War in the South, Xun River Wharf

Qin Geng walked out through the Su Family's side gate, its red lacquer peeling. His steps were light; the weight on his mind had finally lifted.

He had no idea that, the moment he left, House Guard Zhou and his female apprentice began discussing him in the training yard.

For now, all Qin Geng could think about was how Zhou Yonghe had felt his bones.

House Guard Zhou looks aloof, but beneath that cold face, he has a warm heart. He's a man who does things properly.

Qin Geng rubbed his still-aching shoulder. After feeling me over, he said I had no hidden ailments or depletion and told me to train step by step. That's a weight off my mind.

The greatest danger in martial arts was training blindly until something went wrong. Damage your foundation, and you shortened your life.

With House Guard Zhou's assurance that he had "no hidden ailments, no depletion," Qin Geng felt he could train with a steadier heart each day.

Being able to eat is a blessing.

Qin Geng touched his somewhat hollow stomach. A fire seemed to burn inside it, urging him to find something to eat. But I'll have to earn money faster. The stronger I get, the worse it'll be if I miss a meal or can't afford medicinal broth. The vitality I've only just built up might turn against me.

Still pondering ways to make money, Qin Geng found himself back at the shabby alley where Xu Jin's Shanty stood.

It was just past noon. Ordinarily, this was when the morning-shift carriage drivers finished work and the evening shift had yet to set out.

Most drivers either propped up their carriage shafts and napped in the shade beside the road or under a tree, or haggled with a tea-stall owner to save the two coins for a cup of tea. Few went all the way back to the shanty at midday just to rest.

The round trip wasted time, and the shanty was hot and damp. The stink of feet and sweat could make a man's head ache. Outside was better.

But today, Qin Geng sensed something was wrong before he even entered the alley.

The shanties, usually as still as a grave, were boiling over with voices.

Qin Geng quickened his pace and stepped into the shanty yard. Well, would you look at that!

The little patch of open ground was packed with people.

Uncle Xu and Uncle Jin were there, of course, but so were the drivers from neighboring Ma Village Shack.

Li Gou was crouched on the millstone like a monkey, spraying spittle as he gestured wildly about something.

Even Ma Laifu, usually a man of few words, had stripped to the waist and was letting someone rub dark bruise liniment onto his back.

Everyone had picked up an injury or two. Some had bruised faces; others had blood seeping through strips of cloth tied around their arms. Yet every face shone with excitement and joy they could hardly contain, as though they had eaten meat for New Year.

"Brother Xiao Wu's back!"

Sharp-eyed Li Gou spotted Qin Geng first and shouted at the top of his lungs.

His shout drew everyone's gaze.

Xu Chun sat on a battered stool, a pipe between his teeth, talking to Ma Laifu. At the sight of Qin Geng, his wrinkled old face broke into a grin, and he beckoned. "Xiao Wu, come here! We were just talking about you. We've got something important to discuss."

Curious, Qin Geng went over in a few quick steps. His gaze swept across their injuries, and he frowned. "Uncle Xu, Uncle Jin, who did you fight? Why is everyone hurt?"

"Fight? We went to claim territory!"

Uncle Jin burst out laughing. It tugged at the cut on his lip, making him bare his teeth in pain, but he still chuckled. "Ever since Lai Tou died, those bastards at Yi He Shantytown have been scattered like loose sand. These past few days, we joined forces with the brothers from Ma Village Shack and gave them a few sound thrashings."

"This very morning, our two shanties pushed them right off that juicy stretch at South City's Xun River Wharf!"

"Boss Lin gave it his nod, too. From now on, our Xu Jin's Shanty and Ma Village Shack share that territory!"

Qin Geng's eyes lit up.

Xun River Wharf!

What carriage driver making a living in Tianjin didn't know that Xun River Wharf was a fat prize dripping with riches?

Ping'an County Town was small, but thanks to its waterways, it had seven or eight docks of various sizes.

Xun River Wharf, though, had the most passengers and the richest pickings.

Merchants traveling north and south, officials on business, wealthy families fleeing disaster, and students on the move mostly disembarked there.

Fares from that place were something else. The passengers spent freely; a few coins in tips could match half a day's work around town.

That territory had once been Yi He Shantytown's lifeline.

While Lai Tou lived, he had used his connection with Boss Lin to keep his teeth sunk deep into that fat prize.

If drivers from another shanty dared pick up a fare there, they might have their carriages smashed—or their legs broken.

Who would have thought that once Lai Tou died, their own shanty would take a bite of it?

"That old fox Boss Lin agreed? And the other shanties did too?"

Qin Geng kept his voice low.

Boss Lin cared only for profit. Lai Tou had given him plenty of tribute in the past. Now that someone else was taking over, would he really yield without a hefty offer?

And what about the other shanties?

Everyone knew Xun River Wharf was a fat prize.

"Heh. We've got you to thank for that, kid!"

Uncle Xu knocked the ash from his pipe against the sole of his shoe. "Who in South City hasn't heard the name Qin Xiao Wu now?"

Ma Laifu smiled too. "Brother Xiao Wu, everyone around South City knows you beat Lai Tou to death with your own hands."

"We just went along with it."

"Xiao Wu, you deserve the credit this time. A man's name casts a shadow as surely as a tree. Your reputation kept several shanties from trying to snatch the place."

At first, nobody had believed Qin Geng had killed Lai Tou. Even Boss Lin hadn't believed it; he had merely pinned the killing on Qin Geng.

But Tianjin was only so big, and Master Xin's informants were everywhere. If someone wanted to look into Qin Geng's daily doings, there was little he could hide.

The shanty folk hadn't spread word of the day Qin Geng lifted a stone weighing over four hundred jin, but passersby had seen it.

Those witnesses passed the story on, and people came to accept it.

At first, though, nobody in South City believed the tale. They thought it was nonsense.

Later, people noticed that Qin Geng could eat vast amounts of braised offal every day and make seventeen or eighteen trips without breaking a sweat. The drivers at South City Carriage House gradually came to believe that he really had killed Lai Tou.

"What credit do I deserve? Everyone got hurt, and I wasn't even there."

Qin Geng waved a hand. Looking at the bruised faces of the older men around him, he said earnestly, "You fought for that territory with your fists and feet, shedding blood for it. You're all hurt, and I haven't so much as scratched my skin. I don't deserve the credit."

"Hahaha! You're as modest as ever, kid."

Everyone laughed good-naturedly, the mood warm and lively.

Uncle Xu rose and looked around the group, his expression turning serious. "All right, enough laughing. Down to business."

"Now that we've taken the wharf, we need to set the rules."

"From now on, our shanty's carriages will mainly work Xun River Wharf. We can't touch the hauling jobs that belong to the porters, but any passenger who wants a ride is fair game. Getting the fare is up to your own ability."

"This afternoon, we'll go show our faces and stake out our spots!"

"You got it!"

The men answered as one, itching to get started.

Qin Geng nodded along. "Uncle Xu, next time everyone fights over wharf territory, can you take me? I'm always left out, and I've got strength to spare. It's not right to keep letting the uncles stand in front."

At that, the lively atmosphere faltered for a moment.

Uncle Xu looked at Qin Geng, then at Li Gou's expectant face. His smile faded, and his expression grew stern.

"Xiao Wu, Li Gou, listen carefully."

Uncle Xu pointed to Qin Geng, then to Li Gou. "Anyone in our shanty can go out and risk his life—except you half-grown boys."

"How old are you? Your bones haven't even finished growing. You're still laying your foundations."

"Brawls like that are won by throwing lives into them. One club to the back of the head could damage your bones and tendons, leave you with hidden injuries, and ruin the rest of your life!"

"Don't think that just because you're strong now, Xiao Wu, you'll be safe. Those bastards fight dirty. Lime powder, boning knives... No matter how strong a man is, he still has to fear a kitchen knife."

"Let us old bones shoulder this dirty work for now. When we can't carry it anymore, your turn will come."

Li Gou opened his mouth as if to speak, then swallowed his words and nodded silently.

Qin Geng did not argue either.

The older men were looking out for them.

In a world where human lives were as cheap as weeds, these bottom-rung carriage drivers protected the shanty's hopes in their own rough way.

Warmth stirred in Qin Geng's chest, and he quietly clenched his fists.

If the uncles did not want him risking himself, he would find his own way: grow stronger, earn more money, and make something of himself in this world. One day, he would hold up a sturdier patch of sky for them all.

Li Gou crouched nearby, his eyes dim.

He glanced at Qin Geng, so full of drive, then down at his own skinny arms. Doubt gnawed at him.

Brother Xiao Wu can do it. But can I?

Am I fated to pull a carriage all my life? Whether I can even live decently is another question.

"All right, quit standing around!"

Uncle Xu swept out a hand, breaking both boys' train of thought. "Get your carriages. Let's go! Time to open for business at Xun River Wharf!"

A procession of more than a dozen rickshaws rolled through South City's streets and alleys, heading straight for Xun River Wharf.

Before they arrived, they could hear waves of clamor rising in the distance.

Xun River Wharf was bustling.

Across the broad river, a thousand sails raced and a hundred boats vied with one another.

Huge steamships belched black smoke and sounded deafening whistles as they eased toward shore.

More numerous still were the wooden cargo boats, riding low in the water and packed tight along the piers.

The wharf teemed with people, shoulders brushing at every step.

Bare-chested Porters chanted as they shouldered enormous burlap sacks, striding across gangplanks as though they were level ground. Sweat gleamed on their skin in the sun.

Vendors carrying baskets wove through gaps in the crowd, calling out all manner of wares.

"Cigarettes! Hatamen! Old Knife!"

"Candied fruit! Big candied fruit!"

A makeshift opera troupe was even performing on an open patch of the wharf. Their gongs and drums rang to the heavens, drawing a crowd of idle men who watched and cheered.

Nearby, children with runny noses crowded around an old man blowing sugar figures. They drooled over his lifelike sugar monkeys and sugar Pigsy figures.

This was a Tianjin wharf.

Prosperous and chaotic.

The moment Qin Geng and the other unfamiliar faces appeared, they drew plenty of looks.

Drivers from the carriage houses in West City, North City, and East City, who had already staked out spots around the wharf, stopped chatting and turned to watch.

They belonged to different carriage houses, but news traveled fast in their trade.

Following the unwritten rules, none approached to talk. They gathered in little knots on their own ground and discussed the newcomers in low voices.

"See them? They're from Xu Jin's Shanty."

"Lai Tou got taken down after only a few months. Grass ought to be growing on his grave by now."

"Haha, serves him right! He bullied us plenty when he was alive. Good riddance."

"But I hear the new lot running South City aren't easy to deal with either. That Old Slowpoke Xu and Ma Laifu may usually keep quiet, but they're ruthless when they strike."

"Hmph. It's not just them."

A well-informed driver curled his lip and lowered his voice. "I heard it was that half-grown kid called Xiao Wu who beat Lai Tou to death with his bare hands."

"Xiao Wu? Which one?"

"There. Him."

The driver jerked his chin toward Qin Geng at the back of the group. "He's not tall, and he hasn't fully filled out, but take a close look at his build."

Everyone's gaze swung toward Qin Geng.

He stood quietly beside his rickshaw, his hands resting loosely on its shafts.

He wore a somewhat worn gray jacket. It was not tight, but the firm rise of muscle beneath it was still faintly visible.

His exposed forearms stood out most. Smoothly defined as cast iron, with veins showing beneath the skin, they plainly held startling explosive power.

His stance drew even more attention.

Other drivers waiting for fares either squatted or leaned against something to save their strength.

Qin Geng simply stood straight, feet slightly apart, as if two steel nails had driven him into the ground. His back was upright as a pine. Among the somewhat stooped drivers around him, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

It was the kind of unified strength only someone trained in martial arts would recognize.

"Whew... that kid really does look like he knows a thing or two."

"He's built solid. Not a trace of the sickly look you'd expect from someone poor."

"Looks like the rumors are true. Best be polite if we run into him."

Qin Geng paid no attention to the talk around him. He was busy watching the crowd surging across the wharf with curiosity.

Uncle Xu and Ma Laifu stood at the front with the lead carriages, shouting, "Rickshaws! Fresh rickshaws! Smooth and quick rides! Just tell us where you're going!"

Qin Geng, Li Gou, and the others waited in line behind them.

"Hey, Brother Wu, look."

Li Gou nudged Qin Geng with an elbow, his gaze fixed on a group of young people who had just disembarked from a passenger ship.

Men and women alike carried rattan suitcases and hurried along.

The men all wore crisp Zhongshan suits, their hair combed neatly into place;

the women wore short blue-cloth jackets and black skirts, with hair cut to their ears.

"Those clothes look sharp. Much grander than our short jackets."

Li Gou sounded envious.

"Zhongshan suits."

"They're the latest fashion down South."

"The South, huh..."

Li Gou smacked his lips. "Master Zhu Xin mentioned the other day that things are unsettled down there. A bunch of students are making trouble, trying to overthrow Great Xin. He said they adapted those Zhongshan suits from Western clothes to make them more practical for everyday wear."

"Mm."

Qin Geng nodded, letting his gaze linger on the students. "They do look good. Respectable, and full of spirit."

As they spoke, something stirred up ahead.

A large, rather luxurious passenger liner docked. Several men who looked like compradors came down in suits and brimmed hats, followed by attendants carrying their bags.

Passengers like these were always the ones drivers fought over.

Uncle Xu and Ma Laifu spotted them at once and hurried forward with their carriages. After a round of bargaining, several carriages sped off with passengers aboard, leaving dust in their wake.

Once the lead carriages were gone, those behind moved up in order.

Before long, another passenger ship docked.

The next passengers off the boat were the very students in Zhongshan suits Li Gou had envied earlier.

"Rickshaw! Rickshaw!"

Qin Geng pushed his rickshaw forward and brought it to a steady stop at the pier entrance.

Two students, a young man and a young woman, walked straight toward him, each carrying a heavy leather suitcase.

The young man adjusted his glasses. He glanced at Qin Geng's brand-new rickshaw, then at his neat appearance, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Driver, to the Tianjin Hotel."

The young man spoke in an unmistakable Tianjin accent, though weariness edged his voice. "Fifty coppers. Will you take us?"

The Tianjin Hotel was the finest hotel in the city. It was a fair distance away, but fifty coppers was an excellent fare.

Ordinarily, a job like this would take some haggling, and the fare might even be bargained down to thirty-odd coppers.

The student clearly did not want to waste time. He had named his price outright.

"I will! Please, climb aboard!"

Qin Geng answered without hesitation.

As he helped load the heavy suitcases, their weight pulled at his arms. He reckoned they held more than books; there had to be plenty of other belongings inside.

"Hold on tight!"

Qin Geng called out, pressed down on the handles, and drove forward with his legs. The wheels rolled ahead.

Qin Geng kept the rickshaw remarkably steady all the way.

With the strength in his legs now, pulling two people and their luggage was child's play.

But he made no effort to run at top speed. Instead, he held an even pace, so his passengers felt not the slightest jolt.

Behind him, the two students began speaking in low voices.

The wind made plenty of noise, but Qin Geng's hearing had grown sharp, and he caught most of what they said.

"Senior, now that we've fled back here, we're safe for the time being, aren't we?"

The young woman's voice still trembled with fear.

"For now, I suppose."

The young man sighed. "Shanghai's in chaos. Foreigners' warships are throwing their weight around on the river, and the two sides have started fighting again. It wasn't that I begrudged the train fare; the railway wasn't safe either. That's why we came by boat."

"Oh, when will this wretched state of affairs ever end?"

"Don't think about it. We'll be all right in Tianjin. There are Foreigners here too, but we're still at the emperor's doorstep, and the Nine-Nation Concessions keep one another in check. Things won't descend into chaos here just yet."

Listening to them, Qin Geng sighed inwardly.

Master Zhu Xin had been right. The world was growing more chaotic by the day.

War raged across the South. Even students had to flee for safety.

By comparison, Tianjin might have undercurrents of trouble and filthy things like zombies and drowned ghosts, but on the surface it was still the emperor's doorstep, a harbor from the storm.

No one spoke for the rest of the journey.

A little over an hour later, the grand Tianjin Hotel came into view.

Qin Geng brought the rickshaw to a steady stop and helped unload their luggage.

The young man wasted no words. He pulled out a handful of coppers and pressed them into Qin Geng's hand without counting them.

"Keep the change."

With that, the two students picked up their suitcases and hurried through the hotel doors.

Qin Geng weighed the coins in his hand. There were more than sixty coppers.

The tip alone came to over ten coppers.

Students sure are generous.

After dropping them off, Qin Geng wasted no time. He pulled his empty rickshaw straight back.

He did not have a moment's rest that entire afternoon.

The flow of passengers at Xun River Wharf was astonishing.

He had barely returned to the wharf, with no chance even to drink some water, when another fare appeared.

None of the passengers on his next few trips were as free with their money as the two students, but they were all respectable people with business in the city.

One trip brought in thirty coppers, another forty.

Even after a little haggling, they paid far more than he would have earned waiting for fares on the street.

Only when dusk fell and the crowds at the wharf began to thin did Qin Geng stop.

He found an open spot, pulled the heavy money pouch from inside his clothes, and counted its contents carefully.

Five trips this afternoon.

Fifty coppers from those two students, plus the tip. The other four trips came to a hundred and ten.

More than a hundred and sixty coppers altogether!

At the sight of the pile of copper coins, still warm from his hand, Qin Geng's breathing quickened.

Before today, he could have run the streets from dawn to dusk, exhausted as a dead dog, and earned a hundred and twenty coppers at most.

Yet today, in a single afternoon—half a day's work—he had made more than a hundred and sixty!

If he spent a whole day here, couldn't he make close to three hundred coppers?

Even after handing over half to the rickshaw company, as he had to every day without fail, he would still have at least a hundred and fifty coppers of clear earnings!

Twice as much!

Qin Geng gripped the money pouch tightly, a great rush of joy and reassurance swelling in his chest.

He had made more than double what he used to!

With this income, plus the windfall he had received from Shopkeeper Lu, he could afford his costly daily meat and even start saving for Bone-Strengthening Powder.

The path of martial arts was expensive, but if he could make this work, he was sure he could make something of himself one day.