প্রথম খণ্ড, একচল্লিশ অধ্যায়: সূত্র অনুসন্ধান

wei xiao haath jor kar bole, "aalin ulkhor, taaye shehzaada gustakhi ho gayi."

wei lin naraz ho kar boli, "bhai jaan, main bilkul ulkhor nahi hoon. maa kehti hain main aap ke bachpan se kahin behtar hoon. aap bachpan mein parindon ke ghosle se ande chura liya karte thay, baad mein wo maata parinda jab bhi aap ko dekhti, aap ko chonch marne daudti."

ning ran feekhi muskurahat ke sath boli, "wo maata parinda bhi badi seedhi thi, jo bhi usay gussa dilata, wo usi ko saza deti. kuch log aisi aadat rakhte hain ke har baat mein fasaad khada karein, toh phir anjaam bhi waisa hi hona chahiye."

samajhdar sabhi log samajh gaye the ke wo is bahane barah-e-raast wei xiao par tanziya hamla kar rahi thi, lekin zong duo aur zong si ke chehron par koi tabdeeli nahi aayi.

wei lin maasumiyat se boli, "wo fasaad khada karne wala shakhs yakeenan mera bhai jaan hi hoga, usay aadat hai fasaad khada karne ki."

wei xiao ke chehre par halki si laali cha gayi...

rivachir ki nigehbaan fauj abhi bhi din raat is qile ki hifazat mein diwaron par datī hui thi. badli ka waqt aaya toh aaj hi waat ke fojiyon ke camp se bhaag kar aane wale do sipahiyon ne apni zid par raat ki duty ka waqt haasil kar liya tha.

qi yue yao ne sar jhuka kar apni maa ko dekha, aur ek hi lamhe mein us ke jism ke andar roohani taaqat ka daura mukammal ho gaya, jis se us ki taangein bhi be-jaan aur sunn mehsoos hona band ho gayi.

lekin kismat dekhiye, us ke bheje gaye khufiya kaar abhi wapas nahi aaye the ke sab se pehle daali adalat ka sanad-e-talab aa gaya.

purana baranwe chapter ka "mazhabī rasoomat" wala hissa kuch ziyada hi jareehana tha, is liye manzoor nahi ho saka tha, ab usay tabdeel kar ke pas kar diya gaya hai, sabhi hazraat chahein toh puray waqiye ko dobara parh sakte hain.

ab, gu sheng ne sirf apni mukki ke zor par ganje jangju ko chakkar mein daal diya tha, yahi wajah thi ke daryayi daku hairani se khof-zada ho gaye thay.

bilkul abhi ki tarah, do bade mard kinare par haath mila kar kaafi der tak baatein karte rahe, jo ke waise hi kaafi tawajjo ka markaz ban gaya tha.

si yi xuan jab jaagi toh dopehar ke teen baj chuke thay, aakh khulte hi sab se pehle yehi khayal aaya ke tang yin wapas aaya hai ya nahi, aur jaise hi us ne gardan ghumayi, samne ek bade se handsome chehre se nazar takrayi.

lekin is baar alice behtar thi, pichli baar ki tarah kaale libaas wale ki sabaq-amosh baton se wo be-kaabu ho kar yahan wahan nahi bhaag rahi thi.

leng ji chen ki achanak hone wali harkat itni hairankun thi ke wahan maujood kisi bhi shakhs ko sochne ka mauqa hi nahi mila, aur jinhein andaza ho bhi gaya tha, wo bhi wahin sannaate mein bhoot bane khade reh gaye, unhein yakeen hi nahi aa raha tha ke un ki aankhon ke samne kya ho gaya hai.

fern aksar shikaari ke sath teer-andazi ki mashq kiya karta tha, lekin fern ki teer-andazi kamzor thi, wo har baar shikaari se haar jata tha, is liye us ne shikaari se talwar-bazi ka mukabla karne ki sochi, lekin shikaari apni haisiyat aur salahiyat se khoob waqif tha, is liye us ne kabhi fern ke sath talwar-bazi ka mukabla nahi kiya. ye yaad kar ke fern khud-ba-khud muskurane laga.

yu yun ne maharat ke sath kirdar ke chehre aur libaas ka intekhab kiya, aabi neele rang ki hanfu libaas pehni hui, baalon ka jora banaye ek chanchal larki screen par numaya ho gayi. thori der sochne ke baad, yu yun ne game ke kirdar ke naam ke tor par "zhu lin ting yu yun" paanch lafz type kiye aur login par click kar diya.

lin shan xiao zhi rou ke piche piche chal raha tha, us ke haath mein kayi bade bade suitcases thay, xiao zhi rou ki hidayat ke mutabiq us ne kuch samaan us ke kamray mein set kar diya, aur kuch daasiyon ke banaye hue desi dabbe waghera bhi kitchen mein rakh diye.

nangong mo ne akele hi ek jaam ghut-ghut kar piya, na jane kyun usay laga ke ye anguri sharab munh mein ja kar be-zaika ho gayi hai, toh us ne waiter ko bula kar ek glass whiskey mangwa li. whiskey ka nasha bohat taiz hota hai, kuch toh chaalees degree tak hoti hain, kuch hi jaam peene ke bawajood uska dimag bilkul saaf tha.

meng xing chen ki awaz buland aur saaf thi, wo koi aam jangju nahi tha, balki ek aisa sipaah-salaar tha jo apni poori qismat par haawi tha, aur us ne ishi mauqe ko sab se behtar samjha tha.

xu jing yu ko achanak pichli raat ka waqya yaad aa gaya. dil ke kisi kone mein abhi bhi darr baqi tha. jab us ne mehsoos kiya ke jism ke nichle hisse mein koi takleef nahi hai, toh wo thora pur-sakoon ho gayi.

li jing ke jaan ki baazi laga kar bijli ki tezi se hone wale hamle ke samne, chih yu xing jun ne apni lambi talwar tirchi kar ke is nuqeeli dragon ke seeng ko sakhti se rok liya.

"behtareen chai!" xiao fan ne apni taareef karne mein koi kanjoosi nahi ki. sirf is ki khushbu hi is baat ka saboot dene ke liye kaafi thi ke chai kitni umda hai.

"baad ke market ke baare mein aap ki kya raye hai? thoda lamba sochiye toh bhi theek hai, aakhir market itna sust hai ke koi yeh nahi bata sakta ke aage kya hoga, li ming aap kuch kahiye." chen shu ne sawal kiya.

si kong han ne tabiyat ke khilaf us ka haath apni baanh mein fasa liya, auras paas ke mehmanon ki hairaan-kun, hasad ya jalan bhari nazaron ki parwaah kiye baghair, yu yun ko le kar ustad upper class ke buzurg ke paas chala gaya.

main jaanta hoon ke apni taqat khud bataana aasan nahi hota aur is mein bohat milaawat ho sakti hai, is liye agar aisi jaanch karne wala jadoo ka daayra maujood ho toh is mein hairani ki koi baat nahi hogi.

"ise sambhal lo, ise haasil karne mein mujhe kaafi mehnat karni padi hai." xing bu ke chehre par naram muskurahat thi, aur qian yuan ki taraf dekhte waqt us ki nazron mein buzurgon ka choton ke liye pyar saaf jhalak raha tha.

loharon ki tadad ab do sau se ziyada ho chuki thi, aur ye sabhi log yun chi ko khuda ki tarah maante thay, yun chi jo kuch keh deti thi, wo us par kabhi dohra kar sawal nahi karte thay, wo jaisa kehti thi, sab waisa hi karte thay.

din bhar kaam karne ke baad, aur thori der hisaab-kitaab likhne ke baad, yue chu bistar par lete hi gehri neend so gaya.

qin ke xin ne nazarein utha kar dekha toh wang xu dong sarak ke uspaar khada tha, aur us ne foran kaha, "theek hai, aap foran yahan aa jayiye." aur yeh keh kar phone kaat diya.

us ke haath ne achanak us ke haath ko jakad liya, lekin us ki aankhein abhi tak band thin. us ke chehre ki sardi bilkul gayab ho chuki thi, halanki chehra abhi bhi peela tha, lekin pehle jaisa khaufnaak nahi lag raha tha.

jaadui aankh ki putli se ek lamhe mein sabz roshni phooti, jo seedhe li dalong ke jism par padi, aur khuda-e-aag ke pyaale se nikalne wali taqat ko daba diya.

bhaari aag ke beech mein, aage piche daayein baayein har taraf dushman hi dushman nazar aa rahe thay, poori fauj ka nizaam darham-barham ho gaya tha, afsar sipahiyon ko nahi dhoond pa rahe thay aur sipahi afsaron ko nahi pa rahe thay.

jinghai shehar wapas aane ke baad, long fei foran qingshan gaon ki taraf rawana ho gaya. jab wo apne ghar ke darwaze par pohncha aur dekha ke ghar ka darwaza band hai aur us ke walidain ka koi pata nahi hai, toh long fei ka dil ek lamhe ke liye baith gaya.

samandar ki jitni gehraayi mein girte jao, wahan se chosne aur jazb karne ki taqat utni hi taiz hoti jaati hai, halanki izafa kuch khaas nahi hota, lekin agar aisa hi chalta raha toh lin shiao ko lag raha tha ke us ke jism ki taaqat jaldi hi khatam ho jayegi.

zheng haidong ki aankhein abhi bhi band thin, lekin wo saaf taur par mehsoos kar raha tha ke nurse laoguo ki baatein aaj kuch ziyada hi lambi aur behisaab thin, aam taur par laoguo tabhi aisi baatein karta tha jab us ke paas koi badi khabar hoti thi aur wo use sunane wala hota tha.

"idol idol hota hai, tum tum ho, aur tum meri pasandida ho, tumhi wo ho jis ke sath mujhe poori zindagi guzaarni hai, dono ka aapas mein kya muqabla." shen jia muskurate hue boli, aur us ki baanh ko mazeed kas kar pakad liya.

khuda hamesha insaaf karta hai, bilkul un autistic logon ki tarah, jo hamesha kisi na kisi maamle mein be-had zeheen aur qabil hote hain.

das saal ka arsa, lamba bhi nahi hota, aur chhota bhi nahi hota, lekin lao dong ke badle ka irada khatam karne ke liye ye kaafi hota hai.

dhamaake ke waqt wo chamakdar roshni behad taiz aur khoobsurat thi, is khubsurati ko lafzon mein bayaan nahi kiya ja sakta, lekin ye kainaat ka ek aisa manzar tha jo arabon saal mein ek baar dekhne ko milta hai.

us mareez ki aankhon ki chamak khatam ho chuki thi, wo ab kisi bhi tarah ke ilaaj ki umeed chhor chuka tha, bas yehi chahta tha ke maut se kisi tarah bach jaaye.

su mian mian khush ho gayi, jab aisi buzurg aurat har baat janti ho, toh a-ming ke harem ke maamlaat ko suljhana us ke liye bohat aasaan ho gaya tha.

aaj raat unhein aane ki zaroorat nahi thi, yahan tak ke bai ting bhi apni shanakht ziyada nahi dikhana chahti thi, ye jadeed pathar sirf ek zariya tha, jisay bhi becha jaye, koi farq nahi padta.