Chapter 45: The Beautiful Trap

Master Gou came to the desolate village from outside that day, stopping once again before Shaoqiu's cottage door, chatting continuously with the gathering crowd. The people dared not ignore his words, and his appearance in this barren place was primarily intended to deal with Shaoqiu.

As for Shaoqiu, though he had once been quite infuriated by Master Gou lingering right outside his door, he dared not utter a single word of defiance. He was no match for the man, so what could he do? He could only sit inside his room and read. Realizing that Shaoqiu was merely reading, Master Gou seemed to harbor somewhat less resentment; a mere scholar posed no threat to him, after all.

When night fell, Master Gou found himself with nowhere to go, so he approached the door of a local family, knocked, and entered. The household dared not deny him entry; the consequences of doing so were all too clear. Master Gou sought revenge whenever he pleased, and his methods were ruthless.

Inside the dilapidated hut, a couple was tending the hearth to cook a meal. Although it was late, they seemed far from full, and their stomachs were surely rumbling. Master Gou simply settled himself inside their home and refused to leave, intending to share their meager meal. The hosts dared not refuse him, resigning themselves to silent acquiescence.

After eating his fill, Master Gou still showed no inclination to leave, as if he intended to converse all night long. Yet the couple was utterly exhausted—how could they possibly stay up to keep him company? When the hosts hinted at their fatigue, meaning they wished to retire, Master Gou merely declared that he, too, was ready for bed.

However, Master Gou had no intention of leaving the cottage; he meant to sleep right there. The hosts had no alternative but to accommodate him, though the husband dared not remain behind, terrified that Master Gou might commit some outrage against his wife while feeling powerless to intervene. Thus, he stepped outside, feigning ignorance. That seemed the safer course; later on, when recalling this unbearable memory, he would at least have some flimsy excuse to offer himself. Otherwise, how could he bear to stand idly by and watch a villain debase his beloved wife?

Once the master of the house had gone outside, the only person remaining in the room was the young woman. Lying upon her bed, she felt utterly desolate, haunted by the thought of death. Yet for the sake of her children, she could not afford to die; she had to raise them. If she were gone, who would care for them?

The woman removed her garments and lay flat upon the bed. Master Gou, in no particular hurry, simply sat to one side, steadily drinking his wine, while the wind howled outside, driving the snow before it.

Master Gou stepped outside for a moment to gaze at the heavy snowfall. It was bitterly cold indeed, but to a man who had consumed his share of dog meat, this was of little consequence. Beneath the low eaves, however, he caught sight of a man standing motionless, his silhouette so frail that he seemed ready to topple at the slightest gust. It was the husband of the woman lying on the bed, too terrified to enter his own home, effectively ceding his bed to allow Master Gou to dally with his wife.

The husband stood out in the swirling snow, tears streaming ceaselessly down his face, blurring his vision. He made no effort to wipe them away, staring up at the leaden sky, wondering when it would ever clear. A world without the sun was truly unbearable.

Yet he dared not go inside. One need not ask what he feared; Master Gou openly carried a blade, and a single slash from him would surely finish off the frail husband. And he still had two children; if they lost their father, they would surely be beaten to death in this desolate village. For the sake of his children, the man offered no resistance, permitting Master Gou to enter his house, climb into his bed, and leave whatever followed to the whims of fate.

The wind continued to wail, and the snow showed no sign of abating.

Confined to the main room, Master Gou looked upon the woman lying flat on the bed, and for a moment, he was taken aback. He was not a lawless brute entirely devoid of human feeling. Seeing the woman lying there in such a state, a pang of pity stirred within him, yet he had no intention of walking away empty-handed. Since he had come, he would see it through, even if the act lacked honor.

Outside, the husband wept softly, perhaps from the cold, as the fierce gale flipped up his jacket, driving the freezing air straight into his chest and causing him to shiver violently beside the doorway. Furthermore, he heard Master Gou closing the inner door. Once that door was shut, one could only imagine the violation taking place within—a sight he could not bear to witness. He only wanted his wife to be safe; he had no wish to see her unjustly claimed by this shameless, accursed man, yet he knew not what to do.

The only thing he dared to do was to knock repeatedly against the outer door, though he kept his blows gentle, fearing he might break it. Constructing that door had cost him a considerable sum, and he could not bear to ruin it. He was a good man, as well as a frugal one, yet he had to endure the agony of watching this damned Master Gou devour his food like a locust within his own home, preparing to defile his wife. To any man, this was nothing short of absolute catastrophe.

Crouching outside his front door, the man tapped upon the wood again and again, gently, terrified of shattering the barrier he had so painstakingly built, and terrified lest the removal of the door let the freezing wind rush in to chill his wife. He loved her dearly; had he been able to defeat the scoundrel, he would never have suffered the humiliation of shivering out in the bitter cold.

Inside, after closing the door, Master Gou wedged a massive stone against it so that it could not be easily pushed open. Once the door was sealed, the fate of the woman on the bed seemed sealed as well. Seeing that Master Gou was not leaving, the woman pulled the quilt up to cover her entire body, hoping perhaps that if the accursed wretch merely looked his fill, he might be satisfied and leave. Who could have guessed that the brute intended to climb into the bed? She had no choice but to shield herself with the blanket.

Noticing this, a flicker of conscience stirred within Master Gou, and he thought of abandoning the endeavor—he could simply visit a brothel tomorrow, sparing this family such profound misfortune. But just at that moment, the woman on the bed inadvertently extended one of her thighs from beneath the quilt, dangling it loosely over the edge of the large bed. At the sight of this, Master Gou abandoned all thoughts of leaving. He stepped forward and stroked the bare thigh with a lingering, passionate touch.

The woman quickly drew her leg back beneath the covers until almost nothing of her body remained visible. Outside, the husband resumed his weeping. Another fierce gust swept through, and the man began to cry out to the heavens. Hearing those cries, Master Gou hesitated for a fraction of a second, a sudden doubt whispering in his mind whether staying here was truly a mistake.

After crying out to the heavens for a while, the man was seized by a fit of coughing in the biting wind. As the gale subsided, the dilapidated hut began to creak and groan. If the wind blew any harder, the structure might truly collapse.

At that moment, the desolate village fell silent. The fierce wind died down, lingering motionless somewhere unseen, leaving the two figures inside the room in an awkward stillness. Yet suddenly, a violent squall arose, a distant mountain ridge seemed to give way, and the lone lamp inside the wretched hut was extinguished, plunging everything into absolute darkness.

Lying in the pitch-black room, the woman felt someone touching her thigh, and soon the entire weight of the damned man pressed down upon her. Outside, the husband wept and turned away, trudging a long distance through the snow, with nowhere left to go.

When Master Gou finally emerged from the dilapidated hut, the snow was still falling heavily. Walking alone amidst the white expanse, he felt a sudden shiver of apprehension. Reflected in the pale glow of the snow, the Gelimu Mountains loomed into view once again. For Master Gou, the sight of those mountains always portended misfortune, though precisely what disaster awaited him remained unknown for the time being.

After walking a short distance, Master Gou stepped into emptiness, plunging straight down into a deep pit. Looking up, he saw the figure standing at the edge—it was the husband he had left behind. The man's wife was hardly a beauty, but on a freezing day like this, having such a companion to share one's life was not a bad thing after all.

Trapped at the bottom of the pit, Master Gou realized that climbing out was nearly impossible. As he gazed up at the man standing at the rim and listened to the sound of his weeping, Master Gou's heart turned thoroughly cold.