He rubbed his arms, downed the medicine he had painstakingly waited in line for, and shuddered from its bitterness.
As the sky gradually cleared, many people in the caravan smiled.
Those who couldn’t find a vacant room stopped complaining. The villagers in Lingyao Village had randomly inflated their prices, but no one cared about staying anymore! As long as it didn’t rain, they could wait in the neighboring village for two days until the floodwaters receded. Cheerfully, the buyers from the neighboring village rowed their boats back, bringing even more boats filled with merchants.
Soon, only the first few caravans and those too afraid of the disease to leave, even after taking the medicine, remained in the village.
Lao Qi stretched his body. The crowded conditions earlier were truly uncomfortable.
The caravan steward frowned as he tallied the water-soaked goods. Even after the water receded, they couldn’t leave immediately, as the roads were muddy, and the wheels would sink, making it hard to move. He was already calculating how much it would cost to hire porters to carry the goods into the city.
Lao Qi quietly sneaked to the back of the wagon and found a low wall sheltered from the wind to take a nap.
Just as he was drifting off, a hand smeared with black ointment suddenly emerged from the corner, covering his mouth at lightning speed and dragging him away.
Lao Qi’s eyes widened as his legs kicked the ground in an attempt to resist, but the wind whistled past his ears, and his whole body seemed to be flying through the air.
“Bang.”
With a dull thud, Lao Qi landed in a patch of wild grass.
He was covered in mud, but thanks to years of rough living, his skin had grown thick. His elbows and shoulders, not protected by his thin clothes, were calloused, and the jagged blades of grass only left white marks, not drawing blood.
Just as Lao Qi was about to struggle to his feet, a hand grabbed the back of his neck with the strength of a tiger’s grip.
“Move, and you die.”
The voice was strange and raspy, like bones scraping against a wooden board.
Lao Qi’s pupils contracted. He could feel the strength in those fingers—this was no ordinary person.
In the martial world, many people practiced strange techniques, often with little success, turning themselves into ghost-like figures, especially those on the evil path. The poison masters were gaunt, like skeletons, afraid of both cold and heat, and their voices were more eerie than ghosts.
“Who… who are you?” Lao Qi feigned fear as his hand secretly reached for his waist.
Then, pain shot through his wrist, and his right hand fell limply to the side.
“Don’t try anything, and don’t scream.”
“…” Lao Qi’s skin prickled with goosebumps, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He had seen the man’s hand earlier, and now that hand was gripping his neck, no different than holding a chicken.
The smell of pungent ointment still lingered on his face. Lao Qi didn’t dare breathe loudly, listening to the eerie laughter from behind him: “I know you’re a pawn of Fengxing Pavilion. Fengxing Pavilion’s been acting all high and mighty lately, wiping out several bandit gangs… So high and mighty! Do you think you’re the secret police of the old dynasty? Selling secrets and digging into private matters, and even meddling in things you shouldn’t?”
Lao Qi’s heart skipped a beat. So that’s what this is about.
He drooped his mouth and rolled his eyes upward, pleading pitifully: “Master, I’m not even a proper martial artist. I just learned a bit of third-rate skills from a boxer. Driving a cart is hard work with little pay, so I tried to make some extra money. If you say I’m working for Fengxing Pavilion, well, three years ago I was running errands for the Dongting Gang, and ten years ago I was getting by in Yangzhou. I’m lazy and afraid of death, so things have only gotten worse. As for Fengxing Pavilion—hey, if you say I’m one of them, fine, but aside from the shopkeeper and the clerk I sell information to, no one else in Fengxing Pavilion knows me. People like me, there are hundreds, if not thousands.”
“Enough with the nonsense.”
Meng Qi pretended to scold.
Mo Li had been watching quietly.
Doctor Mo was curious about Meng Qi’s strange voice. It was said that some performers could speak using ventriloquism, making sounds without moving their mouths, while certain spirit mediums learned to deceive people using similar tricks, calling it “stomach talking.” Meng Qi couldn’t do ventriloquism, but his way of speaking was somewhat similar.
The same speech, but the voice was swallowed into the belly, producing a strange, sinister rasp.
“I lost my apprentice and was about to settle the score with Fengxing Pavilion, but a storm delayed me. Then I ran into this sneaky kid, looking around suspiciously like he’s up to something! I tested you, and you really are a Fengxing Pavilion dog!”
Lao Qi was so angry he almost rolled his eyes, but in this moment, he was the fish, and the other person was the butcher. He had no choice but to continue begging: “Master, I may be useless, but I know Fengxing Pavilion’s rules: no money, no work. As for this area of Pengze… uh, I mean, the matter with the brothers in the Green Forest, we really had nothing to do with it!”
“Stop with the sweet talk. Quickly, tell me who’s in charge of your local branch. I want to know if that dog’s name carries any weight in the martial world.”
Meng Qi’s questions came one after another, leaving Lao Qi hesitant.
This tone didn’t quite match the local martial artists.
Where did this demon come from? His manner of speaking and acting was so outdated, like something from a storybook!
But the hand gripping his neck was real. Lao Qi struggled subtly, to no avail. The man behind him could probably kill him without using a second move.
Well, he had no choice but to lower his head and play along!
“Master, please calm down, calm down!” Lao Qi’s eyes darted as he quickly thought of an excuse.
His vision was blocked by the tall grass, and he dared not move recklessly, so he didn’t notice Mo Li standing at an angle to his right.
Mo Li’s eyesight was excellent, and he could clearly see the expressions on the coachman Lao Qi’s face, including his initial reaction when Meng Qi asked about the death of the water bandits.
—It was an expression of anger and resentment.
Lao Qi probably felt deep down that wiping out the water bandits was a thankless task, and now he was unlucky enough to get caught up in it. His inner rage had no outlet.
This didn’t surprise Mo Li much. As Lao Qi had mentioned, Fengxing Pavilion was a large organization, with many people running errands for it. Most of them didn’t care what the pavilion’s real goals were or why their superiors acted a certain way. The martial world was tough, and having a backer to provide some income was good enough.
Fearing for his life, Lao Qi gritted his teeth and said, “Master, spare me. Actually, I have some news, though I’m not sure if it’s true. It’s said that the business of killing the water bandits involved the government.”
Mo Li was taken aback by this.
“What about the water bandits? Did they steal something they shouldn’t have?” Meng Qi continued with his eerie tone.
“I don’t know, really! But… Master, perhaps you should ask ‘Mountain Tiger’ Yuan Ting. He’s the one in charge around here, especially in Pengze. We all have to address him as Master Yuan.”
Lao Qi, having no backbone, immediately revealed his superior’s name.
Meng Qi raised an eyebrow slightly and then knocked Lao Qi unconscious with a palm strike.
Mo Li stepped forward and handed Meng Qi a rough cloth. Meng Qi slowly and methodically wiped the ointment from his hands.
In the martial world, there had once been highly skilled trackers who could follow the faintest scent. Since Lao Qi worked for Fengxing Pavilion, even though he wasn’t skilled in martial arts, Meng Qi hadn’t taken him lightly and made some preparations. The pungent ointment was everywhere now, and in the village, everyone was applying it. Even someone with the nose of a dog wouldn’t be able to track anyone.
“This man…” Mo Li uttered only two words, frowning without continuing.
On the one hand, he didn’t know whether Lao Qi’s information was true. On the other, it wasn’t unusual for minor figures in the martial world to prioritize survival over loyalty. Though they hadn’t expected to gain much from this interrogation, Mo Li and Meng Qi wouldn’t simply kill someone for their cowardly behavior.
Mo Li changed the subject, saying, “The government? Why would King Ning’s people suddenly target the water bandits and go about it in such a roundabout way?”
“Hah, it’s certainly not for some secret treasure. That story I spun just now? It’s what anyone in the martial world would think.” Meng Qi waved his hand dismissively, then said seriously, “If I’m not mistaken, this is about clearing the way.”
“Clearing the way?”
“That’s right. This is King Ning’s territory, and his capable strategist, Mr. Qiu, has stirred up tensions between the Jingzhou navy and the Qi dynasty’s fleet. A major battle is imminent. King Ning’s territory borders King Jing’s, making it a prime opportunity for opportunistic moves. Once the war starts, the grain routes must be cleared first. The south has many waterways, and transporting grain by water is much easier. So, not only the water bandits in Pengze, but all bandits who pose a threat must be eliminated. That’s what they mean by ‘clearing the way.’”
Mo Li nodded in understanding.
When it came to military strategy and logistics, Meng Qi was undoubtedly an expert.
“And considering the information we’ve received earlier, Fengxing Pavilion’s leader, Qiu Jing, might be the daughter of that very strategist. She faked her death, changed her name, and disguised herself as a man to lead Fengxing Pavilion. We don’t yet know her stance or intentions, but with that connection and her father’s brilliance, using Fengxing Pavilion as a ‘sword’ would be no problem.”
Strategist Qiu was indeed talented, and his unconventional methods, like using martial artists to clear the way, ensured that King Ning’s preparations for war went unnoticed by most. However, Meng Qi now had enough clues. Warfare is a “great matter of state,” and no matter how well they tried to cover their tracks, there were always signs visible to the keen observer.
“We need to go to Luling County.”
Meng Qi said to Mo Li, now certain that war was imminent, not just because of the opium poppy issue.
Mo Li remained silent. He didn’t want to believe that Fengxing Pavilion was merely a pawn in the grand scheme of King Ning’s strategist.
He didn’t think Qiu Jing was that kind of person.
But if it all turned out to be true—
“There might have been two factions within Fengxing Pavilion all along.”
Meng Qi whispered to Mo Li, using a secret voice transmission technique, “One faction is made up of true martial artists, while the other has ulterior motives. Because of that brilliant strategist’s influence and his elevated status as Qiu Jing’s father, there’s never been an internal conflict in the pavilion. Take for instance, helping Doctor Peng sell ointment or recently clearing out the water bandits. Qiu Jing sees these actions as aiding the common people. Meanwhile, her father wants more commoners in King Ning’s domain to farm and fish, and enough people to serve as soldiers… Any farsighted strategist would know that epidemics must not spread, so he doesn’t oppose Qiu Jing’s actions; he might even support them.”
The more Mo Li listened, the heavier his heart grew. If both his and Meng Qi’s judgments were correct, then Fengxing Pavilion was about to undergo a massive upheaval once Qiu Jing returned.
Meng Qi tossed Lao Qi aside and said quietly, “And this man, he might have more to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been wondering why King Wu is recruiting so many martial artists, offering them ranks and rewards. At first, I thought it was because he was a coward, afraid of being assassinated. Later, when we encountered that group on Shimo Mountain trying to sever the Qi dynasty’s dragon veins, I thought King Wu was just a superstitious fool who believed in alchemists’ nonsense.”
Meng Qi seemed lost in thought, then turned to Mo Li with a smile, “But whether he’s a fool or a coward, he’s still King Wu. If King Ning has skilled subordinates, King Wu might too. Qiantang is the wealthiest place in the country, with merchants flocking there. If one of King Wu’s officials noticed something off about Fengxing Pavilion, it’s very possible they’d adopt this strategy. Recruiting martial experts to keep an eye on Fengxing Pavilion’s movements, or even planting agents within the pavilion… After all, there are countless low-ranking martial artists. Many don’t even know who they’re working for. All it takes is to leak the right information at the right time.”
Meng Qi looked down at the unconscious Lao Qi, clearly suspicious of him.
Mo Li suddenly let out a deep sigh. He heard Meng Qi whisper in his ear:
“The fate of Fengxing Pavilion doesn’t lie in our hands, but in Qiu Jing’s.”
Author’s Note:
—Those poison masters in the martial world all follow the evil path, turning themselves into something neither human nor ghost.
Xue Ting: ??
Xue Ting: Bah, that’s because I’m smart, I’m educated! Unlike those fools, mixing a bunch of poisons today, adding graveyard dirt tomorrow, grinding up worms that have fed on corpses, and then tossing in some corpse water from a coffin. Spending all day messing around in mass graves—crazy! Of course their bodies fall apart!
