Constant Sincerity

Li Banfeng squatted by the mountain path for an entire day, plundering several cartloads of grain, livestock, fabrics, daily necessities, and more. While making off with a cart of sundries, Li Banfeng even took the time to exchange thoughts with the farmer he had just robbed: "Look at this vanishing cream. The quality is clearly subpar. I'm an expert in this line—the peddler is my junior brother!" Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying pushed the handcarts back and forth into the cave trip after trip, piling food, drink, and supplies until the cavern was brimming. The children ate until their bellies were round. Xiao Yeci retrieved a needle, thread, and a measuring tape from the pile of sundry goods to make clothes for them. These children had only the single outfit on their backs, covered in mud and filth from their escape. After hiding in the deep mountain forests for over a month, their clothes were full of holes—they had had no chance to mend them, nor any chance to wash them, leaving them looking utterly tattered. This was at least some decent work; the reason Li Banfeng had hauled back so much fabric was precisely to make garments for the children. After dinner, Li Banfeng asked each of the children about their origins. A child named Xiaosuo had been playing outside a courtyard when he met someone selling sweet medicinal lozenges. The seller told him business was good that day and gave him free sweets to help draw a crowd. After eating the sweets, Xiaosuo grew dizzy. The peddler told him to follow along, so he followed the man all the way into a carriage. Once inside the carriage, wanting to go home was no longer an option. If he dared to make a move, the peddler would beat him within an inch of his life. Several other children had remarkably similar experiences: some had run into a sugar-figure blower, some a peep-show exhibitor, and others a glove-puppet performer. These were all standard methods used by the Jiangxiang Gang to abduct children. Li Banfeng had heard of similar incidents in both the Outer States and Puluo Province. As for the remaining few children, they had been sent here by their own parents, which Li Banfeng found entirely incomprehensible. Their parents were outsiders who lacked the money to settle down in Jingde Village. Desperate, they pooled all their savings to send their children to Jingde Village, all so their young ones could receive the Sage's education and have a chance to get ahead in the world. "Do your parents never come to visit you?" The younger children kept silent. One older boy shouted, "My dad came once. I told him I wanted to go home, and he slapped me twice. I never saw him again." Children raised in this place grew accustomed to being tormented. Children abducted and brought here were forced to endure torment. What was one to make of these children whose parents willingly sent them here? While Li Banfeng was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Lu Chunying shout, "Mom, those little scoundrels are back trying to steal food again!" Li Banfeng stepped outside and saw over a dozen half-grown boys standing in the distance, facing off against Lu Chunying. A youth of thirteen or fourteen, holding a bamboo cane, shouted at Lu Chunying, "You're just an errand girl—we're not wasting our breath on you! Call whoever's in charge out here to talk!" Xiao Yeci stepped out of the cave. The youth cupped his hands toward Xiao Yeci. "Those who walk the rivers and lakes fly the banner of the Grandmaster and rely on brotherhood as heavy as mountains of gold! Eldest Sister, you're skilled at raking it in, and you feast on mountain and sea delicacies—spare a bowl of broth for your younger brothers!" The other boys behind him raised an unruly clamor. Both angry and exasperated, Xiao Yeci looked at the youths, momentarily at a loss for how to reply: "Auyo, you little brat, coming out here to steal food and talking back with such infuriating sass!" Li Banfeng walked out of the cave and gave a stern, earnest response: "Brothers of the fraternity, which road do you work?" The moment they saw Li Banfeng, the pack of youths shrank back, visibly intimidated. They had no idea what level of cultivation Li Banfeng possessed, but seeing a grown man naturally struck fear into their hearts. Summoning his courage, the lead youth replied, "We are disciples under the Seventh Master! If you've never heard of the Seventh Master, go ask around our parts!" The Seventh Master? Li Banfeng froze for a second, then considered the boy's accent and asked, "You're from Haichiling?" The youth nodded. "You've got sharp eyes, mister!" Li Banfeng said, "Give me your handle!" The boy thought hard for a good while before answering, "H-H-Horns..." Li Banfeng smiled. The boy had meant to say the 'Horn-Headed Handle.' "Your surname is Niu. Do you know Laobing Village?" Practically every household in Laobing Village was surnamed Niu. The boy nodded. "I'm from Laobing Village! My name is Niu Guangda!" "Do you know Niu Fuzhi?" "A true man of the Niu family, blessed with fortune and ambition—that's my uncle!" Li Banfeng smiled. How had this lad ended up here? "Were you kidnapped by human traffickers?" Niu Guangda shook his head. "My dad sent me here. He said I was to learn real abilities." Li Banfeng looked at the other boys. "Did these children come with you?" "They aren't from Laobing Village, but like me, they were sent by their parents to Jingxian Village." Jingxian Village—children who had fled from another village. Li Banfeng nodded. "Call all of your people over. There's food here!" Niu Guangda hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Mister, may I ask your honorable name?" Xiao Yeci tugged at Li Banfeng. "Benefactor, the rivers and lakes are perilous. You can't just share such things lightly with strangers, ya!" Share lightly with strangers? Do you even know my name? Xiao Yeci was no different from them; she had no idea what Li Banfeng was called either. Li Banfeng looked at Niu Guangda and said, "My surname is En, and my given name is Gong—Benefactor." His surname was En... Niu Guangda turned to the boys beside him. "Have any of you studied the Hundred Family Surnames? Is there an 'En' in there?" ... That night, Niu Guangda brought over a dozen youths to stay in the adjacent cave. Li Banfeng shared plenty of food with them, but he made the terms crystal clear. "This food and drink aren't free. Tomorrow, all of you will put in some work for me." Niu Guangda was a sensible lad. Straightening his back, he told Li Banfeng, "No reward without merit—we understand that much. Without you providing a bowl of food, Benefactor, even if we survived today, we'd starve to death tomorrow. Since you've given the order, we place our lives in your hands. Scale mountains of blades or plunge into seas of flames—we'll do whatever you say." Hearing this, Li Banfeng remained silent for a moment before saying, "There are two things I need to make clear to you. "First, your lives belong to yourselves. Do not hand them over to anyone. "Second, don't throw around promises about mountains of blades and seas of flames. Only do what lies within your ability. Do not cheapen your word, and do not cheapen yourselves. Do you understand?" Niu Guangda didn't quite grasp it. Li Banfeng put it as bluntly as possible: "Tomorrow, I'm going out to do some honest business. Have you ever done any highway robbery?" Niu Guangda didn't dare boast. Beside him, an energetic young man named Fang Lianfu looked at Li Banfeng with bright, spirited eyes. "Benefactor, highway robbery... we've actually thought about it before..." Niu Guangda kicked Fang Lianfu. Saying it like that made it sound as though they only had the guts to dream about it without daring to do a thing. "Benefactor, we can handle honest business! I'll take a few bold lads to follow you. You just need to guide us from the side." Li Banfeng shook his head. "You don't understand who should be robbed and who can be robbed. It won't be your turn to actually make a move. Find a few strong ones who can push carts, and wait on the hillside. Once I finish the real work, bring the goods back. If you can handle that much without dropping the ball, it'll be enough." The next day, Li Banfeng took the group to rob the mountain paths again. After three straight days of ambushes, word spread across dozens of neighboring villages. Most villagers dared not climb the mountain alone, yet the devotion meant for the Sage could not be broken. If devotion ceased, sincerity was severed; and without sincerity, what hope remained for seeking education? The villagers held discussions, and six villages joined together, sending out sixty able-bodied men to escort the villagers delivering grain up the mountain. The six villages built up tremendous momentum. The day before departure, the villages prepared banquets to send off the sixty sturdy men with wine and fanfare. On the day of departure, each of the six villages unfurled a great banner to lead the convoy. The six banners bore the names of their respective villages: Jingde, Jingxian, Musheng, Mingde, Sixian, and Huai'en. Standing behind the banners were six middle-aged men. These were individuals carefully selected from the villages, men who had seen the world, possessed sharp eyes for reading situations, and had experience in the rivers and lakes. Setting out, the sturdy men first shouted in unison: "He-wu!" Men of the greenwood called themselves the Laohe; this shout declared: "We are men of the rivers and lakes—those ahead of us, mind your manners!" The sixty men formed two columns, guarding the villagers who transported the grain and supplies in their midst. Approaching a bridge ahead, a middle-aged man standing in the front row shouted, "Suspended beam, move in haste, He-wu!" This call had two meanings: first, urging their own people to move quickly because an ambush might lie ahead; second, warning any ambushing bandits that they were experts who were already prepared. When they were about to ascend the mountain, they shouted again, "Ridge ahead, keep sharp watch, He-wu!" The meaning remained the same as before. After crossing a hill without incident, the villagers hauling grain sighed with admiration: "When braving the rivers and lakes, one truly must know the rules of the fraternity. Brute force alone will never do." The men with greenwood experience felt a swell of pride. Disciples of the Sage usually looked down upon their sort, but now, by putting their muscles to work for the Sage, they had earned some face for themselves. Ahead lay another mountain. The group rested briefly, then continued up the mountain path without letting their formation slacken in the slightest. Halfway up the trail, dozens of young, fair women suddenly descended from above. One sturdy man shouted loudly, "A sea of folk sliding down the ridge, keep sharp watch, He-wu!" This call meant: the other side has many people, take extra care! This was true greenwood conduct; they did not let their guard down simply because the newcomers were women. Several sturdy men instructed the villagers to clear the path and let the women pass first. The women came to a halt before the crowd, smiling, and refused to budge. The villagers from these settlements had received the Sage's edification, so naturally they would not fall for a honey trap. The leading sturdy man stepped forward and cupped his hands. "The Grandmaster bestows a bowl of rice; elder sisters dine across all under heaven, while this brother only scrapes by on a sliver. Elder sisters, leave a bite of rice for your brother!" The women did not leave; instead, they drew weapons. The sturdy man frowned. It seemed reason was useless today. "Elder sisters, must we spill blood today? If polite words won't do, then we'll cross whips! You ladies are veterans, but we aren't greenhorns either. When wheels meet heads, let each draw their weapons..." Thwack! A girl swung a cudgel and knocked the man flat on the ground. The dozens of girls behind her surged forward together, raising clubs and striking straight at their heads. These women were Li Banfeng's paper figures. Against cultivators, they couldn't be called strong fighters and could only serve as a distraction. Seeing such a massive formation from the other side today, Li Banfeng had assumed there would be at least a few cultivators among them. Who would have guessed they were all white lambs, through and through? The girls beat them for just over a minute, and the sixty sturdy men along with the entire crowd of villagers were sent fleeing in terror. Li Banfeng recalled all the paper figures, brought them back into the Portable Abode, and let them scatter to shreds on their own. Following Li Banfeng's orders, Niu Guangda led several youths up the mountain and confiscated dozens of cartloads of supplies. These villages had poured their fortunes into this, yet their goods still couldn't reach the summit. Surely they would give up this time, wouldn't they? Three days later, more than two hundred people arrived, escorting food and supplies up the mountain. This time, the escorts were not sturdy men, but elderly folk well over sixty years old. As the elders climbed the mountain, they shouted, "Heroes and champions of the greenwood! We are nothing but withered bones one step from the grave! If you have the heart to do it, rob our old hides!" Li Banfeng laughed out of sheer exasperation. Just how great a debt of gratitude did you people owe this Sage? What was the meaning of sending these old folks up the mountain? Looking at the crowd of elderly people, Li Banfeng sighed with emotion. "Fine then. Seeing as you're so advanced in years, this filial piety—I'll accept it on behalf of my son!"