Encountering Rain at West Lake

The summer rain poured down in a torrent, carriages occasionally splashing through the puddles, scattering water everywhere, and pedestrians hurried along the road. Looking into the distance, the shop at the intersection was lit with several oil lamps. Though the light wasn't particularly bright, the careful arrangement made it appear warm and inviting in the dim, rainy weather, beckoning people to come in and sit down.

The rain formed a curtain, separating the world inside from the world outside. A man and a woman spoke inside the shop, a follower standing behind the man. The sound of the rain muffled their conversation, but at one point, the refined woman shook her head, offering an apologetic bow. The conversation continued nevertheless, but it eventually came to an end. The gentleman, dressed in a long, ink-green robe, nodded politely to the woman in farewell. He opened his umbrella and, with the scarred follower, stepped out into the rain.

He didn't look back as the light of the shop faded from view. The rain beat down around him. Turning the corner, he finally spoke, "Go to Haiqing Ward."

The evening downpour showed no signs of stopping. Haiqing Ward was not far away. Years ago, the area had been a bustling dock, with merchant ships arriving and departing, and goods constantly being traded. But a new dock had been built, and this one had gradually fallen into disuse. Now, the ward was dirty, chaotic, and considered the most complex area in Jiangning City. Fights and stabbings occurred almost every other day, and families warned their children to stay away.

Despite the disorder, the ward was still lively. All sorts of low-level merchants, wandering performers, penniless Hu merchants, impoverished scholars, freelance prostitutes, and gang members chose to live here. When Gu Yanzhen and Lao Liu arrived, the streets of the ward were already submerged in puddles from the heavy rain, due to the low-lying terrain. The shops and taverns on either side, however, were brightly lit. They walked further in, folded their umbrellas in front of the largest restaurant, and entered.

In the light of oil lamps and torches, all kinds of people gathered in the restaurant's main hall. Stern-looking Jianghu figures, weapons at their sides, ate, drank, and loudly discussed matters. Men with a mixed background sat nearby, gesturing animatedly to their companions, occasionally teasing the women who passed by, looking for patrons. Downtrodden scholars hunched over their food, eating with gusto. Some looked anxious, glancing around nervously as they ate. Others were drunk and vomiting, while children ran and played.

Gu Yanzhen, with his demeanor and bearing, seemed out of place in this restaurant. His arrival immediately drew the attention of some of the patrons. Lao Liu, however, had a grim look on his face, and the scar on his face discouraged further scrutiny. A lone sheep was easy prey, but someone with a follower like that was likely to have some protection. They walked to a table on the far side of the restaurant, paid a few pieces of silver to make the impoverished scholar who was sitting there leave, and then had the waiter clean it and bring new food and wine.

Amidst the noise, they waited quietly. Once the food and wine arrived, Gu Yanzhen said, "Uncle Liu, sit down. It'll probably be a while…" Lao Liu sat down as instructed, but didn't touch the food. After a moment, Gu Yanzhen said, "Uncle Liu, do you have something to say?"

"I just feel that with your inauguration imminent, these trivial matters might cause unnecessary complications."

"But you supported it last time."

"Only because last time it was a major event related to your future…"

"To me, Gu Yanzhen, they're all trivial matters." Gu Yanzhen smiled and looked at Lao Liu. "The only difference is whether to do it or not. Last time, the matter wasn't necessarily big, just an obstacle to overcome. This time, the matter isn't necessarily small. I returned to Jiangning mostly for this matter. Even if it's not perfect, there has to be a result."

He paused. "Lao Liu, among my friends, how many do you think have ever been to Haiqing Ward?"

"…Probably not many."

"They're all pedantic Confucian scholars, laughable. They think writing a few poems makes them elegant, and frolicking with a few women on a boat and talking grandly about national affairs makes them capable of bringing peace to the world. They're all blind to the real world. Three years ago, on the way to Dongjing, we encountered bandits. A moment before, they were still talking grandly about saving the world and helping the people, and then they panicked. There were a few who managed to remain calm in front of the bandits, but when they were slashed with a knife and saw the wound, they burst into tears and begged for mercy."

He raised a hand to eye level. "These pure literati think the reality of the world is here." Then he lowered it to the table. "But they don't know that the real reality is here. Relatively speaking, what's the point of those people mocking each other in the literary circles? Some time ago, when they found out that man was a live-in son-in-law, Shen Zishan thought he had scored a victory by exposing him, but what was the actual significance? It's like this year I planted crops and harvested nothing. When I see someone else had an accident and harvested nothing, I'm happy. What is the meaning of that? Aren't I still going hungry?"

"From a young age, when I do things, I always determine what I want and what I don't care about. As long as it's something I want to do, I'll get the results no matter what. Even if it can't be perfect, I'll never let go. If I can get eighty percent, I'll get eighty percent. If I can get seventy percent, I'll get seventy percent. If I become an official in the future, I'll be the same. If I don't work perfectly for the common people, does that mean I won't do it at all?"

He tapped the table. "Today, the situation in the world is chaotic and complex. The foundation of the Wu Dynasty is hanging by a thread. All the literati are just talking about peace. What's the use? Like those storytellers in the streets of Dongjing, talking about how someone humiliated the arrogant envoys of the Liao Dynasty. The listeners cheer, but if they really encounter Liao people, they still go out of their way to avoid them. Aren't we still being bullied by the Liao people? When we act, we should face our true selves and know what we want…"

"Actually, I'm still young and not cultivated enough. Coming back this time, I had too many preconceived notions and desires. I knew that **** was ruthless, but I didn't expect Yunzhu to be so vulgar, which disappointed me. If I were a few years older, I wouldn't be swayed by such emotions. But if I let go and leave now, it will surely become an obstacle in my mind, preventing my thoughts from flowing freely." He closed his eyes slightly, the memory of the slap he received on the street and the dumbfounded look on his face, and the ridicule in the hearts of the onlookers flashed in his mind.

"One is willing to bend his back for a few grains of rice, becoming a live-in son-in-law of a merchant. Then he writes a couple of poems and thinks he's become a famous scholar in the world, probably thinking he's particularly unique and different from everyone else. One does some small business and thinks she's so aloof and virtuous, forgetting her former identity. They're all ants-like common people. Uncle Liu, what big deal is this in today's world? It's just a trivial matter that can be done easily. When I go to Leping in the future, and then to the North, what does this matter count for?"

After saying this, he looked outside the shop. Two figures were already approaching in the rain…

*****************

Haiqing Ward, Welcoming Guests Restaurant.

Amidst the noise and the dim, yellow light, Lao Liu stood up from his seat and stood beside Gu Yanzhen. Gu Yanzhen's eyes also flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. At the entrance, two figures in raincoats came in, looking around. Some people met their gaze, and their voices quieted down. Most of the people who frequented this place knew these two. When the waiter went up to greet them, he was two heads shorter than the man in the lead, looking like a child.

Both of the men were burly and tall, dressed not in the short, close-fitting attire of martial artists, but looking more like fishermen. But the man in the lead was over two meters tall, and his body was well-proportioned and strong. His gaze was calm. The other man had a face full of fierce flesh. He was slightly shorter than the leader, but looked like an iron tower, with dark skin and small, fierce eyes. People in the Jianghu probably didn't want to provoke people like this. Even Lao Liu, who followed Gu Yanzhen, seemed weak compared to them.

The leader looked around the restaurant, then brushed aside the waiter and walked towards Gu Yanzhen and Lao Liu. Most people didn't look at them. Only a few martial artists who looked like outsiders were talking loudly at the door, but when they turned their heads to look at the two men, the iron tower man stopped, glared at them, and the Jianghu martial artists didn't show any weakness. The two sides stared at each other for a moment, but eventually, the Jianghu men looked away.

The iron tower followed the man in front of him, then seemed to have spotted something in the restaurant. He reached out and touched the giant man, pointed to one side, and said a few words. The giant man nodded. The iron tower walked over there, while the giant man came towards Gu Yanzhen, revealing a seemingly heroic smile and slapping Gu Yanzhen on the shoulder.

"Young Master Gu, it's been a long time."

His words were calm, but his voice wasn't loud, so as not to be overheard by others. Gu Yanzhen, however, was staggered by the slap, but managed to steady himself and said calmly, "I have something I need you to do."

"What kind of job is it?"

"Similar to last time."

"There was an assassination attempt. The security has been tight these last few days."

"It will be lifted tomorrow."

"Haha, that's why I say, you're a young master…"

The giant man sat down there. Gu Yanzhen's physique seemed completely disproportionate to his. He smiled and looked around. Gu Yanzhen was also looking in that direction. He saw a man push aside a stool and run. The iron tower took a few steps, picked up a stool, and knocked the man to the ground.

"Running?" The second blow landed with a crash, and the stool shattered. "Lao Huang! It's not good to owe money!"

"Sorry for the trouble. My brother's collecting debts." The giant man picked up a glass and took a sip.

"When did your brothers start lending money at high interest?"

"Is that something you should ask?" Gu Yanzhen had originally asked the question with a smile, but the giant man glanced at him, and he was immediately embarrassed. The giant man patted him on the shoulder again. "Young master, you have to know your place. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask… I don't lend out much money, and since he wasn't planning to pay me back, he shouldn't have borrowed it from me in the first place."

At this moment, Lao Liu gently touched Gu Yanzhen's shoulder. Gu Yanzhen looked towards one side of the restaurant. Two constables were walking by outside and had noticed the commotion in the restaurant.

"I'm going upstairs." He said this, and after the giant man nodded, he and Lao Liu walked towards the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, they stopped and looked back.

The sounds of kicking, hitting, shouting, and cursing continued in the restaurant. The man who was beaten was constantly begging for mercy and trying to escape. This kind of thing was common in Haiqing Ward. The two constables watched at the door for a while, probably not wanting to get involved, but then they saw the man who was beaten spitting blood all over the ground. The lead constable finally went over and said, "Stop! Yang Heng, do you want to beat someone to death!"

The two constables were a head shorter than the iron tower, and perhaps together they could match him, but they were constables, so they had to give them some face. The man who was beaten half to death on the ground mustered his strength and ran behind the constables, spitting blood and saying, "Officer Yang, Officer, I will definitely pay it back, I will definitely pay it back. I've joined the Iron River Gang. My leader is Master Tan, please give him some face and give me two more days, I will definitely pay it back…"

"Master Tan? My brother and I don't have any fancy gangs, but even your gang leader would have to give us face. You're using his name… is that enough!"

As he spoke, he grabbed a stool and smashed it down again. Then he wanted to continue hitting him, but the slightly younger constable suddenly stepped forward and blocked him, drawing his Pudao sword halfway. The older constable next to him held down the sword. The iron tower strongman named Yang Heng looked at his movements and stopped. "Head Constable Zheng, this little brother of yours, is he new?"

The older constable looked at him. "If you keep hitting him, he'll die!"

"Hmph." It was nothing to injure or cripple someone, but if someone died, he couldn't explain it to anyone. Yang Heng laughed and snorted, then raised his hand. "Alright, I, Yang Heng, am a law-abiding person. Today, I'll give Head Constable Zheng face, and consider that he owes me money. I was in the right first, so I won't pursue it now, but you have to take care of your new little brother in the future. Drawing a sword so easily… it's scary!"

He extended his finger and silently tapped the young constable's forehead. The severely injured man behind him only said, "I will definitely pay it back, I will definitely pay…" Yang Heng squatted down and looked at him. "You don't have to pay it back. Consider it compensation for your injuries! Just remember in the future, there are two kinds of people in this world: thugs and desperadoes. You're a thug. If you want to cheat money, you should cheat the money of those who are also thugs like you, not the money of brothers like us!"

After speaking, he turned and walked towards the giant man.

The young constable's face was already flushed red. Then the older one dragged him out. Under the rain, they pulled him a few steps before turning around and leaving. "Head Constable, what kind of people are they?"

The Head Constable's face was grim. "The Yang Yi and Yang Heng brothers. Don't provoke them!"

"How can we let such people be so arrogant?"

"Those two… are true desperadoes…" The Head Constable took a deep breath. "But they usually don't cause big trouble, and they're quite sensible. The gangs here in Haiqing Ward don't dare to provoke them. Years ago, Yang Yi single-handedly charged into the Iron Sand Gang, dragging the intestines of a branch leader through the streets for three laps, covered in blood. He's a real ruthless man…"

"…Are there murder cases on their hands?"

"Everyone knows they must have murder cases on their hands, but fighting between gangs is a mess, and it's hard to manage. As for the rest, there's no evidence. They don't do petty things like others. That gambling ghost who owed money this time deserved it. He gambled away his daughter years ago. This time, he borrowed money from their brothers, so he deserved this retribution. When Head Constable Lei was here, he wanted to deal with them, arrested Yang Yi, and Yang Heng ran away. Yang Yi stayed in prison and never confessed, no matter what. Yang Heng threatened outside that if anything happened to his brother, he would kill Head Constable Lei's family. In the end… they let him go, but they knew how to behave. Afterwards, they sent a gift to Head Constable Lei's home to thank him. After that, no one wanted to provoke them easily…"

After the older constable finished speaking, the young man was a little surprised. The older constable shook his head and said, "In short, if you really want to do it, kill them at once. If you don't have that opportunity, try to interfere as little as possible, otherwise there will be endless trouble. The brothers are also quite sensible in many things. That's what makes them true ruthless people. There are plenty of thugs in Haiqing Ward… Manage them a little, as long as nothing too eye-catching happens, that's all…"

Lightning flashed across the sky. The two constables walked forward. In the restaurant that was left behind, the Yang brothers went upstairs to the private room and discussed the transaction with Gu Yanzhen.

Ancient Jiangning City, the rain stretched on…

************

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