Passing Fakes Off as Genuine

Early morning. The warm sun had just risen, and the fields were utterly still. At the moment the city gates opened, the carriage carrying Sun Yixie and the others had already passed out of Xuzhou and onto the official road. Lei Buji was still the one driving up front. He looked rather spry now—having spent the last two days eating well, lodging well, and resting well in jail, he had been even more at leisure than those on the outside. Inside the carriage, however, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai were already slumped asleep in all directions. The pair had not slept all night... After leaving Qiliu Youran in the small hours, they had immediately rushed to the yamen and gotten Lei Buji out of jail, then taken Lei Buji back to the inn to change and wash up, fed the horses and hitched the carriage, and checked out to be on their way. Plainly, they did not want to stay in Xuzhou even a moment longer—let alone a day or half a day. So... how exactly had Master Shu settled accounts with them a few hours earlier? In truth, nothing much had happened. After all the upheavals, Master Shu's original purpose had changed. He could forgo Gu Qiying's notebook; he could overlook the death of his “body double”; he did not even require Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai to immediately “settle the account”... In Master Shu's own words: “For now, I need nothing from you, nor do I want anything from you. But you two ‘friends’—I have already won you over. Remember what you ‘owe’ me.” Sun and Huang both understood the weight and intent behind those words... There was no doubt that Master Shu now regarded their futures as more “valuable” than Gu Qiying's notebook; when he later decided to “cash in” that value, the things he would have the Twin Xies do for him would surely be something even obtaining Gu Qiying's notebook could not accomplish—more important and more difficult. As matters stood, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai both felt... they really would have done better to simply copy part of Gu Qiying's notebook for him earlier. Of all debts in this world, all are easy to repay except a debt of favor. Master Shu was a man who thoroughly understood this principle; over the years, through such mutual “help” among “friends,” he had planted countless pieces across the jianghu and officialdom... pieces that could be deployed at critical moments. Just think of Miss Xue'er's father, “Ghost Constable”—how formidable a figure he had been back then. Yet because he owed Master Shu a debt of favor, what did he come to in the end? Even after death, calamity struck his family... To put it plainly, until that debt was repaid, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai would not have a single day's peace. And considering that Master Shu was more likely than not brewing some major scheme, when they did repay this favor in the future, there would likely be “difficulties” involved. Therefore, their plan last night had not actually been wrong; the final, once-and-for-all solution to this matter remained only one path: “kill Master Shu.” But now was not the time. In truth, the Twin Xies currently lacked the strength to accomplish it. In martial skill, in power and influence, and in all manner of hard and hidden resources... they could not compare with Master Shu. Unless Master Shu suddenly, like Gu Qiying and Shen Youran, openly rose against the entire Martial world and the imperial court, and they—calculating against his unpreparedness—set their trap in advance and landed a fatal blow... otherwise, they had no chance of victory. In summary, at this stage, there was no problem between Master Shu and the Twin Xies; if there was a problem, it was merely a “misunderstanding.” ………… With more to tell, the tale grows long; with less, it stays short. That day, the three spent most of their time on the road, and nothing much happened. Sun and Huang slept until noon and then got up, and on the way they told Lei Buji what had happened over the past two days. Of course, they did not tell the whole truth. They deliberately omitted all of the parts about Master Shu. First they told the story of Xue'er and Shui Sheng, then they said Zhu Jiaduan had let the matter go after discovering that Zheng Mukai had deserved death, and then they said the “brothel owner” had felt Shui Sheng and Xue'er were pitiful and let them go. They did not mention Xue'er disfiguring her own face. In any case, Lei Buji was easy to fool and would not nitpick details. Whatever his two big brothers said, he believed, and so the matter was glossed over. Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai not telling Lei Buji about Master Shu was undoubtedly for his own good. If they had told him the whole story of the past two days, with Lei Buji's personality, he would surely have felt that Sun and Huang owed Master Shu a debt of favor because of him, and he would have dragged himself into it as well. The three chatted as they traveled, and around the hour of Shen, they happened to reach a place called Liu Village. Seeing that it was getting late and that they might not make it to the next post station if they pressed on, they decided to find an inn and stay the night. Liu Village was just a somewhat larger village, though it did at least have one fairly roomy inn. Lei Buji had just driven the carriage to the inn's entrance when a waiter ran out nimbly, leading the horses and greeting the guests. Do not underestimate a waiter in a small place; his eye was sharp enough. One look at guests arriving by carriage told him they had money, so he greeted them with extra warmth. Everything had been fine at first, with nothing unusual, but then... As he spoke, the waiter's gaze flicked toward the back of the carriage, and the instant it landed on Brother Sun's trident, his expression suddenly changed. And that was not all. At first, his face only stiffened slightly, but after a few seconds, when he saw Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai climb out of the carriage, he openly showed anger and disgust. Immediately afterward, he stopped leading the horses, stopped speaking, and suddenly turned and ran back into the inn. Soon, a man who looked like the innkeeper came out with him. He too stared at Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai, and his face instantly darkened. “Two gentlemen...” The innkeeper stepped forward. Though his manner and tone held no respect, he still made a gesture of cupped hands. “Forgive this old man's rudeness, but may I ask...” He paused, then said in a low voice, “Are you the Young Hero Sun Yixie and the Young Hero Huang Donglai?” Hearing this, Sun and Huang felt quite pleased. They thought to themselves, Are we really this famous now? Even in a random village, an innkeeper could recognize us? “Heh... that's right.” Sun Yixie laughed immediately. “I am Sun Yixie.” “I am Huang Donglai.” Huang Donglai smiled and added. They had expected the innkeeper to first cry out in surprise upon hearing their answer, then praise them and express some of his endless admiration, and then roll out the full treatment—fine food, fine wine, and fine rooms. They had never expected... “Hmph!” What greeted them was a cold snort. “Fine! Two just ran off, and now two more show up... how convenient!” The innkeeper said this almost through gritted teeth. “Villagers! Come quickly! Those scoundrels who cheat food, drink, and silver have brought three of their kind!” At his shout, a dozen or so people from the surrounding houses rushed out. Some carried cleavers, some hoes, and some rolling pins, and in the blink of an eye they had surrounded the carriage. Sun Yixie, Huang Donglai, and Lei Buji were all dumbfounded. What was this? A black inn? No... a black village? Even a black inn would wait until the guests entered before attacking, so why were they being ganked while still on the street? “You motherfucking—! Back again, are you?” The innkeeper's face was red with anger, and all sorts of local curses poured out. “I'm telling you... you're unlucky to have come to our village today. We've already been fooled once! Everyone is still holding in their anger! Today you'll take the beating meant for the other two scoundrels, then come with us to see the magistrate!” After saying this, the old man turned, pulled a wooden club from under the inn counter, and led the charge to beat them. The surrounding villagers were agitated as well, and several bold and strong ones looked ready to pull the three men from the carriage. At this moment... Sun Yixie, rich in experience from group fights, acted decisively and stepped forward. He let out a thunderous shout, like a sudden thunderclap, like a dragon's roar and a dog's howl. Before the shout had faded, Sun Yixie had already taken a swift step forward, snatched the cleaver from the hand of the big man at the very front, and then, with one hand restraining the big man, pressed the cleaver against the big man's neck with the other. “Who the fuck dares come over! I'll cut him down with one stroke!” As Brother Sun said this, he suddenly moved the cleaver away from the hostage's neck, waved it twice at the others in front, and then pressed it back against the hostage's neck. Believe it or not... this move worked very well. His piercing, wild roar alone had already stunned many people, and with the attitude and presence of someone who had killed countless people, who dared step forward? Villagers were only villagers, after all. They looked numerous and loud, but in reality that was useless... You could have them catch a petty thief or an adulterous pair, that was fine, but when they truly met a desperado, no one wanted to be the first to stick his neck out and die. “Bro... brother... don't... don't be rash...” The big man restrained by Sun Yixie, who had just been glaring and looking like he wanted to eat someone alive, now felt his legs go weak and his speech tremble under the blade. He nearly wet his pants. “Who the fuck is your brother?” Sun Yixie did not even want to bother with him. “Shut the fuck up! Say one more wrong word and I'll rip your head off!” The big man was a cook by trade; he was skilled at killing chickens and fish, but at the mention of killing people, his scalp went numb, and he quickly shut up. “What... what are you doing? Not content with swindling, now you'll kill too?” The innkeeper had by now retreated inside the inn's doorway, half his body hidden behind the doorframe, shouting at them. “Bullshit!” At this point, Sun Yixie did not care about respecting the old. He glared at the old man and cursed back. “Dozens of you with weapons surrounded us, and without distinguishing right from wrong, you were about to beat us. And you dare say I'm trying to kill? This is what I call self-defense!” Despite his terrible attitude, his words were justified. If Sun Yixie had not been there today, and Huang Donglai and Lei Buji had handled it instead, they would likely have come off worse. Though subduing these villagers would not have been difficult for them, one used poison and the other was too rash; once they acted, casualties would likely result... And if they insisted on not harming these common folk, they would be beaten, and with bad luck might even be left disabled. Only Sun Yixie, who had waded through flashing blades in the Fish market, understood best what street brawls were really like, and how to control such a scene. “Hey.” After a breath, seeing the situation temporarily stabilized, Sun Yixie quietly called Huang Donglai and gave him a look. Though he said nothing, as soon as Huang Donglai met his eyes, he immediately understood what he meant. The next second, Huang Donglai stepped half a step higher, cupped his hands in a semicircle toward the crowd, and said loudly, “Fellow villagers, we are merely passing through. We mean no harm, and certainly do not wish to hurt anyone. Yet I do not know why you would turn blades against us. I ask for instruction.” This was force first, courtesy afterward. Brother Sun first used a rogue's method to control the scene, and then Brother Huang came out pretending to be refined and offered some softness—one playing the heavy, the other the gentleman, which made it easier to resolve the conflict. At Huang Donglai's words, the villagers grew doubtful as well, and all of them turned to look at the innkeeper. After all... you were the one who called us out; if there is blame to bear, you bear it. The innkeeper thought that this “fake Huang Donglai” spoke in a bookish manner and seemed to have some reason, so he was still worth talking to. Therefore, he said, “You say... you are Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai?” Yet when he thought and asked this, he did not stop to consider whether his own words and actions just now had been reasonable. Of course, since Sun Yixie had already controlled the situation, that no longer mattered. “Yes, I am Huang Donglai,” Huang Donglai retorted. “What about it?” In fact, now that they had calmed down and recalled the innkeeper's earlier words, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai had roughly guessed what had happened in Liu Village. Still, they hoped to confront him face-to-face and clear things up, lest some of the surrounding villagers remain unclear about the situation. So the innkeeper told them in full how his village had entertained another pair of “Sun Yixie” and “Huang Donglai” a few days earlier... Those two impostors were bold indeed. Besides eating and lodging for free at the inn, they had swindled many villagers, saying they would teach their children martial arts, that they would found a sect in this village, that they would start a business here, buy land and houses, and so on—making all sorts of empty promises to the villagers. Hearing that two newly famous jianghu talents from Luoyang were so interested in their village, the villagers naturally fawned over them, serving fine wine and food, and every household gave them silver and gifts... in exchange for the various “advantages” the two impostors had promised with empty words. Who would have thought that this very morning, when the waiter went as usual to deliver food to the fake Sun Yixie and fake Huang Donglai, he would find the two men and their luggage gone... The various silver and gifts they had collected over the past days... except for a few things that were truly not worth much and some things that were too heavy, they had taken everything they could carry. Only then did the villagers realize these two might be swindlers. But by then, there was no catching up with them... The two impostors had been prepared. Previously, they had deliberately risen late every day, until the sun was high, and repeatedly instructed the waiter not to come disturb them early in the morning. All of that had actually been to pave the way for the day they fled. On the night before, under cover of darkness, the two impostors had sneaked downstairs, wrapped cloth around the hooves of the two horses they had ridden to muffle the sound of hoofbeats, taken all the swindled valuables, and then ridden slowly and quietly out of the village through the night. Only after leaving the village did they remove the cloth from the horses' hooves and begin to gallop... So by the time the waiter discovered the two were gone, they had already been gone for most of the day. For the rest of that half-day, what could the villagers do? Blame one another. You can imagine what they said—“It's all your fault. I only believed because you said they must be real. If I'd met those two scoundrels first, I'd never have been fooled.” Most people who are cheated are like this. The day before, they were still in a state of “being sold and still helping count the money”; the next day, they were all hindsight experts. If you pressed him or her hard enough, he or she might even claim that the other party had used a drug that, with a single pat on the shoulder, made him or her obediently hand over money—which was why such a clever and upright person had fallen for it. In any case... Hearing that someone had impersonated them and used their names to swindle, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai certainly could not stand it. Even if they could, Lei Buji could not. No matter what other business they had, this matter had to be resolved first, otherwise it would be like thorns in their backs and a fishbone in their throats. Thus came the episode in which “Sun Yixie” died unjustly in the court hall, and “Huang Donglai” died from a misstep into a cesspit.