Seeing Li Banfeng’s stiff body, the rickshaw puller took two steps back. Li Banfeng found breathing difficult and hadn’t figured out what was wrong with his body when two men walked out of a nearby alley.
These two men wore shirts with vests over them and caps, the brims pulled down very low. Seeing them head straight for Li Banfeng, the rickshaw puller panicked, lifted his cart, and prepared to leave.
Li Banfeng didn’t recognize them.
Indeed, they were coming for him. These were the men sent by Xiao Zhenggong; they had been following Li Banfeng since he left the train station. Their mission was to kill Li Banfeng and take the Copper Lotus Flower he carried.
Li Banfeng wanted to reach into his pocket for his spicy strips, but his hand wouldn’t move. One of the men in caps drew a dagger from his sleeve, while the other swept his gaze fiercely across the surroundings, signaling others not to interfere. Unable to resist, defend himself, or run away, Li Banfeng couldn’t even move. He had never felt such despair in his life.
As the two men approached, someone beside him suddenly spoke, "You take the child to eat something first, then wait for me at the medical hall."
The tall, skinny man, who was about six-foot-three, settled his wife onto another rickshaw. He then turned, came over to Li Banfeng, and steadied him with one hand, keeping the other in his pocket. Seeing the tall, skinny man, the two cap-wearing men didn’t immediately approach Li Banfeng. They were unsure of the tall man’s strength or origin.
One of the men in caps stepped forward and spoke in slang, "Friend, what’s your path? Announce your affiliation!"
Li Banfeng was baffled.
It wasn’t a foreign language; it was thieves’ cant. The man was asking about his background and affiliation.
Monkey Qiu understood but ignored them completely.
Seeing that communication had failed, the other man in a cap began to threaten, "Friend, we’re from the Jiang Xiang Gang. You’ve heard our name, you know the rules. This one’s ours for the taking. Our blades are indiscriminate, so step wide."
This underworld slang meant: "Fellow traveler of the paths, we are determined to kill this man. Weapons have no eyes, so don’t meddle in our affairs."
The tall, skinny man furrowed his brows slightly and glanced at the two men in caps. They suddenly felt their hearts lurch; their heartbeats slowed and grew stronger.
THUMP! THUMP!
It was as if their hearts would burst at any moment.
One of the men in caps whispered lowly, "This is a Lust Cultivator with a high cultivation level!"
"Let’s get out of here!" The other realized the gravity of the situation and decided to retreat.
With no hesitation, knowing they were outmatched by the tall man’s strength, they turned and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The tall, skinny man didn’t give chase. Supporting Li Banfeng, he directly asked the rickshaw puller, "Is your cart fast?"
"Not particularly fast." The rickshaw puller avoided Li Banfeng, reluctant to take him. A person touched by the Heavenly Light was bound to attract big trouble, especially now that underworld figures were involved. Who would want to get mixed up in that?
"Do you have a Fire Wheel underfoot?" the tall man asked again.
The rickshaw puller shook his head. "If I had a Fire Wheel, would I still be pulling for pennies like this?"
"Is there anyone with a Fire Wheel at the station?" The man took out a ten yuan banknote and handed it to the rickshaw puller.
The rickshaw puller accepted the banknote, his face breaking into a smile. "Yes, sir. I’ll take you there." Ten yuan for no work was easy money he was willing to accept.
The rickshaw puller led the way. The tall, skinny man, one hand in his pocket and the other carrying Li Banfeng, followed him through an alley. At the entrance to the alley, a stocky rickshaw puller was squatting on the ground, smoking a cigarette. The smoke was harsh; it was his own hand-rolled tobacco.
"Sir, this is the one with the Fire Wheel," said the first rickshaw puller, having brought them to the spot, before hurrying off.
The tall, skinny man went up to the stocky rickshaw puller and asked, "What’s the quality of this Fire Wheel of yours?"
The rickshaw puller looked up. "I’m pulling rickshaws for a living, what kind of quality do you expect? Just the First Layer of the Earth Skin!"
The tall, skinny man nodded. "Do you know where the Peddler is?"
The rickshaw puller smacked his lips. "Saw him this morning. It’s a bit far, though. Not sure if he’s still there."
"Distance doesn’t matter. Name your price."
The rickshaw puller held up five fingers. "Five hundred Huan Country Banknotes. No bargaining."
The tall, skinny man placed Li Banfeng on the cart. After fumbling in his clothes for a moment, he produced five one-hundred Huan Country Banknotes and gave them to the rickshaw puller. The rickshaw puller noticed the tall man paid with one hand, while his other hand remained constantly in his pocket. It seemed odd, but he didn’t ask.
After counting the banknotes and finding none missing, the rickshaw puller pinched out his cigarette. He turned his left wrist upward to support the left shaft and his right wrist downward to press on the right shaft.
Li Banfeng thought,
In fact, Li Banfeng didn’t understand that this was the Yin Yang Grip, the most standard way to pull a rickshaw. He had seen rickshaw pullers on television who lifted both hands upwards simultaneously. If they didn’t apply force evenly, passengers would lurch back and forth and could even fall off. If a rickshaw puller pulled like that, at best they wouldn’t get paid; at worst, they’d get a beating.
With the Yin Yang Grip, one hand up and one down, the rickshaw puller steadily lifted the vehicle and shouted, "Let’s go!"
Before his voice had even faded, the rickshaw puller had already darted out of the alley with the cart.
Li Banfeng’s consciousness remained. The wind whistled past his ears, and the buildings and trees along the roadside flew rapidly backward. Perhaps the narrowness of the alley and the proximity of the buildings created a visual distortion for him.
The rickshaw puller was actually making the cart feel like an automobile.
Monkey Qiu also sensed something special about this rickshaw puller. "With skills like yours, you don’t seem to be at the First Layer of cultivation."
The rickshaw puller chuckled. "You pay, I pull the cart. We’re not living together, so why worry so much? Let’s get this straight: your companion here looks like a White Lamb touched by Heavenly Light. I’ll only ensure I get you to your destination. Whether he’s dead or alive is not my concern!"
"Don’t worry, he won’t die," the tall, skinny man said. "This young brother is lucky. Normally, he wouldn’t have encountered a Peddler, but the train was delayed on the road for three days, just so he could make it."
The rickshaw puller was startled. "Really? That lucky? Could it be he’s encountered a Lucky Star?"
Li Banfeng couldn’t move his neck, nor could he see what the rickshaw puller’s legs were doing. He could only watch the passing scenery from a fixed angle.
The town’s architecture was strange. Interlocking bricks and stones formed neat and clean structures, showing no signs of desolation or ruin. Yet, it possessed an ancientness that deeply resonated with Li Banfeng. It wasn’t the ancientness of mere age but a unique kind. Spacious doorways were set between stone walls, and vigorous beams and soaring eaves exuded the charm of antiquity. Yet, the sculptures and portholes appearing intermittently on the walls carried a hint of the Western world. The two or three-story buildings between the streets and alleys were particularly striking. They featured projecting balconies and arcades on the upper floors. Unique arches adorned the windows and doors, and climbing roses and ivies grew on the walls. All this made Li Banfeng feel as if he had arrived in a peculiar era, one wedged in a crevice of history.
What era it was exactly, Li Banfeng had no time to ponder. The labored beating of his heart and his obstructed breathing made him feel the threat to his life. Meanwhile, he listened to the rickshaw puller and the tall, skinny man chatting idly. They traveled all the way from the town to the outskirts, finally reaching a wilderness where the rickshaw puller stopped and wiped his sweat.
"He really is fortunate, the Peddler hasn’t left!" The rickshaw puller gasped for a while, then looked back at the tall, skinny man and Li Banfeng.
The tall, skinny man carried Li Banfeng off the rickshaw. Ahead, under a willow tree, he saw a pushcart. A two-tiered large wooden cabinet sat on it, with a red lantern hanging from the cabinet. Next to the cart crouched a man in his thirties, dozing under the tree.
The rickshaw puller shouted at the man, "Hey! Still open for business?"
The man lifted his eyes, stood up, stretched, and took out a rattle, starting to shake it:
TING-A-LING, CLANG! TING-A-LING, CLANG!
"Soap, Snow Cream,
Scarves, handkerchiefs, needle-and-thread kits,
Leather buckets, iron water pails,
Matches, candles, iron spades!
Preserved vegetable jars, soy sauce pots,
Rice spoons, water ladles, vegetable knives!
A cart full of fine goods, an old trusted name,
Everything sold fair, take your pick, it’s all the same!"
The Peddler yawned at the tall, skinny man. "Monkey Qiu, what are you buying today?"
This tall, skinny man was named Monkey Qiu, and the Peddler actually knew him.
Monkey Qiu said, "A White Lamb has been touched by the Heavenly Light."
The Peddler took out a key and opened the first tier of the wooden cabinet. "A White Lamb touched by the Heavenly Light... if he doesn’t want to die, he must join a sect. How would you like to settle the account? Huan Country Banknotes or Ocean Dollars?"
Monkey Qiu said, "Huan Country Banknotes."
The Peddler opened a drawer on the cabinet. "I have five types of Medicinal Powder left: Farming Cultivation for thirty thousand, Lust Cultivation for fifty thousand, Food Cultivator for sixty thousand, Traveling Cultivator for eighty thousand, and Home Cultivation for one hundred sixty thousand. I see he can’t speak anymore. Will he choose himself, or will you pick for him?"