The Time Has Come

Yu Yunqiu stood upon the tower, quietly watching the bondservants make their way toward the Imperial City. Soon, these bondservants would be sent to the factories, delivered right into Tie Baisheng's hands. Not a few of them hailed from Yu Yunqiu's own household. Though he could not name them, he recognized the locks fastened to their bodies. "Ungrateful beasts, the lot of them! I have always been lenient with them. All of Xiaodu knows that my Yu family balances severity with grace, showing our bondservants the utmost benevolence. And to think this is the thanks I get!" Ao Shuangqian sighed. "Bondservants are born with that sort of blood. They only understand the sting of a lash on their backs—how could they ever know gratitude?" "And that spineless Tie Baisheng! Just to scrape a few leftover scraps from Li Qi's table, he has thrown away all the face of his ancestors!" Yu Yunqiu slammed his fist onto the low table. The craftsmanship was too solid; it did not break. Ao Shuangqian urged, "Brother Yu, the more critical the juncture, the cooler our heads must remain. Everything on my end is prepared." Yu Yunqiu nodded. "You have gone to great trouble, worthy brother." "What nonsense is that? Our two families advance and retreat as one, sharing honor and disgrace alike. This is nothing more than my duty." The corner of Yu Yunqiu's eye twitched slightly. "The great fish my family has raised for so many years ought to sharpen its teeth." *** Li Banfeng was busy assigning the bondservants. Over the past few days, he had sent them all to Tie Baisheng. But now Banchiling and five other dignitaries had burned their deeds of indenture, freeing their bondservants, and each of them had come to Li Banfeng asking for laborers. Now, the allocation required careful deliberation. The first to arrive naturally received more, but those who came later could not be treated too dismissively either. Ba Suan meticulously weighed the optimal solution, calculating the best number for every single household. Tie Baisheng's family alone had received over five thousand bondservants. He had secured a parcel of land from Li Banfeng and was preparing to build a new factory. Tie Baisheng was making a fortune, and others looked on with envy. The following morning, two scholar-officials came to the Imperial City to request workers from Li Banfeng. He had just finished assigning their hands when six men arrived before the Imperial City gates, seeking an audience with Prince Pingyuan. These six men bore a striking resemblance to one another, with high-bridged noses, pointed lips, perfectly round heads, and bright, clear eyes. Their voices were remarkably crisp. They were dressed identically in black cloaks, black trousers, and white shirts, looking very much like six swallows. "We are couriers from Chaoge, bearing an urgent dispatch for Your Highness." The leader of the swallow-men presented a letter to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng popped open the letter cylinder and unfurled the missive inside. It was from Qiao Yi. After reading it through from beginning to end, Li Banfeng's face darkened. "Did Qiao Yi write this with his own hand?" The swallow leader shook his head. "Your Highness, we are only tasked with delivering the letter. We dare not inquire about anything else." Li Banfeng gripped the cylinder, remaining silent for a long time. The swallow leader grew a bit frightened and asked gingerly, "Your Highness, do you have a reply?" Li Banfeng nodded. "There is a reply, but there is no need to write it down. Take word to Qiao Yi: tell him I will go to Chaoge to see him at once." The six swallow-men promptly took their leave. Once the hall was empty of others, the gramophone spoke up: "Darling husband, what happened? What made you so angry?" Li Banfeng's anger vanished in an instant. Handing the letter to the gramophone, he said, "Darling wife, take a look first." The gramophone read the letter and was likewise startled. The general gist was that Puluo Province had repeatedly provoked them, and the Shang State had reached the limit of its patience; they prepared to dispatch troops to subjugate Puluo Province within three days. "Did Qiao Yi truly write this himself?" Li Banfeng produced the covenant deed Qiao Yi had signed. "The handwriting matches, but something is wrong with this letter." The gramophone pondered for a moment and asked Li Banfeng, "What do you think, Husband?" Li Banfeng smiled. "Let me ask what my wife thinks first." The gramophone said, "This lowly servant feels that if you can't even afford clothes, you shouldn't be worrying about a hat; if you can't even afford trousers, you shouldn't be pining over socks. What do you think, Husband?" Li Banfeng hugged the gramophone. "Good wife. I knew you saw it just as your husband did." *** At midday, Li Banfeng went to Tie Baisheng's shipyard. "Old Tie, prepare a ship for me. I need to make a trip to Chaoge." Prince Pingyuan traveling to Chaoge was an affair of immense gravity, and Tie Baisheng dared not take it lightly. "What kind of ship would Your Highness like?" Li Banfeng replied, "I want the one that is easiest to pilot." "Easiest to pilot..." Tie Baisheng was caught off guard; the concept was somewhat difficult to grasp. Yet he was a clever man after all, and an understanding quickly dawned on him. If the prince wanted a ship that was effortless to navigate, it likely meant he did not want anyone else at the helm, wishing to keep his movements strictly secret. He led Li Banfeng to the dry dock, where a passenger vessel over twenty meters long with three deck levels was moored. "This ship is a bit on the smaller side, hardly befitting Your Highness's esteemed status. However, it is remarkably easy to pilot. Your Highness need only mark the destination on the map, and the ship will sail there on its own." Tie Baisheng brought Li Banfeng into the wheelhouse. There was no helm wheel and no gauges—only a glass map and a specialized marker. "Your Highness, I will mark Chaoge for you right now. If I mark it incorrectly, you need only wipe it off and redraw it." After marking the spot, Tie Baisheng pointed to a desk clock beside it. "Choose a departure time on this clock, and when the hour strikes, the ship will set off immediately." Li Banfeng stroked the map. "Is this ship safe?" "It can weather wind and waves, and it knows how to steer clear of submerged reefs. You may rest entirely assured." "Fine. Tow the ship to the harbor. I will depart tonight at eleven. Absolutely no one must learn of this." Tie Baisheng bowed in assent. *** When night fell, Tie Baisheng escorted Li Banfeng onto the ship alone. To tell the truth, Tie Baisheng was somewhat worried. From boarding the vessel to weighing anchor, Li Qi had not uttered a single word. Had something catastrophic occurred in Chaoge? Was it possible Li Qi might never return? If he did not come back, Tie Baisheng would be in dire straits. He had claimed the lion's share of the commercial spoils; Yu Yunqiu and Ao Shuangqian would never let him off the hook. Fortunately, tonight's departure had been kept thoroughly quiet. Neither the Yu family nor the Ao family would know that Li Qi had left Xiaodu. As long as Li Qi returned swiftly, the two families likely would not make a move. Still, one could never be too cautious. Tie Baisheng hurried back to his factory, gathering the scholars under his command to tighten their guard. *** Li Banfeng sat aboard the passenger ship. Not long after clearing the harbor, two sharks quietly fell in behind. Yu Yunqiu stood along the shore, listening to the echoes carried by the tide, a faint smile gracing his lips. "We have found the fellow. He certainly slipped away in absolute secrecy." Ao Shuangqian remarked with admiration, "No matter how secret he was, he could never escape Brother Yu's ears and eyes. It's just that I have heard Travel Cultivators possess techniques to ride the wind and harness the clouds. I feared he might take flight." Yu Yunqiu replied, "There is no need for worry, Brother Ao. The great fish of my household can fly. It's only that Tie Baisheng's ship is rather sturdy; I fear the great fish might not be able to capsize it." Ao Shuangqian chuckled. "Since you are giving your all, Brother Yu, how could I hold back in the slightest? The strongest combatant of the Ao family is already waiting beneath the waves for my command." *** Li Banfeng sat on the deck, his expression grave, uttering not a word. Just as Tie Baisheng had said, this passenger ship was extraordinarily swift, no slower than Tianyi City, and capable of reaching Chaoge in less than half a day. After sailing for more than two hours, a sudden squall whipped up across the waters, tossing the hull violently up and down. Inside the wheelhouse, the glass map rustled with faint vibrations, and the old desk clock chimed in a steady cadence. It was neither the top of the hour nor the half-hour. The clock chimed only because the storm-avoidance mechanism had been triggered. The ship was now actively steering away from the tempest. The glass map displayed the weather patterns of the surrounding waters, and guided by its charts, the vessel autonomously sought safer currents. The cabin doors swung open on their own, inviting Li Banfeng inside to take shelter. Li Banfeng remained seated on the deck, letting the waves crash against him, his demeanor entirely placid. After sailing a while longer, the wind and waves died down somewhat. The ship slowed, recalculating a fresh course. Far away on the shores of Xiaodu, Yu Yunqiu chuckled. "He took the bait." Ao Shuangqian said, "Do not be hasty, elder brother. Allow me to go first." Yu Yunqiu nodded. "Brother Ao, take utmost care with your strike. You must secure victory with a single blow." Ao Shuangqian closed his eyes and slapped the seawater with both hands, seemingly transmitting a signal. As Li Banfeng's ship surged forward, an enormous pincer suddenly broke the surface, clamping down around the vessel's waist. The passenger ship churned at full throttle, straining to tear itself free. Yet the pincer was lined with jagged serrations, biting into the hull and refusing to let go. "The ship is indeed quite tough." Ao Shuangqian slapped the water with increasing haste, and the immense pincer beneath the waves clamped down with mounting ferocity. Cracks spiderwebbed across the hull. The old desk clock chimed incessantly—a final warning to Li Banfeng that the vessel could hold out no longer. Li Banfeng remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged. *Crack-snap!* With a deafening crash, the hull snapped in two, and Li Banfeng plummeted into the sea. Ao Shuangqian grinned. "Brother, the ship has been snapped in half! Allow me to claim the first honor and dispose of this scoundrel as well!" Yu Yunqiu frowned slightly. "Worthy brother, do not be reckless." Submerged in the ocean, Li Banfeng caught sight of an enormous crayfish through the churning waves. He could not see the creature in its entirety; he could only estimate its immense proportions from the pincer and antennae protruding before his eyes. The resulting estimate was staggering: the creature exceeded the length of Li Banfeng's ship, easily twice or thrice its size. This crayfish possessed far more than a single pair of pincers. Beneath the massive claws were numerous smaller ones, and one of these smaller pincers seized Li Banfeng by the waist. The pincer squeezed with brutal force, drawing blood all over Li Banfeng. The moment his blood made contact with the crayfish's antennae, Ao Shuangqian suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. "Poison!" Ao Shuangqian gasped in shock. "Brother, something is wrong! Li Qi's body carries poison! The giant crayfish has been fatally afflicted!" "Worthy brother, order the giant crayfish to withdraw at once!" Yu Yunqiu wore a look of deep concern, but sneered inwardly. *Show off all you want, without even knowing your own weight.* Ao Shuangqian was still shouting warnings: "Brother, be careful! That scoundrel is utterly treacherous! God knows what means he used to conceal such venom, but it is terrifyingly potent! The giant crayfish cannot hold out—whatever you do, do not touch his body—" Before he could finish, a colossal fish charged straight toward Li Banfeng, swallowing him whole in a single gulp. Perceiving the scene through the crayfish's eyes, Ao Shuangqian could not fathom Yu Yunqiu's actions. "Brother Yu, I just told you that Li Qi carries lethal poison! Why did you still let your great fish swallow him?" Yu Yunqiu could not be bothered to explain. "Let us leave it to fate." He could sense the great fish's agony, but he knew the creature was tough enough to endure it. Ao Shuangqian warned once more, "Brother, Travel Cultivators possess countless maneuvers and tricks. Relying on this single move might not hold him!" Yu Yunqiu countered, "He may have ten thousand tricks, but the war fish of the Yu family has endured ten thousand trials! Let us see who outlasts whom." Ao Shuangqian felt uneasy, but Yu Yunqiu laughed aloud. "When my Yu family fought alongside our ancestors across the four quarters, this was the very battle method we employed! No matter how flashy his techniques, I need only a single strike to destroy him! Never mind him—even if the peddler were to land inside this fish's belly, he could never dream of clawing his way out!" With Yu Yunqiu so confident in victory, Ao Shuangqian could not press further. "Brother Yu, our next move is Tie Baisheng." Yu Yunqiu made his stance clear from the start: "This matter concerns the honor of Xiaodu, the heritage of our forebears, and even our very lives. Bondservant rebellions shake the foundations of the state; from time immemorial, they have demanded the harshest punishment! I shall lay it out plainly with you, Brother Ao: every runaway bondservant is guilty of the gravest crime and must be put to death without exception! As for Tie Baisheng and his ilk, their titles shall be stripped, their wealth confiscated, and they shall be demoted to commoners! "Once the matter is dealt with, we shall report it to Chaoge. No matter what Chaoge proclaims, neither of us can afford to go soft!" Ao Shuangqian said, "I will follow your lead, elder brother. However, there is one matter to discuss. Tie Baisheng has over five thousand bondservants in his hands—no small sum. As the saying goes, the supreme art of war is to outwit the enemy. When engaging rebels, we should pacify them first before resorting to arms. As for how to dispose of them afterward, Brother Yu shall have the final say." Yu Yunqiu nodded slightly and told Ao Shuangqian to rally his scholars without delay. *** Shun and Huan walked together toward the shipyard. As they reached the gates, Shun murmured softly, "Last night... you were wonderful..." Huan hissed in a furious whisper, "You dare say another word! If you breathe a syllable of this to anyone, you can forget about ever having it again!" Shun hung his head. "Then I won't say it. Today I want to work two extra hours to save up some coin, so we can rent a better place." Huan shook her head. "Don't work extra. When the shift ends, leave immediately. Where we live right now is plenty fine." Entering the shipyard, Shun ducked into the workshop and threw himself into his labor. Though he was merely an apprentice hand, he frequently approached the master craftsmen to learn the trade, and they were glad to teach him, gradually allowing him to operate some of the equipment. There were many like him, and Tie Baisheng had noticed them all. He referred to such workers as "key hands"—dependable apprentices who could shoulder real work, earning significantly more than ordinary laborers, with a clear path to becoming master craftsmen. By noon, Shun went to find Huan to eat out together. Reaching the doorway, Shun suddenly shuddered. He had spotted the banner he feared above all else. Emblazoned across a black flag was a massive fish with its jaws agape. It was the banner of the Yu family—his former master. Yu Yunqiu stood beneath the banner, leading over a thousand scholars as they marched toward the shipyard. Another black flag depicted a colossal crayfish. Ao Shuangqian strode beside Yu Yunqiu, accompanied by more than a thousand scholars of his own. Xiaodu possessed over ten thousand scholars in total. In ordinary times, these scholars affiliated themselves with various dignitaries; when war came, they formed the most dependable fighting force. Shun stood frozen in shock until Huan grabbed his arm. "Run!" The two dashed back inside and slammed the shipyard gates shut. A creeping worm carried the alarm to Tie Baisheng. He scrambled up to the top of the wall and shouted down, "Brother Yu, Brother Ao, what is the meaning of this?" Yu Yunqiu snapped back, "What kind of thing are you to dare call us brothers?" Ao Shuangqian sighed. "Old Tie, you took one false step and continued down the wrong path. For a few meager coins, you threw away the face and foundation of your ancestors!" Tie Baisheng was never one to back down from an argument. "I abide by the laws established by the City Lord! What wrong have I committed? If you two elder brothers feel I have done anything amiss, we can present our arguments before the City Lord! But to arrive in broad daylight bearing weapons—surely this is—" *Thwack!* A scholar under Yu Yunqiu hurled a stone, striking Tie Baisheng squarely on the forehead. One could not underestimate this stone. It was the Flying Stone Technique, this scholar's renowned specialty, delivered with bone-crushing force, pinpoint precision, and merciless power. Blood poured down Tie Baisheng's face as he tumbled from the wall, crashing to the ground unconscious. Yu Yunqiu immediately ordered the assault on the shipyard. Over two thousand scholars surged forward. The front rank operated an enormous siege carriage, slamming a massive battering ram against the factory gates. Tie Baisheng had scholars of his own, but only around two hundred. These two hundred scholars notched arrows and drew their bows, standing ready, yet not a single one made a move. Ordinarily, they relied on Tie Baisheng and were indeed bound to fight for him. Yet now Tie Baisheng lay on the ground, his life hanging in the balance. Was this battle still worth fighting? Amid their hesitation, a shrill whistle roared above the iron gates, and superheated steam erupted from within the barrier. The steam was blisteringly hot and fiercely pressurized—something even the people of the Inner States could hardly endure. The vanguard scholars recoiled in panic, and the siege carriage was forced to retreat. Tie Baisheng had long anticipated that this day might come. Knowing many dignitaries held a grudge against him, he had poured immense effort into his defenses. The iron gates were extraordinarily sturdy. After several impacts from the battering ram, only a single dent appeared, with no catastrophic breach, while the steam pipes ringing the gate continued to billow out scalding fog without pause. Yu Yunqiu was about to order another charge when Ao Shuangqian intervened. "Brother, it's not that we fear this iron gate. I simply feel we shouldn't throw away the lives of our scholars in a place like this." "What do you propose, Brother Ao?" "The last bondservant who slipped inside seemed to come from your household, Brother Yu. Perhaps he might be of some use." Yu Yunqiu gave a cold chuckle. "A dull-witted bondservant? What use could he possibly have?" Ao Shuangqian said, "It is precisely because he is dull-witted that he is of great use. Bondservants are like a heap of sand; move a single grain, and the rest will crumble away." Yu Yunqiu gave a slight nod, then turned to Gong, a bondservant beside him. "Do you recognize the one who just went inside?" Gong prostrated himself on the ground. "I do, Master. His name is Shun." Yu Yunqiu shouted toward the shipyard: "Shun! I know you have suffered grievances. I have come to take you home! Everything from the past is forgiven! "Shun, you belong to my Yu family. You are not like the rest of them. My Yu family protects its own; no matter how high the heavens fall, I will bear it for you! "Shun, open the gates! I will take you home!" Every eye turned toward Shun. Shun stood there, completely lost. Gong huddled behind Yu Yunqiu and screamed, "Shun! The master has been so good to us! Without him, how could we have lived to this day? A man must never forget his roots! Obey the master and open the gates right now!" Inside the shipyard, silence reigned. The pressure in the steam pipes was dwindling, the jet of vapor weakening noticeably. Several scholars declared they could withstand it. Yu Yunqiu waved his hand, signaling the siege carriage forward once more. The scholars rolled the carriage closer as Yu Yunqiu continued his shout: "Prince Pingyuan has gone to Chaoge to handle the crisis in Puluo Province! He is a man of Puluo Province; he will never return to Xiaodu! He doesn't give a damn whether you live or die!" The siege carriage reached the gate once more, and the ram struck. *Boom!* The heavy gates shuddered, each blow slamming like a hammer against everyone's chest. Yu Yunqiu called out, "Shun! We were master and servant, and I have not forgotten our bond! If you open the gates now, everyone inside will be spared! This barrier will not hold for long! If you persist in your folly, once the gates fall, not a single soul in this factory will be left alive!" Those words sent a collective shiver through everyone in the yard. An elderly shipwright looked at Shun and said softly, "Child, go open the gate. Lord Yu has held sway in Xiaodu for many years; I trust him." Several older bondservants chimed in: "Open it. Lord Yu wouldn't lie to you." "The City Lord has already run off—why are we still lingering here? If you don't open the gate, we'll all die!" "Shun, go open it! Don't bring ruin upon us all!" Shun dragged his feet, inching toward the entrance. A few scholars atop the wall pointed their arrows at him, putting on a half-hearted show, while the rest stood indifferent. None of them wanted to throw their lives away for this. Shun arrived before the gate. The latch wheel was right there on the iron slab. Two quick turns, and the gates would open. If he opened this gate, he would live. He would have the lock fastened around his neck again, return to the shed, and live there until the day he died. Yu Yunqiu yelled, "Shun, if you don't open it now, our bond is severed forever!" *Boom!* The iron gates split with a hairline fracture. Shun looked back at Huan. Huan kept her head lowered, silent. Behind Huan stood the old shipwright from whom Shun had been learning the craft. The old man had told him that in just one more year, he could become a master artisan. And there was Tie Baisheng lying on the ground, who had promised Shun a wage increase—this very month. With higher wages, Shun and Huan could rent a better place. *Snap!* Another crack tore through the gate. Just a few days of freedom, beautiful as a dream, so wonderful it hardly felt real. And now, it was about to shatter alongside these gates. Shun stared at the latch wheel. Outside, Gong bellowed, "Shun, you ungrateful animal! Why aren't you opening it? What are you waiting for?" Shun reached out and brushed his fingers against the wheel. Then he let go. He spun around and pressed his back hard against the iron gates. *Boom!* Shun's entire body violently trembled. He looked at Huan, at the shipyard, and at the coins spilling from his pocket. *Boom!* His vision swam with black spots. A single thought echoed through his mind: *Was all of this real?* *Boom!* *It was real.* *Hold on a little longer, and it will stay real.* *Boom!* *As long as the gate doesn't shatter, it remains real!* *Boom!* Shun stumbled and collapsed to the floor, his strength spent. Huan rushed forward, throwing her weight against the gate beside Shun. A dozen young bondservants charged up, straining with all their might against the iron barrier. More bondservants surged forward, pressing body against body, bracing the gates together. The elder bondservants were terrified. "What are you doing? What are you all trying to do?" *Boom!* A cluster of bondservants was knocked back by the impact, but even more threw themselves into the breach. More and more bondservants gathered before the entrance. They did not know how long they could hold out, nor how long the gate would endure. Yet as long as the gates did not shatter, they would keep bracing them. And if the gates did break, they would hold the line with their own flesh and blood. After a long time, they realized the gates had not given way, and the booming impacts had ceased. Why had the carriage stopped ramming? Had the battering ram snapped? The bondservants below could not see, but the scholars on the wall saw it with absolute clarity. The ram had not broken. The men driving the siege carriage were dead. Li Qi stood atop the high wall, tipping up the brim of his hat. He looked down at the bondservants and smiled. They understood. The time had come. The bondservants craned their necks to stare at Li Qi. *Is that... the City Lord?* *Didn't they say he went to Chaoge?* *Didn't they say he would never come back?* Li Qi turned around, facing outward toward the plain. His smile vanished, and he pulled the brim of his hat low. Looking down at Yu Yunqiu and Ao Shuangqian, he asked, "Gathering a mob to commit murder—do you know your crime?" Ao Shuangqian turned to look at Yu Yunqiu. It was only because Yu Yunqiu insisted Li Qi was inside the great fish's belly that he had dared lead his scholars out to fight. Li Banfeng asked again, "Harming the innocent and virtuous—do you know your crime?" Yu Yunqiu had no idea what was happening either. He was certain the great fish had swallowed Li Qi whole. Li Qi drew his Tang dao as he stood atop the wall. "Your sins are full to overflowing; your crimes admit no pardon. What more do you have to say?" Yu Yunqiu and Ao Shuangqian had plenty to say, but Li Qi gave them no chance. His wife swapped the record on the turntable, striking up a resounding battle anthem that echoed across all of Xiaodu. A swarm of shadows flitted through the four quarters. Wherever they passed, blood and flesh flew.