The night was deep, and the wilderness was pitch black.
In this place far removed from human habitation, a simple grass hut stood in a clearing of the forest.
The bright moon shone and the night breeze blew, causing the wind chis on the eaves of the grass hut to tinkle and clink.
The style of these wind chis was also peculiar, with a copper charm as the clapper, which issued a clear ringing sound each ti it swung in the wind.
Inside the hut was sparsely furnished, with bare walls all around, only a square table and a ditation cushion.
On the table, the candlelight was dim, offerings filled the front, and on a tray behind, a heart that had turned sowhat black, was conspicuously placed.
An old monk sat erect on the ditation cushion, ceaselessly muttering prayers, beads in his hand moving one after the other.
As midnight approached, he suddenly opened his eyes, knelt on the cushion, and kept worshiping the heart.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a chill wind arose from all directions.
The moonlight outside the window seed even brighter.
In the midst of the mountains and forests, a gale had sprung up without warning, the rustle of leaves loud and clear, and soon enough an intense chorus of shouts began to erge.
There were wails, sobs, pleas for rcy, and furious roars, seeming like human speech as well as ghostly chatter, bizarre and varied.
At the sa ti, will-o’-the-wisps drifted through the dense forest.
Pairs of blood-red eyes lit up in the dark woods, and the grass rustled vivaciously as if countless wild beasts were running within.
For ordinary people, such a scene would likely scare them half to death, yet the old monk seed to see nothing, just persistently kneeling before the heart.
As the latter half of the night ca, the strange noises gradually subsided.
The earlier chaos was nothing but an illusion.
Inside the hut, a glint of surprise flashed in the old monk’s eyes.
He took out an incense bag from his bosom, carefully placed the heart inside, and then let out a hearty laugh, picked up the wine jar that was an offering on the table, and began to scatter it about.
Finally, he lit the grass hut ablaze and strode away...
...
The river rain of early spring was as fine as silk on the Jin Qian River. Droplets fell into the river, creating ripples that spread outward, with the green mountains on both banks looming through the mist. Rain pattered on the boat’s canopy, dripping through the gaps in the woven bamboo.
"Damn this weather!"
Sha Lifei shivered, cursing under his breath.
Although the first month had passed, the biting chill of early spring had not faded, and the persistent drizzle compounded the cold; once clothes were soaked, the frosty air penetrated the body, causing uncontrollable shivering.
Sha Lifei lifted a jar of wine, pouring a bowl for each of the few n.
"Co on, co on, have a drink to stave off the cold!"
"After these days of travel without a warm bite, once we reach Shangjin City, we must get a good night’s sleep."
Li Yan drank up the bowl of wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and laughed: "Old Uncle Sha, are you spoiled by having money now?
You never complained when you had to face wind and rain in the past."
Sha Lifei curled his lip and said, "That was because I was poor and had no choice but to be tough. Life is but a few short decades; who would willingly endure hardship if they can live comfortably?"
Wang Daoxuan, sitting beside him, couldn’t help but chuckle: "Well said."
Sha Lifei sighed, shaking his head, "It’s not that Old Sha can’t bear hardship, it’s just that I’m in a bad mood."
Saying this, he glanced at the luggage in the cabin and whispered, "That stuff got damp; I’m afraid it’s all ruined."
What he referred to was naturally the gunpowder.
"Don’t worry, we will always figure out a way to get more. Yunyang Prefecture’s docks have people from all walks of the pugilistic world; there is nothing you can’t procure there." Li Yan shook his head in reassurance.
Lv San, anwhile, squatted in a corner fiddling with a hawk, occasionally stretching his hand over the edge of the cabin to scoop up so clear water, attracting schools of fish below.
Just then, a man dressed in a straw raincoat with a bamboo hat on his head ca from the bow, clasping his hands in greeting: "Gentlen, Shangjin City is close now."
He said, looking at Lv San beside him, his eyes full of apology, "Brother Lv, I’m truly sorry for not being able to help you earlier."
He was a boatman from Manchuan Pass’s Cao Gang, nad Wang Yong. In the past, when Lv San offered services to the Cao Gang, Wang Yong had helped him several tis.
But after that incident with Qiao Sanhu, Lv San had beco wanted.
The Cao Gang in the end decided to stay out of it, which greatly resolved the old boatn like Wang Yong.
Whether it was the Cao Gang or Pai Sect, though they had a prominent reputation in the pugilistic world, in plain terms, most were laborers who had a hard life.
The primary reason they originally banded together was to support each other against the governnt, to avoid exploitation by corrupt officials.
Everyone in Manchuan Pass knew what sort of character Qiao Sanhu was.
At this critical mont, for the Cao Gang to ignore their own, inevitably left people like Wang Yong disheartened.
Therefore, when Li Yan and his group arrived at Manchuan Pass, they didn’t even need to seek out a boat—Wang Yong, having heard the news, ca forward on his own initiative to transport them to Ezhou.
"It’s okay."
Lv San and Wang Yong appeared to be quite familiar with each other, squeezing out a smile: "Everything’s settled now, and I live well."
"That’s good then."
Wang Yong nodded and then looked to Li Yan, "Young Hero Li, you made quite an impact in Guanzhong by beheading Xiong Baodong on Lantern Festival. With Brother Lv following Young Hero Li, he’s sure to be in good hands!"
With a hint of schadenfreude, he continued, "Qiao Sanhu’s death left his wealth up for grabs, with many kicking him while he’s down.
His forr lackeys, now without protection, have scattered in all directions in these past days; the fellows of the road have settled grudges and exacted revenge, and not one of them has escaped."
"Hmph, when he was on top, he didn’t know how to leave a line, thinking he could live carefree for a lifeti with the cover of the governnt?"
While speaking, he sneaked a look at Li Yan.
There were rumors in the pugilistic world that Qiao Sanhu’s death was orchestrated by Li Yan, though there was no evidence—it just seed too coincidental.
He ant no harm; he was just habitually curious about the gossip.
Li Yan laughed it off, switching topics: "Captain Wang, I heard that your Cao Gang and Pai Sect are having quite a battle in Yunyang Prefecture?"
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