After a fierce clash, Qiu Zhiheng, Qin Tianjiu, and the others drove off the mountain bandits.
Nearly half of the twenty-odd bandits were dead. Though beaten, they had not scattered in a rout; instead, they retreated in an orderly withdrawal.
Both Qiu Zhiheng and Luo Zhengnan harbored the same doubt: were these people truly just mountain bandits?
Their cultivation was far from low, every one of them was a scorpion cultivator, their combat coordination was seamless, and their discipline was sharp. Had they been anywhere else in Puluo Province rather than Santoucha, those twenty-odd men would have easily formed a gang of their own, becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, it was also possible that Santoucha's brutal environment had forced an ordinary band of bandits to hone such formidable combat prowess.
Qiu Zhiheng's attention was not entirely on the bandits. He was far more concerned with Qin Tianjiu's state. Of the eleven bandits slain, six had fallen by Chubby's hands.
Now that the fight was over, Chubby still bore a pair of scorpion pincers, silently staring down at the corpses beneath his feet.
A Food Cultivator using the technique of Devour All, Digest All could temporarily gain some of an opponent's abilities, but the duration Chubby had held onto them was by no means short.
Qiu Zhiheng knew the Food path well. Years ago, when Lu Dongliang had been bent on dealing with He Haiqin, Qiu Zhiheng had devoted immense effort to understanding Food Cultivators. Yet watching Chubby's performance today, he realized the path remained somewhat foreign to him.
Qiu Zhiheng cupped his hands to Luo Zhengnan. "Brother Luo, let us step aside to talk."
This was out of respect for Chubby.
After a vicious battle, leaving the field to a Food Cultivator to clean up was both an acknowledgment and a gesture of gratitude—but others ought not to watch from the sidelines.
Qiu Zhiheng meant well, but to his surprise, Chubby had no appetite for cleaning up the battlefield today. He simply was not hungry.
Dismissing the two scorpion pincers, he trotted over with a cheerful grin to join Qiu Zhiheng and Luo Zhengnan in conversation.
"Brother Luo, I heard you've come on Seventh Brother's business. What is it, really?"
Luo Zhengnan smiled. "Ninth Master, it is an urgent matter, but still one I cannot disclose. I've already explained the reasons to Master Qiu."
Qin Tianjiu frowned in displeasure. "There's no one else here, just me and Brother Qiu. You still won't give us an honest word?"
Qiu Zhiheng waved a hand. "Old Nine, don't press Brother Luo. We're bound for the Under-City this time. Brother Luo, are you familiar with the route?"
Luo Zhengnan sighed. "I went once over a decade ago. I've mostly forgotten the way."
Qiu Zhiheng considered it. "A friend came by the medicine firm earlier, saying he wanted to help. He knows the Under-City quite well. Why not come with us to the firm to see him?"
Luo Zhengnan shook his head. "No time for the firm. This is an urgent matter of the highest priority; I must set out immediately."
"How about this," Qiu Zhiheng said. "We'll start heading toward the Under-City with you, and send someone back to bring that friend along."
"Brother Qiu, I'll go," Qin Tianjiu offered. "I'll fetch that friend right away."
"Very well," Qiu Zhiheng agreed. Lately, Chubby had been eager to take on every errand that came up, though no one knew why he had suddenly grown so diligent.
Qin Tianjiu ran all the way back to the medicine firm. Passing a coal pile along the way, he seized a moment when no one was around and shoveled in a hundred-odd jin.
***
Luo Zhengnan still felt a touch uneasy. "Master Qiu, who exactly is this friend of yours?"
"His family name is Bai, called Bai Wusong."
Luo Zhengnan recognized the name. "From the Miaosheng Gramophone Shop—Ling Miaosheng's friend, isn't he?"
Qiu Zhiheng was genuinely impressed. Luo Zhengnan truly was Li Qi's right-hand man; even back when Qiu Zhiheng had served at Lu Dongliang's side, he had been no sharper.
"The man has a reputation for righteousness," Luo Zhengnan remarked. "I have indeed heard that he's had dealings with Santoucha in the past."
After the group had traveled several dozen li, Bai Wusong caught up with them alongside Qin Tianjiu. Taking the lead, he guided them along a shortcut straight toward the Under-City.
***
Li Banfeng sat on the bed inside the companion dwelling, looking at Hong Ying. "Yingying, what if I have Madam call me so I can get my bearings, find someone out here, and use Parting by Ten Thousand Li on them? Wouldn't that take me right back to her?"
Hong Ying raised a sober question: "Where are you going to find a person? Didn't you say there's not a soul on this sea? That you couldn't even find a single fish?"
Li Banfeng thought about it. "What if I do find a fish?"
Hong Ying shook her head. "Fish have hardly any sentience. On creatures without sentience, Parting by Ten Thousand Li rarely takes effect."
The glove chimed in from the side: "Could Master use Parting by Ten Thousand Li on me?"
Hong Ying shook her head again. "Magical treasures won't work either. Your souls aren't whole."
Li Banfeng pondered further. "What if I use a shadow? If I kick my own shadow, could I get back?"
Hong Ying reflected for a long while before shaking her head. "Seventh Master, I don't know how to use shadows. I can't guess on this."
Miss Nine offered her thoughts from nearby. "I don't think it would work, Ah Qi. When your shadow used Parting by Ten Thousand Li before, you lost your sense of direction as well. Are you and your shadow one person or two? If you're one person sharing a single consciousness divided in two, you shouldn't use Parting by Ten Thousand Li on it, or you'd just be using it on yourself. And if your shadow harbored any stray thoughts of its own, there's no telling where it might send you."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Why would my shadows harbor stray thoughts?"
Miss Nine arched an eyebrow. "Truly none at all?"
"They do!" Li Banfeng stopped smiling. "Those scoundrels plot against me every single day."
He climbed out of bed and stepped through the doorway.
The Judge's Brush, dangling the key, hovered quietly outside the door.
Li Banfeng took the key and patted the brush. "Brother, thank you for your trouble."
He waited a good while, but heard no answer, only deep, steady breathing.
What a skill—flying along and sleeping soundly all at once.
Ever since crossing the Boundary, Li Banfeng had been drifting in the sky for five whole days.
Throughout those five days, he had found nowhere to set foot. Lacking the stamina to fly nonstop, he would retreat into the companion dwelling to rest whenever exhaustion set in, leaving the projector and the Judge's Brush to take turns watching over the key.
He had plenty of flying treasures, but the Tang dao was unsteady in flight, the wine gourd lacked endurance, and the clock pendulum struggled to react to unexpected situations. The projector and the Judge's Brush were by far the best suited for rotating sentry duty.
Stowing the brush, Li Banfeng resumed his search.
There was still no word from Madam; Old Luo had likely not yet delivered the parts.
Old Luo wasn't to blame for the delay. Some components had to be procured from the Outer States, brought to Santoucha, and carried down into the Under-City—all of which took time.
After circling for several more hours, an utterly exhausted Li Banfeng returned to the dwelling and asked, "Old Master, any reaction yet?"
He had acquired an Inner States map from Chu Shaoqiang that would resonate the moment they entered the territory of the Inner States.
"No stir from the map," the old spirit sighed softly. "We cannot yet be considered within the Inner States."
"Then what is this place? The intermediate zone between Puluo Province and the Inner States?"
The old spirit couldn't say. It was nothing but an expanse of sea, an area about which he held no special memories.
After a bout of sleep, Li Banfeng ventured out again to scout. This time, he spotted firelight across the sea.
An illusion?
Sea fire?
He had seen plenty of lights on the waters over the past few days, most of them inexplicable.
This firelight felt different. Drawing on Myriad Flavors, Li Banfeng caught the faint trace of woodsmoke; activating Discerning Spiritual Sound, he even picked up snippets of melody.
He flew toward the light at once and beheld an island.
It was no mirage. As the island drew nearer, its hills and trees grew sharper. Li Banfeng quickened his pace, crossed the shoreline, and touched down amidst a mountain forest.
The moment his feet touched the earth, a wave of tingling numbness washed through him. He stood rooted in place for a solid quarter of an hour, unwilling to move even half a step.
Solid ground at last.
Once he had composed himself, he looked around. It was a peach orchard, the air rich with the sweet, heady fragrance of peaches.
The orchard was vast. Li Banfeng walked forward a short distance and saw a young man pruning peach trees.
The man had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with clean, handsome features. He wore a flowing robe of a cut unseen in the Outer States and rare even in Puluo Province, resembling the opera robes Old Yao once wore, yet seemingly even more magnificent.
As Li Banfeng approached, the young man plucked a white peach from a branch and handed it to him. "It's ripe. Have a taste."
Li Banfeng took the peach and studied the young man. "You recognize me?"
"I don't," the youth said, shaking his head. "A single peach isn't worth much anyway. Try it."
Li Banfeng took a bite. The flavor truly was extraordinary.
The skin was paper-thin and smooth.
The flesh was thick and plump.
It was intensely sweet and juicy, with a potent aroma—not just the scent of peach, but also a hint of rich oiliness.
"Orange!" Li Banfeng exclaimed from the bottom of his heart. It instantly reminded him of the orange grove in the newland and the old man who tended it.
The young man chuckled. "What an odd fellow you are. You're eating a peach—why call it an orange?"
Li Banfeng took two more bites and explained, "I have a friend whose oranges taste every bit as good as this peach."
The youth continued tending the trees. "There are no oranges to eat today. Getting hold of an orange really isn't easy around here."
Li Banfeng heard the music again, along with many voices singing along to the tune.
"Who's celebrating over there?"
The young man pointed toward the edge of the grove. "Today is the White Peach Assembly. Go have a look."
Li Banfeng finished the peach and buried the pit in the soil.
The man watched him and nodded repeatedly. "You're a good sort."
Seeing someone drop out of the sky had stirred no fear in the man, nor had he asked a single probing question. Such calm detachment was rarely seen.
Li Banfeng asked, "Is this your territory?"
The man snipped off a withered twig with his shears. "You could say that. My family name is Ling, given name Baitao."
"And what is this place called?"
Without pausing his work, Ling Baitao answered, "This is Baitao Island."
*Baitao Island!*
*So this is my very first stop in the Inner States!*
Yet looking at the man named Ling Baitao, he didn't resemble someone from the Inner States at all. His build fell far short of their massive proportions.
Perhaps having an externalized core allowed him to maintain a body like an ordinary person's, and the pruning shears in his hand were his actual steam engine.
Here in the Inner States, one had to tread with caution at every turn. Following the sound of music, Li Banfeng emerged into a clearing outside the orchard, where over a thousand men, women, and children sat in a wide circle, watching a troupe of maidens and young men dance.
Among those seated in the front row, some played flutes, others played the sheng, some plucked pipas, and others beat drums. Over a dozen instruments harmonized together, producing the melodies he had heard.
As for the dance itself: each maiden held a platter of white peaches, swaying her hips in rhythm. Peaches to the left, hips swinging right; peaches in front, hips arching back. The fruit in their hands and the curves below moved in playful harmony—a rustic dance, yet brimming with fiery passion and pleasing to the eye.
The young men danced with a bolder, more vigorous grace. During gentler passages of the music, they merely complemented the maidens, but as the song mounted toward its climax, they lifted the girls into the air.
Li Banfeng had high hopes for this part of the dance, only to watch the young men stand motionless as pillars while the maidens suspended in midair continued shaking their peaches.
Choreographed like that, it became rather monotonous.
Li Banfeng brought out the projector, intending to record the island's local customs, when Island Master Ling Baitao strode into the center of the crowd and called out to him, "Guest from afar, come join the dance!"
Spotting Li Banfeng straight away in such a crowd proved the island master possessed formidable cultivation.
At the island master's prompt, the young men and maidens joined in extending their warm invitation.
The maidens still held their peaches—presumably their external cores.
The young men were empty-handed. Where were their external cores kept?
Was there a misunderstanding here?
Li Banfeng waved his hands vigorously. "I don't dance. I just want to ask one thing: is this the Inner States?"
The moment the words "Inner States" left his mouth, every warm, welcoming face among the dancers abruptly darkened.
The maidens set down their peaches and drew daggers from their waists.
The young men lowered the girls and slid short blades from their boots.
An old man on the huqin jerked his bow across the strings, producing a piercing, grating shriek.
A middle-aged man on the suona trilled his tongue in a flurry of sharp, chattering notes. In an instant, all thousand-odd people present drew weapons and braced for battle.
Li Banfeng swept his gaze over the crowd, letting his eyes settle on Ling Baitao. "I only asked whether this was the Inner States."
Ling Baitao shook his head. "This is not the Inner States. This is Baitao Island of Baisun Commandery, Puluo Province."
*Baisun Commandery?*
Ma the Fifth had mentioned that place before, calling it one of Puluo Province's First Three Territories.
*I'm still in Puluo Province?*
Li Banfeng asked, "Then where is the entrance to the Inner States?"
The hostility from the crowd deepened. Ling Baitao asked, "You are no man of the Inner States. Why seek to go there?"
Li Banfeng did not answer directly. "Since you can tell I'm not from the Inner States, you should know I bear no ill will."
Cold jeers rippled through the onlookers. Ling Baitao shook his head. "There are plenty of folks from Puluo Province far more loathsome than anyone from the Inner States."
Li Banfeng nodded. "On that, I agree. I only want to find the way into the Inner States. Could you point me in the right direction?"
"Keep heading north," Ling Baitao replied. "You'll find where you wish to go."
Li Banfeng said no more; the atmosphere was hardly suited for further conversation. Leaving the clearing, he sought a secluded spot, took to the skies, and flew north for a full day and night.
*Baitao Island of Baisun Commandery... what a peculiar place.*
They were exceptionally touchy about the words "Inner States." Judging by their reaction, they possessed remarkable combat discipline.
They also harbored a near-fanatical reverence for peaches, which likely tied into the eccentricities of the First Three Territories—much like Kudaikan, Pillow City, Haichiling, and Sleepless Town.
Yet every other First Three Territory could be reached through ordinary routes in Puluo Province. Baisun Commandery's position seemed peculiar, almost as though it had been carved out beyond the province's recognized borders.
Ahead, another island came into view. Exhausted, Li Banfeng landed on its shores.
A rich, sweet scent drifted over him, striking him with an odd sense of familiarity.
*The scent of peaches again?*
Before him lay another peach orchard. Inside, a man was gathering peaches. He looked different from Ling Baitao—taller, sturdier—yet spoke in the very same manner: "Hungry? Have a peach?"
Li Banfeng looked at the peach in the man's hand. It wasn't a white peach; it was a yellow peach.
"How should I address you?"
"I am the master of this orchard," the man replied. "Ling Huangtao."
"What relation are you to Ling Baitao?"
"He is my elder brother."
Li Banfeng breathed a quiet sigh of relief; at least he hadn't circled back to the same island.
"Could you tell me how to reach the entrance to the Inner States?"
"What do you want in the Inner States?" Ling Huangtao's expression shifted, hardening with guard and hostility.
Li Banfeng offered no long explanation. "I'm only asking for directions."
Ling Huangtao pondered for a moment. "Follow me."
Li Banfeng followed him out of the orchard to a broad clearing beyond.
"Is this the entrance?"
"Hardly." Ling Huangtao shook his head and struck a great drum standing in the open space.
Amidst the rolling thrum of the drum, men, women, young, and old gathered together. The front row took up their instruments, plucking and blowing into a lively tune.
Li Banfeng asked, "Another White Peach Assembly?"
"Yellow peach! This is the Yellow Peach Assembly!" Ling Huangtao called out. "Friend from afar, come join the dance!"
Maidens and young men swarmed forward. Li Banfeng waved them off. "I am definitely not dancing. I only want to know where the entrance to the Inner States is!"
The moment "Inner States" was uttered, everyone grabbed weapons, encircling Li Banfeng once more.
Ling Huangtao looked at him coldly. "You refuse to dance, and you want to go to the Inner States. You are no friend of Huangtao Island."
"Friend or not, just point me the way!"
Ling Huangtao pointed north. "Head that way."
***
Bai Wusong led the group into the Under-City, arriving at the Mortal Market, where they stopped at a street-side eatery for a meal.
The proprietor, Chen Yongnian, recognized Bai Wusong and gaped in astonishment. "Master Bai, you've returned?"
Bai Wusong lowered his voice. "Just back to look around. Don't make a fuss. Prepare us some food; we have to get moving once we're done."
Chen Yongnian retrieved a menu from a wooden chest strapped to his back. The group ordered their dishes, and Chubby asked for two bowls of braised pork over rice.
Qiu Zhiheng asked, "Just two bowls? Is that enough to fill you up?"
Qin Tianjiu explained, "I ate plenty of dry rations on the road, so I'm not that hungry. Shopkeeper, where's your latrine?"
Chen Yongnian pointed toward the back. "The latrine is in the rear courtyard; you'll see it as soon as you step out. If you can wait a moment until the orders are in, I'll show you the way."
Qin Tianjiu waved him off. "Can't wait, it's urgent. I'll find it myself."
Reaching the backyard, Qin Tianjiu located a coal pile, crammed down fifty-odd jin of coal, and washed it down with a few gulps of cold water from a nearby cistern, rinsing the grit from his teeth and swallowing it all.
Returning to the table, he polished off both bowls of pork rice and let out a satisfied belch.
Qiu Zhiheng frowned in silence.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Bai Wusong went to settle the bill, but Chen Yongnian refused to take the money. "Master Bai, you come to my shop to eat—how could I possibly charge you? I still owe you from..."
Bai Wusong thrust the money into Chen Yongnian's hands. "Business is business. No need to bring up the past. Doing business down here isn't easy, so don't stand on ceremony with me."
"It's much easier to do business now; rents have been cut in half."
Bai Wusong was taken aback. "The Mortal Market has a new boss? The master grew a conscience?"
Chen Yongnian sighed. "Who knows what the master thinks, but the Mortal Market has indeed changed hands. Before Zhu Yugui left, he posted notices halving rent for every shop. The former headman, Nie Congyang, is running things here now. He declared that everything Master Gui promised would be honored to the letter."
Nie Congyang had originally been one of Zhu Yugui's headmen. Back then, he had used his mother's illness as an excuse to defy Zhu Yugui's orders, leaving the Qing Garden early, which made him one of the few survivors among Zhu Yugui's subordinates.
Bai Wusong nodded repeatedly. "Good, that's a fine thing. But you must still take this money."
As the two went back and forth, Chubby leaned in and asked, "Shopkeeper, why do you carry that wooden chest on your back wherever you go?"
Chen Yongnian chuckled. "The oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar are kept inside. Convenient to grab, convenient to use."
"Let me see what good things you've got in there." Chubby reached out to rummage through it.
Chen Yongnian grew frantic. "Honored guest, there's nothing of value in there, please don't..."
Qin Tianjiu slipped a stack of banknotes into the wooden chest. "Then I won't look. The money is paid. Let's go."
He had given extra, counting it as payment for the coal.
Chen Yongnian felt uncomfortable taking it and tried to push it back, but Qiu Zhiheng gave him a slight shake of the head, gesturing for him to take the money quickly and avoid making a scene.
Chen Yongnian understood, accepted the payment, and offered repeated thanks.
Outside the eatery, Qiu Zhiheng said to Bai Wusong, "Brother Bai, this is no place to linger. Let us hurry to the Sea Market."
After they had walked two streets, Luo Zhengnan murmured to Qiu Zhiheng, "Master Qiu, we're being shadowed."
Qiu Zhiheng hadn't sensed anyone following them, but Luo Zhengnan belonged to a specialized lineage whose perception was far keener than his own.
Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Kui Bafang, who gave a slight nod, confirming Luo Zhengnan's assessment.
Qin Tianjiu whispered, "I'll go take him out."
Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "We don't know their intentions; do not act rashly. Youtao, leave him something."
Youtao understood. Squatting down as if to tighten his shoelace, he casually dropped two silver dollars on the pavement.
Once Youtao moved on, the man tailing them spotted the silver dollars on the ground. He understood the message—underworld etiquette telling him to quit while he was ahead.
The man picked up the silver dollars, turned on his heel, and ducked into an alley. Before he had gone far, two burly men blocked his path.
The man froze. "I don't know you. What do you want?"
A woman in blue stepped out from behind the men, smiling faintly. "Do you know the people who just passed?"
"Which people?" The man looked utterly bewildered.
A woman in red approached as well. "Playing dumb, are we? We saw you pick up their silver dollars with our own eyes, and now you deny it?"
The man stammered, "I just found some loose change on the ground, I didn't..."
Before he could finish, one of the burly men stepped up and delivered a vicious slap. "Don't know pain, do you? Can't speak like a human, can you?"
With that single slap, the man collapsed motionless to the ground.
The burly man planted a kick into him. "Still playing dead, you bastard?"
The body on the ground convulsed, shrinking rapidly until it transformed into a copper coin.
Seeing the coin on the pavement, everyone turned white with dread.
The woman in red hissed, "Not good! That's the master's technique!"
The woman in blue looked pale as a sheet. "We've ruined the master's business."
The group exchanged horrified glances, completely at a loss. The burly man who had struck the blow burst into tears on the spot. "Eldest Sister, Second Sister, I was only following your orders when I..."
*Ding-a-ling—*
The coin on the ground righted itself onto its rim, spun a few times, and fell flat again. Three words had appeared upon its face: *Go to Qing Garden.*
The woman in red stared at the coin. "Sister, do we go?"
"We go!" the woman in blue nodded. "It was an honest mistake. The master shouldn't punish us too harshly."
***
The two women led their men to the twelfth floor of the Qing Garden Building and entered Zhu Yugui's former office. The moment the door opened, they saw a figure seated behind the desk, wearing a bamboo hat with strings of copper coins dangling from its rim.
Both women dropped to their knees to plead for forgiveness. "Our men lacked eyes to see and offended the master. We beg the master's punishment!"
Mister Kongfang chuckled. "Your men offended me? Weren't they simply following your orders? The wind hasn't even picked up, yet your rudder turns quite fast.
"I haven't returned to the city in quite some time, and many faces seem unfamiliar. Since you call me master, you are under my banner, yet I do not yet know you. Give me your names first."
The woman in blue answered, "I am Lan Qiao."
The woman in red answered, "I am Hong Jiao."
Mister Kongfang pondered for a moment. "The Jiaoqiao Horse-Toppling Battalion, also called the Scorpion Army. Tough in offense and defense, and venomous to boot. You were trained by Cai Junshan, sharing origins with the Sinless Army. How did you end up under my command?"
Lan Qiao bowed her head. "We handled a few matters improperly in the past, angering Chief Defense Commissioner Liao Zihui. He struck our unit from the roster, and Commissioner Cai disbanded us. Twenty-odd officers among us stayed together and sought refuge with Master Miao, begging him to take us in. We now work for Master Miao, which makes us your subordinates."
"Master Miao? You mean Bai Miaosheng?"
Bai Miaosheng was the overlord of the Earth Market.
Lan Qiao nodded.
Mister Kongfang took out a copper coin, rolling it across his fingertips. "Bai Miaosheng grows bolder by the day, taking in just about anyone. What did you do back then to offend Liao Zihui?"
Hong Jiao replied, "Master, we hail from Tiesunping, a harsh and bitter place. We picked up plenty of bad habits growing up. After joining the Defense Bureau, we pulled off some robberies and kidnappings, which reached Chief Commissioner Liao's ears."
Mister Kongfang pinched the coin and rolled it in a circle across the desk. "Just that?"
Lan Qiao added, "We also skimmed a bit off the military payroll allocated to us from above."
Mister Kongfang released the coin, letting it spin once more across the desk. "Just that?"
Hong Jiao confessed, "Sometimes we lacked restraint in our work, and killed people we shouldn't have killed."
With a flick of his finger, Mister Kongfang snapped the coin back into his palm and nodded. "Go find a place to rest for a while. Once Bai Miaosheng arrives, I have an assignment for you."
Several hours later, Bai Miaosheng, overlord of the Earth Market, arrived and summoned Lan Qiao and Hong Jiao into the room. "Master, these women acted out of line. I brought them to beg your pardon."
Mister Kongfang waved a hand. "That matter is behind us. I have an errand for you."
Bai Miaosheng said, "Is it to deal with Bai Wusong? Leave it to me. He and I hail from the same sect; I know him inside and out."
Mister Kongfang shook his head. "Not just Bai Wusong. There is also Tan Jinxiao—that scoundrel is no easy opponent either."
Bai Miaosheng offered a suggestion: "My grand-uncle has been in the Sea Market these past two days. He should be able to lend a hand."
"Your grand-uncle? Bai Gu'an?" Mister Kongfang mused. "Isn't he the inner sect master of the White Crane Gang? He came to the Under-City as well?"
Bai Miaosheng nodded. "He has some business in the Sea Market, and has been in talks there these past few days."
"Business? He has his eye on the Sea Market, doesn't he?" Mister Kongfang easily saw through Bai Gu'an's intentions.
Bai Miaosheng did not deny it. "Naturally, everything awaits the master's word."
"Very well!" Mister Kongfang agreed. "The matter of Bai Wusong is entrusted to your grand-uncle. Have him come see me shortly."
Bai Miaosheng was taken aback. "If Bai Wusong is left to him, what about Tan Jinxiao?"
"Go to Yuxiang Island," Mister Kongfang instructed. "Dissuade Tan Jinxiao, and ensure he cuts all ties with Li Qi. If persuasion fails, use force—but under no circumstances are you to kill him."
This was hardly the outcome Bai Miaosheng had wanted; he had no desire to wage a battle out at sea. "Master, that may prove difficult. Tan Jinxiao is not a man who listens to reason."
Mister Kongfang said, "Bai Wusong is no pushover either. And Qiu Zhiheng, that ruthless fellow beside him, will be far harder to deal with than Old Tan."
Bai Miaosheng still hesitated. "The problem is, if you forbid killing Tan Jinxiao, handling the matter becomes exceedingly tricky."
Mister Kongfang rubbed the coin between his fingers.
Bai Miaosheng showed no sign of nervousness, waiting quietly for Mister Kongfang's answer.
Mister Kongfang set the coin down on the desk. "I will give you a bit more leeway. The people around Tan Jinxiao—kill as many of them as you like. Just leave Tan Jinxiao alive. The man still has great utility."
"Tan Jinxiao's matter can be managed, but I have numerous businesses in the Mortal Market that will be left unattended while I am away. If I travel so far..." Bai Miaosheng continued bargaining, his words laced with subtle hints.
It seemed he wanted to recommend someone to take charge of the Mortal Market as well.
The Sea Market had just been promised to his grand-uncle, and now he wished to dip his fingers into the Mortal Market.
In all of the Under-City, Bai Miaosheng was the only one who dared bargain with Mister Kongfang like this.
He indeed held the leverage: of the three great overlords, two were dead, and Bai Miaosheng maintained deep ties with the Defense Bureau.
Mister Kongfang toyed with the coin in his hand and nodded. "Get the job done first. I won't mistreat you when it comes to the Mortal Market."
Bai Miaosheng voiced his agreement and set out with the Jiao and Qiao sisters.
Mister Kongfang waited in the office for a short while before Headman Nie Congyang entered. "Master, you sent for me?"
"I called you here to speak of the rents."
"Master, halving the rent in the Mortal Market was Master Gui's instruction. The notices are still posted in the streets. Where Master Gui went, I truly do not know; I could only carry out his orders..."
Mister Kongfang tapped the desk. "Young Nie, I never said you did wrong. For now, continue handling matters according to the old rules. Just ensure no trouble breaks out in the Mortal Market during this time."
Nie Congyang bowed repeatedly and backed out of the office.
A short while later, the inner sect master of the White Crane Gang—Bai Miaosheng's grand-uncle, Bai Gu'an—entered the room and bowed to Mister Kongfang. "Master, this old man has waited many days for you."
Mister Kongfang asked, "Bai Wusong is your martial nephew, is he not?"
Bai Gu'an nodded. "Indeed he is."
"He intends to deliver a shipment of goods to Li Qi. I do not wish for those goods to reach him. Intercept him and keep him from putting out to sea."
Bai Gu'an agreed on the spot. "Rest assured, Master. Leave this matter to me."
"If you succeed, the Sea Market shall be yours. Whether you use soft words or hard force is up to you. Even if you kill Bai Wusong, I will not hold it against you."
Bai Gu'an smiled. "Rest assured, Master, things won't need to go that far. The White Crane Gang values rules above all else. Bai Wusong's master is dead; he will certainly heed my words now. Should he dare utter a single word of defiance, I can strip him of his membership!"
Mister Kongfang nodded, indicating that Bai Gu'an could leave.
Once Bai Gu'an had gone, Mister Kongfang tapped the coin against the tabletop, murmuring to himself, "Li Qi, you've stirred up so much trouble for me; it's only right I borrow your hand to handle a few chores.
"When this is over, I will seek you out upon that ship. Let us see what tricks you have left."
***
On Pantao Island of Baisun Commandery, a troupe of maidens holding baskets of flat peaches swayed their hips, conducting the Pantao Assembly.
As the music reached its crescendo, the young men took the stage together. Li Banfeng stood among them, lifting a maiden and swaying along in rhythm.
He had no choice but to dance.
If he refused to dance along, Li Banfeng was certain he would never walk out of Baisun Commandery.
After swaying for over an hour, the Pantao Assembly finally drew to a close. Li Banfeng wiped away his sweat, ate a flat peach, and asked Island Master Ling Pantao, "Why do you constantly hold these peach assemblies? Simply because you love eating peaches?"
Ling Pantao shook his head. "We hold the Pantao Assembly because many more of our people have turned into peach trees."
As he spoke, Ling Pantao took a bite of his flat peach. "We are seeing off the warriors of Baisun Commandery."
Chapter 655