The next day, on the outskirts of Danyang City.
It was the eighth month. Warm autumn sunlight spilled over the imperial highway, a thousand sails gathered at the riverside harbor, and people from every walk of life hurried about the docks. Now and then, idle gossip could be heard:
"I heard there was a huge blaze of lightning last night, and a dragon fell into Purple Emblem Mountain. Even the authorities went searching..."
"Dragons are lustful by nature. If that's true, the female birds and beasts on Purple Emblem Mountain are in for trouble..."
With Coal Ball perched on his shoulder, Xie Jinhuan stood all alone on the dock, his eyes full of doubt about his very existence.
Afraid the female monster would catch him last night, he had fled the deep mountains overnight. After asking around, he learned that it really was the eighth year of Jingning. He had lost nearly three years!
Amnesia was no great problem. At worst, he could find a doctor to examine his head. It wasn't as though a man couldn't get by without a brain.
But his father, who had at least been something of an official, was missing. The servants and maids were missing too. Even his little white horse, which had already learned to move on its own, had vanished without a trace.
All he had left was one wretched, gluttonous, lazy bird, plus a wallet cleaner than his face.
He had tried paying with his good looks for the ferry ride just now, but the ferryman hadn't judged by appearances and only accepted payment by boat hook. He had been forced to help the old man pole the boat the whole way.
In previous years, Xie Jinhuan had at least been a young master. He hadn't enjoyed fabulous wealth, but he had only needed to stretch out his arms to be dressed and open his mouth to be fed. His sole concern in life had been that his house wasn't particularly large-where would he put his future three wives, four concubines, five lesser consorts, six secondary consorts, seven maids, eight bedmaids, and the dozen or so mistresses outside?
Now, never mind three wives and four concubines-he had to wait on the personal servant on his shoulder instead.
Coal Ball couldn't catch mice at all. If he dared not feed him, Coal Ball dared make him lose his last beloved companion-and by starving to death, no less. A truly ruthless bird!
What was he supposed to do next...?
Standing in the bleak autumn breeze, Xie Jinhuan quietly pondered where to go. While he was lost in thought, someone slapped his back:
"Brother, are you getting off or not?"
He looked back. The fellow villagers waiting to disembark were practically crushing the gangplank.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought."
Xie Jinhuan stepped aside, then asked the ferryman who had brought him over for free:
"Sir, could we work something out? I'll pole the boat to the Capital City myself and pay you double when we get there. My father, Xie Wen, used to be the Legal Clerk of Wanan County..."
The old ferryman tied the anchor rope to a wooden post, shook his head, and sighed:
"Ah, it's not that I won't help a young fellow like you. Something seems to have happened in town yesterday. All the boats crossing the river have been stopped, and naval patrols are out on the water. You can't get to Jingzhao Prefecture right now."
Xie Jinhuan gazed across the river. Sure enough, there were no boats coming or going. Puzzled, he asked:
"What happened?"
"Don't know. Probably some dangerous bandits causing trouble, and they're afraid they'll slip into Jingzhao Prefecture and disturb the important folk. Haven't you got any relatives or friends in Danyang? Stay with them for a few days. Once the boats are running again, I'll take you over."
Relatives or friends...
Xie Jinhuan thought back carefully. He remembered that a constable who had served under his father had been transferred to the Danyang county office. He had even seen his father off three years ago.
An old acquaintance who worked for the authorities might well know what his father had been doing over these three years.
"Sir, is Head Constable Yang Dabiao still serving in Danyang?"
As a ferryman, the old man inevitably received visits from the runners and knew the county office fairly well:
"He is. Just a few days ago, Lord Yang brought some runners to the docks to search for bandits. He's been promoted to deputy commandant now..."
The deputy commandant assisted the county commandant. Though it was an unranked post, to ordinary folk, it already counted as a high official.
Having located an acquaintance, Xie Jinhuan wasted no more time. He asked directions along the way and headed toward Danyang City...
Danyang City, Dongcang Ward.
Dongcang Ward was a storage district. Most of the businesses on its outer streets were escort agencies and carriage firms, while rows upon rows of warehouses filled the interior.
At noon, on an upper floor of a restaurant.
Danyang's county commandant, Yang Ting, puffed on a Tobacco Pipe as he surveyed the uneven jumble of buildings outside the window:
"You're certain there are Demon Bandits hiding in there?"
His son Yang Dabiao stood before him, at least six foot three, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, his chest like a Double-Opening refrigerator. Yet his expression was decidedly fawning as he held a firelighter to his father's pipe:
"There definitely are. According to the wonton shopkeeper, an unfamiliar face has been buying wontons every day lately-enough for three people. The keeper at Li Family Warehouse heard a dog barking at night, but when he opened the door, he couldn't find anyone..."
Beside them stood another figure, clad in ink-black qilin armor with a sword at his waist. Young but possessed of a cold, striking elegance, he was named Linghu Qingmo.
Linghu Qingmo was a disciple of Purple Emblem Mountain's current sect leader. She was presently gaining experience as a personal guard at the Prince's Manor, shared a sisterly friendship with Commandery Princess Changning, and held considerable standing. Hearing this, she interjected:
"Dongcang Ward is two li long and a li and a half wide, with complicated terrain. The moment officers show their faces, the Demon Bandits will flee. How do you intend to search?"
Yang Dabiao capped the firelighter and turned around:
"Call in a hundred or so men, seal every entrance to the warehouse district, then catch the turtles in the jar..."
Linghu Qingmo's slender brows drew together:
"Blood Baleful Qi shot into the heavens over Purple Emblem Mountain last night, as though a great monster had emerged. Of our three hundred soldiers, two hundred and eighty have already been sent out, and the constables from every office are patrolling outside too. You haven't even established who these criminals are. Where are you going to find a hundred men?"
Yang Ting sucked on his Tobacco Pipe and nodded. "If we make a huge fuss, summon over a hundred men, and end up catching three petty chicken thieves, Magistrate Zhang will strip this uniform right off your father's back."
Yang Dabiao knew how difficult it would be to get men; otherwise, he wouldn't have invited his own father and the Prince's Manor's living bodhisattva. He smiled ingratiatingly:
"Lord Linghu, you come from a Daoist sect. You should be able to detect sinister energy. Why not try a spell?"
Purple Emblem Mountain belonged to the Daoist Cinnabar Cauldron Sect, which cultivated both Daoist arts and martial skills. Its members could indeed use spells to exorcise evil, bind spirits, and suppress and slay monsters. But being Daoists, it all depended on their level of attainment.
Linghu Qingmo was currently gaining experience in a nominal post at the Prince's Manor and had not yet completed her training. If she could locate a faint, barely perceptible trace of sinister energy among thousands of buildings, what experience would she still need? She could go straight to the Capital City's Directorate of Celestial Observation and become an "immortal official."
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Notify me once you've confirmed traces of Demon Bandits, Lord Yang."
"Huh?"
With only a handful of followers, Yang Dabiao had no way to watch all of Dongcang Ward. Seeing the living bodhisattva about to leave, he hurriedly blocked his way with a fawning smile:
"Lord Linghu, we're neighbors, after all. How about calling Old Liu and the others over? With a dozen of us watching together, we could at least cover all four sides."
"Liu Qingzhi is serving in Her Highness's honor guard. If I call them over, will you take their place?"
"Uh..."
While the two were going back and forth, Yang Ting, who had been puffing on his Tobacco Pipe all along, suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked toward the outer street:
"Is that him?"
Linghu Qingmo returned to the window to look and saw a figure entering Dongcang Street.
The figure wore a white brocade robe, with two weapons hanging at his waist and a plump black eagle perched on his shoulder.
Though dressed like a wealthy young gentleman, his steps were steady and his torso solid as a rock. His martial skill was certainly not low. Moreover, he was alone, glancing left and right as he walked, his behavior somewhat suspicious.
Yang Dabiao studied him closely and found him vaguely familiar. After a moment's thought, he took a portrait from his sleeve to check.
The man in the portrait was thin, with a goatee and the dress of a wandering Daoist, roughly forty or fifty years old.
"No. The wonton shop saw a middle-aged man. But this fellow looks familiar. He might be another wanted criminal."
At this, Linghu Qingmo took a Thousand-Li Telescope from her waist, extended it, and looked closely.
The young man on the street did indeed behave suspiciously. After walking a short distance along the roadside, he suddenly turned his head left and right, as if he had heard someone calling, then ducked into an alley and disappeared.
"He probably really is an accomplice!"
Excited, Yang Dabiao leaned out and called downstairs:
"Still fucking loafing around? We've got work!"
Below, beside the building's wall, four resting constables hastily scrambled up, straightened their hats, and strapped on their sabers.
Seeing this, Linghu Qingmo slipped quietly out the window and made his way toward Dongcang Ward...
Danyang could not match the Capital City in size, but it lay close to the capital region and enjoyed convenient transport links. With over seven hundred thousand permanent residents, it was still quite prosperous overall.
As Xie Jinhuan passed through streets and markets, crowds were everywhere, and the aroma of food wafted from roadside shops. Several times, he discovered Coal Ball had disappeared while he was walking, only to look back and find him squatting outside someone's shop, beak open, begging for food.
Coal Ball could never be fed full, and Xie Jinhuan did not stop to waste time. He had just asked after Yang Dabiao at the county commandant's office and learned that he was patrolling around Dongcang Ward, so he had come looking.
Dongcang Street was lined mostly with carriage firms and escort agencies. All sorts mingled there, and noisy cries rose ceaselessly along the street:
"Buns..."
"Coal for sale..."
"Where are you headed, young master? Want to buy a horse to ride? A young mare just brought back from Fengzhou-good for riding and bearing foals..."
But there were no constables on the street.
Holding down Coal Ball, who wanted to watch the bustle again, Xie Jinhuan searched the street. Before he could find his acquaintance, he suddenly heard:
"Wait."
A charming, sultry mature woman's voice. It sounded like it belonged to an older woman with very large breasts.
Xie Jinhuan paused, then quickly looked left and right. But the street was filled with hawkers and laborers, and no one matched that voice.
"Coal Ball, did you hear a woman say 'wait' just now?"
"Chirp?"
Perched on his shoulder, Coal Ball looked around in some bewilderment.
Looks like he didn't hear it...
Was I hearing things?
Rather puzzled, Xie Jinhuan searched around before finally fixing his gaze on a bluestone alley beside the street.
The alley ran between rows of warehouses, so far that its end was almost invisible. Its walls stood twenty feet high, making it deep and secluded. At the farthest reach of his vision, he could see a figure pouring something into a sewage channel.
Though far away, Xie Jinhuan's eyesight was exceptional. He could make out a yellow hemp outfit and a felt hat, with no hair showing around its edges, like a bald laborer.
Yet even without conscious effort, the man kept one foot ahead of the other, maintaining a stance ready to dodge or respond at any moment. He was clearly someone accustomed to roaming the martial world...
A skilled fighter disguised as a laborer, skulking in a sparsely populated warehouse district...
Could he be a bandit?
Xie Jinhuan had come to find an acquaintance who worked for the authorities. Having spotted something unusual, he naturally ought to mention it while he was at it. He looked around but still found no officers, so he turned into the alley and headed in the direction where the yellow-clad figure had disappeared.
The bluestone alley was quite deep. He walked roughly half a li before reaching the spot where the man had dumped the stuff: some leftover noodles and broth.
Xie Jinhuan's ears twitched. He quietly turned into a side alley and came to a warehouse. Listening through the wall, he could hear voices inside:
"We've gathered enough dragon whisker grass, and there won't be much else to do. How about going out to celebrate tonight?"
"That corpse by the river a few days ago has already caught the authorities' attention. They're patrolling the whole city. Those above told us to keep a low profile..."
"It's not like we're going to cause trouble. I hear a few foreign girls have come to Flower Tower Street. Red hair, green eyes, tits bigger than their heads..."
"We'll talk once the work's done..."
Tits bigger than their heads...
Xie Jinhuan committed that crucial information to memory. Having confirmed that these were Demon Bandits lying low, he prepared to leave quietly and find a runner to report them.
But though Xie Jinhuan believed he had not let the slightest trace of his presence escape, something foul seemed to startle Coal Ball on his shoulder. With a sudden "Chirp?!" his feathers bristled, and he twisted his head around, searching everywhere, before flying up high in fright.
As the disturbance sounded, voices came from the warehouse:
"What was that?"
"Someone's outside..."
This is bad, Xie Jinhuan thought, immediately preparing to leap away and flee.
But at that very instant!
Boom-
Crash...
The bluestone wall thirty feet ahead burst open, and a figure shot out to land in the alley.
Behind him, the warehouse doors exploded in turn, revealing a flash of a blue-clad figure.
Someone even burst out onto the roof, landing on the upturned eaves...
Before you continue