The Craftsman (Bonus Chapter-Please Vote and Comment)

Everyone watched Zhang Laifu, shaking with laughter. The other fools in the cell started laughing too.

Zhao Guangping, the fool who sold cloth, laughed and drooled. "This fool doesn't even know his own name."

Pei Binru, the fool who fired bricks, laughed. "I've known my name since I was little. My ma told me!"

Song Yongchang grinned too. Zhang Laifu was doing well—better than he'd expected.

Yuan Kuilong nodded repeatedly. "This one really is a fool. Old Song, finding a fool like this in Outer Province must've taken some effort."

The stone weighing on Song Yongchang's heart finally dropped. He smiled humbly. "Working for you, Master Long, is my duty. Of course I'd give it everything I've got."

I have to choose my words carefully, Song Yongchang thought. No talk of devotion or loyalty unto death. Who knows what Yuan Kuilong might read into it?

He thought he'd guarded against trouble, but Yuan Kuilong suddenly asked, "I remember you saying you'd find a fool who didn't look foolish but really was. This one looks pretty foolish. Will he do?"

Everyone stopped laughing at once and looked at Song Yongchang.

"He doesn't look foolish, and he can tell some things apart." Song Yongchang stepped up to Zhang Laifu and asked kindly, "Zhang Laifu, tell us your real identity."

Song Yongchang had told him before: when the cameras were rolling, they used character names; when filming stopped, they used real names.

Old Song had called him Zhang Laifu. That meant filming had stopped. Zhang Laifu puffed out his chest. "I'm an actor."

Song Yongchang asked, "What should we do about that kick you got?"

Zhang Laifu answered solemnly, "The company has to compensate me!"

"What does compensate mean?"

"Pay me more, obviously!"

The whole group laughed until tears came. Song Yongchang said, "Master Long, he knows to ask for more money. He doesn't look foolish."

Yuan Kuilong wiped his eyes and nodded again and again. "Well done, Old Song. We have all six fools now, right?"

As he spoke, Yuan Kuilong slipped the thumb ring off again and slowly turned it over in his hand.

That thumb ring was Yuan Kuilong's Bowl—an extraordinarily fine one.

Song Yongchang wanted to look, but didn't dare stare. "We do, chief."

Yuan Kuilong rubbed the ring and studied it for a long while. "If we have all six, why hasn't my Bowl reacted?"

Song Yongchang hurried to explain. "They haven't become soil yet. Once we make them into soil, the Bowl will react."

Yuan Kuilong looked at the six fools, then at his ring. "Do it now."

Zhang Laifu clenched his fists.

The Lin Family's third son gritted his teeth.

Song Yongchang shook his head slightly. "Master Long, the time isn't right. Once the Bowl is opened, it can't be stopped. We still need to find a good seed, and its seed-blood must be first-rate!"

"You talk too much!" Yuan Kuilong put the ring back on. "Speaking of seed-blood, I've been meaning to ask: why did we have to find a fool from Outer Province? Isn't seed-blood there the same as in Wansheng Province?"

"It's a long story, Master Long. Let's return to the stronghold and talk it over..."

"No need. Tell me here!" Yuan Kuilong pulled over a chair and sat down in the cell.

Song Yongchang glanced at the people around them. "It would be better to speak in private..."

"No need for privacy. Explain it right here!" Yuan Kuilong popped a grape into his mouth. "Apart from these six fools, everyone here is one of our brothers. What can't you say?"

Sometimes Song Yongchang truly didn't know how to deal with Yuan Kuilong. Some things really couldn't be said in front of everyone.

As Song Yongchang tried to work out how to hint at the reason without saying it outright, a bandit came in with a message. "Chief, the young mistress asks you to come over. She says she has something important to discuss."

"What's so important?" Yuan Kuilong sounded displeased. "More important than what the second-in-command and I are discussing?"

The young mistress was Yuan Kuilong's younger sister, Yuan Kuifeng.

The bandit lowered his voice. "She says she's in high spirits today and wants a couple of drinks."

It was a small matter, but Yuan Kuilong's expression turned grave.

Yuan Kuifeng had sent for him to drink. If he refused, she would certainly fly into a drunken rage.

And once she did, matters would become hard to handle.

After a moment's hesitation, Yuan Kuilong rose. "Old Song, come have a couple of drinks with me. Old Zhao, you too. Dress that Cucumber for us to have with the liquor!"

Old Song let out a long breath and was about to leave when Yuan Kuilong asked, "Old Song, you went all the way to Outer Province. Didn't you bring me anything good?"

"I left in a hurry. I really didn't get the chance."

"Surely not. You're an educated man. You wouldn't forget your manners, would you?"

"Chief, I was at fault this time. I'll make it up to you next time."

"Forget next time. You must have brought me something. Too embarrassed to take it out? If you won't, I'll have you searched!" Yuan Kuilong called two Hostage House guards over to search him.

Song Yongchang was the second-in-command of Hunlong Stronghold, yet Yuan Kuilong wanted him searched in front of everyone.

That was a bitter pill to swallow, but Song Yongchang forced it down. He let the Room Watchers search him and even opened his luggage for Yuan Kuilong to inspect.

After Old Song, they searched Old Yu and Old Zheng. Old Yu glared at a Room Watcher, frightening him, but the Room Watcher's hands didn't falter. He searched carefully and found nothing.

Yuan Kuilong watched the whole time. Song Yongchang hadn't used any tricks or hidden a thing. "Old Song, that's not very decent of you. You really came back empty-handed?"

Song Yongchang apologized again. "Chief, next time I go out, I'll be sure to bring you a grand gift."

"Fine. I won't hold it against you. This fool counts as a grand gift, I suppose. Come drink with me."

They all left, leaving only the six fools in the cell and the two guards watching the Hostage House.

It was almost three in the morning. Four of the fools were tired and had fallen asleep.

Zhang Laifu stayed awake. He glanced around the cell, but before he could take in much, a Room Watcher came over and kicked him again.

"You don't even know your name. What are you alive for? Tell me, what are you alive for?"

Zhang Laifu couldn't understand why he'd been kicked. He had no grudge against this Room Watcher.

It was the guard's way of putting him in his place. Everyone brought into the Hostage House for the first time got a beating, so they would know what the guards could do.

A Room Watcher left the room, yawned, and said to the Room Watcher outside, "I'm going to sleep for a while. You watch them, then we'll switch."

The guards worked in pairs. Normally both would stay up all night, but with only a bunch of fools locked in the Hostage House, even Yuan Kuilong paid them little mind. The guards had grown lax and took turns sleeping at night.

Zhang Laifu had heard them arrange the shift change clearly.

He had noticed several other things just as clearly.

When he'd gone to see Han Yucheng, Zhang Laifu had taken in the layout of the Hostage House.

From Head Boss's words, Zhang Laifu knew the man genuinely thought he was a fool. The two guards did too. They probably had no defenses against him.

During the search, Zhang Laifu had noticed that the two guards ranked below Old Yu and Old Zheng. They were plainly afraid of Old Yu.

Their lower standing meant they probably couldn't fight as well as Old Yu and Old Zheng.

They couldn't fight as well, and they weren't on guard. That meant there was a chance to escape.

The urgent problem was that his body was still covered in cotton. He needed to pull it off.

Zhang Laifu began plucking the cotton from his body, strand by strand.

Old Song might be gone, but Zhang Laifu still couldn't act without care. He pulled off a little at a time and hid it beneath himself, or found a fool to tuck it beside...

Lin Shaocong crawled over to Zhang Laifu. "Are you a Fool?"

Zhang Laifu turned his head. "I don't have any lines. Don't talk to me."

Lin Shaocong looked around and saw a Room Watcher patrolling outside the cell.

Then he told Zhang Laifu, "The script's been changed. You have lines now."

Zhang Laifu didn't believe him. "Do you have the script? Let me see it!"

The Room Watcher outside heard them talking about scripts and actors again. He couldn't help laughing and leaned into the doorway to watch the two fools.

Lin Shaocong said to Zhang Laifu, "I really do have a script. Follow my lead, and we'll put on a grand show."

"What kind of grand show?"

"Watch!" Lin Shaocong reached into his crotch and pulled out a yellow, sticky lump.

It was a big one, too.

The Room Watcher at the door nearly retched at the sight.

The Lin Family's third son was disgusting. The whole room was full of fools, but not one was as disgusting as him.

The Room Watcher didn't dare make a fuss. If anyone else found out, he'd certainly be made to clean up that huge lump.

Better to pretend he hadn't seen it and leave it for the next shift.

The Room Watcher covered his nose and walked away.

Zhang Laifu couldn't walk away. Staring at the yellow lump, he shook his head repeatedly. "I can't do a scene like this. That man kicked me several times, and I'm already owed more money for that. If you want me handling something this disgusting, how much more will you have to pay me..."

Lin Shaocong didn't explain. He heard the footsteps outside and knew the Room Watcher had gone.

He picked up a lump of the sticky substance and kneaded it for several minutes, shaping it into a dagger more than seven inches long. Then he handed it to Zhang Laifu.

When Zhang Laifu took it, its texture told him it wasn't what he'd thought.

It was clay.

"Is this a prop?"

"A prop. The most advanced kind." Lin Shaocong shaped a dagger for himself, then took another lump of clay and made two pins.

"Listen to this scene," Lin Shaocong whispered. "You're not an ordinary Fool now. You're a Fool carrying an important mission.

"The other Fools are all fools, but you and I aren't. Only the two of us know that."

"In a moment, I'll open the door. There are two bad men outside. You take one, I'll take the other, and we'll kill them according to the script."

Zhang Laifu considered the scene. "What's the right way to kill them? Cut their hearts out, or slash their throats?"

Lin Shaocong thought for a moment. "The script calls for slashing their throats. One cut is enough! You have to be fast and accurate."

Zhang Laifu looked troubled. "This is an action scene. I don't have any training. I'm afraid I'll hurt someone."

Lin Shaocong reassured him. "The clay is soft. It can't hurt anyone. You don't need training for a scene this simple—just be willing to strike. Remember, you really do have to slash at their necks. They have protective props, so don't worry."

Zhang Laifu agreed. "This scene costs extra too."

Lin Shaocong nodded repeatedly. "Yes, of course. After we kill the two Hostage House guards, you'll have to carry me out."

"What's a Hostage House, and what are guards?"

"The Hostage House is this prison. The guards are the bad men."

"Why do I have to carry you?"

Lin Shaocong pointed to his left leg. "The character I'm playing has an injured leg. It's so badly hurt he can't walk at all. You'll have to carry me all the way down the mountain."

Zhang Laifu said, "That takes strength. It costs extra."

"Fine. I'll pay you double. Once we're down the mountain, we'll flee all the way back to Heishakou. Then the scene's done!"

"How do we get to Heishakou?"

"I know the way. I'll tell you where to go and how to play the scene. Understand?"

"More or less. When do we start filming?" Zhang Laifu gripped the dagger tightly.

Lin Shaocong gently waved a hand. "Don't grip it so tightly. Loosen your hold. This knife moves on its own."

"It moves on its own? Is that technology too?"

"It's all technology. You need to get the hang of it quickly!"

Zhang Laifu relaxed his grip, but the joints in his hand were still stiff. "I'm afraid I can't use this knife or act in this scene. I'm wearing a prop that controls how I move."

As he spoke, Zhang Laifu gently pulled a few white fibers from the back of his hand and gave them to Lin Shaocong.

"This is cotton. There's craftsmanship woven into it..." Lin Shaocong asked Zhang Laifu, "Where did this cotton come from?"

"Old Song gave it to me," Zhang Laifu said.

Lin Shaocong shook his head. "You can't use this prop now. An action scene needs freedom of movement. This cotton will hold you back."

He rolled some clay into a ball and placed it in Zhang Laifu's palm.

The clay ball rolled from his palm to the back of his hand, slipped into his sleeve, circled his body, and emerged from his collar.

By then, the ball had grown several times larger, wrapped in layer upon layer of cotton.

"That's an incredibly advanced prop." Zhang Laifu stared in amazement.

Lin Shaocong made several more clay balls and sent them rolling over Zhang Laifu again and again. Once he was sure no cotton remained, he warned him, "The knife in your hand is even more advanced. Remember, don't grip it too tightly."

He crawled to the door, fashioned a key from clay, slid it into the lock, and opened it without a sound.

He crawled out of the cell first. At the sight of the Room Watcher's back, he threw his dagger.

The dagger flew toward the Room Watcher. The clay, soft as it seemed, pierced straight through the Room Watcher's neck.

The Room Watcher fell without a sound.

Lin Shaocong looked at Zhang Laifu.

With his bad leg, he couldn't reach the next man. Zhang Laifu would have to do it.

Holding the dagger, Zhang Laifu crept out of the cell.

Lin Shaocong was worried. This fool probably had never killed anyone. He didn't know whether Zhang Laifu would have the nerve.

Zhang Laifu kept low as he moved along the narrow corridor. The other Room Watcher was asleep against a haystack by the wall.

Zhang Laifu aimed the dagger at the Room Watcher's neck.

Lin Shaocong's heart rose into his throat.

What if this fool can't bring himself to do it?

If I crawl over myself, I'll make noise. If the Room Watcher wakes up, we're in trouble.

But if he can't do it, I'll have to. There's no other way right now. If it comes to that...

Zhang Laifu laid the dagger against the Room Watcher's neck and drew it across.

He had no experience with this, and his stroke was too light. The dagger supplied the force itself, moving with his hand to cut through the Room Watcher's throat.

Warm blood sprayed across Zhang Laifu's face.

The Room Watcher opened his eyes, clutched his throat, and tried to stand.

Zhang Laifu kicked the Room Watcher in the chest.

The kick landed solidly. The Room Watcher tried to cough but couldn't. He struggled a few times, then went still.

Lin Shaocong beckoned to Zhang Laifu, signaling him to carry him.

Zhang Laifu stood where he was and didn't move for a long time.

Lin Shaocong grew anxious. He feared Zhang Laifu would suddenly run off and leave him there.

Zhang Laifu didn't run.

In truth, he didn't know where to run.

Beads of blood mingled with sweat and ran down his face.

This is just acting.

To put on a show, you had to get into character.

You absolutely had to.

Zhang Laifu walked over to Lin Shaocong, pointed at the blood on his face, and said, "These props are so realistic. They're even warm."

Lin Shaocong looked grave. "There are even more realistic ones outside. Whether you see heads or hands and feet, remember: they're all props."

Zhang Laifu hoisted Lin Shaocong onto his back and asked, "What's the name of the character you're playing?"

Lin Shaocong thought Zhang Laifu was testing him on purpose, so he made no attempt to hide it. "Old Song should have told you. My name's Lin Shaocong, and I make clay figurines."

"What's the name of the character Old Song plays?"

"His name's Song Yongchang. He fluffs cotton. He's probably an expert at the Mystic Game, or he might be a powerhouse who can hold the fort."

Fluffs cotton.

Zhang Laifu remembered that familiar sound. Bang-ding-ding-ding!

"What do 'expert at the Mystic Game' and 'powerhouse who can hold the fort' mean?" Zhang Laifu didn't quite understand.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand now. You will later!"

With Lin Shaocong on his back, Zhang Laifu reached the entrance to the Hostage House. Lin Shaocong took out two clay knives and killed the two sentries at the door.

A head landed by Zhang Laifu's feet. He nodded repeatedly. "Now that's a well-made prop. It looks just like the real thing!"

Lin Shaocong lowered his voice. "According to the script, there's a slope on the western mountain called Cripple Slope. It's so steep no one can walk it, so hardly anyone guards it. We'll go down the mountain that way."

Zhang Laifu asked, "If no one can walk down that slope, how are we supposed to get down?"

"That's just how the script sets it up. Why are you taking it so seriously? None of this is real."

Zhang Laifu looked at the head on the ground. "You're right. It's all fake."

Zhang Laifu carried Lin Shaocong along the mountain path. They hadn't gone far when a Runner stopped them.

Runners were another kind of bandit soldier in the stronghold. They were quick on their feet and knew the paths well, but they weren't much good in a fight. Most of the time, they delivered letters and messages and handled other errands.

"What are you doing?" The Runner didn't recognize Zhang Laifu, but he recognized the man on his back.

That's the Lin Family's third young master, the hostage Second Master brought back. How did he get carried out of the Hostage House?

Lin Shaocong grew a little nervous. This Runner had a loud voice and a quick mind, and his eyes stayed fixed on him.

Killing him wouldn't be hard. The danger was that he might raise the alarm.

Zhang Laifu remained calm. "Second Master told me to take him to Yu Qiasuan."

The Runner froze. Was Yu Qiasuan a name just anyone could use? Was this man close to Old Yu?

He looked Zhang Laifu up and down. "You mean Headman Yu? What do you need him for?"

Zhang Laifu glared. "Is that for you to ask?"

The Runner pressed his lips together. "Well, uh... it's dark, and the path is slippery. Take care."

Zhang Laifu started to walk on, but the Runner still felt something was wrong. "Do you know tonight's password?"

"I do!" Zhang Laifu nodded, pulled out a dagger, and slit the Runner's throat.

The Runner clutched his throat and stared at Zhang Laifu.

Zhang Laifu stabbed him again, this time in the forehead. The Runner fell to the ground and went still.

Lin Shaocong praised him. "Laifu, you're getting smoother at this."

"Acting takes practice." Zhang Laifu ran on with Lin Shaocong on his back. "Your performance just now wasn't very good. You need to get into character. You've got to carry the whole play in your heart!"

P.S. Our Laifu really knows how to get into character!

Thanks again to Silver Alliance member Xue'er Fan, and to alliance leaders Shala Gusi, You're Pinning My Hair, Qingdeng Zuirenge, Vegetarian Marine Iguana, Jiang Qingfeng, August Flying Eagle, Internet-Famous Dodo, Hanxu Shen, and Shanxiong Diting. With so many alliance leaders showing up, I'd feel bad if I didn't post extra chapters.

I don't dare post too fast while the book is still new, but I posted ten thousand characters today. Dear readers, please vote for Shala with your monthly tickets, talk to Shala, and leave a few more comments. Even one character or one punctuation mark would make Shala happy.