অধ্যায় একশো সাতচল্লিশ: হরিণ-বালিকা

hu qiqi ko shiksha dene mein kuch ghanta beet gaya tha.
iske baad lu hu ne lu zhishen aur anya logon se mulaqat ki, unhe sab kuch spasht kiya aur fir hu qiqi ke sath qinzhou laut aaye.
jaisa ki lu hu ne anuman lagaya tha, ab sab kuch tay ho chuka tha, isliye lu zhishen aur unke sathiyon ke man mein chahe jitni bhi aniha ho, unhe chupchap ise sweekar karna hi pada.
aur ve yeh bhi nahi jante the ki lu hu ne unse aakhir kya cheez li hai, isliye unse kisi bhi tarah ke ugr ya hinsaak kadam ki ummeed nahi thi.
hu qiqi ke sath udkar lu hu teji se qinzhou nagar wapas aa gaya.
is aane-jane mein ek din se bhi kam samay laga tha.
jaisa ki hu qiqi ne anuman lagaya tha, yohuang ke jaane ka karan sachmuch yuddh ki taiyari karna hi tha, ya yun kahein ki woh song rajwansh ke ek-shakti samrat se pahle hi mukabla kar chuki thi.
dono ke qinzhou lautte hi, yingli unhein bulane aa gaya.
"hu sahika, yohuang aapko bula rahi hain."
lu hu se iska koi lena-dena nahi tha, yingli ne kewal hu qiqi ko hi bulaya tha.
is baar kewal hu qiqi ko hi nahi, balki sabhi danav kulon ke pramukhon ko bhi yohuang ke mahal mein ek sath bulaya gaya tha, shayad aane wali yudhh raneeti ki taiyari ke liye.
lu hu bhi us yohuang se ulajhna nahi chahta tha, aur jab uska koi kaam nahi tha, toh woh aaram se rehna pasand kar raha tha.
yeh baithak poore teen din tak chali.
"qiqi didi, kaisi rahi? yohuang ne aapko kya zimmedari di hai?"
hu qiqi ke lautne par lu hu ne pucha.
hu qiqi ne kuch der sochkar kaha: "wahi purani zimmedari hai, tatiya tat par sanchalan ki, quanzhou ko mukhy dwar banakar uttar ki ore badhna."
bas is baar thoda alag hai, ab woh wanxiang star par hai, isliye use pehle ki tarah sabse aage rehkar ladne ki avashyakta nahi hai, use kewal is morche par sthir rehkar song rajwansh ke wanxiang star walo ko roke rakhna hoga.
agar samne wale wanxiang star ke log maidan mein nahi utarte, toh use bhi utarne ki zarurat nahi hai, samne ka yuddh tongshen star se neeche wale sainik ladenge.
"toh hum kab rawana honge?"
lu hu ne aage pucha.
hu qiqi ne bina soche jawab diya: "abhi chalte hain!"
danav sena ne yuddh ki taiyari shuru hote hi aage ke morche par padav daal liya tha, aur jo log abhi tak nahi gaye the, ve mukhyatah tongshen star se upar ke shaktishali yoddha the.
yuddh mein tezi sabse badi chij hoti hai, tongshen star se upar ke yoddha aage ke morche par bahut jaldi pahunch sakte hain, isliye abhi rawana hone par bhi paryapt samay hai.
...
dono sabse pehle meizhou pahunche.
meizhou mein danav sena ke paas panch tongshen, do dwitiya-shreni yinshen, darjanon tritiya-shreni yinshen, aur chaturtha-shreni se neeche tatha guiyuan star ke anginat sainik tainaat the.
lu hu jaisa guiyuan star ka sadharan vyakti yahan kuch khas mahatva nahi rakhta tha.
halaanki, use sena ka netratav nahi karna tha, use kewal hu qiqi ke piche rehkar yuddh ki sthiti par najar banaye rakhni thi.
hu qiqi ne un panch tongshen aur do dwitiya-shreni yinshen se bhent ki, aur saare maamle unhi par chhod diye.
raat hote hi meizhou nagar mein achanak sena ekatrit karne ke naggare bajne lage, yeh yuddh ke liye rawana hone ka sanket tha.
danav sena ke alawa, fang la ke adheen aam sainik bhi meizhou se quanzhou ke liye rawana ho gaye, agar lagatar teji se bhi chalein, tab bhi wahan pahunchne mein kam se kam kuch din lagte.
song rajwansh ke kisi ghaat ya hamle se bachne ke liye, hu qiqi ne do tongshen aur lu hu ko apne sath sabse aage rakha.
we dono tongshen wahi log the jinhone pehle meizhou ki raksha ki thi, hu qiqi unhe acche se janti thi, aur dono mahila sadhvi thi.
ek ne gulabi rang ke kapde pehne the, jabki dusri ne bhadakile rang ke kapde pehne the.
"didi, yeh kaun hain?"
gulabi kapdo wali mahila ne utsukta se lu hu ko dekha aur hu qiqi se pucha.
"haan didi, kya yeh aapke premi hain? umar mein toh bahut chote lagte hain!"
dusri bhadakile kapdo wali mahila ne bhi hasi-majak mein pucha.
unke baat karne ke aaramdayak andaz se pata chalta tha ki unka hu qiqi ke sath purana aur bahut gahra sambandh tha.
bhale hi ab hu qiqi wanxiang star par pahunch chuki thi, lekin fir bhi unke aur hu qiqi ke beech koi duriyan nahi aayi thi.
"namaste dono didiyon!" hu qiqi ke jawab dene se pehle hi lu hu ne apna parichay diya: "ji haan, qiqi didi hi meri ardhangini hain."
yeh sunkar, jab unhone dekha ki hu qiqi ne bhi iska koi virodh nahi kiya, toh dono aashcharya se chilla uthi aur apne nazuk hathon se muh dakh liya.
ve toh bas mazaak kar rahi thi, par unhe umeed nahi thi ki yeh sach hoga!
ve achi tarah dekh sakti thi ki lu hu ki vastavik shakti kewal guiyuan star par hai!
hu qiqi ne aakhir ek guiyuan star ke chote yuvak ko apna jeevan sathi chun liya?
budhi ghodi laal lagaam?
unhe laga jaise koi bahut badi khabar mil gayi ho.
"kya? tumhein koi aapatti hai?"
hu qiqi ne jab unhe is tarah chaukte hue dekha, toh thoda naraz hokar kaha.
"nahi-nahi, koi aapatti nahi."
"bilkul nahi, humein kya aapatti ho sakti hai, didi ki pasand sachmuch lajawab hai, zara inka chehra dekhiye, kitne sundar hain!"
dono ne turant kaha ki unhe koi aapti nahi hai, aur lu hu ki taarif karne lagi.
"puch sakta hu ki aap dono ka shubh naam kya hai?"
hu qiqi chup rahi, isliye lu hu ko hi unse baat aage badhani padi.
unka star itna ucha tha ki lu hu unke vastavik roop ko nahi dekh pa raha tha.
"inmein se ek mudan phool ki apsara hai, aur dusri hiran ki apsara hai, aur ye dono hi saindo varsho se jeene wali purani danav hain."
abhi abhi unhone hu qiqi ke sath mazaak kiya tha, isliye ab hu qiqi ko mauka mil gaya aur unhone bhi badla lete hue unke raaz khol diye.
phool ki apsara? hiran ki apsara?
wah, dekhne mein toh aisi bilkul nahi lagti!
unke chehre behad khubsurat the, aur agar hu qiqi bura na mane toh kaha ja sakta hai ki ve hu qiqi se zara bhi kam nahi thi.
"didi aap bhi na, kitni jhooth bolti hain, hum toh abhi kumari hain!"
hiran ke roop wali bhadakile kapdo wali mahila ne jab hu qiqi ko budhi kaha, toh virodh karte hue kaha.
"wahi toh, hum sabhi abhi kumari hain!"
gulabi kapdo wali mudan apsara ne bhi samarthan kiya.
tinon mahilaein wahan baithkar apni hi dhun mein baatein karne lagi, jabki lu hu ke dimaag mein fir se ajeeb-garib khayal aane lage.
hiran ke roop wali ladki ki baat sunkar use ek vyakti ki yaad aa gayi.
hiran se bani yuvati, kya woh hiran-yuvati nahi hui?
kuch zyada hi soch raha tha, lu hu ne jaldi se apne dimaag se yeh saare faltu vichar nikal phenke.
raste bhar tinon mahilaein aapas mein hasti-khelti rahi, halanki jyadatar baatein bhadakile kapdo wali aur gulabi kapdo wali mahila hi kar rahi thi, aur hu qiqi kabhi-kabhi hi beech mein kuch bolti thi.
lekin fir bhi yeh bahut badi baat thi, lu hu ne bahut kam hi hu qiqi ko itna khulakar aaram se haste hue dekha tha.
use laga ki un tinon ka aapas ka sambandh wahi hoga jise lu hu ki bhasha mein gehri saheliyan kehte hain.
halaanki, hu qiqi ke beech mein bolne ki wajah se lu hu ko unke naam pata nahi chal paaye.
isliye ab lu hu ke liye unse naam puchna bhi thoda ajib lagta, isliye usne unhein bas didi kehkar pukarna hi theek samjha.
aise uche star wali didiyon ki sankhya lu hu ko hamesha se hi pasand thi.
jald hi, sabhi log quanzhou ki seema mein pravesh kar gaye.
jab kaam ki baat aayi, toh sabhi gambhir ho gaye.
"didi, kya hum seedhe aage badh kar hamla kardein, ya sena ke aane ka intezar karein?"
quanzhou ki seema ke aakash mein rukkar, gulabi kapdo wali mahila ne hu qiqi ki rai maangi.
hu qiqi ne kuch sochkar kaha: "pehle sena ke aane ka intezar karte hain!"
uski bhumika sabse aage rahkar pehla hamla karne ki nahi thi, agar woh shuru mein hi maidan mein utar aati, toh shayad song rajwansh ke wanxiang star walo ko bhi aakarshit kar leti.
aur yeh bhi nahi pata tha ki quanzhou nagar ke andar dushman ki kya taiyari hai, isliye bina soche-samjhe koi kadam uthana theek nahi hoga.