The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

The mist from the Xiangjiang River dampened the cobblestone streets and made the clouds and fog atop Yuelu Mountain even thicker.

In the west of the city, there is a stilted building by the river called Suiyu Pavilion. It looks like a tavern from the outside, but there is hardly any business during the day.

At this moment, in the most secluded private room on the second floor of the tavern, there was no music, only a suppressed silence and a strong smell of alcohol.

A burly man with a fierce face downed his glass of strong liquor in one gulp, then slammed the glass down on the table with a loud thud.

"Brother Sha, it's been almost a month! A whole month! Just one word from that man surnamed Shen and all my businesses in Xiangtan have come to a standstill! I have over a hundred men under my command who are asking for food, and I'm trying to coax them with sweet words every day. When will this ever end?"

This man was Yan Shiqi, an outer disciple of the Songshan Sect who was in charge of the gray industries in the Xiangtan area. He was also a bandit leader on the Xiangjiang River before. He was skilled in martial arts and had a fiery temper. After being recruited by the government, he relied on his ruthlessness and some support from the Songshan Sect to carve out a territory in Xiangtan.

Now that his source of income has been cut off, he is extremely anxious.

Sitting opposite him was the owner of this place, Sha Xihe, who was in charge of the gray products business in Changsha.

Sha Xihe was about forty years old, thin and slender, wearing a slightly worn blue-white long robe, which was washed clean. Unlike Yan Shiqi, he was not rugged, but rather resembled an accountant.

After listening to Yan Shiqi's complaints, he simply poured himself a full glass of wine and said unhurriedly:

"Brother Yan, calm down. You're angry, and so am I. The gambling dens and loan sharks in Changsha are shut down, and the money they're losing every day is no less than what you're losing in Xiangtan. But what's the use of being angry? You can't fight city hall."

"A big shot? Bah!" Yan Shiqi spat. "Isn't he just the personal disciple of Alliance Leader Zuo? A greenhorn in his early twenties, what does he know about the martial world!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his voice rising: "Does he really think he can make a lot of money from forging a few broken swords at his Hundred Refinements Workshop? Our shady businesses are the real money! And he just cuts us off with a single sentence—he's going to take away all of our livelihoods!"

At this point, he suddenly lowered his voice, a hint of anxiety on his face: "Moreover... Master Lu Lianrong of the Hengshan Sect still takes a cut from our gambling den. Next month is almost here, and if we can't pay it, I'm afraid that guy surnamed Shen won't blame himself for shutting down the gambling den, he'll only blame me."

Upon hearing this, Sha Xihe's lips curled into a cold smile. Yan Shiqi had been a river bandit on the Xiang River for over a decade, and then a local tyrant in Xiangtan for two years; the wealth he had amassed was immeasurable. Now, after only a month's business suspension, he was jumping up and down in a panic—

Ultimately, it's just that they can't bear to take money out of their own pockets to pay for Lu Lianrong's cut.

But since we're on the same path, I'll still offer this reminder.

Sha Xihe lowered his voice and leaned closer: "Brother Yan, do you really think he's just a greenhorn who doesn't know anything about the ways of the world?"

Seeing Yan Shiqi's indignant expression, Sha Xihe said quietly, "You must know Zhao Da Kui from Hengyang, right?"

Mentioning this name, Yan Shiqi's expression changed slightly: "Zhao Da Kui? Of course I know him. He's quite skilled, especially on the water. I've even had drinks with him a few times. I heard... he's dead?"

"It's more than just broken." Sha Xihe's eyes turned somewhat cold. "I received news that Zhao Da Kui, along with his two most trusted confidants, were all taken away by that Senior Brother Shen. Their bodies have been thrown into some ravine to be fed to wolves."

"What?!" Yan Shiqi jumped to his feet, his large, round eyes filled with shock. "He...he dared to do such a thing? Zhao Da Kui was, after all, an outer disciple of Songshan Sect. He just killed him like that? What about our sect..."

"The sect didn't utter a single word." Sha Xihe pressed Yan Shiqi back into his seat. "Do you understand now? Zhao Da Kui's strength wasn't much weaker than yours or mine, yet Senior Brother Shen killed him without hesitation. Do you still think he's just a greenhorn?"

Cold sweat beaded on Yan Shiqi's forehead, and he sobered up considerably in an instant. He then realized that this young senior brother was far more ruthless than he had imagined.

Silence fell again in the private room, with only the sound of light rain pattering outside the window.

"So...so we're just going to wait here like this?" Yan Shiqi asked unwillingly. "We can't let him abandon all of us old brothers, can we?"

What you do is none of my business. Sha Xihe found it somewhat amusing.

He could wait, of course. He wasn't short of money; he only went to Songshan to clean up his mess and get back on his feet. He didn't really care about those shady businesses anyway, so he could stay away for life without a care.

But... looking at Yan Shiqi, who looked like a pig from afar and a pig's head up close, he suddenly felt that he would be doing himself a disservice if he didn't take advantage of him.

"We definitely can't just wait idly," Sha Xihe said, a glint in his eyes. "But we can't be the ones to stick our necks out. Zhao Da Kui's fate is a warning to us."

He paused, then asked gently, "Among us, who is the strongest? Who suffered the greatest losses this time?"

Yan Shiqi's mind raced, and he immediately understood: "You mean... Li Donglai?"

They've taken the bait!

Shen An has been silent for two years, but now he's made a name for himself; he's probably no pushover. If I just incite Yan Shiqi to provoke Li Donglai into opposing him, Li Donglai will likely be badly injured, if not killed.

Sha Xihe was secretly pleased, and nodded approvingly on the surface:

"Exactly. That scoundrel Li Donglai, relying on his martial arts skills and his access to smuggled salt, has never taken us seriously. Although Senior Brother Shen didn't stop his smuggling this time, he's no longer allowed to use the 'Songshan' name. I heard his salt-carrying fleet has shrunk by more than 70%, and he's been robbed twice by rivals on the waterways, suffering heavy losses. He's probably burning with more anger than you or I. Let's go and persuade him to take the lead and demand an explanation from Senior Brother Shen. If it works out, we'll all benefit; if it doesn't, Li Donglai will have to take the fall."

Hmph, when the time comes to investigate, you, Yan Shiqi, will be the one to take the blame.

"Brother Sha, you're brilliant!" Yan Shiqi slapped his thigh, his gloom vanishing and replaced by a sinister excitement. "Let's go find him right now!"

"No rush." ​​Sha Xihe waved his hand. "I'm still wondering why this Senior Brother Shen would cut off his own source of income? Isn't he afraid of being blamed by Alliance Leader Zuo?"

"What else could it be?" Yan Shiqi snorted disdainfully. "I heard about it on my way to Changsha. His Hundred Refinements Workshop has been making a name for itself lately. He came up with some story about 'Dugu Qiubai' and 'Qingyin Fairy,' and made it sound so convincing that now everyone in the martial arts world of Huguang knows that his Hengyang Hundred Refinements Workshop is going to restore some fairy's sword."

"I've heard about it too." Sha Xihe stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I guess he thinks our line of work is too risky and has a bad reputation. He wants to use his legitimate business at Bailian Workshop to make a clean record so he can curry favor with Alliance Leader Zuo. Once he releases his 'Light Sound Sword' and reaps both fame and fortune, will he still remember us old brothers who did all the dirty work for him? At that point, we'll probably really be kicked to the curb by him."

These words fueled Yan Shiqi's anger even more. He felt that Sha Xihe had hit the nail on the head. Those of them who lived on the edge of a knife feared nothing more than being treated like disposable chamber pots by their superiors.

Just as the two were plotting how to sow discord between Li Donglai, there was a sudden knock on the door of the private room.

"Come in." Sha Xihedao.

A capable-looking henchman strode in, bowed, and said, "Boss Sha, there's the latest news from Hengyang."

"speak."

"Bai Lian Fang...something's happened!" The underling lowered his voice, sounding somewhat panicked. "The 'Fairy of Light Sound's sword fragments' they found were stolen last night! Now the whole of Hengyang City is buzzing with the news that it was the work of the notorious womanizer, Tian Boguang! Bai Lian Fang's sword-testing tournament has been postponed to five days from now!"

"What?!"

Sha Xihe and Yan Shiqi exchanged a glance, both seeing extreme astonishment in each other's eyes.

After a brief moment of astonishment, a surge of ecstasy welled up in Yan Shiqi's heart.

"Hahahaha!" Yan Shiqi couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and burst into loud laughter, making the cups and plates on the table vibrate. "Retribution! What a huge retribution! Wasn't that Shen guy so capable? Wasn't he going to hold some kind of sword-testing tournament? Well, now the swords are gone, let's see how he holds the meeting! Hahahaha!"

He felt a surge of anger burst forth from his chest, sweeping away the repression and resentment of the past few days.

Sha Xihe inwardly lamented that his plan to use one tiger to devour another was probably doomed, but outwardly he could only clap his hands and laugh:

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Tian Boguang? Well done, brilliantly stolen! This Senior Brother Shen, despite all his scheming, probably never dreamed he'd fall for such a philanderer!"

"Brother Sha, this is truly a godsend!" Yan Shiqi exclaimed excitedly. "We must give Senior Brother Shen another boost!"

"How so?"

"Watch me," Yan Shiqi ordered his henchman, his eyes filled with malice.

"Return to Xiangtan immediately and give the order: have all our men spread this word far and wide in every teahouse, restaurant, brothel, and gambling den in Xiangtan! Make it as offensive as possible, and the wider the spread, the better! I want to make 'Light Sound Sword' a laughingstock throughout the entire martial arts world!"

"Yes!" The underling accepted the order, a smile of excitement on his face, and quickly turned and left.

What an idiot! How could he dare to do something as ruthless as kicking someone when they're down?

Sha Xihe sighed inwardly, as if he could see Yan Shiqi end up like Zhao Da Kui.

It's such a waste that such a useful knife is about to break before I've even used it.

He didn't respond to Yan Shiqi's words, but instead raised his glass to subtly steer the conversation elsewhere. Yan Shiqi, oblivious, raised his glass again, clinked it against his glass heavily, and his face was full of a gloating, sinister smile.

Yan Shiqi seemed to already see the high and mighty Senior Brother Shen in his current disheveled and humiliated state.

Little did he know that his enthusiastic promotion was exactly what Shen An wanted to hear.