Cui Xuanliang found it increasingly strange. This youth looked like an ordinary person, so why was his strength so great? Could he have practiced some internal energy? With this thought, he walked toward the youth, planning to investigate thoroughly.

Cui Xuanliang had heard his uncle mention that if internal energy was practiced to the highest level, even someone with a small, thin frame could possess the divine strength of a thousand pounds. These people were actually easy to recognize – each had eyes that contained radiance, long and steady breathing, and faces that held a treasured glow. Cui Xuanliang’s heart pounded as he watched the youth carry cargo down, following him closely, observing his eyes, listening to his voice, examining his form, wanting to see if this person had practiced divine arts.

“Huff… huff…” The youth was panting continuously, his gaze scattered, his face showing no treasured glow – only a look of gray defeat, his whole body drenched in sweat. Seeing Cui Xuanliang constantly staring at him, he couldn’t help but shout: “What are you doing?”

Cui Xuanliang’s face reddened. Seeing the other person was nearly exhausted from carrying, while he himself was just wandering around idly, he scratched his head and was about to say a few words to cover up when someone patted his back. He heard Old Chen say: “Young Master, why aren’t you carrying cargo anymore?”

Cui Xuanliang turned to look and saw Old Lin and Old Chen had returned. They must have finished collecting the scattered copper coins and come back to check. The three men stood at the harbor. Cui Xuanliang laughed heartily, pointing at the ship: “Uncle Chen, Uncle Lin, look at the ship quickly. I found helpers for everyone. Pretty clever, right?”

Old Chen looked up and saw a stranger standing on deck, looking around everywhere with a sneaky appearance. He couldn’t help but cry out in alarm: “Young Master, how… how did you let an outsider onto the ship? Aren’t you afraid his hands aren’t clean?” Cui Xuanliang frowned: “Hands aren’t clean? Is there such a thing?” Old Chen said urgently: “Young Master! This world is so bad. Last time Second Master hired some laborers who stole everything on the ship clean. If you want to hire people, you should tell me first…”

Just as he was chattering away, they heard the gangplank creaking. The youth had already carried down the last load of cargo and wiped his sweat, saying: “Little boss, all the cargo is moved. Please pay quickly.”

Cui Xuanliang agreed and was about to take out money when Old Chen blocked him, shouting loudly: “Everyone come over and surround this kid!”

The youth saw the boatmen rushing over like swift birds and couldn’t help but be greatly shocked: “What are you doing?” Old Chen said viciously: “What are we doing? You little thief, if you want people not to know, don’t do it yourself. We’re going to search you.”

“On what grounds?” The youth’s anger surged as he shouted loudly: “Do you think I’m a thief?” Old Chen sneered: “What are you afraid of? If you’re not a thief, letting us search won’t hurt – it won’t cost you a piece of flesh anyway.” Saying this, he reached for the other’s arm. The youth said “Hey!” and lifted his hand up, angrily saying: “Don’t mess around!”

The youth’s strength was truly considerable. With this effort, he actually knocked Old Chen to the ground. Cui Xuanliang quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying in panic: “Uncle Chen, are you alright?” Old Chen, fearing the youth would escape, quickly shouted: “You brat! Catch him quickly! Quick!” The boatmen rushed over but couldn’t hold onto him. Old Lin shouted: “Young Master! Help us!”

Cui Xuanliang said “Oh!” and dazedly reached back, then grabbed at the youth. The youth was furious: “Damn bastard! Do you also think I’m a thief?” Saying this, he threw a straight punch toward Cui Xuanliang’s nose.

“Thunder Rises!” Seeing the other had made a move, Cui Xuanliang didn’t dodge either. He expelled breath and raised his voice, palm force bursting out – this was the opening move “Thunder Rises” from the “Eight Directions Five Thunder Palm.”

With a “bang!” fist met palm. The youth cried “Ah!” in anguish, his body flying out like a kite with a broken string. With a “splash!” he actually fell into the sea.

Cui Xuanliang was shocked. He had thought the other’s strength was considerable, so his fighting ability was probably formidable too. He hadn’t expected him to be so incompetent. He quickly crawled to the harbor’s edge, saying in panic: “Hey! Are you still alive?”

“You bastard…” The youth struggled to climb up, lying at the harbor’s edge, panting heavily and spitting out several mouthfuls of water. Old Chen rushed forward, fiercely grabbing the youth and angrily saying: “You brat! Let’s see how arrogant you are now! Old Lin! Old Cai! Come search him!” While speaking, he didn’t forget to throw out his elbow, giving the youth several strikes to the chest.

Old Lin smiled bitterly: “Enough, enough. Acting like bandits and robbers – how ugly.” He stepped forward two paces and apologized: “Brother, sorry about this. Please take off your upper garment and let us have a look.” The youth saw the boatmen outnumbered him and he was in a suspicious position, so he could only remove his upper garment, shake it vigorously, and shout loudly: “This should be enough, right?”

Old Chen said coldly: “No good. You need to jump in place.”

The youth was bare-chested but still wearing pants – who knew what was hidden inside? He had no choice but to comply and jump a few times. But as soon as he did this, his pockets immediately jangled with noise – they were packed full of things.

Old Chen threw back his head and laughed, pointing his finger and saying sternly: “I knew it! You brat, your fox tail is showing! Turn out your pockets! Let us have a look!” The boatmen rolled up their sleeves, glaring menacingly, everyone ready to strike. Cui Xuanliang also opened his mouth wide, saying in a trembling voice: “Little brother, I trusted you so much… you… you actually…”

The youth snorted and reached into his pants pocket, shouting loudly: “Look clearly! Are these your things?”

Everyone looked at his palm and saw it was full of copper coins, each one greasy and reeking of fishy smell, several already black and damaged – who knew how many years they’d been used.

The copper coins on the ship were all newly minted from the Longqing reign, each polished bright and shining with an oily fragrance, completely incomparable to the worn-out coins in the youth’s hand. Old Chen’s heart jumped, realizing they had wrongly accused him. He immediately waved his hand: “Alright, you can go now.”

“Go to hell!” The youth was extremely angry and couldn’t help but grab Old Chen’s neck, cursing wildly: “You think you can just dismiss me like this? You old dog thief! Beast born from an asshole! Give me back my wages! Otherwise I’ll kill your whole family!” Old Lin saw him shouting so fiercely and quickly came to mediate: “Alright, alright, thank you for your hard work. How much money in total?”

The youth shouted loudly: “Three coins per box, ten boxes total. You owe me thirty wen.”

Old Chen clutched his neck, panting: “You want thirty wen? Damn, others charge one wen for three boxes, but you… you charge three wen per box. Are you made of gold or something?” The youth’s face reddened slightly. He glanced at Cui Xuanliang, then suddenly became righteous again: “He agreed to this himself! Don’t you try to renege!”

The boatmen all turned to look at Cui Xuanliang and couldn’t help but sigh. Seeing their young master was young and ignorant, getting deceived wherever he went – they just hoped he wouldn’t sell himself. Old Lin was too lazy to argue and said: “Fine, thirty wen it is. Come, take your reward.” He took out a handful of copper coins from his pocket, counted them randomly, and handed them over. The youth was actually careful, lowering his head to count carefully, making sure nothing was short before putting them in his pocket.

Old Chen said coldly: “Kid, after taking the money, shouldn’t you say those two words?”

“Go to hell!” The youth simplified it, directly roaring out three words. After cursing, he immediately turned and ran, still threatening loudly: “You bastards! Be careful from now on! When you meet me again, I’ll definitely beat one or two of you to death!”

“You brat!” Seeing this youth change face like flipping a book, Old Chen was furious: “If you have guts, don’t run! Stop right there!” The youth ran quickly, instantly disappearing into the street. Old Chen roared: “Bastard! Come back here!”

With a “thud!” a stone suddenly flew from the street, hitting Old Chen squarely on the head. Old Chen howled and turned to find a cleaver, planning a big weapon fight. Old Lin held him back, laughing: “Enough, at your age, still doing such stupid things. I’ll go hire a cart first. You all wait here.”

Old Chen was furious, pointing at heaven and cursing earth, swearing at fathers and mothers – he didn’t know anything anymore. Old Zhang and Old Huang quickly said: “Go, go, business is important. Go and come back quickly.” Old Lin agreed and walked into the street to find a place to hire carts. The remaining boatmen had nothing to do, each finding a cool place to sit down, some yawning, some shaking their feet, everyone dozing.

Cui Xuanliang walked over and said quietly: “Uncle Chen, what was that about just now? Are there many bad people on this island?”

Old Chen was still angry, cursing: “Young Master! Your ignorance must have limits! This Smoke Island is a mix of dragons and snakes – all kinds of people from every walk of life come to the island to make a living. If you’re not more careful in the future, sooner or later you’ll sell everyone out!” Cui Xuanliang frowned: “Isn’t Smoke Island Uncle Wei Kuan’s territory? How could there be thieves?”

Old Chen was so angry he spoke without choosing his words, hardly able to speak. Old Huang said: “Young Master doesn’t know – this Wei Island Master is a hero who pays attention to big things but not small ones. How would he manage these trivial matters? Now the island’s public security, people’s livelihood, water and grain usage are all managed by Lady Wei. This woman always pays attention to small things but not big ones, so naturally the more she manages, the more chaotic it becomes.”

“Lady Wei?” Cui Xuanliang’s heart jumped, saying in a trembling voice: “Wait, is she… is she Sister Siyan’s real mother?” Old Chen said sullenly: “Young Master, isn’t this nonsense? She’s Lady Wei, and that one is Miss Wei. If they’re not mother and daughter, could they be brothers or father and son?” Cui Xuanliang said quietly: “Is Lady… Lady Wei beautiful?”

Old Huang gave a thumbs up in praise: “Legend says Lady Wei is beautiful as a heavenly fairy, known as the greatest beauty of the East Sea. Young Master, if you marry Miss Wei as your wife in the future, she’ll be your mother.”

“Mother!” Cui Xuanliang was overjoyed and roared out this word.

Everyone was slightly stunned, not knowing what he was happy about. Passersby who heard became suspicious, all thinking they’d been cursed at for nothing. Old Chen laughed a few times, his anger finally subsiding. He pulled Cui Xuanliang to sit down and solemnly instructed: “Young Master, now that Second Master is sick, many things he can’t personally guide you on. We’re all his subordinates and must carefully look after you. Do you understand?”

Cui Xuanliang said blankly: “What for? Look how serious you are.” Old Chen ignored him and continued: “Before going on the island, the first thing I’m telling you concerns your mother-in-law.”

“Mother!” Cui Xuanliang joyfully shouted, producing this word again. Old Chen spat and said: “Stop calling ‘mother’ this and ‘mother’ that. Let me tell you, this Lady Wei is completely different from your aunt. If you want to act good and obedient to win affection, that’s suicide.”

Cui Xuanliang was slightly shocked: “What? Does Lady… Lady Wei have a bad temper?” Old Chen sighed: “What woman in the world has a good temper? Let me tell you first – don’t look at how Lady Wei appears white and tender, delicate and charming, like a jade pearl. Actually she’s very calculating, truly an abacus bead. She calculates this and that, extremely shrewd. Plus her martial arts are formidable. If you meet her, you must not show a useless appearance, otherwise we needn’t mention any marriage proposal – we might as well head straight home.”

Cui Xuanliang’s face reddened: “Uncle Chen… what does a ‘useless appearance’ look like?”

The boatmen lowered their heads, struggling to suppress laughter. Old Chen sighed bitterly: “Speaking of this useless appearance, I’m not too familiar with it either. Anyway, remember that during these few days on the island, we must grit our teeth and swallow our blood. Whether we get beaten by little thieves or swindled out of money by someone, we must accept it as bad luck. Otherwise, good news doesn’t travel far but bad news travels a thousand li. If Lady Wei hears about our embarrassments, she’ll definitely think some useless person has come asking for marriage. Do you think you’d still have any hope of being chosen?”

Cui Xuanliang said quietly: “What about Uncle Wei? He… he’s my father’s sworn brother. He’ll secretly help me, right?” Old Chen sighed: “I already told you, Wei Kuan is someone who pays attention to big things but not small ones. As long as you haven’t lost arms or legs, he won’t intervene.”

Cui Xuanliang said with a long face: “This place is so scary. Let’s not pursue this marriage and hurry back to the Central Plains.” Old Chen said: “Don’t make decisions on your own. Right now our golden signboard is Second Master. In a few days when he wakes up, we’ll have him go find Wei Kuan. No matter what, you’re the son of ‘Flying Tiger’ Cui Fengxun. When Wei Island Master sees you’ve come, he’ll definitely be delighted beyond measure.”

Cui Xuanliang said joyfully: “Really? Will Uncle Wei dote on me?” Old Chen said: “Of course, but if you take off your pants and run through the streets, calling every woman you meet ‘mother,’ I think Wei Island Master would personally hack you to death to clean house for your father.”

Cui Xuanliang felt cold all over, finally realizing he couldn’t joke around carelessly these few days. If he had one moment of carelessness, not only would he lose face for his uncle, but Wei Kuan might also punish him – that would be eternal damnation.

Just as he was afraid, Old Lin finally returned. The boatmen quickly went to meet him, asking: “Where’s the cart? Why don’t we see it?” Old Lin sighed: “Several large Southeast Asian ships just arrived and hired all the carts. They say there won’t be any until afternoon.” Hearing one unlucky thing after another, Old Chen cursed: “Damn! We’ve been to sea hundreds of times, and this trip is the unluckiest. Did some plague god board our ship?”

Hearing the words “plague god,” the boatmen couldn’t help but glance over, all looking at the same person. But that plague god was unaware, still pointing at a distant tea pavilion: “Uncle Chen, I want to go drink tea there.”

Old Chen angrily said: “Drink tea? What tea? If there’s no cart, we have to wait here! Can’t you have some patience?” Cui Xuanliang was scolded again for no reason and could only mumble: “Then… then what if we keep waiting and there’s still none?”

Old Lin looked at the sky and sighed: “That would be troublesome. Smoke Island often has thunderstorms in the afternoon. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we’ll have to move the cargo back to the ship.” Cui Xuanliang said in shock: “What? We have to carry it again?” Old Chen angrily said: “What else? Leave the cargo here to take a bath? If the goods are ruined, won’t your uncle jump into the sea too?”

Cui Xuanliang was thoroughly scolded and didn’t dare say more, having to stand punishment on the spot with the boatmen, waiting for empty carts to arrive.

Smoke Island was located in a hot climate with fierce sunlight. Under the blazing sun, everyone was baked dry. Cui Xuanliang craned his neck to look around, seeing people coming and going on the road. After a while a horse cart passed, then later a donkey cart with pointed ears came, but the carts were either loaded with goods or full of people – not a single empty cart was visible.

Seeing the chen hour had passed and it was gradually approaching noon, Old Lin asked whenever a cart passed, but everyone was busy with their own affairs. With no other choice, he said: “It’s no good. I think we should go find Lady Wei to plead with her. Her manor has many carts – we’ll borrow a few for emergency use first.” Before he finished speaking, Cui Xuanliang was already pointing angrily: “Useless! Asking others for help over such a small matter! Do you want to ruin my marriage prospects?”

Old Lin was startled and didn’t dare say more. Just as they were in distress, they suddenly heard someone laugh heartily: “Good, good! Looks like someone can’t hire a cart.”

Everyone looked up and saw a youth standing before them with a long face and eyes squinted into lines – it was that cargo-carrying youth again. Cui Xuanliang seemed to see a savior and quickly said: “Little brother! It’s you again! Do you… do you have a way to hire a cart?”

The youth said coldly: “Of course I have a way, but I just don’t want to hire one for you.” Cui Xuanliang said puzzled: “Why?” The youth yawned: “You people are snobbish and cold-hearted. Who wants to work for you?”

Old Chen saw him gloating and couldn’t help but angrily say: “You brat, stop babbling here! Get lost!”

The youth snorted arrogantly but wasn’t willing to go far. He just went to the roadside, found a shady spot to lie down, and praised: “So cool. It’s definitely going to rain heavily soon.” Everyone heard his cold sarcasm and were naturally angry enough to turn blue, but after noon in summer, there would definitely be torrential rain – this was the Jade Emperor’s decree that no one could change. Cui Xuanliang’s arms were still sore, fearing he’d have to carry cargo again. He could only say quietly: “Little brother, you… you’re the best person. Please help us hire a cart. I’ll reward you with five wen.”

The youth closed his eyes and slept, completely ignoring him. Cui Xuanliang pleaded: “Little brother, please. I’ll give you ten wen.” The youth turned over on his side and actually started snoring. Cui Xuanliang had no choice but to take out some broken silver, sighing: “Here’s some silver. I’ll give it all to you as tribute.”

A figure flashed, and the youth had already rushed over like a swift bird, snatching away the broken silver and smiling: “Good, seeing how sincere you are, I want to help you now. How many carts do you need?” Cui Xuanliang turned to count the wooden boxes on the ground, murmuring: “Four or five should be enough.” The youth laughed heartily: “Leave it to me.” He put the silver in his pants pocket and ran off quickly.

Seeing Cui Xuanliang doing foolish things again, the boatmen immediately wailed: “Young Master, how are you confused again!” Cui Xuanliang said “Eh!” only then realizing something was wrong. If that youth took the money without doing the work, wouldn’t he become a fool? Seeing him so ignorant, the boatmen surrounded him again, everyone taking turns lecturing him, pointing east and cursing west. In a moment, they had described Cui Xuanliang as a living idiot.

No one knew how long they’d been scolded when suddenly they heard wheels rolling and hoofbeats. A group of animals came down the road, all with horns on their heads, mooing and chewing straw – ox carts had arrived.

Cui Xuanliang said joyfully: “Look! Look! Didn’t the carts come? How dare you still scold me?” The boatmen looked carefully and saw all oxen before them, each pulling a broken wooden cart, five carts total. Each cart had a laborer sitting on it, all in ragged clothes with straw in their mouths – clearly farmers.

The youth followed beside the carts, coming slowly. Seeing everyone looking at him, he smiled: “See, all the carts are here. Let’s load the goods now.” Cui Xuanliang was overjoyed. Seeing carts had arrived, he wanted to load cargo onto them, but Old Chen quickly stopped him, saying sternly: “Wait.”

The youth frowned: “It’s you again, old man. What do you want now?” Old Chen sneered: “Kid! You’re not very honest in business. Come! How is the cart fare calculated? Let’s make it clear first!”

The youth said calmly: “That depends on where you want to go. East or west side of the island?” Old Chen said coldly: “I want to go to ‘Shuntian Wang Street.'” The youth nodded: “Shuntian Wang Street is on the eastern side of the island, thirty-five li total. I’ll charge you one tael of silver per li.”

“Go to hell!” Hearing the youth’s outrageous price, Old Chen was shocked and furious: “Thirty-five taels of silver for one cargo trip! Do you think the cart pullers are five-colored divine oxen? Even Arabian heavenly horses would be cheaper than you!” The youth’s face reddened slightly: “Well then, if you think it’s too expensive, I’ll go back.”

Old Chen heard his threatening tone and became even more furious: “Get lost! Even if I die here, it’s better than riding your broken ox cart!” Cui Xuanliang saw them arguing and quickly mediated: “Little brother, make it cheaper. We can all be friends in the future.”

The youth closed his eyes to rest: “Fine, for your sake, little brother, I’m willing to reduce the price by half. Five carts for thirty-five li – I’ll charge you eighteen taels.” Cui Xuanliang was overjoyed and about to agree when Old Chen pulled him away, shouting angrily: “Let’s go! Let’s go! They’re treating us like fat sheep! Let’s go back and carry the cargo!”

Cui Xuanliang heard he’d have to carry cargo again and immediately panicked: “Little brother, please, make it cheaper, cheaper.” The youth was also afraid the business would fly away, so he could only click his tongue and change his offer: “Fine, I won’t make money from you today. I’ll charge you ten taels of silver. That’s cheap enough, right?” During this conversation, Old Chen didn’t look back and was already charging straight onto the ship. The youth called out urgently: “Wait! Wait! If you think it’s too expensive, name your own price and we can discuss it.”

“One tael!” Old Chen turned around, glaring fiercely and roaring: “Otherwise we don’t talk!”

“One tael?” The youth held his belly and laughed wildly: “One tael of silver for five carts? Do you think you’re the Heavenly King?” Old Chen was too lazy to bother with him and proudly walked onto the ship. The youth saw things were going badly and had to grit his teeth: “Fine! You’re ruthless! One tael it is. Do you want it or not?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Old Chen beamed with joy, immediately running back and laughing: “One tael of silver including loading – it’s agreed then.” The youth raged: “Go to hell! One tael and we still have to load? Do you think I’m a fool?” He immediately waved his hand angrily: “Let’s go! We’ve met madmen and came for nothing!”

“Wait! We can talk this through!” Old Chen grabbed him: “I’ll add another qian of silver. How about that?” The youth angrily said: “One qian? Why don’t you hire me to carry instead. At least one tael!”

“Two qian!” “Eight qian!” “Three qian!” Both sides bargained on the spot, arguing heatedly. Finally they agreed on a price: this thirty-five li trip with five carts would cost one tael and eight qian of silver total, including loading, unloading, and running errands. The youth saw the price was set, and all his fierce flames disappeared, replaced by a scholarly and mild expression: “Boss, can we load the goods now?”

Old Chen bowed and bent over: “Thank you for your hard work, brother. Let’s hurry up and load.”

Seeing how these two had cursed fathers and mothers earlier, swearing so fiercely, yet became polite once the price was set, Cui Xuanliang was dumbfounded. The youth said no more, just quickly and efficiently shouldered boxes and carried weights, piling everything onto the carts. Several farmers wanted to come help, but the youth waved them off, indicating it wasn’t necessary. Clearly this laborer’s fee was his alone to earn and he wouldn’t let others share.

After loading the goods, they didn’t fill even four carts, so there was one cart left over. Old Chen didn’t want to cut off someone’s livelihood, so he had Cui Xuanliang and others get on the cart to sit, then instructed the remaining boatmen to stay on the ship and care for Second Master. After repeatedly giving instructions, he finally gave the order to march majestically toward “Shuntian Wang Street.”

It was morning, and everyone sat on the ox carts. They found themselves by the seaside with a road both wide and straight before them. Tall coconut trees grew along the roadside, and behind the trees was a stretch of azure sea and sky. Cool breezes brushed their faces, accompanied by the sound of waves lapping the shore, making their hearts feel expansive.

Cui Xuanliang praised: “This Smoke Island is really beautiful. Many people must live here.” Old Chen said: “That’s right. Smoke Island has a dense population with nearly ten thousand households.” Cui Xuanliang was shocked: “Ten thousand households? Then… then isn’t this a city?”

Old Chen said: “This wasn’t accomplished in a day or night. I heard Second Master say that Smoke Island was originally just a fishing village with only ten households. Plus the island’s interior was narrow with little water and food, so no one wanted to settle here.” Cui Xuanliang murmured: “Then… then who built up Smoke Island? Was it Uncle Wei?”

Old Lin laughed: “Of course it was Wei Island Master. Otherwise who would have such great ability?”

Old Chen said: “This is what they call ‘the capable can do anything.’ It’s said that when Wei Island Master first came to Smoke Island, he had just recently resigned from office and only had thirty thousand taels of silver on him – he couldn’t be considered wealthy…” Cui Xuanliang interrupted him, frowning: “Having thirty thousand taels of silver still counts as poor?”

Old Chen gave him a look: “For eating, drinking, and gambling, it could last a while, but if you want to open a harbor and dig wells, is thirty thousand taels enough?” Cui Xuanliang had never dug wells or opened harbors, so he didn’t know the costs. He could only respond with a grunt: “What happened next? How did Uncle Wei build up Smoke Island?”

Old Chen said: “I heard Second Master relate that this Wei Island Master had extremely keen foresight. When he first arrived on the island, he immediately allocated ten thousand taels of silver to hire many laborers from Ryukyu to dig a large lake on the island…” Cui Xuanliang interrupted: “What’s the point of digging a lake? For boating?”

Old Chen scolded: “This island has no water. When wind and rain finally come, don’t you need somewhere to store it?” Cui Xuanliang said “Oh,” finally understanding that digging the lake was for water storage. He continued: “Then… then does the island have farmland?” Old Chen scolded: “Nonsense! After having water, Wei Island Master personally took action, reclaiming wasteland on the western part of the island to try growing rice. After there were more residents, he then axe by axe carved out a deep harbor at the shore. Over seventeen or eighteen years, merchant ships gradually increased, and slowly it became what we see today.”

Cui Xuanliang nodded. Seeing that Uncle Wei could be called “Dragon Commander” was definitely not just due to high martial arts and fighting ability. He must have outstanding talent and exceptional insight to earn Emperor Yongle’s favor. He pondered for a while, then said: “Smoke Island has only been developed for seventeen years? Then isn’t it the same age as me?” Old Lin laughed: “Yes, Miss Wei was also born on Smoke Island. You two are the same age.”

Cui Xuanliang felt sweet in his heart, knowing his father and Wei Kuan were old family friends. If he could marry into the family, that would truly be called “good.” Eager to meet Wei Siyan, he said again: “Uncle Chen, where are we going now? Can we go faster?” Old Chen sighed: “Young Master, I just told you a long story, but you didn’t listen, did you? We’re going to ‘Shuntian Wang Street’ to find a Lord Shang the Sixth.”

Cui Xuanliang frowned: “What’s ‘Shuntian Wang Street’? How did this name come about? It sounds strange.”

Old Lin laughed: “Young Master doesn’t understand. This ‘Shuntian Wang’ was the name of an ancient Ryukyu king. It’s said that street is entirely inhabited by Ryukyu people who built ancestral halls and temples there. Over time, people called it ‘Shuntian Wang Street.'” Cui Xuanliang said “Oh”: “So the island isn’t only inhabited by Han people?”

Old Chen said: “Of course not. Smoke Island has all kinds of people. I heard the first to arrive were Ryukyu people, all fishermen. But after Wei Island Master came, the population gradually grew. Now there are Koreans, Japanese, Southeast Asians, Muslims – all kinds, though the largest number are still our Han people.”

Cui Xuanliang nodded vigorously: “Of course! We’re the world’s greatest nation – there are fellow countrymen everywhere.” Sitting in the cart, his face full of excitement, he patted the driver’s shoulder and smiled: “Big brother, where are you from?”

The farmer said blankly: “Where am I from? I… I’m from Smoke Island.” Cui Xuanliang frowned: “I’m not asking that. I mean where did you… where did you come from originally?” The farmer understood Chinese but was stumped by this question, murmuring: “Where did I come from? I… I came from the western part of the island.”

Old Chen coughed and rephrased: “Brother, we’re asking about your ancestral home – where did your family come to Smoke Island from?” The man finally understood: “Oh… oh, you’re asking about that. My great-great-grandfather seemed to come from Quanzhou, first went to Ryukyu, then came to Smoke Island. That’s been about a hundred years. I don’t remember very clearly.”

Han people value tracing their ancestry and returning to their roots. Seeing this man’s indifferent expression with no enthusiasm for his homeland made Cui Xuanliang somewhat disappointed. He looked around and suddenly saw the youth following beside the cart, so he asked: “Hey, what about you? Where are you from?”

The youth answered without hesitation: “I’m from China.” Cui Xuanliang was delighted and felt some kinship: “So you’re also Chinese! Then… then we’re family. Where… where is your ancestral home?” The youth said: “My ancestors were from Zhejiang, originally from Ninghai.” Old Lin was surprised: “Zhejiang Ninghai? That’s a place that produces top scholars. What’s your surname?”

The youth said calmly: “My surname is Fang.” He paused, then added: “Everyone calls me Little Fang.”

“Little Fang?” Cui Xuanliang was slightly stunned. His mind turned and he immediately remembered what Monk Tianjue had said – that he had come to Smoke Island to find a family surnamed Fang. He quickly asked: “Little brother, do you… do you know a monk with the dharma name ‘Tianjue’?”

“Tianjue?” The youth’s eyes narrowed to slits as he frowned: “What kind of thing is that? Is he one of those who performs rituals to cheat money?” Cui Xuanliang heard his contemptuous tone and quickly explained: “No, this Master Tianjue doesn’t cheat money. He’s a monk from Shaolin Temple with broad knowledge and quite good martial arts.”

Hearing the word “Shaolin,” the youth suddenly opened his eyes wide. He turned to look Cui Xuanliang up and down in surprise: “Henan Mount Song Shaolin Temple?” Cui Xuanliang met his gaze and saw the youth’s eyes were no longer half-closed but fully open. Under the sunlight, those eyes shone brilliantly with indescribable bearing and authority. Cui Xuanliang’s heart jumped as he thought: “So this person looks so handsome.”

When observing people, one must observe their eyes. Especially with this person’s straight, upright nose bridge, which made his features appear extraordinary and distinguished. If such a handsome nose were on a girl’s face, she would certainly be beautiful, dignified, and graceful. The two faced each other, and seeing Cui Xuanliang staring blankly, “Little Fang” couldn’t help but frown: “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you talking?”

Cui Xuanliang murmured: “Brother Fang, do you… do you have a sister?”

Little Fang snorted, raised his eyebrows, and said coldly: “Brother, do you have a mother?” Cui Xuanliang heard his unfriendly tone and figured nothing good would come of it, so he steadied himself and said quietly: “No… nothing. Where… where was I just now?” Little Fang said: “You were talking about Shaolin Temple, about a monk called ‘Tianjue.'”

Cui Xuanliang quickly said: “Right, right, right, it’s Shaolin Temple. This Master Tianjue is a warrior monk from the temple. Little brother, have you ever heard of him before?” Little Fang spat on the ground: “Never heard of him.”

Cui Xuanliang was somewhat disappointed and murmured: “You don’t know him. Then… then do you know any other Shaolin monks?”

Little Fang nodded: “Yes, I know one Shaolin monk.” Cui Xuanliang said joyfully: “Who do you know? Tell me quickly.” Little Fang said: “Patriarch Bodhidharma. I heard his martial arts were quite good – he could walk on water.”

Cui Xuanliang couldn’t help but laugh. This Patriarch Bodhidharma who crossed the river on a reed was a famous figure known to all households. While this youth might know him, the patriarch certainly wouldn’t know him back. Just as he was laughing, Little Fang looked sideways at Cui Xuanliang’s body: “Little boss, you’ve also practiced martial arts, right?”

Cui Xuanliang said: “Yes, how… how did you know?” Little Fang said flatly: “I just gave you a fierce palm strike – did you forget?” Cui Xuanliang cried “Ah!” and quickly said: “Sorry, sorry, I… I thought you had also practiced martial arts, so I didn’t know my own strength… I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Little Fang shook his head: “No. But your hand strength is very heavy. If I had been a moment slower to dodge, you would definitely have killed me.”

Cui Xuanliang felt somewhat guilty and quickly said: “Sorry, I… I have some money here. I’ll compensate you with it all.” He took out several copper coins from his chest and handed them over.

The Fang youth’s eyes widened, the corners of his mouth twisted, and his eyebrows gradually rose. Suddenly, he seemed like a deflated ball, slowly reaching out to accept the copper coins. In an instant, his eyelids closed again, forming two thin slits, and he fell silent with a gloomy expression.

Cui Xuanliang stared blankly, feeling this person was indescribably strange. He murmured: “Brother Fang, are you… are you angry?”

Little Fang didn’t reply, just kept his head down and walked quickly. Cui Xuanliang felt bad about it and caught up: “Little brother, don’t ignore me. Who else is in your family? Tell me about it.” Little Fang saw him pestering endlessly, probably about to ask about sisters again, and said flatly: “Little boss, why do you keep asking about my affairs? What about you? What’s your name, and where are your ancestors from?”

Cui Xuanliang had never been scheming in his life and always answered any question. Hearing this, he immediately said loudly: “My name is Cui Xuanliang – ‘xuan’ as in ‘imposing bearing’ and ‘liang’ as in ‘noble character.’ I’m seventeen this year, originally from Bengbu, Anhui. My father is called Cui Fengxun, my uncle is Cui Fengxian, my grandfather was called…” Just as he was about to reveal his entire genealogy, Old Lin covered his mouth: “Young Master, that’s enough. He didn’t ask you so much.”

Old Chen had much experience in the world – how could he compare to an ignorant youth? He coughed a few times and asked the youth himself: “Little brother, we’re in a foreign place and must be cautious. May I ask what your family does? Are you also a laborer on the island?” Little Fang glanced at him sideways: “No, my family studies.” “Studies? I suppose they’ve also held office?” This was meant as sarcasm, but Little Fang answered seriously: “You’re right. My Fang family ancestors were all scholars who held high office in Nanjing decades ago.”

“High office?” Old Lin laughed: “Your ancestors held high office? How did you end up in this situation?”

“Ha…” Little Fang took out a water bottle from his waist, poured a large mouthful into his mouth, looked up to rinse, making “ah-ah” sounds. Suddenly there was a loud “pah!” as he spat out the foul water toward the roadside. Just then, a strange wind blew, and the foul water was blown off course, splashing backward. Old Chen and Old Lin dodged and cursed: “Damn! Are you borrowing the east wind?”

Little Fang scratched his head and deliberately slowed down, falling to the back.

Amid the waves, the cart traveled along the coastline toward the interior of the island. Whenever they encountered uphill roads that the ox cart couldn’t climb, the youth would help push. Sometimes when the slopes were really too steep, Cui Xuanliang and others would also lend a hand, but the youth had a bad temper and never said a word of thanks, inevitably leading to arguments with Old Chen.

After about half an hour, the cart entered the island’s interior where they could no longer see the ocean. The coconut trees along the roadside were replaced by a large bamboo grove, verdantly green with ancient charm. The cart entered the bamboo grove, and after just a hundred feet, the view suddenly opened up. Cui Xuanliang and the others were all startled: “How beautiful!”

Deep in the bamboo grove was a large lake with clear, broad water. Across the lake was a small mountain whose reflection appeared in the crystalline water – a breathtakingly beautiful sight. Old Chen ordered the cart to stop and stood with Cui Xuanliang to look. Amid the mountain light and water shadows, cool breezes blew gently. The mountain mist dispersed at the peak, revealing cloud-shrouded pavilions.

Cui Xuanliang said in a trembling voice: “Uncle Chen, Uncle Lin, who lives on that mountain?” Old Lin laughed: “Young Master makes much of little. That place is the ‘Dream Manor’ where the Wei family lives.” Cui Xuanliang murmured: “Dream Manor… such a beautiful name…”

Before them was a scene of lake light and mountain colors, lotus leaves and flowers, with cloud-shrouded pavilions hidden deep in mist like a fairy dwelling. Who could have imagined that in this southern island, there would be such a touch of Jiangnan scenery? The more Cui Xuanliang looked, the more delighted he became. Wei Siyan, born in this earthly paradise and nourished day and night by this fairy atmosphere, must have the graceful beauty of a heavenly maiden. He closed his eyes, intoxicated by the sound of bamboo waves, dimly seeing himself and Wei Siyan hand in hand, standing atop Dream Manor, gazing day and night at the sunset over the sea, nestled together with infinite tender feelings…

Just as he was thinking about how many children to have with Wei Siyan, suddenly a palm slapped the back of his head as Old Lin shouted: “Young Master! Are you trying to kill yourself?” Cui Xuanliang opened his eyes and was shocked to see he was carrying a large bundle on his back with both feet soaking in the lake water. Apparently he had stumbled into the water in his daze. Old Chen angrily said: “Useless! Always like you’ve lost your soul – no backbone at all!” Little Fang didn’t forget his cold sarcasm: “You few are delaying time for no reason. Each cart will cost three more wen.”

The fairy-like scenery faded, Wei Siyan’s lovely image disappeared, and before him were only five ox carts, two old men, and a youth surnamed Fang skilled at swindling, all arguing endlessly. Cui Xuanliang shouted wildly: “Delivering goods! Delivering goods! I’m about to be annoyed to death!”

The cart left the bamboo grove. It was nearly noon, and the southern scenery returned – coconut trees, blazing sun, and oppressive heat. Though everyone sat in the cart, under the scorching sun they couldn’t help but sweat profusely. Just as they felt irritated, they suddenly heard faint zither music in the distance – apparently the tune “Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank,” which lifted everyone’s spirits.

Cui Xuanliang said joyfully: “There’s a beauty!” Old Lin was surprised: “How do you know?” Cui Xuanliang said: “This zither music is soft and boneless – I can tell immediately.” Everyone was half-believing, but the zither music was indeed enchantingly sweet, so the young master’s words were probably true. In the peaceful atmosphere, the ox cart continued forward with everyone craning their necks in anticipation. Suddenly they saw a stone guardian by the roadside with an old man sitting beside it, head down, strumming a strange zither. Seeing everyone staring at him, Cui Xuanliang’s face reddened as he quickly looked around for something else to talk about, asking the Fang youth: “Little brother, what instrument is that old man holding? It doesn’t look like a pipa.”

Little Fang said: “This is the Ryukyu national treasure three-stringed zither. The tunes played are all imported from China, but after being passed down for several generations, the music has become different from its origins.” Cui Xuanliang laughed: “Little brother knows quite a lot.”

Little Fang said quietly: “Since you come from my homeland, you should know about homeland matters.” Cui Xuanliang saw his melancholy expression, as if he had something on his mind. Just as he wanted to probe further, suddenly the cart wheels jolted as the ox cart traveled onto a bluestone road. The four hooves clattered crisply on the ground. Cui Xuanliang said happily: “Is this Shuntian Wang Street?” Old Chen laughed: “Right, we finally arrived.”

Smoke Island was such a small, barren place, yet it unexpectedly had bluestone pavement, similar to great cities like Beijing and Nanjing. Wei Kuan must have spared no effort, not hesitating to transport stone materials from the Central Plains to build Smoke Island so magnificently.

Finally reaching a bustling place, Cui Xuanliang was full of curiosity, stretching his neck to look around. The street was full of shops – selling food, selling wine, with goods and miscellaneous items dazzling the eye, all foreign artifacts. Additionally, every house had stone lions, though they were small and not placed at doorways but built on rooftops, which again left him dumbfounded.

This “Shuntian Wang Street” was originally where Ryukyu people gathered, so customs and folk practices naturally differed greatly from the Central Plains. Everything seemed fresh. After Cui Xuanliang looked at the scenery for a while, he began searching around for Ryukyu girls, wanting to see how they looked, how they dressed, and how they spoke and carried themselves. Compared to girls from great Central Plains cities, which side had more beautiful girls?

Just as he was excited, the ox cart turned into an alley and stopped. Cui Xuanliang felt disappointed and looked around sullenly, seeing a building before them with the inscription “Three Mountains Guild Hall.”

Finally arrived. The current Ryukyu king was named “Shang Bayi.” The name “Three Mountains Guild Hall” came from the ancient Ryukyu kingdoms of “Sannan,” “Sanbei,” and “Chuzan.” This guild hall’s name served both as nostalgic sentiment and to show royal tolerance, indicating that though Shang Bayi himself came from the “Sannan Kingdom,” his governance didn’t distinguish between north and south – all Ryukyu subjects were treated equally.

Near noon, everyone finally arrived at the guild hall and jumped down from the carts. Old Chen went to look at the entrance and saw the “Three Mountains Guild Hall” had its main gate tightly locked with no one in sight. A rope was stretched across the doorway, and a talisman was posted on the door reading “Island Master’s Order: Important Official Premises – Trespassing Strictly Forbidden.”

In broad daylight, the “Three Mountains Guild Hall” was completely empty – truly strange indeed. Looking at the talisman, there was a small cloud swallow printed in deep red, as if it truly was an order from the island master. Beside the Chinese characters were many strange foreign scripts, horizontal and vertical, curved and bent – probably all foreign languages with similar meanings, all prohibiting outsiders from trespassing.

Cui Xuanliang felt very annoyed: “What’s this about now? Won’t they let us in?” Old Chen scolded: “Who said that? Are there guards at the entrance?” The three men looked at the rope at their feet, exchanged glances, and simultaneously lifted their feet to step over the rope. The cart drivers watched from the side, unable to help but lower their heads and snicker: “Chinese people.”

Little Fang said coldly: “What about Chinese people? Are we bothering you?” He spat forcefully on the ground, apparently ready to fight.

Different countries had different customs. Mongolians were fierce, Arabs were devout, while people from Ryukyu, Japan, and Korea were mostly law-abiding and respectful. Whenever they saw government prohibitions, they would obediently bow their heads and not dare violate them. Only Chinese people were different – the more the government forbade something, the more they wanted to try it. The cart drivers saw this and couldn’t help but laugh.

Old Chen didn’t care who was laughing at them. Since there were neither guards nor traps at the entrance, wouldn’t they be fools not to try? He immediately stepped over the rope, lifted the door knocker, and shouted: “Is anyone there? We’re merchants from China with goods to deliver to Lord Shang the Sixth. Please open the door!”

After shouting several times, there was no response from inside the guild hall. Cui Xuanliang frowned: “What’s going on? Why isn’t there a single person?” Old Chen raised his voice and shouted desperately while Old Lin also knocked frequently, but no one answered. Just as they were getting irritated, they heard Little Fang say: “Gentlemen, I have other business later. Could we unload the goods first?” Old Chen pondered for a while, also fearing the ox carts would leave and they wouldn’t be able to find the owner, so he said: “Everyone stay calm. Let me go look around first.”

Old Chen pondered for a while. Seeing no one at the entrance, he walked to the side of the building and went around along the wall. He saw this “Three Mountains Guild Hall” was built by the seaside. The main building had two floors, surrounded by a wall. To the east was green bamboo forest, while the west side faced the azure sea – quite secluded.

Old Lin followed and suddenly said “Ah!”: “There’s a dock here.” This “Three Mountains Guild Hall” was cleverly constructed – the west side was right by the water with a wooden platform built beside the wall for ships to dock. Old Chen and Old Lin looked at each other and smiled bitterly, realizing they could have brought goods by boat directly here. If they had known this, they could have sailed here directly instead of going through all the trouble of hiring carts.

The two men shook their heads and sighed. Finding no other entrance, they were about to turn and leave when they saw a small boat about ten feet long moored at the dock – probably the guild hall’s boat. Old Chen was delighted and quickly came to the door, shouting: “Friends inside! Open the door quickly! We need to deliver goods!”

Near noon under the blazing sun, everyone was thirsty and tired. Old Chen shouted dozens of times, but inside remained quiet. Cui Xuanliang, eager to finish the delivery, came to the door and roared with full energy: “What’s going on? Is there anyone or not!” Seeing no one answering the door, he raised his fist and frantically pounded the door panels, then took a deep breath, assumed a horse stance, and angrily said: “Thunder Rises!”

The first move of the Eight Directions Five Thunder Palm was “Thunder Rises.” This palm technique had extraordinary power – once it struck down, the door panels would surely be smashed to pieces. Old Chen quickly grabbed him in panic: “Young Master, don’t mess around! This is a guild hall built by the Ryukyu king – we’d have to pay if we break it.”

Cui Xuanliang shouted loudly: “But they keep not answering the door – what’s that about?” Old Lin said: “Maybe… maybe they went out for lunch. That’s quite possible.”

Hearing the word “lunch,” everyone felt hungry. Old Chen turned to look and saw Little Fang squinting and twisting his neck with an impatient expression, while the five farmers were lying down or sitting around, apparently all waiting to leave. Old Chen quickly said: “Brother, how about this – you go have lunch first and come back to unload goods later.” Fearing refusal, he took out silver from his chest and handed it to Cui Xuanliang: “Young Master, take them for a good meal. Don’t be stingy.”

Cui Xuanliang loved treating people and was delighted to hear he could spend money. But just as he was about to take the silver, his body felt heavy – he was still carrying a large bundle containing thirty pounds of gold, like an old ox pulling a cart. Extremely annoyed and suddenly lazy, he lay down on the cart full of goods and sighed: “Forget it, I don’t want to go. Let me watch the goods here. Just buy me some food and drink later.”

Old Lin whispered: “Can he handle it alone?” Old Chen pondered: “Young Master’s martial arts are actually not bad, and this is Lord Shang the Sixth’s territory. In broad daylight, there shouldn’t be any problems…” Old Lin came over frowning: “Young Master, you won’t nap, will you?” Cui Xuanliang yawned: “No.” Old Lin looked more and more worried and was about to say more when Little Fang already started shouting: “Are we going or not!” Old Chen quickly said: “Coming! Coming!” He turned around and carefully instructed Cui Xuanliang: “Young Master, we’re leaving now. If anything happens, just shout – we’ll be nearby outside the alley and will come immediately.”

“Fine.” Cui Xuanliang yawned: “Go quickly, and remember to bring me a pot of cool tea.”

In the past, when Cui Fengxian went out on business, he always carried the payment with him. Relying on his iron palms and eagle eyes, even thirty or forty bandits couldn’t get near him – most reliable. Now that he was seriously injured and bedridden, Old Chen and Old Lin didn’t dare take responsibility and had to entrust the money to Cui Xuanliang. Fortunately this young master’s martial arts were adequate – though he couldn’t compare to “Korean Famous Scholars” or “Baekje Masters,” when dealing with ordinary small thieves, he was more than sufficient.

As soon as everyone left, Cui Xuanliang immediately yawned repeatedly. He untied the gold from his body, placed it at his feet, and lay flat in the cart. Having not slept well last night, he closed his eyes briefly and was already snoring like thunder, dead asleep.

Just as he was dreaming, suddenly there was a “creak” – the “Three Mountains Guild Hall” opened a small door, revealing a pair of eyes.

“Damn…” The person inside first breathed a sigh of relief, wiping cold sweat from his face: “They finally left.” This person spoke Chinese with a Jiangzhe accent. After a few words, another head poked out nearby, saying quietly: “Old Seven, what were those people doing? Making such a racket here?” Old Seven whispered: “Didn’t you hear them say they’re merchants from the Central Plains, wanting to deliver goods to Lord Shang the Sixth.”

“Damn, that’s a lot of goods.” Licking sounds came from inside the door, apparently quite envious. Old Seven pulled that person and whispered: “Don’t get any crooked ideas. When Lin Siyong and the others come back from eating, we won’t be able to get away.”

“Right, right, let’s go quickly.” This “Lin Siyong” seemed to be some fierce demon – just mentioning his name filled people with dread. A creaking sound came as the guild hall’s small door opened and someone sneaked out. Just as they approached the ox cart, there was a “ya!” sound, hurried footsteps, and the person fled back inside the door.

Surprised voices came from inside: “Old Seven, why did you run back? Didn’t all those people leave?” That “Old Seven” said in panic: “Keep your voice down. There’s still one lying in the ox cart taking a nap. Don’t wake him up.”

“Alright, we’ll be careful.” Footsteps were soft as someone tiptoed out. Just as they passed by the ox cart, they saw Cui Xuanliang rubbing his sleepy eyes and sitting up to ask: “Who’s there? Whispering like that?”