How Do You Prove You Are You?

She looked frightened out of her wits, trembling from head to toe. For a moment, the man couldn't tell whether she was truly simple or merely playing dumb; after all, he had encountered village women with all sorts of bizarre thought processes. He had no choice but to sharpen his threat: "Remember this: both your children are in our hands! If you dare go anywhere near that family again, I'll slaughter one of your brats right in front of you!" Zhu-shi stammered, "Don't... don't hurt them!" "Be obedient, and you'll all be released tomorrow morning!" Having finished the intimidation, he decisively followed up with an inducement. Zhu-shi nodded frantically. Just then, pebbles on the village path crunched beneath footsteps. Several people walked over, and the one in the lead waved at Zhu-shi. "Yo, Mistress Zhu, what a coincidence!" The two turned to look. The newcomer was none other than that corrupt official He's eldest son, trailed closely by two personal guards, putting on quite the show of airs. Seeing his grinning face, joy surged through Zhu-shi, and tears nearly welled in her eyes. Yet she had to force them back, giving him a strained smile. "Greetings, Young Master He." "I went out for a stroll after dinner and wound up here before I knew it." He Lingchuan stepped forward naturally. "Your village has lovely scenery. Do you have time to walk with me for a bit?" "I..." Just as Zhu-shi was about to speak, the fat man couldn't bear to watch any longer. Pulling her against his chest, he said, "This is my wife." He Lingchuan pointed at him and asked Zhu-shi, "And this is an outsider?" Zhu-shi's eyes crinkled slightly, but she didn't make a sound. Before the fat man could flare up, He Lingchuan chuckled. "Just a joke, don't take it to heart. How should I address you, brother?" "Wang." Remembering Lu Han's instructions, the fat man tugged the corner of his mouth into a smile. "Young Master He's presence brings light to our humble dwelling." "From your house, there's a direct view of the lake. Very nice." He Lingchuan looked around appraisingly, then suddenly tossed over something silvery. Fat Wang caught it reflexively, only to find it was a piece of broken silver weighing five qian. What was this? "You're in luck. This young master is staying here tonight." He Lingchuan put his hands behind his back and raised his chin. "Well? Go make the bed and lay out the quilts!" Fat Wang's eyelid twitched, completely dumbfounded. With his usual temper, he probably would have exploded already and hacked off this dog's head with a single blade strike! But Boss Lu had told them to endure! He forced down his fury. "Hasn't your lodging already been arranged?" And arranged by Boss Lu himself, no less. "Too far away. It's inconvenient if I want to chat with my family." Ever since learning that the fellow before him was also a bandit, He Lingchuan had paid close attention to where the village had quartered him, only to discover it was the farthest possible distance from He Chunhua and his wife's lodging—one in the west, one in the east, directly opposite each other on a diagonal. These scoundrels planned to divide and slaughter them. "What, think it's too little?" Seeing Fat Wang standing rooted to the spot, He Lingchuan fished out a few more qian of broken silver and shoved it heavily into his hands. This was exactly the arrogant manner of tipping an errand boy in a theater. With this shove, the veins on the fat man's temple throbbed twice. He Lingchuan stayed inwardly on guard, but the fellow tightened his jaw, clearly swallowing his rage once again, and rasped, "Come in." He wanted nothing more than to drag the brat inside and beat him to a pulp, but two personal guards were following right behind. He wasn't afraid of losing in a fight, but feared making too much noise. When would he finally get to slaughter all these dogs! He turned and entered the house. Zhu-shi glanced at He Lingchuan and followed him in. Only now did He Lingchuan catch sight of the undisguised dread and fury in her eyes. These men posing as villagers were bandits, which meant she was a true civilian, right? He Lingchuan glanced around and found idle men everywhere—either wolfing down food from bowls or sitting in doorways picking their toes and catching the breeze, all keeping their eyes on him, intentionally or otherwise. *** Boss Lu was currently sitting in the village chief's house, gnawing on a duck leg. The ducks raised freely beside Xianling Lake grew up feeding on local water weeds and snails. They had a thick layer of white fat beneath their skin; roasted over a fire, golden grease and rich aroma soon bubbled forth. Sprinkled with a bit of pepper and rubbed with salt, they made for a sumptuous feast. While eating, Boss Lu also eyed the village chief's family. The old man, old woman, and few useless men were nothing worth looking at, but the grandson and granddaughter who had already been taken away by the bandits were only three to five years old, so tender and fresh they seemed almost pinchable. Thinking of those children, he felt the meat in his mouth tasted even more delicious. While he was relishing his meal, an underling slipped inside and said to him, "Boss Lu, I found out something! That corrupt official named He is heading to Xiazhou to assume office as Chief Administrator." "Chief Administrator of what?" Lu Han didn't care at first, but the implication struck him immediately, and his eyes lit up. "You mean Chief Administrator of Xiazhou?!" "Right, seems like it," the man replied. "I heard it from the female dependents of the soldiers under his command." On this long journey, some members of the He family's personal guard unit had indeed brought their families along. After all, traveling thousands of li meant they might never have another chance to return to Blackwater City. Lu Han's mouth slowly stretched into a grin, and he threw his head back in uproarious laughter! After letting out just one bark of laughter, he suddenly remembered that sound carried far in the silent mountain night and he must not spook the prey. So he choked it back, the suppressed force sending a dull rumble through his chest. The confidants standing beside him exchanged glances, wondering why their boss was so thrilled. "General, is this an exceptionally fat sheep?" "More than just fat!" Lu Han's face shone with delight. "When he gave his name earlier, it hit me! This fellow was the Governor of Qiansong Commandery and stayed in the borderlands for over a decade. Probably hardly anyone in the interior officialdom would even recognize him. Ha, from Qiansong Commandery to Xiazhou, the distance is well over a thousand li! Do you know what this means?" The men shook their heads. "The people of Xiazhou have never laid eyes on this new Chief Administrator!" Lu Han couldn't hold back a laugh after all. "If I take his appointment documents and official seal to Xiazhou, I'll be the newly appointed Chief Administrator!" "Heaven never cuts off every way out! I thought tomorrow would decide my life, death, and future, but who would have thought Heaven would send me an escape route!" Lu Han clicked his tongue twice. "This post, I'm definitely taking it! His woman looks delicate and tender-skinned, and those two little bastards look just as tender-skinned!" He licked his lips, and the men broke into a round of leering chuckles. Soon, however, someone raised a doubt: "That corrupt official also has a State Token. If you want to impersonate—no, take his place—what will you do if you can't produce a State Token?" "Who says I can't produce it? Do you know what a State Token is based on?" His subordinates naturally shook their heads. Everyone knew that a State Token was typically designated by the royal court, and the officials or generals who held it could channel origin power. It was precisely because of this that government troops had a natural suppression effect against roving bandits and rebels— though that didn't mean they were guaranteed to win. "It designates the post, then designates the person," Lu Han explained with great confidence. "Obtaining his documents and official seal is equivalent to obtaining his post. As for the person, it's a bit troublesome, but not impossible to manage. Today, I'll share a secret method with you all." He patted his subordinate's shoulder. "How does Heaven decide you are you?" How does it decide I am me? The subordinate thought for a long while, pointed at his own nose, and asked, "Name?"