Chapter 117: Heard but Not Seen

"General, why must it be this way?" Wei Ba cast a glance at the armored soldiers rushing toward him, causing them to falter and come to an involuntary halt. "Wei has been abandoned by all, and the only debt I have left is to death itself. The reason I was willing to return to Chang'an was merely to see if the General of the West possessed the grace to treat a scholar with courtesy. If you intend to humiliate me, then we shall simply fight to the death—what else is there to fear?"

Xiahou Mao grew even more incensed, especially seeing his soldiers standing there like fools, afraid to advance, which he felt made him lose face. As he raised his hand and was about to slam the table and shout, Xiahou Hui whispered from behind the screen, "Uncle, tell him that while it is proper to treat scholars with courtesy, one must be cautious with those who surrender. How can you be sure he is not feigning surrender to commit an assassination?"

Hearing this, Xiahou Mao hurriedly lowered his raised arm and repeated the words with a grave, scholarly air.

Wei Ba shook his head with a touch of regret. "General, if I intended to feign surrender to assassinate you, why would I have left Chang'an? Ten days ago, I could have already revealed my identity to you."

Xiahou Mao was left speechless, listening intently.

Xiahou Hui prompted, "How can you be sure he is not merely stooping to conquer, waiting for the right moment to strike?"

Xiahou Mao nodded vigorously. "How can you be sure you are not merely stooping to conquer, waiting for the right moment to strike?"

Wei Ba gave a bitter laugh. "General, I am exhausted and thirsty; I truly have no energy to speak with you like this. If you do not trust me, you might as well have someone kill me right now. If you do trust me, send these idle bystanders away and bring me some food and drink. I shall certainly give you a satisfactory explanation." He paused, then added, "I have a home I cannot return to and a country I cannot go back to. The office of the General of the West has hundreds of armored guards; even if I killed you, could I possibly escape? General, you are being far too cautious."

Xiahou Mao felt a bit awkward. Wei Ba knew there was someone behind the screen, and with his subordinates present, he felt his dignity slipping. Yet, security was a concern that could not be ignored—if Wei Ba were to take him hostage, the loss would be immense. After a moment of thought, he had Dun Wu led away, kept a few of his most capable personal guards at his side, and ordered the others, including Tian Fu, to leave. Tian Fu was quite disgruntled, but dared not insist; he could only glare fiercely at Wei Ba before striding out.

Xiahou Mao then had food and wine brought in. Wei Ba sat cross-legged on the floor of the hall. Xiahou Mao’s eyes lit up, and just as he was about to speak, Wei Ba raised a hand. "General, one should not speak while eating. If you have anything to say, please wait until I have finished."

Xiahou Mao was taken aback, and for once, he remained silent, observing Wei Ba with curiosity. Xiahou Hui, behind the screen, could not see what was happening, but seeing Xiahou Mao act so unusually, she could not help but feel curious herself.

Wei Ba began to eat in a slow, deliberate manner. Although he was starving, he had to maintain an air of calm elegance to ensure his plan succeeded, appearing not as a captive, but as a guest at a banquet in the General’s residence.

The food at the residence was excellent. Although famished, Wei Ba stopped after eating only a small amount. He rinsed his mouth and washed his face and hands in a leisurely fashion before bowing to Xiahou Mao. "General, to be honest, I am Wei Ba, the son of Wei Yan, the General Who Guards the North of the Shu-Han."

Xiahou Mao, having seen Wei Ba sitting cross-legged and eating with such refinement—only stopping after a small portion—had already begun to suspect him of being a Taoist practitioner. His interest was piqued, and he had been waiting for Wei Ba to finish so he could ask if he were a seeker of the Way to satisfy his own hobby of Taoist cultivation. He never expected that Wei Ba would drop such a bombshell the moment he opened his mouth, leaving him stunned.

"You are Wei Yan's son, Wei Ba?" Xiahou Mao’s voice trembled. Not only he, but even Xiahou Hui behind the screen, involuntarily held her breath.

Wei Ba nodded with a look of shame. "Yes, I am Wei Ba. My flight to Guanzhong was a matter of absolute necessity. I ask that the General keep this a secret, so as not to implicate my family and allow me to fulfill my filial duty."

Xiahou Mao was overcome with wild joy and barely heard the latter part of Wei Ba’s words. Wei Yan had guarded the Guanzhong border for over a decade and had always been the enemy of most concern, drawing even more attention than Zhuge Liang. For the son of Wei Yan to defect and fall into his hands was a monumental event. Regardless of whether he had orchestrated it, delivering Wei Ba to Luoyang would be a feat of great merit.

Keep it a secret? What a joke—such wonderful news had to be broadcast far and wide.

Wei Ba remained silent, letting out only an occasional sigh. His sighs were filled with helplessness and hesitation, heavy with the misery of betraying his country and leaving his home. He looked like a lonely wanderer who could see no future, gazing at the beautiful landscape before him while thinking only of the fact that he had nowhere to go. Xiahou Mao, in front of the screen, had no interest in such details, but Xiahou Hui, behind the screen, was moved by his sighs, and a trace of inexplicable sympathy stirred within her.

After a long while, Xiahou Mao recovered from his ecstasy and asked excitedly, "Since you are Wei Yan's son, why did you come to Guanzhong?"

"I... I killed someone."

"Killed whom?" Xiahou Mao asked urgently.

"Zhuge Qiao." Wei Ba remained lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "Zhuge Liang's son, Zhuge Qiao."

Xiahou Mao nodded repeatedly. Killing the son of Zhuge Liang—that was a grave matter indeed. No wonder he had to flee.

Xiahou Hui’s heart skipped a beat, and she could not help but ask, "Since you saved Jin Dongliu, why did you not go to the General of the Cavalier Guard? With Jin Dongliu’s recommendation, why worry about not being able to serve as an official under him?"

Suddenly hearing someone speak from behind the screen—and in a woman’s voice—Wei Ba looked at Xiahou Mao with "surprise." "General, this is..."

Xiahou Mao chuckled. "This is a younger relative of mine. It is inconvenient for her to meet you, so she is sitting behind the screen."

Wei Ba looked flustered and quickly bowed. "Greetings, my lady. Please forgive my rudeness." As he spoke, he felt a flicker of confusion. For Xiahou Mao to let her sit behind him showed great intimacy; his expression betrayed how much he valued her, yet he only called her a younger relative, meaning it wasn't his daughter. Who could she be?

Xiahou Hui realized she had acted rashly and revealed her presence, feeling a bit embarrassed. Since there was no point in hiding now, she said with a hint of shyness, "I was merely curious and wanted to see what this was about, Master Wei. Why did you not follow Jin Dongliu to Wancheng? And having arrived in Chang'an, why were you unwilling to see the General of the West? Could it be that you intend to go to Luoyang?"

Wei Ba let out a long sigh. "The lady is correct; I do indeed wish to go to Luoyang. As for Wancheng, I have no desire to go there. For I did not actually kill Zhuge Qiao; I was framed by spies under Sima Yi. They disguised themselves as me, killed Zhuge Qiao, and placed the blame on my shoulders. I cannot clear my name, so I had to flee while those people were busy rescuing Jin Dongliu. Now, with no home to return to and no country to go back to, I only wish to find a place to survive. I beg the General of the West to grant me this favor."

Xiahou Mao nodded repeatedly. Although he could not be certain if what Wei Ba said was true, the reasoning was plausible and could withstand scrutiny.

"Since you seek a place of refuge, why not join my residence? Do you look down upon me, Xiahou Mao?"

"How could I dare?" Wei Ba sighed again. "Although I was forced to flee Hanzhong, I do not wish to be an enemy to my father. You guard Guanzhong, and as Zhuge Liang is about to launch a campaign, my father, as the General Who Guards the North, will naturally come to Guanzhong. If I were to join you, would I not have to face my father in battle? Betraying my country is already unfaithful; how could I then face my father and become an unfilial son? With neither loyalty nor filial piety, what face would I have to live in this world?"

Xiahou Mao nodded in agreement.

Wei Ba continued, "Furthermore, if I were to join you, it might eventually reach the ears of others and cause you trouble. Considering all these factors, I decided to go to Luoyang. I never expected that your keen eye would see through me, and that I would find myself back in Chang'an; I suppose it is the will of Heaven."

Xiahou Mao, flattered by this subtle praise, felt himself floating on air and could not help but stroke his beard and laugh. Xiahou Hui, behind the screen, did not lower her guard. She continued to ask, "Then if you go to Luoyang, whom do you intend to join?"

"I have two ideas regarding Luoyang. One is to seek refuge at the residence of the late General Who Conquers the West, Xiahou Yuan. I am well-acquainted with his son, Zhang Shao, and have heard him mention that his mother is a cousin of the late General, so perhaps I could find a place there. If that fails, I intend to seek out the General Who Guards the South, the Marquis of Langzhong, Heavenly Master Zhang."

Upon hearing the name "Heavenly Master Zhang," Xiahou Mao immediately thought of his earlier suspicion and asked, "You know Heavenly Master Zhang? No, that cannot be—you are so young, you should have had no dealings with him."

Wei Ba smiled. "General, you are wise, but I do not know him personally. However, I have some insights into the Heavenly Way and Taoist arts, and I thought that using this as a stepping stone would not be difficult."

Hearing this, Xiahou Mao grew excited and slapped his thigh. "When I saw you sitting cross-legged earlier, I suspected you might be versed in Taoist arts; I never expected to be right. Tell me, tell me—what kind of Taoist arts do you actually know?"

Wei Ba asked with "surprise," "General... are you also interested in Taoist arts?"

Xiahou Mao laughed heartily, his pride evident.

Xiahou Hui, behind the screen, frowned, a flash of unease crossing her heart. From the moment Wei Ba entered, he did not act like a man surrendering. To her, he was far too composed, as if he had come fully prepared. Hearing about the Taoist arts only deepened her suspicion. Wei Yan had guarded Hanzhong for years, and Xiahou Mao had been in Guanzhong for quite some time—how could Wei Yan not know of Xiahou Mao's interest in longevity and Taoist arts? From this perspective, Wei Ba’s knowledge of Taoist arts was exactly what would appeal to Xiahou Mao. If he came to join Xiahou Mao, he would surely be heavily employed. Why would he travel thousands of miles to Chang'an only to go and find Zhang Lu, that nominal General and Marquis?

Could it truly be because he did not want to face his father, Wei Yan, in the coming war? But how did he know that Xiahou Mao would let him serve as a general and lead troops?