Wind Plate Crashing Cups (Please Vote with Your Monthly Tickets)

He Shengjun, a Lin Family guard, pushed past the bandits with a dozen men and slowly walked up to Yuan Kuifeng.

Yuan Kuifeng asked him, "What did you say was going to get wet?"

He Shengjun smiled. "Miss, I said the water's deep by this dock. I was afraid you might fall into the river while wading and get soaked."

Yuan Kuifeng laughed. "I don't mind getting a little wet. I want to see some splashing. If I don't haul something ashore today, I'll have a hard time explaining myself when I get back."

He Shengjun ordered his men to show their weapons. "If the splashing gets out of hand, the river won't be safe to travel. Each man has his own boat to pole. Can't we go our separate ways? Did you have to come here looking for trouble?"

Yuan Kuifeng tapped the toe of her right foot on the ground and rolled her ankle. "I'm not looking for trouble. I'm looking for someone!"

"This is Lin Family territory. Did you think you could come looking for someone without getting past the guards?" He Shengjun glanced around. A noodle vendor nearby still had his fire going, and the broth in his pot was bubbling. The vendor crouched beneath his worktable, too frightened to move.

"The Lin Family has plenty of watchdogs. Let's see how hard you can bite." Yuan Kuifeng tapped her right foot against the ground and sprang into the air. She spun like a whirlwind, her toe shooting toward He Shengjun.

If that kick landed, it would leave a hole in He Shengjun's body. If Yuan Kuifeng struck to kill, the hole could be as wide as her body.

But He Shengjun did not let it land.

He snatched a plate from the noodle stall and tossed it into the air, where it met the tip of Yuan Kuifeng's foot.

The plate spun left, then right, its speed constantly changing. With her toe pressed against it, Yuan Kuifeng was dragged one way, then the other. After a moment, she lost her balance, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

A signature Plate Spinning feat: Wind Plate Crashing Cups.

Food, clothing, shelter, transport, and entertainment; farming, crafts, education, medicine, and sundry trades. Among the three hundred and sixty trades, entertainment included Plate Spinning, also called plate juggling, a form of acrobatics.

These performers were best known for spinning plates on thin rods, though some worked directly with their hands. He Shengjun was a master of the trade. With one plate and a signature Plate Spinning feat, he had spun Yuan Kuifeng dizzy.

And that was only half the feat. He had used the Wind Plate, but not the Crashing Cups. Had he followed through with the second half, Yuan Kuifeng might have lost her life.

Song Yongchang stepped forward and helped Yuan Kuifeng up, then pulled a cotton-fluffing bow from behind his back. "He Shengjun, you've got some nerve, laying a hand on our miss."

He Shengjun picked up an entire stack of plates from the noodle stall. "Old Song, take your miss aside. You and I can have a proper match."

Song Yongchang did not hesitate. He was about to attack He Shengjun.

Yuan Kuifeng brushed the dust off herself and smiled at He Shengjun. "Old He, your skills have improved. That was quite a fall you gave me."

He Shengjun hurried to apologize. "I went too far. You were only testing me, Miss, and I took it seriously before I knew it."

Yuan Kuifeng smiled. "Good. You've given me a way to save face. The Lin Family's chief guard is a generous man.

"We came today to find your third young master. He caused some trouble on our mountain a few days ago."

He Shengjun frowned slightly. "That's what I don't understand. Our third young master has trouble walking. How did he get up the mountain?"

Steward Hu chimed in from the side. "Our third young master doesn't just have trouble walking. His head doesn't work right either. There's no way he could have gone up Fangpai Mountain..."

Smack!

He Shengjun swung around and slapped Steward Hu. "Whose head doesn't work right?"

Steward Hu had insulted Lin Shaocong in front of everyone. He Shengjun could not let that pass.

Steward Hu did not dare speak.

He Shengjun looked at Yuan Kuifeng and Song Yongchang. "Those are the facts. Let's settle this clearly today. Our young master has no skills, and he can barely get around. How could he have gone up the mountain and provoked you?"

Song Yongchang raised his cotton-fluffing bow and pointed it at He Shengjun. "What are you, a watchdog? Why should I reason with you? Hand over Lin Shaocong right now. He beat one of our brothers to death!"

He Shengjun set a plate spinning on his fingertip. "If you won't listen to reason, let's stop wasting breath! I've already sent word to the Police Station. The officers will be here soon, and the Lin Family has sent plenty of men too. They're on their way.

"Song Yongchang, hear me well! If you can put me down with even a single move, I'll accept defeat. If you can't, none of you are leaving today!"

The two were about to fight when Yuan Kuifeng suddenly stepped between them. "Old Song, that temper of yours. We came to find someone, not start a fight.

"Old He, we came to apologize to the third young master. He and Old Song may have had a little misunderstanding before. Now that we've cleared it up, we can put the matter behind us."

He Shengjun found it strange. What had Yuan Kuifeng come here to do?

She had brought enough people to nearly turn the dock upside down. Now she called it a misunderstanding and wanted to let the matter drop?

Lin Shaocong could not make sense of it either. Yuan Kuifeng was acting strangely, and so was Song Yongchang. The man was usually extremely cautious. Why was he making such a spectacle of himself today?

Old Song was not only brazen but furious. Cotton fluff flew in every direction and had already surrounded He Shengjun.

This was no test. Yuan Kuifeng could see that Old Song meant to kill him.

He Shengjun did not flinch. A dozen plates shot into the air, spinning so fast that they drew all the surrounding cotton into their whirling paths.

The two had already begun fighting. Yuan Kuifeng looked at Song Yongchang. "Old Song, are we following your orders today or mine?"

Song Yongchang quickly lowered his bow. "Yours, Miss."

Yuan Kuifeng turned to He Shengjun. "Chief Guard He, could you give me another way to save face?"

He Shengjun gathered up his plates.

Yuan Kuifeng had someone bring over a chest of silver dollars and handed it to He Shengjun. "A small token from Hunlong Stronghold. Sorry for the trouble, but please pass it on to the third young master. Let's leave the past behind us."

With that, Yuan Kuifeng led her people away.

Song Yongchang stood stunned for a moment. He could not understand what Yuan Kuifeng was thinking.

Before they came, Yuan Kuifeng had said they had to find Lin Shaocong and give the late Old Liang justice. Why had she changed her mind?

Had Yuan Kuilong made other arrangements?

Song Yongchang did not dare ask. He could only follow Yuan Kuifeng off the dock.

Once the bandits were gone, Steward Hu hurriedly sent men to restore order and reassure the passengers at the dock.

He Shengjun went straight to the ticket office and entered the back room.

"Young master, are you all right? Yuan Kuifeng looked like she came looking for trouble, so I sent for help. And this is..."

He Shengjun looked at Zhang Laifu, who still held the Clay Knife in his hand.

"This is my friend. We escaped from Fangpai Mountain together."

He Shengjun cupped his fists in greeting. Zhang Laifu copied the gesture and returned it.

"Shengjun, wait outside for a while. I need to speak with my friend."

Once He Shengjun was outside, Lin Shaocong asked Zhang Laifu, "Why didn't you go home?"

He meant to ask why Zhang Laifu had not returned to Outer Province.

Zhang Laifu shook his head. "I can't. The road I came by is gone."

Lin Shaocong had never been to Outer Province and knew only a little about it from what he had heard.

He did not care whether Zhang Laifu went back to Outer Province. What mattered was keeping him from wandering around. The man knew too much.

"Where are you taking the boat?"

"Miedaolink. To hide from those bandits."

Zhang Laifu was still wearing that filthy long gown. Lin Shaocong asked, "Do you have money for the trip?"

"I borrowed some. It should just about cover it."

"I'll make arrangements for you."

Lin Shaocong called He Shengjun back in. "Shengjun, arrange a boat for my friend to Miedaolink."

He Shengjun looked at Zhang Laifu. "Brother, could I have a word alone with the young master?"

Zhang Laifu left the ticket office. He Shengjun lowered his voice. "Young master, I'm afraid it's too late to arrange a boat. Hunlong Stronghold is already watching the waterways.

"Don't forget, they have a Water Stronghold too, and they have informants here at our dock. Otherwise, they couldn't have found you so quickly. If you put this fellow on a boat today, he'll be caught before he gets past Tail-Swinging Shoal. Then we'll have a real mess on our hands."

Lin Shaocong was also worried Zhang Laifu would not make it out of Heishakou. "How about this? Take some men and escort him to Miedaolink."

He Shengjun laughed. "Young master, if you were going to Miedaolink, it would make sense for me to go along. But who is he to me? Why should I go with him? And if I do, who will protect you?"

Lin Shaocong thought for a while longer. "Then don't let him leave yet. Have him stay in Heishakou. Give him some money and find him somewhere secluded to live."

He Shengjun shook his head repeatedly. "Giving him money won't help. Once he spends it all, he'll be out wandering again. Young master, listen to me. Let's just do him in!"

P.S. Shala, you still haven't said what trade Yuan Kuifeng is in! Does she sell spinning tops?

She doesn't sell spinning tops. She's a kind of artisan, but her trade is rather unusual. I can't explain it in a sentence or two.