Chapter Fifteen: Testing the Waters

“Are you testing her?”

The woman had vanished into the mist, yet Yang Yu’s face remained etched with shock.

“People are least likely to lie at the edge of life and death, but this woman is no ordinary sort.”

Liu Ji’s words startled him. “You mean, she was deceiving us just now?”

“There was truth and falsehood alike. The highest art of lying is blending truth and fiction. Lady Jiu has mastered this; perhaps since she came of age, she has rarely spoken a genuine word.” Liu Ji sighed with a sense of realization. “Yang Huzi, she claimed that Danangqi wanted to kill me on his own initiative. What do you think?”

“You’re saying she was the one who orchestrated it?”

“Not directly, but close enough. She only knows I killed Danangqi, but she doesn’t know that before killing him, I obtained a survivor.”

As Liu Ji spoke, his gaze was piercing, and Yang Yu’s heart churned with mixed emotions. Even a slow-witted man could grasp the implication.

The other side had concealed everything until now. The scene just now wasn’t a test, but a signal—not only to the woman but to himself as well.

He had believed, after more than ten years of friendship, that he had found a confidant, someone to entrust with his life. Yet even he was now suspected.

“No wonder you never use my courtesy name—how foolish I am,” Yang Yu laughed bitterly at himself. “I had no part in this. Had I known you were in danger, I would never have left that day.”

“I know.” Liu Ji’s single sentence dispelled his doubts. “If you were compromised, I wouldn’t have lived to wake up.”

“I didn’t confide in you because there was a question only she could answer, and if I told you too soon, disaster might follow.”

“What question?”

“She answered three of my questions—true or false, who can say—but don’t you find her involvement with the Tibetans unusual?” Seeing Yang Yu deep in thought, Liu Ji continued, “I wonder, the Tibetans went to such lengths—what do they truly want?”

“You suspect this whole affair is a trap from start to finish?”

“It’s highly likely. During the battle at Teng Bridge, Danangqi deliberately spared us. He pretended to pursue us, but in fact hastened us along, all so that we would meet Lady Jiu. But Lady Jiu didn’t want to see me; she only wanted to see you. That’s why the ambush in the woods happened.”

“But if we hadn’t separated, wouldn’t their plan have failed?” Yang Yu’s response was quick and incisive.

“I believe they had a contingency even if we stayed together. The survivor told me that behind Danangqi’s party, the main Tibetan army was just two hours away. If my guess is right, it must be the three Dongdai led by Xi Dongzan.”

“Teng Bridge is completed, the Tibetans changed commanders and reinforced their troops—why?”

The answer was imminent. Yang Yu stared at Liu Ji, his understanding reshaped once more. The man who used to be known only for reckless valor was now utterly unrecognizable.

“She wanted me to bring back news, but also to use the Sumpa people’s hands to eliminate you, and at the same time lure our army to attack. The journey to Teng Bridge was your proposal; they acted because they feared we’d uncover something.”

Yang Yu’s reasoning became smoother, and he paced the room, waving his hand. “Without you, she could easily trick me into the trap. The one who truly wanted you dead was her!”

“And the Tibetans aim to lure our army into an ambush, to wipe us out beside the Boyi River.”

Liu Ji nodded in approval. He was a natural skeptic, born for intelligence work, but he knew little of his companion’s temperament, so he could only deduce step by step. In truth, hearing Yang Yu’s name had already dispelled any suspicion he had.

History proves that none who leave their mark are simple.

“Why didn’t you just kill her earlier?”

“She carries many secrets. If I kill her, the trail ends. If she truly serves the Tibetans, at least for now she cannot die.”

Liu Ji’s answer was delivered with a mysterious smile, unfathomable.

Meanwhile, in the official residence within the city, Xi Dongzan was asking the same question. Yet the Han woman named Ji Sangyangcuo seemed to perplex him.

“You say the one who killed Danangqi was a yellow-haired boy?”

The hands pressed on his shoulders remained gentle, and her words were just as soft. “You don’t believe it? I doubted it myself before meeting him. But he had Danangqi’s armor, weapons, tiger-skin emblem, and iron inscription.”

“He’s only sixteen, yet he’s well-known among the Tang. I expected him to be lascivious, but he showed no interest in me at all.” Lady Zeng Jiu paused, her fingers lightly brushing her neck. In places hidden from sight, the marks from being strangled stood out vividly—the feeling of suffocation was unforgettable.

“He ignored my Yangcuo—what, is he blind?” Xi Dongzan grabbed her hand, but the woman stood motionless.

“I don’t know. His gaze is like a viper, terrifying, not someone easily deceived.” Lady Zeng Jiu let him hold her hand, her expression cooling. “Danangqi was following your orders when he decided to kill, wasn’t he?”

Xi Dongzan was not surprised; he even smiled. “What’s wrong with that? You hesitate to kill the Tang because of sentiment, so I made the decision for you. One messenger is enough.”

Lady Zeng Jiu’s suspicions were confirmed, and waves of emotion left her stunned for a moment.

“You didn’t tell them about me, did you?”

“Of course not. I only said I’d bribed city officials to arrange their return journey.” Lady Zeng Jiu replied calmly.

Xi Dongzan stared at her for a while, patting her hand. “Good. Remember this: neither the Tang nor the Sumpa will ever truly care for you. In Tibet, only your Dongzan is reliable.”

The woman lowered her head and murmured an almost inaudible assent, allowing herself to be pulled close.

Neither of the entwined pair realized that just outside the room, two shadowy figures had been eavesdropping for quite some time. Only when the sounds inside faded and the rustle of clothing signaled dressing did they stir.

Yang Yu, like Liu Ji, was wrapped head to toe in black cloth, only his eyes exposed. The news they’d overheard astonished him—it was all as Liu Ji had predicted.

When the room fell silent, Liu Ji tapped him lightly and signaled for them to leave.

The two slowly rose, hugging the wall as they prepared to slip away. Suddenly, voices sounded from inside again; the young man seemed to have summoned a subordinate.

“Dongben, anything you need done, give the order.”

“Take your men and surround the Sogdian inn at the street corner—seize all the Tang inside.” Seeing the subordinate hesitate, the man continued, “Go in the afternoon. If they resist, kill them on the spot—dead or alive, it doesn’t matter.”

Liu Ji and Yang Yu exchanged a glance, their faces grave.