On the Wei Canal in the territory of Jianzhou, aboard a merchant ship, on the deck.
Mu Nanzhi, wrapped in a thick cloak for warmth, sat on a large chair padded with soft cushions. She held Baiji in one arm, and fished with a bamboo rod in the other.
To her left stood a table with two chairs. On the table, a small brazier blazed, heating a pot of fish.
Xu Qi’an and Miao Youfang sat at the table, noisily eating fish.
Baiji poked her head out from Mu Nanzhi’s embrace, her black eyes full of longing as she watched.
“It’s nothing but fish or cured meat these days. I’m so blocked up I can’t even shit,” Miao Youfang complained.
Xu Qi’an gave him a backhanded slap, knocking him off the chair, then beckoned to Baiji.
Baiji wriggled free from the princess consort’s arms, trotted over to Xu Qi’an’s feet with her four short legs, looking up at him.
Xu Qi’an picked up Baiji and placed a tender piece of fish belly in the bowl. Baiji buried her face in the bowl and started nibbling tiny bites.
“You’ve progressed quickly. I reckon with another month of training, you’ll be able to step into fifth rank Transforming Force. By then, as long as you don’t bring disaster on yourself or provoke top elites, the world is wide open, you can go wherever you want,” Xu Qi’an said, taking a drink of cloudy liquor, quite gratified.
They were heading south this time, bound for the hundred thousand mountains of the Southern Marches.
Their little group currently consisted of just three people and a fox.
Among the Heaven and Earth Society members, Li Miaozhen was chivalrous and just, always wanting to help the needy, especially now as disasters raged and people suffered. She just couldn’t bear to stay quietly at Xu Qi’an’s side.
Chu Yuanzhen was a free-spirited swordsman, roaming the world as his home, pursuing unfettered freedom. The greatest joy of his wanderings was meeting old friends, sharing wine, and settling grudges. After the drinks and affairs were done, he would set off once again in pursuit of his swordsmanship.
Master Hengyuan was of the same mind as the Holy Maiden, a compassionate monk with a duty to help the world.
As for why Li Lingsu hadn’t come south with them…
That morning, when everyone woke, the Holy Son was already gone.
He’d left the Heaven and Earth Society members a letter, explaining that he’d had a recent breakthrough in his state of mind, and needed to travel alone to comprehend the supreme detachment from emotion.
In reality, when he left, everyone in the Heaven and Earth Society knew, with their cultivation, nothing within several miles escaped notice.
Xu Qi’an lay in his warm bed, and even sang a farewell song for the Holy Son in his heart:
“That night we knew you’d go, and didn’t say a word… When you shouldered your pack and left your glory behind, all I could do was keep a smile in my heart…”
After the Holy Son left, Xu Qi’an released Dongfang Wanqing. Chai Xing’er remained detained in the stupa tower, regularly fed, regularly let out to clean herself, regularly made Miao Youfang do the dirty work of scrubbing the toilet bucket.
It was at this time that Steward Zhu, the man in charge of the merchant ship, hurried over and respectfully said,
“Hero Miao, ahead is Jinshui shoals. The current is gentle, and water bandits often block the river to rob passing ships. Usually, as long as you pay a little silver, you’re let through.”
Seeing Miao Youfang nod, he went on,
“If nothing unexpected happens, there’ll be no need for you to intervene.”
Miao Youfang replied dismissively, maintaining the air of an “expert.”
Steward Zhu bowed and withdrew.
This merchant ship belonged to the Jianzhou Merchants’ Association, heading to Yuuzhou for business. Miao Youfang was now a newly recruited guest-official for the association, responsible for security on the southbound voyage.
Xu Qi’an’s identity was not exposed; he was just an unremarkable attendant.
After half an hour’s journey, the current did indeed become smooth. Another quarter hour passed, and the ship slowed considerably.
Now it could only move forward by the oarsmen rowing in the hold.
Thud, thud, thud… Steward Zhu rushed out onto the deck with over a dozen fighters, sabres drawn, bows ready, their faces tense.
Xu Qi’an gazed at the left bank and saw dozens of small boats cutting through the waves, moving at great speed.
Earlier, these had been calmly docked at the bank. But as the merchant ship entered this gentle stretch, the hundred or more water bandits on shore immediately boarded, rowing rapidly, closing in like phalanxes cleaving the waves.
These were double-pointed boats, shorter than ten feet, only three feet wide, with bamboo shelters and two oars and one scull, sleek, fast craft.
“H-how can there be so many water bandits?!” Steward Zhu exclaimed in shock, face pale.
Miao Youfang glanced at him, “Wasn’t it like this before?”
Steward Zhu steadied himself, but still looked grim, forcing a wry smile,
“I’ve taken this route a few times. In the past, there were only twenty or thirty bandits in all. Today, there must be over a hundred. Their appetite’s really grown…”
Xu Qi’an suddenly asked, “What are these boats called?”
“These are spear-boats, known for their agility, commonly used by water bandits,” Steward Zhu said in a sour mood, explaining patiently.
“In these gentle-water stretches, merchant ships are never as fast as those boats. The spears in their hands are for stabbing through our hull, and that’s not their only trick, they’ll use fire oil to burn ships too.”
As they spoke, the spear-boat flotilla was now less than thirty feet away. Steward Zhu strode to the gunwale, took a deep breath, cupped his hands and called out loudly:
“Heroes, I am Zhu Wen. Within the Four Seas, we are all brothers, and it’s not easy making a living. I’ve prepared fifty taels of silver for you all, if you could please grant us safe passage.”
Fifty taels was a very hefty toll.
When he was a Nightwatcher in the capital, Xu Qi’an’s annual wage, if he neither ate nor drank, was but fifty taels.
“Fifty taels? Are you feeding beggars?”
A mocking voice rang out from one spear-boat.
Steward Zhu and the others turned toward the sound. It was a man in black clothes and a heavy cloak, a sabre on his hip, standing steadily at the bow.
He looked about thirty, weathered and dark-skinned, his gaze sharp and wild.
Steward Zhu did not recognise him. In his memory, the head of these water bandits was a martial artist named “Wild Mandarin Duck”, a Refining Qi practitioner who conducted himself within the rules: give the silver, and you could pass.
“You aren’t Wild Mandarin Duck. Where is he…”
He had only just begun, when the cloaked man leapt over, slamming down hard at the bow of the merchant ship.
Boom!
The whole ship’s bow sank down with a jolt. Everyone on deck staggered and nearly fell.
The man in black swept his gaze over Miao Youfang, who, alone, remained unmoved, and the handful of sabre-carrying guards, then sneered,
“So there are a few practitioners here.
“Wild Mandarin Duck? You mean that clueless fellow? I’ve already cut off his head and sunk it in the river. But I’m not heartless, I’ve taken good care of his woman.”
Steward Zhu said in a low voice,
“What sum do you ask for, sir? Please speak plainly.”
The man in black raised his palm, five fingers outstretched. “This much.”
Five hundred taels… Steward Zhu said darkly:
“Sir, you must be joking.”
All the cargo on the ship didn’t have a net profit of five hundred taels.
The man in black grinned,
“We don’t just want money, we want women too. My brothers here are many. Without women, how can a man live?
“So I’ll give you a middle ground, one woman for ten taels. The pretty ones, twenty taels apiece.”
He glanced at Mu Nanzhi next to Xu Qi’an, and made a scornful “tsk”,
“This sort of stock, five taels at most, barely enough for my brothers to amuse themselves a few days.”
Mu Nanzhi sneered coldly.
“When you’re mixing in the jianghu, don’t push things to the limit…”
Steward Zhu, who had planned to advise kindly, suddenly choked up, because at this moment, the man in black deliberately turned to face the sunlight, and there was a faint divine glow on his skin.
Sixth rank, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones!
I’ve run into a tough nut… Steward Zhu’s expression changed slightly, and he couldn’t help looking at Miao Youfang.
Normally, when confronted with an expert of this level, you could only admit defeat.
Steward Zhu couldn’t judge Miao Youfang’s ability, so could only leave the decision to him. Steward Zhu believed that Miao Youfang would weigh up the pros and cons.
“Enough with the dithering, my patience is limited!”
The man in black walked to the table, grabbed the wine pot and took a swig, then whistled.
With a few thuds, more than a dozen iron hooks latched onto the hull, and the water bandits began climbing aboard via ropes.
The water bandits who weren’t climbing used spears to point at the underside of the ship, or opened the jars of kerosene, simply waiting for the man in black to give the order to hole or burn the boat.
They were water bandits, not businessmen, who was going to haggle with you?
After climbing aboard, the man in black ordered,
“Go inside and loot the valuables, bring all the women out.”
He then pointed at Mu Nanzhi, “Take this woman too, but she doesn’t count toward the silver, treat her as a bonus.”
His tone was casual, but he remained alert, his right hand always resting on the sabre hilt.
Two water bandits immediately strode toward Mu Nanzhi, sabres in hand, looking fierce and vicious.
Suddenly, with two bangs, as the water bandits approached Mu Nanzhi, a tremendous force blasted them away. They spat blood and collapsed.
As the black clad man’s face turned, Xu Qi’an reached out and locked his neck in a hold:
“Tell them to get down.”
“Get—get down, all of you get down…”
Terror filled the man in black’s face, he was now in exactly the same position as Steward Zhu had been a moment ago, he had run into a tough nut.
The water bandits grew restless. They never expected that the man who had killed the previous leader with a single move would be as weak as a quail before this unremarkable man.
Even a lackey is this powerful, Hero Miao’s skill must be more terrifying than I imagined… Steward Zhu thought in secret.
All along, Xu Qi’an had acted as Miao Youfang’s follower on this journey.
The water bandits who had rushed aboard now withdrew just as quickly.
“Spare us, sir, let’s talk this out, I didn’t recognise a true expert today.”
The man in black’s tone was sincere with a hint of pleading.
He believed the other side wouldn’t risk destroying the whole cargo if they could help it.
Sometimes, water bandits like them were unafraid of experts, because many experts, out of concern for casualties or the goods, would choose to compromise.
If you can settle something with silver, there’s no need to wager your life.
Sure enough, Xu Qi’an didn’t kill him, but asked,
“Where are you from?”
“Yuuzhou!”
After a round of questions, Xu Qi’an learned that the man in black was Sun Tai, a native of Yuuzhou and a jianghu wanderer. Because he had committed crimes, he had been wanted by the Yuuzhou authorities.
This had made it impossible for him to establish a gang anywhere, as the imperial wanted posters were shared between regions.
Sun Tai had started roaming the world. Although he could have his revenge and did not lack for silver, he was ultimately a lone wolf.
With the onset of this winter, disasters were everywhere and order between regions was breaking down. No one bothered about a wanted criminal like him anymore.
Sun Tai started gathering refugees and other jianghu wanderers, becoming a king of the waters here, with a hundred water bandits under him, a considerable force.
If things continued, bandit gangs like this would eventually become armies rising against the court, or feudal “lords” carving out territories, all becoming part of the great avalanche… Xu Qi’an breathed a quiet sigh.
“Do you want to live?” Xu Qi’an asked.
Sun Tai nodded at once.
Xu Qi’an pointed at Miao Youfang: “Kill him and you can live. I won’t interfere.”
Then he said to Miao Youfang:
“This is your first trial. In half an hour, bring me his head. If you fail, our master-disciple relationship ends here.”
With two clangs, Xu Qi’an kicked Sun Tai and Miao Youfang off the merchant ship and the pair fell toward the shore.
He ordered Steward Zhu to drop anchor and stop in place, then stood side-by-side with Mu Nanzhi to watch the fight.
Steward Zhu was stunned, he hadn’t expected this “follower” to be the leading figure.
Seeing his grave expression, Mu Nanzhi asked,
“Are you worried about Miao Youfang?”
“I’m thinking, if I were Duke Wei, how would I deal with these martial artists who use force to break the law?” Xu Qi’an said quietly.
The Great Feng’s enemies were not just the Yunzhou rebels, but also these trouble-making jianghu folk, and starving refugees who robbed wherever they went.
…
Wang Manor, in the study.
Looking dispirited, Prime Minister Wang held a handwarmer and tapped the table, asking,
“Erlang, these are memorials sent in from all over, since winter began, banditry everywhere has worsened. Jianghu wanderers are taking the opportunity to gather refugees, plundering homes. Internal and external troubles alike.
“Today, His Majesty harshly questioned the lords and the others in court, how should it be solved? What are your thoughts?”
Xu Erlang realised that Prime Minister Wang was testing him.
Such tests had occurred several times in the past few months.
Prime Minister Wang took a sip of tea and continued slowly:
“Your credentials are too shallow to convince others within the Wang Clique. My health, I don’t know when, or even if, I’ll recover.
“The foundation I built over so many years would be a real pity to hand over to someone else.”
Xu Xinnian frowned and stayed silent.
“No need to rush, give me your answer within three days.” Prime Minister Wang waved a weary hand:
“You may go.”
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