Two round and roly-poly little Daoists crouched by the river, talking. Zhang Yuxu looked Peng Shiqi over and smiled with a trace of pride. “Your robes aren’t as fine as mine.”

Peng Shiqi curled his lip. “Your robes are about as ugly as anything could be — all black and grimy. Mine are the fine ones. This deep-blue robe — it represents the vastness of the sky.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “Pfft. Your robes are hideous. Black can represent the sky too — the night sky.”

Peng Shiqi said: “Can you stop talking in that accent.”

Zhang Yuxu made a sound of acknowledgment and dropped it. “Don’t go saying black isn’t good-looking. In this world it’s not true that white is beautiful and black isn’t, or that white matters and black doesn’t. Let me give you an example: no matter how pale a person is, there are certain parts of them that are dark — and those dark parts happen to be the most important.”

Peng Shiqi thought this over and concluded that Dragon Tiger Mountain was probably not a particularly proper sort of place.

Zhang Yuxu asked: “Why is your name so odd?”

Peng Shiqi said: “I never had a name, actually. My master on Zhongnan Mountain took me in and raised me until I was seven without ever giving me one — everyone had just gotten used to calling me Little Shadow. When I turned seven, he needed to register me in the sect records and realized I had no name. He just picked one on the spot — Peng Seven, since I was seven. So my name was Peng Qige.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “Then why are you called Peng Shiqi now?”

Peng Shiqi answered: “Because I’m seventeen now.”

Zhang Yuxu was briefly stunned. He hadn’t known that a person’s name could grow along with their age — and if this kept up, would it go on for decades?

Peng Thirty-Eight? Peng Sixty-Nine?

So before Peng Shiqi could say anything more, Zhang Yuxu cut in, curious: “You add one every year?”

Peng Shiqi grinned and shook his head smugly. “You don’t understand. It’s not that I add one for every year — it’s that I add when I grow a bit.”

Zhang Yuxu looked at him blankly. “What’s the difference between what you just said and what I asked?”

Peng Shiqi said: “You’ll understand eventually. Kids, always with the questions.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “Pfft, I’m older than you. I’m nineteen.”

Peng Shiqi said: “You’re nineteen, but you aren’t nineteen. I’m seventeen, and I genuinely am seventeen.”

Zhang Yuxu fell into confusion again.

After a long pause, Zhang Yuxu sprang up and kicked Peng Shiqi squarely in the backside. “What are you showing off about! What in the world are you showing off!”

A moment later, Peng Shiqi opened his pack, rummaged out a paper parcel, and produced two steamed buns. He handed one to Zhang Yuxu.

“White-Beard, why did you leave Dragon Tiger Mountain?”

“Because I’m exceptional.”

Zhang Yuxu took the bun, offered a word of thanks, and continued: “Dragon Tiger Mountain selects one disciple from each generation to go out into the world — to act with righteousness, to carry on Dragon Tiger Mountain’s calling to help the world and save lives. Only someone exceptional could possibly be chosen to go out.”

Peng Shiqi’s mouth all but curled to his ears.

“If you were really Dragon Tiger Mountain’s worldly envoy, you’d be going around swindling people? Don’t think I didn’t see you tricking all those people into thinking they were going to Dragon Tiger Mountain and then bringing them up Pelihu Mountain instead.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “That was… acting on Heaven’s behalf. Those people in Dazhi County are all wealthy and heartless — the more heartless and wealthy a person is, the more desperately they want divine favor. I was teaching them a lesson. Besides, are you any better? You were also being chased.”

Peng Shiqi said: “That’s completely different. I wasn’t chasing anyone — I was being swindled. I’d just walked into Dazhi County, nearly out of traveling money. I saw a crowd gathering and went to see what was happening. Turned out some rich family’s eldest daughter was looking for someone to marry into her household. The household steward was worried too few people would show up and the young lady would lose face, so they were paying a tael of silver to anyone willing to come stand around, no obligations, just to make up the numbers — and they’d even throw in a meal.”

“Something that good, naturally I went. Except those thirty-odd people there — every single one of them was a plant.”

Zhang Yuxu didn’t follow. “But weren’t you there for the same reason? You took the tael — you were also there to fill the numbers.”

“You don’t know anything,” Peng Shiqi said. “Those thirty-odd people were the plants to trick me. I thought they were all there to fill seats like me, but actually they were the numbers — and I was the target. They’d tricked me in to be the groom-to-be. That young lady said she’d taken one look and chosen me — said fat people are blessed with fortune, they ward off misfortune and anchor the household…”

Zhang Yuxu understood now. They’d simply grabbed a passing outsider who looked presentable enough to marry in. The rich family’s eldest daughter clearly couldn’t find a match locally, and no local man was willing to be a live-in son-in-law.

Peng Shiqi continued: “If I hadn’t been fast enough on my feet, both my purity and my good looks would have been thoroughly defiled. Though I suppose it’s only natural they set their sights on someone as handsome as me.”

The two of them crouched side by side by the water, and Zhang Yuxu shoved Peng Shiqi sideways.

“What are you showing off for!”

Zhang Yuxu asked: “Do you have a plan?”

“No,” Peng Shiqi said. Then he dropped his voice and leaned in, conspiratorially: “Truth be told, I’m also Zhongnan Mountain’s worldly envoy.”

Zhang Yuxu scaled back his condescension a notch, because he knew that only someone with genuine ability could be sent down from a mountain.

“You came down to help the world and save lives too? Then your martial arts must be pretty good?”

“Martial arts… naturally quite good. But mainly…”

Peng Shiqi sighed. “My master said I’m hopeless at everything except eating — whatever the food, I’m guaranteed to eat until I can’t eat any more.”

Zhang Yuxu looked at Peng Shiqi, and in his eyes was something that could only be called kindred recognition.

“Let’s go to Jizhou together.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “I’ve heard that Jizhou has someone called the Green-Brow Heavenly King — he treats the common people generously and guards the frontier. If I’m going out into the world to save it, what can I accomplish alone? Better to join forces with a great hero like that, serve under him, and help him take the realm. That would be real world-saving.”

Peng Shiqi thought it over. A great hero of that caliber ought to provide meals.

Any great hero who didn’t provide meals couldn’t be a proper great hero.

Besides, he had no idea what else to do with himself. So he nodded.

He had, in truth, slipped away from the mountain on his own. Life at the Zhongnan Mountain hall had grown harder and harder — provisions were nearly gone. He ate a great deal, and everyone there — master and fellow disciples alike — strained themselves to make sure he had enough. He couldn’t bear it, so he’d slipped away.

His thinking was: with him gone, the master and the other disciples would at least have a little more to eat.

“Then let’s head for Jizhou.”

Peng Shiqi said: “A man of your abilities — surely you can support one extra mouth?”

Zhang Yuxu nodded. “Of course!”

Then he caught himself, and shoved Peng Shiqi sideways again.

“Why should I be supporting you.”

Zhang Yuxu said: “You feed yourself by your own efforts.”

Peng Shiqi said: “Fine, fine, whatever you say — but someone as warmhearted as you, even if I say I’ll feed myself, are you really going to eat without me?”

The two round and roly-poly little Daoists agreed to head to Jizhou to join forces with the Green-Brow Heavenly King Yu Chaozong. They crossed the Nanping River and set off northward.

—

Xinzhou.

Zhang Chaozhen met Madam Zheng and bowed low.

He laid out Zheng Gongru’s plan in full detail. Madam Zheng listened and nodded, then looked toward the six jianghu fighters and thought to herself that it was as if Heaven had known what her son would need and sent these people accordingly.

“Honored guests,” Madam Zheng said, going over to them. She explained that she wished to engage the six of them to accompany Zhang Chaozhen to Jizhou and kill someone.

She saw no reason to hide anything. The six had told her plainly from the outset: give us sufficient silver and we’ll do anything, including kill.

The eldest of the Six-Direction Divine Blades, Qingtian, listened to her and nodded. “No matter — it is only one person. We’ll make the trip to Jizhou.”

He had previously asked Madam Zheng whether she knew the way to Dragon Tiger Mountain — and she had never even heard of it, which had rather surprised him.

His master had always spoken of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s might and prestige as though it were legendary. He had assumed that everyone in the Central Plains knew where Dragon Tiger Mountain was.

Yet all the way to Xinzhou, not a soul knew how to get there — not everyone even knew such a place existed.

Before they’d come south, their master had told them the journey would be long — at least a year and more — and they had refused to believe it. The Central Plains couldn’t be that big.

Going to Jizhou now would take them to a major city. Surely someone there would know the way to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Qingtian gathered the other five to confer. They had taken Madam Zheng’s money — a year’s wages at a thousand taels per person — but they had never intended to stay a year.

“This trip works out well. We use it as a chance to head south. The silver we have should more than cover travel costs. Getting to Dragon Tiger Mountain is what matters.”

Qingtian said: “We arrive in Jizhou, help her kill whoever needs killing, then find a way to take a bit more from the city — Jizhou is said to have merchants in abundance. We take what we need and go.”

The other five agreed readily.

So Zhang Chaozhen led the company out of Xinzhou and set off toward Dafang Town, north of Jizhou City — the location where Yanshan Camp’s scouts were stationed.

—

Jizhou. The Carriage and Horse Agency. Reception Room.

Tang Pidi personally poured a cup of tea for Military Commissioner Zeng Ling and smiled pleasantly. “Has the Commissioner come to arrange a shipment? Something you’d like the agency to transport?”

Zeng Ling narrowed his eyes at Tang Pidi, who returned the look with complete equanimity.

“Where is Li Chi?” Zeng Ling asked.

Tang Pidi said: “Li Chi has gone out to make purchases. He had no way of knowing the Commissioner would come — there are over a hundred mouths to feed at the agency, and our stores have been running low, so Li Chi went out to look into it…”

Zeng Ling sighed. “Do you take me for blind, Tang Gongzi?”

Tang Pidi said: “What can you mean, my lord?”

“Not to speak of what I don’t know — just what I do know,” Zeng Ling said. “How much grain did Li Chi take over from Prince Yu’s side? And after the Cui family was investigated, Xiahou Zuo’s very first act was to send cartload after cartload of grain here…”

Tang Pidi pointed toward the door. “We’re raising pigs now. The expenses are considerable.”

At the precise moment he pointed, Yu Jiuling walked in. Yu Jiuling looked at Tang Pidi; Tang Pidi looked at Yu Jiuling.

A moment passed. Yu Jiuling opened his mouth and produced several perfectly accurate pig sounds, then shot Tang Pidi a meaningful look.

The look more or less said: Old Tang, Old Tang, see how quick-witted I am?

Zeng Ling sighed. “I don’t have unlimited time to exchange pleasantries.”

He looked at Tang Pidi. “If you can speak on Li Chi’s behalf, then sit down and speak plainly. If you can’t, then don’t waste either of our time.”

Tang Pidi nodded. “Fair enough.”

He settled into the chair.

Zeng Ling waited for him to speak. Tang Pidi sat there and said nothing at all. Zeng Ling glanced at him; Tang Pidi returned a polite smile. Zeng Ling glanced again; another polite smile.

Zeng Ling frowned. “What is Tang Gongzi’s meaning? You’ve sat down, and now you say nothing?”

Tang Pidi looked faintly alarmed. “I can’t speak for Li Chi — but I didn’t hear my lord say just now that someone unable to speak for Li Chi was also not permitted to sit… I simply sat down. The truth is, I genuinely can’t do anything. Li Chi said the conditions aren’t right at the moment, and when the conditions aren’t right, everyone has to do as he says.”

Zeng Ling caught the meaning in that last sentence.

“Conditions aren’t right, so everyone does as he says — then when the conditions are right?”

Zeng Ling asked.

Tang Pidi smiled and answered with great care: “When conditions are right, what Li Chi says doesn’t matter as much. When conditions are especially good, even Li Chi himself doesn’t have to matter.”

Zeng Ling asked: “Are you certain?”

Tang Pidi said: “Certain. Those are Li Chi’s exact words.”