A dozen Heavenly Strike Soldiers fired at once. Their Spine-Piercing Spears gave soft popping sounds, sending white and cyan balls of light at Li Qiang. He kept laughing strangely, his figure darting about so swiftly that their attacks had no effect at all. The Heavenly Strike Soldiers grew increasingly flustered, their attacks increasingly disorganized.
Li Qiang suddenly flashed behind the junior officer in command, wrapped his arms around him from behind, and laughed. "Be good. Let's go down together!"
The junior officer screamed in fright, but in the blink of an eye, he was already on the ground. Just as he was congratulating himself on not being smashed to death, his opponent did something else he had never expected: he stripped him clean from head to toe. All he could do was watch helplessly as his opponent flew back into the sky.
In no more time than it took to eat a meal, all fifteen men in the squad had been stripped stark naked, without exception.
Grinning, Li Qiang said, "Thank you for your weapons and equipment. I'm really terribly sorry. Next time you see me, would you please pretend you haven't? Hehe, otherwise, it won't be as simple as stealing a few weapons and suits of armor. I'll be taking lives." He spoke in the language of the Tanbang Continent, but his command of it was so poor that the Heavenly Strike Soldiers only half understood him. Even though they could not make out much, every one of them was frightened, and they all nodded frantically.
After robbing the Heavenly Strike Soldiers, Li Qiang discovered that he was actually in an excellent mood. He patted the junior officer's head and scattered their underclothes out of his bracelet. Not caring whether they understood him, he said cheerfully, "Oh, all right. I'll leave you a little dignity." Laughing loudly, he rose into the air and sailed away.
As he approached Fengnan City, Li Qiang noticed many Heavenly Strike Soldiers patrolling the area. He quietly landed and put away the Billowing Essence Battle Armor by the roadside, changed into the Western Continent merchant's clothes Tange had obtained, and ambled onto the main road.
The outfit made him feel like an Arab merchant. The long white robe trailed about most inconveniently, and the brimless round cap on his head looked even more ridiculous. Still, it restored a good deal of his playful spirit. Ever since entering the Black Prison, he had rarely felt this relaxed. This unplanned robbery of the Heavenly Strike Soldiers, with all its laughter and fooling around, had dispelled some of the gloom in his heart. It would prove enormously beneficial to his future cultivation; following his nature was his true character.
There were few travelers on the road. Li Qiang had thoroughly enjoyed flying, but walking on the ground left him feeling hampered at every turn. His white robe was so long that he repeatedly stepped on its front hem, stumbling again and again. A band of traveling merchants approached from behind, dressed much like him. Seeing his peculiar way of walking, they all turned to look at him curiously.
Their stares embarrassed Li Qiang considerably. In a moment of distraction, he stepped on his robe again and pitched forward, his body flying through the air. Several merchants cried out at once, "Oh! Watch out..."
Just before his body struck the ground, Li Qiang suddenly bounced up as though there were a spring beneath him, turned a backward somersault, and landed firmly on his feet. Those beside him who had shouted warnings gaped in astonishment. The move had been beautifully executed. An old man in the caravan stepped forward and asked, "Young fellow, are you from the Western Continent too?"
The merchants gathered around. Paben had once told Li Qiang that on the Tanbang Continent, merchants from the Western Continent looked out for one another, regardless of which country they came from. Li Qiang grinned. "Yes. I came here from the Western Continent for fun, but I got separated from my companions. I'm heading to the Grand Unification United Chamber of Commerce in Fengnan City."
The old man looked a little puzzled. "For fun?" Turning back to the others, he laughed. "In all my years, I've been to the Tanbang Continent six or seven times, and this is the first time I've heard of anyone crossing the deadly Sea of Wronged Souls for fun." His face was full of disbelief. He thought this young man was talking utter nonsense.
Li Qiang put on a foolish expression and nodded. "But my companions are all merchants. They brought me along for fun. Hehe..."
The old man shook his head. "Ah, how could your friends leave you behind? Young fellow, come with us. We're going to the Grand Alliance too. We'll be entering the city soon. Have you brought your merchant's token?"
"Merchant's token? Ah... oh, it's with my friend..." Li Qiang's mind worked quickly. He had no merchant's token at all. In such a good mood, he could not resist starting to fool around. Pretending to panic, he said, "Oh dear... oh dear, oh dear... I'm done for! My token's gone. What should I do... oh dear!"
Some of the merchants found his vacant expression amusing and burst out laughing, forgetting the astonishing agility he had just displayed. The old man stopped their laughter. "Enough, everyone. We're all from the same homeland. We should lend a hand when we can. What if the same thing happened to you one day?"
One merchant said, "Old Man Kabaji, what do you suggest, then? War is coming, and those soldiers are checking everyone very strictly. Without a merchant's token, he'll be arrested as a spy!"
Old Man Kabaji seemed very stubborn. "What's there to fear? Anyone can recognize a Westerner at a glance. Those soldiers just want to squeeze a little money out of us. Young fellow, come on. I'll take you to the Grand Alliance to find your friends." Li Qiang suddenly felt deeply touched. They had met as strangers drifting together by chance, yet Old Man Kabaji was willing to help a stranger like this. His spirits rose even further.
Li Qiang gave the customary Western Continent gesture of thanks and followed Old Man Kabaji along the road into the strong wind. To avoid tripping over his white robe again, he had to lift its front hem and proceed slowly. Had anyone looked closely at his feet, they would have discovered that he was moving just above the ground.
There were thirty or forty merchants in the group. They had probably already sold their goods, for each carried only a large traveling bag. All wore weapons, and they appeared to have banded together temporarily.
With war breaking out, they had gathered and headed for Fengnan City, planning to purchase goods needed on the Western Continent. Once the Wind of Fear subsided, they could cross the sea from Desperation Cape and return to the Western Continent. They had unanimously chosen Old Man Kabaji as their leader because he had the most experience.
Fengnan City was a partially underground trading city, a place where fish and dragons mingled. Trading houses and shops crowded its underground spaces, and all sorts of organizations had stationed people here. It was also a gathering place for many races. To the Bangqining Kingdom, it was a treasure basin, yielding enormous tax revenues every year. Fengnan City was one of the kingdom's most important trading cities.
Fengnan City had many entrances, originally guarded by tax officials. Over the past few days, they had all been replaced by regular troops of the Bangqining Kingdom, and security had tightened. The soldiers guarding the gates had been in high spirits these days. A day of inspections and extortion could earn them more than a year's military pay. Their officers were even happier, receiving astonishing shares every day.
The gate guards stood alert, staring fixedly at the road and hoping more caravans would arrive. Suddenly, one soldier shouted. Far away, a band of merchants could be seen approaching slowly along the road. The squad on duty quickly poured out through the gate and, under their captain's direction, formed ranks to "welcome" them. Every soldier's face brimmed with a happy smile.
"Halt! Identity inspection. Please produce your merchant's tokens!"
The merchants each took out a small black square token. A soldier held a round rod whose tip emitted a beam of cyan light. Under it, each merchant's token turned transparent yellow, revealing an image of its holder. After a while, the token turned black again.
One soldier cried, "Haha... Captain, this fellow has no merchant's token!" His voice rang with boundless delight.
Old Man Kabaji stepped forward. "Sir, this young fellow was separated from his caravan. His token is with his friend. If you don't believe him, you can send someone along to the Grand Alliance to check." As he spoke, he slipped three red money notes into the soldier's hand and added quietly, "The boy's a little simple. Please be lenient with him, sir."
Li Qiang almost laughed aloud at Old Man Kabaji's words. Playing along, he put on a foolish expression and merely grinned vacantly at the soldier. The squad captain came over and looked him up and down. Growing suspicious, he asked, "Boy, what happened to your face? Where did those scars come from?"
Old Man Kabaji hurriedly caught the captain's arm. Before he could speak, the captain shoved him aside and pointed his Spine-Piercing Spear at him. "Stand aside, old man." Then he lowered the spear and said, "Boy, I asked you a question. Speak!"
Li Qiang had not learned the Tanbang Continent's language very well. He could understand it, but speaking was another matter. The moment he opened his mouth, the soldiers burst into laughter.
Li Qiang stammered, "This... monster... ooh..." He even made a gesture to indicate that a monster had clawed him.
Although the captain believed him, he had other plans. "Arrest him. I suspect he's a spy. Oh, old man, come here. Doesn't he have friends at the Grand Alliance? Tell them to come here and vouch for him. Don't worry. We won't falsely accuse a merchant from the Western Continent."
The captain turned back to the others and said sternly, "Since this is wartime, every traveling merchant must support the country. We'll now collect the money. Two thousand per person."
The caravan erupted in discussion. This was outright robbery. Normally, they paid only ten to thirty, yet now the soldiers demanded two thousand.
Old Man Kabaji said helplessly, "Everyone, pay up." Then he quietly tried to reason with the captain. "Sir, please let this young fellow go. I'll pay his share. Ah, if his friends aren't at the Grand Alliance, holding him won't do you any good. You might as well..."
Li Qiang suddenly grinned cheekily. "Money? I've got some." He held a fistful of brightly colored money cards-black, red, and green. It was the money he had stolen from the Heavenly Strike Soldiers.
Every soldier's eyes reddened with greed. Even the merchants were startled. This simpleton had so much money!
"Hehe... heh heh... so you're collecting money... hehe, take it all..." Li Qiang flung the cards into the air.
Fengnan City was renowned as the city of wind, and even inside the gateway, the wind was strong. As the money cards scattered, the soldiers immediately fell into chaos. Forgetting the arrest, the captain hurriedly ordered them to pick up the money. Li Qiang quietly tugged Old Man Kabaji and gave him a meaningful look. Understanding at once, Old Man Kabaji led everyone swiftly into the city. Inwardly, he was astonished. This young man was no fool at all.
Had Li Qiang not been concerned about Old Man Kabaji, he might well have robbed these soldiers too. To keep the old man and his companions from being implicated, he could only resort to this grand money technique. Everyone seized the opportunity to crowd through and hurry into the city. When the captain had directed his soldiers to retrieve the last money card, he discovered that the merchants had long since vanished. Only then did he remember that he had not collected their two thousand apiece. He flew into a thunderous rage, cursing the soldiers without stopping.
Everyone was cheerful along the way, delighted to have saved two thousand, which would let them take more goods back to the Western Continent. Old Man Kabaji said, "The young fellow threw away all his money. What will he do when he sees his friends later? Shouldn't we pool some money to make it up to him? If he hadn't scattered his money, every one of us would have had to pay the full two thousand."
Some readily agreed. "Sure. I'll give five hundred."
Others said, "I don't have much. I'll give two hundred."
Old Man Kabaji collected their contributions one by one and added a thousand himself. Smiling, he handed the money to Li Qiang. "Young fellow, it isn't much, but it's a token of goodwill from all of us. Please don't disdain it."
Li Qiang did not care in the least about the money he had scattered, but seeing how readily everyone contributed money for him still moved him. From talking with Paben, he knew that Western Continent merchants risked crossing the sea to earn money, and many were buried in the Sea of Wronged Souls. One could say that the money they earned was bought with their lives.
Li Qiang wanted to keep playing the fool, but looking into Old Man Kabaji's sincere eyes, he simply could not continue. "Old man, I can't accept this money. I appreciate everyone's kindness. I'd like to be good friends with you all. My name is Li Qiang, and it's an honor to meet you."
The merchants did not understand the true meaning of Li Qiang's words "good friends," but his name was certainly very unusual.
Old Man Kabaji took Li Qiang's hand and pressed the money into it, smiling. "Among us Western Continent merchants, helping one another is an unwritten rule. Here on the Tanbang Continent, we're all strangers in a foreign land. If our own people won't help us, who can we count on? Take it!" Li Qiang accepted it silently, burying his gratitude deep in his heart.
They arrived at their lodgings, and Old Man Kabaji said, "Young fellow, I'll go with you to the Grand Alliance. Everyone, you can go shopping. A few of you should arrange a ship for the crossing. It would be best to charter one together with other caravans. The Wind of Fear won't subside for quite some time, but we should get everything ready first." Everyone agreed.
Li Qiang said, "Old man, I can go by myself. I'm sorry to have troubled you so much already."
Old Man Kabaji smiled. "Now that we're in Fengnan City, we have plenty of time. It's no trouble. I'll only feel at ease if I go with you."
The two stepped out onto the street. With war breaking out, wealthy merchants from across the country were pouring toward the rear. Fengnan City was an important destination, and its streets were bustling. Old Man Kabaji smiled. "I've never seen so many people here before. Young fellow, which country on the Western Continent are you from?"
Li Qiang paused, unsure how to answer. He no longer wanted to talk nonsense. He simply could not bring himself to lie again to such a plain, honest old man. Slowly, he said, "Old Man Kabaji, whether you believe me or not, I still have to tell you. I'm neither from the Tanbang Continent nor the Western Continent. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you... I came here from somewhere very far away."
Old Man Kabaji stopped and looked into Li Qiang's eyes. After a long while, he suddenly smiled. "I trust my judgment. Say no more. Come on, let's find your friends."
Old Man Kabaji did not know that the seed of kindness he had planted deep in Li Qiang's heart would have an enormous influence on the direction of his future cultivation.
The Grand Unification United Chamber of Commerce was a semi-official merchant association on the Tanbang Continent. "Semi-official" meant that in the Bangqining Kingdom, its affairs involved Bangqining officials, while in the Tante Kingdom, they involved Tante officials. A tacit understanding existed between them, and both countries recognized identification issued by the Grand Alliance. Only during wartime was this suspended, and registration had to be renewed.
They reached the entrance of the Grand Unification United Chamber of Commerce. It was a semicircular archway with a monster adorning its lintel. The creature had four eyes and eight claws, each clutching a different object. The whole decoration was cluttered with tiny details and had a vulgar air. Li Qiang laughed. "What sort of monster is that? Four eyes and eight claws-how strange."
Old Man Kabaji looked a little surprised. "Young fellow, that's a Beast of Wealth. It's a formidable sea monster from the Sea of Wronged Souls. It loves making its lair in sunken ships and guarding the valuables aboard. Although everyone fears it at sea, on land it's an auspicious creature. Merchant associations like carving it above their doors. Oh, let's hurry inside. There are too many people."
Many merchants streamed through the entrance. Li Qiang and Old Man Kabaji squeezed in with the crowd, passed through a short passage, and reached the main hall.
It was a large, sunken hall. Steps led down from the passage, and the crowd dispersed as soon as it emerged. On one side stood numerous raised square platforms, each just large enough to seat five or six people. Vendors carrying goods wove among them, hawking their wares.
Standing on the steps, Li Qiang searched for Tange and the others. Old Man Kabaji asked with concern, "Young fellow, have your friends arrived? Don't worry. Perhaps they're late. Let's sit in the rest area and have something to drink before looking again."
Li Qiang scanned the hall several times without spotting Tange's group. Helplessly, he said, "All right. Let's sit down."
They reached an empty platform. Old Man Kabaji beckoned a vendor over and bought a pile of food. Smiling, he said, "I haven't eaten in almost a day. Have some with me." The two sat down.
Old Man Kabaji handed Li Qiang a cup and placed a pink, egg-shaped object inside. "This is nangen juice. It tastes very good."
Li Qiang now knew how to use it. He knocked the cup against his palm and took a sip. It tasted sweet. Smiling, he asked, "Old man, which country on the Western Continent are you from? Could you give me your address? I'll visit you when I go there."
Old Man Kabaji laughed. "I'm always wandering abroad. It's been a long time since I went home. I'm from the Anqi Kingdom on the Western Continent. It's a small country near the Sea of Wronged Souls. Conditions are harsh, nothing like here on the Tanbang Continent. Almost everyone there is a merchant. We support our families by trading between the two continents." There was considerable helplessness in his voice.
As Li Qiang chatted with Old Man Kabaji, he kept watching his surroundings, afraid of missing Tange and the others.
A commotion reached them. Li Qiang felt a slight jolt of alarm. He recognized a familiar voice among the noise; it sounded like Nashan's booming shouts. He abruptly stood and looked toward the disturbance. The sound came from outside the entrance.
Everyone seated in the rest area stood up. Old Man Kabaji asked, "What happened?"
Li Qiang waved a hand and said quietly, "Old man, whatever happens, don't get involved. Go back at once. I'll come find you later."
Old Man Kabaji looked at him in bewilderment, not understanding why he would say this. "Young fellow... I..."
Li Qiang cut him off. "Old man, trust me. I mean you no harm." Old Man Kabaji nodded uneasily. With so many years of trading behind him, he had considerable experience. Hearing this, he fell silent and watched how things developed.
A group poured through the archway above the hall, each holding a strangely shaped long saber and keeping a tense watch. Li Qiang was astonished. Weren't these the warriors of the Ladu Kingdom delegation he had seen at the eatery last time? Incredibly, Tange, Kankanqi, Nashan, Zhao Zhi, and Paben were among them. Those five held Black Prison Spears and slowly backed toward the center of the hall, facing the archway.
Immediately afterward, a large force rushed through several doorways. Li Qiang relaxed slightly at the sight. They were not armed troops, but seemed to be hired thugs. Another group dressed as warriors followed them in, apparently also from the Western Continent. Their weapons were extremely strange, like peculiar creatures clamped around their hands, constantly wriggling.
Li Qiang noticed that ever since entering, Nashan had been swiveling his bald head about, looking left and right. Knowing he was searching for him, he could not resist transmitting his voice. "Stop looking. I'm right here in the hall."
From a distance, he saw Nashan jump, his expression both astonished and excited. Li Qiang transmitted again, "What are you jumping for? I'll come out in a moment. Carry on for now." He quietly moved closer to the group.
Nashan whispered excitedly to Tange and the others. Their spirits immediately soared, and their faces lit up.