Desert Rhapsody - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When Abal hit the ground after she threw him, Jiang Yuan was certain she saw shock, a cracked mask, unbelievable humiliation, and a fleeting flash of killing intent on his face. His smile had not yet faded. He rubbed the swollen spot on his cheekbone where he had struck the floor, and by the time he climbed back to his feet, his expression had turned dark and vicious.

Jiang Yuan took a step back and said nothing. All she had wanted was to teach him a lesson. Only after venting her anger did she remember that this was no longer a civilized world. The curved blade at Abal’s waist could truly draw blood once unsheathed. She opened her mouth, but at that moment, the middle-aged man who came in broke the silence.

They both turned to look at him. The man striding in was tall, thin, and gaunt, his crescent-patterned black robe billowing around him. His beard, which ran all the way to his cheeks, was neat and carefully groomed. His gaze landed on Abal first. After a brief pause, he stretched out both hands, his face wreathed in smiles.

“My father told me long ago that one day our benefactor would come to visit. Day and night, I have longed for your arrival as one longs for sweet rain and dew!” He seemed overcome with emotion, his feeling moving and his voice raised as though chanting praise. Then, remembering himself, he introduced himself. “O benefactor, I am the son of Adnan. I am Abdul ibn Adnan. The one who laid my elder brother to rest is my brother as well; my father’s benefactor is also my benefactor!”

Anyone with eyes could tell how false the smile on his face was. Neither Jiang Yuan nor Abal spoke, and it seemed no one intended to correct his mistake. They watched him greet Abal with a face full of delight, clapping him warmly on the shoulder. “What a handsome young man you are, like moonlight cast over an oasis. Your brow is plainly inscribed with the mark of a beautiful man. Countless maidens must have secretly given their hearts to you.”

He apologized solicitously to Abal and told them that Adnan had gone out to attend to business and was not at home for the moment, but he had already sent a quick-footed servant to notify him, so they should return soon. Abdul invited them to move into the inner rooms, where they would be perfumed, washed, and then treated to a feast of fine wine and delicacies.

Abal’s face immediately revealed a strange smile. He cast Jiang Yuan a meaningful glance, then left with Abdul. Men and women naturally dined separately, and Jiang Yuan was led deeper into the house, where Abdul’s wives-there were three of them-brought maidservants to attend her.

She bathed and changed into fresh clothes. She specifically asked for men’s garments, giving the reason that “when traveling with men, skirts make it inconvenient to keep up.” The women gathered around her, wiping at their tears and sighing. “That heartless fellow doesn’t know how to cherish a delicate woman. He’s still young and doesn’t understand that women are fragile and need to be held and comforted.” They had long since slipped to the front to secretly catch a glimpse of Abal, and each of them was aflutter over his beauty. Before long, they were tactfully probing Jiang Yuan about their identities, asking how strong his arms had been when she lay in that youth’s broad embrace, and whether nights spent beneath the gaze of those passionate blue eyes were wild, soul-stealing, and unforgettable.

Jiang Yuan silently lowered her head and chose more food. She was sitting cross-legged, drinking fruit juice and eating peaches, when she finally heard that Adnan had returned. “Honorable lady!” a sturdy Black servant called respectfully from outside the door. “The master of the house invites you.”

Adnan was much tidier than when Jiang Yuan had first met him-so much so that he was almost unrecognizable. His beard was neatly trimmed, strings of pearls were wound around his turban, gems adorned his fingers, and his expensive, exquisite black robe embroidered with silver crescent patterns released waves of fragrance with every gesture. His wealth was beyond words. This era was known to history as the Black-Clad Caliphate. Aside from travelers rolling through the desert or hurrying along the roads for food, who needed white garments to let heat escape, here in the wilds of Syria and in the royal cities of Arabia, the dignitaries and nobles who came and went all wore elegant, handsome black robes patterned with crescents.

The old merchant was a little stooped, but when he saw her, he was still so delighted that he could not stop smiling. He clapped her shoulder again and again, ceaselessly praising God. “Day and night I thought you ought to arrive, yet I did not know where to send someone with a letter to look for you. Last night I dreamed of an eagle spreading its wings and landing on my eaves. So this was what it foretold-today, honored guests have come to my door!”

Abal stood behind them with his arms crossed, his expression somewhere between a smile and not. He, too, had washed and changed into a luxurious black robe. A blade hung at his waist, bracers bound his arms, and a headscarf draped over his shoulders. His short beard set off a pair of seductive, enchanting eyes, and whenever a maidservant placed something before him, her cheeks flushed as she dissolved into giggles. In all the room, there was likely no one who made the place seem brighter than he did. Compared to him, Jiang Yuan looked as gloomy as trash in a corner.

Since ancient times, beauties and heroes had been difficult to separate. When Abdul learned he had mistaken the wrong person, his face filled with surprise. “Father! You clearly said the one who saved you was a strange person of extraordinary martial prowess!” Adnan’s expression was calm. “If I said our benefactor was a woman, it would only bring disaster upon her.”

Jia Nan was indeed a woman’s name, but many names had masculine and feminine forms, and it was difficult to determine them by the subtle differences in pronunciation alone. People naturally distinguished men from women by appearance and were never wrong. “Then who is this?” Abdul looked at Abal, his expression somewhat ugly, though he refused to let it show. Abal smiled and said, “Her attendant.”

Suspicion crossed Abdul’s face. He knew that “Jia Nan” had taken Adnan’s place among the bandits. Adnan did not let him say anything more. He sent Abdul away, then invited Abal and Jiang Yuan to sit on either side. The banquet had not yet been cleared away. Fresh flowers, fruits, fine wine, and rich meats sat almost untouched. Adnan first poured Abal a cup of fragrant wine, then asked him why he had come here in person.
Since he was so tactful, Abal naturally got straight to the point. “I have a matter I want to cooperate with you on,” Abal said. He had accompanied Jiang Yuan all the way from the Nafud Desert to Baghdad for more than just two lions. “You are a merchant of long standing in Baghdad. I imagine your channels for information are no fewer than mine. I want you to look into any information on the bounty placed on the Blood Eagle Bandit Group – everything you already have on hand, and anything you previously thought unnecessary to spend money on. Whatever the cost, draw it from me.”

“Forgive my boldness.” Adnan pondered for a while before asking, “Is this for the sake of your two elder brothers?”

Abal smiled faintly. “That, I would not know. It will depend entirely on what sort of results you can find.”

Adnan thought it over for a moment, then agreed. In exchange, Abal would hand over a portion of the plundered goods for him to sell on consignment. They continued discussing the details in low voices, ultimately setting the end date of their agreement for after Jiang Yuan left Blood Eagle. Jiang Yuan, who was at the center of it all, simply lowered her head and ate, as if none of it had anything to do with her.

Afterward, Adnan sought Jiang Yuan out alone. The two sat facing each other on the carpet, the setting sun outside the window before them, and told each other what had happened since they had parted. That sunset seemed no different from the sunrise on the day they had said goodbye. Its magnificent light shone over the garden and running water, over the lush green grounds, amid song and dance and peace. Jiang Yuan found it all the more wondrous. Here in Baghdad, she actually had a place to stay and people she knew.

Adnan said to her, “Although I can sign an alliance with the mightiest eagle of Blood Eagle, that alliance cannot be spoken of openly. We also need another excuse to cover up the sudden appearance of wealth.” Jiang Yuan said nothing, only listened quietly as he continued. “Besides, the business of bandits is far too conspicuous. I can no longer live in Baghdad.”

Adnan intended to sell the estate, move his entire household away from the royal capital, find another place, and begin anew. He had already made proper arrangements for her return: he wanted to take her as his adopted daughter – of course, on the surface, adopting her as his son would do just as well. Selling stolen goods for bandits required a pretext, and what reason could be more perfect than an adopted son who traveled abroad for business year-round and regularly returned with wealth? Jiang Yuan felt somewhat apologetic. “Actually, arranging for me to be a friend would be enough.”

It was only an excuse, after all. Whether it was gold dug up from the ground as an emergency reserve, or the returns from an investment in a fleet that had come back from a long voyage, there were so many explanations – why would any of them not work? In any case, Adnan was already going to leave his homeland and go somewhere no one knew them. If he acknowledged an adopted son, then after his death, Jiang Yuan would certainly receive a share of the inheritance. No wonder Abdul’s expression had been so ugly when he heard she had come.

Adnan raised a hand, stopping her from trying to persuade him. “My ancestors accumulated considerable property, and by my generation, our family was immensely wealthy,” he said. “Yet I have not been blessed with many sons. I have only five daughters and two sons. My eldest son, Hassan, was raised by me to be my heir. My second son, Abdul, knows only how to eat, drink, and amuse himself.”

When the old man reached this point, a shadow did pass over his face.

“When news reached Baghdad that Hassan had been killed and I had been captured by bandits, Abdul first allowed my cousins and those restless shopkeepers to cheat him out of a third of the family fortune. By the time I returned home, after paying officials to bring those petty villains down and compensating for the loss of goods, another third of my wealth was gone.”

Adnan wanted to rise again. He had already found channels and made preparations, but his old friends only advised him to use the gold and silver he had left to enjoy his later years in peace. Not one of them was willing to offer him even the slightest bit of extra help. Adnan recited, “Though the eagle may yet have the will to soar again, what can he do when he is old, and when he looks behind him and sees no one?” He had no descendants he could use, no long-standing connections to rely on. Merchants valued profit and would not do business at a loss. That was all.

He said, “My dear Jia Nan, this is my wish, and also my sincere request. Since the day we parted, I have regarded you as the benefactor who gave me a second life. Since the day my eldest son was laid in the earth, I have regarded you as my eldest son.”

In truth, in that instant, Jiang Yuan thought of many things: the way Abdul had looked at her, and the way he had looked at Abal. Adnan’s considerations and plans. What would happen after she became his adopted son. Even so, she said without hesitation, “All right.” Just as she had listened to every piece of advice Adnan had given her in the desert.

And just as she had every time, she felt deeply grateful.

The people of Arabia were not overly complicated when it came to choosing an auspicious day. Two days later, once they had confirmed that all friends and relatives had been notified, Adnan held a grand feast and announced that he had taken an adopted son. His shops and houses had been sold for a total of eighty thousand dinars. It was said that he also had a share of profits from a fleet bound for India that had not yet returned. His household was still wealthy enough to attract a great many guests, allowing Jiang Yuan to glimpse the splendor of a feast from a thousand years ago.

After washing and grooming, she sprinkled on perfume, dressed in black, glued on a beard, wrapped on a headscarf, and used eyebrow powder to contour her nose and thicken her brows – she had studied this back in the small town – so she looked fairly convincing. She hastily learned a saber dance from Abal, and with the foundation she had built in the bandit camp before, saber techniques were not difficult for her to pick up when she was not using them to kill.

All in all, the banquet went very smoothly. Jiang Yuan presented herself as someone of mixed Asian and European blood, performed a saber dance in public, and recited the Poem of General Pei. As long as she was loud enough and shameless enough, a language no one understood could win even more applause from the entire hall. Abdul expressed no opinion on the matter. In private, however, Abal said without the slightest hesitation, “That fool was utterly convinced you were a woman, and thought he could deal with you by exposing your identity.” Perhaps Adnan also knew it perfectly well. Everyone simply avoided mentioning it by tacit agreement.
By midnight, she was finally able to leave the banquet for a while and relieve herself. To reach the rear courtyard, she had to pass through the covered gallery. She saw a lamp burning incense in one of the rooms, and Abal was sitting on the window railing, a wineskin in hand, softly beating time as he sang. His melody was long and lilting. Then the song stopped, and those sharp blue eyes turned toward her. Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, then walked over.

It was as if the day she had thrown Abal onto the floor had never happened. The bandit chief had returned to the cool arrogance of their first meeting, seemingly having realized that ordinary flirtation was useless against Jiang Yuan. He quickly found the right way to deal with her: as a man, a subordinate, a teacher, and a captive. Anything but a woman who could be taken to bed, seduced with pleasure and sweet words.

And so there was no need for anyone to account for that shoulder throw. He watched Jiang Yuan approach, waved a hand, and looked at her with mockery. “A she-eagle neglects her natural duty of feeding her young, yet insists on pretending to be a male eagle and going out to fight.”

Jiang Yuan replied, “When two rabbits run side by side, how can you tell which is male and which is female?”

Abal laughed. “Why belittle yourself? Why would a fierce she-panther pretend to be a rabbit?” Then he chanted leisurely, “A pity she does not know how to kill. Beneath that beautiful panther skin is only a hollow drum.” Jiang Yuan changed the subject outright. “Is your Lion Tooth polished?” He gave a low sound of acknowledgment, then drew out the necklace threaded on a black leather cord around his neck and showed it to her.

The other one was naturally still at the shop. Jiang Yuan was not in any hurry anyway.

Jiang Yuan asked again, “Any news of your brother?” Abal said, “No.”

Jiang Yuan had expected that he would no longer trust his own subordinates. Sometimes, being a woman really did come in useful. Without that thing between her legs, neither Abdul nor Abal worried she might turn on them. Where exactly did they get that confidence? His face showed little expression. He merely propped his elbow to the side and gazed at the moonlight. The banquet in front was still raucous; the guests would feast all night. Only he was alone here, drinking by himself. Jiang Yuan sat down beside him. He gave her a mocking smile, which probably meant: Woman.

Jiang Yuan ignored him. He tilted his head and looked at her for a while before resting his cheek on his hand and offering over the wineskin. Jiang Yuan took it and drank a mouthful, not caring whether his saliva was on the mouth of the skin. She handed it back. Abal drank without minding either, then offered it to her again. She pushed it away, indicating that this symbolic gesture of goodwill ended here.

She said, “That song sounded good.”

“Thank you.”

“It sounded like a tune from Persia.”

“Mm. My mother was from Persia,” he said. “Her ancestors were probably female slaves taken from Ctesiphon.” Jiang Yuan made a sound of acknowledgment. Silence fell between them again.

Then Abal spoke the farewell they both understood was coming. “I leave tomorrow.”

“Where to?” Jiang Yuan asked, just for form’s sake.

“Back to Nafud.” He raised the wineskin toward the moon. “That old man’s self-important son has been watching me all day, thinking so hard about reporting me that he has no mind left for women. I might as well save him the trouble.”

Jiang Yuan did not ask why he was leaving alone. Aside from her, there was no other mediator available for the alliance between Blood Eagle and Adnan. In the end, Jiang Yuan would return to Nafud with Adnan’s message. She said, “Safe travels.” At the same time, she wondered why she was wishing a bandit chief safe travels.

“When I return, I should follow Jamal’s trail and butcher my second brother. That haul will be the wealth your foster father and fool of an elder brother receive.” Abal narrowed his eyes. “You should wish me victory.”

Jiang Yuan felt she had found the root of the problem: she was still trapped in a bandits’ den and had yet to climb out of it. Very amenably, she said, “Then I wish you victory, Abal. May Moonlight guide you onward.”

Since she was so cooperative, Abal looked at her in satisfaction and said with great regret, “A pity your chest and ass are not full enough. There is nothing to hold. I imagine you are as shriveled as an empty waterskin, so I can only treat you as a capable assistant.” Then, brimming with smugness, he said, “Otherwise, a man of Arabia can always seize what he wants.”

Jiang Yuan’s face was expressionless as she made as if to grab his hand. Abal burst into laughter and dodged her. Jiang Yuan took the opportunity to stand and leave, continuing on to relieve herself. After walking a short distance, she glanced back. Under the moonlight, the young man leaned slantwise before the window, his black robe stirring in the wind, his headscarf falling over both shoulders. When he lowered the hand with the jeweled ring, his blue eyes were revealed, deep as an abyss and vast as the sea.

He truly was just as Abdul had chanted: the words “handsome man” were written across that full forehead. He raised the wineskin to her in salute, smiled, and chanted, “The eagle leads us to victory!”

Happy New Year, everyone!

I reread this and wondered what the fuck I even wrote.

So mad.

It took me forever to grind this out, and I still didn’t get to the demon… Also, what is up with the Jinjiang app version constantly swallowing my content?

There may be no update tomorrow while I write the demon.

Abal: I have to win back my dignity.