Wang Jiantong

Chapter 14: Wang Jiantong

"I have something to ask you, young master. Come with us!"

There were six beggars. They had chosen an alley with the thinnest foot traffic, and as soon as they appeared, they blocked Huang Shang's way in both directions.

More figures stood guard at either end. They moved in orderly fashion and showed no less caution just because he was a scholar.

Their leader was a lean, powerful middle-aged beggar. Five bags hung behind him as he stared unblinking at Huang Shang.

Huang Shang could tell at a glance that these men were old hands. Resisting them would be useless.

But he was Huang Shang, a scholar who would not bend before force. Without a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "This is the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng, beneath the Son of Heaven's feet! You're kidnapping someone in broad daylight. Do you take Great Song's laws for nothing?"

The leading beggar's expression remained calm. Another pointed toward the Golden Water River, where dark cave mouths dotted both banks.

He sneered. "See those? They're called Worry-Free Cave. Plenty of criminals hide in there after committing their crimes. The capital's drainage channels run every which way, stretching hundreds of miles altogether. Once someone crawls in, no one can find them. Some innocent young ladies from respectable families get dragged into those caves and ruined. Heh heh!"

The other beggars laughed along with him.

Their gazes seemed to prick at the skin, sending a chill through the body.

Huang Shang knew the beggars weren't bluffing.

Every place had its dark side, commonly known as the underworld.

Worry-Free Cave was even recorded in Lu You's Notes from the Old Study. It was a den of filth in Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture.

Back when Bao Zheng was acting prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, even he had been helpless against the criminals hiding inside.

In the worlds of The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants or Justice Bao, the scum from Worry-Free Cave would have been captured by Zhan Zhao long ago.

Unfortunately, the Bao Zheng of this world was merely an upright official who impartially upheld the law, not a master detective. Zhan Zhao didn't exist either.

So, faced with the naked threat, Huang Shang deliberately fell silent and let his body tremble in compliance.

"Let's go!"

Seeing that he had cowed Huang Shang, the middle-aged beggar reached out to shove him by the shoulder.

But just then, a shrill whistle sounded nearby, followed close behind by the rush of crossbow bolts.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The whistle was a warning; the crossbow bolts meant an enemy attack.

The six beggars reacted at once, throwing themselves to the ground without a word. They narrowly avoided more than a dozen arrows.

"It's the Kaifeng Prefecture Fast Squad crossbowmen!"

"Go!"

The leader swept a glance toward the approaching team, moving with practiced precision, and barked the order in a low voice.

The beggars on the ground sprang up with nimble, hunched movements and took off toward Worry-Free Cave, their feet flying.

But the beggar who had made the threat wore a vicious look in his eyes. Before fleeing, he struck a palm toward Huang Shang's back.

"Good timing!"

Huang Shang had been ready for it. Far from alarmed, he was delighted.

This body really was ordinary; its movements couldn't keep up with his thoughts.

But the attacker was only an ordinary Beggar Sect disciple, hardly a master. Huang Shang had been fully alert and prepared in advance, so dodging the blow would have been easy.

But Huang Shang had no intention of doing that. Instead, he shifted his body and leaned backward, as if reacting in panicked confusion.

If the palm struck him squarely, though, he might tumble down the riverbank, putting himself in real danger.

It was a test.

If he wanted to make a name for himself in the future, he had to take a risk now.

Reincarnators, if you're really watching, try not to save me!

Sure enough, just as Huang Shang thought this, a chill abruptly rippled through the air.

The beggar's filthy palm seemed to seize an invisible block of ice. Cold spread across his body, and he looked as if he were about to freeze solid, shivering violently.

The beggar hadn't been afraid of the sudden arrival of the Fast Squad crossbowmen, but this inexplicable chill was truly terrifying.

He looked around in alarm, then didn't dare cause any more trouble. He rolled clumsily across the ground, dodged the second volley of arrows, slid down the embankment, and slipped into Worry-Free Cave, vanishing from sight.

He was gone in a flash.

It's confirmed. The Beggar Sect's appearance was engineered by the Reincarnators. They're watching me from the shadows!

With the beggar stopped, Huang Shang didn't bother correcting his posture. He flailed his hands about and fell to the ground.

He looked disheveled, but in truth, only his clothes were dirty.

In that brief flash, the two sides had engaged in a psychological battle of mutual probing.

By then, two men had rushed over first and helped him up, one on either side. "Shengzhong, are you all right?"

They were both disciples of Zhang Zai: You Shixiong and Zhong Shidao.

Huang Shang had written to his two classmates earlier to ask for help and arrange for them to protect him in secret.

You Shixiong was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, while Zhong Shidao came from a family of generals.

With them stepping in, they'd been able to enlist crossbowmen from Kaifeng Prefecture's Fast Squad—the equivalent of later generations' constables.

Seeing that Huang Shang had only been frightened and wasn't injured, the two finally relaxed.

"Damn it! These martial-world ruffians think they can do as they please. We must investigate this to the end!"

Even though everything had ended without harm, You Shixiong was furious. A harsh look crossed Zhong Shidao's still-youthful face.

This was the capital, beneath the Son of Heaven's feet, and martial-world figures dared kidnap someone in broad daylight. It was sheer lawlessness.

But when Huang Shang saw the indifference on the Fast Squad crossbowmen's faces, he knew that this so-called investigation to the end would amount to nothing but an empty slogan.

There was no help for it. Snakes had their own paths, and rats had theirs.

No matter how powerful the authorities were, they couldn't bring every corner under their control.

Huang Shang took out some money, thanked the constables, and insisted on going to his lessons.

The three of them went together to Zhang Zai's home.

After class, Zhong Shidao quietly told Huang Shang that he would put an end to this trouble and told him not to worry.

Putting an end to it didn't mean catching those beggars. It meant dealing with the hand behind this incident.

During a break in class, Huang Shang had told him about Chen Sheng. With the Zhong family's influence, it wouldn't be hard to settle the matter.

Of course, this meant he now owed them a considerable favor.

He would have to repay it someday.

After being put through the wringer for most of the day, Huang Shang returned to his lodgings utterly exhausted.

"I have to start cultivating!"

This experience had made him feel firsthand how important strength was.

It wasn't just useful for fights where fists went flying. It also mattered for stamina and endurance.

A star-level powerhouse could go several days without sleep and still be full of energy.

If he used that to study...

All right, he was getting obsessed.

The most important reason to improve his strength was to handle unexpected situations.

After all, this wasn't the Great Song of real history. It was the world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, with its martial-world factions.

The same thing still applied: the characters hadn't gone off the rails, but the people were missing.

"This time, my classmates helped out, so the two Reincarnators didn't get a chance to make their move."

"Once Chen Sheng's matter is settled, what new tricks will they try?"

"I can't keep being this passive. I need to think of a way to seize the initiative!"

Huang Shang opened the door as he imagined one scenario after another.

Only by confirming the Reincarnators existed could he take aim at them.

Otherwise, he might end up fighting shadows.

And creating an incident required a clash of interests.

Chen Sheng had almost certainly acted out of jealousy toward him. Whatever he'd done, it had brought the danger of death down on his head.

But with the Zhong family stepping in now, the Chen family had better back off—unless they wanted to be driven out of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Yet the instant he entered the inner room, Huang Shang stopped dead, his body tensing.

He had spotted a burly, rock-solid middle-aged man standing at his desk.

The man had a weather-beaten face and a thick, curly beard. Dressed in beggar's clothes, he held a gourd in one hand and drank from it with loud gulps.

Huang Shang walked in. Without even looking up, the man asked, "I'm Wang Jiantong. I've come to ask you something, young master: was it you who harmed the young master of the Chen family?"

Thanks to the readers "Heavenly Crystal Chaotic Heaven Treasure Mirror," "A Goji Berry Tea Every Day," "Baby Rain Butterfly," "A Moment of Seeing Eternity," "Heavenly Feather, Earthly Wing," "Rare Jiguang," "The World's Copper Wind and Clouds," "Clear Rain Left Behind," "Daoist," "Xiahou Shu No. 1," "Sage's Blood and Tears," and "Reader 160601162958936" for the tips.