Torches burned brightly, the flames of the campfires danced in the wind, and the bandits of the Earth Dragon Fort went on drinking and stuffing themselves as if it were the last feast of their lives. Zhang Min had returned to his place beside Ling Bo as though he’d never left. Though he had been gone for more than four hours, the drunken men hadn’t noticed his absence, only one shaggy bandit gave him a knowing glance, eyeing his damp hair and soaked clothes.
“Did you fall into a trough or something?” the man asked quietly.
“Something like that.”
“I see. Well, now you’re the cleanest one here. Hahaha.”
Drops of fresh well water fell from his hair; a few tangled strands clung to his face until Zhang Min brushed them back with his hand. After spending so much energy digging through the earth, he was exhausted and hungry, so he tore into the roasted meat like a starving wolf, biting off chunks greedily. A jug of wine sat before him, but he didn’t take a single sip. Zhang Min feasted with his Brown Boar squad until dawn, and only then returned to the barracks.
On his way back, he made a detour, circling around all the places where he had stolen materials. He examined them in the pale pre-dawn light, then turned toward the pigpens and glanced at the old shed from afar. The door still stood wide open, letting flies come and go; the trampled weeds had risen again overnight, swaying gently in the breeze and hiding all traces. Nothing gave away the nighttime digging.
Back in the barracks, he lay down on a worn mat and tried to sleep. At first he tossed and turned, unable to quiet his thoughts. The young captives reminded him of his past life in the city — the old crooked shack and the two sweet girls devouring rice with both cheeks puffed out. He remembered fishing with them by the river, the gentle lapping of water, and that feeling of peace.
“How good that was,” Zhang Min thought with a yawn. “The girls must have lost me by now. I should be returning from my trip with a pile of money right about now. I need to get out of here, or they’ll start worrying.” With thoughts of home, he finally fell asleep.
The midday heat shimmered over the fort’s alleys; insects buzzed madly in the grass, and persistent flies swarmed around the sweating men, crawling over them whenever they could. After two days of drinking, the bandits didn’t care — they snored loudly, exhaling stale alcohol fumes. The air inside the barracks was unfit for a normal person to breathe, so Zhang Min crawled outside and slept in the shade of a sprawling tree near the training yard, away from the others.
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In lazy half-sleep, the fort’s inhabitants passed that day and the next two, hiding from the sun by day and, by evening, slowly draining the remaining supplies of wine and meat set aside for the celebration. Although the tables had been cleared from the square, the bandits still gathered in small groups and kept drinking. Their craving for revelry could not be satisfied by only a few days of indulgence. They laughed, gambled with dice, only pausing when it was their turn on watch, so no one searched for the captives or the missing bandit.
The bosses must’ve made a decent profit if they can afford such a spree, Zhang Min thought. If only I could get my hands on their treasures.
Unlike the others, he didn’t touch wine anymore, and while the rest of the fortress relaxed, he quietly took care of the three girls in the pit. No one knew how long they had traveled before, and after sitting in the hole they had begun to stink outright. Worried about their health, Zhang Min dragged a barrel of water behind the shed, along with spare clothes borrowed from bandits, and then forced the captives to wash up and clean their clothes.
Making sure there was still no one nearby, and that Lin Bo and the others were busy bonding with the bandits, he allowed the girls to sit in the grass under the stars, dry off, and breathe fresh air while their clothes dried in the night wind. Meanwhile, he took out the bucket that served as their toilet.
“How beautiful,” one of the girls whispered, gazing at the sky. “The stars are so bright.”
“Yes,” another answered softly.
“I hope Mother’s watching me from up there…” the third sniffled. “Mom, I miss you…”
Hugging their knees, the three of them sat amid the tall grass, savoring the clean night air. In the starlight, the tears on their cheeks glistened like gems, and drops of fresh water still clung to their loose hair. Zhang Min’s heart tightened at the sight, but not a single muscle in his face moved. He dared not show sympathy or pity, if they stopped fearing bandits, they might do something foolish.
The moment they start thinking there are kind uncles here, they’ll lose their heads and I’ll lose mine with them.
While the bandits kept draining the wine stores, Zhang Min quietly reinforced and improved the hiding place. Fortunately, the structure made it possible. Within a week, the tiny cellar had turned into a fairly cozy little room of wood. Small but sturdy logs served as supports and beams, and thick planks formed the roof. A smooth wooden floor shielded the girls from the cold, allowing them to stretch out fully on soft straw mats.
Now the shelter resembled a simple house, only underground. In one corner stood a large bucket of water with a ladle sticking out from under the lid; nearby sat a wide pot filled with food reserves, and on a small crate rested a few dishes. A sack full of dried fruits and vegetables hung on the wall. Opposite lay good mats, mattresses, and thick blankets “borrowed” from the bandits, their sleeping area. At the entrance, a sturdy ladder now led upward, so the girls could climb out anytime. But their freedom ended at the old shed, whose door was now securely locked from the outside.
