Chapter 9 Chapter Seven Zao Wai

"You can't come in!" came a small, high-pitched voice from behind the retaining wall. "Please, sir, I beg you. Go away." Entreri didn't find the halfling's tense voice funny, as it implied shutting him out, which he resented.He negotiated a deal with Wawel, a deal that was beneficial to both parties. If anyone had to say that it was more beneficial, it would undoubtedly be the halfling who took advantage.Now, however, it looks like Wawel has backed down.Her janitor wouldn't even let the killer into the brass game.Entreri wanted to kick the wall with his foot, but it was only a matter of thought.Halflings, he reminded himself, were very good at setting traps.Then he wanted to shove his dagger into the gap in the retaining wall, into the impolite janitor's arm, or his thumb, or whatever.That's the great thing about Entreri's dagger: it can stick to someone anywhere and drain his life force.

But it's still just a fleeting thought, just a spur of the moment after a setback.Someone as wary as Entreri would not take the idea seriously. "Then, I'll go now." He said calmly. "However, remember to remind Wawel that my world is only divided into two parts, one part is friends and the other part is enemies." He turned and left, and the gatekeeper panicked. "My God, that sounds like a threat," Entreri heard another voice say before he had taken ten paces. The killer stopped, staring at a small crack in the brass gaming wall.It was a peephole, he realized.It looked like an arrow had scarred the building.

"Wavel." He bowed slightly and said. To his surprise, the small crack widened, a board slid aside, and Wawel stepped out. "Taking people as enemies so quickly," she said, shaking her head; her curly brown hair bouncing lightly. "But I didn't do that," the killer replied. "Although, you don't seem to want to continue our business, and that does annoy me." Wawel's expression suddenly became serious, and his tone no longer had the previous joking tone. "Zaowei," she said.The idiom was more common on fishing boats, but Entreri knew what it meant.On fishing boats, "zao fen" refers to the method used to isolate particularly difficult large crabs, catch them in this way, and send them to market for sale.The specific method is to use seaweed to make ropes and trap them in the middle.In street language, this idiom can no longer be interpreted literally, but the essence is almost the same.A man who is surrounded is a man who is excluded, he will live in a fence of threats, always isolated by people.

For a split second, Entreri's expression showed extreme tension. "The order comes from a guild that is much stronger than mine. They can, and will, burn the entire brass game and kill all my men without even blinking an eye." Wavel shrugged, Say. "Entreri is surrounded, that's what they say. You can't blame me for not letting you in." Entreri nodded.He understands the struggle of survival better than most. "Even so, you chose to come out and talk to me," he said. Wawel shrugged again. "Just to explain why our deal was aborted," she said. "It's also the reason why I don't want to be your enemy. I decided to tell you these things, and you don't have to exchange your services. Now, everyone knows that you have returned, and your uninvited visit makes them all Very nervous. The old Basadoni still rules the guild, but has gradually receded, and he is now more like a puppet. The people who actually manage the various affairs of the Basadoni guild, as well as other guilds, do not really know You. But they do know your reputation. So they fear you, just as they fear each other. Wouldn't Pasha Ranning be afraid that the Pathfinder Guild would hire Entreri to kill him? Even within a certain guild, the competition The few who vacated the seat after Pasha Basadoni's death will also be afraid that one of them will persuade Entreri to kill everyone else in order to guarantee his own promotion."

Entreri nodded again, but this time he asked, "Isn't it okay that Artemis Entreri just went home, then?" "Of course." Wavel replied. "But they'll be afraid of you unless they know the truth about you, and the only way they'll know the truth is..." "Zaowei." The killer finished for her.He wanted to thank Wawel for taking the risk to tell him so much, but he stopped again.It occurred to him that maybe the halflings were just doing what they were told to do, and that this meeting might just be part of the investigation process. "Pay attention to your back." Wavel said as he walked towards the secret door. "You know, there are a lot of people who want to put your head on display as a trophy."

"What do you know?" the killer asked, because it was obvious to him that Wawel wasn't talking about a possibility in general terms. "Before Zaowei's order was issued, I sent my men to find out what attitude other people have toward your return," she said. "They don't ask as many questions as they are asked. Many young and strong killers are listening to your situation. Pay attention to your back." Then she left and returned to the brass gambling game through the secret door. Entreri just sighed and walked on.He didn't regret returning to Calimport, because it didn't matter where he went.Nor did he pay close attention to the shadows surrounding the dark street.Maybe there was someone who wanted to kill him in one or several shadows.Maybe not.

Maybe that doesn't matter at all. "Perry." Jiwenta, the soothsayer, said to Kaza Jordion.The two were watching the young killer, who was stalking Artemis Entreri from afar in the shadows over the eaves. "Pourdieu's subordinate." "Is he watching?" Kaza asked. "Hunting." The wizard corrected. Kaza didn't doubt his words.Jiwenta's entire life is spent in observation.This wizard is a professional observer. He can always predict the next move of the object from the subtle movements of the observed object. The accuracy is quite high, which is surprising.

"Why did Bodew take the risk of hunting Entreri?" the warrior asked. "He must have been aware of the orders of the algae, and Entreri had a long alliance with his guild." "You're assuming that Podew knew about it," Givinta said. "I've seen the man. Doug Perry, his nickname. And he calls himself 'The Heartbreaker.'" The nickname caught Kaza's memory. "Because he practiced taking the heart out of the man he killed and it was still beating," he said. "A reckless young killer," he added, nodding.Now he has an impression.

"Something like someone I know." The wizard said slyly, looking back at Kaza. Kaza smiled in response.Indeed, Doug Perry is a bit like Kaza when he was young, reckless and skilled.Time taught Kaza a certain level of humility, though many who knew him felt that made it less effective.He watched Doug Perry more closely as he walked quietly along the edge of the eaves.Yes, he does look a bit like the young Kaza.But it was clear that he was more reckless than Kaza's aristocratic style, and far less wise than Kaza, because even in Kaza's most arrogant youth, he would not return to Kaza after Entreri. Lin Gang attacked him in the first few days, and it seemed that he didn't make any preparations.

"He must have accomplices nearby." Kaza reminded Jiwenta. "Look at the other eaves. I'm sure the little guy isn't stupid enough to deal with Entreri alone." Ji Wenta expanded the scope of investigation.He saw Entreri walking nonchalantly down the street, and he saw all the characters nearby, excluding those who had nothing to do with the Pordieu Guild and Doug Perry. "He," said the wizard, pointing to another figure moving through the shadows.The man was following Entreri's path, but fell far behind. "Another Pordieu man, I believe." "It doesn't look like he wants to join the fight very much," Kaza said, because the man seemed to hesitate with every step he took.He was so far away from Entreri, and was thrown further away every second, as if he could run full speed towards Entreri without the killer noticing.

"Maybe he's just watching," said Giwinta, turning the focus of the crystal ball back on the two killers whose paths were about to cross. "On Bodew's orders to follow his partner and see how Doug Perry proceeds with this matter. There are many possibilities. But if he really wants to join the fight, he should run fast. Entreri will not delay the fight time, and it seems—” His words stopped abruptly as Doug Perry moved to the edge of an eaves and crouched, every muscle in his body tensing.The young assassin had found his ambush, and Entreri continued on, apparently caught in his trap. "We can warn him," Kaza said, licking his lips nervously. "Entreri is on alert," said the wizard. "Surely he has noticed our observation. A person with that kind of talent cannot be observed by this kind of magic." The wizard chuckled. "Farewell, Doug Perry," he said. As soon as those words came out of his mouth, the young man-to-be-killer jumped from the eaves, landed less than three steps behind Entreri, and quickly approached Entreri.He was so fast that almost anyone would have been impaled before they noticed the noise behind him. almost everyone. As Doug Perry charged, Entreri turned to face Perry's thrusting rapier.Entreri grasped his broad cloak with his left hand so that when he spun, the folds of the cloak unfolded, rendering the opponent's Thunderclap harmless.Entreri took a quick step forward, raising Doug Perry's arm with his left hand.Now that Perry was off balance, Entreri got under him and drove his dagger into the man's armpit.Doug Perry would never have a chance to come back, and even Kaza and Givinta barely saw Entreri's subtlety as he spun back to face Doug with incredible speed. Perry's back.Entreri drew the dagger and handed it to his left hand, which was about to strike, while the right clamped around Doug Perry's throat, before kicking him behind the knee, knocking him to his knees, and forcing him to Fall backward.The older killer stabbed upwards with the dagger in his left hand, and the dagger sank deep into Doug Perry's head. Entreri drew his dagger immediately, and the dead body fell in a pool of blood, and Entreri was so quick that he didn't even get a drop of blood on him. Giwinta laughed and pointed at Doug Perry's accomplice, and the stunned boy ran off without taking another look at Entreri. "Yes, that's right," Giwinta said. "Let everyone know. Artemis Entreri is back." Kaza Jordyn stared at the dead body for a long time.His usual brooding expression returned to his face: lips pursed so that his long, curly moustache was knotted on his bronzed face.He himself had thought of fighting Entreri in the past, and now, he was amazed by Entreri's clean technique.This was the first time Jordyn had really experienced Entreri, and it dawned on him that this man was not in vain. But Kaza Jordyn is no Doug Perry.He is much stronger than that young boy.Maybe he should pay a visit to the former Killer King himself. "It's wonderful." Charlotta's voice sounded behind the two of them.They turned to see her staring at the image in Jiwinta's crystal ball. "Pasha Bassadoni said I would be shocked. His movements are so ingenious!" "Should we hold Bodew Guild accountable? They disobeyed Zaowei's order." Kaza asked. "Leave them alone," retorted Charlotta, her eyes shining with envy. "Focus on this man. Find him, and hire him. Let's offer Artemis Entreri a job." Katie was sitting in the back of the carriage when Drizzt saw her.Regis sat next to her, covering her face with a cloth. Bruno swung his ax dangerously, walking up and down, swearing all kinds of obscenities.The drow knew right away what was going on, and though he didn't know exactly how it happened, he knew what it meant.And when he started thinking about it, he wasn't exactly surprised that Wulfgar had struck. "He didn't mean to do that," Katie said to Bruno, trying to calm the cranky dwarf.Obviously, she wasn't lifeless, but just like Drizzt, she had a deeper understanding of Wulfgar's psyche. "I don't think he saw me then," she went on, mainly for Drizzt this time. "He's back at Errtu's again, I suppose." Drizzt nodded. "It was the same at the beginning of the fight with the Giants," he said. "That's why you're going to let him go?" growled the dwarf. "You think the boy shouldn't be responsible? Bah! I'll give him a good beating and make him think Errtu treats him well! Get him back, elf. Get him back, and let him be in front of the girl Apologize. Then he'll have to apologize to me. Then I'll put my fists in her to sleep, so he'll have time to reflect!" roared the dwarf, sinking the handle of the ax deep into the ground. "I've heard too much about this Errtu!" he declared. "You can't always live in the past!" If Wulfgar was back in camp by this time, Drizzt thought, then it, Katie, Regis, and everyone else would have to work together to pull Bruenor away from Wulfgar.And when the Ranger saw Katie's swollen eye and bright red, bloody nose, he wasn't sure if he should stop Bruno. Drizzt turned and left without another word, out of the camp and into the darkness.He knew that although the moonlight made the tundra not very dark, Wulfgar could not go very far.Once out of camp, he produced the agate figurine.Guenhwyvar walked in front, and it ran into the darkness, turning back from time to time to guide the ranger with a roar. To Drizzt's surprise, they were heading neither south nor northeast on the way back to Ten-Towns, but all the way east, toward the towering Spine of the World mountains.Soon, Guan Haifa led him to the hilly area near the mountains.This is a dangerous area indeed, as the high cliffs, with their stony overhangs, provide excellent ambush points for monsters or bandits in ambush. Perhaps, Drizzt thought, that was why Wulfgar was going this way.Perhaps he wanted trouble, a fight, or even a mob of giants to end his misery. Drizzt stopped running and let out a long, meaningful sigh.It wasn't the idea that Wulfgar was looking for trouble that bothered him, but his own reaction to it.At that moment, the wounded Katie jumped into his mind, and the ranger even—even thought that if Wulfgar's story ended here, it would not be such a terrible thing. Guenhwyvar's roar jolted him out of his contemplation.He sped up a steep incline, jumped onto a boulder, and skimmed another trail.He heard a roar - Wulfgar, not the panther - and then the sound of Aegis's fang hitting a rock and breaking it.Drizzt realized that the rock must be very close to Guenhwyfa, for the sound of impact was followed by the panther's protesting roar. Drizzt leaped over a boulder, dashed across a short stretch of flat ground, and landed lightly beside the big man just as the hammer was back in his hand.For a moment, when the drow saw the wildness in Wulfgar's eyes, he was ready to draw his swords and fight the barbarian.But Wulfgar calmed down quickly.He just looked defeated, and his anger disappeared without a trace. "I don't know." He slumped against the rock and said. "I understand," Drizzt replied, trying to hold back his anger, trying to make his voice sympathetic. "That's not Katie," Wulfgar continued. "I mean, in my eyes. Instead of being with her, I'm back in that dark place again." "I know," Drizzt said. "Katie too, but it looks like we'll have to do some work to calm Bruno down." He smiled warmly, but his attempts to defuse the tension failed to put Wulfgar at ease. "He should be outraged," admitted the Savage. "And I was also very angry, and in a way that you will never understand." "Don't underestimate the value of our friendship," Drizzt replied. "I made a similar mistake once and almost ruined everything I loved." Wulfgar shook his head at every word he said.The barbarian could not agree with the drow at all.The dark tide of despair swept over him and buried him.What he's done is unforgivable, and he realizes that it could happen again. "I'm lost," he said softly. "We'll both help you find the right direction," Drizzt replied, placing a reassuring hand on the big man's shoulder. Wulfgar pushed him away. "No." He said firmly, then smiled slightly. "There is no right direction as you call it. Errtu's darkness is still there. Under that shadow, I cannot be who you want me to be." "We just want you to remember who you were," replied the drow. "In the ice cave, we rejoiced to see Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, back among us." "He didn't," the big man corrected. "I am not the man who parted from you at Mithril Hall. I will never be that man again." "Time will heal—" Drizzt began, but Wulfgar's roar cut him off. "No!" he cried. "I don't want to be healed. I don't want to be the same again. Maybe I've learned a truth about the world that has taught me where I was wrong." Drizzt stared hard at the man. "So, does the truth tell you that it's better to punch defenseless Katie?" he asked, his words full of biting sarcasm, his patience with the man draining fast. Wulfgar glared back at Drizzt, and the drow's hands reached for the hilt again.He could hardly believe the intensity of the rage within him, which outstripped his sympathy for his suffering friend.He knew that if Wulfgar did attack him, he would fight without reservation. "Now I look at you, and remember that you are my friend," Wulfgar said, relaxing to assure Drizzt that he would not attack. "However, such reminders come only from strong willpower. It is easier for me to hate you and everything around me; If the truth is revealed, I will attack." "Like what you did to Katie," Drizzt replied.There is no accusation in his tone anymore, but it shows that he is really trying to understand, to feel. Wulfgar nodded. "I didn't even recognize it was her," he said. "It was just another of Errtu's demons, the worst kind. They teased me, and broke my will, and left me without any wounds on my body, but I had a heavy wound." Guilt, and a strong sense of failure. I want to resist...I..." "Enough, my friend," said Drizzt quietly. "You took the blame you didn't deserve. That was not Wulfgar's failure, but Errtu's unceasing cruelty." "Both," Wulfgar said, feeling defeated. "And every time my defense weakened, the failure would recur." "We'll talk to Bruno," Drizzt assured him. "We will use this as a lesson and learn from it." "You can say anything you want to Bruno," said the big man, his tone suddenly cold again. "Because I'm not going to be there to listen." "Are you going back to your people?" Drizzt asked, though he knew in his heart that the barbarian wasn't talking about that. "I will find my own way," Wulfgar replied. "Alone." "I've played this game before." "Game?" the big man repeated incredulously. "I've never been more serious in my life. Now, go back to them, go back to where you belong. When you miss me, miss the person I was. Never fight Kay Dee's guy." Drizzt tried to say something, but he stopped, staring at his dejected friend.To tell the truth, he couldn't think of anything to say that might comfort Wulfgar.When he tried to convince himself that he and others could coax the savages back to their former habits, he was not sure that they would succeed.not at all.Would Wulfgar attack Kitty again?If Wulfgar had returned to camp, would that have led to a real fight between him and Bruenor, or between him and Drizzt?Also, will Kitty drive her deadly sword, Khakid, into the Savage's chest in self-defense?On the surface, these fears seemed trivial to the drow, but after watching Wulfgar closely for so many days, he couldn't ignore the possibility. And, perhaps worst of all, he had to think about how he'd feel when he saw Katie being spanked.He wasn't even a little surprised. Wulfgar stepped away, and Drizzt grabbed his forearm unconsciously. Wulfgar turned, freeing himself from the drow's grip. "Farewell, Drizzt Do'Urden," he said sincerely.Those few words contained many of his unspoken feelings about Drizzt.He longed to go back to camp with the drow, to make things as they were before, friends, the Mithril Five, to go on a merry adventure together.And more importantly, he said such clear, decisive and thoughtful words in a clear tone, which made Drizzt feel a certain sense of ending.He couldn't stop Wulfgar unless he snapped the barbarian's Achilles tendon with the cutlass. And, in this awesome moment, in his heart, he knew he shouldn't have stopped Wulfgar. "Find yourself," Drizzt said. "Then find us." "Maybe." That was all Wulfgar could promise.He strode away without looking back. For Drizzt Do'Urden, the journey back to his friends at the camp was the longest journey he had ever traveled in his life.