Three days and two nights of turbulent travel felt as long as three months. When the semi-dry earthen surface appeared before everyone’s eyes, both novices and veterans breathed a sigh of relief.
The boat’s prow knocked to a stop with a thud. The heart that Mo Zi had been holding suspended for several days and nights finally settled halfway down—the other half would have to wait until the return journey. If Heaven refused to let people have an easy time, even with improvements and innovations, all they could do was contribute to laying a solid riverbed.
Once ashore, Mo Zi and Cen Er pulled up the cargo box that had been towed behind the olive-shaped boat. Turning around, she saw Bai Yu, Zhong An, and their four companions huddled together looking at a large map.
“This place is called Steaming Mist Ridge. Fifty li south, you’ll enter the territory of Nande’s Yang City. You should know that if you disembarked at Pingjiang, you could go directly to Yang City.” Seeing that she had attracted their attention, Mo Zi continued, “If you’re looking at a map of Great Zhou, save your energy. That map only has the place name ‘Startled Fish Rapids.’ Since no one disembarks here, how could there be a map drawn of it?”
Having shared a life-threatening experience together, they could at least exchange words now. One of the three attendant-like men who had come with Bai Yu asked, “Is there a small town nearby where we can buy horses?”
“Within a hundred li of Startled Fish Rapids, there’s not a soul. I told you to bring enough dry rations.” Mo Zi shrugged, indicating there were none.
“Fifty li without horses—how many days would it take to walk? We need to reach Yang City within two days.” Shi Lei had recovered his booming voice.
“If you walk without stopping, at your pace, you might still have hope of arriving in two days. Tonight’s weather is good with many stars—suitable for traveling. Mo Zi meant: don’t waste time, pick a direction, and hurry along.
“Yang City is the nearest major city to this place. You can only find suitable buyers for your contraband there. May I ask, how do you plan to transport your goods? If you trade here, buyers would inevitably come by cart. We could negotiate hitching a ride.” Bai Yu spoke bluntly but made perfect sense. They had no horses, and neither did the other party. They had no luggage, while the other party had that huge cargo box.
Mo Zi lowered her head and pursed her lips. This fellow was difficult to deal with—not easy to deceive.
“Fine. Since you paid the boat fare quite readily, I’ll show some kindness too. In a moment, someone will bring us a horse cart. You absolutely must not speak up. When the time comes, just follow us into the city.” Actually, when she hadn’t allowed them to bring horses on board, she had already anticipated this inevitable outcome. This was like sticking on a dog-skin plaster—although it was six hundred taels of silver, the troublesome matters multiplied as well.
Just then, from far to near came the sounds of cart wheels rolling and horse hooves galloping rapidly.
“Mo-ge, could it be them?” Cen Er’s face showed delight.
“Two-wheeled cart, five horses.” After Shi Lei finished counting, he said to the three men behind him, “Be careful.”
Those three men immediately placed their hands on the sword hilts at their left waists, ready to draw their blades and fight for their lives at any moment.
Another display of official airs. Mo Zi saw this and said indifferently, “Don’t scare away my friends.”
The man-high grass rustled apart, and three horses plus a two-horse cart ran to the clearing in front of where the boat had stopped. Among them, one horse snorted, its saddle carrying a grinning little old man wearing the light green military uniform of Nande’s water army, his helmet hanging askew on his forehead—the very picture of a cunning old soldier.
“Old Soldier, I thought you weren’t coming.” Mo Zi cupped her fists and stepped forward to take the reins of the riderless horses he held, then had Chou Yu drive the cart.
“With good things to take, why wouldn’t I come?” Old Soldier dismounted and returned the fist salute. “Mo-ge, you little rascal, with that build you always look like a little woman. You don’t speak loudly, refined like a bird.” Having finished, he revealed a mouthful of scorched yellow teeth and grinned foolishly.
Hearing him speak so crudely to others, Bai Yu couldn’t help but frown.
But Mo Zi laughed heartily. “Old Soldier, I may have a woman’s build, but my alcohol tolerance is nothing like a woman’s. Have you forgotten last time when we competed at drinking, you even lost your pants? Old Guan, you’re my witness.”
“Old Soldier, you can only show off with your mouth.” Old Guan stepped forward to pat his shoulder, buddies together.
“This time after you finish your business, let’s compete again. This old man has a vast capacity—I still can’t out-drink you, you stinking brat.” Old Soldier patted Old Guan back. “Enough nonsense. I’ll take the silver and leave, won’t delay your serious business.”
“Right away.” Cen Er trotted over, presenting a purse with both hands.
Old Soldier took it in his hands, weighed it, and finding no broken silver but rather fifty-tael gold ingots, grinned with delight. “Good. According to the old rule, you pay the other half when you return to collect. Don’t say I only take silver without helping—I’m telling you, the situation’s been tense lately. There are imperial criminals being exiled northward from Yang City, heavily guarded. Be careful not to run into them and have your goods confiscated. Also, hide your boat better. A high official has come to Yang City. The higher-ups are scared witless, so they’re shrewdly going out on the water every day to put on a show, exhausting us poor fools at the bottom.”
“What imperial criminals require heavy guard for exile?” After agreeing, Mo Zi asked casually.
“Our Nande’s first corrupt official, the former dynasty’s Prime Minister.” Old Soldier pointed his thumb skyward and spat, as if admiring yet also despising.
The first corrupt official—Mo Zi had no interest. In her view, even sesame-seed-sized officials in Nande were insatiably greedy.
“Hmm? These fellows—damn, unfamiliar faces.” Actually, Old Soldier had seen them early on but only spoke after receiving the silver. “Mo-ge, if you’ve brought merchants, this old man will have to charge separately.”
“Yes, yes.” Mo Zi still had a large batch of goods to sell and didn’t want to provoke this petty demon now. She turned to Bai Yu with a fake smile. “Brother Bai, this Old Soldier is our guardian Buddha. One hundred taels of gold to gild him—fifty taels coming, fifty taels going—most fair.”
As the saying goes, the King of Hell is easy to pass, but little demons are hard to deal with. How could Bai Yu not understand social niceties? He immediately had Zhong An present fifty taels of gold.
Old Soldier bit it with his teeth. It was so hard his entire face wrinkled into black creases. “Only giving your Mo-ge some face.”
Eyes narrowed like a crafty demon, Old Soldier walked with a crab-like gait, mounted his horse, and rode off shouting.
“We borrow his cart and horses for one round trip, and he earns two hundred taels of gold.” Chou Yu sniffed and rolled his eyes skyward, unable to stand it.
“That’s why when he mentioned that first corrupt official, I’d actually like to see for myself.” Cen Er also couldn’t stand it but was equally helpless. Those smuggling contraband couldn’t see the light of day and had to spend money to grease palms.
Mo Zi busily assigned tasks. Having already left Shui She on the Yongfu, she would leave Old Guan and Fei Xia to guard the olive-shaped boat. With the goods already loaded in the cart, she and Chou Yu would sit in the driver’s position, giving Cen Er a horse.
“See? The back of the cart can seat two, one can squeeze inside, and there’s one horse—at most four of you can enter the city.” After finishing the assignments, Mo Zi sat on the cart and asked Bai Yu.
“Unhitch one of the two horses from the cart, and we can bring one more.” Shi Lei thought that six people might not even be enough—how could they spare two helpers?
“One horse pulling a cart with goods and five people would probably die of exhaustion halfway.” Mo Zi naturally couldn’t agree.
“How about you bring one less person?” Shi Lei wouldn’t give up.
“Is there any such logic? You’re sitting on my boat, using my connections. If I were ruthless, I’d make you go as infantry.” Mo Zi huffed three times, impatiently saying, “Have you decided or not? If you’re not leaving, we’re going.”
Shi Lei took a step forward, about to show his stubborn temper.
Bai Yu extended his arm to block him, pointing with his other hand for two attendants to stay with the olive-shaped boat, having Shi Lei ride the horse while he and Zhong An sat at the cart’s rear, and the attendant who had asked about buying horses squeezed into the cart behind Mo Zi and Chou Yu.
Chou Yu flicked the reins, and the cart began moving.
“Once we reach the city, we’ll go our separate ways. Meet at the boat-stopping place in two days at noon—we won’t wait if you’re late.”
The road was uneven, the cart’s rear board narrow. Bai Yu gripped the cart shaft, careful not to fall off. Hearing the contraband dealer’s words, he wasn’t at all surprised by the cold tone of drawing clear boundaries in that voice.