Chapter 34: The Ten Principles of Non-Interference

When one holds a sharp weapon, the urge to kill easily follows. Jiang Xiaodao, with a box cannon tucked into his jacket, looked at everything as if it were a target. Had it not been for his father keeping him in check, he would have fired a couple of shots right then and there just for the thrill of it.

Jiang Chenghai, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, cautioned without turning around: "Xiaodao, since ancient times, those who drown are usually the ones who know how to swim, and those who are killed are often the ones who practice martial arts. Don't go strutting around just because you have a gun. If you stir up trouble, don't expect me to bail you out."

Only then did Jiang Xiaodao feel certain that his father truly doted on him, so he laughed with impudent confidence: "Not bail me out? You wouldn't be able to bear it!"

"Don't speak so soon," Jiang Chenghai huffed. "Son, don't forget, your father started out as a bandit. When I get stubborn, I can be more ruthless than you!"

This mention piqued Jiang Xiaodao's curiosity. "Dad, why did you stop being a bandit? I could see that Uncle Wang was sincere in asking you to join his ranks."

"What? Do you want to be a bandit?"

Jiang Xiaodao pondered for a while. "I haven't thought about it that much, but Uncle Wang wanted to make you the chief. Up in the mountains, you can do whatever you want—how exhilarating that must be!"

Jiang Chenghai shifted the roe deer on his shoulder. "You only see the thief eating, not the thief getting beaten!"

Jiang Xiaodao did not deny it. Having grown up in the city, everything he knew about bandits came from hearsay. Yet, one fact was undeniable: the number of bandits outside the Great Wall was always growing, which suggested that, all things considered, there were more benefits to be gained and fewer beatings to be endured.

"As long as a man is ruthless enough and has enough guns, he doesn't have to fear being beaten, right?"

Jiang Chenghai shook his head. "A bandit is a bandit. Don't look at how the imperial court can't control them now; that's only because the foreigners are here. Once the foreigners are gone, bandits will never be a match for the regular army."

Jiang Xiaodao disagreed. "Bandits are people, and soldiers are people too. Why wouldn't they be a match?"

Jiang Chenghai was left speechless. He was, after all, a rough man and could not articulate a more profound insight. In terms of logic, he couldn't refute his son, but his decades of life as an outlaw had left him with an unshakable conviction in his own judgment.

"In short, the bandits I've known end up with only three paths: surrender, death, or hiding!"

"No exceptions?"

"No exceptions!" Jiang Chenghai said firmly. "Do you know 'Shorty' Zhang?"

"I know him, the one from the Haicheng security force!" Jiang Xiaodao replied with a hint of annoyance. "Dad, you really underestimate me. Even the most ignorant rookie knows who he is!"

"He surrendered to the imperial court in Xinmin last year."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaodao felt a surge of contempt and spat on the ground. "What a spineless coward, a dog's lackey!"

Jiang Chenghai, however, remained unmoved. "Shorty Zhang is actually a clever man. He clearly does the work of a bandit, but he calls himself a security force, which gives him the advantage of a respectable name and moral justification."

Jiang Xiaodao curled his lip. "I think he's no match for Du Lisan. Look how imposing he is—'the conqueror of foreigners.' A hero!"

In truth, the Russian head used to set up the Changfeng Security Bureau had been bought from that very group of Du Lisan's men.

Jiang Chenghai dismissed this. "Is fighting foreigners enough to make you a hero? That’s because you haven't seen him extorting and kidnapping! It's all just business. He kills Russians simply because the Russians want to occupy his territory."

The more Jiang Xiaodao heard, the more confused he became. "Dad, you were a bandit once too; why do you look down so much on those who live by the gun? Are there no heroes in the outlaw world? Old Cui told me that bandits who live by the gun follow the 'Ten No-Robberies' code. Isn't that a moral code?"

As it turned out, among the forest outlaws, there were indeed rules—some called them the "Ten No-Robberies," others the "Eight No-Seizures" or "Five No-Tolerances." Although the names varied, they were mostly the same "taboos."

The "Ten No-Robberies" he had heard of were: first, do not rob the deaf, mute, or disabled; second, do not rob chaste women or filial children; third, do not rob mail carriers or messengers; fourth, do not rob weddings or funerals; fifth, do not rob monks or Taoists; sixth, do not rob brothels; seventh, do not rob students on their way to exams; eighth, do not rob doctors or physicians; ninth, do not rob retired honest officials; and tenth, do not rob peddlers.

For every rule, there was a story to justify it. But Jiang Chenghai dismissed it with a single remark: "Most of these 'Ten No-Robberies,' to put it plainly, are just 'water holes'—they aren't worth robbing at all."

Jiang Xiaodao thought for a moment and found himself somewhat agreeing, but asked, "Then why not rob the brothels? Those women make plenty of money, don't they?"

"Because bandits are all men. Once they step into a brothel, their brains go straight to their crotches, and things fall apart. There are those bachelors who have been pent up for half a lifetime who would kill their own men just to fight over a woman."

"And weddings and funerals?"

"There are those who won't rob funerals, but I've seen plenty of bandits kidnap brides from weddings to take back as their mountain wives!"

Jiang Xiaodao rolled his eyes. "Then aren't these 'Ten No-Robberies' just a load of crap?"

Jiang Chenghai couldn't walk any further. He set down the roe deer and leaned against an old tree, breathing heavily. "They were always a load of crap! People just do so many guilty things that they invent a facade to fool themselves."

Jiang Xiaodao squatted down beside him and said, "Dad, by your account, there are no heroes in the outlaw world at all!"

Jiang Chenghai caught his breath and thought for a moment. "There are."

"Where?"

"In books!"

"Like the Liangshan Marsh in *Water Margin*?" Jiang Xiaodao's eyes brightened. He continued, "Dad, do you know what happened to the Liangshan group later?"

Jiang Chenghai shook his head. Neither of them knew, for the storytellers never spoke of what came after.

"Son, can you really read?"

"Of course! Would I lie to you?"

Saying this, Jiang Xiaodao picked up a branch and began to scratch in the snow. "Watch closely, I'll write my name for you."

Jiang Chenghai watched for a while and gave a knowing smile. "How do you write my name?"

Jiang Xiaodao scratched a few more strokes into the snow. He wasn't sure if he had written it correctly, but the characters looked square and proper enough that they certainly passed for the real thing.

Jiang Chenghai studied them and murmured, "When we get back to Fengtian, I'll buy a copy of *Water Margin*, and you can read to me what happened to those people."

Jiang Xiaodao was delighted. "Dad, buy the kind with pictures!"

"Haha, alright!"

Jiang Chenghai brushed off his clothes, held his knees, and stood up. He looked at the roe deer on the ground, his eyes showing a touch of weariness.

"Dad, let me carry it!"

"You can't carry it alone!"

"If you lift it onto my shoulder and help steady it, won't that work?"

Jiang Chenghai thought about it. "Fine, let's go. One, two, three, let's move!"

"Hey, it's crooked, it's crooked! The roe deer's legs are poking me in the face!"

"Hahaha, good lad, is that better now?"

"Dad, there's a hole over there, watch your step."

"I see it. Son, if you can't hold the weight, shift a bit more toward my side."

"Nonsense! I could carry it by myself, I'm just worried about your pride!"

The two walked side by side, each bearing half the weight on their shoulders. The mountain path was rugged, and it was an old forest after a snowfall. Along the way, the two stumbled and swayed.

They walked for half a day, expending no small amount of energy, yet when they looked back, they seemed to have made little progress.

Jiang Chenghai panted and cautioned: "Son, when walking mountain trails, don't look back!"

"Why?" Jiang Xiaodao didn't understand.

"When you're wandering in the woods, the more you look back, the easier it is to doubt you've taken the wrong path. The more you stare, the more bewildered you become, until you lose your mind, convinced you shouldn't be on this road. Eventually, you end up getting lost..."