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

The river wind was bleak, making the sails of the boats flutter loudly.

The discussion about "Young Master Shen" on the deck continued, but most of it focused on boasting about his unparalleled martial arts skills. Shen An listened for a while, then felt embarrassed and, seeing that there was no valuable information, stopped listening.

Are Li Qingde and Feng Changrong really that clever? I don't remember telling them those things.

Indeed, using modern strength training knowledge to deceive people and disguise it as a divine skill manual for body tempering is exactly the method Shen An prepared.

Firstly, it's to divert attention. The goal is to shift public greed for the "Heavy Sword Inheritance" into a pursuit of the "Body Refining Divine Skill." This is a way to deceive those who covet his martial arts, letting them practice for three to five years, after which, given his own growth rate, they won't be much of a problem.

Secondly, it's about lowering one's status. Discrimination against brute force is deeply ingrained in the martial arts world. This veneer of "foolishly training strength" serves as a shield, deterring many self-proclaimed masters from trying to steal secret manuals and minimizing the attention of top experts.

Thirdly, it would open up another avenue for Bailianfang to make money. With proper promotion, the "Seventy-two Peaks of Mount Song" could become a unique business that would sweep the martial arts world and make Bailianfang a fortune.

Shen An never expected that all of this was orchestrated by Qu Feiyan. However, Shen An would have no way of knowing how successfully Qu Feiyan was operating on her side for the time being.

Just as he was deep in thought, Lin Zhennan, who had been standing with his hands behind his back at the bow of the ship, suddenly gave a deep order: "Pass down the order to slow down and prepare to moor here."

The order was quickly relayed, and under the skillful helmsman's control, the Fuwei Escort Agency's large ship slowly veered off the main channel, its speed gradually decreasing. Finally, in a calm river bend, with a loud "splash," the heavy anchor was thrown into the river, creating a large splash.

Shen An raised his head and followed Lin Zhennan's gaze.

The riverbank stretched as far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of golden-brown reeds, undulating like waves in the autumn wind. There was nothing else there; it bore no resemblance whatsoever to a dock.

He looked for a long time before, with eyesight far exceeding that of ordinary people, he discovered a clue deep within the dense reeds.

The reeds there seemed to have been artificially divided into a narrow waterway, and at the end of the waterway, a few darker wooden stakes could be vaguely seen, forming a small, almost negligible, makeshift dock.

Without careful observation, no one would be able to discover that such a place is hidden behind this natural curtain.

"I'll take this young man down. Chen Qi, you come with me and see if you can replenish some supplies along the way," Lin Zhennan instructed. "The rest of you, stay put and do not go ashore. Do not board or disembark."

"Yes, Chief Escort!" the crowd responded in unison.

The large ship had a deep draft and obviously couldn't get close to the makeshift dock on the shallows. Soon, a small boat was lowered from the side of the large ship and landed steadily on the water.

Lin Zhennan was the first to leap down, his movements light and agile, landing on the small boat with hardly any swaying. Chen Qi, young and strong, followed closely behind.

When it was Shen An's turn, he was in a dilemma. If he jumped down lightly, would it cause his persona to collapse and violate the persona of "a lost and foolish person"?

To onlookers, he appeared to be standing helplessly on the ship's side.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who had been silent all along walked over, still with that impatient expression on his face, and muttered in a gruff voice, "Slow and dawdling, what a nuisance."

Despite this, he bent down, and with a swift movement of his large, fan-like hands, scooped Shen An up in his arms. His movements appeared rough, but were actually steady and powerful. When he placed Shen An on the small boat, he deliberately softened his grip, as if afraid of bumping or hurting him.

This镖头 (bodyguard/escort) Shi is truly all bark and no bite.

After finishing all this, Chief Escort Shi straightened up, cupped his hands to Lin Zhennan, and said, "Chief Escort, have a safe journey." Then he turned and returned to his post, as if he hadn't done anything at all.

The small boat was untied from its mooring rope, and Chen Qi rowed vigorously with the oars, slowly making its way towards the reed beds.

I think the shopping trip was just an excuse; Lin Zhennan just didn't want to row the boat himself, Shen An thought to himself.

As the small boat ventured deeper into the river, the tall reeds on both sides gradually closed in, completely isolating the large boat from the open river behind it.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet, with only the splashing of oars cutting through the water and the rustling of reeds in the wind. The light also dimmed considerably.

Chen Qi, being a young man, hadn't done many long-distance water escort missions like this, and everything before him felt both novel and nerve-wracking. As he rowed the fancy boat, he couldn't help but lower his voice and ask curiously, "Chief Escort, aren't we going to see the powerful and influential Li Donglai of Xiangdong? His territory… how come the dock here is so… so shabby?"

He originally wanted to say "dilapidated," but felt it would be disrespectful, so he changed to a more euphemistic word.

This was precisely the question that had been nagging at Shen An's mind. His expression remained unchanged, but his ears perked up discreetly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhennan did not turn around. Instead, he gazed at the approaching wild dock and explained calmly, "Chen Qi, remember this. For someone like Grandpa Li, the phrase 'having connections to the highest levels' doesn't come from a glittering facade. On the contrary, it comes from being unknown to others."

He pointed to the dense reeds around them: "See, isn't this place secluded enough?"

Chen Qi nodded repeatedly.

"That's right." Lin Zhennan's voice wasn't loud. "For those in their line of work, whether it's smuggling illicit goods or meeting friends who need to conceal their whereabouts, the most crucial element is 'concealment.' If you build a grand, imposing dock with people coming and going, wouldn't the government's spies and rival informants see everything clearly? What kind of business would that be?"

Chen Qi seemed to understand but not quite, and scratched his head.

Lin Zhennan seemed to know his doubts and continued to enlighten him: "Furthermore, this is not Old Master Li's real stronghold. Don't think that the so-called 'territory' is just a piece of land fenced off and a few high walls and courtyards. The real territory is the people."

He paused, giving Chen Qi time to process the information, before continuing, "Behind these reeds lies a small fishing village. The villagers appear no different from ordinary fishermen, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. But many of the able-bodied men actually rely on Grandpa Li for their livelihood. This makeshift dock is merely an inconspicuous passageway connecting them to the outside world. There are countless villages like Grandpa Li's along the banks of the Xiang River."

"They are fishermen, and also Grandpa Li's eyes and ears. They are scattered everywhere, like an invisible net. This net is Grandpa Li's real 'territory,' and the capital behind his 'all-powerful connections.'"

These words left Chen Qi speechless for a long while before he suddenly understood, a look of deep admiration appearing on his face: "So...so that's how it is! Chief Escort's insight is brilliant!"

Shen An nodded inwardly.

Lin Zhennan truly deserves his reputation as someone capable of building the Fuwei Escort Agency into a powerful force. Although he lacked a proper understanding of the cutthroat nature of the upper echelons of the martial arts world, which ultimately led to his family's ruin and extermination, the intricate and complex aspects of the lower levels of the martial arts world were precisely within his comfort zone.

How did Li Donglai, who smuggled salt, manage to build such a large empire? What is he planning to do?

Surely they're not trying to emulate Huang Chao and Zhang Shicheng? They rebelled during the Zhengde era, doing this during the height of the Ming Dynasty's power?

Shen An thought to herself, "I hope Lin Zhennan is just bragging."

If it's true, then I need to cut ties with this guy as soon as possible, so I don't get splattered with blood.

As they were talking, the small boat had already docked at the simple, makeshift pier.

The dock was deserted, except for a few water birds that were startled and fluttered into the depths of the reeds.