（3） the big turning point 一夕巨变

One night, when Kate ambles alongside the road accompanying with the beautiful sunset and as if she is enchanted by something, she somehow walks right towards the river and there happens to be a shadow of a man wearing all white soft clothes. Kate looks at his back from a distance for some time, just lost the ability to move or speak. She feels the back of that man is so familiar as if she had been known him for her entire life but it’s not possible since she has only come to this world for one year. But who is that young man? Kate doesn’t have the courage to walk up and speak to him and he just takes off, showing no interest to her even if he did catch a glimpse of her. That man’s vague appearance keeps on showing up in her dreams repeatedly for almost two years beginning from the day she sees him. And when she returns to that same place where she finds him, hoping to have a further opportunity to talk to him to find out her pure obsession for him, unfortunately, she never has the chance to figure it out again.

Two years later…

Now, Kate has proficiently and craftily mastered the ability to communicate with the souls and could accomplish the task with delicate care and great skills. She doesn’t have to worry about that question anymore. Now she is already fifteen and come to the age of marriage in the ancient times and so her parents start to instill this matter to her mind and try to discuss it with her. However, every time, she refuses it resolutely and firmly and tries to utilize something else to divert their attentions. She would always use the excuses that she wants to be with her lovely parents and never wants to leave them. One time, however, she hears that they were discussing a previous engagement of Kate’s in secret and it is said that when Kate still hasn’t born, she has been engaged to a baby who is in another woman’s belly but afterwards, the boy’s family fall down completely and the boy might have died, therefore, the whole thing can’t be accounted for. They don’t disclose a slight detail to Kate and she thought that it might not be important then she doesn’t put it on her heart either.

However, the fierce storm is coming in its way and all those joys and happiness would all disappear quite soon. It all happens so fast that one could hardly to accept the cruel truth. A month ago, it is said that the prime coerced their family forcedly to transport a pack of weapons to the next near country in secret but somehow, the emperor must find out about it, therefore, their family becomes the sacrifice of their political scheme and competition of power. Unfortunately, because of the seriousness and dangerous trait of that matter, the entire family except their mother, Tuesday and Kate, they all come to escort the cargo. Worse still, the emperor sends out dozens of assassins to kill and extinguish them and now, no one knows that whether there is any survivors left and in order to finish the matter and seal the mouths of them to keep the disreputable conspiracy in dark, the prime dispatches some men to finish them off and burns their house in ashes and fires. Despite the fact that Kate and Tuesday are good at defending, they weren’t exactly expecting this and they have never killed a single soul in their lives. Finally, their poor mother didn’t make it and Kate and Tuesday has to separate in order to survive. Kate just keeps on running and running and at the length, she collapses and loses her consciousness in the unnamable wildness.

When she wakes up, she finds herself in a room of a quiet and refined private property and her clothes have all been changed and clean. She struggles to spring up but fails. A young man comes to this room right on time and asks joyfully that: “Miss… Glad to see that you have been recovered and awaken.” She wants to ask a bunch of questions but she finds herself cannot speak because of the coarse and dry throat. The young man hands out a cup of water to her, seeing that grave circumstances and he continues that: “Ah… Don’t worry. I am not a bad person and I’m under my master’s instructions to look after you. My master would return home soon and if it’s lucky, you would see him.”

“Who is your master?” After regained some strengths, she asks still with some difficulties.

“Ah… I’m not allowed to tell you this. My master told me that as soon as you’re fully recovered, I shall send you away and you shall never speak of this matter again as if it were never existed.”

“But I want to express my gratitude to him or her. He or she has saved my life. Do you think that I can live without repaying such a great debt in my life?” If the young man doesn’t want to tell her, then she wants to know it even more than ever. The more deep a secret is buried, the more one wishes to dig it out. She suppresses a wince as motion renews the pain.

After she is left all alone in this room again, she thought of what has happened in those transient previous days. Her old happy family is all gone now and she doesn’t even know that except from her, there would be anyone left in this world. Why would all this happen? How could God give her another chance to live her life and so quickly, God has changed his mind and decides to strip it all away from her? She has been accustomed to the family’s warmth and happiness for three years and she has already considered them as her family members, however, she doesn’t even have the chance to tell them that she loves them deeply and profoundly. She would not tolerate all those injustices and wrongdoings and she swears to herself that if one day, she finds out the main sinners behind all those, she would seek vengeance and kill them herself no matter how distinguished and powerful they are and how hard it would be even if the price is her life. She has already lived in borrowed life for three years and now it is time for her to do something for them-for her family.

Seven days later…

At that time, she could already leave the bed and do some slight exercise and one night, she is bored being lying on the bed and doing nothing at all so she decides to take a stroll and ease her fatigue and boredom of life and by the way, explode the place a little. When she is wondering randomly at this place and she happens to come across a man who seems just returns from some place and the queer thing is, that that man is so familiar and smell so sweet and there is a tantalizing aroma of fragrance in him, so pleasingly and beautifully, which makes her suspect a lot. The man is very composed and indifferent when he sets his eyes on her.

Kate can’t help asking that: “Who are you? Do I meet you before in my life?” He didn’t reply. So there is unbreakable silence. Another young man Jerry quickly rushes out the room and welcomes the silent man and says that: “Master, you’ve returned. How did everything go?” The man who is called as master still doesn’t reply and comes inside the room quietly. That’s the first time she see him and in the next half month, she doesn’t have the chance to see him anymore. Since Kate has regained perfect health, she doesn’t have any excuses to be around anymore and Jerry gives her some money and shows her out, asking her to take care and be safe. Kate stands in the street, having no idea where to go and what to do because right now, she is left all alone in this world. Eventually, she decides to go to see her home for the last time, remembering the unforgivable sins and disastrous memories.

That place has been a complete disaster and ruins and as buried in deep contemplation and grief, she feels that someone is trying to approach her from her back and she quickly turns around, prepared to pick up a fight with the intruder but when she sees the person who it is, she is greatly relived. It is the fat uncle of hers and she is overjoyed by the fact that he is still alive and well. She cries in his arms sadly and the fat uncle tries his best to comfort the miserable girl and then they decide to go south to cover their tracks and seek for opportunities to have their revenge.

（4） help me 她可读心

On the road, the fat uncle would feel that Kate would never be the same and has changed so much for in the past, she was a very lively, optimistic, energetic and chatty girl but now, she doesn’t speak much and the gloomy and pale look on her face would not be removed under any circumstances. He feels deep sorrows and pains for her in his heart but he doesn’t know what he could do to help. It would never be easy to take out an influential and powerful man like the prime in this country and even the emperor doesn’t have the ability to do so let alone them-a fat man and a little girl. And what if they do have their revenge; Kate would be the same happy and carefree girl anymore. Such a naïve and innocent girl she once was, and yet she has to shoulder such a huge and burdensome responsibility. He doesn’t even know that whether she would make it or not.

However, misfortunate never comes alone and when they are walking on the road one day, they come across a gang of thieves and bad people, who threaten to make them hand out their belongings otherwise they would make them miserable. They are seriously outnumbered and there is no way that they would be so many people’s rival at the same time, therefore, that’s only a matter of time with the bound outcome of losing. However, that young man and his companion happen to be here and unexpectedly, he rescues them. Seeing the fact that he is so powerful and strong, she is amazed and in the meanwhile, determined to seek his help. The memories keeps on coming back to her and it all dawned on her now clearly that this young man is the exact same man who she sees two years ago at the riverside and the man who haunts her in her dream for two years long of time and the man who saved her life when her family is being blood-washing and brunt to pieces. So many coincidences, for it happens one time, one may hardly notice it, two times, it’s just a coincidence but what if the third time, if they all add up, that’s not just a chance but what? Now he just saves her life again so she told herself that she will seize this opportunity and figure this whole thing out. When the young man is about to leave, suddenly, she knees down in front of him and exclaims that: “Wait… I know that I’m immensely indebted to you and there is no way that I could pay back such debts in my humble and mundane life. But I wish that you could teach me and help me seek my revenge. You’re the only person could help me now.”

Jerry looks into her eyes and signs a little because he knows his master’s cold and distant character very well and normally, he would never mind or be involved in that kind of matter. He feels sorry for this poor girl. However, surprisingly, the master says that: “You’re desperate, aren’t you?”

“Yes, please let me follow you…” The girl begs and pleads earnestly.

“There is no need to do that. The prime is my enemy too and one day, he would be taken out. You don’t have to do anything. You could live on as a carefree and ordinary girl.” The young man says calmly as if it is quite ordinary like talking about the weather.

“But I want to provide my own strengths also. Can’t you let me do my slightest part to help? I want to do it.”

“Are you sure that you can? That is not a joke. Once you are committed to it, you need to cast aside your own safety or even life. You would die any minute and there are lots of obstacles and difficulties. You have never experienced any in your life, have you?”

“I’m not afraid of hardships and death. I can do it. All you have to do is believe me and let me prove my determination and promise. Please… If I don’t, I don’t know how I could live on my life anymore.”

“Then I don’t see another reason for me to not help you.”

Therefore, they formed this little formation of four people and keeps on moving on, aimlessly and yet hopefully. One night, when they camp alongside a river and Jerry and the fat man Lee is preparing for the food to eat-fishes. The young man Jack sits near the river and looks at the it, motionlessly and fixedly and Kate wants to talk to him and when she walks near the fat man, she happens to tumble a little and because the fat man helps her to keep her balance, she touches his wrist, which makes her suspect a lot. We haven’t mentioned that Kate has another special ability that she could tell what a person is thinking when she touches his wrist and what the fat man is thinking makes her confused a lot. She can’t understand that but she doesn’t dig deep into that problem and sits near Jack, wanting to make a conversation. Jack is impressed by her behaviors recently because he never thought that Kate has truly lived up to his expectations and her words and she really can endure the hardships and difficulties along the way. Kate breaks the silence first and says to him that: “Thanks for accepting us and let us following you.”

“You’re good yourself.”

“You know that I always get a feeling that I have been known you for a long time in my life and yet you said that you have never met me. I believe that two years ago, I have seen you once.”

“Two years- That is such a long time. I don’t remember any of it now. You must have mistaken me for someone else.”

“No… I know it is you. I have never forgotten about it not even a single day in my life.”

“Why are you telling me something you believed in and yet I have no knowledge of? There is no point of doing this. You can keep on believing in what you think it is and I could get to live the life as I wanted.” The young man says joyfully in a cold air. If the words are intangible swords and could hurt people, Kate must be bleeding very detrimentally and mischievously.

“But… It is you. Why couldn’t you just admit that?” The girl murmurs to herself in a low voice. And deep in puzzled state and mind, she grabs a stone randomly and throws it into the river, causing a wave of ripple in the distance and as if it is so much fun doing that or she just wants to pass the time, she keeps on doing that endlessly. Eventually, she grasps a stone without thinking and happens to touch the wrist of his, this time; it is even more strange and unusual because she finds that she cannot detect his thoughts entirely. She doesn’t suppose that a man in perfect mental health would not think about anything at all. And it all comes to her that she hasn’t met or disturbed by a single soul started by the day when he is around her life. That might state one slim possibility that he might have the very rare trait of preventing the approaching of the souls. There must be something in him, which makes the souls afraid of him but what is it? She looks at him even more curiously in a subtle way and after that day she realizes that point, she spends more time standing or sitting close to him no matter he wanted it or not for at least, it could protect her from the disturbance of the souls, evil or not. Her main interests are to have the revenge and nothing else and she knows that the fat man is hiding something from her and no matter whatever it is, she has grown to not trust anyone fully and so easily. In this world, there might lack of water, lack of food, lack of necessary fresh air and lack of compassion and sympathy but what’s available most about this world is mistrust and bad intentions.

（5） you are not him 你不是他

The truth is inextricably commingled with speculation and sometimes, it is very hard to distinguish the truth from the falsehood hiding behind the numerous fogs and clouds.

At dawn, they arrive at a small and quiet village which is also filled with a strange and gloomy atmosphere, however, the villagers are all very hospital and warm-hearted. Looks like there will be a heavy storm coming because of the previous signs all indicating that and some raindrops have gathered their thick lashes and blurred their visions successfully without any obstacles. They are forced to stay at this village for at least waiting for the storm to stop. A widow with a small child admit them in her home and serve them with some food but Kate is really amazed by their looks because all the villagers here are frightful pale and ill, lifeless and queer enough and the scary air of this village makes her very uncomfortable. Besides, the food despite the fact that it looks tasty, it actually tastes very funny and strange as if they were actually eating Mercury or metals. It is like a heavy stone got stemmed in her heart and she finds a little hard to breath normally. On that night, she couldn’t help to sleep so she decides to find some water to drink and when she is about to make movements, a soul appears herself in front of her, which is very unusual because she thought that under the protection of Jack’s powers, no soul can approach her again. She highly suspects that her presumptions in the past are all wrong or she just chooses to believe so.

“What do you want?” Kate asks impatiently and stressfully. She feels nothing about that soul and she can’t even determine whether she is evil or good this time since she couldn’t detect the coldness or warmness of the soul, which is also very rare in that case. She doesn’t understand the reason but she knows that it can’t be good.

“Young messenger, I have come here to warn you. The people in this village including your friends and your lives are all in grave danger. The well water in this village has been poisoned and the scary and powerful devil is on his way. He will come soon and destroy everything of it. This town has been haunted. I warned you that if you want to live, go quickly with your friends otherwise you would all die. There is no other way out.” The soul says alarmingly.

“But does that devil you speak of so omnipotent? Can’t I have a chance to defeat him? What do this village do wrong that he has to punish them like this? There are innocent children and elders here and I can’t just leave like this. And who are you? Why are you helping us?”

“Too many questions… I will only say this one time to you that if you don’t leave, and then you can prepare to die for nothing with them. It’s your choice.” A gust of wind overwhelms her and when she wants to ask for more information, the soul has already disappeared and vanished, leaving her a bunch of unsolved puzzles and matters. What should she do now? The way as the soul describes it; she can’t defeat the devil by herself but just leave all those innocent people’s lives behind? How can she live with something like that? Her conscience would torment her every single day after she gets away with all those troubles and lives. There are still several hours of grey daylights and somber twilight and she finds it impossible for her to fall asleep. Therefore, the next morning, Kate is so tired because of a sleepless night and the weariness has pervaded her whole body and then she struggles out of bed and goes to the table, where they are already up and eating breakfast. Wait… breakfast? She asks worriedly and hurriedly and agitatedly to that window that: “Where did you get all the water to cook the breakfast, may I ask? ”

“From the well… That’s our only source of water. The meal you ate yesterday was cooked by the same water.” The window replies humbly and politely.

“What’s wrong with that, Kate?” The fat man asks with a strong sense of curiosity and confusion.

Kate’s mind spins so quickly and tries to put all the pieces together. No wonder yesterday’s meal tastes so strange and does it mean that they have already been poisoned? What are the effects of this poison? Without proper antidote, will they all die in a short time?

“How long have been you used the well water to cook? No, how long have you been ill?” Kate isn’t thinking straight right now and she couldn’t either.

“Kate, what happened? You look so pale and haggard. You can tell me.” Jack demands patiently and softly and as if it is by some mysterious magic, Kate finds herself magically calms down quickly as soon as she hears his voice reassuringly.

Therefore, after what Kate told them the truth and all they could do is to wait but the soul doesn’t pay her another visit again as if the soul has escaped here fearfully. Needless to say, it is the villagers drag them into this bloody business and so they decide to tell the truth. Ten years ago, there were four promising and aspiring young people who destined to make a great cause for themselves and they happened to encounter a wealthy family but due to dirty desires, they killed the host and the hostess in cold blood and took their wealth all away. In order to cover their scheme and hide the truth, they divided the wealth and spilt up. One had come to this place and used his borrowed wealth to start a new village. He has come to realize his great sins and wanted to change and remorse in the past ten years but when he heard and watched that the misery he has brought to this village, he knows that they have come for him and it was too late. He didn’t know what happens to the other three men because he has never heard of them ever since they spilt up. But this entire village is innocent and they don’t deserve this. Revenge in this world could be categorized into two kinds. The first one is called the hatred of destroying because in order to meet the ends, you have to destroy yourself not only your life but also the principles you have been adhered to for so long in your entire life. Your heart is left with nothing else but hatred and when you finally do have your revenge, you might as well not feel relived or the pleasure you thought you would have because your heart has been corrupted with the most fatal poison in this world and is no longer the same. You could do anything at any cost and no matter whether it is worth it or not, you would do it blindly and without any thoughtful deliberation. But what if they are changed and no longer are the same people did wrong to you? As for that kind, you might as well persuade yourself to give up and let God deal with them. The second one is called hopeful cause because you’re doing it for the greater good. That sinner has done so many wrongs and it is truly unforgivable. But the process is always painful no matter it is rightful or not and it would consume a person lots of energy and strengths.

When Kate is sitting by the riverside, Jack goes to her and sits there as well but he doesn’t mean to speak at all. Suddenly, Kate asks that: “Do you actually believe me? That I could see others can’t see. I can see others’ souls.”

“I believe you…”

“But why? Why would you believe me so easily? You don’t think it is absurd and preposterous?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it is.”

“You know that the strange thing is that despite that I’m good, I can’t see your soul or read your thoughts as if you are very special to me. But I don’t know whether it is a good thing or not.” He didn’t speak.

“What can we do when the devil comes here? Would we be dead by then? Do you blame me? If only I told you earlier, then all of it would not be happening now.”

“No… We will all figure it out. Don’t worry too much about it.”

That soul or we should call it ghost is the murdered hostess in this tragic case but she has a gentle and kind heart and she knows and witnesses the fact that the evil man in the past has been changed all together. Besides, she doesn’t want to see all those innocent people die so when the night the devil ghost come, she defends them with her life and eventually, she sacrifices herself to save all those lives. But here is the cruel fact that once a ghost is destroyed, and then it is gone and vanished forever. There is nothing about it and it would never exist again. Soul and ghost are two different definitions and the biggest contrast is that everyone has the soul and the soul can be pure or evil but the ghost is the upgrade version of the soul and it is born to be wicked.

Thereupon, they have got to move on with their journey now and one night, she is famished and then she decides to look for something to eat and when she returns, she finds there are many corpses lying all over on the ground and scarlet blood flowing everywhere. Therefore, she forces herself to calm down and goes to research for her friends. And eventually, by the riverside, she finds them or at least two of them. The fat man is lying half in the river and the river has been dyed with scary blood and Jack is standing here with a sword hanging near the throat of the fat man as if the next minute, he would stab the sword to the fat man’s throat and the fat man would be dead. Besides, Jack has been injured on his arm and the blood has been flowing through constantly but Jack doesn’t seem to care a bit about it as if he were not in serious pains. Kate quickly ruches to the spot and exclaims that: “Jack, what are you doing? He is our friend. You’re not going to kill him. You won’t do that.”

“Why don’t you ask him who he really is? And if I don’t kill him, he would kill me anyway.”

“What… What are you saying?” Kate looks confusedly and perplexedly.

“He is not the man who you think he is. His real name is Jackson and his true identity is the leader of the assassin league-east.” There are two famous assassin leagues in this country-west and east.

“What…” But he looks and acts exactly like the fat man.

Actually, Jackson has been wearing a skin mask to disguise and personate the fat man and he is planning to kill Jack if it’s possible but it all failed now.

“I’ve been known it all along. He thinks that he could deceive me but he is wrong. The whole thing is a plot of his and it is never a coincidence that you run across us that day. It was all planned meticulously by him. Don’t you understand?” Kate was transfixed and speechless for quite a moment and she just gazes at the fat man, unable to accept the truth and when Jack waves his sword once more, she suddenly comes into senses and cries out that: “Don’t kill him. Jack, I am asking you that don’t kill him. Please…”

“Well… Give me one good reason that I shouldn’t do it and I will spare his life.”

“Let him go. He doesn’t deserve to die with the blood on your hands. Now, Jack, let me help you. You have been injured yourself.” No matter why he chooses to deceive her, Kate still wants to offer a chance to him and let him live.

Therefore, Kate helps him with his wounds and there is only silence between them. Jack never seems to be the type of opening a conversation and he is really good at silence.

to be contiuned... still have an ending to write...