The Stallholder

Whoosh!

Chen Wu slurped up another mouthful of noodles before replying. "Government men. It's nothing, just a small matter."

Ever since he'd parted on bad terms with Zhang Iron Ruler that morning, a spy had been tailing him from the moment he left the inn. It seemed that under pressure to get promoted, General Constable Zhang, Iron Ruler Silver Fox, was working very efficiently.

"So you're an expert of the underworld. My apologies for the disrespect," the young woman said as she ate.

The underworld? An assassin... Yeah, that was the underworld, all right.

Chen Wu thought it over for a moment before he caught on. He looked up. "Aren't you afraid?"

"What is there to be afraid of?" Her chopsticks flashed, and the bowl of noodles vanished.

Chen Wu was genuinely astonished. The woman ate noodles far faster than he did, a man. She could almost be said to have swept them away like a whirlwind.

The woman across from him seemed to notice his odd look. She paused her chopsticks, then picked up a second bowl of noodles. "I practiced external martial arts and entered the martial world. My cultivation method is unusual, too, so I eat a bit more than most people."

"I didn't expect you to be an expert, miss. No wonder you're not afraid of a man of the underworld like me."

The woman across from him kept her chopsticks moving. "I wouldn't call myself an expert. I just trained to keep fit. When I was little, a fortune-teller said I was born weak and wouldn't live long. External martial arts focus on the body and vital energy, so my parents had me train to make up for my weak constitution. I never expected to actually master it."

Gulping down the second bowl, she took a big swig of the broth. At last, the woman across from him raised her head, looking thoroughly satisfied. Her face was fair and clean. "Boss, your noodles are excellent! The broth is delicious, and the noodles are wonderfully chewy. Is it a secret recipe? I don't think I've seen anything like it elsewhere."

The boss happened to be bringing over six freshly grilled lamb skewers. At her words, he narrowed his eyes and smiled. "There's no secret recipe for the broth. It's just the way they make it in Henan Province. Only the noodles are my own special recipe."

"You've been to Henan Province, boss?" The woman across from him took the skewers.

"This old man's spent his whole life by the Yellow River. How could I have gone to Henan Province?" The boss shook his head. "Actually, it was a nephew of mine who got into the Sea-Pacifying Palace. One of his classmates was from Henan Province and taught him how to make the broth for their beef noodles."

"When my nephew first went to the Sea-Pacifying Palace, I even gave him some money for the journey. When he came home for the holidays, he taught me how to make the broth. I gave it a try and, I tell you, that broth had a real kick to it. So I used beef bones from Jincheng Prefecture, added my own special noodles, and came up with this bowl."

Mentioning his nephew's admission to the Sea-Pacifying Palace brought a proud look to the boss's face, and he couldn't help saying a little more.

The Sea-Pacifying Palace? Wasn't that where Guo Xuchu had said he was from? They had to take an exam to get in?

"What is the Sea-Pacifying Palace?" Chen Wu asked without thinking.

The woman across from him slowed down as she ate her lamb skewer. She frowned in such surprise that her brows knitted together, and Chen Wu almost wanted to fetch an iron and press them flat.

"How can you not even know that?" Her voice rose. "You're not one of those old monsters from storybooks who hid in the mountains from childhood, trained until they mastered martial arts, and only then came out into the world, are you?"

"Hahaha, young lady, you're from a big city, aren't you?" Before Chen Wu could work out how to answer, the stallholder laughed.

"If my nephew hadn't gotten in, this old man wouldn't have known what the Sea-Pacifying Palace was, either. News doesn't travel as fast in our northwest as it does in the big cities. There are plenty of uneducated people here, and we don't know much about the world."

Damn, I'm a graduate of a top university, and in an instant I'd been branded uneducated.

"That's right, that's right. I'm from the countryside," Chen Wu said, doing his best to act ignorant.

The woman across from him sized him up, a sly glint crossing her face. She kept eating her lamb skewers. "Well, then, allow me to tell you about it."

"The Sea-Pacifying Palace was established alongside the Dashun Academy of Sciences when Great Shun sailed west sixty years ago... Mmm, this meat is really good... Almost all the senior officers in the Great Shun Navy came from the Sea-Pacifying Palace. As the saying goes, 'First came the Sea-Pacifying Palace, then came the warships of the navy.'"

"Anyone who gets into the Sea-Pacifying Palace can coast through life afterward and slowly build up seniority based on their graduation results. They're guaranteed to make at least naval colonel. With a little talent, becoming a general officer is no problem."

"There's a navy admiral in Jincheng Prefecture, and I only just learned he came from the Sea-Pacifying Palace, too," the stallholder said. "I never knew my nephew was so capable."

The stallholder grew more animated and pointed to the Iron Bridge across from them. "See that bridge? That was built by that navy admiral."

Good grief, I knew Guo Xuchu had a powerful background, but I hadn't realized it was this powerful. Right, Qiao Weisheng had told me that the students Guo Xuchu taught had all become navy admirals.

Chen Wu marveled at this, but still managed the appropriate pleasantry. "Congratulations, boss. When your nephew makes it big, you'll be able to bask in his glory."

The stallholder's old face broke into a smile like a flower in bloom, but he waved a hand. "What glory would I get out of it? If anyone's going to enjoy the benefits, it'll be his parents. I'll be satisfied if fewer people come looking for trouble at my stall when I'm working..."

"Boss, the lamb's delicious! Six more, please. I'm taking them with me." The woman set down another six copper coins, interrupting the stallholder.

The stallholder immediately took her money and served the skewers, all in one smooth motion.

Seeing that only one skewer remained over the stallholder's coals, Chen Wu suddenly felt like doing something. He set down a ten-cash copper coin, took the last skewer from the grill, and walked straight toward the spy not far away.

The spy had been pretending to admire the view. When he saw Chen Wu walking straight toward him, his face tensed, and one hand instinctively gripped the worn sheepskin coat he was wearing.

That acting needs work!

Chen Wu suppressed a laugh and held out the skewer. "You've been following me all afternoon, brother. Thanks for the effort."

The spy gaped at him. He started to raise a hand, then stopped. Chen Wu said nothing more, simply stuffed the skewer into his hand and turned toward the Yellow River Iron Bridge, leaving the spy staring after him in a daze.

"Heh, you're kindhearted," a laugh sounded beside him. Chen Wu didn't need to turn around to know it was the woman from before.

Ever since Monk Zhongcheng had pointed out that the qi-sense he'd detected around Chen Wu was a technique of the Concentrated Spirit Realm, Chen Wu had been consciously controlling that perception. Though he couldn't see her at the moment, he followed the qi-sense of her voice, and her appearance still came into view.

"He's just earning his keep. Nothing to be ashamed of," Chen Wu said with a smile. "Why make life difficult for someone who's just doing his job?"

The woman caught up and walked alongside him, eating her skewers. "Mmm, brother, you're an interesting fellow. What you say doesn't sound like something a man of the underworld would say at all."

"What does it mean to sound like a man of the underworld?"

"Qi Lin, the underworld expert known as Maitreya Descended, is hailed as the foremost master of the Mystic Realm. He commands a vast number of White Lotus Sect followers, and even the imperial court fears him. Yet three years ago, he was defeated by Guo Xuchu, the Sea-Pacifying Palace's Star-Pulling Sword, and the White Lotus Sect fell quiet for a time." Her tone suddenly sharpened. "Such a major battle, and yet a certain someone claims to be an underworld figure but knows nothing about it. He even has to ask others about the Sea-Pacifying Palace."

Oh, so that's what this is... She's setting a trap for me!

"I'm from the countryside. I really don't know anything about the Sea-Pacifying Palace," Chen Wu said, playing dumb to the end.

"Fine." The woman stopped pressing him. "Let me ask you something else."

"Do you know how to get to the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette's office? The address says it's at House One, Signboard Two, Ward Three, West Gate Main Street, Jincheng Prefecture."

"What are you going there for?"

"I wrote them a few articles. I'm going to collect my writing fee."

"I read that paper, too. What did you write?"

It wasn't that racy story, Legend of Dayu'er, was it? Chen Wu kept the rest of the thought to himself.

"Have you read an article called 'On the Great Harm of Women Taking the Lead'?"

What?! Chen Wu stopped in his tracks and gave the woman beside him a sidelong glance.

So the article criticizing women for showing their faces in public yesterday had been written by her! What was this supposed to be? She'd even turned on her own sex.

"Why are you looking at me?" The woman's face took on that sly look again. "Jincheng Prefecture is in the northwest, and the local customs are conservative. Articles like that are easy to get published here."

"Why do it?"

"Alas, the Academy of Sciences gave us too little travel money this time. I've always had a big appetite, and the money just doesn't last. I had to find a way to support myself."

"Just earning my keep. Nothing to be ashamed of!" Beneath her bamboo hat, the woman smiled like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

"You're both a scholar and a martial artist. I'm impressed!" Chen Wu wasn't sure what else to say, so he changed the subject. "I don't know the exact address of the paper's office. Cross the bridge and keep going straight. The first city gate you come to will be West Gate. Ask around once you get there."

"Thank you, brother!" The woman cupped her hands and, as Chen Wu watched, swayed toward West Gate with her slender figure.

After only a couple of steps, the woman stopped and turned around. "It's fate that we met today. May I know your name, brother?"

"I'm Chen Wu."

"Chen Wu, I'll remember you!" The woman turned away and continued on. "A man of the underworld like you has already drawn the attention of the authorities. It probably won't be long before you're brought to justice. For the sake of our fateful meeting, I'll make sure your corpse is taken care of at the chopping block."

"No need, miss! This delicate skin and tender flesh of mine wouldn't survive being handled by an expert in external martial arts like you." Chen Wu fired back at once.

"Hahaha." The woman didn't turn around, and her laughter rang out just as brightly. "My name is Wang Zhenyi. If the authorities catch you, don't give me up. Otherwise, I won't make sure your corpse is taken care of."

Wang Zhenyi...

Chen Wu couldn't remember.

He still couldn't remember where his weapon was.

Back at the inn, Chen Wu greeted Old Ma and returned to his room. Lying on the bed, he once again began planning the assassination scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

Guo Xuchu—Old Jin would handle him. Zhang Zhihe—no problem, Monk Zhongcheng would keep him occupied. Chen Wu would only need to deal with the match-fixing Qiao Weisheng and stab him in the left chest... Stab him in the left chest... Wait!

Chen Wu shot upright in bed.

Only then did Chen Wu think of a crucial detail: aside from his Dezhang Year Two Model revolver, he didn't have a single suitable weapon. Was he supposed to shoot Old Master Qiao in the left chest?

Something was wrong! Even the Dezhang Year Two Model had been bought through Old Ma just two days ago. After transmigrating, he'd been an assassin without a single weapon at his side.

After Chen Wu had transmigrated, he'd focused entirely on "within seven paces, the gun is fast and true," preparing to give the masters of this world a taste of the revolver's power. He'd completely overlooked this point.

But no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't remember what weapon he used, or where it had gone.