Arknights story · Fantasy in the Mirage
Hu Jun
While making her way back to the Tianshi Bureau for study, Lin Qingyan receives a letter from Zuo Le, asking her to investigate Yun Qingping's disappearance. Doing so, however, gets her sucked into a strange little town, and a different, utterly baffling case involving the theft of a secret tome of martial arts.
1 scenes, 278 lines
1. Interlude
278 linesOur tale begins in a modest teahouse, its building hardly tall enough for the two floors it's split into.
The interior is simply furnished, the space neither cramped nor bare. Ten wooden tables, meticulously laid out, seat six each. The tea stains have been scrubbed as much as they'll permit. It all speaks to a diligent owner.
The teahouse's server casts ladles of water across the floor, as he mops each and every tile to a mirror sheen.
It seems a while since this teahouse last welcomed a guest. One wonders what sort of customer could warrant such a conscientious welcome.
And with perfect timing, they come in.
One, two... A party of two? Welcome, this way. Would you like a pot of tea to start?
We're fine. First things first—is this Mangshan Town?
It is Mangshan Town.
Are you the shopkeep of this place, or the server?
I am the server.
Keep not in?
The keep is not in.
It's like I'm hearing myself echo. At least you give answers.
One more question then—did a stranger from outside come by today?
They did.
When? What did they look like?
Right now. Two people, both bandit-like.
Wang ba dan, don't you screw around with us!
The boor of a man's temper flares, and he throws a hefty palm across the server's face that sends him crashing to the floor.
But the server does not anger in kind. He calmly picks himself up, and stands up again, like none of that just happened.
What strange guests you are. No tea, no wine? It's beyond me to serve you, then.
Kid, be nice. He just works here.
Check the kitchen in the back. And close every door shut while you're in there.
Take it easy. Of course we want tea.
But we're waiting for someone first. We need to have our tea with her.
And in short order, the proclaimed plus-one arrives.
Oh...?
Scarcely has the girl stepped inside to look around when the tip of a crossbow bolt nestles against her back, and the point of a machete to her throat.
Haha...
Look at that, it's the Lu brothers. Who knew I'd bump into you here?
I think you wouldn't have come if you did know.
Still, good to see you. Now stick around.
Server boy. Shut the door, if you don't mind. And hang up the closed sign.
Then, we'll take a pot of tea.
Here's your tea. Take your time.
The 'Three Blades of Wind and Cloud' treating me to tea? All the heartlands know you. I feel like a VIP now.
Shame it's just the two of us now.
A few days ago, you framed our trio with that secret tome. That sicced three whole gangs and the Yumen garrison on our asses. A hundred men, maybe more, all hunting us down.
I made it, he made it. Our youngest brother died outside Baizao.
So... what could we do but invite you for a cup of tea?
Haha... Absolutely, we should say cheers to you jianghu heroes for making it. Here, may I toast you two with my tea, in place of wine? And then, after meeting on such good terms, we can part on them too?
You need to shut the—!
Let's cut the chit-chat—do you still have the secret tome?
So you caught wind of the deal? Is that why you were waiting for me here?
That's right.
And what happened to my guy, Mr. Pu? Don't tell me you killed him?
Guess.
*sigh*... And there's nothing I can say to convince you that you don't want this tome?
You already screwed us over once. If we don't get this tome today, then the wrong you stuck on us, and the death of our third brother, will both go unanswered.
Alright, now I'm curious. Do you fine heroes really know how this tome here came to be?
Of course.
Rumor has it the Grandmaster of Yumen, who perfected the martial arts, wrote all his learnings in a tome before wading out of the jianghu.
And not long ago, that tome finally fell into the commoners' hands, though almost no one can actually say they've seen it.
We brothers did some asking around too. All signs pointed to you having the tome.
So presumably, you two want the tome so you can master the ultimate kung fu? Claim First Under Heaven?
What I'm asking is, what will this do for you in the long run? Will you rule the jianghu with an iron fist? Will this avenge your dead brother?
Or are you going to duel to the death once you realize there can only be one First Under Heaven?
You're pushing your luck—bring it out.
He says, making a subtle show of his machete again.
To which the girl can only shake her head and sigh. She pulls out a small parcel from her travel bag. Its rectangular dimensions are those of a book, no doubt.
Fine, fine. It's not like I needed the tome anyway, I was just gonna sell it to—well, anyone.
So, fine gentlemen, what's your bid? Because as a note, the last buyer I had lined up set the bar high.
She says, gesturing a '7' in the air.
I have a better offer.
Your life.
*sigh*... Sir, there's no reasoning with you, if you do business like this.
As I see it, it's already a very fair offer.
If my info's right, the Grandmaster's tome was meant for the general leading the Yumen guards.
I don't know how you got your hands on it, but it can't have been legal.
We're bandits, fine lady, and you're a crook. We do us and you do you. Justice and injustice are both above our paygrade.
Whoof, you're no fun... Alright, alright, I really screwed the hound on this one this time. You've got the stuff, can I go now?
Not yet.
I may not be a delicate man, but I know a trouble magnet when I see it. If I let you blab about this to the entire jianghu, I fear we won't live to train as the tome instructs.
Well, if you can cram it a little, and get a little smarter too... Who knows?
Save some jibber-jabber for your next life.
And if there is a next life, remember this: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
What the...?
The man can hardly process the sight of his machete dropping to the ground.
His unwavering grip has never betrayed him throughout his grueling years in the jianghu.
Yet now he can't even hold his own blade.
*pant*... *pant*... Sh... shit... Bro... I think...
Someone... here... poisoned us...!
I poisoned you.
Producing a hemp rope from out of nowhere, the server silently busies himself. In a flash, the three incapacitated guests are bound up like zongzi on the plate, and deposited neatly in the corner.
Figures I'd mistake you for just a teahouse server, sir. My eyes must be going bad.
Poisoning us so finely, you must be a jianghu old-timer too? Tell us your name. If we're dying, at least we should go out knowing.
You weren't mistaken, I'm just a teahouse server, no jianghu old-timer. My friends call me 'Hu Jun'.
I imagine you know Mr. Pu too, then?
He's one of those very friends.
Heh...
One more thing, if you don't mind. This tome... why do you want it?
To leave this town.
It holds five hundred and twenty families, and going around visiting each one takes two thousand and nine hundred steps.
For years upon years, neither number has changed at all. I want to get away from here.
But if I want to leave, there needs to be some change. And if I want some change, I need this secret tome.
I don't understand what you're getting at, sir...
No matter. It's not as if all the realm was made for human minds to comprehend.
Yeah, fair.
We've fallen to you, I admit it! Kill us or whatever, just do what you like.
Whether or not you admit you've fallen to me doesn't change anything.
Sir, you've gotten what you came for. Why bother taking anyone's life?
Who the hell are you? When did you seat yourself?
If you'd have my name, it's Yun Qingping. I was just passing through on my travels.
I've been sitting here since noon, actually. You were just so fixated on the secret tome, I naturally didn't enter your sight.
Catching sight of the elusive boy, Hu Jun grips his dagger tight, but following a moment of thought, he lets go again.
I have no reason to fear you. I 'treated' all the water in this teahouse. You should be poisoned too.
You wouldn't need to fear me anyway, sir. I'm just a scholar who couldn't even truss a featherfowl. There's nothing I could do to you in a fight.
But you insist on saving these people?
Yes. I ask for you to look down on them with kindness, and not to kill again.
These people are not good people.
If he'd gotten the tome just now, he would've silenced everyone else all the same—he even said so himself, just now.
They may be utter scoundrels, but surely your heart is still a good one, sir. So why sully your own innocence for them?
Just hand them to the authorities, and justice will take care of them as a matter of course. As for the secret tome, I'll swear to keep my mouth shut.
How about it, sir?
The way you talk reminds me of my friend. He's a good person. You must be too.
But for now, I cannot trust you.
I won't kill you, but I will ask you to step forth, so I can tie you up.
*sigh*...
You didn't want trouble, and yet trouble's come knocking.
No noise. Or else all four of you are dead.
(Cooperative nod)
Excuse me, is this teahouse closed for the day?
Dear Auntie Qingyan,
I hope this letter finds you well.
I heard about your resignation. I don't know of the specifics, but I admire you deeply for your courageous act. No wonder Mother always exhorts me to follow your example.
To make a long story short, I have something urgent I want to entrust to you in this letter.
An old friend of mine, called Yun Qingping, came with me to Baizao. We've been due to return and report back to the Sui Regulator. But three days ago, he went missing.
My friend is a very careful person. Going AWOL like this is unusual to say the least. I fear for the worst.
Based on the clues I've found, he was last headed out of the city via the north edge, in the direction of Mt. Mang, same as your return trip to the Tianshi Bureau.
I was going to search for him myself, but the Sui Regulator has been inundated lately, not to mention whispers of another incident in Father's army. I'm all but stuck here.
You're the only one who can help me find my friend's whereabouts now, Auntie. I've enclosed a photo of him with this letter. If you find him, I beg you contact me ASAP.
Yours in due deference, Zuo Le
Blessings:
May your health be sound, and your vacation merry.
P.S. Please show up at our next reunion dinner, Auntie. I'm sure Father and Mother are eager for the story surrounding your resignation.
That morning...
The nerve of this boy. Now he's sending me on missions...
...'Courageous act', what nonsense...
No respect for elders...
Before she knows it, Lin Qingyan has set foot into this strange town.
It's a rustic one, low buildings littered about. Few wander the streets. The scene here is a still and peaceful one.
Did Mt. Mang always have a town like this at its foot?
This is odd. I lost signal as soon as I entered. I didn't think the Tianshi Bureau had missed any nearby towns with its signal towers...
Young lady, young lady—
Hm?
Young lady—I've never seen you before. Are you from outside? How rare, how very rare.
Correct... Are outside visitors infrequent here?
They used to be. Lately there's been more.
I'm not surprised. The entrance to this town is very remote, and not marked on any maps to boot...
Sorry, do you happen to know the way to the nearest Tianshi Bureau?
Tianshi Bureau, Tianshi Bureau—can't say I've heard, can't say I've heard.
Can you point me to the road out of town, then? I didn't take full note when entering, and I lost the way I came by the time I thought to look back.
Out of town, out of town—I don't know, I've never been out.
You don't know?
Slow down, slow down—have a pancake, take your time, look around. Everything is done when it's done. No rushing it.
I'm assuming you live here? How long have you lived here for?
Me, me—yes I do. I've been here ever since a pastry lit the first fire in my belly.
Lit a fire? In your belly...?
*ahem*... Thank you, I'll keep looking.
Young lady, young lady—pancakes, fresh from the oven. Have one.
No thanks, I'm not hungry... Did you just dig that out from your pocket? That pancake is oven-fresh?
It's done now, well-done now.
Ouch! This is scalding! You were holding this to your chest—?
No rushing it, no rushing it. Go back to looking, young lady, until you're heated through just right.
Excuse me, wait!
Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-one. Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-two. Eight-thousand...
Ah.
Careful! Are you hurt?
Gaze fixed on the ground, a young woman walks headfirst into Lin Qingyan and promptly tumbles straight to the ground, where something falls out of her clothes.
Lin Qingyan immediately checks her over, then turns to look back, only to find the old man with the pancakes is nowhere to be seen.
Umbrella, my umbrella... Mister told me not to let go of my umbrella...
Here. And this letter. It fell out of your sleeve.
The girl hurriedly takes her umbrella, then with difficulty stuffs the letter back in her sleeve.
Lin Qingyan looks to the clear blue sky.
Try and stand up, young miss. Let me help you.
(This girl's so light...)
How far did I count just now?
Er, eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-three?
Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-four. Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-five...
Young miss, are you alright? Do you need me to take you home?
Home? I can't go home, I promised to meet him at the tofu stall—
Ah... oh no, he told me it was a secret, to protect it with my life, not to tell anyone even if they beat me to death!
Did you hear that? Did you hear about my secret meeting with him at the tofu stall?
That's your personal business. Let's say I didn't hear.
Thank goodness, I'd rather not get beaten to death—where did I count up to?
Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety six? What are you counting?
He told me to count to nine thousand when I go to meet him, and once I do—oh no, I said it again! I'm going to get beaten to death!
If I'm not missing something, I think 'beat you to death' is just a brand of Yanese hyperbole...
Unless you're telling me, Miss, you believe your life is in danger—
Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven, eight thousand nine hundred and ninety eight...
Er...
Eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine, nine thousand! It's time! I'm off to see him—
There's... something strikingly odd about the people in this town...
...What's this? Is this... It's the letter that fell out of her sleeve.
'CLASSIFIED SCOOP, NOT FOR PRYING EYES'?
Wait, Miss!
Hu Jun, Hu Jun—I'm here to see you!
Shh, quiet. This way.
Hu Jun... Why did I have to count to nine thousand before seeing you? My lips are chapped from counting out loud now.
I had no other choice. That's the only way you know to keep track of time.
Did anyone see you come here?
A bunch of people, but none of them know I was coming to see you!
You get the stuff?
Yep, in Mister's cabinet, second drawer. It said 'CLASSIFIED SCOOP, NOT FOR PRYING EYES' on it.
Perfect. Give it to me.
A-Alright...
Oh no, I can't... I can't find the letter! I must have lost it on the way!
But that's alright, I read what was inside. It said 'Three quarters past the Hour of Wei, deal at the old teahouse'.
You sneaked a look at the contents, and you lost the letter itself.
What's wrong, Hu Jun? You're crinkling your forehead up so hard. It makes you look terrifying. I don't like it.
You're sure that's what it said? The time? Three quarters past the Hour of Wei?
Yeah! I can't actually tell the time, but my memory's really good.
......
Hu Jun, what's wrong? Say something. Do I have to count to nine thousand again before you stop ignoring me? Okay, one, two, three, four, five...
No, stop that.
Hu Jun, Hu Jun—I really don't like you being this way. Your face looks so scary.
Xiaoshu, I trust you dearly. If everything goes smoothly, I was planning to get out of here with you. We could leave together.
But you're not ready yet. You haven't learned to keep secrets. That's why I can't—
What are you doing?
You can't hide it from me. Your eyes are wet, Hu Jun. You're hurting a lot, aren't you?
Mister says, when things get wet, I shouldn't jump straight to wiping them, but I can help by blowing on them. Are your eyes a little drier now?
......
Ah, you held my hand too tight just now! Now there's wrinkles in it.
Goodbye, Xiaoshu.
This is the direction she went, I know it. How did she lose me so fast?
She said she was meeting up at the tofu stall. That should be right—ah, there.
Far across the alley, Lin Qingyan spots the umbrella the girl was sporting.
She hurries over, intending to return the lost letter, but as she draws near it becomes obvious—
The umbrella lies forlorn on the ground, the girl unaccounted for.
Welcome, this way. Sit wherever you like.
I ask because I saw the sign hung up outside. Are you closed or not?
If a guest comes for tea, then we can hardly keep closed.
Would you like a pot of tea to start?
Duoxie.
......
The scent of the green tea is positively pungent. Lin Qingyan reaches a hand, but stops.
You're the server of this teahouse? Do you have time for a few questions?
Please, ask away. I'll do all I can to answer.
I see this teahouse is situated in the most bustling part of town. Why close for the evening in the middle of the afternoon?
We play it by ear, you see. Sometimes, nobody wants a drink of tea.
But what if a customer was coming here for something other than tea?
Sometimes, our guests need a shelter from the rain and a spell to rest. They're welcome inside to sit for a while, yes.
Drink tea, or don't. But if you don't take tea and you don't plan on leaving quietly, then the problems begin.
That's fair enough... You make me wonder. Did you get any troublesome customers like that today, before closing up shop?
......
My guests today all drank tea.
Last question...
It just caught my eye, honestly, but there's what looks like a spot of paint stuck to your lapel.
You're a teahouse waiter, not a studio painter. Where would you get paint like that on your clothes from?
And one more thing. I happened to see this color of paint today, on an umbrella.
......
You look awfully anxious. What's the matter?
I mean, look at the time... Didn't you close it ages ago? Your deal, I mean, three quarters past the Hour of Wei?
...!
Brain working in overtime, Hu Jun promptly flips the table up, cutting off Lin Qingyan's line of sight to him. It's just long enough for him to scramble like mad to the upper floor.
Halt—!
H... help...
—!
You.
You have the secret tome... So he tricked me...
Give it to me.
......
You asked for it, then.
Thank you, Deputy Minister Lin... I never imagined I'd run into you here.
How do you know me—wait, hold on, you're... Yun Qingping?
I've heard much about you from Zuo. It's an honor to finally meet—
But according to Zuo Le, you're missing?
Missing? Did Zuo not see the letter I left him? I really feel like I should've foreseen that...
Set that aside for now. What's going on here?
The three beside me got into a fight, I think, over some kind of treasure, and then—
Three? What do you mean three?
Lin Qingyan glances over again. There's two bandits bound up like fowl, but all that lies next to them is a pile of severed hemp rope.
Well, that's strange...
Curses—!
Lin Qingyan hurries out into the street, where a good few townsfolk are milling around to see what the commotion is.
She hears the single sharp strike. She sees someone crash through the upper floor window and fall to the road hard, right in front of the teahouse's entranceway.
She fully expects to see someone injured. Possibly even a corpse. But all that greets her eyes...
Is a pile of shattered teapot shards.