Chapter 2

Liu Ming'an carried the person in his arms and walked to the east end of the town, where he found the person he was looking for.

"Third Great-Uncle, have you finished delivering firewood to Fusheng Restaurant?" Liu Ming'an politely greeted the old man with graying hair.

Hearing the voice, the old man turned around. Upon seeing him, a smile spread across his wrinkled face. "Oh, it's Ming'an. Yes, I've finished delivering and was just about to head back to the village. Hey, why are you carrying a young lady?"

Liu Ming'an smiled sheepishly, "That's actually why I came to find you. I was hoping you could give us a ride back in your ox cart."

Lotus Flower Village was forty li (about 12.5 miles) from Lingshan Town, a two-hour walk. While it wouldn't have been a problem for him alone, carrying someone made traveling by ox cart the best option.

Third Great-Uncle let out a hearty laugh, said "Let's go," and beckoned Liu Ming'an onto the cart.

The ox cart, used for transporting firewood, had only two wheels and a wooden plank. After boarding, Liu Ming'an sat down, letting the unconscious young woman lean against him.

"Where did you get this girl from?" Third Great-Uncle asked curiously as he drove the cart.

Knowing the old man's penchant for gossip, Liu Ming'an didn't try to hide anything and recounted the events at the market.

The old man nodded after listening, "Oh, so you bought a wife. Those three taels of silver must have taken you a long time to save up. Spending it all at once like this doesn't seem worth it."

The old man had clearly noticed the girl's disfigured face and the injuries covering her body. Who knew what other problems she might have? Buying such a person for three taels of silver seemed like a bad deal to him.

Liu Ming'an just smiled without saying anything, then changed the subject and chatted with Third Great-Uncle about other matters for the rest of the journey back to the village.

Third Great-Uncle drove the ox cart to Liu Ming'an's doorstep. After Liu Ming'an got off, he took out the few copper coins he had left and tried to give them to the old man.

"Hey, what are you doing? I don't want that!" The old man waved his hand in refusal.

Liu Ming'an stuffed the copper coins into the old man's arms, then bent down to pick up the young woman. "Third Great-Uncle, it's just a small token of appreciation. Please take it."

"This child!" The old man watched as Liu Ming'an carried the girl into the house, then turned his ox around and headed home.

Liu Ming'an carried her into the house and laid her on the only bed, covering her with a blanket. Then he sat at the table, quietly watching the figure on the bed.

Buying her had indeed been an impulsive decision. He had just sold his calligraphy and paintings, holding the silver he had saved for so long, originally intending to buy a set of scholar's four treasures. Then he heard the commotion and went to take a look out of curiosity, just in time to see Zhao Instructor prodding her wounds with a stick.

He had wanted to leave, but then he saw her eyes. They were calm, sharp, and wary. Despite being in a helpless situation at the mercy of others, she gave off the aura of a lone, proud wolf that might pounce and tear someone apart at any moment.

This is a proud and strong woman, he thought to himself.

"Let's eat something." Liu Ming'an sat down by the bed and, just as he had done with the water earlier, brought a spoonful of porridge to her lips.

She must not have eaten for a long time, as her stomach felt completely empty. The feeling of hunger overpowered the pain.

She opened her mouth and swallowed the porridge. As soon as it entered her mouth, she knew this man wasn't much of a cook. It was a vegetable porridge, probably made with some kind of bitter and astringent greens. The rice wasn't fully cooked either, with some grains still hard in the center.

It tastes awful, she thought, then proceeded to eat the entire bowl of vegetable porridge spoonful by spoonful. As her hunger subsided, she felt some strength returning to her body.

After feeding her, Liu Ming'an went to the kitchen to finish the leftovers. Once he had cleaned everything up, he returned to her bedside.

"Miss, what's your name?"

Name? She didn't have a name. She only had a code – N.

Or perhaps, she had many names and identities, but they were all fake, invented for the purpose of killing more effectively. Those who live in darkness have no names; as an assassin, not being remembered allows one to live longer.

Seeing her silence, Liu Ming'an tentatively asked, "Can you speak?"

The woman moved her lips, but responded with a question: "Who are you?"

Her voice was as cold as ice, and slightly hoarse from disuse.

Liu Ming'an was taken aback for a moment, noticing the coldness in her eyes, then smiled and answered, "My name is Liu Ming'an."

"Where is this place?"

"Lotus Flower Village, below Lingshan Town."

"What time is it now?"

Liu Ming'an glanced out the window: "Late afternoon, almost evening."

"That's not what I meant," the woman rephrased, "I'm asking which dynasty and era it is now? What year?"

Liu Ming'an found her question strange but answered honestly, "It's currently the Great Liang Dynasty, the 13th Year of the Chongming Era."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Ming'an noticed a flicker in the woman's eyes, clearly pondering something.

The Great Liang Dynasty and the 13th Year of Chongming were terms she had never heard before, falling outside the scope of history she knew. It seemed this world was unlike any dynasty she was familiar with.