On the bank of the Yellow River, a town called Kunyu was in a state of decay and dilapidation.
Half of the houses in the originally vast town had collapsed and some places had suffered from fires. The ash-black pillars had weathered the wind and rain and were still standing in ruins. More than ten years after the Jurchen people first went south, the flames of war, roving bandits, mountain bandits, refugees, famine, plague, corrupt officials … all of these things had left their mark on this place.
Only a small part of Kunyu's residential area remained. Due to its remote location, it was considered a good place to preserve some vitality in the Central Plains, where nine out of ten houses were empty. Although the roads were in disrepair, they could still pass large carts. Although the town had shrunk by more than half, inns, restaurants, and even brothels were still open in the core area.
In the past, many of the ferries on the bank of the Yellow River were controlled by the Jurchen and the fake Qi forces. The flow of water around Kunyu was slightly slower and it had once become one of the black crossings on the bank of the Yellow River. A few small boats and a few fearless boatmen supported the prosperity of the town.
During this period, there were several fights between the underworld, the expulsion of the army, and the looting of the mountain bandits. But in any case, the small town gradually survived this cycle. The number of residents in the town decreased during the war and gradually increased when the environment was better.
In the summer of the second year of Zhenxing, things were still relatively peaceful. However, because the situation in the world had eased, the ferries on the bank of the Yellow River were no longer under martial law. Therefore, the private ferry business in Kunyu was also affected and the business was much weaker than last year.
It was the flood season in May, so there were even fewer people crossing the river. On the third day of the New Year, there were not many customers in the restaurant in the town. The regular customers nearby sat at two tables in the lobby. The storyteller who had been staying here recently tidied up the tables and chairs and talked about the major events in the world in the past. Due to the small number of people, the middle-aged storyteller was somewhat listless.
Near noon, two figures walked along the road in the center of the town towards the entrance of the restaurant. The two figures were one big and one small, one fat and one thin. They were two monks in shabby monk robes. The fat monk was tall and looked like a Maitreya. He looked a little old and carried a bag on his back. The thin monk looked like a young acolyte of twelve or thirteen years of age.
Seeing this combination, Xiao Er's face showed a bit of annoyance. Monks had plenty to eat, but in such a chaotic time of war, who would have extra food to do good deeds? He carefully looked at the fat monk's back and saw that there was no weapon on it. He subconsciously stood at the door.
"Masters …"
Just as he spoke in a slightly harsh tone, the fat monk walked over and looked at the main hall of the restaurant. He smiled and said, "We don't beg for alms."
"We have money." The young novice monk took out a string of copper coins and raised it.
The waiter's expression immediately changed. "… Masters, please come in."
The two monks walked in. Following that, the novice monk asked, "Can we sit upstairs?"
"Of course." The waiter smiled and said, "But our manager recently hired a storyteller from the north with a large sum of money. You might be able to hear it more clearly in the lobby below. Of course, you can also hear it upstairs. After all, there aren't many people here today."
Kun Yu had a smuggling business. In the past, business was good, and there were many customers here. Moreover, the smugglers were generous when they drank and had fun. There was a row of tables and chairs on the second floor of the restaurant's lobby, leaning against the railing, for the customers to listen and watch from above. The young novice monk was obviously interested in the high seats. When he spoke, the fat monk also said, "Let's go upstairs." Naturally, the waiter didn't say anything more and accompanied the two upstairs with a smile.
After taking a seat, the fat monk asked about the menu for the day. Then, he generously ordered a few dishes of fish and meat. The waiter was a little surprised, but he naturally wouldn't refuse. After he finished ordering, he reminded him to bring three sets of bowls and chopsticks. It seemed that his companion was coming.
After the order was taken, the waiter left. The storyteller sitting in the lobby considered that there were guests, so he spoke a little louder. He talked about the Number One Martial Arts Tournament that happened in the southwest last year. The little monk leaned against the railing upstairs and listened with great interest.
After about fifteen minutes, another figure came in from outside. This time, it was a man of the pugilistic world with distinct features and a tall and sturdy build. He had a scar on his face and messy hair. Even though he looked travel-worn, he still looked like he wasn't someone to be trifled with. When this man entered the door, the little baldy upstairs waved his hand forcefully. He went up the stairs on his own. The little monk bowed to him and called out, "Senior Uncle." He also greeted the fat monk, "Senior Brother."
The three people who appeared here were naturally the world's number one, Lin Zongwu, his junior brother, 'Mad Tiger' Wang Nantuo, and the little monk Ping 'an.
During this period of time, Jin gradually became peaceful after the departure of Lady Zhenren. Lin Zongwu brought his disciple Ping 'an to live in seclusion for a period of time, mainly to strengthen Ping' an's martial arts foundation. Although actual combat could train one's adaptability, daily basic skills were equally important. After he brought Ping 'an out from his seclusion, he felt that Jin was gradually becoming boring. On the other hand, a storm was brewing in the south, and it seemed like something big was about to happen. It was the most suitable place for training, so he brought Ping' an all the way to the bank of the Yellow River.
These few years, he didn't care much about the affairs of the Mani Cult. The only person who knew about his schedule was Mad Tiger Wang Nantuo. When he found out that his senior brother and martial nephew were preparing to head south, Wang Nantuo wrote a letter and arranged to meet at Kun Yu.
The three of them sat down, and the waiter started to serve the dishes. The storyteller downstairs was still telling interesting stories about the southwest. Lin Zongwu and Wang Nantuo exchanged some pleasantries before asking, "How's the south?"
"Swords are drawn." Wang Nantuo smiled. "Liu Guangshi paid a huge price and obtained the first batch of military resources in the southwest. It's obvious that he wants to take the south of the Yellow River. Maybe Dai Mengwei is among them and wants a share. Bianliang's Chen Shiquan, Luoyang's Yin Zong, and Crouching Bull Mountain's Zou Xu have formed a group and are ready to fight. "
"Chen Shiquan and Yin Zong … shouldn't be able to defeat Liu Guangshi."
"Liu Guangshi has a strong army, but Zou Xu is a tough nut to crack at Bianliang. He's someone that Ning Liheng personally nurtured. Even though he betrayed Ning Liheng, he's very good at training troops. Luoyang and Bianliang are supporting him with all their strength, so the entire south of the Yellow River is dependent on the 40,000 people under Zou Xu … They have no choice. In the past, Yin Zong was the boss, but now, if Zou Xu doesn't play any tricks, Yin Zong and Chen Shiquan have to call him big brother. "
Lin Zongwu nodded. "Even if these 40,000 people are half as strong as the southwest black flags, I'm afraid Liu Guangshi will be nervous …"
"After getting the southwest's help, Liu Guangshi isn't that cowardly anymore. I've heard in private that that person from the southwest is also encouraging Liu Guangshi to fight. He even said that if he captured Zou Xu, he would return 20% of all his previous deals with the southwest. So Liu Guangshi wants Zou Xu's head, but if they really fight, things won't be so simple. That old fool Dai Mengwei is secretly colluding with Liu Guangshi to take over the Central Plains, but he hopes to mediate in the matter of Zou Xu, persuading Zou Xu, Yin Zong, and Chen Shiquan to surrender and form an alliance to resist the southwest. So it's hard to say how the fight will turn out now. "
Wang Nantuo paused. "But no matter what, they will definitely fight in the second half of the year."
Lin Zongwu nodded. After saying a few more words, more people came in from the hall downstairs. There were eight people in this group, and they were all people from the underworld with arrogant appearances. The person in the lead was dressed in luxurious clothes and held a long blade. He had triangular eyes and a sinister expression. It looked like he was a local member of Kunyu's underworld and was very familiar with the boss.
After the eight people came in, they looked around and saw that the first two tables were filled with locals. They waved their hands and raised their eyebrows in greeting. Only then did they see the three people upstairs. Two of the ruffians carrying blades walked up, probably to check if these three 'outsiders' were a threat. The triangular-eyed man in the lead had already sat down at the table closest to the storyteller and said, "Old Xia, say something exciting with women. Don't keep talking about the southwest or whatever."
"Hey, hey …" The storyteller hurriedly nodded and started telling stories about heroes and heroines, making the triangular-eyed man rather happy. The young monk upstairs pursed his lips and leaned back to the table to eat, feeling wronged.
The two ruffians walked to the side of the table and sized up the three people there. They might have wanted to find fault with them, but when they saw Wang Nantuo's fierce expression, they didn't dare to make a move. Seeing that the three of them really didn't have any conspicuous weapons, they swaggered around and gave a 'don't cause trouble' signal before turning around and leaving.
"How's Jiangnan?" Lin Zongwu asked Wang Nantuo with a smile.
"The Fairness Party is very powerful and is progressing at a tremendous pace. They already have over a million soldiers under their command." As Wang Nantuo spoke, he looked at Lin Zongwu and said, "Actually … I came here this time because it's related to the Fairness Party. I wanted to talk to Senior Brother about it."
"I knew you had something to say." Lin Zongwu smiled. "There's no need to hide anything between us. Speak."
"The leader of the Fairness Party is He Wen, but even though He Wen raised the banner of the southwest, he isn't actually a member of the Black Flag Party. Senior Brother, you should know about this."
"I've heard that his and Ning Yi's ideas are actually different. He said the same thing to the outside world."
"Since last year, He Wen raised the banner of the Fairness Party, saying that he wanted to distribute land, equalize the rich and the poor, get rid of the landlords and aristocrats, and make everyone equal. At first, it seemed a little crazy. At most, everyone could only think of Fang La's Yongle Dynasty. However, He Wen did learn a lot from the Ning Yi in the southwest. He grasped power in his hands and strictly enforced discipline. Everywhere the Fairness Party went, they would count the wealth of the rich and publicly interrogate them for their crimes. However, they were strictly forbidden from killing indiscriminately. In just a year, the Fairness Party swept through all of Jiangnan, from the surroundings of Lake Tai to Jiangning, to Zhenjiang, and then all the way up to Xuzhou. Most of Jiangnan now belongs to him. "
Lin Zongwu frowned slightly. "Tie Yan and Wu Qimei are just going to watch them cause such a ruckus?"
"The people of Lin 'an can't stop them. They sent out their troops three times, but they were defeated every time. Outsiders say that the people of the Fairness Party fight without any regard for their lives, comparable to the southwest. "
"Then what you want to say is …"
"The Fairness Party's momentum is enormous, mainly because the methods He Wen found in the southwest are useful. Although he beat up the rich, divided the land, and enticed them with benefits, at the same time he restricted the people, forbade indiscriminate killing, and enforced strict military law. These things do not give anyone face, but they actually made the troops under his command more and more capable on the battlefield. However, this matter has become so big that the Fairness Party also has various factions. Xu Zhaonan, one of the 'Five Tigers' under He Wen, used to be an altar master under us. "
"You want me to help him do things?" Lin Zongwu's face darkened.
"Senior Martial Brother, listen to me. Xu Zhaonan currently has nearly two hundred thousand troops under his command, but he has always placed his status as a member of the Mani Cult above all else. He has always treated the elders of the cult with the utmost respect. This person is skilled in training and commanding troops. There was a time when he talked about matters in the southwest. Back then, Zhou Dong had once combined everything he had learned and left behind a set of cooperation and combat methods for a small group of people on the battlefield for Ning Yi. Later on, Ning Yi combined this method and improved it, forming the elite scouts into the so-called special forces. They specialized in assassinating leaders and beheading generals on the battlefield, achieving great feats time and time again. "
Wang Nantuo said, "Senior Martial Brother, these so-called special forces are basically people of the underworld who are skilled in martial arts. However, in the past, people who were skilled in martial arts were usually proud and arrogant. The cooperation and combat methods were something that only people close to them would train frequently. "However, it's different now. With a great enemy in front of us, Xu Zhaonan has gathered many people to train such powerful troops. Because of this, he also told me that among the current teachers, only the cult master has a method that can be compared to Grandmaster Zhou's. He wants to invite you over to give him some pointers. "
When he said this, Little Monk Ping An, who had already finished his meal, stood up and said, "Master, Senior Uncle, I'm going down for a while." No one knew what he was going to do, but he carried his bowl and walked downstairs.
Wang Nantuo was trying to convince Lin Zongwu, so he continued, "Based on what I've seen in Jiangnan, He Wen and Ning Yi of the southwest might not be on good terms. In this world, the southwest's Black Flags are considered the most powerful, and the one with the greatest influence is Liu Guangshi. Among the few groups in the east, only the Fairness Party has been developing and its depth is unfathomable. I reckon that if the Black Flags were to leap out from the southwest one day, the Central Plains and Jiangnan might already be the Fairness Party's territory, and there might be a battle between them. "
"In the past, Senior Martial Brother stayed in the land of Jin, so it wasn't convenient for me to talk about this. However, since Senior Martial Brother wants to travel the world peacefully, I feel that there's no harm in taking a look at Xu Zhaonan … Hmm? What's Ping An doing? "
When he said this, he realized that something was wrong with the situation downstairs. Ping An was carrying his bowl and moving closer to the triangular-eyed boy who was listening to a book. The saberman beside the local bully had stood up and seemed to be talking to Ping An impatiently. Since Ping An was just a child, the atmosphere was definitely not relaxed, even though the crowd didn't feel as if they were facing a great enemy.
Lin Zongwu smiled. "When I walked here yesterday, I met a person crying by the side of the road. That person's property had been taken away and his family members were killed. He was also severely injured and on the verge of death. He was very pitiful, so Ping An ran over to ask …"
When he said this, Ping An, who was downstairs, staggered and fell from the shoving and shoving. Fresh blood spurted into the sky, and a broken tile slashed across the triangular-eyed boy's throat. Blood also spurted out from the thigh of the person who shoved Ping An. Before the crowd could react, the little monk lowered his body and rushed over two square tables from below.
"Ahhhhhh —"
"Catch him —"
"Boss —"
"Kill him, kill him —"
The voices below suddenly exploded.
"… After asking around, the one who did the good deed was obviously this person below. He said that he's a tyrant in Kun Yu called Geng Qiu. He usually bullies people and kills many. Then, I heard that he likes to come here to listen to books recently, so it's just on the way. "
The scene in the hall was a mess. The little monk used the tables and chairs as cover and knocked two people down. Some people picked up tables and chairs and smashed them, while others swung their sabers. In an instant, the room was filled with broken pieces and the smell of blood filled the air.
Wang Nantuo smiled and nodded. "So that's how it is … Looks like Ping An will be a good hero in the future."
"Whether he's a hero or not depends on him." Lin Zongwu sighed in the chaos of the fight. "Look at these people. They even said that Kun Yu lives in the underworld. There are three types of people in the underworld that we have to be wary of: women, the elderly, and children. They don't have any vigilance at all … Is Xu Zhaonan's character really reliable?"
"He's a man of action. Even though he's ambitious, I don't think he would dare to act recklessly in front of us."
"Oh well, if it's on the way to the south, I'll go take a look at him."
Wang Nantuo smiled. "Now that Senior Brother and Ping An have come out of the mountains, the martial world is going to be filled with trouble."
"Liu Watermelon wrote a poem back then," Lin Zongwu said. "The winds and clouds of the world originate from our generation. Once we enter the martial world, time flies. Grand ambitions are talked and laughed, but it's no better than a drunken life … We are already old, and the martial world from now on belongs to Ping An and his generation …"
"Liu Watermelon knows how to write poems?"
"I also feel that it's strange …"
Lin Zongwu stood up and took out a silver ingot from his bosom. He placed it on the table and tapped it lightly before heading downstairs with Wang Nantuo.
Ping An had already rushed out of the back door of the restaurant and was nowhere to be found.
The triangular-eyed man called Geng Qiu was sitting on the seat and had long since died. His followers in the restaurant were all injured, but there were also some who weren't. When they saw the fat monk and the fiendish Wang Nantuo, someone shouted and rushed over. This was probably Geng Qiu's trusted aide. Lin Zongwu smiled. "You have guts." He reached out to grab him, and the next moment, that person was sent flying. A hole was smashed through the gray wall beside him, and it was slowly collapsing.
Not far after the two of them left the restaurant, Ping An appeared out of nowhere and walked toward the pier with them.
*****
In the afternoon, they had already boarded the bumpy ferry and crossed the surging waters of the Yellow River, heading toward the south.
"Ping An." Lin Zongwu called the excited child over. "Are you very happy to help the weak?"
"Yes, yes." Ping An nodded repeatedly.
"Do you know that even though Geng Qiu has done evil deeds in Kun Yu, it's because of him that the people outside Kun Yu haven't attacked? Have you ever thought about what will happen to Kun Yu tomorrow after you killed him today? "
"What, what will happen …"
"The fighting will start tomorrow. Today, you only killed Geng Qiu and the few people he brought into the restaurant. You were merciful and didn't really kill them. But who knows how many times there will be fighting in Kun Yu, and who knows how many people will die. I estimate that dozens of people will definitely die, and the people who live in Kun Yu might also be dragged into it. Do you feel sad when you think about this? "
"But … but I'm doing a good deed. I … I killed Geng Qiu …"
"You killed Geng Qiu because you wanted to do a good deed. But Geng Qiu is dead, and dozens of people will die next. Even those innocent people, like the restaurant owner and the waiters today, they might also die. Is this really a good deed? Who is it good for? "
"Then … what should I do?" Ping An stood on the boat and turned her head to look at the distant shore of the Yellow River. "Why don't we go back … and save them …"
"Turn around and go back to Kun Yu. When the bad guys come, we can kill them and drive them away. That's not a bad idea. Then from today onwards, you will have to stay there and take care of the people in Kun Yu. Do you want to stay here forever?"
"Master, what are you trying to say? What should I do …" Ping An looked at Lin Zongwu. In the past, this master would always say things that were difficult for him to understand and think about. At this moment, Lin Zongwu smiled.
"Geng Qiu is dead, and there is no boss here, so there will be fighting. So last night, I paid a visit to the second most powerful local tyrant in Kun Yu. His name is Liang Qing. I told him that Geng Qiu will die this afternoon, and I told him to quickly take over Geng Qiu's territory. This way, Kun Yu will have a boss again. If the others are slow, there will be no fighting here, and there won't be too many deaths. Also, I helped him so much, and I took some silver from him as a reward. This is what you earned. Consider it our travel expenses on the trip south. "
He took off the bag on his back and threw it to Ping An. The little baldy reached out and hugged it. He was a little surprised, but then he smiled and said, "Master, you've already planned everything."
"Are you happy?"
"Yes."
"But in another two years, when you come back here, you can see if the boss here is still that Liang Qing. You will see that he is the same as Geng Qiu. He will continue to act like a tyrant here, and he will still bully people, destroy families, and kill people. Just like the pitiful man we saw yesterday. This poor man was harmed by Geng Qiu, and in the future, all the pitiful people will be harmed by Liang Qing. If that is the case, will you still be happy? "
The monk looked at the child. Ping An was confused, and then he felt wronged. "Master, I don't understand …"
"Everything has its laws, and it is like a dream," Lin Zongwu said. "Ping An, one day, you have to think clearly. What do you want? Do you want to kill a bad person and be happy? Or do you want everyone to have a good ending? Do you want to be happy? You are still young, and now you want to do good things. You feel happy, and you feel that there are only good things in your heart. Even after all these years in Jindi, you still feel that you are different from them. But one day, you will discover your sins, and you will discover your own evil. "
He pointed his finger at Ping An's small chest. "Right here, everyone has sins. Some are good, and some are bad. Good begets evil, and evil begets good. Wait until the day you see your sins clearly, then you will slowly know what it is that you really want … "
His gaze was solemn as he looked at the child. It was as if he was questioning and judging him. Ping An still did not understand these words. But after a while, Lin Zongwu laughed and patted his head.
"Think slowly, there is no rush." He said, "The future of Jianghu is yours."
The river flowed east, and the sky was bright and beautiful in May.
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