Chapter Eighteen: Separation

  "Then you were born to eat this bowl of rice!" Zhi Shan laughed and said: "The first time I followed my master to Qingqiang, we encountered two groups of horse bandits killing each other on the road. Looking at the corpses by the roadside, I even threw up the dinner from the night before!"

  Zhou Ping let out a wry smile: "I've seen corpses before, but this kind of slaughter is a first for me!"

  Zhi Shan nodded and said in a low voice: "Zhou Tan Yue, I will leave here tomorrow."

  "Leave here?" Zhou Ping was taken aback. This monk had been quite friendly to him over the past few days, often taking the initiative to point things out and teach him many things without needing to be asked. Moreover, previously he had said that he would be "under one person, but above all others!", although he didn't entirely believe in such vague prophecies, but since this person had mentioned that his life before 24 was a complete blank which matched his own transmigrator identity, he couldn't completely disbelieve him. Suddenly saying he wanted to leave made him feel a bit reluctant to part with him.

  "I wonder where Master Chan is going next?"

  Liaodong!

  "Liaodong?" Zhou Ping was taken aback and asked, "What's the point of going there?"

  "Do you remember the Jurchen woman I mentioned to you?" Zhishan turned around, his gaze shifting towards the northeast direction, as if his line of sight had traversed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, casting itself upon that land of White Mountain Black Water which was currently embroiled in war. His voice sank low, like a murmuration in a dream: "Last time I went to Goryeo, it was just hearsay from traveling merchants; this time, I plan to go myself and get to the bottom of things!"

  "This, Master Zhen, you'd better think twice about it. If what you said is true, then the other side is probably in the midst of battle, and war is not something to be taken lightly." Zhou Ping had thought that Zhen Shan was just casually mentioning it, but he didn't expect him to actually want to make a trip to Liaodong to gather information on the enemy's situation. This was no laughing matter. Although Zhou Ping was very familiar with the current situation in Liaodong, one thing was certain: at this time, both the Jin and Liao sides were engaged in fierce fighting, and from historical records, it seemed that the Jurchen people did not have the same level of devotion to Buddhism as the Western Xia people did. Zhen Shan's identity as a monk probably wouldn't be of much help to him. Whatever the case, during these days, this monk had been quite friendly and concerned for Zhou Ping, who didn't want him to go to such a dangerous place.

  "I know!" Zhi Shan nodded: "But the rise of the Jurchen people is a matter of great importance to the well-being of millions of our Song Dynasty's citizens. Those Jurchen people are still uncivilized and uneducated, just like the Khitan people during the Five Dynasties period, and they make killing and looting their usual practice. If the Jurchen people defeat the Liao Kingdom and occupy the Yan-Yun region, millions of our Song Dynasty's citizens in the two rivers will be exposed to the iron hooves of the Jurchen people. At that time, I fear that the disaster of Yongjia will recur today! As a monk, I am used to receiving food from the mouths of the people and wearing clothes given by thousands of families. For the well-being of millions of citizens on the Central Plains, how can I now care about my own life and shrink back?"

  After hearing these words, Zhou Ping was at a loss for a moment and didn't know how to respond. Zhishan turned around, his gaze softening as he looked at Zhou Ping: "Zhou Tan Yue, I don't know why, but although we've just met, I feel quite drawn to you. Perhaps this is what the Buddhist scriptures mean by 'predestined affinity'. This time when I go to Liaodong, I'm not sure if I'll be able to return. As a monk, I have no descendants." Saying this, Zhishan took out a small booklet from his robes and handed it to Zhou Ping: "This is some of my humble insights over the years. I'd like to give it to you as a keepsake, a reminder of our meeting!"

  Zhou Ping hastily stretched out both hands to receive the small booklet, and saw that on the cover were written in regular script five large characters: "Sunzi Guo Family Commentary". He didn't dare open it for a closer look, but instead solemnly held the booklet above his head and said with respect: "Your disciple thanks the Master for the gift of this book!"

  "No need for formalities!" Zhi Shan laughed and said: "My humble surname is Guo, and inside (the temple) are just some shallow insights from reading 'The Art of War' by Sunzi over the past twenty years. As a Buddhist disciple, I've spent so much energy on 'The Art of War', it's laughable! Zhou Tan Yue, you're an archer, on the battlefield, you use every trick in the book, but there's one thing you must remember: Heaven has a benevolent virtue, even when holding a bow and arrow, one must consider the lives of all people!"

  Zhou Pingxin knew that this was a good opportunity to improve himself and respectfully replied, "Your disciple thanks the Zen master for his teachings."

  At this time, a burst of cheers came from both sides. The two looked in the direction of the sound and found that the archers had brought over the carts and goods that the thieves had abandoned. Seeing the wealth within their grasp, the archers couldn't help but cheer. Zhou Ping and Zhi Shan exchanged a glance, and they couldn't help but smile at each other. The sorrow of parting was all in this one smile.

  County government office.

  "What, Sheriff Xue, you're saying that the thieves have been eliminated and their leader Yang Wu has been captured?" Magistrate Shen asked excitedly and surprisingly to Xue Liangchen who was kneeling on the ground, his face full of disbelieving expressions. He had not expected that Xue Liangchen would eliminate the gang of thieves in just over ten days after taking office.

  Xue Liangchen knelt down in the hall and replied respectfully: "Yes, yesterday we went through a fierce battle. We were fortunate to have your blessing, and together we beheaded 17 people and captured 21 others. Except for the bandit leader Yang Wu who was injured and escaped, all the thieves have been annihilated. I beg for your forgiveness for letting the escaped bandit leader go!"

  "Whatever!" Shen Heng waved his hand nonchalantly, since they had eliminated all the bandits, it was only a matter of time before they caught the escaped leader. After all, in ancient times, there were fewer floating populations, and villages had baojia systems, making it difficult for a stranger to survive in the wilderness. He was more concerned about whether what Xue Liangchen said earlier was true or not.

  "What about the head and the captive?"

  "They're all outside the hall, please have the county magistrate inspect them!"

  "Alright, bring it up then!"

  A few minutes later, the bowmen had arranged seventeen heads on the floor of the hall, with the sturdy thieves bound behind them. To prevent the heads from rotting, the bowmen had already applied a layer of quicklime, but even so, a nauseating stench quickly spread throughout the hall.

  "Quickly withdraw, quickly withdraw!" Shen Heng hurriedly covered his nose and mouth, the grayish-black skin of the dead man's skull and that nauseating smell gave him a great shock. Xue Liangchen hastily ordered his men to take away both the captives and the severed heads, and respectfully said: "Your Honor, the bandit leader Yang Wu has been wounded by an arrow, please quickly issue a wanted poster, within ten days at most or three days at least, we will definitely capture him and bring him to justice!"

  "Alright, alright!" Shen Heng nodded and immediately asked: "Who was it that shot the bandit chief?"

  "It's Tian Ke from Xiao Ren Zhuang!" Xue Liangchen was taken aback, and hastily pointed to Zhou Ping behind him: "His surname is Zhou, his name is Ping, he's the one who shot the bandit chief!"

  "It's actually Zhou Zhuangshi!" Shen Heng looked up and down at Zhou Ping, the more he looked, the more he liked him (Zhou Ping's good nutrition during his growth period gave him a good complexion), and smiled: "Someone, bring a piece of silk here, to reward Zhou Zhuangshi!"

  As the voice fell, the official took a piece of blue cloth from the right wing and handed it to Zhou Ping. Xue Liangchen pulled Zhou Ping, who was still in a daze, and only then did he react and kneel down to thank him. Shen Heng encouraged him for a few words before letting Xue Liangchen and others retreat. After they left the government office, Xue Liangchen and others were excitedly patted on Zhou Ping's shoulder and laughed: "Ah Ping, you are indeed lucky, even the county magistrate values you so much!"

  Zhou Ping was still recalling the scene where Shen Heng's face changed greatly when he saw the severed head, and couldn't help but blurt out: "Second Brother, I think that county magistrate can't even handle seeing a dead person, what a waste."

  "You can't say that!" Xue Liangchen shook his head: "County Magistrate is also a fellow graduate of the Imperial Academy, a celestial literary star descended to earth, naturally there's something extraordinary about him. If he knows everything, what do we common folks need to do?"

  Zhou Ping did not respond, he just nodded silently, and for the first time, he felt that Xue Liangchen in front of him was so strange.

  The Xue family's farmhand did not immediately return to the farm, as the autumn harvest season had already ended. The farmers finally had some free time and a bit of extra money in their pockets, so they strolled around the county town, taking a good look at the goods, temples, and beautiful ladies that they normally didn't have the chance to see. Those with a conscience would buy two feet of cloth for their wives back home, while those without would spend all their reward money on food and drink. Zhou Ping had received a decent amount of reward money, but he was gradually losing his desire to save up enough travel expenses to run away to the south. Instead, he planned to stroll around the county town, buy some jewelry for Yunniang, and add that bolt of blue cloth as a way to repay her for taking care of him over the past two years.

  Zhou Ping came out of his residence and headed towards the most bustling drum tower in the county town. As soon as he passed by the county government office, he saw a group of people gathered not far away, seemingly watching something. He couldn't help but stop in his tracks and asked someone who was running towards that direction: "What's going on over there? Why are there so many people?"

  "You don't know yet! The leader of the thieves who robbed the Han family's Dayu Hall a few days ago has just been caught by the government and is being displayed over there, I heard they will be executed too!"

  Yang Wu?

  "It's him, the one who was brought to the county by the people from Xujiacun yesterday. It's also a good thing for that village husband, Yang Wu was shot and fainted on the side of the road, and they happened to pick up a ready-made one, earning a big reward!" As he spoke, his mouth made a sucking sound, with an envious expression.

  Zhou Ping let go of his hand in a daze and walked over, only to see four or five cages placed under the wall on the right side of the county government gate. Inside each cage stood a man wearing a wooden cangue. Among them, he vaguely recognized Yang Wu, the leader of the thieves he had shot a few days ago. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were tightly closed, and his face was gaunt. His skin was dry and cracked, and his right hand was swollen to a large size, apparently due to infection and festering wounds. The surrounding people's laughter and insults filled the air, but he didn't move at all, and it was unclear whether he was alive or dead.

  "Give me a drink of water! Come on, give me a drink of water!" The thief in the cage next door begged in a low voice, it was Yang Shun'er. These two days have been sunny, and being exposed to the autumn sun like this is really unbearable.

  "Water? You damned prisoner, you still want water?" a ruffian from the city shouted.