Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 464, Chapter 463: Jin Ke'an

"Eight years ago..."

Dumb Jin's eyes flickered with struggle as he stared intently at Feng Xiuhu: "The three of you are great figures with divine abilities, why bother with us peasants? It's nothing but old stories that are about to rot in our stomachs, and speaking of them would only offend your ears."

Feng Xiuhu knew about Dumb Jin's concerns. They had been secretly plotting for years, how could they easily tell others? If it were to get out through Feng Xiuhu, then disaster would be imminent.

So, to dispel his concerns, Feng Xiuhu advised, "We are not important people, but just passersby who happen to be passing through this place. We have no connection with foreigners, no business with the government, and are not affiliated with the temple or church."

Feng Xiuhu pointed to Zhao Wazi, who was tightly bound next to him: "If we really want to talk about it, we and Master Wa are actually friends who became acquainted through a fight."

Dumb Jin wouldn't believe Feng Xiuhu just because he talked, and said with a wry smile, "Since it has nothing to do with you, why don't you be lenient and let us go? Just pretend that nothing happened tonight."

Fang Youliu nodded: "I think it's a good idea."

Feng Xiuhu glared at him: "What do you mean 'okay'? Do you still want to keep writing in that lousy notebook? I'm just looking for materials for you."

Fang Youliu turned to look out the window, too lazy to interrupt—no matter what he said, Feng Xiuhu would always find a reason to argue back.

Feng Xiuhu looked back at Dumb Jin: "I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep until I get to the bottom of this. Just consider it satisfying my curiosity. I'll just listen to the story and won't interfere with your plans."

Dumb Jin had no choice; they had been captured in one fell swoop. Unless he offered a sum of money, it seemed they wouldn't be able to leave this room.

After hesitating for a long time, Jin the Mute finally spoke.

“In the past, there was a shipping guild in Jindi City.”

"The boatmen's gang was neither a river bandit nor a bandit, but a group of unfortunate people who gathered together to help and support each other. The gang consisted mostly of boatmen, laborers, craftsmen, and trackers, but due to their large number of members, they made a name for themselves in the Jindi City area."

Dumb Jin looked up at his companions inside the room: "But later the boat gang suffered a great disaster, and now only these few are left."

He sighed deeply: "Back then, the leader of the boat gang was Zhao Wazi's father, whom we called Boss Zhao. He bought my life."

Feng Xiuhu almost thought he had misheard: "Bought it?"

Dumb Jin pursed his lips, hesitated for a few seconds, and then reached out and took off his hat.

Zhao Wazi, Chen Ajiang, and the others suddenly became agitated, making incessant mumbling noises and struggling violently with their hands and feet.

Shunzi pulled out his hunting rifle and held it to his chest, giving them a cold look. Only then did they quiet down again.

Beneath the hat was jet-black hair, somewhat messy from being weighed down by the hat, but nothing particularly special.

Feng Xiuhu was puzzled, but then he saw the mute Jin reach out again—he gently tapped at the temple and soon pulled up a patch of hair.

Feng Xiuhu was slightly surprised; it turned out that the mute Jin was wearing a wig.

After removing his wig, Dumb Jin's head was covered by a thin net, and the hair below was shaved down to a stubble.

Upon seeing the sides of the head, Feng Xiuhu's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "A fragrant deer?"

It turns out that there are two large, round scars above the temples of the mute man, almost touching his scalp—these are the remnants of the saw being cut off his horns.

Jin the Mute clutched the wig and hat in his hands and said calmly, "That's right, I am a member of the Mountain Spirit Clan." "Back then, I was transported to Jindi City by ship and bought by Boss Zhao. I thought that having my horn removed and my blood drained was my destiny, but I never expected that Boss Zhao would give me a new life."

He said that there were no noblemen or lords in the boatmen's guild, only poor people. Poor people could not afford such a precious item as fragrant deer antlers, so it would be better for me to live and do my part.

"So Boss Zhao personally sawed off my horns so that I could live like a human being, and even gave me a new name."

"Old Zhao heard the phrase 'peace and tranquility' from someone else and thought it was a joyous phrase for boatmen, so he used it to name me. However, he was illiterate and thought it had too many strokes and was difficult to write, so he took half of each phrase and named me 'Ke'an'."

A thought flashed through Feng Xiuhu's mind: "The river is calm and the sea is peaceful, Qinghai Inn... No wonder you're the owner here."

Jin the Dumb nodded silently: "I secretly set up the inn after the destruction of the boat guild, and almost no one knows that this place is my private property."

He continued, "Boss Zhao has been incredibly kind to me, and I naturally want to repay him wholeheartedly. What happened afterward was just as rumored. I have a knack for business dealings, and with my quick thinking, I helped the shipping guild manage their finances and made connections with merchants in the city, from waterway trade to cargo shipping. At its peak, we openly ran shipping and also had shady business of smuggling by waterway, so we made quite a bit of money."

"My contributions are obvious to all, and over time I rose to the position of second-in-command."

Feng Xiuhu joked, "A mute speaks, and a bushel of gold is won—truly living up to its reputation."

Dumb Jin shook his head and explained, "There's actually a misunderstanding here. Outsiders think I'm aloof and mostly silent, which is why they gave me the nickname 'Dumb Jin.' In reality, it's because I'm afraid that outsiders will find out about my identity as a member of the Mountain Spirit Clan, so I deliberately reduce my social interactions and don't talk much to people."

"Old Zhao knew my difficulties, so he later specially found me a good match..."

Dumb Jin's voice suddenly became a little hoarse.

Feng Xiuhu looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were red.

Feng Xiuhu asked, "Finding a wife is a good thing... By the way, is your wife a human or a mountain spirit?"

Dumb Jin took a deep breath and smiled bitterly: "Naturally, she is from the Mountain Spirit Clan. She was also bought with money, but my feelings for her are genuine. My husband and I concealed our identities and settled down in the Ship Gang. Soon after, we had a daughter."

Feng Xiuhu looked around at the crowd, trying to find the female mountain spirit among them.

The mute Jin said in a low voice, "Don't look anymore, they're gone."

Having inadvertently touched on Jin the Dumb, Feng Xiuhu felt quite embarrassed and tentatively asked, "Then... how did the boat guilds disappear?"

Dumb Jin stared at the ground, a deep sense of reminiscence in his eyes.

He suddenly asked Feng Xiuhu, "Does Second Master know why Jindi City is called that?"

Feng Xiuhu actually knew the answer to this question. He replied, "Because of the long, curved dike on the north bank."

The mute Jin nodded: "That's right. Jindi City is located at the bend of the Dachuan River. Without that long dike, it would suffer from landslides and flooding every year during the flood season. It is because of the long dike that the water flow is slowed down, so everyone in the city owes it a debt of gratitude. In addition, the long dike is constantly washed by the river. Every time the sun sets, the dike reflects a shimmering golden light, so it is praised by the people as the Golden Dike."

Dumb Jin suddenly changed the subject.

"But what the Second Master doesn't know is that this dike to save the city was actually built by the boatmen's guild."

(End of this chapter)