Although it is difficult, Kate and I don't seem to mind the weather; compared to our last digging, everything is an improvement, and the worst weather can't suppress our emotions. We become free people again, facing the air, our destiny is in our own hands.
The first night we spent in a tent made of canvas sheets we sewed; we were exhausted and too cold to talk, we warmed ourselves as much as possible, took a bite of the food prepared by Yubler, and slept Now, chattering endlessly.
Progress at the macro level is hard-every step is fatal. Kate used his katana as a kind of stick for the blind, poking and tapping before stepping on the snow on the blanket. Whenever his weight drops more than expected, there is only hope in our hearts; hope that he will not sink again, hope that the snow will not collapse, revealing the abyss we imagined.
The next day, we found that we were climbing too high to pitch a tent, so we raced against death during the day and Kate smashed into a snow hole. That night, we were chatting in rough and warm clothes. Kate never reveals any personal information, never reveals his past in the Japanese feudal society, never reveals his attempt to assassinate Brezhen and the battle between them-never reveal his stupidity with Scarfel The transaction will never reveal the two hundred years he spent in a cave or in hell; it will never reveal the most important question: What wish does he want God to give him? No, Kate will only answer one question: The Ninth Fort.
""Have you seen it? The Ninth Fortress?"
"This is the tallest building in hell," he replied. "I have seen it, but I have never been near its wall."
"What is hell like?"
"warmth."
"You escaped?" I shivered. "It seemed to impress everyone we met."
"I escaped," he said angrily, dragging his feet in a poor blanket. "Relax, Fox."
I let out an air of bitter cold and frustration. That's all I want from the samurai tonight. Nevertheless, this is still a considerable contrast. Master Brezen would ask me to read, study and understand everything, "Do everything possible! There is no stone, have you heard?! Be careful of me!"
On the other hand, Kate hopes that the less I know, the better, better not to know anything. Although his methods are irritating, our lives are stable. Don’t worry about morning wake-up calls, hours of meditation or brutal training regimes. Now I can sleep and dream. The first three most painful days in the world were my happiest time in two years.
On the fourth day, we trek east for thirteen hours, unrelentingly facing the ruthless snow. When night fell, I could no longer feel my limbs, it was time to stop suicide.
I knelt on the ground and watched Kate dig a cave out of the snow, thinking, if I close my eyes, they will never open again. What a great thing. I will surrender tenderly; embrace the softest sleep, **my soul will move towards a simpler life.
"Fox!"
Kate must have dragged my ass into the snow pit, and the next thing I knew was that I was facing a swaying candle—provided by a stick—wax dripping on my chin.
Kate put the melted ice cube on my lips and I started to eat. His worried face terrified me.
"What is this?" I asked, but his cracked lips were still closed. "Kate? What happened there?"
"We have been walking too long," he said, lighting the rags. "I pushed your body far. It's my fault. Your feet."
"What are you talking about?" I said with a smile. "My feet are good!"
My feet are very good, I can't even feel the cold on them, in fact I can't feel anything. I looked up and saw a black stump where my right foot should be. I frowned. Is that frostbitten dead meat really part of my body
"I will have to cut," Kate said. "If I don't chop, you will perish."
The skin is elastic and black, as if I am still wearing boots; the toes seem to be coated with greasy resin.
"Your feet will be rescued," he said, and there was a fire in the middle of our hideout. "Only the toes will fall."
""only? How many toes are there?"
"All," he replied, spinning his katana on the young flame. "Ask your question, Fox," he added. "Make a request, and then turn your attention elsewhere."
"Can't think of anything!" I was shaking, cold and scared. "My mind is blank. I froze to death!"
"You will be colder tomorrow."
He was right, and miraculously, my thoughts moved elsewhere—what's next? Can I still walk? What does a weatherman look like? Across the ocean
"Why—" I said, "Why do we need this harmonious person? What is so special about her?"
"Her name is Hamoni Varu."
"Have you seen her?"
"No."
"Do you know her?"
"No."
I shook my head, became annoyed again, and then began to think about how long this process would take and the pain I had to endure. Thankfully, another problem distracted me.
"Bangzi... He said, "Harmony and Courage" will show us the entrance to hell? Can't you do it? Can't you?"
"There are many entrances into the underground world, traps collect unsuspecting people. Courage will take us the safest route."
""anything else? How do we get out?"
"For those with patience and skill, there is only one way out of hell... there is only one."
"Did you find it?" I said.
"Yes.
Kate's blade glowed orange in the fire. I remember reading an article that the wounded soldier bit a piece of wood while the surgeon used a saw to cut off their dead limbs. I don't want to suffer that kind of pain.
"Knock me down, Kate!" I asked. "Fuck me on the chin! Do it!"
"No," he said, and then suddenly, his katana hit the snow.
My five toes bounced off the ends of my right foot like baby sausages. Without any help, I lost consciousness.
When I woke up, the fire in our house was flickering. Kate looked at me. God knows how long he was watching. He tore his sleeping blanket into a ribbon and wrapped it around my feet. The bottom of my leg, that piece of red cloth and boots were not injured. At first, I thought it was my mind separating from the pain, and Buhler’s real lesson now bears fruit. However, Kate told me that the wounds here heal faster—a strange process of preserving the body to endure and experience as much pain as possible.
The wind is the whistle outside our hideout. As I gradually fell asleep, I dreamt of Kate that night...
A long time ago... the samurai fought for their souls in mid-air. A jelly-like creature, a distinct spot called a black angel, wrapped around his arms and legs, sending Kate to his new home in hell. His verdict in "Waiting for the Plains" is consistent-the murderer has only one destination.
Kate opposed this decision and the angel, and used all his power to free herself from this living slime. The battle was fierce, and the two people gathered together to form a turbulent comet, across the night sky, and the ground whistled in a row of disgusting shapes under them.
Kate's face is dark purple, his cheeks are full of breath, and he summons all the power from his muscles. The angel's hand finally released, and Kate fell over, flapping her wings in the dark, not knowing whether she was facing up or down. When he landed on a tall grass in an emergency, the answer came faster than expected. After being injured, Kate stood up with one foot, took off the katana, and aimed it at the bright moonlight. He bent down and walked tiptoe in the quiet grass, watching the demon hovering in the clouds, and then came back to fetch its human package.
This slippery guy came like a bolt of lightning, and oncoming two unblinking yellow eyes. Kate went up on the swing and hit the center of the angel, but the blade was still stuck in its gluttonous body. Ketra returned the katana, but the weapon was firmly stuck in the blade. The blade slowly folded over Kate's upper body, engulfing his head, his shoulders, and further to his chest.
Once its black glue was completely swallowed, something from hell clamped a lift and pulled Kate from his feet.
The samurai were stubborn and unyielding. They struggled harder than before, biting, spying, and tearing this evil messenger. He fought so hard—again—it was impossible to stop being defeated a second time.
His landing was softer, and he immediately jumped up to protect himself. The angel above and another identical creature hovered above the tall grass eyes, soulless and keen. Kate's face was sweaty, and now she can only resign her to fate. He can repel one... but he cannot repel two, and of course he cannot repel three. When the fourth black angel appeared, Kate put the katana back in its sheath and waited for the katana to swallow him. His opportunity will always come again-it will always come.
That was four hundred years ago.
Except starting from a foot and a half, the fifth day started like the other days. At dawn, Kate didn't check my feet or ask me how I felt; for him, the problem was solved. When I put my weight on the ball on the heel, there is enough one foot left to stay upright. There is no pain when walking, but I need to get used to an awkward balance. Unfortunately for us, the eventful moments of the past were quickly surpassed.
Kate did not say that this is the only feasible route. (End of this chapter)