"What?" Yang Ruoning found it a bit funny. Did they really think she was a god? That she could overturn heaven and earth with a wave of her hand? If she had such abilities, she wouldn't be here stealing food, nor would she be racking her brain trying to figure out how to escape every day.
"I can't," she replied, her voice crisp and firm.
But the Shaman Elder, having seemingly foreseen Yang Ruoning's refusal, was not disappointed. Instead, she began to persuade her with even greater patience.
In the days that followed, the Shaman Elder visited the forest every night. After several exchanges, Yang Ruoning found the Shaman Elder to be a person of great wisdom.
She no longer spoke of the throne. Instead, she recounted the history of the tribe, of this resilient people who rose from the grasslands, of King Handan's wit and benevolence, of the plague that nearly wiped out their entire race, and of how the divine tree guided them across the desert to find this oasis.
The Shaman Elder's aged voice, in the silent forest, carried a peculiar melancholy.
Yang Ruoning and Handan Chun listened to her stories, gazing at the crackling bonfire, lost in their own thoughts, not even noticing when the Shaman Elder had left.
"Come with me to a place," the Shaman Elder said to Yang Ruoning and Handan Chun today, after finishing her tale.
*********************************
The two of them followed the Shaman Elder for a long time, until they reached the edge of the forest. This was where the desert began, a vast expanse of rolling sand dunes that stretched for days and nights without end. The people of the tribe had warned Yang Ruoning never to venture into this desert, saying it devoured people.
When the Shaman Elder walked straight into the desert, Yang Ruoning and Handan Chun hesitated.
"Elder, it's so late. Going further might be dangerous," Handan Chun said to the Shaman Elder's retreating back.
The Elder turned around. "Don't worry, just follow me."
Yang Ruoning and Handan Chun exchanged glances, hesitated, and then followed.
Yang Ruoning detected a nauseating stench of decay, which grew stronger as they ventured further. What the hell was this odor? Yang Ruoning frowned, pinching her nose.
When they finally stood on a towering sand dune, the Shaman Elder pointed ahead and said, "This is it." Yang Ruoning followed her gaze but saw nothing but an endless expanse of black.
The putrid smell was nearly suffocating. Just as she was about to ask a question, she saw the Shaman Elder take the torch from Handan Chun's hand and toss it into the darkness ahead. Yang Ruoning watched as the flame tumbled down into the deep bottom of a sand dune. The moment it touched the ground, it ignited something, and the entire valley was instantly illuminated.
When Yang Ruoning and Handan Chun saw what lay at the bottom of the valley, they both recoiled in shock, stumbling back several steps. Handan Chun even let out a girlish scream, reacting more dramatically than Yang Ruoning. He clutched Yang Ruoning's arm tightly, trying desperately to hide behind her, but Yang Ruoning was so terrified by the sight that she was almost out of her wits. She refused to budge, pushing him forward with all her might. After a brief struggle, Yang Ruoning relented.
At the bottom of the valley, countless corpses lay piled high, stretching as far as the eye could see. Yang Ruoning saw that the moment the pile of bodies was illuminated, legions of huge black rats, feasting on the corpses, scattered in all directions, burrowing into the unweathered bones below, leaving behind mangled remains and skulls with only two bloody sockets.
"What is that, Elder?" Yang Ruoning asked in a trembling voice.
"What else could it be? It's a place where bodies are discarded. Our people are here, as well as the Han people we bought."
"Why so many?"
"They are here because of one person."
"Who?"
"Handan Aqi."
"I thought..."
"Did you think the heads hanging on the western grasslands were all of them? No, that was just a small portion. The people lying here all lost their lives for offending Handan Aqi—men, women, the elderly, children, even newborn infants. The former king brought us to this oasis to escape the plague, hoping our people could recuperate and prosper once more. But who could have imagined that behind him lay another 'plague'?"
With that, the Shaman Elder closed her eyes and began to chant softly. Her aged voice, sorrowful yet clear, seemed to be comforting the lingering spirits.
Handan Chun, who had been silent beside them, stepped forward. He knelt beside the Shaman Elder on one knee, his hands clasped. Together with the Shaman Elder's song, he began to pray for the departed.
When the chant ended, the Shaman Elder looked ahead and said, "Not long ago, the stars in the north underwent a great change, foreshadowing an outsider who would defy fate. The divination states that the person under the divine tree will lead the tribe out of darkness." The Shaman Elder turned to Yang Ruoning. "Miss Yang, although you insist you are not from a foreign land, nor are you a deity. Regardless, all I hope is that you can try. In exchange, I will grant any request you have. If you fail, it will simply mean you are not the legendary person, and I will not blame you."
"I cannot stay here indefinitely, waiting until you find this legendary person."
"Four months, Miss Yang. I will give you four months. Whether you succeed or not, if you wish to leave then, I will not stop you."
Yang Ruoning weighed the offer carefully in her heart. It seemed like a good exchange. After all, she was just trying. And helping these people escape King Aqi would be a good deed. Plus, she could leave after four months. So, she said, "Alright, I agree. Four months. But I have some conditions."
"Very well, Miss Yang. Let's talk as we walk."
As the three of them walked back, Yang Ruoning's unconcealed excitement could be heard clearly in the forest.
"After four months, you will send me back to Da Song."
"Agreed."
"I don't want to sleep in the stables anymore."
"I will arrange for you to stay in Ah Chun's tent."
"What? I can't have my own tent?"
"Elder, I also don't want to share a tent with Yang Ruoning," Handan Chun interjected.
"Having Miss Yang be your personal maid is merely to avoid suspicion. No more arguing, Ah Chun," the Shaman Elder refused directly.
"Alright, alright, I accept, as long as I don't have to sleep in the stables," Yang Ruoning said. "Oh, and give me Black."
"Who is Black?" the Shaman Elder asked.
"Elder, it's that black horse," Handan Chun answered for Yang Ruoning.
"Agreed. I promise you."
"Hmm, and also..." Yang Ruoning began.
"Miss Yang, don't be too greedy..." the Shaman Elder said.
"...Alright, that's all for today. I'll tell you more if I think of anything else."
*********************************
That night, as Yang Ruoning packed her meager belongings to move into Handan Chun's tent, Black seemed to sense her departure. It paced restlessly in the stable, its hooves clattering softly. It nudged its head against Yang Ruoning, snorting heavily. Yang Ruoning set down her things, stroking its head. "I'm just not sleeping here anymore," she whispered in its ear. "I'll still come during the day. Black, you have to have faith in me. I'll take you away from here soon. We'll leave together, okay?"
Black blinked its large eyes and finally quieted down. Yang Ruoning patted its hindquarters. "You be good here, alright? I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning."
After calming Black, Yang Ruoning went directly to Handan Chun's tent. His tent was in an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the camp. When she entered, she found Handan Chun had already set up a simple cot for her.
This kid is quite thoughtful, Yang Ruoning mused, and lay down on the bed.
The tent was dark, and the silence was so profound that she could hear Handan Chun's heavy breathing. Yang Ruoning lay on her side, thinking about the events of the night.
In truth, from a historical observer's perspective, King Aqi's actions, though brutal, had a significant benefit. He eliminated the weak and elderly, leaving only fertile women and strong men. In this oasis with limited resources, he adhered to the most primal law of the jungle—simple and crude, yet most effective. However, human society is different from the wild jungle, and his cruelty was bound to be unacceptable.
"Hey, are you asleep?" Yang Ruoning asked softly.
After a pause, Handan Chun replied, "No."
"I haven't asked you yet, do you want to be Khan?"
Yang Ruoning didn't receive an answer from Handan Chun. Perhaps he answered too slowly, and she had already fallen asleep. Or perhaps it was because this was the first time since she arrived that she had slept so soundly.
That night, Yang Ruoning had a chaotic dream. The scenes shifted frequently, the content fragmented and repetitive. She seemed to see everyone she loved, standing a few meters away. She called out their names repeatedly, but it was as if a large, soundproof transparent glass separated them. Even though she screamed until her throat was raw, the people on the other side of the glass couldn't hear her.
"Ruoning," suddenly, she heard someone call her from behind. She turned her head and found herself wearing a pure white wedding dress, standing in the small chapel where they had been married. Before her, Luo Yuan, dressed in black robes, repeated the words of the Western missionary beside him, "...I will love you, cherish you, be faithful to you, forever and ever."
He smiled radiantly at Yang Ruoning, then plunged the dagger in his hand into her chest.
"Ruoning, I love you."