Mo Sang – CH 178

Chapter 178. Like Friends

With the twelfth lunar month fast approaching, the lotus seeds needed for the New Year naturally needed to be delivered quickly.

Li Sangrou and her group set off at dawn and rested only after dark, arriving outside Jiangling City in just three or four days.

Of Jiangling City’s four gates, only the south gate was open, and entry and exit were strictly checked.

Hei Ma, carrying a travel permit from Matou Town, spoke fluent Matou dialect, accompanied by a timid young wife and four servants who looked like simple-minded country bumpkins. Everything seemed strange to them, their eyes wide and unfocused, mouths agape, drool practically dripping.

Lotus seeds from Matou Town were an indispensable New Year’s commodity for the people of Jiangling City. Every year at this time, many small merchants selling lotus seeds would appear from Matou Town.

There was nothing suspicious, so the gatekeeper patted the sacks of lotus seeds a few times and waved them through.

Hei Ma’s trip was simply to sell lotus seeds. He planned to return with a few barrels of wine to earn some money for the New Year. After entering Jiangling City and settling his wife in an inn, it was just past dinnertime. After eating, Hei Ma headed straight for the general store.

With the New Year approaching, lotus seeds were in high demand. Hei Ma quickly sold all the lotus seeds at the store and, accompanied by four simple-minded servants and four mules, went straight to the winery to buy wine.

Li Sangrou entered the main room of the inn, then jumped out through the back window. After tidying herself up, she carried a bamboo basket covered with an indigo cloth, dressed like a young wife visiting relatives. She walked briskly towards the south gate.

After passing the south gate, she turned towards the west gate, crossed Jiangling City from the west gate, and went straight to the east gate.

Jiangling City was not large. By dusk, Li Sangrou had walked through half the city and had a general idea of ​​its layout.

Hei Ma returned, grandly ate dinner, and went back to his room. He went on another fuss, asking for water and tea, finally quieting down before the waiter rolled his eyes.

Hei Ma listened intently to the door, then to the walls on either side. He sighed in relief, clapped his hands, and leaned close to Li Sangrou, whispering, “I’ve checked the wine. It’s cheap stuff. The barrels are this tall, wooden barrels, one hundred jin per barrel. Boss, why wooden barrels? To carry people?”

“Hmm, when can we get the wine?” Li Sangrou listened intently to the sounds around her.

“Ah? Really, to carry people? Today is fine; anytime is fine; it’s ready. I said I’d go tomorrow. When do we need it?” Hei Ma’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Really for carrying people!

Li Sangrou lowered her eyelids slightly, not answering.

Their four strong mules, no matter how robust, could only carry a maximum of two hundred jin each. Even a light man would weigh at least a hundred twenty to a hundred thirty jin, often a hundred sixty to a hundred seventy jin, much heavier than a barrel of wine.

“Are there any bigger barrels?” Li Sangrou asked softly.

“Yes, there’s one barrel weighing a hundred sixty jin, but the wine there is of very poor quality, the worst kind.

A hundred-jin barrel is just right for our mules; two barrels per mule would be perfect… but it would not fit a person. A person weighs more than a hundred jin, and one side being lighter than the other would not work.

“You want a hundred-sixty-jin barrel? To be carried on the mules? One barrel per mule, that will do.” Hei Ma quickly understood Li Sangrou’s meaning.

“Hmm, just a hundred sixty jin, carried on the mules. Buy the wine tomorrow and put it here for now,” Li Sangrou thought for a moment and then instructed.

“Alright.” Hei Ma happily agreed.

The next day, after a leisurely breakfast, Hei Ma took Xiao Lu and Chuantiao to buy wine, while Datou and Mazha followed Li Sangrou, carrying baskets as they went shopping.

Li Sangrou, with Datou and Mazha in tow, bought their way from the south of the city to the north and from the east to the west, spending the entire day shopping. In the evening, Datou and Mazha carried two large, full baskets of goods into the main room.

“What’s all this?” Hei Ma lifted the two baskets on his back; they were not heavy. He then reached out and pulled them out. “Silk floss? Did you find someone?”

“No, tell them to look for us.

We will set off after breakfast tomorrow. You find an excuse to go around the east side of the city. The Garrison Commander’s office is near the east gate, and the prefectural school is on the road from the east to the south. It’s a secluded place, a little detour.

The prefectural school gate is already open; there’s a stone blocking it from the inside. You can push it open with a little force.

After breakfast, you take Xiao Lu and Chuantiao, lead the four mules inside first, find a place to hide them, and wait.

Go to sleep early; we will be busy all day tomorrow,” Li Sangrou instructed softly, then went to sleep fully clothed.

……………………

The next morning, Xiao Lu, Mazha, and the other three ate breakfast early and led the mules out. They then busied themselves setting up the wine barrels, tying them up, and preparing to set off.

Hei Ma sat in the inn’s lobby, eating breakfast while occasionally slamming his hand on the table, angrily berating, “You wasteful woman! Why did you buy so much junk? You cannot carry it all, and you dare leave it outside! You think you are so great now?!

You wasteful woman! I work so hard to earn money, and you, you wasteful wife! Where did you put all that stuff? Huh?!

I have to go around in circles to get it for you!

You wasteful woman! You are driving me crazy!”

Hei Ma ate and cursed, while Li Sangrou hunched her shoulders, her head almost touching the table, her chopsticks never stopping as she ate meat buns and drank lotus seed porridge.

The innkeeper leaned against the counter, watching the commotion with great interest.

This young wife was interesting; being scolded did not stop her from eating, and hmm, she’s eating quite heartily.

Look at this big, dark-skinned guy. He cursed, but he did not dare slap the table even once. Besides, he brought his wife to Jiangling City so she could buy things. If he did not want her to buy anything, he would not have brought her.

This young couple had plenty of affection for each other. Tsk, these couples really did have their own ways of living.

The shopkeeper watched the commotion with great interest. While settling the bill with the dark-skinned man, he offered him a few perfunctory words of advice, then warmly escorted him to the shop’s entrance. Seeing that the group was not heading south but east, he stood at the shop’s entrance, smiled for a moment, and then turned to go inside.

Turning a corner, Datou stepped out and merged into the crowd. After a few steps, he plunged into a small alley and ran straight towards the East City Garrison Commander’s office.

Upon arriving outside the Garrison Commander’s office, starting from the corner he had chosen the day before, he meticulously drew the ghost talismans Li Sangrou had taught him to draw the previous day at every bend and turn until he reached a small, dilapidated side gate behind the prefectural school. He pushed open the gate and rushed inside.

Li Sangrou followed Hei Ma through two streets, then merged into the crowd. A short while later, Mazha followed suit.

The two walked one after the other through two alleys. Li Sangrou stood in front of a general store diagonally opposite the Garrison Commander’s office, carefully selecting red dates, her eyes fixed on the Garrison Commander’s office across the street.

Mazha waited by the wall.

The first to stop at the Garrison Commander’s office, then turn and rush towards the ghost talismans Datou had drawn, was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties.

Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, bought a bag of red dates, paid, and crossed the alley, heading straight for the prefectural school.

Just as Li Sangrou rushed to the broken corner gate of the prefectural school, the gate opened from the inside. Li Sangrou and Mazha rushed inside, one after the other. Li Sangrou waved for everyone to hide.

Datou and Mazha quickly retreated, hiding in a pre-selected spot, holding their breath and waiting.

Li Sangrou stood inside the corner gate, taking several deep breaths, slowly exhaling, regulating her breathing, and listening intently for any movement, waiting for the young woman to arrive.

Those ghost talismans were taught to her by Blind Mi.

The day she, along with Da Chang and Hei Ma, robbed the Ye Xiang Guild, Blind Mi was drunk. He cried and laughed with her, mentioning his sect. Later, she tried every means to extract very little information from Blind Mi.

She unearthed this ghost talisman during one of Blind Mi’s drunken, crying, and laughing moments.

After sobering up, Blind Mi regretted his actions for days, deceiving himself by claiming that although he was drunk, his mind was still clear, and his hands were trembling so badly that he definitely would not have drawn a real talisman for her. He insisted the talisman he drew was wrong!

This ghost talisman, in fact, was drawn for her by Blind Mi himself, while he was crying. He even told her to memorize it so that if she could not find him one day, she could look around for such a talisman. If she found one, it meant he had been summoned back to his sect, and she would not need to avenge him.

This talisman was the symbol used by their sect to summon fellow disciples.

Outside the side gate, a series of hurried, light footsteps approached quickly. Li Sangrou raised her hand in a gesture, held her breath, and stared intently at the half-closed side gate.

The young woman they had seen at the Garrison Commander’s office pushed open the side gate, stepped over the threshold, and then stepped down the steps. Li Sangrou slammed a palm strike into the young woman’s neck, then kicked her to the ground. Datou, Mazha, and Xiao Lu, who were guarding nearby, rushed forward, first gagging the young woman, then swiftly binding her into a ball.

The young woman had already been knocked unconscious by Li Sangrou’s palm strike, making her easy to tie up.

Datou and Mazha carried the young woman, running to an empty room nearby, then running back. Xiao Lu was already on the ground, wiping away the traces of their actions. The three of them hid again, ready to tie up the second woman.

About half an hour later, footsteps approached again outside the side gate.

The footsteps were steady and heavy, sounding like a strong man. Li Sangrou picked up a wooden stick wrapped in silk floss that she had placed beside her, slowly gripped it, and glanced sideways at the side gate.

The side gate was pushed open again, and a strong man in his twenties stepped across the threshold.

Li Sangrou swung the cotton-wrapped wooden stick and struck the man on the head.

The man fell forward cleanly.

Datou, Mazha, and Xiao Lu rushed forward, expertly gagging and tying the man up, then carrying him into the empty room.

Li Sangrou closed the side door, regulated her breathing, and waited. She’d wait another quarter of an hour; if no one else came, the two were probably done.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, a refined-looking old man of about fifty appeared. Li Sangrou struck him on the head with a stick, and the three of them gagged and tied him up again.

Li Sangrou stepped forward and took the rope from Datou, who turned and darted out the side door, wiping away the several ghost talismans leading to it before quickly darting back.

Inside the empty room, Hei Ma and Chuantiao were forcing wine into the young man’s mouth.

The wine from the three barrels beside them had already been poured into the well.

Li Sangrou walked to the young woman’s side, sniffed her breath—it reeked of alcohol. She wondered how much she could drink; thankfully, the wine contained drugs.

Blind Mi’s medicine was always effective.

Li Sangrou took a silk quilt, placed the young woman on it, untied the ropes, and began to undress her until she was completely naked. She wrapped her in the quilt, loosely tied it with several ropes, and stuffed her into the wine barrel.

Nearby, Hei Ma and Xiao Lu, having filled the young man’s and the old man’s cups with wine, also stripped them naked, wrapped them in silk quilts, and stuffed them into the wine barrel, which they resealed and hefted on the mules.

Datou and Mazha went out of the main gate first, looked around, and waved.

Hei Ma and Xiao Lu, leading the mules, left the school and turned into the alley.

Xiao Lu and his three companions, each leading a mule, followed behind Hei Ma, who, with his hands behind his back, walked with the air of a high-ranking manager, heading straight for the south gate.

The checks upon entering the city were strict, but leaving was much easier. Hei Ma and his group, who had been smuggling lotus seeds into the city the day before yesterday and were now smuggling large barrels of cheap liquor out, were perfectly law-abiding merchants, arousing no suspicion whatsoever.

After walking at a leisurely pace for about two li until they were out of sight of the city, the group quickened their pace, urging their mules to trot and gallop away.

Around the end of the day, the group passed the small town where they had stopped earlier, hurrying onward. When it was completely dark, about a li from the main road, they entered a dilapidated temple of unknown origin.

The main hall of the ruined temple was intact. Li Sangrou examined the temple from all sides, while Xiao Lu carried several large bundles of firewood and started a fire in the main hall. Hei Ma and his men then carried four barrels of liquor into the hall.

Li Sangrou checked the surroundings and returned, squatting by the fire. She set up a large pot, and Hei Ma took a water bag from the fourth wine barrel, poured most of the water into the pot, and then added two bowls of rice.

Li Sangrou broke open some salted meat and put it in the pot. She took out steamed buns, salted fish, and smoked meat from the wine barrels and placed them by the fire to roast.

There was movement in all three wine barrels. Li Sangrou gestured to Xiao Lu. “Let them out.”

Xiao Lu and the others lifted the lids of the barrels, grabbed the silk quilts, and pulled the three people out.

“Do not move; none of you are wearing clothes,” Li Sangrou quickly reminded the young woman when she tried to struggle.

The young woman’s eyes widened, and she froze for a moment, too afraid to move.

She felt it; she was indeed completely naked!

“Senior Brother,” The young woman turned her head and saw the young man. Before she could finish calling him “Senior Brother,” tears streamed down her face.

“Who are you!” The young man, also naked, did not dare move, only glaring angrily at Li Sangrou.

“Uncle-Master!” The young woman then saw the old man, her voice trembling with even more sobs as she called him “Uncle-Master.”

“Did you draw that symbol?” The old man looked from Li Sangrou to Hei Ma and the others.

Hei Ma stood by the fire, occasionally stirring the salted meat porridge in the pot. Datou and Mazha squatted on either side of the three, mouths half-open, staring blankly at them. Chuantiao and Xiao Lu were seriously roasting steamed buns.

Li Sangrou turned the salted fish and smoked meat pieces one by one, only uttering a soft “hmm.”

“Who are you? How do you know our sect’s code?” the old man continued.

“What’s your surname? What’s your name? You and you, say it one by one.” Li Sangrou did not answer the old man’s question, pointing her long bamboo chopsticks at the young woman instead of him.

“Who are you?” the young man shouted again.

“Is he your apprentice?” Li Sangrou looked at the old man with a smile. “Have you ever taught him the saying ‘under someone’s roof’?”

“My surname is Cheng, Cheng Shan. They are my godchildren, Luo Qiwen and Song Qiming.” The old man’s tone was much calmer.

“Cheng Shan, the ‘Shan’ of ‘kindness’? Luo Qiwen, Song Qiming.” Li Sangrou pointed to the three in turn.

Luo Qiwen pursed his lips tightly, staring at Li Sangrou with eyes full of anger. Song Qiming’s face was covered in tears; she shrank back, not daring to move, turning her head away from Li Sangrou.

“Who are you?” Cheng Shan asked, looking at Li Sangrou.

“I have some good karma with your sect. I invited the three of you here for no other reason than to meet your sect leader, whom you call the Grand Master, right?

I will not harm you, nor will I mistreat you. Let’s just treat each other like friends, alright? When we call, your Grand Master will come, and you can go with him.

On the way, let’s be polite to each other. How about that?” Li Sangrou spoke with unwavering amiability, looking at Cheng Shan and then Song Qiming.

“Is this how you treat us, young lady?” Cheng Shan asked, looking at Li Sangrou.

“Of course not. I mean, treat us like friends—that’s all. You are my prisoners,” Li Sangrou said bluntly.

Cheng Shan was speechless for a while. “Since you put it that way, what can we say?”

“Please be understanding, gentlemen. After we cross the Han Shui, I will find a carriage for you. Would you like something to eat?” Li Sangrou asked, holding up a piece of roasted smoked meat.

“Could you give us our clothes first?” Cheng Shan asked, barely containing his anger.

“No,” Li Sangrou refused decisively. “Just pull your arm out from above. Want some?”

Cheng Shan’s face turned pale with anger. After a long struggle, he managed to pull out one arm.

Li Sangrou cut open a baked bun, added the piece of smoked meat, and handed it to Cheng Shan.

Luo Qiwen looked at Song Qiming, hesitated for a moment, and shook his head.

Song Qiming refused to extend her arm, shaking her head while crying.