Chapter Sixteen: Dan Xiongxin

Hou Junji’s actions completely overturned Yun Hao’s perception of the ancients; it turned out that those petty tricks of later generations were merely picking up the wisdom of their forebears. Look at Qi Biao and Lai Shun’s performance—compared to the amateur scam artists of later times, they were far more professional. At least they could manage a forward roll or something similar. Hou Junji’s performance was particularly noteworthy—not at all like the superficial and exaggerated acts of future scam artists. In this instance, he fully captured the mournful anguish of a friend injured, expressing it in his eyes, his face, and his gestures; his acting was seamless, vivid, and deeply moving. Especially the final moment when he picked up Qi Biao, which powerfully conveyed a postmodern protest against society…! (Here, fifty thousand words are omitted!)

The three of them, suffering and wretched, wept bitterly in the street, truly stirring the hearts of all who witnessed it. Even the old oxen by the roadside bellowed mournfully. The age-old tendency of the people to flock to a spectacle erupted again, and a crowd quickly surrounded the carriage, layer upon layer. Even if the carriage’s owner wished to leave now, escape was impossible.

The driver, seeing the situation, leapt down and shouted loudly, “Kid, are you crazy? Why are you crashing into the carriage for no reason? If you die, whose fault is it?”

“You dare say that? Your carriage ran into my brother and you act so arrogantly! Is being rich so great? If anything happens to my brother, I’ll go to the authorities and make you pay with your lives!” Lai Shun wiped his nose, jumped up, and pointed at the driver, shouting furiously.

“You little thief, your brother crashed into our carriage. Do you even know who my master is? How dare you try to extort us here? Let me tell you—!”

“Damn your nonsense! I’ve only ever heard of carriages hitting people, never people hitting carriages. Just look at your draft animals—could they possibly crash into your own carriage? Who would do such a thing?” Before the driver could finish, Hou Junji jumped out, questioning loudly. As he berated the driver, he also appealed to the onlookers munching on melons, drumsticks, crabs, and whatever else: “All of you, fathers, elders, young and old, you’ve seen it. The wealthy bully the weak, please judge for us! In this world, is it possible for a person to crash into a carriage? Their carriage hit my brother, and now they curse us. Look at how they bully us! Please, elders, stand up for us poor motherless children! My poor brother…!” At his words, Hou Junji began to wail once more.

The crowd didn’t know the truth, but seeing Hou Junji’s performance, they immediately began to criticize the driver from all sides. The driver tried to explain, but his feeble voice was swiftly drowned out by the barrage of accusations.

Yun Hao felt his head swelling; Hou Junji truly was a handful. No wonder he eventually became Li Er’s in-law, even attempting to support his son-in-law in rebellion. Such a man was best kept at a distance—he had no bottom line, trouble was only a matter of time. Yun Hao began to regret saving Hou Junji from Old Qin’s men.

As Yun Hao pondered, the scene grew ever more chaotic. The driver’s explanations went unheard, with the crowd insisting he was both guilty and shameless. Their spittle seemed ready to drown him.

Just then, a sudden shout rang out: “Cease your quarrelling!” It was as if thunder had exploded out of nowhere. Even though Yun Hao was twenty feet away, his eardrums rang and ached.

Good heavens! Was this the legendary inner force, or perhaps the Lion’s Roar? Yun Hao blinked, forgetting even to cover his ears, staring straight at the carriage. The curtain lifted, and a man stepped down. He was tall, nearly a fathom in height, with the face of a spirit guardian, a blue visage, and a red beard. He wore a black turban marked with the character “ten thousand,” a lotus-colored Taoist robe, and pale boots. Facing so many onlookers, he remained calm and steady as a mountain.

“Dan Fu, what’s going on? Did you hit someone?” The giant, already imposing, stood atop the carriage, towering over the crowd like a grand master surveying lesser men. The onlookers, shaving, drinking water, playing with slingshots, all fell silent, awed by his presence.

“Master! It wasn’t me who hit someone, this kid crashed into the carriage. They’re deliberately trying to extort us!” Dan Fu protested, aggrieved.

The man addressed as “Master” glanced at the indignant Hou Junji, who was about to speak. Just that glance made Hou Junji close his mouth.

Who was this man? Such an overwhelming presence, his mere aura so formidable. Yun Hao saw the sharpness in his eyes and felt a chill in his heart.

The giant stepped down from the carriage in a single stride and looked at Hou Junji and his brothers. “Young man, my driver did bump your brother. That’s my Dan Tong’s fault. Here are two taels of silver—take your brother to a bone-setting doctor. Let’s let this matter drop, shall we?”

Dan Tong? Yun Yue felt the name was familiar, and after a moment, remembered: Dan Tong—wasn’t he the legendary Red-haired Spirit Guardian, Dan Xiongxin?

Good heavens! A petty thief had provoked a master thief. Dan Tong, or Dan Xiongxin, was the chief of the Green Forest outlaws in the southern and northern provinces—an authentic underworld boss. Compared to him, Hou Junji was a mere underling’s underling’s underling… not even worthy to carry his shoes.

Lai Shun was about to protest again, but Hou Junji stopped him with a gesture. Lai Shun, ignorant of Dan Xiongxin’s reputation, would have continued, but Hou Junji knew better. Seeing Dan Xiongxin pull out a silver ingot weighing two or three taels, he immediately took it with both hands.

“I’ve long heard of Master Dan’s chivalry, and today I see your reputation is well deserved. This matter, well, my brother is partly at fault too. How could a humble man accept your silver, Master! It’s all just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!” Hou Junji’s words were noble, but he clung tightly to the silver, refusing to let go.

“Ha! As long as it’s a misunderstanding. You’re a clever one. Take care in the future!” Dan Xiongxin looked at Hou Junji, noting his sharp features and shifty eyes. Though he felt some distaste, he could do nothing in front of so many people. Luckily, the fellow was sensible enough. With the silver accepted, the matter was settled. The crowd, seeing the money exchanged, dispersed. Dan Xiongxin said no more, climbed back onto the carriage. Dan Fu glared at Hou Junji, then drove on.

Yun Hao had no desire to deal with Hou Junji further, nor did he linger to watch Hou Junji fondling the silver. He turned and went back to the cattle and horse market, searching for Qin Qiong.

No sooner had he reached the market than he found Qin Qiong’s spot in uproar. Taking advantage of his small size and agility, Yun Hao squeezed through the crowd and soon made it to the front. He stopped short, stunned, thinking: This is bad!