we find a way in, take the people, and leave. No need to fight them."

Yu Zhangjia still shook his head. "There are no fewer than ten courtyards inside. An outsider going in would just get confused on their own. Those women and children number at least several dozen. They won't be that easy to lead out, not to mention there are probably others as well."

Xiao Wazi asked, puzzled, "What other people?"

"Among those locked up there, it seems there are also people from the old camp. This Anqing Battalion captures people but doesn't kill them or send them to the imperial court. I don't know what scheme they're hatching — haven't figured it out yet. If it's convenient, we'll break them all out together and interrogate them to get to the bottom of it."

Second Locust was swatting mosquitoes. Hearing this, he stopped mid-motion, his chest heaving a few times. After waiting a moment, he looked at Yu Zhangjia and probed, "Could it be that woman who scouted it out? Then just have her find the way."

Yu Zhangjia shook his head. It was unclear whether he was denying that the information came from a woman, or rejecting the idea of having a woman find the way.

"Wait. We'll talk once the information is clear."

Xiao Wazi said cautiously, "Since we're waiting anyway, why not have Liu Long Family send more men."

"Someone's coming soon."

Yu Zhangjia said no more. He took out his own tobacco pipe, and after Wang Dashan lit it for him, he added, "Any news from inside the city?"

Second Locust leaned against the wall and said, "Battalion Commanders from every direction are drilling troops every day. A few days ago, over a thousand men came from Tongcheng, and about two hundred Land Troops from the Water Camp came from Wangjiang. Several Hundred Horse Soldiers arrived from who knows where, all drilling together by that lake north of the city. They fired cannons for half the day. The Water Army has added several more boats. Every day people come by boat from all over to enlist — from Sichuan, Guangxi, Huguang, Jiangbei, all of them. Wang Dashan heard at the Wharf that the Canal Gang and the Brokerage are talking to all the Hangshang. Starting in the tenth month, buying and selling at the Anqing docks will only use Great River Silver Bank Service Tickets…"

Yu Baodao waved his hand impatiently. "Why bother asking about these petty business matters. What about Pang Yu — is he still in Anqing?"

"They say he's in Tongcheng getting married. The roads north are checking accents. We didn't dare go toward Tongcheng."

Yu Baodao took a fierce drag on his pipe, then immediately exhaled. Smoke swirled through the room. Yu Baodao nodded and said, "We wait. Wait for the information."

The smoke drifted over. In the haze, Second Locust's eyes narrowed slightly.