(Day 331 – end of count)

  “We’re going farther north? You mean to Hotan?”, Pengfei asked Chen Rulan’s back.

  “Farther.”

  “There isn’t anything past that except desert.” Pengfei said in confusion.

  Chen Rulan shrugged.

  “Okay… when are we coming back?”

  “We’re not.”

  Pengfei urged Horse forward, came alongside the elder to look into the man’s face. “What do you mean ‘we’re not’? When are we coming back to the sect?”

  “We’ll be gone a long time. The sect will have returned to Qinghai by the time – “

  “We weren’t supposed to leave for Qinghai for another two years. Are you telling that’s how long we’re going to be away?”

  “Probably. Yes.”

  “But – “ Pengfei looked back to the mountain, toward the compound hidden somewhere on its slopes. “I didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Some of my friends are right up there, and I just walked past them without saying anything!”

  “You’re not to say anything to the ones down here either.” The elder pronounced.

  “What the hell is happening!?”

  “Just… be quiet. Let’s get through the day.”

  Pengfei started to protest but fell silent when he noticed how flushed and clammy Elder Rulan’s face was. His concern for the man warred with his outrage and confusion. In the end, he let the man pull ahead on his mount and lead the way.

  Horse was reluctant to reduce her pace and took to zigzagging and bucking in order to entertain herself. The animal’s exuberance conflicted with Pengfei’s dour mood. He sulkily endured the gyrations for a time but eventually dismounted and let her run wild on her own while he walked behind.

  The elder looked back but gave no rebuke when he saw the disciple still trudging along behind him.

  The boy contemplated the news, reviewed the timeline he had been tracking in his mind.

  --It was supposed to be 1000 days until we left these mountains. But it’s been what… 350? A year? And now I’m off to who-knows-where.--

  There was no snow on the ground, despite the season. Pengfei’s boots stayed dry as he marched along. He had just begun to plumb the deep implications of the elder’s announcement, when they reached the larger encampment. And another twist of the knife was waiting for him there.

  A small tent village had been erected near the bunkhouse. Not unlike the one that the builders from Hotan had occupied when constructing the new buildings. And the valley was crowded with animals. Horses, and not just the ones that the sect had purchased. Dozens more than there should be. A gaggle of unfamiliar children were playing near the paddock.

  The Kunlun disciples were milling about as well, but the strangers stood out in their more colorful clothing. And soon Pengfei realized these people weren’t strangers at all. They were a subset of the Tibetans who had been friends and trading partners to Kunlun.

  Pengfei and Chen Rulan were still a distance away, but the boy could recognize one of the figures as Dorje, talking with some of his clansmen outside a large and luxurious tent.

  --If he’s here, then that means…--

  Pengfei whistled again, and Horse came galloping back to him. He was in the saddle and speeding off before the elder realized what was happening.

  “Pengfei! Come back here!”, Rulan screamed

  He was scanning all the faces he could see, looking for a particular head of braided hair. He rode straight through the camp. The other disciples parted in shock as Horse ran between them and kicked up clouds of dust. He pulled back on the reins to keep from barreling straight through the tent and tearing it up by the stakes..

  “Is Pema here?” Pengfei asked the startled Dorje.

  The man responded in the Tibetan language. Incomprehensible. If he said anything about his daughter, it was lost on Pengfei.

  “Where’s Pema?”, he tried again.

  “She’s not here.” It was Xiaotong, walking up from the bunkhouse. “She came through the valley when the clan arrived, but she didn’t stay.”

  “Shit.” Pengfei cursed and looked over his shoulder. Chen Rulan was approaching the camp, clearly angry but taking his time. A minute or so until he arrived, at most.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The frantic disciple hopped down from his saddle and stood face-to-face with his friend. They’d grown closer as they convalesced together from the injuries Neng had inflicted on them. Shared pain, shared betrayal.

  “Who else is down here with you?”

  “Me.” Shutian said dryly from behind.

  “What’s going on? Why is Chen Rulan riding with you?”

  “I have no idea. He’s taking me somewhere, said we won’t be back for two fucking years – “

  Shutian scowled and interjected. “We won’t even be here in two years.”

  “I know, I meant – shut up a second – he’s taking me somewhere and we’re not coming back. He said, by the time we’re done the sect will be back in Qinghai.”

  “Shit.” Xiaotong said.

  Pengfei nodded solemnly. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to anyone. When I saw Pema’s dad… I guess I’m never going to see her again.”

  “Nice to know where we rank on your list of priorities.” Shutian grumbled.

  “I’ll miss you guys, too.” he said to the pair and clapped Shutian on the shoulder. “Even a miserable fuck like you.”

  “Pengfei!”, Elder Rulan shouted as his colt walked into the camp.

  But the disciple ignored the man and drew his two friends into an embrace.

  “We were just starting to get used to you, young master.”

  “I know, Xiaotong.”

  The trio straightened up and looked at each other.

  “It’s not the end of the world. We’ll see you in Qinghai.”

  “I know. But… I’ve barely been here a year and half, now I’ll be gone for two. Just don’t forget me while I’m gone.”

  Chen Rulan had reached them. His face was exasperated but his words understanding. “Come on boy. We need to go.”

  Pengfei took another moment to be with his friends. Two of them anyway. There were others he was leaving behind without without so much as a word. Nanxi. The twins. Jin Fan and the rest of the Discipline Hall. Not to mention the elders who had shown him kindness.

  --I guess Chen Ji and Chen Lei were saying goodbye to me back in the Medicine Hall.--

  He reluctantly climbed up on Horse’s back again.

  Other disciples were gathering, taking in the scene. Elder Mo, apparently the chaperone for the month, was approaching. But Rulan gave a parting wave to them all and parted the crowd, urging his colt forward.

  “Tell the others… I don’t know what you should tell them. That I didn’t just fall off a cliff, I guess.” Pengfei said.

  He fell in behind his escort and they made their way out of the camp. But Shutian had one last point to make.

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving us to take care of the herd by ourselves! How are we going to make the move to Qinghai without you?!”

  Pengfei shrugged and gave a last wave to his friends.

  A few minutes later the elder supplied a belated answer.

  “That’s why we brought the Tibetans in.”

  “Huh?”

  “To help with the horses. Teach the disciples to ride, get the herd to Qinghai. It took a while to arrange. That’s why you were left alone in the cliffs for so long.”

  “Why go to all that effort? I could have managed things with the herd. Wouldn’t it have been easier to take a different disciple?”

  Chen Rulan checked how far the pair of them had gotten from the camp. The horses were keeping a leisurely pace, but they had already carried their riders well out of earshot of the others.

  “Pengfei, we know what you did.”

  ******************************************************************************

  Hotan was still cold despite being at the edge of the desert. Better than the mountain highlands they had descended from, but Pengfei still wore his coat whenever he stepped outside.

  Now he walked toward the local blacksmith. The same man who had made the short swords Chen Rulan had commissioned. The Kunlun elder was no stranger to the forge but had still given the task to the Uyghur man instead of completing it himself. Pengfei didn’t know if it was a matter of convenience or expertise. Regardless, he made his way there now.

  The clanging hammer was audible from down the street. The heat of the flames buffeted him in the doorway. But Pengfei pushed his way inside and nodded to the smith.

  The physical appearance of Hotan’s natives could vary so wildly. Some looked like they belonged in Shanxi province. Others looked like the hailed from unknown lands never heard of in the Central Plains. The smith was somewhere in between. Thin, wiry. Light colored hair, tinged with grey. The hammer swung a few more times, then iron tongs and hot steel plunged into cold water, releasing a hiss of steam. With his work quenched, the tools were set aside and the man walked to a worktable covered in a variety of projects.

  A moment later, he stepped forward and held out a sheath to Pengfei. A single sheath.

  --Where’s the other…--

  But when the Kunlun disciple claimed his property, he realized the truth. He slid the blades free. Both of them.

  --He changed hilts so the swords could sit on top of each other, blade to blade. Fit inside a single scabbard. Much more convenient--

  Pengfei held the swords up to the light from a window, inspected their edges.

  --Razon keen.--

  The dull practice blades had been sharpened into true weapons.

  He slid the knives back into their sheath, then stuffed that into front of his robes. Money was produced from a sleeve, the last of the currency he had escaped Sichuan with. The transaction was completed without words. The language barrier prevented any more than a basic understanding. But the smith still said something cheerful when Pengfei nodded in thanks and turned for the door.

  He wandered the streets slowly. Inspected the merchants’ stalls and storefronts. It was a circuitous route back through the commercial district. Back towards the tea vendor, and Kunlun’s property next door.

  Pengfei was in no hurry to return. And his lackadaisical stroll suited Elder Rulan’s purposes as well. The disciple recalled the awkward conversation on horseback as they came north through the valley.

  ‘We know it was self-defense. The cover-up was the problem. Not that I can really blame you… but you can’t stay in Kunlun. If the Strangers suspect what happened, if they wanted retribution, it could threaten everyone. You need to leave. You need to be seen leaving.’

  So Elder Rulan had not restricted Pengfei’s movements in town. He’d even encouraged the boy to go out and show his face around town.

  --Banished but free to roam.--

  He adjusted the short swords at his waist.

  --Ugh…I’ll need to figure out how to wear these. They’re digging into my nuts.--

  Some passers-by glanced at him, at the blades he carried. They were less noticeable than the jian he had worn on previous occasions but gave him a similar feeling of comfort.

  --Would probably do better with a jian though, if it actually came to a fight. Have barely started to figure these out.--

  Pengfei turned down a familiar street, stepped through the front door of a rarely trafficked building. No signboard hung above the frame, but it was only a matter of time.

  The interior had been greatly renovated recently. Kunlun’s former clinic had been leased to the next-door tea merchant for extra storage over the past decade. But Chen Lei had plans to bring his medical students here soon. Further their education by ministering to the local populace.

  Collections of medicinal herbs had been delivered and were now stored in jars and cabinets. New beds filled the space but the clinic was currently vacant except for the pair from Kunlun making a short stop on their journey.

  Pengfei kept his eyes straight ahead as he moved from front door straight to the back. He wanted to avoid Chen Rulan as much as he could. And the man tended to stay inside. Perhaps he would have gotten some warning if he had stopped to pay his respects to the Elder.

  “What the hell is that?!”

  Pengfei froze in his tracks. In the back courtyard of the property, where he kept Horse, was another beast. Tall and strange looking. Tan, shaggy fur, flapping gums on an ugly face, and two large humps on its back.

  “It’s called a camel.” Chen Rulan said from somewhere inside. “Apparently, they’re well suited to where we are going. I told you I was going to find a more appropriate mount.”

  “I thought you meant a different horse!”

  The man appeared at Pengfei’s side. “No, no… what about you? Are you sure you don’t want me to get one for you? The merchant said he’d return our horses to Chen Lei when he comes to town. You’d have her back when we meet the others in Qinghai.”

  “There’s no way I’m going to ride one of those…things.”

  “It’s on your head then. We’ve dallied here long enough. Be ready to leave tomorrow.”

  Elder Rulan went back into the clinic, leaving Pengfei standing and staring at the camel. The animal seemed to be chewing something it never swallowed. It maintained a perpetually surly look. Horse was in a corner of the courtyard, eyeing the beast warily.

  “I’m glad we’re of the same opinion on this creature!”, Pengfei shouted to the mare. He skirted wide around the thing, made his way to Horse, and rubbed her neck reassuringly, spoke to her calmingly. “We’re leaving tomorrow. Heading north, according to the elder.”

  He looked in that direction. The buildings blocked the view, but he could still see the desert sand in the air, where the wind was sweeping across the Taklamakan.