73 Telling the Truth (2/2)
”Now, this piece of string belongs to you,” he said with satisfaction. ”Turn around.” When An Ning did, Yi Hai gently swept the thick hair on her nape then fastened the silver string around her neck. ”There, done.”
An Ning tugged at the string around her neck and was surprised to feel a hard thing dangling from its end. She touched it with her fingertips and realized that it was actually her ring, only now it was invisible and was only accessible to touch.An Ning threw Yi Hai a confused glance.
”Only the owner of the string can take it off. And you are now its new master after feeding it your blood. It copies the ring so that whoever tries to steal it will get the false and not the real one.”
”It's like a Zerox machine then,” An Ning said, totally amazed.
”Huh?”
”It's a machine that copies paper. A big machine. As big as a mountain. Never mind,” she said when she saw the utter confusion on Yi Hai's face. ”You'll see it one of these days.”
Yi Hai looked at her, startled.
”You'll let me go with you to the other side? I mean, this modern world you've been talking about?”
”Why not? One needs to see one or two places before one dies, right?”
”That's kind of extreme but if you say so,” Yi Hai didn't sound too convinced about it.
An Ning laughed.
”Relax.I'll build a time machine on this end and let you visit the other side, as you call it. Isn't that what my grandfather was trying to tell me?”
”I don't know. Was he trying to tell you something?”
”Yup. He said to meet him here tomorrow at the same time,” An Ning said, standing up. ”It's getting late. Let's head out after we eat.”
She was walking away when she stopped and turned around.
”Why did you give me that necklace? Its value is more than I can ever repay you.”
”Because you needed it and because I trust you.”
She continued looking at him as if she was waiting for something.
Yi Hai sighed then reluctantly gave in.
”It was my grandfather's. He was the commander of the guards before I took over. He passed away some years back and he gave me the necklace. He said it saved his life numerous times.He didn't tell me where it came from. But over the years, I more or less guessed that a woman he once loved must have given it to him. My grandmother was a simple woman who was a good wife and mother but she wasn't the type to immortalize a romance with a valuable gift like that. He didn't tell me and I didn't ask.”
An Ning listened in silence then she reached into the ring and took something out. The necklace carbon copied Hippolyta's ring to perfection. The space it contained, however, was much smaller, the size of a jail cell which could fit ten or so people. It was also empty of the war toys contained in the original ring but there was something that it shared with the original: the wish factor.Since she was now the owner of the necklace, she had the power to command the things it contained and have it transferred to the copy cat. When An Ning took out her hand, she was holding a gun. She walked over to Yi Hai and showed it to him.
”This, too, can save your life or somebody else's life in a life and death situation,” she explained.”It's not as valuable as the necklace you gave me but this will come in handy when you're in a tight spot. I'll teach you how to use it when we get back.”
”And how to fire that tube like thing and how to drive and fire the tank?” Yi Hai said, flashing a dazzling smile which almost blinded An Ning.
”I'll teach you how to fire those and some other things you want to learn,” An Ning said, laughing helplessly. ”Bully.”
Yi Hai laughed.
”I'll look forward to it, then,” Yi Hai said, giving the gun back to An Ning, who slipped it back into the ring.
She looked up at him with a relieved smile.
”Thank you, Yi Hai. I'll take very good care of this gift,” she said, touching that mysterious piece of silver string with her fingertips.
”You're welcome, An Ning,” he smiled back, her name rolling off his tongue gentle as a breeze.
The Sierra mountains was an imposing chain that stretched all the way back to the valley in the capital. It then tapers off to form small descending mounds like footsteps before it flattens into rich, beautiful grassland, which produces most of Yuqui's agricultural products.
This sprawling piece of heaven had powered countless wars during Yuqui's bloody history. While other kingdoms experienced a time of plenty then strife, Yuqui's fortune held its luck for hundreds of years. Even when incompetent fools hold the reigns at the palace, Yuqui was never seriously affected.
But Yuqui hit its highest peak of resurgence during Gu Fang's father's time.Mineral deposits were discovered in the mountains to the south. Commerce grew and flourished. And a school, led by a Grand Tutor called Mu Qing, was founded. That school later became the site of the widely popular Battle of Talents which attracted hundreds of contestants from near and far kingdoms every year to Yuqui.
It was no wonder then that outsiders looking in would get jealous and would try to plot against Yuqui's downfall.
It was already spring but the interior of the great Sierra mountains remained freezing cold. Before going out to surveill the area, An Ning had distributed winter gear to Yi Hai and his men. The fatigues and military jackets were fine with the men but they did grumble a bit about the high leather boots, which died down by the time they made camp on the banks of a river with a tiny waterfall.
When the drone was released, An Ning made particular attention to the patterns of the trees. A gap could mean a lot of things: trees felled to builddwellings; a patch created to make way for thepresence of a new construction. It could mean many things, even a tower where an experienced bowman could hide and release an arrow for an intruder to die.
When the drone passed by the large shadow on the face of a mountain, An Ning almost missed it. The shadow itself was a convenient camouflage since the burned part of the mountain's edifice where lightning had struck perfectly hid the opening of a cave. And a man was standing at the entrance, smoking what looked to be like a red Marlboro slim.
An Ning's eyes glimmered with fire.
”Quick! Pack everything up and let's move!”
The men didn't ask questions. They simply followed orders and in a short time, the van was moving downstream with the river. An Ning chose a quiet spot hidden in all directions and killed the engine.
”What happened in there?” Yi Hai, sitting besides her, asked.
”Richard is here. He's behind this...this group plotting against Yuqui.”
”What? I don't understand.”
”Did you see that man in the entrance to the cave? He looked like a native, dressed like a native yet he was smoking a cigarette which will not be discovered in like another five hundred years in this country,” An Ning cried. ”Damn. He's outsmarted me this time. Damn Richard!”
Yi Hai looked at the quaking men at the back. Catching his meaning, the men hurriedly opened the door and jumped outside.
”Now we're alone.Explain it to me again.”
So, An Ning explained in detail what that simple sight of a cigarette mean.
”You think he's near?”
An Ning considered his question then shook her head. She was feeling a lot better now, able to see things clearly and grasp their meaning. The sight of that Marlboro stick shook her up badly though. She forgot that Richard was here even before she arrived. He was a charismatic man who did well in school and in business. She refused to believe that death or time travel could change the basic him into a savage idiot. That's not what Richard was after, what he was about. He wanted power and all men who want power were not drooling idiots.
”Laniang was already in place before Richard arrived. He could only pull the strings and help things move along. Like supply them with ammo and things like that. Or give them advise or something. He already know how to come and go between worlds. It would be easy for him to arm them if he likes.”
”That husband of yours is really shameless. I'm really starting to hate him.”
”Former husband,” An Ning automatically corrected. ”Thank god my kids didn't know anything about him.”
Yi Hai gaped at her.
”You have children?”
”I'm already a 26 year old woman when I transmigrated into this 16-year old body, you know. And in my time, that is already considered old for kids.”
”I thought you were about my age,” Yi Hai mumbled unhappily. ”I didn't know you were older.”
”Let me tell you another secret. I am also an immortal.”
”What?” Yi Hai's eyes literally goggled at her in surprise.
”Come on, I think this place is far enough. Let's set camp and doubled back after.”
”You don't want to use the drone this time?”
””Not this time. They might spot it and investigate. Those men are not simple idiots. They've already been trained to spot anything unusual and they'll be ready for all possibilities. Not to mention that I think they've already been warned about me.”
”The tank?”
”Not only that. Richard knew I was coming. He knew my capabilities. Of course, he'll warn them about me.”
”Really shameless.”
An Ning smothered her laughter.
”Richard is not bad. It's just that he forgot about one important thing.”
”What's that?”
”I kicked his ass before when I told him to go fuck his mistress and never come back. Why would he think he can win against me this time around?”