Father,

It has actually been several days since we have left Ku Shu. I apologize for my tardiness in writing, but events have kept us moving at a rapid pace. While on the road to Ku Shu, I asked master Hong Wu if I could assist him in his burden. He icily rebuffed me, telling me to keep my dirty hands off his divine pack. I swear it would kill a coolie to bear that pack, but he insisted on carrying it and it seemed not to be a substantial burden to him.

After entering the city, master Hong Wu insisted that we find a restaurant that served good duck. After passing several reasonable inns, I finally found one that was to the old masters liking. It was a modest place, but the aroma of duck permeated every corner of the building. Having no taste for meat myself, I ordered some leek soup and went outside to escape the old master's gruff company. While resting outside I saw a group of mercenaries walking down the street and accosting people for information. Before I had time to finish sizing them up, the walked right past me into the inn where master Hong Wu was. In no time I heard the old man screaming "Take your hands off me or you shall always inadvertently grasp poison ivy when groping for something to clean yourself with after evacuating your bowels!"

When I burst in upon the mercenaries, I recognized their leader, Wang Chun, an honorless dog who had been recently terrorizing the countryside. Unfortunately, I would have to fight through two dozen of his men before I could get to him and master Hong Wu. About halfway through his thugs, we heard a strange sound, somewhat like a hailstorm had suddenly started and there was a great croaking of frogs. We all paused and looked out the windows and saw thousands of toads falling from the sky. That was when master Hong Wu slapped Wang Chun's hand off him, went to the window and shouted "I will personally stuff hot coals up the anus of the person responsible for this!" Shortly after that the toad-hail dwindled significantly. We resumed combat.

I managed to get The Grand Exquisite Celestial Heavenly Bureaucrat Wu Wen out of the building, quite against his will as he did not wish to be separated from his pack. However, I sadly had to assist him in reaching the blissful state of slumber so that we could successfully escape the mercenaries. When we arrived at the city gates I found that they were barred and no one was permitted to leave Ku Shu. In fact, the city guard began to chase me when they realized that my burden was a small man. Luckily, we managed to run the city guards into the surly mercenaries and they kept each other busy while the blissfully quiet master Hong Wu and I escaped.

After waking from his slumber, master Hong Wu was not content. In fact, most criminals would have been embarrassed by the verbal abuse hurled at me by master Hong Wu. I assured him that we would follow the mercenaries out of town and recover his pack as soon as the opportunity arrived. I then disguised myself and entered the town, looking for the mercenaries. Shocked is too mild a term to describe how I felt when I saw a group of Imperial Guard enter the city and head straight for Wang Chun. The mercenaries handed over the pack to the Captain apparently in exchange for a large, full purse.

After the Imperial Guards left Wang Chun, I slipped past him and secretly relieved him of the burden of his purse and headed back to master Hong Wu. I explained between the old master's curses, that his pack was in the hands of Imperial Guardsmen and that getting it back would be a bit more difficult than I had previously thought. At least I was certain that since they had left by the northern gate that their next stop would be in the city of Hen Weh.

If the Imperial Guard kept to the roads, I could get us to Hen Weh three days ahead of them by taking a shortcut through the forest. So we headed with all due speed north. Unfortunately, upon entering the forest we were accosted by a Taoist monk who insisted that the forest was haunted and that we turn back. I said that we had the mandate of heaven to travel through the forest and that he should stand aside. He refused and I was forced to duel with him. We fought for what seemed like hours, neither of us seriously wounding the other. Then the sun went down. That was when I realize that the monk was right. An army of spirits crashed through the trees and the monk and I had to fight spectral soldiers to save master Hong Wu.

Through skill at arms and the Taoists means of dealing with the undead, we managed to defeat the unit of ghosts who had attacked us. My new Taoist friend's name is Ki King Ahs and we have retreated to an abandoned monastery within the woods. Brother Ki King Ahs explained that these woods have been haunted by two warring armies for a hundred years and that he has recently come to restore order to this forest. Master Hong Wu, who is apparently a Taoist himself, has told Brother Ki King Ahs that I will assist him in his mission (and also said that I will retrieve his pack as well).

I hope for luck and wish you well.

Your son,

Sha King