Wei Shufen stood by the low railing atop the watchtower on Cuiyun Peak, gazing into the distance. Below, the fire in the Great Peace Hall had been mostly contained and was no longer spreading, but the flames still billowed with smoke, bright and conspicuous. Numerous flickering lights moved about nearby, and she could faintly hear the clamor—likely the imperial guards carrying torches as they swept the palace and hunted the assassins.
Beyond that stretched an endless expanse of darkness. Dawn was approaching, and the night curfew was strictly enforced both inside and outside the palace walls. The great city of Chang'an lay deep in slumber, and even the patrolling guards were probably stealing moments of rest. Apart from the scattered stars and crescent moon in the indigo sky, not a single light on the ground betrayed the presence of the Tang capital.
Faint voices rose from behind her, distant, as though someone was laughing wildly.
Wei Shufen turned and realized the sound was coming from the wooden ladder opening in the center of the watchtower.
On the second level below were Li Yuangui and Consort Yin. The mad laughter belonged to the woman, though it was unclear what the two were discussing. Concerned, Wei Shufen walked over and sat down by the ladder opening, hugging her knees and leaning against Chai Yingluo. The female Taoist comfortingly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, their shared warmth at least making the cold more bearable.
The wooden ladder was high above the ground, and the voices from below were indistinct. Wei Shufen caught Consort Yin saying, "You might as well smash your head and think slowly on your own," before the conversation was abruptly cut off. A foreigner demanded, "Where is Li Yuan? Is there another way in?" Consort Yin mumbled evasively, then let out a pained cry—likely wounded or killed.
A thunderous shout exploded beside them, startling both women. Turning, they saw the black-clad crossbowman who had been standing guard at the tower's edge yelling in a foreign tongue, his tone urgent. From below the tower, chaotic clamor surged closer.
Wei Shufen rose and walked to the lookout edge, peering northward. A tide of flickering lights surged toward the watchtower—the Great Peace Palace guards had finally discovered the assassins' stronghold and were launching a full assault.
The crossbowman shouted something toward the ladder opening, then turned and glared at Wei Shufen, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Realizing the assassin might be considering whether to kill them to avoid interference, Wei Shufen instinctively took half a step back, crossing her arms over her chest as she trembled slightly under his gaze. She couldn’t communicate with this foreigner, so words were useless. Before his towering, weapon-laden frame, she appeared small and fragile, hoping only that he would deem her no threat and not worth the effort.
Thankfully, the masked man frowned, hesitated, then turned back to focus on the approaching guards. The imperial troops were now within range, and the assassin raised his crossbow, aimed, and fired, then swiftly reloaded—his movements practiced and efficient.
Shouts rose from below as someone was struck. Summoning courage, Wei Shufen peeked over the edge just as a volley of arrows whistled toward them.
She stumbled back, landing hard on the watchtower floor. The guards were shooting upward, so despite the flurry of arrows, few posed any real threat. Only a handful made it past the tower’s edge, falling weakly askew. The black-clad assassin ignored them entirely, wholly focused on sniping downward.
Movement sounded again from the ladder opening. Still seated, Wei Shufen turned to see a pair of bound hands emerge, followed by a disheveled topknot and the bloodied, battered face and body of Consort Yin.This pampered consort, accustomed to a life of luxury, was now climbing the high ladder with bound hands and a bleeding wound, panting like an ox. When only a few steps remained, she could move no further, collapsing at the top of the ladder, gasping and sobbing loudly.
Recalling their plan—that Consort Yin needed to be kept alive to threaten Crown Prince Li Chengqian—Wei Shufen shifted slightly, intending to lend her a hand. However, Chai Yingluo, who had been sitting at the stairway entrance, acted first.
The female Taoist stood up, grabbed Consort Yin’s arms with both hands, and hauled her onto the watchtower platform, then flung her down with force. The wicked woman let out a sharp cry as her body slammed heavily onto the ground, leaving her momentarily unable to rise.
Earlier that evening in the Great Peace Hall, Chai Yingluo had suffered humiliation at Consort Yin’s hands. Now, she was reclaiming her dignity with interest. Having stayed at the Purple Void Monastery for some time, Wei Shufen was well acquainted with her stubborn refusal to suffer losses, and couldn’t help but smile.
But this was hardly the moment to leisurely savor vengeance. The clamor from the north side of the watchtower grew louder and closer, filling their ears. Though the black-clad archer at the edge of the platform had good aim, he was only one man, utterly incapable of stopping the Imperial guards from surrounding the watchtower.
What were they to do now? Wei Shufen pushed herself up and stumbled to the stairway entrance, grabbing Chai Yingluo’s arm. “Sister Ying, what should we—”
Before she could finish, the wooden ladder trembled again, as if someone else was climbing up. The two women peered down and saw a burly black-clad man with a crossbow swiftly ascending—likely a reinforcement for the sentry on the watchtower.
“Be careful,” Chai Yingluo whispered to Wei Shufen, nodding toward the sentry at the edge. “Watch out for these barbarian bandits.”
Wei Shufen realized—of course! They were hostages abducted from the Great Peace Hall by these assassins, helpless and innocent. Now that the Imperial guards were coming to eliminate the assassins and rescue them from peril, why should she be nervous? She just needed to ensure she didn’t lose her life in the chaos.
Suddenly, the noise outside the tower quieted for a moment before erupting again in an odd uproar, as if shouting something like “Fourteen.” Wei Shufen’s heart clenched, then swelled with heat. She released Chai Yingluo and dashed to the edge of the platform.
Below the watchtower’s entrance, hundreds of torches illuminated a semicircular clearing. In the center stood four figures—three masked in black, armed, and pushing a tall, slender youth in a brocade sleeveless jacket ahead of them, clearly using him as a hostage to threaten the guards.
Wei Shufen’s mouth fell open as she sucked in a breath, but her throat constricted. She raised her hands to cover her mouth, stifling a scream or sob, her legs too weak to stand.
The black-clad assassins had torn away Li Yuangui’s disguise and thrust him out of the watchtower, using him as a shield against the guards.
At least for the moment, it worked—the guards below hesitated, not daring to charge forward.
A soft twang sounded beside her as the black-clad archer released his bolt. A scream followed from below as an Imperial guard fell, struck by the arrow.
This seemed to enrage the guards, and the clamor surged again. But then, an even more piercing shriek and a woman’s cry rang out from the watchtower:
“What are you doing?!”Wei Shufen swiftly turned her head to look south. Consort Yin's robes and silk ribbons trailed through the night sky before sinking and disappearing beyond the railing on the other side of the Watchtower, leaving only a long, piercing scream that echoed endlessly.
The black-clad assassin who had climbed the ladder moments ago had already reached the platform. He first hurled Consort Yin over the railing and was now dealing with Chai Yingluo. It appeared he had been ordered to eliminate the hostages. However, the female Taoist was far more robust and agile, reacting quickly to dodge the first strike. She lunged forward, grappling with him in a desperate struggle, avoiding a fatal blow.
"Sister Ying!"
Wei Shufen cried out and rushed to aid Chai Yingluo, but her legs had long gone weak. After just one step, she fell face-first heavily to the ground, her vision swimming and darkness flooding her sight.
The man's furious shouts in a foreign tongue and the woman's desperate screams blended into chaos. Wei Shufen seemed to hear another faint click—the sound of a crossbow bolt being released.
#####This chapter's notes explain what the Tang people imagined "hell" to be like, accompanied by illustrations. To view the images, visit the author's Weibo. Search for the ID "Tang Dynasty Tour Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo. Discussions are welcome.
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