He Shengjun, chief guard of the Lin family, led a dozen of his men forward, pushing aside the bandits as he walked slowly toward Yuan Kuifeng.
Yuan Kuifeng asked him, "What was that you just said about getting wet?"
He Shengjun wore a smile. "Eldest Young Miss, I only meant that the waters here at the wharf run deep. I feared you might stumble into the river and soak yourself while wading through."
Yuan Kuifeng laughed. "A little water doesn't scare me. Besides, this old lady wants to see splashes today. If I don't haul something ashore on this trip, I won't be able to settle accounts back home."
He Shengjun signaled his men to draw their weapons. "If the splash grows too big, navigating the river won't be easy. Whose boat it is, let them pole it—can't we each go our own way? Do you truly have to come here looking for trouble?"
Yuan Kuifeng tapped the tip of her right foot against the ground, rolling her ankle. "Not trouble. A person!"
"This is the Lin family's domain. Coming here demanding someone like this—do you take this place for an unguarded threshold?" He Shengjun glanced left and right. Beside him, a noodle stall still had its stove burning, the broth rolling in the pot, while the stallkeeper crouched beneath the chopping block, not daring to twitch a muscle.
"The Lin family has plenty of watchdogs. I wonder how sharp your teeth really are." Yuan Kuifeng kicked off the ground and sprang into the air, spinning like a whirlwind as the tip of her foot drove straight toward He Shengjun.
If that kick landed, He Shengjun would have an extra hole in him; if she struck with lethal intent, that hole could be as wide as her entire body.
Yet He Shengjun never let it connect.
Snatching a porcelain plate from the nearby noodle stall, he flung it into the air, perfectly meeting the tip of Yuan Kuifeng's foot.
The plate spun left, then spun right, its speed constantly shifting. Yuan Kuifeng's toe stayed glued to the plate, twisting with it one moment and against it the next. After spinning for several moments, she lost her balance and crashed awkwardly to the ground.
A master technique of the plate spinners: Whirling Plate Strikes the Cup.
Among the three hundred and sixty trades—spanning food, clothing, shelter, transport, entertainment, farming, industry, rearing, medicine, and miscellaneous crafts—under the purview of entertainment lay the plate spinners, also known as plate jugglers, a branch of the acrobatic arts.
Performers of this craft were most adept at spinning plates atop thin rods, though some manipulated them with bare hands. He Shengjun was an artisan of this trade. Just now, he had unleashed their secret art, using a single plate to spin Yuan Kuifeng dizzy.
And that was merely half the technique. He had only deployed the Whirling Plate, not the Strike against the Cup; had he executed the second half, Yuan Kuifeng might well have lost her life.
Song Yongchang stepped forward and helped Yuan Kuifeng up, drawing a cotton-fluffing bow from behind his back with the other hand. "He Shengjun, you have some nerve laying hands on our young miss!"
He Shengjun scooped up an entire stack of plates from the noodle stall. "Old Song, take your young miss to the side, and you and I can have a proper bout."
Song Yongchang was by no means timid and moved to engage He Shengjun.
Brushing the dust from her clothes, Yuan Kuifeng smiled at He Shengjun. "Old He, your skill has grown. That fall took quite a toll on me."
He Shengjun promptly offered an apology. "It was my lack of restraint. The young miss was merely testing me, and I carelessly took it in earnest."
Yuan Kuifeng gave a slight laugh. "Fair enough, offering me a way out like that. Chief Guard He truly is a man of broad mind. We came today to look for your Third Young Master. A few days ago, he stirred up some trouble on our mountain."
He Shengjun frowned slightly. "Now that puzzles me. Our Third Young Master has trouble with his legs. How could he have climbed your mountain?"
Manager Hu chimed in from the side. "Not only are our Third Young Master's legs lame, but his head isn't right either. There's no way he could have gone up your Fangpai Mountain..."
*Smack!*
He Shengjun backhanded Manager Hu across the face. "Whose head isn't right?"
For Manager Hu to insult Lin Shaocong like that before such a crowd was something He Shengjun naturally would not tolerate.
Manager Hu fell silent, cowed.
He Shengjun looked back at Yuan Kuifeng and Song Yongchang. "Reason is plain enough, and today we must settle it clearly. Our young master has no trade and cannot walk properly. How could he have gone up your mountain to provoke you?"
Song Yongchang raised his cotton bow, pointing it at He Shengjun. "What kind of thing are you, a mere watchdog, that I should reason with you? Hand over Lin Shaocong right this second! He beat one of our brothers to death!"
He Shengjun spun a plate on the tip of his finger. "If reason won't do, neither of us needs to waste our breath! I've already sent word to the police station; the officers will be here shortly. The Lin family has dispatched plenty of men as well, and they're all on their way. Song Yongchang, mark my words here today! If you can drop me in a move or two, I'll take the loss. If you can't, not one of you leaves here today!"
Just as the two were about to clash, Yuan Kuifeng suddenly stepped between them. "Old Song, look at that temper of yours. We came to find a person, not to stir up trouble. Old He, our visit today was to apologize to the Third Young Master. There may have been a minor misunderstanding between him and Old Song before, but now that we've spoken plainly, the matter is behind us."
He Shengjun found it strange. What was Yuan Kuifeng playing at?
She had brought so many men that she had nearly overturned the wharf, and now she brushed it off as a misunderstanding, declaring it settled?
Lin Shaocong was equally perplexed. Not only was Yuan Kuifeng acting out of character, but Song Yongchang was too. The man was usually exceedingly cautious; why was he being so brazen today?
Not only was Old Song brazen, he was outright furious. Wisps of cotton fluff flew in all directions, already encircling He Shengjun.
This was no mere probe; Yuan Kuifeng could tell Old Song intended to kill.
He Shengjun showed no fear. A dozen plates shot into the air at once, their rapid spinning drawing the surrounding fluff into their vortex.
The two were already locked in combat when Yuan Kuifeng glanced at Song Yongchang. "Old Song, are you calling the shots today, or am I?"
Song Yongchang hurriedly lowered his bow. "I follow the young miss."
Yuan Kuifeng turned her gaze back to He Shengjun. "Chief Guard He, could you grant me another way out?"
He Shengjun caught and stowed his plates as well.
Yuan Kuifeng had a chest of silver dollars brought forward and handed over to He Shengjun. "This is a small token from our Hunlong Stronghold. Please pass it to the Third Young Master. What is past is past."
With that, Yuan Kuifeng led her men away.
Song Yongchang stood stunned for a moment, unable to fathom her intentions.
Before coming, Yuan Kuifeng had stated clearly that they had to find Lin Shaocong and provide an answer for the late Lao Liang. Why the sudden change of heart?
Could Yuan Kuilong have made other arrangements for this matter?
Song Yongchang dared not ask, and could only follow Yuan Kuifeng away from the wharf.
With the bandits gone, Manager Hu hurriedly had his men restore order and calm the passengers at the wharf.
He Shengjun walked straight to the ticket office and stepped into the inner room.
"Young Master, are you all right? Yuan Kuifeng looked like she meant trouble, so I went to summon help earlier. And this is..."
He Shengjun looked toward Zhang Laifu, who was still holding his clay knife.
"This is a friend of mine. We escaped down from Fangpai Mountain together."
He Shengjun clasped his hands in greeting. Zhang Laifu imitated the gesture and returned it.
"Dajun, wait outside for a moment. I have something to say to this friend."
Once He Shengjun stepped outside, Lin Shaocong asked Zhang Laifu, "Why aren't you going home?"
He meant to ask why Zhang Laifu wasn't returning to the Outer Prefecture.
Zhang Laifu shook his head. "I can't go back. The road I came on is gone."
Lin Shaocong had never been to the Outer Prefecture and had only heard occasional rumors about it.
Whether Zhang Laifu went to the Outer Prefecture did not particularly matter to Lin Shaocong, but he could not allow the man to wander around freely; he knew far too much.
"Where are you taking a boat to?"
"Miedaolin. To stay away from those bandits."
Seeing Zhang Laifu still wearing that filthy long gown, Lin Shaocong asked, "Do you have enough for travel expenses?"
"I borrowed a bit of money. Barely enough."
"Let me arrange it for you."
Lin Shaocong called He Shengjun back in. "Dajun, arrange a boat for my friend here to go to Miedaolin."
He Shengjun glanced at Zhang Laifu. "Brother, would you mind giving the young master and me a moment alone?"
Zhang Laifu stepped out of the ticket office. He Shengjun lowered his voice and said, "Young Master, arranging a boat now is probably too late. Hunlong Stronghold already has eyes on the waterways. Don't forget, they run water camps too, and they have lookouts planted right here at our wharf—otherwise, they never could have tracked you down so quickly. If you put this lad on a boat today, he won't even clear Baiwei Shoal before he's captured. When that happens, the mess will be enormous."
Lin Shaocong shared the concern that Zhang Laifu might not make it out of Heishakou. "How about this: you take some men and escort him to Miedaolin."
He Shengjun chuckled at the suggestion. "Young Master, if you were the one going to Miedaolin, it would make sense for me to follow. But what is he to us? Why should I escort him? If I go with him, who will protect you?"
Lin Shaocong pondered for a moment longer. "Then don't let him leave for now. Keep him here in Heishakou, give him some money, and find him a secluded place to stay."
He Shengjun shook his head repeatedly. "Giving him money won't solve anything. Once it's spent, he'll wander out into the open again. Young Master, listen to me—let's just do away with him!"
Chapter 19