To Live Like a Dog, or Die Like a Wolf (3)
“Kyah! This is the life!”
In one tavern in Jiujiang.
Even before the sun had fully slipped behind the western mountains, the people who had gathered there were already drinking heartily.
“Those disgusting water bandits are getting what’s coming to them!”
“Exactly! Damn it all, the bastards who were always stirring up trouble have really vanished without a trace! Not even a shadow of them to be seen—after all, what can they do before Shaolin or Wudang?”
“That’s what makes them unorthodox! Why call them unorthodox otherwise?”
Faces flushed red with drink, they traded their thoughts and passed around cups in shared delight.
Life didn’t suddenly become easier just because the tolls extorted by the water bandits were gone. But at the very least, there was the joy of knowing that the money one earned would stay in one’s own hands, and the relief of no longer having to worry about meeting a knife-wielding thug in the middle of that endless river.
“Tch. If you put it that way, aren’t you really saying they should’ve done this a long time ago and simply didn’t?”
“Now, now, that’s no way to speak! Don’t be like the man who demands his pouch back after being rescued from the water. Do you think those gentlemen are ordinary people? They must be terribly busy. We should be grateful they came all this way at all.”
“True enough! True enough!”
At first, there had indeed been some sour looks toward the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Namgung Family, who had come down the Yangtze behind Mount Hua. But those looks had all but disappeared now.
Whatever the reason, whether they had come late or early, wasn’t it a good thing as long as they were wiping out the water bandits?
“Still, I hope they drive every last one of those bandits out.”
“Don’t set your expectations too high. How could they possibly drive all the bandits out of a river as vast as the Yangtze? Not even the authorities can do that.”
“Can’t do it? More like won’t do it! They’re on boats themselves, so they don’t have to worry about being attacked. Of course they’ll just sit on their hands and watch. If some high official got robbed by those bandits, the Yangtze water bandits would be wiped out to the last man.”
“Whatever the case, that’s expecting too much. Unless those gentlemen actually remain stationed in the Yangtze.”
“That’ll be worth watching too. I hear some of Mount Hua’s disciples are staying on the Yangtze?”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Apparently the Mount Hua folks are escorting boats along the stretches they’ve cleared of bandits. You know, the ones that run across the river on a regular schedule.”
“Isn’t that just normal?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Up until now, boats that ran on fixed schedules were practically guaranteed to be robbed by bandits. If even irregular boats got plundered with ease, then boats that set out at fixed times and on fixed routes were basically a feast laid out on the table.”
“That’s true enough.”
“And how would those bandits dare lay a hand on Mount Hua? Maybe far from Jiujiang there’s nothing to be done, but that means we can now travel up the river toward Jiangnan without worrying about bandits!”
“R-right. Yes, that does make sense.”
“And if that’s the case, the Mount Hua people will probably stay put there as well. Then maybe, just maybe, we won’t have to see any more bandits around Jiujiang.”
“If only that really happened!”
One by one, people began to swell with hope.
If the threat of being attacked by water bandits disappeared, that didn’t just mean you could keep a little more of your money. Once money started circulating more freely, people would have surplus cash; and once they had surplus cash, commerce would flourish.
They raised their cups with uncommon vigor, dreaming of the day when boats and cargo would fill the Yangtze.
But in places like that, there was always someone who had to spoil the mood.
“How do you know things will turn out so well?”
“...What is this man going to say now?”
“If the water bandits could really be wiped out that easily, would the Yangtze be overrun with them in the first place?”
“There he goes again...”
“The Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Strongholds. One of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu. There’s no way they’ll just sit there and take it. And this may actually be bad news for us.”
“Why? How can it be bad news if the bandits are being wiped out?”
“The reason we’ve been able to sail the river by paying those bastards a decent toll is because they’ve always been trying to squeeze money out of us, wasn’t it?”
“That’s common knowledge.”
“But once something like this happens, they won’t think they can keep living off the Yangtze forever. Which means they’ll start grabbing everything they can get their hands on right now, before the suppression comes, won’t they?”
“...That’s...”
The speaker shook his head vigorously.
“If you poke a snake badly enough, all you get is poison in return. If those people make a show of grandstanding and then pull back halfway through, the wrath of those water bandits will come crashing down on us. But do you really think those gentlemen will guard the Yangtze to the end? Will they risk their lives fighting the Water Bandit Sect?”
“...”
Everyone fell silent.
They didn’t want to admit it, but there was undeniable merit in those words.
“I hope this isn’t just making a wound fester. Please, let it not be so.”
“What a cursed thing to say.”
“All right, all right! Enough of that, let’s drink! Drink!”
As the mood sank, the others forced the atmosphere back up again, raising their voices and trying to stir their spirits. But the unease that had already taken root crouched in one corner of their hearts until the drinking ended.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“You’re saying the stronghold was empty?”
“Yes!”
A low murmur escaped Beop Gye’s lips.
“What about pursuit? Was there no way to track them?”
“It’s not easy. They aren’t fleeing overland like bandits; they’re taking boats out into the middle of the Yangtze....”
“...”
“If we want to attack people drifting in the center of the river, we need ships. But to actually wage a naval battle with them is...”
“Difficult, yes.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“I see. Then there’s nothing to be done. First, go back over the empty stronghold and inspect it carefully.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Beop Gye’s eyes darkened heavily.
He wasn’t in a position to show it, so outwardly he remained calm, but inwardly he was far more anxious than he cared to admit.
This is troublesome.
If the water bandits slipped away on boats like this, Shaolin would have no way to pursue them. As he had just told his disciple, engaging in a naval battle with water bandits who had retreated into the vast center of the Yangtze would be tantamount to inviting losses.
Of course, if the goal were simply to annihilate the water bandits even at the cost of casualties, then it could be done. But this struggle wasn’t a duel between the Water Bandit Sect and Shaolin to decide the fate of both sides. The goal was to achieve more results with fewer losses than the other sects that had marched into the Yangtze, wasn’t it?
It’s more likely to become a slow, drawn-out mess.
The Yangtze was vast.
Even if they didn’t flee to the middle of the river, it would be a difficult task to scour this immense, winding waterway and root out every water bandit. That held true no matter how many sects—Shaolin, Wudang, Mount Qingcheng, and Namgung—had gathered here.
Beop Gye stood in thought, gazing out at the Yangtze.
For now, everyone’s attacking with one heart and one mind, but if even one of the four sects starts to feel the drag and withdraws...
Then the others might begin to grow weary as well.
No, that’s still a long way off.
For the moment, the right thing was to focus on what lay before him.
Only one thing bothered him.
There’s suspiciously little resistance.
No matter how one looked at it, the enemy was the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Strongholds. At this point, even the Black Dragon Clan—the very heart of the Water Bandit Sect—ought to be moving... and yet...
“I’m probably just worrying too much. Amitabha.”
Beop Gye shook his head.
It was the kind of motion one made to cast off the doubts crowding the mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hangzhou.
Above there is paradise, below there is Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below.
Framed by West Lake, Hangzhou was one of the most beautiful cities in all the Central Plains. Its exquisite scenery had, since ancient times, delighted the brushes of countless poets.
But Hangzhou was not famous merely for its scenery.
A place where all the pleasures, luxuries, and indulgences under heaven could be found. The city that best deserved the name of a city that never slept was Hangzhou as it stood now.
It was the hour of the third watch. The clouded sky held no stars to be seen, yet Hangzhou’s night was brighter than broad daylight. Lamps and lanterns lit throughout the city made the streets glitter.
“Step right up! We’ve got incredible liquor and even better side dishes ready for you!”
“The finest seat on the top floor is open! It’s perfect for heroes like you!”
“We’ve got all sorts of rare delicacies brought in from the Western Regions!”
The voices of drunken wanderers and hawking shopkeepers filled the brilliantly lit night streets.
And among all the nightlife Hangzhou had to offer, one place stood out above the rest.
Chuihyang Pavilion, the tallest ten-story building in Hangzhou.
On a window seat at the very top, a single man sat alone, sipping wine. It was a rather strange sight.
The top floor of Chuihyang Pavilion cost enough in rent alone to cover several months of living expenses for an ordinary household, and even if one ordered the same wine, the price was ten times higher than drinking it downstairs.
And yet the top floor was never empty.
This place, with its open windows overlooking both Hangzhou’s streets and West Lake, was practically a symbol of the city itself. Not only Hangzhou’s playboy sons, but also wealthy young men who came after hearing its reputation all wanted to leave with the memory of having visited Chuihyang Pavilion’s top floor.
But today, the top floor was strangely deserted.
No—across this spacious upper floor, there was only one person seated. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would doubt their own eyes at the sight.
Anyone who did know would only nod and say it was natural, while anyone who knew even better would turn around and run for their life at once.
Because the man enjoying the best seat in Chuihyang Pavilion all by himself was none other than Jang Il-so, the Paegun.
“Hmm.”
The Paegun murmured softly, gazing at the yellow wine in his cup.
“Shaoxing wine.”
There were countless drinks sold under the name Shaoxing wine throughout the world.
But true Shaoxing wine had to be brewed with water from Lake Jian in Zhejiang. In other words, one had to come to Zhejiang to taste the real thing.
And the wine the Paegun was tasting now was Xuexiang Wine, a premium grade among Shaoxing wines. More precisely, it was Chuihyang Wine, the finest variety served only here at Chuihyang Pavilion.
“Drunk on fragrance...”
With a faint smile, the Paegun let the wine rest in his mouth.
Indeed.
The fragrance was so deep and refined it was beyond description. The moment it touched his tongue, it felt as though his entire body had been filled with scent.
“Not bad.”
Of course, the liquors of Guangxi and Guizhou were no worse than those of Zhejiang.
But even drinks of the same general quality differed in fragrance and texture. None could be crowned the absolute best above all others.
The world was vast beyond measure. And in every corner of that vast world, countless kinds of liquor were made—each with its own character, each excellent in its own right.
An ordinary person would die without ever tasting even a tenth of the wines made across the world.
“I’m the same, really.”
Obtaining Shaoxing wine was hardly difficult for him.
But a famous local liquor only revealed its true meaning when one drank it in that very place while savoring the local atmosphere.
What compared to drinking Chuihyang Wine in Guangxi and drinking Chuihyang Wine here in Chuihyang Pavilion, in Hangzhou?
Thinking of it that way made him feel cramped, as if he were trapped somewhere. How much land in this great world could he truly place his feet upon without restraint?
After taking down another cup of Chuihyang Wine in one long gulp, the Paegun lightly rubbed the corner of his mouth with the tip of his index finger.
But that, too, won’t be for long.
He would put this world beneath his feet.
He would have more land at his feet than anyone else, and drink more wine than anyone else.
“That’s right. Jang Il-so.”
At that moment, heavy footsteps began thudding up from below.
“Hmph.”
The Paegun casually turned his gaze toward the stairs. Soon, a huge man clad from head to toe in black emerged.
“You little brat... and you dare order me around?”
“Welcome, Black Dragon King.”
Jang Il-so’s smile bloomed brilliantly, full of smug delight.