Jianghu Tricks

December 3rd.

The Three Flower Cat was already standing by Song You's bedside early that morning. It squatted still for a long time, staring at his face. Seeing he showed no signs of waking, it wanted to call him but was afraid of disturbing him. Yet, it couldn't not call him, so it chose a compromise: it began to lower its voice, calling out very, very softly, "Taoist priest, Taoist priest." It was afraid he might hear, but also afraid he might not.

It was the epitome of indecision.

There was no other way; they had to go to the temple fair to buy a horse today.

Besides, the Taoist priest wasn't saying "I," but "we."

Who would have thought that a tiny cat could one day afford to buy a large horse?

"Taoist priest, Taoist priest, Taoist priest..."

Song You was finally woken up.

When he opened his eyes, the cat's head was practically in them.

"Three Flower Lady, what are you doing?"

"Mmm!"

The Three Flower Cat immediately recoiled, not answering for a moment. Only after its eyes blinked a few times did it speak:

"Seeing how you are."

"I was just sleeping."

"Get up quickly, we're going to the temple fair."

"No rush, no rush."

"Let's go early, or all the horses will be bought by others."

"Then forget it."

"!!"

The Three Flower Cat turned its head and stared directly at him, its expression serious. After a few seconds, it spoke again, urging him repeatedly: "Get up quickly! Quick, quick!"

With that, it bit the corner of the blanket and tried to drag it aside.

"..."

Song You had no choice but to get up.

It only took about fifteen minutes for him to get dressed and wash up. The Three Flower Cat had stayed by his side the entire time, never leaving, watching him intently, as if supervising or urging him on.

"Will Three Flower Lady go out as a cat or as a human?"

"What do you think?"

"There are many people at the temple market, and a cat is too small; I'm afraid Three Flower Lady might get stepped on," Song You paused. "If Three Flower Lady transforms into human form, you can accompany me. If you go out as a cat, I'll have to carry you around the fair."

"Transform into human form."

"Please go to your room."

"Okay!"

The Three Flower Cat darted back to its room.

"Taoist priest!"

"..."

Song You sighed helplessly, fearing he had forgotten where he put his clothes again.

"Find my clothes for me!"

He hadn't guessed wrong at all.

After some fuss, they finally left.

The King Yue Temple was in the east of the city, and it was a bit of a walk. They might as well walk a bit further and find a new restaurant to eat breakfast before heading east, under the watchful, urging gaze of the Three Flower Lady.

Song You carried half a string of cash and two pieces of silver, his arms feeling heavy and full.

The further they walked towards the King Yue Temple, the more crowded it became.

Most of the pedestrians around them were heading in the same direction.

In this era, sacrifices were of utmost importance; few things could be more significant. With the birthday of the widely worshipped King Yue Divine Lord coinciding with this grand temple fair, everyone, from high officials and common laborers to young ladies kept in seclusion, had come out to rush towards the King Yue Temple.

Not to mention the countless people who had traveled from afar, making a living by traveling the land.

Song You happened to encounter Prefect Yu, who was also on his way to the temple fair. However, he didn't go forward to greet him. Instead, like the other citizens, he stopped and watched Prefect Yu and his entourage depart.

He vaguely heard people around him discussing:

"Is that the Prefect?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Is that all the people in the Prefect's entourage? What's going on this year? Last year, the procession stretched for half a mile!"

"Who knows."

Song You listened and simply smiled.

After passing the Prefect's procession, a few more steps forward and the King Yue Temple would be visible.

The King Yue Temple was surrounded by a throng of people, a sea of bobbing heads. Smoke rose like clouds from the temple roof, and the sound of music drifted from that direction. The street suddenly became very crowded. Every alleyway centered around the King Yue Temple was filled with vendors, stalls set up, or performers, the crowds surging so densely that it was almost impossible to move.

Before they even arrived, the shouts could be heard.

"Traveling the world, selling my wares! My stall is set up, please spare a glance, don't just look without buying.

"Passing through this blessed land, pockets empty, stomach rumbling, I'll sell you some herbs.

"Herbs that grow tall, ten men go to pick them, nine will lose their lives..."

Song You, like the other commoners, couldn't help but stop in his tracks, listening to the humorous, rhyming shouts with a smile on his lips.

This is what makes it lively.

"Three Flower Lady, stay close to me."

"Where do we buy horses?"

"I don't know, let's look around first."

"Okay!"

Two figures, one large and one small, walked towards the most densely packed area of the crowd.

This journey was truly eye-opening.

There were acrobats.

Tossing plates and bowls, climbing poles, walking tightropes, jumping through fiery hoops, inserting iron spears into their throats, iron chains around their necks – most were skills honed through arduous practice.

There were monkey trainers.

The trainer and the monkey cooperated seamlessly. One taught the monkey tricks, the other played dumb for laughs. The trainer threatened with a knife, and the monkey immediately backed down. When the trainer wasn't paying attention, it would snatch the knife back. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell it was a pre-arranged act, but it was performed so naturally that it made everyone laugh heartily.

There were those who played with the "celestial rope."

A rope was thrown into the sky, immediately obscured by smoke and clouds, and the rope became perfectly straight. People could then climb up this rope. When they gradually disappeared from view, climbing into the mist, the rope would then fall back down before everyone's eyes. The smoke and clouds dispersed, and no one was left above, only a gasp of fear.

There were fire-breathers.

Initially, they drank oil and breathed fire, which merely added to the excitement of the temple fair. But soon, the onlookers realized there was more to it – the oil in the performer's mouth was long gone, yet with just a big puff of breath near a torch, flames would erupt like a dragon.

Later, they didn't even need torches, spitting fire from their bare mouths.

The crowd finally understood: this was true skill.

And so, coins clinked and jingled all over the ground.

There were magicians.

An empty basin could suddenly produce birds, fish, and snakes, and with another wave of the hand, they could vanish without a trace. Similar to modern-day magic, this magician also needed a cloth for concealment, employing either clever sleight of hand or incredibly swift movements.

Song You paused for a moment at each spot.

Three Flower Lady, who had initially been set on buying a horse, gradually became captivated by these tricks. She followed Song You obediently, her eyes wide, watching the spectacle.

Whenever someone presented a tray asking for tips, Song You never refused, giving them a few coins.

This kind of generosity was typical of those in the jianghu.

It wasn't that jianghu folk were wealthy, but rather that they understood the hardships of traveling the jianghu and valued such courtesies. So, they would either not watch at all, or if they did, they would give something, even if they were struggling.

However, just as he was about to leave after watching, Song You suddenly felt something amiss. He reached into his embrace and felt his remaining small change, but two pieces of silver were gone.

"..."

This was rather interesting.

Song You turned back, looking at the middle-aged man who was still performing his magic, his "transportation technique."

He glanced around; cheers erupted from the crowd.

Even people from the inn above were tossing money down.

He said nothing, merely waiting there for a moment.

After browsing for so long, it was well past noon. The performers and magicians one by one began to stop, announcing they needed to prepare food, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Only then did Song You approach the performer.

The man looked to be in his thirties or forties, broad-shouldered and stout, with a face full of rough flesh. He was currently eating heartily with a few of his subordinates, bowls in hand, feasting on large chunks of cooked meat.

"Your meal looks quite substantial."

Song You stopped in front of him and said with a smile.

The performer looked up, following the shadow, and saw a young man with a young girl. He was momentarily stunned and asked with a simple, honest expression, "What can I do for you, sir? We'll start our performance after we finish eating."

"It's not a big deal," Song You said casually, his voice not loud. "I was watching your trick here earlier, and I seem to have dropped some silver. Did you happen to see it?"

"Hmm?"

The performer was confused. "If you dropped silver, you should report it to the authorities. This temple fair is crowded and chaotic; it's inevitable that some thieves might be mixed in... You don't actually think we can make things disappear out of thin air just because we know some tricks, do you? Are you trying to frame us?"

By the end, he was starting to get angry.

His physique was already sturdy, and his complexion was ruddy. Once he raised his eyebrows and glared, any trace of simple-mindedness vanished, leaving only a terrifying ferocity.

Song You, however, remained gentle and composed:

"I merely observed that while your summon and dismiss method isn't divinely inspired, it has reached the pinnacle of perfection. It's far more profound than my own understanding, which is why I've come to inquire."

The street performer's expression immediately tensed.

In truth, when performing his act, he hadn't used the summon and dismiss method, but purely sleight of hand. However, he didn't offer any explanation or denial at this moment. He merely sized up Song You a few times before cupping his hands:

"May I ask where you come from, sir?"

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

"So you're a Dao Master. My apologies."

"Not at all."

"How much in valuables did you lose, Dao Master?"

"Twenty taels of official silver."

The street performer immediately turned and gestured to someone beside him. He neither openly admitted to stealing the valuables nor denied it. He didn't even offer pleasantries like, "Meeting you is fate, sir. We'll cover your lost valuables then, consider it a friendship," but simply had his subordinate retrieve the money.

Two ingots of waisted honeycomb silver. They weren't the exact ones that were lost, but the amount was correct.

Song You weighed them a couple of times and put them away.

One could only say that people of the jianghu were unpredictable in their morality, but they did have their own code of conduct.

"Thank you."

"Apologies for the offense."

"But I still have one question," Song You asked. "Since you possess such skill, why do you work as a street performer?"

"You jest, Dao Master," the middle-aged man chuckled, exhibiting a surprising sense of carefree spirit. "This summon and dismiss technique itself evolved from jianghu tricks. Besides, in this day and age, this is the only skill we have. Are there any other trades that bring in more money? Or do you think pretending to be a master and deceiving nobles is more honorable and easier than this?"

"..."

Song You couldn't help but ponder.

"You have a point."

"We have our rules too," the middle-aged man picked up his rice bowl again and continued shoveling food into his mouth. "We only take official silver, not copper coins or small change. If a master sees through us, or if someone guesses correctly, anyone who can find us and state their origin will have their valuables returned."

"I see."

Song You couldn't help but think.

Great Yan official silver was cast in ten-tael ingots. Taking only official silver, not copper coins or small change, was partly for ease of transport and partly to exclude the impoverished based on the denomination, a form of robbing the rich to help the poor.

The latter part could, to a certain extent, prevent people from reporting to the authorities.

The jianghu folk valued mutual consideration.

These times were not like later generations. Even common folk had low trust in the authorities, and people of the jianghu had their own ways of resolving matters. Reporting to the officials would earn them ridicule from their peers. As for ordinary wealthy individuals, it was difficult for them to realize they had been robbed of their silver by a man twenty feet away. Even if they did realize it, as long as the money was returned, they would fear retaliation from the jianghu folk and wouldn't report it.

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

If they moved around and committed their acts, the risk would be even lower.

Yet, Song You stood before him and asked, "Aren't you afraid of being investigated by the authorities?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes narrowed, his eating paused, and he looked up at Song You. "Dao Master, are you joking with me?"

"I'm curious," Song You's expression was as usual. "Your act is precisely this kind of trick. If an experienced constable were to investigate such an incident, wouldn't you be the first suspect?"

"Dao Master, you are trapped by your own knowledge. In the eyes of most people, this is merely a sleight of hand to distract them. Even if they know something is amiss, how many would think of telekinesis? Even if, even if someone could react, we would have already left."

"I see. Thank you for your guidance."

Song You nodded thoughtfully as he replied.

"Do you have any other matters, Dao Master?"

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Dao Master!"

Just as Song You was about to leave, the man called out to him again.

The man was still uneasy. He sized Song You up and asked, "You mustn't report this to the authorities!"

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

"Alright."

This man had vividly shown him not to be trapped by his own knowledge. This man was also someone who adhered to a code. Although Song You wasn't from the jianghu, he was willing to honor that code this time.

He wouldn't report it this time.

However, adhering to a code didn't mean blurring right and wrong.

Constable Luo was experienced and effective in his investigations. He would surely have his suspicions and would come to consult him. He would still have to tell him then.

He just wondered who would be faster, him or Constable Luo.