For safety’s sake, after eating and drinking their fill, Maye didn’t immediately set out to return to the Tuolin stronghold. Instead, he decided to hide during the day and travel at night, resting in the abandoned village during daylight and moving towards Tuolin under cover of darkness.
There were only six of them, and they had lost their weapons while fleeing. Together, they had just one Japanese sword and two daggers. Maye himself was injured, his mobility limited. If they encountered Ming troops on the road, their chances of survival would be slim.
At the very least, *his* chances would be slim.
No matter how much Maye looked down on the Ming army, in this situation, he didn’t dare take the risk.
Waiting until nightfall, protected by the darkness, and then hurrying back to the Tuolin stronghold overnight was the safest choice.
Thus, Maye and the other pirates, having eaten their fill, gathered dry grass in the village and spread it thickly in a corner of a house to rest.
The five loyal pirates took turns keeping watch in the yard to ensure their safety.
No matter how thick the dry grass, it was no match for proper bedding. But at that moment, free from the threat of Zhejiang army firearms or the reed marsh fire, after half a day of desperate escape, having a corner with dry grass to lie down safely felt like paradise.
Maye lay on the grass and quickly fell asleep.
Apart from the pirate on watch in the yard, the other four pirates also soon fell asleep, and the room filled with the sound of their snoring.
An hour passed.
The pirate on watch outside began to feel unwell—his head ached, he felt dizzy and slightly nauseous. He thought it might be from standing in the cold wind and, as it was time to change shifts, figured lying down in the grass would help. Rubbing his dizzy head, he went into the room to wake another pirate for his shift. He called twice, but the man didn’t stir, so he kicked him a couple of times.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Are the Zhejiang troops attacking?!” the pirate jolted awake, panicking.
“Attack, my arse! It’s your turn to stand watch. I’m going to lie down. The wind outside’s giving me a splitting headache,” the pirate urged.
“I’m feeling dizzy too, and nauseous…” the awakened pirate said, touching his head.
“Bollocks. You’ve been sleeping cosily in here—dizzy, my arse. Don’t try to weasel out of it. Stop messing about and get out there. It’s my turn to lie down,” the pirate who’d been on watch scoffed, dismissing the other’s complaint.
“Messing about, my arse. I’m genuinely dizzy. Fine, no point arguing with you. Maybe I slept funny and tweaked my neck. I’ll go outside, move around, get some fresh air—might sort me out.”
The awakened pirate shot back, shaking his head vigorously. He climbed out of the grass and headed outside.
The pirate who’d been on watch eagerly lay down the moment the other got up, wriggling to find a comfortable position. He let out a satisfied grunt. “Not bad. Lying down’s the ticket. I’m going to have a proper kip.”
Though his head still felt fuzzy, the exhaustion and relief of surviving lulled him into sleep almost immediately.
On the same pile of grass, Maye, fast asleep, began to frown in his dreams. His face grew increasingly flushed, and he felt cold all over. Subconsciously, he pulled some grass over himself to cover his body.
But it didn’t help. He still felt cold and uncomfortable, his frown deepening in his sleep.
The pirate now on watch outside, buffeted by the cold wind, felt his head worsening. He touched his forehead—it seemed hot. He figured he’d caught a chill coming out from the warm room. *No big deal,* he thought. *I’m tough. A little cold’s nothing. Worst case, when we get back to Tuolin, I’ll get that half-baked doctor to prescribe something.*
Sniffling, the pirate leaned against the wall, keeping a groggy watch, his head growing heavier and heavier…
Inside, Maye and the other pirates, still asleep, began to frown deeply, their faces turning redder, their bodies tossing and turning.
“Urgh…”
Finally, one pirate, overwhelmed by discomfort in his sleep, turned his head and couldn’t stop himself from vomiting.
The room filled with a foul stench.
The vomiting seemed to set off a chain reaction. Another pirate, unable to bear it, turned and vomited as well.
The smell in the room grew even worse.
Soon, a third pirate vomited, either from discomfort or from the stench.
Of the five pirates lying in the room, three had vomited themselves awake. The sour, rancid smell was like a biochemical disaster.
Despite the overpowering stench, Maye and one other pirate remained asleep, their faces red as boiled prawns.
The three pirates who’d vomited opened their eyes, feeling the world spinning, their heads pounding unbearably, their bodies wracked with discomfort.
The pirate outside, hearing the commotion, dragged himself to the room to check, despite his own discomfort. As soon as he entered, the smell hit him so hard he could barely open his eyes. His stomach churned, and he too began vomiting violently.
He could barely stand, clutching the doorframe to keep himself upright.
“What’s happening? Why does it feel like the room’s spinning? My head’s killing me—I could split it open with a knife,” one pirate said weakly, propping himself up.
“You too? I thought it was just me. I’m dizzy as hell, the world’s spinning, and I’ve got no strength,” another said.
“Same here. My head’s spinning, I’m sweating buckets, freezing, and I’ve got no energy,” another chimed in.
The pirates eagerly shared their symptoms.
“Could we have caught a cold?” the pirate at the door asked, clutching the frame and shaking his head hard.
“All of us catching a cold? What are the odds of that?” one retorted, dismissing the idea.
“Could it be the wood ears or the wild greens we cooked? Maybe some of the greens were bad, and we’re poisoned,” one pirate suggested, eyeing the clay pot they’d used to cook the soup.
“No way. Wood ears are fine. The greens… well, there was one I didn’t recognise…”
“Nah, I know wood ears, and I know those greens. Back when we had famines, I ate those same greens. They were fine then, so why would they be a problem now?”
“Could it be the well water?”
“Bloody hell, that might be it. The soup tasted salty, and the flavour was off. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now… maybe the well water’s the issue. Could be why this village was abandoned in the first place.”
The dizzy, wretched pirates furrowed their brows, their guesses inching closer to the truth. But it was too late—the soup was already in their stomachs, and there was no getting it out now.
