Desert Rhapsody - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

In the end, Jiang Yuan reached no conclusion about the matter, and Abal did not ask her for any stronger reaction. Their focus had never truly been on that. Rather than calling it Abal’s test, it was more like a bit of teasing they both understood perfectly well-a mockery, a release of pressure. Perhaps that saying about work feeling lighter when men and women worked together came from precisely this atmosphere: attraction to the opposite sex, desire as a driving force, something entirely different from moving alongside someone of the same sex. They were both still wound tight, heavy burdens pressing on their shoulders. That pressure would only vanish for a while once they dealt with the messenger. Jiang Yuan had never killed anyone before, and Abal did not want her killing anyone either, or she might make a mistake. Even so, Jiang Yuan still knew she had become an accomplice.

After they cleaned up, they built a fire where they were and slept beside it. With her ear against the ground, Jiang Yuan could still hear distant clamor and laughter. Travelers sang and danced to a bard’s music, while some merchants drove their camels on through the night, entering the city and hurrying toward the port, bound for the other side of the continent.

According to plan, the merchant Jia Nan held a dance every night. Before each performance, she hired children and porters to spread the word everywhere. The second dance was held in Tawfiq’s most famous square. There truly was not much time, however. Jamila’s dances seemed to carry killing intent. Unlike the soft, sensual allure of the other women, this dancer from Persia who had appeared out of nowhere used the rare image of a mysterious queen to make a name for herself at an unimaginable speed. On the morning of the fourth day, they left Tawfiq and took a boat across the river to Suez City. These two cities were transportation hubs between the Province of Egypt and Damascus, their ports prosperous and busy. But crossing the river did not take long, and by afternoon they had disembarked. Near the port of Suez City, Abal found some children-the kind covered in dust from head to toe, hands and feet filthy, always running around looking for valuable customers to hustle work from.

No one would suspect them, and they were used to doing this sort of thing. Give them a few copper coins, describe Saeed and the horse, and they would become the best lookouts, waiting for the prey to come to them.

Beyond Suez City, the trade routes spread in every direction. There was no way to know which road Saeed would choose, and because of that, his vigilance would also drop. That was why this became the final location they settled on. They did not enter the city. Suez City was too large, and finding their target would be difficult. Jamila performed twice by the roadside. Her reputation had traveled here all the way from Tawfiq, and many people came because they had heard of her, eager to watch her dance. But no matter how much money they offered, the merchant Jia Nan would only agree to performances at night. Dim firelight helped blur people’s vision and conceal gender. Aside from when he danced, Abal kept himself tightly wrapped in a robe and headscarf, revealing not even an inch of skin except for his azure eyes and the jewelry hanging from his body.

To flesh out the image, they went out during the day to stroll around as well, which also let them gather information as quickly as possible. There were fields and villages along the road, as well as many peddlers. Those crafty hawkers who did not want to pay the city entrance fee solicited business without stopping for a moment. Grain, wine, and cotton were cheaper here, while gold had instead risen in price. Jiang Yuan took Abal around the roadside stalls, doing her best to put him on display. There were plenty of men who wanted a night with Jamila, and no small number who would pounce the instant they were provoked. Jiang Yuan had arranged her shills in advance. This sort of thing seemed nothing rare in this era; at the very least, no one objected to her scheme. Once they took the money, they got to work efficiently, taking turns following Jiang Yuan from a distance and waiting for her signal, ready to begin at any moment.

Saeed did not appear on the first day, and compared to their earlier estimate, this was already a bit late. Jiang Yuan suspected that Saeed might have left ahead of them, but Abal did not think so. “You don’t understand messengers, and you don’t understand men.” Lady Fatini and Fashir had been corresponding for a long time. Even if the letter was marked urgent, it would not make the messenger particularly nervous. For long-distance correspondence that relied solely on manpower and horses, too many things could go wrong. The messenger was one of Fashir’s people. If he knew Abal was already trapped in the jar, he would only lower his guard.

“The drug that day was probably too strong,” Abal speculated. “So he was forced to follow the ship to Tawfiq.” Traveling by land was different from traveling by boat. On land, if there was a problem with your mount, you could simply buy another one if you had money. On a boat, it was another matter entirely. A sailing ship was an enclosed environment, and disease spread through it very easily. The captain and the others would certainly insist on investigating the problem before letting the owner leave. Jiang Yuan said, “…So it’s possible he never got off the ship at all?” Precisely because he had not gotten off, and because a merchant ship, though traveling downriver, still had to sail, load cargo, and unload cargo along the way, it was much slower than them.

Beside her, the beauty with a veil tied on and a long scarf wrapped around him, revealing only a pair of carefully lined eyes, curved his faintly visible red lips into a cold smile.

It did not matter. Of the twenty gold coins, two remained, and the tips Jamila had earned over the past few days were enough to cover food and lodging. They did not discuss the matter further. This was the street, and there were too many eyes and ears. Jiang Yuan understood why Abal had chosen Suez City. No matter which road Saeed came from, he had to pass through here. She lowered her head in thought, then felt someone tug at her foot. Abal stopped and silently signaled to her.
She turned her head. In front of the little stall where he stood, the vendor had spread a gauzy outfit over a crude rack. It was pretty enough, but that was all. Jiang Yuan had limited feelings about beautiful clothes; along the way, Abal had been the one making all the calls on the Persian dancer’s costumes. She asked, “Do you want to buy it?”

The beauty stared at the outfit for a while, then indicated his answer with his eyes.

The vendor named a price of five gold coins. Jiang Yuan haggled him down to two and bought it.

When they returned to the inn, Abal told her, “It’s clothing worn by Persian women.”

Jiang Yuan said, “And?”

It could not be just because it was Persian women’s clothing.

Abal said, “I used to see my mother wear clothes like this all the time.”

After all, Jiang Yuan could not shave him every single time. Lately, he was no longer as uncomfortable grooming himself in front of a mirror as he had been at first. He would even make specific requests of Jiang Yuan-what hairstyle he wanted, what kind of makeup. Gradually, he had moved away from the gaudy vulgarity of a prostitute and settled into a more stable style. “I think dressing as my mother isn’t bad either,” he said. Naturally, all his impressions of women’s clothing came from his mother.

That night, the children came flying over to tell Jiang Yuan that they had seen people with horses bearing the brand she had specified arrive at the harbor and take rooms at an inn. This place was already close to the Nile River Valley-indeed, it was a harbor. The wind carried moisture, damp and hot, but still bearable. People naturally followed the biological rhythm handed down over thousands of years, rising with the sun and resting after sundown. Jiang Yuan was in the middle of watching Abal cast flirtatious glances. Their show was about to begin, and the women they had temporarily hired were already preening and posing in the square to warm up the crowd. They could not call everything off and change locations over this.

She simply took out money and told the children to go shout inside the inn, “Jamila, the most beautiful dancer in all Persia, is dancing at XX! Don’t miss her if you’re passing by!”

From afar, she gave Abal a look. The beauty sitting quietly in the canopy saw her signal and turned his head away.

More people gathered. Another wave of ships had arrived at the harbor, bringing with it an enormous flow of travelers. They laughed and jeered as they watched the women bare their thighs and twist their waists, while the strings and drums stirred up a lively riot of sound. Jamila rose lazily, shook the bells on her bare feet, and struck an opening pose. Then she spun out from beneath the colorful canopy and danced with her blade.

Perhaps her only two flaws were that she would not remove her veil or show her chest. She wore the outfit bought that day, and the ornaments in her hair glittered brightly. Standing among those coquettishly smiling women, still veiled, her blue eyes swept arrogantly over the crowd. Not one person there was more beautiful or more coldly ruthless than she was. Every night, Jamila chose several men to interact with. Tonight, she had not yet chosen any. When Saeed walked over, she spun, her beautiful gauze robes whirling, carrying a rich fragrance as she danced into the crowd to meet him.

Saeed’s first reaction was startled wariness. Jamila’s unsheathed blade lifted his chin. But in the next instant, his gaze went dazed with astonishment, and he stared at the blue-eyed dancer, unable to speak. The people around them clapped and cheered, “Jamila!” The drums and strings played even harder. Some people burst into song, whether or not their voices sounded like broken gongs, inventing all kinds of praise for her graceful dance and beauty bright as the blazing sun. Someone even shouted, “Come here! Jamila! I’ll give you five gold coins! Dance around me!”

Jamila turned a deaf ear and danced around Saeed. Her blade sliced open his clothes, skimmed across his skin, provoking him, threatening him. The tip of the blade slid from his Adam’s apple down to his navel. But when Jamila’s back brushed past Saeed’s, he could not help turning to look at her. Beneath the veil, those blue eyes curved, forming a contemptuous and arrogant smile. Then her steps grew light, and, accompanied by the soul-stealing chime of bells, she flew like a bird toward the guest offering five gold coins.

Saeed looked around in a daze, utterly bereft, as if his soul had been stolen. The people nearby mocked him, saying he lost all sense the moment he saw a woman. Jiang Yuan walked up to him and bowed. “Thank you for your generous patronage. At a glance, sir, one can tell you are an outstanding man who would never have to worry about daily expenses. In that case, surely paying a small price to make a beauty smile brilliantly is acceptable. How much of a reward do you intend to give Jamila?”

“She is truly beautiful.” Saeed thought for a moment, then took several silver coins from his money pouch. Judging by Jamila’s previous tips, this was already quite generous. He said, “Especially those eyes that seem to speak. They remind me of someone.”

Jiang Yuan asked, “Your lover?”

Saeed said, “The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

Even as he said this, he was still looking in Jamila’s direction. He had taken the bait completely.

Thus, the next morning, when he was leaving the city and saw Jamila run straight into his arms, he was utterly astonished. It was a scene that should only appear in dreams: a stunning blue-eyed dancer throwing herself into his embrace. She was very calm, yet beneath that calm was suppressed panic, the kind that could make any man’s heart ache as if cut by a knife. Her face was still veiled, and she kept looking back, so she failed to notice him and crashed into Saeed. She had clearly run into trouble, and she did not remember the man she had danced around last night at all. Only men like him would remember her. Saeed caught hold of her. “What happened to you?”

Jamila drew her blade. “Let go!”
Saeed pulled her into a corner. Three or four fierce-looking men shoved through the crowd in pursuit, but when they failed to spot the two of them, they stormed straight past. They waited for a while in a corner on the far side of the city gate before Saeed asked, “Where is your master?”

Those blue eyes weighed him coolly. Even in trouble, she was still cold and proud, as if nothing in the world mattered to her. Then her eyes widened slightly. “…It’s you.” She had recognized him, and Saeed was delighted.

“My master wanted me to spend the night with a man. He might even sell me to him,” she said. “He paid five hundred gold coins, but the man himself is as disgusting as a hyena.”

Saeed suggested, “Why don’t you come with me?”

Jamila asked in return, “How do I know what you’re capable of?”

Saeed said, “Come with me.” He took a blanket from his luggage, draped it over her shoulders, let her ride his horse, and led it away on foot. Back in the city, Jiang Yuan caused an uproar, shouting, “Someone stole my Jamila!” before chasing after them. Starting from the city gate, she searched for the yellow-stained stones and followed the trail. After a while, the hoofprints left the trade road, which made the tracks even easier to find.

By midday, she had followed them into the wilderness. In front of a small tent, far from any signs of people, Jamila sat and offered Saeed water. Saeed drank happily as he cooked for her. When he saw Jiang Yuan, he rose warily and set his hand on the knife at his waist. “You’re alone?” Saeed laughed. “I don’t know how you managed to track me all the way here, but you can either take ten gold coins and get lost, or leave your head behind.”

Jamila said softly, “That’s a very good offer, Saeed.” Abal rose to his feet and drove the knife he carried into Saeed’s spine.

The veil slipped from his face, revealing a cruel, striking visage. With makeup on, his features were even more dazzling, so beautiful they could steal a person’s soul. Applying the makeup had become much easier with practice, and besides, heavy brow powder and lead white were already perfect for concealing the contours of bone. Perhaps only someone like Jiang Yuan, who had witnessed him transform from man to woman with her own eyes, could find anything familiar in his face. The bandit chief smiled. “But you only need to leave your head behind. I can collect the gold coins myself.”

Saeed turned back to stare at him in shock. He seemed to want to fight back, but his knife fell to the ground. Abal kicked him, knocking him straight down. But even as Saeed hit the ground, he seemed unaware of it, staring blankly at him. “…Kösem!” Abal’s smile froze for two seconds.

“So you know Kösem,” he said coldly. Only then did Saeed recognize him as well. “It’s you, Abal,” he blurted. “What are you doing here?!” Looking at Abal’s appearance, he finally remembered to attack, but Abal was not shaken by the name. In a few quick moves, he finished Saeed off and cut off his head.

Blood spread across the ground. The tent had been dragged down, covering that patch of earth. Then Abal began stripping off his clothes, as if he had finally had enough. Pieces of torn gauze, stained with blood, covered the corpse’s face. Then came the wig and the jeweled ornaments. They would set the place on fire and destroy every possible trace. The vultures had not arrived yet, but the plan had gone smoothly.

Jiang Yuan asked, “Who is Kösem?” Though she had already faintly guessed the identity of the woman who bore that name.

Abal said, “My mother.”

Why do I feel like this chapter has no feeling at all? I might revise it tomorrow.

I worked overtime today, and I’ll be working overtime tomorrow too, so updates will be very late. After this update, there probably won’t be many next week either, because unless something unexpected happens, I’ll be working overtime all week.

Updates should be more normal during the Qingming Festival holiday.

Thank you to the little angels who cast Overlord Tickets for me or watered me with nutrient solution~

Thank you to the little angels who watered me with nutrient solution:

Dongwu, 98 bottles; Liuyi Z, Jinzhan, 40 bottles; Ju Miaomiao, Shuzi Jun, 10 bottles; 370, 8 bottles; Sizhai Jun, 5 bottles; Lanmei Saigao, 3 bottles; A Yin, Lin Xiaotu, 2 bottles; Jinxi Hexi, Wuqi, Hutong Li Zhangle Yeshengjun, MY NAME IS, Erdong, Jiuqing Bo, Keli Si, 1 bottle.

Thank you all so much for your support. I’ll keep working hard!