Jianghu Tricks

The third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Three Flower Cat had risen early and stood at the head of Song You's bed. She first crouched there without moving, staring at his face for a long time. Seeing no sign that he would wake, she wanted to call him but feared disturbing him. Yet not calling him would not do either. In the end, she chose a compromise: lowering her voice, she began calling, very, very softly, "Daoist, Daoist." She feared he would hear her, yet also feared he would not.

She was the very picture of inner conflict.

There was no helping it. Today they had to go to the temple market to buy a horse.

Besides, what the Daoist had said was not "I," but "we."

Who could have imagined that a kitten no bigger than a speck would one day be able to buy a great horse?

"Daoist, Daoist, Daoist..."

Song You was finally roused by her calls.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that cat's head practically poking into his eyes.

"Three Flower Lady, what are you doing?"

"Mm!"

Three Flower Cat immediately shrank back. She did not answer at first. Only after her eyes flickered several times did she say:

"I was checking how you were."

"I was only asleep."

"Get up. We're going to the temple market."

"No rush, no rush."

"Let's go early, or everyone will have bought the horses."

"Then forget it."

"!!"

Three Flower Cat turned her head and glared at him. Her expression was solemn. Several seconds later, she urged him on again in a string of words: "Get up! Hurry, hurry!"

Then she bit the corner of the quilt and dragged it to the side.

"..."

Song You had no choice but to get up.

He spent about a quarter of an hour dressing and washing up. Throughout it, Three Flower Cat stayed beside him without taking a step away, watching him without blinking, as though supervising him—or urging him on.

"Will Three Flower Lady go out in cat form, or in human form?"

"What do you think?"

"There will be many people at the temple market. A cat is too small, and Three Flower Lady might easily be stepped on." Song You paused. "If Three Flower Lady assumes human form, she can walk beside me. If she goes out as a cat, I'll have to carry her around."

"Human form."

"Please return to your room."

"All right!"

Three Flower Cat dashed back to her room.

"Daoist!"

"..."

Song You was helpless. She had probably forgotten where she had put her clothes again.

"Help me find my clothes!"

He had guessed exactly right.

After some fussing, they finally left.

King Yue Temple was in the eastern city, and it was some distance away. They might as well walk farther, find a shop they had never eaten at for breakfast, and then head east under Three Flower Lady's close-quarters urging.

Song You had a string of cash and two ingots of official silver tucked against his chest. They weighed heavily and made his robe bulge all the way there.

The closer they got to King Yue Temple, the denser the crowds became.

Most of the pedestrians around them were heading the same way.

In this era, sacrificial rites were matters of the greatest importance. Few things could rank above them. With the birthday of King Yue Divine Lord—widely worshiped in the area—coinciding with this grand temple market, everyone had gone out: frontier officials, peddlers and porters, and daughters of wealthy families raised deep within their inner chambers. All were hurrying toward King Yue Temple.

And who knew how many itinerant martial performers had traveled from far away to attend.

Song You happened to run into Prefect Yu, who was also coming to the temple market. He did not step forward to greet him, however. Like the other common folk, he stopped and watched Prefect Yu and his attendants disappear into the distance.

He faintly heard the people nearby discussing them:

"Is that the prefect?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Is that all the people in the prefect's procession? What happened this year? Last year, they stretched for half a li, with people leading them all the way!"

"Who knows?"

Song You listened with only a smile.

Once the prefect's procession had passed, a few more steps brought King Yue Temple into view.

Outside King Yue Temple, people pressed shoulder to shoulder, a sea of bobbing heads. Green smoke rose from the roof like clouds, while the sound of gongs and drums drifted over from that direction. The streets suddenly became extremely crowded. Every alley around the temple was packed with vendors setting up stalls, or performers displaying their tricks. The tide of people surged so thickly that it was almost impossible to walk.

Before they even arrived, they could already hear the hawkers' cries.

"Roaming the rivers and lakes, selling whether it earns or not! Stretch the stall wide first, and everyone passing by, show us some kindness! Looking costs nothing!"

"Passing through this blessed place with no money in my pouch and my belly roaring—come buy some herbal medicine first!"

"Herbal medicine, growing tall! Ten go gather it, nine lose their lives..."

Like the other commoners, Song You could not help stopping where he stood. Listening to the catchy, humorous rhymes of the hawkers, he smiled.

This is what makes it lively.

"Three Flower Lady, stay close to me."

"Where are we buying the horse?"

"I don't know. Let's look first."

"All right!"

One large and one small figure moved toward the densest part of the crowd.

The journey was a true eye-opener.

There were acrobats.

They tossed plates and bowls, climbed poles, walked tightropes, crawled through hoops of fire, thrust iron spears down their throats, and let iron chains tighten around their necks. Most were skills honed through years of bitter practice.

There were monkey shows.

The trainer and monkey worked in perfect harmony. One taught the monkey to perform, while the other acted foolishly for laughs. The trainer threatened it with a knife, and the monkey immediately surrendered; then, when the trainer let his guard down, it seized the knife and turned the tables. Anyone with sharp eyes could tell the act had been rehearsed long ago, but it was performed so naturally that it still had everyone laughing uproariously.

There were performers of the Rope to Heaven.

A rope was thrown into the sky, and at once smoke and clouds obscured it. The rope became straight as an arrow, and a person could actually climb upward along it. Once the climber gradually vanished from sight and reached the clouds, the rope would fall back down before everyone's eyes. The smoke and clouds would disperse, and there would be no one overhead—only a chorus of startled cries.

There were fire-breathers.

At first, drinking oil and spitting fire merely made the crowd feel that the festivities had become even livelier. But soon, the spectators discovered that there was more to it. The oil in the man's mouth had long since been exhausted, yet all he had to do was lean toward a torch and blow hard, and flames would roar forth like a dragon.

Later, he did not even need a torch. He spat fire from his bare mouth.

Only then did everyone realize that this was genuine skill.

Coins immediately began chiming across the ground.

There were sleight-of-hand performers.

An empty basin could produce birds, fish, and snakes in the blink of an eye. With another wave, they would vanish for no reason at all. It was much like the magic of later generations. This master of trickery also needed a cloth to provide cover; either he was using a clever distraction or his hands were moving with astonishing speed.

Song You stopped for a moment at every performance.

At first, Three Flower Lady had been obsessed with buying a horse. Gradually, however, she too became captivated by the tricks. She merely followed obediently beside Song You, her eyes wide as she watched the bustle.

Whenever someone carried around a tray to solicit tips, Song You never avoided giving something. He always tossed in a few copper coins.

Only people of the jianghu were generally so generous.

It was not that jianghu folk had money. They knew how hard life on the road was, and they cared about such things. Thus, if they did not watch, they gave nothing; but if they did watch, then no matter how strapped they were, they had to give at least a coin or two.

Just as he finished watching and was preparing to leave, Song You suddenly sensed something amiss. He reached into his robe. The string of cash was still there, but the two ingots of official silver had vanished without a trace.

"..."

Now that was interesting.

Song You turned back and looked toward the middle-aged man who was still performing sleight of hand, displaying the art of moving objects.

He glanced around. Cheers rang out one after another.

Even people at the neighboring inn were tossing money down.

He said nothing, merely waiting there for the time being.

They had been wandering for so long that noon had already passed. One after another, the trick performers and illusionists stopped, saying they had to prepare food. The onlookers gradually dispersed as well.

Only then did Song You walk toward the jianghu performer.

The man looked to be in his thirties or forties. He was broad and stout, with a face full of coarse flesh. At that moment, he was holding a bowl and wolfing down food with several underlings.

It was a fairly good meal, with large chunks of boiled meat.

"Your meal is quite sumptuous."

Song You stopped before him and spoke with a smile.

Following his shadow, the jianghu performer looked up. Seeing a young man leading a little girl, he was startled for a moment, then asked with a foolish, honest expression, "What brings you here, sir? We won't be putting on another show until we've finished eating."

"It's nothing major." Song You spoke courteously, his voice low. "It's just that when I was watching your trickery here earlier, some silver fell from my person. I wonder if you happened to see it."

"Hm?"

The jianghu performer was bewildered. "If you dropped silver, you should report it to the authorities. There are so many people at the temple market, and it's inevitable that a few thieves have mixed in... Surely you don't think that because I know a few tricks, I can truly make things vanish into thin air? Are you trying to frame us?"

By the end, he was already somewhat angry.

He was naturally large, and his features were rough. Once he raised his brows and glared, not a trace of foolishness remained. Only a frightening ferocity showed through.

Song You, however, remained gentle and composed.

"I only noticed that although your Summon and dismiss method is not yet supernatural, it has still reached the pinnacle of perfection—far exceeding my own attainments. That is why I came to ask."

The jianghu performer's expression instantly tightened.

In truth, when performing his tricks, he had not used the Summon and dismiss method at all, but purely the skill of his hands. Yet he did not argue or deny it now. He merely sized Song You up several times before cupping his hands.

"May I ask where Your Excellency comes from?"

"I am Song You of Fulong Temple of Yinshan Mountain."

"So you are a Daoist priest. My apologies for my disrespect."

"You flatter me."

"How much property did the Daoist lose?"

"Twenty taels of official silver."

The jianghu performer immediately turned and waved to the people beside him. He neither generously admitted that he had stolen the money nor denied it again. He did not even offer a polite phrase such as, "Meeting you is fate, so let us make up your loss and take it as making a friend." He merely had his underlings fetch the money.

Two waist-bound honeycomb ingots of silver. They were not the ones that had been stolen, but the amount was correct.

Song You weighed them in his hand twice, then put them away.

All one could say was that the people of the jianghu were difficult to judge as good or evil, but most of them did have their principles.

"Thank you."

"I have offended you."

"However, I have one more question." Song You asked, "Since you possess such ability, why do you engage in this trade?"

"You jest, Daoist." The middle-aged man smiled, and there was even a trace of easygoing freedom in it. "This Summon and dismiss method evolved from jianghu tricks in the first place. Besides, in times like these, this is the only skill we have. Is there any more profitable trade than this? Or do you think pretending to be some great master and deceiving nobles is more respectable and easier?"

"..."

Song You could not help thinking it over.

"You have a point."

"We have our own rules, too." The middle-aged man picked up his bowl again and shoveled food into his mouth as he spoke. "We only take official silver, not copper coins or broken silver. If an expert sees through us, or someone grows suspicious, anyone who can find us and report their background to our faces gets everything returned."

"I see."

Song You could not help thinking it over.

In Great Yan, official silver was cast in ingots of ten taels or more. Taking only official silver and not copper coins or broken silver was convenient for carrying. It also allowed them to exclude poor households by denomination, reflecting an attitude of robbing the rich to aid the poor.

The latter rule, meanwhile, could to some extent prevent people from reporting them to the authorities.

The jianghu had its own way of observing propriety with its own kind.

This era was unlike later generations. Even ordinary commoners did not have much faith in the government, while jianghu folk had their own ways of resolving matters. Reporting to the authorities would earn them ridicule from their peers. Besides, ordinary wealthy people would find it difficult to notice that their silver had been stolen by a man standing six yards away. Even if they did see through it, once the money was returned, they would fear retaliation from the jianghu and would not continue reporting the matter.

In truth, the risk had already been reduced to a very low level.

If he kept moving around to commit his crimes, the risk would be even lower.

Even so, Song You stood before him and asked, "Are you not afraid of an official investigation?"

At those words, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. His motion of shoveling rice paused as well. He raised his head and stared at Song You.

"Daoist, are you making fun of us?"

"I was merely curious." Song You's expression remained as usual. "Your tricks are of this sort. If something like this happened and you encountered an experienced constable, would he not suspect you first?"

"Daoist, you are trapped by what you know. In most people's eyes, this is merely a method of concealing things. Even if they know there is something strange about it, how many could imagine taking objects from across the air? Even if—even if someone managed to react in time, we would already have left."

"I see. Thank you for the instruction."

Song You nodded as he answered, looking thoughtful.

"Does the Daoist have anything else?"

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Daoist!"

Song You was just about to leave when the man called out to him again.

The man was still uneasy. As he scrutinized Song You, he asked:

"You absolutely must not report this to the authorities!"

Meeting his gaze, Song You thought for a moment before nodding.

"All right."

This man had vividly taught him not to be trapped by what he knew. He was also a man with principles. Though Song You was not of the jianghu, he was willing to observe those principles with him this once.

He would not report it this time.

Still, principles were principles. He could not turn black into white and muddle right and wrong.

Constable Luo was experienced and capable in handling cases. He would surely grow suspicious, and when the time came, he would certainly come to ask Song You about it. Song You would still have to tell him.

The only question was whether this man would run faster—or Constable Luo would catch him faster.