On the deck of a merchant vessel sailing along the Wei River Canal in Jian Province, Mu Nanzhi sat in a cushioned chair wrapped in a thick winter cloak. She held White Ji in one arm while fishing with a bamboo pole in the other.
To her left stood a table with two chairs. A small charcoal stove blazed atop it, cooking a pot of fish. Xu Qi’an and Miao Youfang sat at the table, happily eating the fish. White Ji poked her head out from Mu Nanzhi’s embrace, her bright eyes staring longingly at the food.
“It’s been nothing but fish and cured meat these past few days. I can’t even shit properly anymore,” Miao Youfang complained crudely.
Xu Qi’an responded with a backhanded slap that knocked him off his chair, then beckoned to White Ji. The fox eagerly wriggled free from the princess consort’s embrace and trotted over to Xu Qi’an on her short legs, looking up at him expectantly.
Xu Qi’an picked up White Ji and placed a tender piece of fish belly in a bowl. The fox buried her face in it, eating in small, delicate bites.
“You’re progressing very quickly. I estimate that with another month of tempering, you’ll be able to enter the Fifth Rank Huajin realm. At that point, as long as you don’t court death by provoking top experts, you’ll be able to go anywhere you please,” Xu Qi’an said with satisfaction as he took a sip of wine.
They were heading south toward the Ten Thousand Mountains of the Southern Borderlands. Their small team currently consisted of only three people and one fox.
Among the Heaven and Earth Society members, Li Miaozhen had a chivalrous heart and loved helping others. With disasters raging and people suffering everywhere, she always wanted to do something to help, making it difficult for her to stay quietly by Xu Qi’an’s side.
Chu Yuanzhen was a free-spirited swordsman who considered the whole world his home and had no fixed abode. He yearned for the freedom to do as he pleased. During his wanderings, he was happiest when he could meet old friends, share drinks, and settle grudges. Once the wine was finished and matters settled, he would set off again in pursuit of his sword path.
Master Hengyuan and the Holy Maiden shared similar mindsets—as monastics, they felt compelled by compassion to help and save others.
As for why Li Lingsu hadn’t joined them on their southern journey…
That morning, when everyone woke up, the Holy Son was already gone. He left a letter for the Heaven and Earth Society members, saying he had experienced a breakthrough in his mental state and needed to travel alone to comprehend the true meaning of Supreme Emotionlessness.
In truth, when he left, all the Society members knew about it. With their level of cultivation, they could sense any movement within several li.
Lying in his warm bed, Xu Qi’an had even sung a farewell song in his heart for the Holy Son:
*That night I knew you would leave, yet we didn’t speak a word… When you shouldered your pack and laid down that glory, I could only keep my smile hidden in my heart…*
After the Holy Son’s departure, Xu Qi’an released Dong Fang Wanqing, while Chai Xinger remained imprisoned in the Pagoda Tower. She was fed regularly and summoned periodically for washing, and Miao Youfang was forced to clean the toilet as manual labor.
At this moment, the vessel’s manager, Steward Zhu, hurried over and respectfully said, “Master Miao, up ahead is the Golden Waters Shoal. The current is gentle there, and water bandits often rob ships. Usually, they’ll let us pass if we pay some silver.”
Seeing Miao Youfang nod, he continued, “If nothing unusual happens, you won’t need to intervene.”
Miao Youfang gave an arrogant “hmph,” maintaining his “expert” demeanor.
Steward Zhu bowed and withdrew.
This merchant vessel belonged to the Jian Province Merchants’ Association and was headed to Yu Province for business. Miao Youfang’s current identity was that of a newly recruited guest expert for the association, responsible for the vessel’s safety during its southern journey.
Xu Qi’an’s identity remained concealed; he appeared as nothing more than an ordinary attendant.
After sailing for half an hour, the current indeed became gentler. Another quarter hour later, the boat’s speed became extremely slow, relying solely on the oarsmen below deck to maintain progress.
Thump, thump, thump… Steward Zhu led more than a dozen armed men out from the cabin, carrying swords and bows, their expressions vigilant.
Xu Qi’an gazed toward the left bank and saw dozens of small boats cutting through the waves, approaching rapidly.
Previously, they had been quietly moored along the shore. Once the merchant’s vessel entered this stretch of calm water, over a hundred water bandits jumped into their boats, rowing with double oars and cleaving through the waves to close in.
These were specialized boats with pointed ends at both bow and stern. Less than ten feet long and only three feet wide, they had bamboo-wrapped canopies and were equipped with two sculling oars and one paddle. Light and swift in movement.
“How… how are there so many bandits?!” Steward Zhu exclaimed, his face pale.
Miao Youfang glanced at him. “Wasn’t it always like this?”
Steward Zhu steadied himself, though his face remained ashen. He smiled bitterly and said, “I’ve traveled this water route several times before. In the past, there were only twenty or thirty bandits at most, but now there appear to be over a hundred. Their… their appetite has certainly grown…”
Xu Qi’an suddenly asked, “What are these boats called?”
“These are spear boats, known for their agility and commonly used by water bandits,” Steward Zhu explained patiently, despite his extreme unease. “In calm waters, merchant vessels can’t match their speed. They use their spears to puncture our hull, though that’s not their only weapon—they also carry oil for burning ships.”
As he spoke, the spear boats had closed to within thirty feet of the merchant vessel. Steward Zhu walked to the ship’s rail, took a deep breath, and called out with cupped hands, “Noble heroes, I am Zhu Wen. We are all brothers in this world, and making a living isn’t easy. This Zhu has prepared fifty taels of silver for our brothers, and hopes you’ll grant us passage.”
Fifty taels was quite a substantial toll. During his time as a night watchman in the capital, Xu Qi’an’s annual salary had been fifty taels, assuming he neither ate nor drank.
“Fifty taels? Do you take us for beggars?” came a mocking voice from one of the spearboats.
Steward Zhu and the others looked toward the voice. It came from a man wearing black clothes and a large cloak, with a sword at his waist, standing steadily at his boat’s prow.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, with rough, dark skin and sharp, fierce eyes.
Steward Zhu didn’t recognize him. In his memory, the leader of these water bandits was a martial artist called “Wild Mandarin Duck” with Qi Condensation realm cultivation, who was relatively reasonable and would let ships pass for payment.
“You’re not Wild Mandarin Duck. Where is he…” He had barely begun to ask when the cloaked man leaped up and crashed down heavily onto the merchant vessel’s bow.
Boom!
The entire ship’s bow suddenly sank, causing everyone on board to sway and nearly fall, except for Miao Youfang, who remained perfectly steady.
The black-clothed man swept his gaze over the few bow-carrying, sword-wearing guard warriors and Miao Youfang, who alone remained unmoved. He sneered, “So there are a few trained fighters here.”
“Wild Mandarin Duck? You mean that fool who didn’t know his place? I’ve already cut off his head and sunk it in the river. Though I’m still honorable enough to take good care of his woman.”
Steward Zhu said gravely, “If you would name your price, sir.”
The black-clothed man raised his hand, spreading his five fingers. “This many.”
Five hundred taels… Steward Zhu said solemnly, “Sir must be joking.”
The entire ship’s cargo wouldn’t yield five hundred taels in pure profit.
The black-clothed man smiled, “We want not just money, but women too. With so many brothers under my command, life’s unbearable without women.”
“I’ll give you a compromise—one woman counts as ten taels, twenty for the pretty ones.” As he spoke, he glanced at Mu Nanzhi beside Xu Qi’an and clicked his tongue in disapproval. “This kind of goods is worth five taels at most, just enough for the brothers to play with for a few days.”
Mu Nanzhi wore a cold smile.
“In the jianghu, one shouldn’t push things too far…” Steward Zhu began to advise but suddenly choked on his words. At that moment, the black-clothed man deliberately faced the sun, and a faint divine light shimmered on his skin.
Sixth Rank, Bronze Skin Iron Bones!
We’ve encountered a tough customer… Steward Zhu’s expression changed slightly, and he couldn’t help looking toward Miao Youfang.
Typically, when encountering an expert of this level, one could only submit.
Unable to gauge Miao Youfang’s capabilities, Steward Zhu could only leave the decision to him. He believed Miao Youfang would weigh the pros and cons.
“Enough dithering! My patience has limits!” The black-clothed man walked to the table, grabbed the wine jar and took a drink, then whistled.
With several thuds, more than a dozen iron hooks caught the ship’s rail, and bandits began climbing up the ropes.
The bandits who hadn’t attached ropes aimed their spears at the ship’s bottom or opened oil jars, waiting only for their leader’s command to pierce or burn the ship.
They were bandits, not merchants—who would haggle with them?
After the bandits boarded, the black-clothed man ordered, “Search inside for valuables and bring out all the women.”
He pointed at Mu Nanzhi: “Take that woman too, though she doesn’t count toward the payment—just a bonus.”
His tone was casual, but he remained alert, his right hand constantly on his sword hilt.
Immediately, two bandits approached Mu Nanzhi, brandishing their weapons and trying to look fierce.
Suddenly, with two loud bangs, the bandits were blown back by an enormous force as soon as they got close to Mu Nanzhi, falling to the ground and spitting blood.
As the black-clothed man’s expression changed drastically, Xu Qi’an reached out and gripped his neck: “Tell them to get down.”
“G-get down, all of you get down…” the black-clothed man said, terrified. His current state matched Steward Zhu’s earlier mood—they’d encountered a true expert.
The bandits stirred uneasily. They never imagined that their leader, who had killed their previous chief in one move, would appear as weak as a quail before this unremarkable-looking man.
If a mere attendant is this powerful, Master Miao’s strength must be far beyond my imagination… Steward Zhu thought in shock.
Throughout their journey, Xu Qi’an posed as Miao Youfang’s attendant.
The bandits who had swarmed aboard now fled just as quickly.
“Please show mercy, sir. We can talk this through. I failed to recognize your great status today,” the black-clothed man said, his tone both sincere and pleading.
He believed that unless the other party didn’t want the ship’s cargo, they wouldn’t fight to the death with him.
Sometimes, bandits like them weren’t afraid of experts because many such experts would compromise to avoid casualties and protect cargo.
When something could be settled with silver, there was no need to risk lives.
Xu Qi’an indeed didn’t kill him, but asked, “Where are you from?”
“Yu Province!”
After some questioning, Xu Qi’an learned that the black-clothed man was called Sun Tai, from Yu Province. He was a jianghu wanderer who had been wanted by Yu Province authorities for various crimes.
This had prevented him from establishing a gang in any particular location, as arrest warrants were shared between provinces.
Sun Tai had begun wandering, and while he didn’t lack for silver from his criminal activities, he remained a lone wolf.
As winter arrived this year bringing widespread cold disasters, order began subtly breaking down between provinces, and no one paid attention to wanted criminals like him anymore.
Sun Tai had started gathering refugees and other jianghu wanderers, establishing himself as a river tyrant here. Now he commanded a hundred water bandits, a considerable force.
If this continues, bandits like these will transform into either righteous armies opposing the dynasty or local “warlords” controlling their territories, becoming part of the great avalanche… Xu Qi’an sighed softly.
“Do you want to live?” Xu Qi’an asked.
Sun Tai immediately nodded.
Xu Qi’an pointed at Miao Youfang: “Kill him and you’ll live. I won’t interfere.”
Then he said to Miao Youfang: “This is your first trial. Bring me his head in two-quarters of an hour. If you fail, our master-disciple relationship ends here.”
With two clanging sounds, Xu Qi’an kicked both Sun Tai and Miao Youfang off the merchant vessel, sending them falling toward the shore.
He then had Steward Zhu drop anchor and stop in place, standing alongside Mu Nanzhi to watch the battle.
Steward Zhu was dumbfounded, never having suspected that the attendant was the true master.
Seeing his serious 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 violate the law?” Xu Qi’an said softly.
The Great Feng’s enemies weren’t just the rebels in Yun Province, but also these jianghu people who took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, and the refugees who robbed wherever they went just to fill their stomachs.
…
In the study of the wang manor.
The dispirited Prime Minister Wang, hugging a hand-warming brazier, tapped the table and asked, “Second Son, these are memorials sent up from various regions. Since winter began, bandit problems have become severe. Jianghu wanderers are rising, gathering refugees, and committing robbery. We face both internal and external troubles.”
“Today in the palace hall, His Majesty berated the ministers, asking how to resolve this. What are your thoughts?”
Second Young Master Xu knew that Prime Minister Wang was testing him.
Similar tests had occurred several times over the past few months.
Prime Minister Wang took a sip of tea and said slowly, “Your experience is too shallow to command respect within the Wang faction. With my health as it is, I don’t know when—or if—I’ll recover.”
“It would be a shame to hand over a power base built up over so many years.”
Xu Xinnian furrowed his brow in silence.
“No need to rush. Give me your response within three days,” Prime Minister Wang waved his hand wearily. “You may go now.”