"Many thanks for saving our lives, Benefactor!"
Water Monkey led the boy over, and the boy moved to kneel and kowtow, but Water Monkey caught him by the arm and stopped him.
Qin Sang glanced left and right, signaling Zheng Kun to stay alert, and led the children into the nearby woods.
Qin Sang looked the boy up and down. "What is your name? How old are you?"
"My name is Xiao Liuzi. I'm fifteen this year. I've had no father or mother since I was little—no name, no family."
"Have you had any schooling?"
"When I was begging, a schoolmaster let me stay overnight in his academy. I listened in on classes for three years. Then the master died, and I was thrown out."
"Are you all from the north?"
"Yes. There's a drought up north, so everyone fled south. Their parents died along the way, and I've been taking care of them as we begged for food."
"You're begging for food yourself. Why burden yourself with so many deadweights?"
"When the master took me in, he told me that saving a life earns a tier of merit, which helps you be reborn into a better life."
Qin Sang nodded, glanced outside the woods, and said, "Those men have left. You should leave too. Don't head north, lest you run into them again."
"Benefactor, please take us in!"
Xiao Liuzi dropped to his knees with a thud. Taking his lead, the other children knelt in a rustling rush, pleading in unison.
Qin Sang shook his head. "I can barely feed myself. What would I do with you?"
Xiao Liuzi remained kneeling, refusing to get up. "We can do anything! My sister can wash clothes and cook, and we can do hard labor. Benefactor, just give us a bite to eat, and we will obey your every command!"
Qin Sang chuckled. "If I tell you to kill someone, would you?"
Xiao Liuzi hesitated for a moment. "I would! My younger brothers and sisters lost their parents and were nearly boiled and eaten by people. If others can kill, so can I."
"How can you accumulate merit if you kill people?"
"Then I'll just save more people. As long as I save more than I kill, it counts as earning merit."
Qin Sang and Water Monkey exchanged a glance.
Water Monkey pulled Qin Sang aside. "Hall Master, do we really take them in?"
Qin Sang mused, "It's about time to start building an assassin pipeline..."
Without caring whether Water Monkey understood, Qin Sang walked back over and said to Xiao Liuzi, "If you want to follow me, you may, but first you must accept a dead man as your father. His name was Mute Wu, and his grave is in Zhenshui Commandery. I will take you there in the future. From now on, your name is Wu Chuanzong. You must burn joss paper for him every year and carry on the Wu family lineage. Are you willing?"
"I am willing!"
Xiao Liuzi was overjoyed. "From now on, my name is Wu Chuanzong! My father is Mute Wu! I have a name!"
The other children leaped with joy as well.
Qin Sang nodded slightly. Regardless of what Old Wu's real name had been, he had promised to find him a son; giving the boy the surname Wu meant he had kept his word.
"Zhang Wenkui, take these children and find a place to settle them. Rest briefly, then immediately inform General Mu of my decision."
"Yes, Hall Master!"
Just as Zhang Wenkui led them away, Zheng Kun came running over. "Hall Master, Liu Ji has left the city!"
Liu Ji's main ancestral line was a prominent local family with farmlands outside the county seat. After verifying each other's identities, Qin Sang and his companions washed up outside the city, changed out of their refugee attire, and disguised themselves as Liu family servants to slip through the gates. By then, dusk was falling.
Liu Ji had purchased an estate of his own and ran a business as a cover.
The group made their way quietly to the rear courtyard. After confirming they were not being followed, Liu Ji shut the double doors tightly and reported on the situation within the city to Qin Sang.
"Reporting to Hall Master Qin, I have investigated thoroughly. There are currently three men in charge of Hening County. The county magistrate is named Li Ji. He is merely twenty-one years old and quite capable; in less than two years since taking office, he has completely won over the people, and the county folk all call him Clear Sky Li. However, he is a trusted confidant of the Prefect of Jiang Prefecture. If nothing goes awry, once his three-year tenure is complete, he will be promoted to the prefecture or commandery administration. His prospects are boundless, so it will likely be impossible to persuade him to surrender. Since Hening is a small county with simple affairs, it has only a single registrar, surnamed Ma. He is slick and worldly, following Li Ji's every lead, so he warrants no special concern. Then there is a man named Chu Dazhuang. He is not an official, but he currently commands both the county bailiffs and the militia. If we wish to take the city, we must bring him down. We cannot afford the slightest carelessness..."
Qin Sang asked, puzzled, "This Chu Dazhuang isn't an official? How can he command obedience?"
Liu Ji said, "There are two reasons. First, he has a sister of exceptional beauty who was taken by Li Ji as a concubine. Second, he is a disciple of Xuanji Temple, having studied under the chief of Xuanji Temple's Arhat Hall and inherited the true teachings. His martial arts are formidable, and he is widely known throughout the martial world by the title of Reckless Monk. After his sister married Li Ji, Reckless Monk adopted a secular name and brought several of his fellow disciples to Hening County; even the local patrol inspector was beneath his notice. Now that Hening County's military forces have been redeployed and the patrol inspector has left, there is no one left to check him."
*So it's him!*
Qin Sang inwardly realized why Liu Ji wore such a grim expression.
Ever since joining the Blood Cloak Tower, Qin Sang had kept up with every matter in the martial world. Renowned figures across the realm were all registered on the Blood Cloak Tower's roster, and every person on that list was a top-tier expert.
His 'master,' Yang Zhen, was regarded by ordinary folk as a martial master, yet he lacked the qualifications to even make that roster.
This Reckless Monk, however, was different. Not only was he on the list, but he was ranked in the top tier; his martial prowess was likely not much inferior to Bai Jianglan's.
Yet what inspired the greatest dread was not Reckless Monk's martial arts, but his sect, Xuanji Temple.
In the martial world of the Great Sui, two places held illustrious renown: one was Yanlan Mountain Villa, and the other was Xuanji Temple. Known together as the two sacred lands of the martial world, they boasted countless masters.
Yanlan Mountain Villa stood on Mount Yanlan near the Imperial Capital, while Xuanji Temple's mountain gates were right here in Jiang Prefecture.
Rumor had it that both sects had Xiantian experts presiding over them, granting them a transcendent status such that even the imperial court treated them with great deference.
Qin Sang knew even more insider secrets: Xuanji Temple and Yanlan Mountain Villa were far more than mere martial sects. Many of the imperial palace's internal experts serving the false emperor's court hailed from these two sacred lands.
Even now, several Xuanji Temple masters served as close personal bodyguards beside the generals and commanders defending Duling County.
Reckless Monk hailed from the Arhat Hall of Xuanji Temple; with only the manpower the Blood Cloak Tower had stationed in Hening County, taking him down was far from guaranteed.
Ever since Prince Dongyang had raised his banners in rebellion, the main reason their campaign had gone so smoothly—conquering Yingnan Commandery in less than a year—was that Prince Dongyang was the emperor's full brother, sharing the late emperor's bloodline. This was no foreign invasion, so the imperial garrison commanders felt little compunction in surrendering once they saw the tide turning.
However, the Prefect of Jiang Prefecture was different. Back when Prince Dongyang was the crown prince, this prefect had been a lackey of the current emperor and had rendered meritorious service during the succession struggle. He would never surrender.
Since Li Ji was the prefect's confidant, any talk of convincing him to yield was completely out of the question.
Since taking the city by storm was unfeasible and inducing surrender impossible, Qin Sang asked Liu Ji what plans he had.
"I have two plans. One is to take Magistrate Li Ji hostage and use him to coerce Chu Dazhuang into opening the city gates. The other is poison: as long as we poison Chu Dazhuang to death, the general situation can be secured. However..."
Liu Ji stole a glance at Qin Sang. "Both plans require the right opportunity to ensure nothing goes wrong. Today, I learned that three nights from now, Li Ji intends to host a banquet for the county elders to discuss handling the refugee unrest and pacifying the local area. When the time comes, I can lead our men into the banquet in disguise and, amidst the chaos..."
Chapter 32