"Over here, over here."
A figure squatting before a streetside jewelry stall turned slightly and gave Ding Songyan a covert wave.
Ding Songyan halted in his tracks. Veering around a wooden railing, he browsed along stall after stall before finally squatting down beside the figure, pretending to pick out silver hairpins and wooden clasps for his sister.
From the corner of his eye, he cast a glance, momentarily hardly daring to believe the person beside him was Miss Xiaoqing.
She wore a plain cloth dress and a thorn hairpin, her hair coiled in a married woman's bun. Her features were ordinary, indistinguishable from any common passerby.
"Miss Xiaoqing?" Ding Songyan picked up a silver hairpin and probed in an undertone, examining it over and over.
"A disguise art," Xiaoqing replied in a breezy tone, her voice likewise barely audible.
Disguise arts in this world are that formidable? I really want to learn that too... Ding Songyan mused inwardly.
Xiaoqing pretended to browse. Taking advantage of the stallkeeper attending to other prospective customers, she continued in a low whisper, "I've been tailing you for a while, but I didn't see the pursuer you mentioned."
"He's already dead." Ding Songyan updated Miss Xiaoqing on the latest development.
"Uh..." Xiaoqing's eyes darted, gleaming faintly. "This business is quite... quite complicated."
She shifted the topic. "I only noticed Retained Expert Yu of Zhen Manor watching you from the shadows."
Mr. Yu, your tracking skills really aren't up to par. Ren Youyang's guard spotted you, and now Miss Xiaoqing spotted you too... Though full of worry, Ding Songyan could not help scoffing to himself.
Xiaoqing set down the silver hairpin with the crude beaded flower, her voice turning slightly solemn. "When you went to the Linjiang County yamen, Old Master Zhen was right in a private booth at a nearby tavern. Once you came out, he left without lingering, and the person shadowing you switched to another retained expert from Zhen Manor."
When I tried to report to the county yamen, Old Master Zhen was nearby? Ding Songyan felt a jolt of horror.
He quickly deduced:
Old Master Zhen wasn't certain beforehand whether Yan Changqing could make me "forget" about reporting the matter to the authorities, so he arrived in person, prepared to intervene. That shows how seriously he took it.
Once he confirmed that Yan Changqing had indeed tampered with me, his worries vanished, and he departed straight away.
Hmm. If Yan Changqing wasn't lying about being imprisoned, his martial arts and physical mobility were likely crippled long ago. The only things he could still influence were mental, psychological, or spiritual matters. That is something Old Master Zhen has no way to grasp directly; he can only guess, unable to judge with certainty.
Has Yan Changqing endured for so many years only to expose his hidden card to Old Master Zhen just like that?
He probably has other leverage to rely on...
If I were Old Master Zhen, I would probably think of this as well...
Deductions on these levels of thought are such a headache...
While mulling this over, Ding Songyan did not forget to thank his helper. "Miss Xiaoqing, your immense kindness is something I will never forget."
If push comes to shove, I could even work like a beast of burden for you, so long as you take my family away from Dingjiang Prefecture.
Xiaoqing gave a soft laugh. "Save the unforgettable gratitude. If you truly want to repay me, hurry up and relearn how to write properly. Practice more in your spare time! Every night I get a headache reading your simplified storybooks, and I've been too embarrassed to mention it! Act as you normally would later. I'll keep watching out for you."
She picked out a wooden clasp, pulled out a coin pouch, paid her coppers, and rose from the jewelry stall, once more melting into the bustling crowd.
Quite a convincing performance. For a second, I was really afraid you'd slap down a silver ingot for the vendor... Ding Songyan spent two-tenths of an ounce of silver on an everyday silver hairpin without beaded flowers, though reasonably fine in craftsmanship. He planned to give it to his sister tonight as a return gift for the fifty copper coins from earlier.
It was not that he failed to understand frugality. Rather, trapped in a peril-ridden game, he felt one should spend money when needed instead of dying with a pile of wealth left behind that might not even reach his family's hands.
Besides, with Miss Xiaoqing's generous tip earlier and Xu Chang'an's thank-you gift after, his coin pouch was fairly full at the moment.
Leaving the jewelry stall, Ding Songyan pieced together several matters with the help of the information Xiaoqing had provided.
Next, he intended to find an opportunity to test the strand of "qi" Yan Changqing had given him, verifying just how much it could achieve in terms of "harming enemies" and "preserving life." He could not afford to hoard it like a precious treasure, loath to spend even a bit; otherwise, if he reached a critical moment only to find the results fell short of expectations, he would be thoroughly doomed.
Understanding the situation was a necessary step in making a plan.
Moreover, this would help Ding Songyan verify two things:
First, as the "qi" was consumed, whether the degree and efficiency with which that "seed" in his mind erased crucial thoughts would decline;
Second, whether Yan Changqing still had the ability to replenish the "qi" for him, thereby granting insight into the man's hidden cards.
Furthermore, in Ding Songyan's view, Zhen Manor was an enemy, but Yan Changqing was one just as well. Squeezing every ounce he could out of Yan Changqing to gain a little more for himself would offer a better chance of survival later.
Besides testing the "qi," Ding Songyan had other matters in mind.
Returning to Chengyu Lane, he did not head home, but instead knocked on Xu Chang'an's door.
Seeing Second Brother Ding come looking for him, Xu Chang'an smiled in pleasant surprise. "I visited several martial arts schools today. Does Second Brother Ding want to hear what I found?"
Ding Songyan gave no answer. Pulling Xu Chang'an over to the well, he asked thoughtfully, "Do you know if the Xiaochuan Gang has any undercover agents left in the city?"
Over the past few days, the Xiaochuan Gang's overt presence had been completely uprooted by the Sishui Gang.
"No idea." Xu Chang'an shook his head blankly. "Second Brother Ding, why ask about that? If even the Sishui Gang can't dig up their hidden agents, how could I possibly know?"
"Then are there any factions or people who once had close ties with the Xiaochuan Gang and are still around today?" Ding Songyan pressed further.
As a thief dwelling at the lowest rung of the jianghu, Xu Chang'an was still privy to some gossip. "Master Liu of Shichi Martial Arts School. Chen Yuliang was killed on their grounds by Mr. Yu."
Ding Songyan nodded in satisfaction. Offering a brief word of thanks, he turned to leave Chengyu Lane.
"Second Brother Ding, where are you going?" Xu Chang'an hurried after him, asking curiously.
Ding Songyan glanced at him. "To visit Master Liu of Shichi Martial Arts School and see if I can get in touch with the Xiaochuan Gang."
"Aren't... aren't you with Zhen Manor?" Xu Chang'an was appalled.
Ding Songyan chuckled softly. "For a few years in the past, I firmly believed in a saying: 'There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies, only eternal interests.'"
Xu Chang'an chewed on those words, finding that they made quite a bit of sense. He remarked offhandedly, "You believed it in the past... so you stopped believing it later?"
"Later? Once you see more of the world, you realize that doesn't cover all people or all things." Ding Songyan looked straight ahead, the smile vanishing from his face.
Xu Chang'an turned worried instead. "Aren't... aren't you afraid Zhen Manor will act against you?"
He actually wants to turn enemies into friends with the Xiaochuan Gang!
"If you don't speak, I don't speak, and the Xiaochuan Gang doesn't speak, who would know?" Naturally, Ding Songyan was not going to tell Xu Chang'an that a retained expert from Zhen Manor was tailing right behind them.
One of his objectives was precisely to test whether he possessed a "get-out-of-death-free card"—one limited in time and scope.
Hearing Ding Songyan's counterquestion, Xu Chang'an lost his smile entirely, his face growing grim and pale.
Even so, he stayed by Ding Songyan's side, pointing out the way to Shichi Martial Arts School.
Under the gloomy sky, they circled past Duokang Temple and arrived at the main gate of Shichi Martial Arts School. Ding Songyan turned his head and smiled at Xu Chang'an. "You don't have to force yourself to go in with me."
"Second Brother Ding, back then you risked your neck to accompany me to the mass burial ground to search for my master. How could I... how could I abandon you today?" Xu Chang'an replied, his voice taut.
This kid really does have something of a master thief's spirit in him... I underestimated you before... Ding Songyan felt a flicker of surprise.
He smiled at Xu Chang'an. "Well said. Repaying kindness—it seems my high hopes for you to become a generation's master thief weren't misplaced. But I have other tasks for you later, so don't go inside. If you were truly to die in there, who else would I turn to for help?"
It was not Shichi Martial Arts School acting against Xu Chang'an that he feared, but the Zhen family.
If his deductions were correct, over the next few days, as long as he did not report to the authorities or test their bottom line, Zhen Manor would turn a blind eye no matter what he did. Xu Chang'an, however, carried no such importance. What if Zhen Manor chose to slaughter the chicken to warn the monkey, and picked him?
Xu Chang'an was already so frightened that his calves felt weak. Finding Ding Songyan's reasoning sound, he took the easy way out. After offering repeated assurances, he headed toward Duokang Temple, intending to wait there for Second Brother Ding.
Ding Songyan looked up at the horizontal plaque bearing the characters "Shichi Martial Arts School," scenes and images surfacing in his mind.
He flicked the hem of his robe behind him, placed his left hand behind his lower back, and strode inside at an unhurried pace.
In the open courtyard before the martial school's hall, many practitioners clad in tight-fitting martial attire were striking wooden dummies, hoisting stone locks, or sparring in twos and threes to test techniques.
Seeing a visitor arrive, one of the martial school disciples stepped forward to meet Ding Songyan.
Before the disciple could speak, Ding Songyan glanced around and said with a smile, "I am Ding Songyan of Zhen Manor, here to pay respects to Master Liu."
Even before his words had finished falling, the gaze of the approaching disciple froze solid.
Across the open courtyard, those striking wooden dummies halted mid-blow; those lifting stone locks froze in their stances; those sparring mid-move locked into place as their techniques stalled.
Everything seemed to freeze into a still painting.
A warm summer breeze wailed softly, carrying a palpable dampness. Overhead, dark clouds gathered as though a torrential downpour were imminent.
Only after a moment did the disciple facing Ding Songyan stammer out, "I... I'll go inform Master. Please... please wait a moment."
Ding Songyan gave a slight nod. Just like that, standing at the doorway with one hand clasped behind his back, he took in the martial school disciples in the courtyard with a faint smile.
One after another, those disciples drew back. Not a single person dared meet his gaze.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the disciple who had gone to report emerged from the front hall behind a young man, walking toward Ding Songyan.
Roughly eight feet tall, the young man had dark skin and a stout, burly build. At first glance his face looked older than his years, and only upon closer inspection could traces of youth be discerned. Rather than a martial artist, he looked entirely like a rustic farmer.
"Senior Brother Yang, that's him," the reporting disciple said, pointing at Ding Songyan with a slight tremor in his voice.
"Isn't this Ding Erlang, who tells stories outside Duokang Temple? How did you come to join Zhen Manor?" Senior Brother Yang scrutinized Ding Songyan, his tone even and posture composed.
Ding Songyan smiled. "I only joined yesterday."
Senior Brother Yang asked no further questions. Making an inviting gesture, he said, "My master is waiting for you at the martial grounds."
Smiling faintly, Ding Songyan kept one hand behind his back and followed Senior Brother Yang through halls and courtyards at an unhurried pace.
Chapter 29