Mingmei Yip - Song of the Silk Road

When we drove past the big, motionless body, Alex looked utterly shocked. He seemed to try to say something but instead slipped into an oblivious sleep.

My foot hit the gas pedal and the truck flew forward as if fired from a cannon, leaving behind the bubbling pond, the ominous boulders, the bearded bastard….

Not until we were about thirty miles down the road did I dare pull the truck to a stop to check on Alex.

I placed my hand on his forehead, then gently patted his cheek. “Alex! Alex! Wake up!”

He opened his eyes and stared at me with the same blank expression.

“You all right?”

He nodded.

“You warm enough?”

He nodded again.

“Alex, say something, for heaven’s sake! Please don’t scare me like this!”

He reached to touch my face, hand trembling.

“Yes, honey?” I asked.

Tears rolled down his cheeks. He seemed too overwhelmed by emotions and the recent trauma to say anything.

I leaned to kiss him. “What is it, Alex? You hurt?”

He shook his head.

“Then say something, please!”

“I… I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

He threw himself into my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. “Are you…”

I caressed his head, feeling his thick hair comfortingly pricking my hand. “Alex, don’t worry, we are safe now.”

He could not be comforted.

“Alex, please.”

Long moments passed before he finally detached himself. Then he looked at me with sad eyes. “Lily, I’m so sorry that I couldn’t protect you from him.”

“Alex, what are you talking about? It’s not your fault.”

“Did that guy… did he…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence. So I finished it for him. “Has this been on your mind, that the guy raped me?”

He nodded, more tears gushing from his eyes.

Moved beyond words, I pulled him to me. “Alex, I’m fine.”

He raised his head. “Is that true? Please don’t lie to me.”

“Yes,” I said, wiping the tears from his face.

“Then why do you have no clothes on?”

It was only then that I realized I was almost naked, my shirt, bra, and jeans having been used to make his lifeline.

“I used my clothes to rescue you.”

“But you still haven’t answered me. Did he…”

I laughed. “No. Before he did anything, I knocked him unconscious with the tire iron.”

“Did you also run over him?”

I nodded again.

“Is he dead?”

“I don’t think so, not when I checked on him. Alex, do you think that I…” I couldn’t finish, fearing Alex might be horrified by my violent act.

But instead he replied, “Lily, you’re such a brave woman. If anyone tries to harm you, I’ll do the same. Trust me, I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who’d endanger your life. I love you.”

“Alex, please don’t say anything like that. I’m just glad you’re OK.” Then I teased. “You still want to travel on the desert with me?”

He nodded.

“Good. But you need to change soon. You’re filthy!”

He smiled. “You too. You’re indecently exposed.”

Although Alex insisted that he was fine, I couldn’t completely relax until he was checked by a doctor. But he remained consistently stubborn. “Lily, I’m not going to any hospital here.”

So we continued on, this time with me driving. I kept looking over at him and, to my relief, he gradually stopped shivering and his normal color returned. I was still worried, so when we saw another ramshackle hotel by the roadside, I insisted we stay there rather than camping under the stars. The room was no better than the previous one, but there was a decent shower with lukewarm water, so we both stood under it to remove the mud and grime. I helped him wash, the rag in my hand making a harsh swishing sound on his bare back.

Still worried, I said, “Alex, I still think you should see a doctor to make sure you’re all right.”

But he adamantly refused. After more arguments, he compromised by agreeing to stay in the hotel another day before setting out again in the desert. Then, exhausted, he went to bed and fell asleep right away.

I was too worried to sleep, so I took out my journal and wrote down the happenings of the past few days. When finished, suddenly I remembered Master Soaring Crane’s pouch. I took one slip out and read:

Do not give up any chance to defeat your enemy. You must be the master of his fate. Exploit his unpreparedness and attack him when he is unaware.

Wow. Was he a clairvoyant? Or me? Without having read this bit of cunning advice I had followed it exactly. I had certainly mastered the bearded bastard’s fate. But I could only hope that I wouldn’t have another such enemy to defeat!

Some hours later when Alex woke up, he was hungry. So we went down to the hotel restaurant. The kitchen was closed, but the owner fixed us a plate of noodles and vegetables, which was surprisingly good.

After a whole day of eating, relaxing, and sleeping, I was relieved to see a healthy glow finally returning to Alex’s cheeks. Had anything happened to him, I could have never forgiven myself, since it was me who had lured him into the Go-In-But-Never-Come-Out desert.

When we were ready to go again, Alex insisted that he drive; I’d suffered enough for him and needed the break. He was, as usual, so stubborn that I gave in.

After a few minutes on the road, he asked, “Lily, after what we’ve been through, I think you owe it to me to explain why we are here.”

I reached over to smooth his hair. “Alex, actually… it’s something kind of complicated.”

“You think I’m too young to understand?”

“No, not that. But…”

He cut me off. “Lily, I care about you very much, so I want to know what’s happening in your life. When you are by yourself, I worry all the time that you might be cheated, or hurt. So I came with you, but I have a right to know why we are here.”

“All right, then I’ll tell you.”

So I let go of my normal caution and spilled out the whole story to him: my dead parents, my strange aunt and her even stranger bequest, even the money I was going to be rewarded. Except that I lied about the amount. Instead of three million, now it became a mere one hundred thousand.

Alex looked deep in thought for seconds. “Wow. Unbelievable. Sounds like something out of an adventure novel! You are very brave. I’m very proud of you, Lily.”

“There’s really nothing to be proud of. I am doing it for the money.” I felt I had to be honest about this but was still afraid of what he might think of me.

“No, you aren’t. You do this because you want something different in life. I’m glad you finally told me about this. I’ll help you get your money. And don’t worry if you don’t, I still love you. Promise.”

I chuckled.

“Lily, you’re different from other women I know. I knew it when I first laid eyes on you in Xian.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “Yes, definitely. Now will you tell me all the rest of the details?”

So I went on to tell Alex more details of my trips, including Lop Nor and the blind fortune-teller, even Chris. Everything—except, of course, I left out Floating Cloud, the hanging-upside-down-lotus, and the Diamond Sutra and Gold Buddha.

Although he expressed great sympathy for Lop Nor, his expression betrayed some jealousy. “So this herbalist was in love with you?”

“Alex! It’s you who wanted to know more about my trip.”

He made a face. “I can’t help it. And that Chris…” Suddenly he lifted one hand and did a heavy punch in the air.

I chuckled at his childish outburst. “Alex, don’t be so violent! You haven’t even met Chris. Why you hate him so much?”

“Because he’s a liar and cheater, and he took advantage of you.”

“Maybe. But he’s also helped me.”

“I know. All these men loving you. What about the fortune-teller?”

“Alex! That master’s almost a hundred years old.”

“All right, all right. How was I supposed to know his age?”

To distract him, I asked, “You want me to take you to Soaring Crane someday to have your fortune told?”

“Yes, I’d like him to predict how many children we’ll have.”

“Alex!”

“Sorry, just dreaming. Is that allowed?”

Finally we arrived at the place marked by my aunt on the map. It had once been a bustling stop for weary travelers on the Silk Road, but now all that was left were a few sun-bleached walls and depressions in the sand. Alex pulled off the road and parked in a deserted courtyard. Not a tree was in sight, so we donned our straw hats to ward off the scorching sun. Mindy Madison’s document stated that the treasure was buried under a high wall. But low walls were all that I could see.

Puzzled, I asked Alex, who was now examining a dark green lizard crawling on one of the walls, “I don’t see any high walls here, do you?”

He made a sweeping gesture with his arms. “Right here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lily, these walls were high when they were built, but tumbled down years ago.”

I looked around more carefully and realized that, of course, he was right.

Walking slowly along each wall and examining them closely, I finally stopped in front of one with a drawing of a woman with long, black hair.

I waved to Alex. “Come take a look!”

He hastened over to me.

“Look, this graffiti must be a sign, or a code. I think we should try digging under this wall.”