Blade - Unbound

Chapter 12: Big Tooth Du

Days passed in the blink of an eye.

Widow Wang’s disappearance caused a small stir in the village. Some said she had taken her daughter to try to return to her hometown, while others claimed she had finally gone mad and intended to sell the child to traffickers in Chang’an.

Naturally, they were all mere rumors.

At the end of the day, Widow Wang was an outsider. Due to her status as a widow and her filthy appearance, everyone shunned her. No one cared if she lived or died. At most, people pitied her young daughter.

Li Huairen cared even less. As the village chief, he simply reported her as missing to the authorities and then had his servants seize the land she left behind. This angered a few others who harbored the same intentions, but all they did was curse him behind his back.

Once he was done, the traces of Widow Wang in Li Clan’s Fort disappeared.

***

Clatter, clatter.

Several old horses strained hard as they pulled stone rollers across the ground. Summer harvest was approaching, and golden waves of wheat rolled through the fields.

Though it wasn’t yet time to reap, there was no shortage of work.

The women gathered mulberry leaves for silkworms and prepared meals for their families. The men took out sickles, forks, shovels, and rakes from storage, repairing and maintaining them in preparation for the harvest. The threshing ground also had to be leveled and compacted with stone rollers.

Harvesting grain was like fighting a war. If preparations were lacking and something went wrong, say, a sudden rain, the entire year’s effort could be ruined. Li Yan was not excluded from this bustle. He was busy feeding the horses at the threshing ground.

“Brother Yan, I’m telling you, this horse is amazing!” The driver, Du Sixi, grinned with his crooked teeth, spitting as he enthusiastically pitched a sale. “It’s just over ten years old, right in its prime! It’s never been injured either. It might not run a thousand li a day, but going back and forth to Chang’an is no problem. Moreover, if you’re going to roam the jianghu, what’s a bladesman without a horse?”

Li Clan’s Fort wasn’t wealthy. Only Li Huairen owned a few old horses for labor, and occasionally rode them around. However, even that was enough to make the village youths envious.

Li Yan naturally wanted one too, not for vanity, but to practice mounted archery and to make future trips to Chang’an easier. Yet today, he was distracted. Looking at Du Sixi rambling on, Li Yan’s thoughts stirred.

He asked, “Old Du, are there any famous Daoist temples in Chang’an?”

***

Widow Wang and her daughter had vanished several days ago. No one knew that something terrifying had once entered the village. Though the incident had passed, for Li Yan, it was only the beginning.

First, he now understood that the misfortune in his family, his father’s death, and even the death of his body’s original owner, was likely the result of a curse. Whoever had placed the curse had been ruthless and even capable of tampering with imperial gifts.

He was clearly up against an extraordinary foe. If they realized their plan had failed, they might act again. Even if they didn’t, Li Yan had no intention of letting the matter go.

Second, as Widow Wang had said, he had awakened a yang root. His sense of smell had been enhanced, gaining a form of supernatural perception. Sooner or later, those spirits would target him.

Entering the mysterious world of cultivation had now become a priority.

Du Sixi was a cart driver from the neighboring Du Village. He regularly traveled between nearby villages and Chang’an, transporting people and goods. Recently, he had been hired to haul stone rollers between villages. Though he looked unremarkable, he was still a man of the jianghu.

The jianghu was not just about fighting; it was about livelihoods. These included the five trades and eight crafts. The five trades referred to carriage drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, laborers, and brokers, while the eight crafts included blacksmithing, carpenting, leatherworking, and others.

Some of the groups that formed from people of the same trade and craft wielded considerable influence. Even notorious outlaws would show them respect. For example, boatmen had formed the southern Pai Sect and northern Canal Gangs, as well as maritime associations like the Four Seas Association. Laborers controlled the docks. Inns served as hubs of information for the various organizations.

Carriage drivers also had their organizations, and the store where Du Sixi sold his goods was no different. The ability to welcome so many guests and maintain order meant that they had a powerful force backing them. Wherever there were people, there would be interests. As long as there were interests to be negotiated, there would be a jianghu.

Two major carriage gangs dominated Chang’an: the Taixing Gang and the Changsheng Gang. They controlled transport across the Guanzhong Plains and maintained close ties with escort agencies, inns, boatmen gangs, labor groups, and brokers. They might only possess ordinary martial strength, but their information network was exceptional.

Du Sixi belonged to the Taixing Gang. Because of his crooked teeth, people often called him Big Tooth Du. Though his rank in the gang was low and he had little ability, he was well-informed.

He had once received help from Li Yan’s father, which was why Li Yan turned to him now.

***

“That’s obvious!” Du Sixi laughed. “Chang’an has been through several wars, sure, but it’s still been the capital for generations. There are one hundred and eight districts, with countless temples and shrines. What’s the matter? Are you planning to go and burn some incense? I happen to be heading there tomorrow—” freёweɓnovel.com

Li Yan cut him off with a wave. “No, Old Du, I want to know where I can find real experts of the mystic path.”

“M-Mystic path?!” Du Sixi froze. “Why are you asking about that?!”

So he does know something!

Li Yan felt a spark of excitement. Putting on a smile, he pulled Du Sixi to sit in the shade. “Old Du—no, Uncle Du, just tell me what you know.”

The title “Uncle Du” clearly pleased him, but he knew Li Yan wouldn’t mess around. He forced a smile. “Brother Yan, don’t joke. Your father, Master Hu, made quite a name for himself in Guanzhong Plains. Who hasn’t heard of the Sick Tiger of Guanzhong? How could he not have heard of those things and told you?”

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Just tell me. Don’t go off track.”

Come to think of it, his father had taught him many things about the jianghu, even their secret codes, but he had never mentioned anything about the mystic path.

Did he do it on purpose?

Li Yan’s darkening expression made Du Sixi feel uneasy.

He quickly said, “The jianghu has its own hierarchy. I’m just a carriage driver, a nobody in the gang. I don’t know much, but I’ve heard a few things. The term ‘mystic path’ is broad. Anyone with any strange techniques can be a part of it. However, it’s hard to tell real ability from fake tricks. Still, the real experts of the mystic path are never to be underestimated.

“There are two main factions of the mystic path. One is officially recognized by the court, registered under the Ministry of Rites. They hold Daoist or Buddhist certifications, oversee famous temples, and are considered orthodox. The most famous of them is the Taixuan Sect. The other is made up of far more varied members.

“They have fortune tellers, shamans, wandering mediums, and those who practice various odd techniques in the jianghu. “The orthodox sect dismisses them as heretics, but in the jianghu, their status is significant. Various factions often support powerful figures. But to ordinary people, it’s hard to tell a fraud from the real thing.”

Li Yan pressed on, “Do you know any practitioners yourself?”

Du Sixi chuckled awkwardly, “You’re joking, Brother Yan. I’m just trying to make a living. I’m nothing in the guild! How would I know such people?”

Seeing Li Yan frown, he quickly lowered his voice. “But... there is someone. He’s well-connected, and he has ties to your family. He should know.”

“Who?”

“Sha Lifei.”

“Him?!” Li Yan gasped. His expression turned strange.

After chatting a while longer, Li Yan returned home. As soon as he arrived, he saw his grandfather squatting by the door, smoking his pipe and looking furious.

Li Yan grinned. “Grandpa, what’s wrong this time?”

The old man scowled. “That bastard Li Laoshuan only knows how to cheat at chess! He’s a fool who can’t work for a decent meal in his life!”

Li Yan broke out into laughter. “Calm down. Go beat him tomorrow.”

These old men did not play chess to hone their skills, but to show off how good they were at arguing when they lost. Losing the game didn’t matter. Losing the argument was what stung.

Whatever it was, it was a good sign. Ever since the curse hidden in the plaque had been broken, Li Gui had undergone a visible transformation. He no longer brooded all day and seemed to have let go of many things. He played chess with the village elders, went fishing in the small river west of the village, and even talked about going to Chang’an to watch the opera.

Li Yan felt genuinely happy seeing him like that. But at the same time, his hatred for whoever had laid the curse deepened. A killing intent stirred in his heart.

Having lived two lives, he would not swallow injustice done to him and his family. Moreover, on the way back earlier, he realized that his father had been an experienced expert of the jianghu. There was no way he didn’t know about the mystic path.

Yet, he taught Li Yan everything but that! Was he deliberately hiding something?

There was a chance his father had been secretly investigating by himself, but that didn’t quite add up either. If he had known about the curse, how could he have allowed that plaque to continue hanging at their door? Also, the circumstances behind his death were mighty suspicious. The more he thought about it, the deeper he frowned.

With a sudden thought, he turned to his grandfather and went over to squat beside him. “Grandpa, who exactly did you offend back then?”

Li Gui’s white brows shot up. “Why are you asking that?”

Li Yan grinned. “Just curious. If not for that person, maybe I would be some noble brat by now. I would have someone to curse when I’m upset, at least.”

“Bullshit! What kind of noble brat do you think you’d have been?!” Li Gui snapped. “You’re meant to dig in the dirt. And stop thinking about nonsense. That was years ago! What, you want revenge? That fellow is already dead.”

“Huh?”