Volume Two: Bandits of This Land Chapter 114: Riding Home to One’s Roots

Autumn winds plucked at the strings of a zither, the melody drifting through the air as the scent of rouge and incense lingered. A man sat in the pavilion, savoring his tea.

"Can you move further away? You’ve let my tea go cold," Lin Changtian complained. He had been engaged in something quite meaningful, but the arrival of someone outside the pavilion had instantly shattered his mood.

"Is the music here so delightful that you've forgotten your home?" the man teased. As he drew closer, his melancholy face was revealed—it was Xu Yong.

Lin Changtian was incensed; this fellow had a way of speaking that struck right at the heart of the matter. He composed himself and declared righteously, "What are you talking about! I am doing this for my own physical and mental well-being! As the old saying goes, to live to ninety-nine, one must smoke, drink, and look at beautiful women."

"Did Elder Liu Qingshan say that? No wonder it sounds so catchy and profound. I must ask him for guidance when I return." Xu Yong made a show of taking out paper and pen, preparing to record this piece of "wisdom" in his notebook. He lowered his eyelids, looking perfectly earnest.

"Don't you dare! I'll go back with you, alright?" Lin Changtian pouted, gazing at the decadent, dreamlike atmosphere of Anma City with a flicker of lingering attachment.

Seeing his expression, Xu Yong grew genuinely angry. "What is so good about this place? You leave early and return late every day, and I have no idea what you’re actually doing!"

"Sailing the Qinhuai River, strolling through Wuyi Lane, watching the misty willows of Taicheng and the sunset over Qixia," Lin Changtian sighed, his eyes closing as he painted a beautiful picture in his mind.

Unfortunately, there was always someone to spoil the fun. Xu Yong frowned and barked, "I see you’re just visiting brothels and taverns, from the headliners to the new arrivals, you've patronized them all!"

"Vulgar," Lin Changtian made a face and slipped away; he had no desire to argue with this fellow.

Xu Yong laughed until his face ached. He turned to the woman standing awkwardly nearby and said, "Don't be afraid, miss. How many hours did he pay for your company? I’ll add another day and night—put it on his tab!"

...

The life of indulgence could not last, for after a few days of spending, Lin Changtian’s pockets were empty. Sishan was wealthy, but its master had become a complete pauper overnight.

"Let’s go back, quickly, we’ll leave tonight! This place is full of swindlers and thieves. When did I ever extend it for a day and a night?" Lin Changtian muttered indignantly as he walked down the street with Xu Yong. Watching the lanterns being lit in the mansions, he began to curse again: "This is a money pit, designed to fleece honest people! The Northern Territory has just suffered a crushing defeat, and the whole city is draped in mourning, yet there are always some filthy wretches taking advantage of the chaos to make a fortune!"

Xu Yong ignored his rambling until he could bear it no longer and retorted, "Why didn't you curse when you were the one enjoying it? Their business is none of your concern—wouldn't it be better to return to Sishan sooner?"

Lin Changtian grumbled, unconvinced. "That gatekeeper insulted me, saying that if I had no money, why was I loitering about! Yesterday, that young lady praised my literary talent; can't I make a living off that?"

"Oh? That girl says that to everyone. I heard she says the same thing to seventy-year-old illiterate peasants in the city." Xu Yong stroked his chin, recalling that the girl’s storytelling was exquisite, perfectly suiting the tastes of a southern scholar like himself.

"How do you know that?" Lin Changtian squinted at Xu Yong, suspicious.

Xu Yong blinked, looking perfectly serious. "She said the same thing to me."

The two walked from the head of the street to the end of the alley, trading barbs and crude jokes, as if the joy and sorrow of the city had nothing to do with them.

"Honestly, she’s a private sex worker. 'A pair of jade arms pillowing a thousand men, half-parted lips tasted by ten thousand guests.' You didn't even touch her; you spent money just to have her play the zither and pretend to be cultured. That’s... not exactly the right profession for that, is it? What? Are you trying to be the gentleman who persuades a courtesan to mend her ways?"

Lin Changtian chuckled, taking Xu Yong’s words as a joke. "It’s not that I want to be a gentleman, it’s just... I can't bear it."

"Fine, then your condition is even more serious than being a gentleman; 'sainthood' is a rare affliction," Xu Yong joked. They walked through the darkness, their eyes gleaming.

The man accused of having a "saint's malady" looked a bit bashful. He muttered, "We hit Anma City too hard. I know Sishan isn't doing great either, but at least we won, so we can pretend to be prosperous. But the women here, some have lost all the men in their families and were forced into a corner; those with any looks at all have no choice but to find a way to survive in this den of vice."

"That is true. And to say something perhaps inappropriate: if it weren't for these wretches making a living this way, even more people would have died."

Lin Changtian leaned in, checking his surroundings, and lowered his voice. "But why is it that these 'wretches' are the ones saving lives, while the so-called righteous keep their hands clean, only caring about looking... well, 'magnanimous'?"

"Logic doesn't apply here. This isn't our territory; do you really think you can meddle? Besides, isn't 'righteousness' usually self-proclaimed? You and I demanded so much money and grain from Anma City, and they gave it all, but how many people will starve because of that? Even the officials are barely fed, so who cares about the common folk? In this city, let alone the sex trade, there are even more wretches trafficking people. Du Zhaolin turns a blind eye to it because he has no choice. And who would have thought... that this trade is actually voluntary on both sides?"

Xu Yong spat on the street and pointed toward the south, toward Sishan. "Our land is still decent; it’s a blank slate, easy to paint on. We were lucky that when we first started, the territory was small, and there weren't so many bad actors."

Lin Changtian nodded, agreeing deeply.

"Wait, I’ve figured it out! So it was you who extended the stay for a day and a night? You hypocrite, acting like a gentleman! What kind of skill is it to spend my money!"

Xu Yong laughed, not bothering to argue. Only after letting Lin Changtian vent his anger did he say, "We went to get a taste of it, didn't we? Let me be clear: I didn't bully any innocent women or engage in any filthy acts, making them disrobe."

Such a statement would usually invite ridicule or be met with accusations of hypocrisy, but Lin Changtian had that "saintly malady," and he believed it implicitly.

"We are both cowards; we entered the brothel and didn't even dare to do the deed. Tsk, tsk, how shameful," Lin Changtian muttered to himself. There was a touch of loneliness in his eyes, as if he were regretting something. Perhaps he regretted pretending to be aloof and not following the crowd. Or perhaps he was angry at his empty pockets, unable to afford to look after all those suffering women...

He spoke these words to the heavens, letting the world witness them, leaving it to time to reveal whether he was a true gentleman or merely a mischievous sprite.

...

The morning in Anma City was beautiful. Back when the scholars were here, there was the sound of rhythmic reading, but unfortunately, words could not fill an empty stomach, and they lacked the power to make bandits listen to reason. In the end, they were driven out of their own homes by brute force.

Two youths were driving many carts. Du Zhaolin had wanted to use horses to help them pull, but there was too much cargo, so they had to use the four-wheeled artifacts of the Central Plains, long sealed in the treasury, to transport the goods.

"This is truly... do we have no energy source? Do we really have to use horses to pull cars?" Lin Changtian pursed his lips. Horses pulling automobiles, four legs pulling four wheels—it looked utterly absurd.

Du Zhaolin shrugged, helpless. The arrival of the Awakening Era had long since turned these things into heaps of scrap metal; who would care anymore? "Make do with it. I heard that many years ago, when the Central Plains were still in the Third Civilization, some people actually used 'horses to pull trains'."

Lin Changtian curled his lip, swung onto his horse, waved goodbye to Du Zhaolin, and headed south.

...

The nights in the Northern Territory were long. The road home was arduous, and all the so-called desolation and joy had been buried in the waiting.

"Yizhi, Weinan Mountain!" Lin Changtian shouted like a madman, shaking Xu Yong, muttering things, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, unable to control himself.

Xu Yong wiped the corners of his eyes, two trails of tears still remaining on his face. He wasn't feeling the anxiety of returning home; he had simply had enough of the monkey beside him throughout the journey.

Being talkative was one thing, but he was a terrible navigator who insisted on choosing his own paths. Heaven only knew how much time they had wasted because of his poor sense of direction.

"If it weren't for you, would we have needed to take such a long detour?" Xu Yong glared at him, wishing he could devour him alive.

Lin Changtian ignored him, his smile slowly freezing on his face. "That place... doesn't seem to be Weinan Pass either."

"This is not a joke, and it's not funny." Xu Yong frowned. A troop of soldiers was approaching from the distance. He couldn't see them clearly, but the flags certainly didn't look right. They bore a ferocious beast with bared fangs, drenched in blood, looking exceptionally savage.

"That doesn't look like a military banner; it has more of a totem feel to it," Xu Yong squinted. The "monkey" beside him had already drawn the long saber at his waist.

Lin Changtian grinned. "Well, they are coming in force. Perhaps they are other bandits looking to rob us."

"Do we pay for peace, or do we slaughter them?"

"Hmph, Lin has always been bold and valiant. How could I give such filthy money to these wretches? Even if there are a thousand thousand, I shall go forth! Draw your sword and face the enemy!"

...

"Let's reason this out. Ten thousand men against two people is not fair. And surely, your excellencies in the army treat prisoners well, right?" Lin Changtian blinked as he was pinned to the ground, mumbling incoherently.

Cheng Yu was irritated. His only hobby was the autumn hunt, and today it had been ruined by two idiots.

"I don't understand. Are you two always this brave? Two men charging at ten thousand of my heavy cavalry—you're fierce!" he said, annoyed. These two fools were truly bizarre; traveling with almost no one, yet carrying over a dozen wagons of supplies.

Lin Changtian blinked. He assumed the other party was a local bandit chief, so he put on a bold front. "Where did you come from? I have a hundred thousand heroic troops behind me! Don't rely on your numbers to bully the few. Untie these ropes, or disaster will befall you!"

"Do you know who I am?" Cheng Yu was amused to the point of laughter. He tapped Lin Changtian’s head, his eyes playful.

The smile was truly sinister, sending a shiver through Lin Changtian’s heart. *Does this fellow have a preference for men?* he thought to himself. *It seems I must bring out a big Buddha to scare him.*

"I have no interest in who you are, but do you know my surname!"

"Oh?" Cheng Yu grew interested. He tapped Lin Changtian's face with his horse whip and laughed. "Pray tell me your honorable name, so this native of the Eastern Northern Territory can broaden his horizons."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yong lost his temper. He glared fiercely at Lin Changtian and barked, "You idiot, you’ve led us all the way to the East!"

Lin Changtian ignored him, maintaining a look of profound mystery, and said earnestly to Cheng Yu, "My surname is Lin. The one from the West."