Snake (Five Ancestors #3)(40)
Author: Jeff Stone

The old woman shrieked and headed for the curtain at the back of the restaurant. It took Seh three steps to catch her. A sharp yank on the back of her collar stopped her dead in her tracks, and a single arm around her neck brought her to her knees. Seh hissed in her ear. “If you ever—”

The front door suddenly exploded off its hinges. Sanfu barreled into the room shoulder first. “I heard you shout…” He stopped and stared at the old couple. His upper lip curled.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. “I thought the Governor locked you and this butcher husband of yours away months ago.”

Seh released the old woman. She glared at Sanfu. “The Emperor recently overturned that decision.”

Sanfu scoffed. “So the Emperor has lowered himself to taking bribes from murderers and thieves?”

“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that,” the old woman spat. “He comes here when he’s at his summer palace.”

“I’ll bet he does,” Sanfu said. “Seh, tie her up. Tie up her husband, too. We’re spending the night here.”

Seh nodded and scanned the room. “Where is Malao?”

“Guarding the back door,” Sanfu replied.

“Seh?” a deep, groggy voice said. “What… what’s going on?”

Seh glanced over and saw Fu rubbing his eyes. “You were drugged, Pussycat,” Seh said. “Go back to sleep.”

Fu sat up and groaned. “I think I’d rather go back to following the white monkey through the forest. Ohhhhh. How many more nights are we going to have to do this before we get to Kaifeng?”

“Five,” Seh replied. “But from now on, I’m picking the inns. And no more dumplings.”

Are you okay, Seh?” Malao asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’ll be fine,” Seh replied. “Let’s just go.”

Seh stepped out of their fifth inn in as many nights. He squinted in the early-morning haze and took a long, slow breath. It was the beginning of their fifth day on the road to Kaifeng, and the closer they got to the city, the worse he felt. Even at this hour, hundreds of people flowed along the road before him, like ants hunting for food. His head was beginning to cloud, but he fought it.

Sanfu put a beefy arm around Seh’s shoulders. “Only a few more hours to Kaifeng.”

Seh nodded and followed as Sanfu pushed his way into the crowd. Fu and Malao trailed close behind Seh. Seh double-checked the dragon scroll in the small of his back and the snake on his wrist. Both were secure, though the snake was trembling. Its senses were being overloaded, too.

Seh had never experienced anything like this. Since they had left the Divine Dumpling, the road had continued to widen until twenty men could now easily stroll down it side by side. The people traveling along it in both directions carried every object imaginable—live chickens, grain, shoes, tea—the list was endless. Goods were carried on mules, in carts, and on shoulders.

The variety of travelers seemed endless, too. Merchants, craftsmen, and peasants all pushed headlong beside one another, wearing gray threadbare cotton, shimmering silk robes, and everything in between.

It was lunchtime when they reached the massive wooden gates of Kaifeng. The gates were as high as four men were tall and designed to keep intruders out of the walled city. Today they were wide open. A river of more than a thousand people ebbed and flowed in and out of the gates. People pushed up against Seh from every side as they entered the city.

But the worst part was the stench. Between the unending walls of shops along the city’s main thoroughfare and the high surrounding walls, there was no air circulation. The combined stink of animal dung, open-air-cooking-stall steam, and human sweat seeped into his nostrils. Seh coughed.

Sanfu muscled his way up to Seh. “It’s normally not this crowded,” he said. “The first day of New Year and the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival are the worst.” Fu and Malao finally pushed through the throng and joined them. “Stay together and follow me,” instructed Sanfu.

Sanfu moved forward, parting the crowds, and stopped at the base of an enormous bell tower raising its head high above the masses. Seh was so preoccupied with everything at ground level, he hadn’t noticed it until now.

Sanfu pointed at the tower. “Remember this structure. You can see it from anywhere in Kaifeng. Notice it’s positioned on the main thoroughfare, which runs south to north. Follow the road south and you’ll go back the way we just came to the primary city gates. Go north and you’ll run into a wide bridge that spans the Yellow River. We’re now going to head east.”

They pushed their way down a side avenue. The farther they went, the fewer people there were milling about. They passed row after row of two-story housing interspersed with small shops offering any item you might need or want. Seh saw grocers, bakers, bankers, and blacksmiths. Like the line of travelers on the road, the list of goods was endless.