Chapter 51: Whispers in the Wind

At the sight of the gold and silver jewelry scattered all over the ground, Zhang Zongchang froze in place. Feeling the wind and sand whipping up fiercely, stinging his eyes and fixing his gaze in a hard stare, he found his eyes nailed to the treasure like iron spikes, unable to move a single inch.

"Brother Zhang?" Jiang Xiaodao called out softly.

Recovering his wits and realizing he had lost his composure, Zhang Zongchang let out a dry laugh and asked, "Brother, how come there are women's trinkets in here? Where on earth did you get all this?"

"Bah! A hero never asks about his origins, and a fortune never asks about its path. It is not convenient to go into details right now. Just give me a straight answer: is this enough to ransom a man? If not, I will find another way."

Zhang Zongchang sighed deeply. "Ah, brother, you truly do not understand the disposition of those Russians! Putting aside whether it is enough or not, even if they take your money, they might not necessarily release the man; and even if you have no money, they might not necessarily refuse to release him."

"Does that mean they don't reason at all?"

"Spot on!" Zhang Zongchang slapped his thigh. "If they reasoned, they should have withdrawn their troops last year! But it is not absolute. If you can manage to get a crate of vodka, everything becomes negotiable."

"What is vodka?"

"Foreign liquor."

Jiang Xiaodao grew anxious. "In the middle of the night like this, where am I supposed to find foreign liquor?"

Zhang Zongchang shook his head and said, "Even if you managed to get it, it would be useless. That bunch from the Longfeng Escort Agency left long ago."

"Left?" Jiang Xiaodao startled. "When did they leave?"

"More than half a month ago."

Hearing this, a trace of disappointment flashed across Jiang Xiaodao's eyes, though it vanished almost instantly.

Seeing him remain silent, Zhang Zongchang offered words of comfort: "Brother, you don't need to take it too hard. He went to dig for gold; it doesn't necessarily mean he won't come back."

Jiang Xiaodao waved his hand dismissively and said, "I'm not taking it hard. I did my best, and feeling bad is useless."

"That's good! Rest assured, after a few days, I'll be heading to Siberia myself. If I happen to run into old Cui, I'll look after him for you!"

"You're going too?" Jiang Xiaodao asked quickly. "What trouble did you get into?"

Zhang Zongchang burst into hearty laughter. "Because of that business with the Longfeng Escort Agency last time, I reckon I earned some merit. The Russians think quite highly of me and are sending me over there to be a foreman!"

"So, Brother Zhang, you've been promoted?" Jiang Xiaodao quickly cupped his fists. "Congratulations! Congratulations! If you see old Cui, be sure to take care of him for me!"

"Most definitely, most definitely!"

Jiang Xiaodao sighed. "Since matters have come to this, I won't disturb you any longer. Early tomorrow morning, I have to go on a long journey, so I'll be heading back first."

"Very well, walk carefully, brother. We shall meet again in the pugilistic world!"

***

Just as he was about to gather his things and return the way he came, Jiang Xiaodao swept a glance out of the corner of his eye and suddenly noticed that Zhang Zongchang was still staring blankly at the gold and silver jewelry on the ground. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

"Brother Zhang, keep this money!" Jiang Xiaodao said with a cheerful smile.

"Ah?" Though surprised, Zhang Zongchang's face blossomed into a wide grin. "No, no, no, brother, an undeserved reward is not to be accepted. I didn't help with anything at all, how can I take your money?"

"Don't say that!" Jiang Xiaodao was someone who not only remembered grudges, but also remembered gratitude. "If you hadn't been there back then, I'd probably be on my way to Siberia right now! Besides, once you get over there, you still need to look after old Cui for me!"

Zhang Zongchang's eyes instantly narrowed into slits. After offering a few perfunctory words of refusal, he said, "Well, since brother is so sincere, it wouldn't do for me to reject your kindness. I suppose I will... accept it then?"

Jiang Xiaodao smiled and nodded. "You should accept it! Brother Zhang, I'll be leaving now."

"Hey, wait a moment!"

Jiang Xiaodao stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, "What is it?"

"Brother, although I didn't help you rescue old Cui, I can't take this money for nothing. Let me tell you something."

"Speak."

Stepping forward mysteriously and looking left and right, Zhang Zongchang lowered his voice and said, "Fengtian Province is likely to see war this year!"

"War?" Jiang Xiaodao's eyes lit up. "Is the imperial court sending troops to drive out the Russians?"

"My foot! The imperial court, indeed! It's the Russians and the Japanese devils who are going to fight!"

Jiang Xiaodao frowned. "That's not new! Last year, I think I heard people in the city saying the same thing."

As it turned out, wanderers of the pugilistic world traveled far and wide, keeping their ears to the ground with nimble news. Especially around coastal docks like Yingkou and Lushun, rumors had long been flying that the Russians and Japanese devils were secretly sparring and would inevitably go to war sooner or later.

Yet over the past two years, people had only heard the two sides hurling insults at each other without ever seeing any actual fighting, so the common folk stopped caring. In any case, it was a matter between those two powers; caring was useless, and if a fight was bound to happen, it would happen.

Zhang Zongchang spoke with solemn gravity: "This time is different! I heard from the Russians that a warmongering Imperial Minister has gained power among them, so a fight is definitely happening! I also heard that things are quite chaotic back in Russia itself—I can't explain the exact details, but in short, you must be extra careful!"

Regardless of whether the news was true or false, it was nonetheless a gesture of concern.

Jiang Xiaodao naturally offered repeated thanks.

"Brother Zhang, many thanks for the warning. I really must be going now!"

"Alright, Brother Jiang, take good care of yourself!" Zhang Zongchang said as he scooped up the valuables on the ground. "Let us hope that when we meet again in the pugilistic world, both of us will have achieved greatness!"

With those words, the two bid farewell and parted ways to go their separate paths.

Naturally, Jiang Xiaodao had to return to find his donkey cart, find his wife, and see his old father. As for what kind of life and legends awaited Zhang Zongchang after this parting, that is a story for another time.

***

On the wooden donkey-drawn cart, Guan Wei stretched out his neck, craned forward in eager anticipation, and muttered to himself, "What is going on here? It's been nearly half an hour, why aren't those two back yet? Lass, that kid isn't going to be in trouble, is he?"

The young girl blinked, thinking to herself that she didn't even know what he had gone to do in the first place, yet he was asking her?

Guan Wei was burning with restless anxiety and laughed at himself, "I'm really clutching at straws like a desperate patient seeing any doctor. What good is asking you?"

Just then, footsteps drew closer.

Guan Wei turned his head at the sound and said, "Number Seven, why are you only just getting back? Are all of them cleared out?"

Gong Baonan nodded with shifting, evasive eyes. "All cleared."

"Good then. Come and watch the donkey cart, I'm going over there to see how Xiaodao is doing."

Gong Baonan jutted his chin forward. "What's the rush? Isn't he coming back right now?"

Following Number Seven's gaze, Guan Wei indeed saw a figure walking toward them and hurriedly went to meet him.

"Xiaodao, are you alright? Where is old Cui?"

"He went to Siberia." Jiang Xiaodao hopped onto the donkey cart of his own accord.

Guan Wei followed behind, looking left and right before asking, "What about the money?"

"Spent," Jiang Xiaodao said airily. "Made a friend."

"Hah! That's a mighty expensive friend you've got there!" Guan Wei cast a stealthy glance at Jiang Xiaodao. Fearing the youth might be heartbroken, he nudged him with his elbow and said, "Xiaodao, don't let it weigh on you. Old Cui is a man of fortune who will naturally encounter auspiciousness; who knows, he might even be doing better over there!"

Gong Baonan also dropped his sharp tongue and consoled, "Xiaodao, everyone has their own destiny. As long as you did your best, it wasn't a wasted effort."

"Of course it wasn't a wasted effort!"

With that, Jiang Xiaodao suddenly turned around and gave the young woman on the flatbed cart a hearty pat.

"Wife, you and I now have a house in Fengtian!"