Racing Against Time

When they went to Deyang Town, they'd traveled downstream and taken nearly eight hours. On the way back, they were going against the current, so they moved much more slowly. It took almost ten full hours before they were close to the village.

The trip back had been calm and uneventful, but Bai Yang had spent the whole way thinking about a very serious problem!

Actually, he'd spent most of the time sleeping...

"I get it!"

The sun was already sinking toward the horizon when he woke up refreshed, leaped to his feet, smacked his forehead, and blurted it out.

His sudden declaration left the villagers baffled.

"What did you figure out, Young Master?"

Little Cat asked curiously from beside Bai Yang.

A ring of eyes turned toward him in unison.

"The reason you can't get into Deyang Town is that you're all undocumented! You don't have household registrations or ID cards. Of course you can't get in!"

He spoke with an expression of sudden enlightenment, as if he'd finally figured out what the problem was.

So that was what he'd worked out after all that "thinking"? Shouldn't he have been thinking about how those people might retaliate? The villagers all looked speechless...

The atmosphere grew awkward at once.

"Um, Young Master, what are undocumented people, household registrations, and ID cards?"

Little Cat asked, confused.

"That's a long story, so I won't get into it. Anyway, they're important. Without household registrations, you can't enter the city openly or get an education. Understand?"

They didn't. Everyone shook their heads...

Bai Yang scratched his head and looked at the villagers, feeling that this was a very serious problem concerning their future. Couldn't they at least react a little...?

But the villagers didn't care in the slightest. Once they realized Bai Yang didn't have anything important to say, they went back to their own business—some bragging, some just killing time...

Bai Yang rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared. He felt there was no way to communicate with them. What the hell did these villagers know? No wonder people in Deyang Town could bully them like dogs without anyone doing a thing. They didn't even have household registrations, yet they expected fair treatment? The law didn't even recognize them, so what the hell were they playing at...

Without legal identities, even if they were slaughtered, there'd be nowhere to go for justice!

Bai Yang didn't believe there weren't any justice-loving do-gooders in the world, but if they didn't have real identities, those people couldn't stand up for them...

The others didn't care, but Bai Yang did. He thought the best way to stop the villagers from being bullied like dogs was to get them legal identities and the protection of the law. Then, at the very least, people would hold back instead of behaving so outrageously!

So here was the question: how could they solve the problem of getting legal identities?

There were plenty of ways. The simplest was to show people their value and make them take notice. Once that happened, sorting out their identities would be easy.

How could they make others take notice of them? First, they had to get the "relevant authorities" to notice them. And to get the "relevant authorities" to notice, they had to make a big enough splash.

Though he had no idea whether this place even had anything like "relevant authorities"...

"For example, if we trample the Che family underfoot, that ought to make enough of a splash to get people's attention, right?"

He rubbed his chin, scheming inwardly.

All right, all right. Bai Yang admitted it: he wasn't actually bored enough to worry about these mountain folk getting legal identities. The main concern was himself!

Think about it: without a legal identity of his own, he couldn't go anywhere. How was he supposed to learn about this world? Getting an identity on his own probably wasn't realistic, since he had no "connections up top" here.

But getting identity papers along with countless mountain folk from Mihe Forest would be easy. They were all undocumented. What difference would one more make?

"Then it's settled. We'll trample the Che family, make a scene, and attract attention so the villagers get taken seriously. Then I'll quietly blend in with them and sort out my own household registration... Of course, things could get so big that I end up getting the mountain folk killed. I'll have to keep it within bounds. Also, these mountain folk don't give a damn about legal identities. That's easy enough to fix. Once I explain the stakes, these 'simple' villagers will be swinging their blades to fight for their own interests, won't they?"

Bai Yang didn't think this was pointless. Thinking it through was terrifying: this world had an official government, so it probably had all sorts of laws, too. With a legal identity, he could wave the law around. At least then he'd be able to take money to people and get things done without being turned away. He wouldn't be so low that he didn't even qualify to be fleeced...

Otherwise, if "you don't even exist in this world," then it'd serve you right to get slaughtered...

The villagers were muddleheaded, but Bai Yang wasn't stupid. This was an important problem!

He pulled a little notebook and a pen from his trench coat pocket and asked Zhao Shi:

"Zhao Shi, tell me: what kinds of things do you mountain folk usually trade for when you take your goods to Deyang Town? Tell me everything."

Although Zhao Shi didn't understand what Bai Yang was up to, he answered honestly. "Young Master, the main things we trade for are salt—that's the most important—then medicine for stopping bleeding, then fire starters, needles and thread, everyday necessities, and, most importantly, all kinds of weapons: bows and arrows, swords and knives..."

As Zhao Shi spoke, Bai Yang wrote in his notebook:

"Salt, Yunnan Baiyao, lighters, needles and thread, pots and bowls... Xiong Da?..."

He shut the notebook and snapped his fingers without a sound. "Got it."

"What were you drawing just now, Young Master?"

Zhao Shi asked curiously.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you, so I won't explain."

After tossing out that remark, he pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhao Shi. "Once we get back to the village, don't do anything else. Go to every village in Mihe Forest and tell them I want all their smoked meat, furs, herbs, fruit wine, and so on. I'll trade them things for it. Have them bring everything to your Geduo Village!"

"Young Master, we have all those things in our village already. What do you want them for? And what are you going to trade for them?"

Little Cat was always thinking of Bai Yang's best interests. Though she phrased it as a question, she was subconsciously trying to talk him out of doing this.

"We'll have things to trade for their goods. As for what I'll do with the stuff they bring, I've got plenty of uses for it. The biggest one is making certain people squirm... Heh heh..."

He wore a look that said, "You don't understand, just do what I say and you'll be fine."

"All... all right..."

Zhao Shi nodded helplessly, only half understanding.

"Remember, when you go to those villages, take some of the salt I gave you. Also, make sure you wear this armor. Tell them the salt we trade here is snow-white, and the swords, armor, and knives are just like what you're wearing. I may not be able to provide bows and arrows for now, but I can provide arrowheads. As many as they need!"

Bai Yang warned them with a grave expression.

Though he didn't understand, Zhao Shi felt it sounded reasonable. He scratched his head and agreed.

Bai Yang had no choice. Bows and arrows were hard for ordinary people to get on Earth, and their power might not even match the powerful bows here. Even if he went to great lengths to find some, he'd probably only get a few—unless he had "overseas connections." With those, he could likely get not just bows and arrows but damn guns and cannons, too!

Can't get them? I'll throw money at people until they deliver them right to my hands!

He thought fiercely. The village was already in sight, and he sighed inwardly. I was born to be busy...

Looking at Bai Yang, Zhao Shi suddenly seemed much cleverer than usual. His voice carried a touch of emotion as he said, "Young Master, are you worried someone might come after us?"

"Huh? Since when did you get so smart?"

Bai Yang was genuinely surprised.

Zhao Shi declined to answer that question and smiled. "Actually, Young Master, there's no need to worry. Mihe Forest is full of high mountains and dense woods, tangled and confusing, with poisonous insects and fierce beasts everywhere. Deadly dangers lurk at every turn. Anyone unfamiliar with the place would struggle just to survive, let alone find us. So your worries are completely unnecessary."

"Better safe than sorry. I'm not just worried about everyone's safety... Sigh, you wouldn't understand even if I explained. Just do as I say. Why so many questions? Which one of us is the Young Master here, you or me?"

He snapped irritably.

That was how frightening habits could be. It hadn't even been that long, and he really was starting to think of himself as some kind of damn Young Master...

Zhao Shi and the others were thinking too simply. It was true that finding Geduo Village in Mihe Forest would be like fishing a needle out of the sea. But were their enemies idiots? They didn't need to search slowly. They only had to find any village, then use the villagers' lives—or offer them a little something—to get someone to lead them here.

So, in Bai Yang's eyes, ever since they'd started going against the Che family, they'd been in constant danger. They had to use every second to strengthen their side!

Once they got back to the village, time was short and there was no time to explain. Amid the villagers' knowing looks, he grabbed Little Cat and hurried toward the treehouse!

Little Cat blushed, thinking Bai Yang couldn't wait to do something naughty with her.

"Little Cat, stand guard at the door for me. I'm going inside to sleep. Remember, turn away anyone who comes looking for me. We'll talk after I wake up, got it?"

When they reached his treehouse, Bai Yang grabbed Little Cat by the shoulders and said this. Then, while she stared at him in bewilderment, he planted a hard kiss on her little mouth, dashed into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

Staring at the closed door, Little Cat looked completely lost. She didn't understand. Young Master, if you want to sleep, you could sleep with me...

Oh my, how embarrassing...

Back in his bedroom, Bai Yang took more than ten cloth bundles from a shelf, then grabbed a jar of Hundred Fruit Brew with one hand and vanished from this world with a whoosh...

(Clawing at my head here. Please support with recommendation votes and follows.)