The Righteous Thief's Destiny (Seeking Follow-ups)

Righteous Thief Fate (Please Follow)

A rainy night.

The rain poured in torrents.

Several bolts of lightning tore through the dark canopy of the sky.

Xu Xing wore a straw raincape and a bamboo hat as he walked down the rain-soaked street. He accidentally stepped into a small puddle gathered on the bluestone slabs, and his cloth shoes were quickly drenched. A layer of water lay beneath his feet, icy and damp.

He had not gone far when the pedestrians on the rainy street suddenly scattered in all directions, fleeing to shelter along the roadside.

Several oil-paper umbrellas spun through the air and fell before him.

Immediately afterward, pounding hoofbeats shook the roadbed, and the shrill neighing of warhorses came from afar. A troop of Green Standard soldiers charged across the rain-swept street on horseback. They wore white conical hats, carried Hanyang rifles on their backs, and had the character "Soldier" patched onto their chests. They paid no heed whatsoever to the pedestrians in the road.

After their rampage, the street was a complete mess.

Oil-paper umbrellas, several rattle drums, a few pomegranates, and other things lay scattered everywhere.

"Your rattle drum."

Xu Xing bent down, picked up a rattle drum, and handed it to a young boy hiding in his parents' arms by the roadside.

"Thank you, Young Master."

The boy hurriedly accepted the rattle drum and cupped his hands toward Xu Xing in thanks.

Seeing Xu Xing dressed in a scholar's robe, he assumed that Xu Xing came from either wealth or nobility, which was why he addressed him as "Young Master."

"It was nothing."

Xu Xing smiled and patted the boy's head before turning to leave.

Small acts of kindness that cost him little.

He did not mind doing them.

A short while later.

At an inn.

Using a membership voucher from the Elder Brothers Society, Xu Xing borrowed a poor horse.

"This mission is to intercept and kill Lord Huang."

"Lord Huang is the nephew of Prince Zhan of Prince Zhan's Manor in the capital, as well as the commander of the Divine Machine Camp. Acting on Prince Zhan's orders, he came to Qin Province to purchase a birthday gift. A few days ago, he acquired a Purple Jade Flat Peach."

"Prince Zhan intends to present it to the Empress Dowager of the West as a congratulatory gift, thereby restoring Prince Zhan's Manor to her favor."

"Prince Zhan is a Mongol prince."

"He holds military power."

"Under no circumstances can we allow him and the Empress Dowager of the West to reconcile."

In a mountain valley, around thirty brothers of the Filial Righteousness Hall had gathered together.

Master Ma swept his gaze over the crowd and explained the target of this mission.

"Yes, Master Ma."

"Yes, Master Ma."

"Yes, Master Ma."

"..."

The sworn brothers of the Filial Righteousness Hall waved their Guanshan knives and shouted in unison.

"As for you..."

Master Ma's gaze shifted to Xu Xing. He led him aside and said in a low voice, "The Filial Righteousness Hall originally had no plans to inform you of this operation, but... the Hall Master still has doubts about your loyalty. Ever since joining the Filial Righteousness Hall, you have yet to kill a Manchu barbarian. This killing will be your pledge of allegiance."

"Stay by my side later. Don't run around. Once we capture Lord Huang, all you need to do is kill him with your own hands."

"It will also serve as an explanation to the brothers of the hall."

His right hand landed heavily on Xu Xing's shoulder.

"I understand."

Xu Xing nodded.

Master Ma's words suited him perfectly.

He had no intention of sticking his neck out.

Though this was only an instance world, and dying here did not count as truly dying, who knew whether the bronze ancient mirror could open another world after he died? If the bronze ancient mirror had a cooldown period..., then wouldn't he, in the imperial prison, have no choice but to wait for death?

"When I left Jingyang County Town, I saw a troop of cavalry heading toward the west gate."

"Could those cavalrymen also be guards escorting Lord Huang?"

Xu Xing asked worriedly.

The reason the Filial Righteousness Hall had chosen to act on a rainy day was that the soldiers' firearms were prone to misfiring in the rain. Aside from elite units, many soldiers still used matchlock guns. But that cavalry troop was different. Not only were they equipped with warhorses, they also carried Hanyang rifles.

"This..."

Master Ma was struck dumb, not knowing what to say.

Filial Righteousness Hall's intelligence network was decent enough, but they were ultimately from the underworld and could hardly cover every angle.

"Qin Province's governor, Fang Yun, is also a Mongol Tartar."

"He has some ties with Prince Zhan. Perhaps he was the one who sent troops to escort Lord Huang out of the country. After all, we attempted to assassinate Fang Yun last year. It would be perfectly normal for him to act this way."

Master Ma frowned and analyzed the matter seriously.

After saying this, he looked at Xu Xing. "Since we have this information, today's operation... should be postponed for now."

With cavalry present, even with Hanyang rifles, the Elder Brothers Society men of Filial Righteousness Hall would be fortunate to retreat intact, let alone intercept and kill Lord Huang.

"That may not be necessary."

Xu Xing pondered for a while. "I'll make some bombs later to deal with those cavalrymen. As for you, Master Ma, send a few brothers to gather intelligence. If it looks feasible, we'll act..."

He could hide from the first day, but not from the fifteenth.

He had to do this thing—offer up his pledge of loyalty.

Otherwise, the Elder Brothers Society would never trust him, even though he had already joined.

Once he killed an official, there would be no turning back.

Why had Filial Righteousness Hall sought him out just before the county examination results were announced...

It was not hard to guess. They had simply seen that he was about to pass the examination and had promising prospects ahead. If they did not act now to force him up Liangshan, it would be much harder to use this tactic later...

There was nothing wrong with saying that the Elder Brothers of the Elder Brothers Society were heroes who opposed the Qing.

But if one truly believed that every gang leader in the Elder Brothers Society was some righteous hero whose loyalty towered to the clouds, then one had lost one's mind.

That was why Xu Xing had deliberately displayed his value.

He could make bombs!

In the late Qing and early Republican era, anti-Qing scholars would be too embarrassed to show their faces if they did not know how to make bombs.

For instance, Chen Zhongfu and President Cai had once worked together making bombs in an attempt to assassinate the Western Empress Dowager.

The primary curriculum at Daily Renewal Hall of Taste Classics Academy was practical learning.

The secondary curriculum was the eight-legged essay and examination composition.

Xu Xing knew bombs inside and out.

"Explosives?"

"You know how to make explosives?"

Hearing Xu Xing's words, Master Ma was overjoyed.

If Filial Righteousness Hall had sufficient firepower, who would be willing to hack people with broad blades?

Fighting with cold weapons was merely a measure born of helplessness.

"Master Ma..."

"I learned the craft of making bombs at the academy."

"As for explosives, that's even simpler."

Xu Xing felt rather helpless.

It seemed Master Ma and the others only knew that he had entered the academy, not what he had studied there.

Then again, people like those in Filial Righteousness Hall came from the underworld. How could they distinguish between practical learning and eight-legged essays? Even if they knew what practical learning meant, they might not know that studying it enabled one to make bombs.

Bombs and explosives were somewhat different. Bombs were harder to make.

"If you can make bombs..."

"I'll... speak to the Hall Master and have you serve as an Incense Master in our Filial Righteousness Hall."

Master Ma knew exactly how precious someone capable of making bombs was.

With bombs, Filial Righteousness Hall could trade its bird guns for cannons.

"Incense Master?"

A faint anticipation stirred in Xu Xing's heart.

Master Ma was Filial Righteousness Hall's Incense Master and also served as a Red Pole, commanding thirty sworn brothers.

Two days later.

Following Lord Huang's death, Master Ma secretly sent word for Xu Xing to come to the temporary base outside the county town, intending to grant him the status of Incense Master.

And at the same time, Xu Xing gained another new Fate.

[Righteous Thief (Red)].

PS: Starting tomorrow, there'll be three updates a day. Please keep reading, vote, and leave more comments. It's really hard to endure playing solo with no feedback. I'm begging you all, Orz.