The next day, Lu Yun was dragged out again. This time the county magistrate was not present—the guards simply tortured and interrogated him on their own.
One person said: “I’ve been having bad luck lately and have been wanting to find someone to beat up and vent my anger. Today I’ll finally get to beat someone to my heart’s content!” The others laughed: “Beat him as much as you want, just don’t kill him.”
Lu Yun heard their fierce words and was scared out of his wits. Despite his usual strong character, he couldn’t help but continuously beg for mercy. The man laughed heartily: “So useless! Then just confess quickly! That way you’ll suffer less!” He took the whip and shouted loudly as he lashed, beating Lu Yun half to death, treating him like a punching bag.
Lu Yun was beaten until tears and snot flowed together, but thinking of his innocence, he still refused to confess with his dying breath.
One guard, seeing Lu Yun stubbornly enduring, couldn’t help shaking his head: “Friend! I think you should stop holding out. Since ancient times, no one has ever lasted past the third day under severe torture. You’ll have to confess sooner or later anyway—why suffer like this?”
Lu Yun had no strength left to cry out in pain and could only slowly open his eyes, saying in a low voice: “I… I want to remain an innocent person until death—just kill me!”
The guard shouted: “Kill you? Before you confess, even dying won’t be easy!” He then raised the whip and struck down hard.
Lu Yun gritted his teeth and endured. Later, he lost consciousness, but after fainting for just a moment, he was splashed awake with cold water and beaten again. They beat him until he fainted more than ten times—truly a case of being unable to live yet unable to die.
By nightfall, the guards saw it was getting late and dragged Lu Yun back to his cell. He collapsed on the ground and immediately fainted, completely unconscious, not even feeling pain anymore.
While unconscious, the guards brought in another person—a man with a full beard and imposing bearing, wearing heavy shackles on both his hands and feet. He was clearly a notorious bandit. Just looking at his appearance, one could tell his martial arts were formidable. The guards locked him in the adjacent cell and hurriedly left.
On the morning of the third day, Lu Yun was dragged out again. By now he was barely breathing and couldn’t even walk. The guards, afraid of beating him to death, targeted his painful spots—sprinkling salt on wounds and pouring hot water on him. Lu Yun cried out in agony. The guards all laughed mockingly, treating him like they were slaughtering chickens and pigs.
After beating him for a while, one guard approached with paper and brush, laughing: “Boy, if you know what’s good for you, I advise you to confess quickly!”
Lu Yun was completely senseless, his head lowered in silence. Someone brought cold water and poured it on his face. Lu Yun groaned and slowly regained consciousness.
One guard reached out and pinched Lu Yun’s cheeks, shouting: “Boy, will you confess or not?” His face was full of impatience.
With his cheeks pinched, Lu Yun involuntarily raised his head and gasped: “I’m not a thief—what do you want me to confess…”
The guard spat and spit on the ground, then heavily slapped him across the face, sneering: “You’re not a thief? Then what are you? An inn waiter?”
Lu Yun closed his eyes and said in a low voice: “My surname is Lu, my name is Yun, and I’m a scholar.”
The guard laughed: “You’re a scholar? No wonder you’re losing so badly! Heh heh, what’s the point of reading so many books? ‘Scholars are useless in all things’—if you can’t achieve official rank, you become worthless!”
Lu Yun slowly shook his head: “You’re wrong. I don’t read for official rank.”
The guard spat in his face and sneered: “Oh? If you don’t read for official rank, then what for? Is reading fun?”
Someone laughed: “What else would these scholars want? Doesn’t the saying go ‘In books there are beauties like jade, in books there are houses of gold’? These bastards either want beautiful women or golden houses!” This person seemed quite literate, actually knowing these two lines. Everyone cheered loudly, and the man was very pleased with himself.
Lu Yun slowly raised his head and said in a low voice: “Wrong. You’re all wrong. We Confucian scholars remain unchanged by poverty or lowly status, seeking only four things.”
The guards, seeing him bruised and battered yet still speaking so seriously, couldn’t help but be curious and asked: “What four things? Let’s hear it.”
Lu Yun looked at the filthy, dirty prison cell, heard the mocking laughter of the guards, and suddenly felt overwhelmed with grief and indignation. He looked up to the sky and shouted: “I’ll tell you ignorant fools! We scholars only seek to establish hearts for heaven and earth, establish lives for the people, continue the lost teachings of ancient sages, and bring peace to all generations! These four things are my life’s pursuit—even death brings no regret!” Though he was barely alive, his words still rang clearly, and his expression revealed intense passion and anger.
Everyone laughed heartily: “This boy has quite an attitude!” They then poured oil on his wounds and lit them on fire. Lu Yun howled in agony, rolling on the ground. One guard lifted him up and laughed: “What ‘establishing hearts for heaven and earth’—I think his heart is clouded by pig fat!” Amid the mocking laughter, they tortured him half to death.
The bandit in the adjacent cell had been sleeping on the ground. When he heard Lu Yun speak those four lines, he slowly stood up and stared at Lu Yun, his face showing half surprise and half admiration.
That day the guards beat until their hands were sore, but Lu Yun still wouldn’t confess a single word. One guard snorted: “Let me tell you plainly! Tomorrow will be the last time we beat you. If you still don’t confess, we won’t hold back—we’ll beat you to death. Understand?”
Lu Yun knew he was telling the truth and was terrified to his core.
That night, with gloomy clouds and mist, Lu Yun knew he would surely die tomorrow and would have to endure cruel torture—it was truly unbearable. He wanted to dash his head against the wall and die, but couldn’t bear to give up this precious life. In this moment of despair, he couldn’t help but cry aloud.
While crying, he suddenly heard someone say: “Young brother, stop crying. This dog magistrate is named Wu Chang, called Wu the Tiger. He specializes in framing and harming people. Even if you cry yourself to death, it’s useless.”
Lu Yun turned to look and saw a big man looking at him—a man with a full beard wearing heavy iron shackles. At first glance, he was clearly a notorious bandit, the same person who had been brought in a few days ago.
The bandit said: “You were beaten badly during the day, weren’t you? Quickly massage yourself, otherwise tomorrow when it swells up, the pain might really kill you.”
Lu Yun shed tears: “Massaging won’t help. Those guards said that if I still don’t confess, they’ll beat me to death tomorrow.”
The bandit shook his head: “You must hold on. If you can’t endure the torture and sign a false confession, you’ll probably be executed the day after tomorrow.”
Lu Yun wailed: “Heaven! Either way it’s death—what should I do?”
The bandit was about to offer comfort when a jailer rushed over and shouted: “What are you two talking about! Aren’t you afraid of being beaten?”
Lu Yun was greatly alarmed and quickly shrank to the corner. The bandit showed no fear and just smiled: “This master fears neither heaven nor earth. If you have the guts, come beat your grandfather!” He crooked his little finger in a very provocative manner.
The jailer was furious and shouted: “You wait! If I don’t break your dog legs, I’ll take your surname!” He immediately went to call his companions to deal with this bandit together. The bandit just yawned and lay down on the ground to sleep.
The guards were gambling when the jailer shouted loudly. They asked: “What’s wrong?”
The jailer pointed at the bandit and called out: “That dead boy looks down on us. If I don’t beat him up, I won’t feel satisfied.”
One guard snorted and frowned: “This bandit is from Twin Dragon Stronghold at Taihu Lake. Our master’s hopes for promotion rest entirely on this achievement—don’t randomly beat him to death.”
The jailer chuckled coldly: “Don’t worry about that. You just keep watch outside and let me beat him up to vent my anger.”
One guard opened the cell: “Be quick about it—everyone’s still gambling.”
The jailer saw the bandit wearing heavy shackles and just lying on the ground—even if he wanted to fight back, he couldn’t. He raised his steel blade and sneered: “Dead thing! Even if you’re a fierce dragon outside, in my hands you’re just a rotten worm the size of a palm. If you want to live, kowtow and beg for mercy!” He kicked the bandit in the buttocks.
The jailer saw the bandit remain motionless—though his mouth was arrogant, he apparently didn’t dare fight back. He laughed heartily and immediately lifted the bandit up, wanting to beat him severely.
Just as he was about to strike, the bandit suddenly opened his eyes and sneered: “You dog officials! With a little power, you want to be emperors!” His body shook and threw the jailer back, then spat on the jailer’s face.
The jailer was furious beyond measure and immediately roared: “You’re seeking death!” He swung his blade down toward the bandit.
The guards were startled and urgently said: “Don’t kill him!”
Seeing the blade about to strike, the bandit showed no fear. He looked up and laughed loudly, shouting: “Well done!” He kicked out and knocked the steel blade from the jailer’s hand, then grabbed his arm. With a terrible tearing sound mixed with blood and flesh flying, followed by an extremely shrill scream, the jailer’s arm was actually torn off alive.
The jailers were greatly shocked and retreated urgently. Lu Yun, seeing this extremely cruel scene, also couldn’t help crying out in horror.
The bandit laughed: “Dog bastard! If you dare touch your grandfather, that’s death!” He roared like a tiger, lifted the jailer’s head, and smashed it hard against the wall. With a thunderous crash, the jailer’s brains splattered and he died in a bloody mess on the ground.
The bandit turned to look at the guards and roared: “Is there anyone else who wants to come in?”
The jailers were terrified and immediately shouted loudly, urgently reporting to their superiors. Soon a constable hurried over to look. Seeing the bloody mess on the ground, he was scared out of his wits. The bandit glanced sideways at the constable and said coldly: “Remember this well—your grandfather’s surname is Chang, name Xuehen, nicknamed ‘Nine Lives Madman.’ Whoever isn’t afraid of death can come in again!”
The constable swallowed his saliva and didn’t dare enter for the moment. He only instructed everyone to guard strictly and wait for the county magistrate’s orders tomorrow.
The bandit, seeing no one dared enter to deal with him, laughed heartily and waved at Lu Yun: “Young brother, look—this is how to be a man! Then no one in heaven and earth will dare bully you.” He then sang: “Your grandfather was born in heaven and earth, naturally most unafraid of officials! Eating big chunks of meat, carrying lots of gold, free and easy in the world with no one to control!” For a moment he danced with joy, very pleased with himself.
The guards cursed under their breath but no one dared come over to make trouble.
Lu Yun listened blankly and thought: “If I had such martial arts, these guards wouldn’t dare beat me.” But at this time he was just a weak scholar—how could he fight with these wolf-like guards? He sighed and went to sleep gloomily.
Sleeping until midnight, he suddenly felt his body tighten—someone was pulling him up. Lu Yun opened his eyes and saw the bandit standing before him, and the cell door had already been opened.
Lu Yun exclaimed: “You… how did you escape?”
The bandit laughed heartily and pointed behind him. Outside the cell door stood a group of black-clothed, masked people, and on the ground lay more than ten guards’ corpses—apparently accomplices had come to break him out of prison.
Lu Yun was dumbfounded. These bandits’ methods were quite formidable—in an instant they could break into the prison. While he was marveling, the bandit chuckled and patted his shoulder: “Young brother, come with us. Seeing your refined features and such backbone, our boss will definitely like you.”
Suddenly someone outside shouted: “Jailbreak! Someone come quickly!”
Gongs rang out clanging, footsteps sounded everywhere, and about a hundred guards rushed into the prison, everyone carrying lanterns and weapons to capture people. Lu Yun was startled and quickly shrank into a corner, shivering with fear.
The leading black-clothed man showed no fear and only sneered: “Corrupt guards come well—just right for target practice.” He raised his large bow and with several swishing sounds, shot one arrow per person. The leading guards immediately lay dead on the ground. The guards behind, seeing the enemy’s formidable martial arts, quickly found cover and hid outside the cells, shouting.
The bandit laughed: “‘Fire-Eyed Lion’ has excellent archery! We haven’t seen each other for a year—you’ve improved even more!”
The black-clothed man said: “Stop talking nonsense. If there’s anything to say, let’s talk outside.”
The bandit laughed heartily: “I’ve been angry for days—let me kill a few more dogs!” He took a steel blade from his subordinate and swaggered out. The guards, seeing him dare to come out, all shouted and rushed forward. Someone behind called: “Catch him! Don’t let him escape!” It was the clerk’s voice.
Seeing the guards pressing forward, the bandit rolled on the ground and cut down the legs of two guards in front, then stood up and shouted: “Die!” He immediately began killing freely. In the prison, heads rolled and blood flowed everywhere. The remaining guards, seeing the bandits’ extreme ferocity, were scared weak and retreated.
The clerk shouted loudly: “Everyone don’t be afraid! Attack again! Attack again!”
The bandit laughed: “Damn you! You only know how to shout—why don’t you come forward yourself?” He then shouted to his companions: “Someone bring my weapon! Today I’ll kill all these dogs at once!”
Two subordinates carried over a weapon—it was an extremely heavy large axe. The bandit caught it with one hand, held the giant axe, and roared as he wildly chopped at the crowd. One guard who bore the brunt was immediately cut in half along with his blade, blood and intestines flowing everywhere.
The guards were scared to death and cried: “Help!” They slipped away and fled completely. The clerk, seeing his subordinates scatter and flee, also cried in alarm: “Finished! Finished!” He shouted once and hurriedly fled backward.
The bandit shouted: “Don’t run! I haven’t killed enough yet!” He chased and slashed, and wherever he went, people were scattered. Drops of blood splashed on the walls, and the ground was covered with severed hands and feet.
The prison was empty of people, leaving only corpses everywhere. The black-clothed men, seeing the guards flee in panic, couldn’t help laughing heartily and prepared to leave.
The bandit was about to leave when he saw Lu Yun still standing there motionless. He put down his giant axe, turned back, and smiled: “Young brother, let’s go quickly! Let’s return to the stronghold—from now on everyone can eat big chunks of meat and divide gold by the scale, and never worry again!”
But Lu Yun just stood there blankly, showing no sign of moving.
The bandit snorted: “Young brother, think clearly. If you stubbornly refuse to leave and the guards come to catch you, do you still think you can leave this place alive?”
Lu Yun was startled and thought: “Yes! If the guards come later, what will I do?” Feeling afraid, he wanted to leave with the bandits, but as soon as he moved, he thought again: “I… I, Lu Yun, am an upright person—how can I join bandits? I’ve read poetry and books extensively—if I willingly degrade myself today, how can I face my parents and ancestors after death?” Thinking of this, his footsteps stopped again.
The bandit was quite impatient and frowned: “Are you leaving or not? If you don’t leave, I can’t wait for you.” He was about to come over and drag Lu Yun when Lu Yun was startled, quickly stepped back, and waved his hands: “I… I can’t become a bandit…”
The bandit cursed: “Damn it! So young yet already learned to be pedantic and stubborn!”
A black-clothed man nearby advised: “This boy has no fortune—no need to force him. Escaping for our lives is urgent now—don’t let the boss worry.”
The bandit, seeing Lu Yun consistently refuse to leave, could only sigh and left with the others.
At this time, both guards and bandits had left, with no one to stop him. Lu Yun thought: “What should I do now? Should I escape from prison or stay here?” If he escaped from prison, that would be fleeing in fear of punishment, making his crime worse—probably no hope of vindication in this lifetime. But if he stayed here, tomorrow the county magistrate would still deliberately frame him and would definitely beat him to death. For a moment he couldn’t decide.
While hesitating, he saw several jailers cautiously coming down, saying fearfully: “Have all the jailbreakers left?”
Lu Yun was about to answer when he saw the clerk hurriedly enter, circle around the prison once, and seeing all the bandits had left completely, he held his head and cried: “Finished! Finished! All these bandits have escaped—what do we tell the county magistrate?”
These bandits came from Twin Dragon Stronghold in Jiangdong, had committed countless crimes, and were criminals wanted by imperial decree. The county magistrate had set his heart on transferring to the capital for promotion, and all his hopes rested on this achievement. Who would have thought the prisoners would escape at this crucial moment? It seemed he would definitely receive severe punishment.
But then he heard a jailer say: “Report to the clerk—those bandits didn’t all escape. In our bloody battle, we managed to capture one leader. Please examine him, clerk.”
The clerk was delighted: “Where is he? Quickly bring him up!”
The jailer pointed at Lu Yun and smiled: “Report to the clerk—it’s this boy.”
Lu Yun was greatly alarmed and quickly waved his hands: “It’s not me… it’s not me…”
Seeing his subordinates smiling playfully, the clerk was furious: “You bunch of cowards who fear death—what nonsense are you still spouting!”
The jailers looked at each other, all looking quite embarrassed.
Lu Yun patted his chest, feeling slightly relieved, but then saw a jailer lean over and whisper: “These bandits swaggered away, and if we can’t find someone to take the blame, we’ll have no way to account to our superiors.”
The clerk suddenly understood and thought: “This makes sense.” He immediately instructed: “This boy appears to be an accomplice—watch him carefully.”
Lu Yun heard this and was greatly shocked, immediately scared out of his wits, crying miserably: “Injustice!”
The jailers were overjoyed and all called out: “Yes! This boy was the plotter. We spent tremendous effort to finally capture him…”
Hearing those jailers still talking nonsense and boasting about how brave and invincible they had been, the clerk shouted: “You’re still spouting nonsense here! Quickly go arrest people!” Knowing that when the county magistrate learned of this, he would definitely have a fit, he had to quickly lead people in pursuit—at least to make a show of desperately pursuing them to account to his superiors.
Watching everyone leave, Lu Yun’s face was ashen as he sat blankly on the ground, thinking: “Finished. Everything in my life is finished…”
Originally, the county magistrate had deliberately tortured him to confess to the crime of raping civilian women—though that crime was serious, it wasn’t necessarily death. But this time, if these corrupt officials pinned the major crime of jailbreaking on him, only death by slow slicing awaited.
Lu Yun’s eyes filled with tears. In his panic, he only regretted not leaving with the bandit earlier—then he definitely wouldn’t have ended up like this.
While crying, he suddenly noticed the cell door was still not properly closed, and outside was only one old jailer guarding. It seemed these guards really looked down on him, a weak scholar, and hadn’t assigned heavy troops to guard him. Lu Yun’s mind raced as he thought: “This yamen is extremely corrupt. If I don’t leave now, when will I?” Thinking of this, he quickly rushed out of the cell and tried to run outside.
The old jailer saw him rush out and quickly drew his blade to block Lu Yun’s path, shouting: “You… what are you doing!”
This old jailer was none other than the kind old man who had treated Lu Yun to a New Year’s meal on New Year’s Day.
Lu Yun knelt on the ground and said softly: “Old sir, please do me a favor and let me go! If I don’t leave, I’ll surely die!”
The old jailer’s face showed reluctance as he sighed: “But I… I have my duty and really can’t let you go. Quickly go back into the cell.” He kept waving the weapon in his hands but had no intention of letting him pass.
Lu Yun shed tears: “Old sir, you also heard their false accusations. If I go into that cell today, it’s like entering the gates of hell!”
The old jailer waved his blade to block the way and shouted: “No! If you leave, I’ll definitely be in trouble!”
Lu Yun paid no attention, covered his face, lowered his head, and rushed outside urgently. The old jailer shouted: “Where are you going!” and raised his blade to chop at Lu Yun. But this man was very old and his moves were extremely slow. Though Lu Yun didn’t know martial arts, he just dodged to the side and avoided it. He gritted his teeth and rushed toward the door.
Seeing Lu Yun about to escape, the old jailer knelt on the ground and cried: “Don’t go! If you leave, not only will I face death for dereliction of duty, but my whole family will lose their lives too! Woo… woo!”
Lu Yun stood at the door and looked back at the old jailer. Remembering his kindness with that New Year’s meal, he felt this person wasn’t bad at heart. If he escaped, he would inevitably harm the man’s whole family. His heart softened and he really couldn’t bear it, causing him to hesitate.
The old jailer prostrated on the ground, crying and pleading: “Big brother, please show mercy and pity this old man! Don’t just think of escaping yourself!”
Lu Yun sighed and thought: “Forget it! Forget it! I, Lu Yun, am alone with no relatives. Even if I die, it’s just one worthless life. If this old jailer dies, he’ll probably take his whole family’s lives with him. Sigh! How can a great man seek to live by harming benevolence?”
Lu Yun turned back, bent down to help up the old jailer, and said gently: “Old sir, don’t cry. I won’t leave.”
The old jailer was overjoyed and said tremblingly: “You… you really won’t leave?”
Lu Yun nodded: “Yes, I can’t leave…”
Before he finished speaking, the old jailer suddenly pulled out a dagger from his boot and stabbed fiercely at Lu Yun.
Lu Yun was startled and quickly dodged to the side, then reached out and forcefully pushed the old jailer away.
The old jailer lost his footing and immediately fell to the ground. He said intermittently: “Ungrateful… treacherous thing… I… I gave you a fish for New Year… you… you treat me like this…” Then he didn’t move and seemed to have died.
Lu Yun quickly helped up the old jailer and saw his own dagger stuck in his chest—he had already died, apparently having accidentally injured himself when he fell. Lu Yun felt a wave of guilt and thought: “This old man actually wasn’t bad at heart—he just had no choice being in the yamen. Sigh… Lu Yun, oh Lu Yun, he died because of you!” He stood there blankly for a long time, sighed, and quickly rushed out of the yamen.
All the way dodging and hiding, fortunately he didn’t encounter any guards—they had probably all gone out to arrest people. Lu Yun ran onto the main street alone and saw the street brightly lit and bustling. It was near the Lantern Festival, New Year celebrations, and the streets were hung with all kinds of lanterns—some shaped like flowers and birds, others like strange beasts—quite splendid.
Lu Yun knew he was in a dangerous place and had no time to stop and watch. He quickly hid in an alley and ran all the way to the suburbs, finding a desolate, broken temple to rest. That night the cold wind was bitter. In his fear, Lu Yun was like a startled bird—every rustle of wind and grass scared him pale, afraid guards would come arrest him. He suffered from cold and fear, his heart filled with worry and terror, truly like being in purgatory.
The next day, before dawn, Lu Yun hurriedly left the temple and headed for the canal ferry. He knew that staying one more moment brought one more moment of danger—only by quickly leaving Shandong would he have a chance to live.
Arriving at the canal ferry, he saw boat sails coming and going on the river. Even during the New Year holiday, traffic was still very busy. Lu Yun thought: “I have no money on me. If I want to leave Shandong, I can only take a boat south.” This waterway was quite secretive—even if the authorities searched everywhere, they probably wouldn’t check the waterways.
He inquired along the shore if any boat owners lacked hands. Everyone’s faces were indifferent, treating him as if invisible. Lu Yun encountered rebuffs all along the way. Finally he saw a boat captain squatting on the ground eating. Lu Yun quickly ran forward: “Big brother, do you need any hands here?”
The boat captain put down his bowls and chopsticks, looked Lu Yun up and down, and said coldly: “You want to find work?”
Lu Yun quickly said: “Exactly. I want to find work—please help me, big brother.”
The boat captain yawned: “What ‘I’ and such—your speech is so hard to understand.” He glanced at Lu Yun: “Boy, why are you covered with injuries? Were you bitten by mad dogs?”
Lu Yun laughed dryly and thought: “Well said—those guards are extremely brutal, truly no different from mad dogs.” He smiled apologetically: “Big brother is right. Last night I encountered a large pack of mad dogs who chased and bit me repeatedly, which is how I got injured like this.”
The boat captain was half-believing and just hummed: “Fine! Looking at you, boy, you seem sturdy and should be able to do some hard labor!” He stood up: “According to my rules here, you normally carry goods, and when the water is shallow you get off the boat to pull the tow rope. One coin of silver per month—do you want it?”
Boat trackers had always been the most bitter and heavy laborers. First they tied ropes to the boat, then went ashore to pull and drag like slaves. Lu Yun saw the work was heavy and pay low—this boat captain was extremely harsh. He couldn’t help frowning. The boat captain shouted: “Boy, do you still want to bargain? If you want it, nod; if not, get lost! How about it?”
Lu Yun sighed. At this time his life hung by a thread—as long as he could leave Shandong, that would already be a way to live. He quickly said: “Yes, yes, yes—one coin of silver per month.”
The boat captain laughed: “You agreed yourself—don’t say I’m harsh!” He immediately pulled Lu Yun onto the boat. Lu Yun didn’t dare disobey—he just wanted to leave this place and lowered his head to follow.
Soon after boarding, the boat began moving. Lu Yun was deeply afraid someone would come arrest him and only hid in the cabin, not daring to come out. Only when they were far from shore did he relax.
The boat traveled quite fast. In just a few days they had left Shandong where he had grown up.
All along this journey, no one came to arrest him, and the injuries from the jailers’ beatings gradually healed. Slowly Lu Yun also relaxed, thinking that since he was just an insignificant little person, how could the county magistrate go to great lengths to pursue him? He had probably forgotten about him—thinking of this was good fortune in misfortune. Each day he followed the boat workers up and down carrying goods, busy inside and out. Thinking that he no longer had to endure beatings, he found some contentment in it.
In a flash, half a month had passed. One night with bright moon reflecting on the river, Lu Yun couldn’t sleep. He walked to the boat’s edge and saw distant light smoke and thin mist, hazy and indistinct. The night was deep and quiet, with only river water gently lapping against the boat.
Lu Yun thought of his failure in the imperial examination and the series of misfortunes that had reduced him to this state. For a moment he felt sorry for himself and tears rolled down. Suddenly he thought of Du Fu’s “Night Thoughts While Traveling”: “Drifting, drifting, what am I like? A lone gull between heaven and earth.” He didn’t know what fate awaited him in the south—in his confusion he seemed to be in a daze.
After several more days, the boat reached a shallow area where it was difficult to navigate—apparently they needed to use tow ropes. The boat captain shouted: “Everyone get ashore and work hard!”
Lu Yun followed everyone ashore and saw the boat captain had hired twenty-some other trackers—apparently the boat was heavy and the few sailors on board weren’t sufficient.
Suddenly he heard the boat captain curse: “Damn it! Who hired these old men and children for me! Quickly drive them away!” Lu Yun looked carefully and saw the boat captain angrily shouting, pointing at several elderly people and children, cursing continuously.
One sailor smiled apologetically: “Damn! Damn! I didn’t look carefully and let these people mix in. I’ll drive them away now.” He then shouted at the old and young: “Get lost! We don’t need you here!”
The crowd of elderly and weak were greatly alarmed and called out: “That won’t do! We haven’t had work for several days. If you drive us away again, what will we eat?”
Seeing those old men and children desperately pleading, Lu Yun also helped speak some good words. The boat captain, unable to stand the annoyance, cursed: “Damn it! These useless people have no strength at all—what use are they? If they want to work, fine—half wages!”
Lu Yun heard his extreme harshness and for a moment felt angry, wanting to step forward and rebuke him. But he was also just someone’s worker—with low status and little influence, what could he do? He could only sigh and say no more, following the trackers in taking off his shirt and waiting together to pull the tow rope.
Though it was still severe winter, everyone feared no cold—even the weak children showed determined faces. The boat captain gave the command: “Pull!” With a crack, the leather whip in his hand lashed out, striking a strong man.
Immediately everyone sang loudly: “Pull oh! Pull oh! Pull until covered in sweat, rice and wine will come! Pull oh! Pull oh! Pull until hands are raw, a wife will marry over! Pull oh! Pull oh! Pull away blood and flesh, avoid reincarnation in the next life!” The song carried far out, floating over the canal. The song was heroic yet contained a bitter sadness that made one’s nose tingle to hear.
Lu Yun exerted all his strength, but after just a few pulls his palms were already broken. He saw several white-haired old men with flushed faces, their withered muscles slightly trembling. Lu Yun thought: “If I slack off, won’t these old men have to work even harder?” He immediately used all his strength to pull desperately, as if all the blood and flesh in his body was being squeezed out. Only then did he understand the meaning of that line “avoid reincarnation in the next life.”
After about an hour, the boat finally passed the shallow area. The trackers cheered: “We made it! We made it!” But their words also contained helplessness—apparently after the boat passed this place, they had no more work and could only wait for the next job.
After finishing work, everyone sat down around a fire. Lu Yun was extremely exhausted and collapsed on the ground, gasping: “This work really isn’t fit for humans! Yet you can do this every day—that’s truly remarkable!”
An old man sighed and shook his head: “What you say isn’t right. To have work every day isn’t easy! Business has been bad these past two years—we only get work once every three days, and we can’t even eat our fill.”
Lu Yun, seeing his advanced age, asked: “Old sir, how long have you been doing this?”
The old man smiled: “Fifty or sixty years, I suppose.”
Lu Yun’s face showed sympathy as he asked: “Old sir, who else is in your family?”
The old man said: “Nobody! Just me alone. Doing this lowly work can only barely sustain life. If you want to acquire property and get married, that’s just fucking dreaming!”
Seeing Lu Yun’s surprise, a man laughed: “This old fellow is actually well off! If I can live past fifty, I should thank heaven and earth! Let me tell you—this is called dying early for early rebirth!”
Lu Yun felt deep emotion and thought: “I’ve read the books of sages—what have I learned? Isn’t it to hope to benefit humanity? But these people are so pitiful, and I… what can I help them with?”
Having failed the imperial examination, he was just a poor, humble scholar—he was as lowly as they were. What could he plan for others? He could only sigh and return to the boat to sleep gloomily.