Han Ji

My shoulder is killing me.

Liu Bei lay on the couch, his forehead covered in cold sweat. The doctor had just left, leaving behind the pungent smell of ointment and the words, "His bone is fractured; he needs to rest."

Rest and recuperate? He twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at Lu Zhi sitting on the edge of the couch.

Lu Zhi held the wooden plaque he had taken from the assassin in his hand, examining it repeatedly by the light of the oil lamp. The serpentine pattern on the plaque, with its twisted lines, exuded an eerie aura.

"He's not one of the county soldiers," Lu Zhi said, his voice hoarse. "nor is he an ordinary江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world)."

Liu Bei, enduring the pain, took a breath: "Wang Hong and Li Ben have fallen, yet this mastermind can still mobilize such elite warriors... This shows that his roots in the city run deeper than we thought. It's not that he's allied with Wang Hong, but rather... an equal exchange, or perhaps, it's a completely different group of people."

Lu Zhi tossed the wooden plaque onto the table with a soft "thud." "The barbarians in the mountains lack salt, medicine, and news from the outside world. This 'black hand' is their eyes and ears in the city; perhaps it even helps them procure things."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the dark night. "Wang Hong and Li Ben are parasites, greedy and easy to deal with. This 'Black Hand' is a venomous snake."

Liu Bei tried to move his shoulder, and immediately felt a sharp pain that made his vision go black. "Master, we must get rid of this venomous snake first. Otherwise, our every move will be under their watchful eyes. We won't be able to organize the army or pacify the people."

Lu Zhi didn't turn around. "How can you fight like this?"

"The student's injury is to his shoulder, not his brain." Liu Bei stared at Lu Zhi's retreating figure. "They failed this time and even lost a man. They'll definitely panic and give themselves away. That wooden sign is a clue; if we follow it, we'll eventually find our way to the next step."

Lu Zhi remained silent for a moment, then turned around, his gaze falling on Liu Bei's pale face. "How do I touch him?"

"The city is a melting pot of all sorts of people, a place where all sorts of scoundrels mingle. There are bound to be people who recognize this brand, or who have seen someone using it." Liu Bei spoke slowly, each word trembling with pain. "Have my students investigate. If open methods don't work, try covert ones."

"You're all alone."

"Liu, the registrar, has a few local old officials under his command. They're cunning, but they're also resourceful. I can lend them to you." Liu Bei took a breath. "And... I'd also like you to send two reliable veterans from the north. They're good fighters and keep their mouths shut."

Lu Zhi walked back to the bedside, looked down at him, and stared for a long time. "Granted."

He bent down, picked up the wooden plaque, and placed it in Liu Bei's uninjured hand. "Get the vines out alive."

Liu Bei gripped the wooden plaque tightly, the cold wood digging into his palm. "Yes."

For the next few days, Liu Bei "rested" in this room that had been used as a hospital ward.

His shoulder pain kept him awake at night, and he had little energy during the day. But he didn't stay idle.

After being reprimanded by Lu Zhi, Liu, the registrar, became much more obedient and dutifully sent three veteran officials who had spent half their lives in Shu County. One was surnamed Hu, as thin as a monkey, and used to handle street disputes; another was surnamed Qian, chubby, always smiling, and said to be able to talk to all sorts of people; and the last one was a taciturn man surnamed Zhao, who didn't like to talk but had an excellent memory.

Liu Bei didn't stand on ceremony. He showed them the wooden plaque and asked directly, "Do you recognize it?"

The three old officials huddled closer to look, exchanging glances.

Hu Li spoke first, cautiously: "Mr. Liu... this thing looks familiar... I think I've seen someone use something similar in Nanshi..."

Qian Li quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, that Zhang's Grocery Store in the South Market also deals in some shady stuff. And the Black Fish Gang at the docks, they seem to have these strange markings on their bodies too."

Zhao Li didn't speak, he just nodded.

Liu Bei looked at them and said, "Go and investigate. Investigate quietly. See who is using this brand, or who recognizes it. Don't alert them."

He then instructed the two veteran soldiers from the north sent by Lu Zhi—one named Zhang Wu and the other Li Huan—"You two follow them, protect them, and keep an eye on things. If anything seems amiss, come back and report to me immediately."

Zhang Wu and Li Huan clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, their eyes sharp.

The others had been dispersed, leaving Liu Bei alone in the room again. The pain persisted. He leaned against the couch, staring at the rafters, his mind replaying the details of that night at the earth god's temple. The assassin's eyes, the masked man's movements, the poisoned dagger…

The door was gently pushed open, and a servant came in carrying a bowl of medicine.

"Mr. Liu, it's time to take your medicine."

Liu Bei took the bowl; the medicine was dark and had a pungent smell. He tilted his head back and gulped it down, the bitterness making his brow furrow.

A servant handed him a bowl of water. Liu Bei rinsed his mouth and casually asked, "Is there any noise outside?"

The servant lowered his head and said, "Nothing much has happened. It's just... the Zhou family sent some tonics over, saying they're for the master to recover from his injuries."

"The Zhou family?" Liu Bei paused. "Which Zhou family?"

"It's... the Zhou family in the west of the city, the family of Master Zhou Chong."

Liu Bei's eyes flickered slightly. Zhou Chong, a local strongman from Lujiang, had been quite close to the prefectural government when Wang Hong was in charge, but no one had been caught doing anything wrong with him. After Lu Zhi arrived, he behaved very well.

"Did you accept the gifts?"

"As the master instructed, it would be conspicuous not to accept gifts in ordinary dealings, so we accepted them. They were all medicinal herbs and cloth."

Liu Bei nodded and said nothing more. The servant cleared away the medicine bowl and left.

Is the Zhou family showing goodwill at this time simply a matter of observation, or do they have ulterior motives?

He touched his chest; the white jade pendant given to him by Xun Cai was still warm and smooth against his skin.

"I can't fall here," he told himself. "The road ahead is long; this little injury is nothing."

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to rest. He needed to get better as soon as possible.

Three days later, messages came back intermittently.

Hu Li first retrieved some scraps. The owner of Zhang's Grocery Store in the South Market was indeed a bit shady, secretly selling contraband salt, but whether he had any connection to the barbarians was uncertain. He had seen similar wooden signs before, but couldn't remember who he'd seen them on.

Qian Li made some progress. Through a porter he knew at the dock, he got in touch with a minor leader of the Black Fish Gang, drank with him for a few nights, and managed to get some information out of him. The minor leader said that a while ago, some strangers had indeed come to their gang leader with these wooden plaques, wanting to use the docks to transport some mountain goods out, but the gang leader didn't dare to accept them, thinking they were too hot to handle.

"Mountain goods?" Liu Bei leaned back on the couch, looking at the money clerk.

The clerk rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice: "It's stuff from the mountains, like hides and herbs. In return, they also smuggle salt and iron into the mountains. This is a deadly business, and the Black Fish Gang is too timid to get involved."

"Who is looking for them?"

"A stranger, not a local from Shuxian, he spoke with a bit of a mountain accent. He came twice, then disappeared."

Liu Bei looked at Zhao Li. Zhao Li took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, on which several patterns and place names were drawn crookedly with charcoal pencil.

"The sign looks like something the Snake Coil Gang would use," Zhao Li said briefly. "The Snake Coil Gang controls the underground gambling dens in the west of the city, lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Their hideouts are mainly in the Mud Loach Alley and Earthenware Street area. But, there's no evidence."