Chapter Sixty-One: Wind and Sand

"Then Song Jiang gave the order: 'My brothers, ever since Wang Lun founded this stronghold, and subsequently Heavenly King Chao ascended the mountain to build our enterprise, we have prospered thus. Ever since I was rescued by you brothers in Jiangzhou and brought here, you have elevated me as your leader...'"

Jiang Chenghai lay on the heated brick bed, his eyes half-closed, listening to young Jiang Xiaodao read the later chapters of *Water Margin*.

"'Today, we are blessed to receive the imperial amnesty, seeing the light of day once more. Sooner or later, we shall march to the capital and render service to our nation...'"

*Smack!*

Jiang Xiaodao angrily slammed the thread-bound book onto the desk.

"I'm not reading anymore! Surrendering is surrendering, yet he still has the nerve to act all high and mighty—what a wretched piece of work! If I were there, I'd slap him across the face a dozen times over!"

Jiang Chenghai remained completely unfazed. Firstly, he had long maintained that the ultimate fate of bandits boils down to three things: death, hiding, or surrender. Secondly, his mind was currently occupied with other matters.

"Xiaodao, how's your hand?"

Jiang Xiaodao glanced at his bandaged hand and said dismissively, "Bah! It's nothing much. Won't kill me."

"Do you know why the old man pulled that stunt on you?"

"He's out of his mind, that's why! What else could it be? Could it possibly be because he thinks highly of me?"

Jiang Chenghai shot him a side-long glance and said, "Xiaodao, that set of phrases Old Cui taught you isn't something everyone wants to hear. The way you spoke to the old man earlier—in his eyes, that was equivalent to treating him like a pushover. Of course he had to straighten you out."

Jiang Xiaodao grunted a perfunctory response, picked up the copy of *Water Margin* from the desk, and stared at the illustrations inside.

Seeing his absent-minded attitude, his father couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. "Xiaodao, let me tell you this: be a good boy. Holding a grudge is fine, but don't be a reckless fool!"

"I don't hold a grudge!" Jiang Xiaodao's eyes remained fixed on the illustration. "The illustrious Zhou Yunfu stooping to measure himself against a half-grown kid like me—if word gets out, he loses face while I make a name for myself. That's pretty good!"

"Don't try to fob your old man off with that nonsense!" Jiang Chenghai let out a cold huff. "You think I don't know you?"

"Dad, no grudge, really no grudge!"

Jiang Xiaodao's eyes stayed glued to the *Water Margin* illustration, refusing to budge.

Ever since arriving in Fengtian, he had found his father becoming increasingly nagging. Often, he would repeat the same points over and over again without getting tired of it, though in reality, the principles remained the same old principles, offering nothing new.

Naturally, Jiang Chenghai didn't believe a word of his son's nonsense. After pondering for a moment, he sat up and took a sip of tea.

"Xiaodao, when all is said and done, the old man was aiming at me, not you."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Xiaodao finally put the book down.

Realistically speaking, given Zhou Yunfu's status—even though his paranoia had reached almost hysterical levels—there was truly no need for him to make a show of dominance toward just anyone. After all, if the old man didn't want him to, Jiang Xiaodao wouldn't even have had the opportunity to lay eyes on him.

However, the problem was that Jiang Chenghai was Zhou Yunfu's foremost enforcer, the sharp blade that did the killing.

As the adopted son recognized by the "Sea Eagle," Jiang Xiaodao would inevitably get tangled up in the old man's "dirty work" sooner or later. This was entirely different from those underlings stationed outside who merely guarded storefronts and boosted the gang's prestige.

With Zhou Yunfu's venomous and ruthless methods, he certainly wouldn't fear an unformed half-grown kid like this, but he had to test Jiang Xiaodao's mettle on behalf of his nephew, Han Cui.

Having listened to his father's explanation, Jiang Xiaodao asked thoughtfully, "Dad, do people all turn out like this when they grow old?"

Jiang Chenghai thought about it for a moment and said helplessly, "More or less, yes."

"No wonder!"

"No wonder what?"

"No wonder they say that an old man who refuses to die is nothing but a thief!"

"Then I suppose I'd better strive to become a thief!" Jiang Chenghai let out a hearty laugh, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Xiaodao, how has your wife been doing lately?"

"She's doing fine. Haven't I been going over to deliver food to her these past two days? Sixth Uncle has been helping out and looking after things over there in the meantime."

Jiang Chenghai probed cautiously, "Xiaodao, do you regret it now?"

"No regrets. Marrying a wife—what's there to regret?"

"Good! That's the spirit of a real man!" Jiang Chenghai slapped his thigh with deep satisfaction, then immediately stood up. "Let's go! Take your old man to see how your wife is doing."

Feeling cooped up inside the room, Jiang Xiaodao stood up and said, "All right, I'll go call for a carriage."

His father stopped him with a wave of his hand and said, "Let's walk!"

Jiang Xiaodao didn't think much of it, figuring his old man was probably just looking for an excuse to go out for a stroll.

Sure enough, as soon as father and son hit the street, Jiang Chenghai purposefully led Jiang Xiaodao on a detour. As they strolled along, he pointed out various shops along the street, explaining to his son which businesses and trades belonged to Zhou Yunfu.

The brothel businesses were headed by "Huifang Alley," managed by Manager Xu Ruqing; the gambling dens were headed by "Hesheng Workshop," managed by Manager Chen Wantang; the opium trade was headed by "Woyun Tower," managed by Manager Han Cui...

Unlike usual, Jiang Xiaodao didn't crack any jokes; instead, he listened with utmost concentration, engraving every word of his father's deep into his heart.

While "Huifang Alley" was unquestionably opulent and "Hesheng Workshop" naturally bustling with activity, "Woyun Tower" looked somewhat shabby by comparison. This was because the people who frequented opium dens to indulge in the drug were mostly from the lower classes, whereas truly wealthy families would purchase it to "enjoy" in the privacy of their own homes.

Along the way, they occasionally ran into a few acquaintances, who all greeted Jiang Chenghai with great courtesy, addressing him as brother.

After making the rounds and inspecting numerous shops, Jiang Xiaodao suddenly asked, "Dad, where's your business?"

Jiang Chenghai smiled with a trace of embarrassment, pointing toward a distant street corner and said, "There are two tea houses and a restaurant over there that belong to our business. They're all managed by your Third Uncle."

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaodao was deeply disappointed. "Dad, other people run high-profit operations, so why is our business so shabby? Are you really Zhou Yunfu's top enforcer?"

To his surprise, Jiang Chenghai replied, "I chose these myself."

Jiang Xiaodao gave a thumbs-up and playfully teased, "Dad! You're truly righteous!"

Jiang Chenghai, however, said flatly, "Xiaodao, if we were to get involved in businesses like theirs, Zhou Yunfu wouldn't tolerate us. Especially in the past two years, the old man has been busy paving the way for his nephew. He hasn't been happy even when I've kept just a slightly closer relationship with your Great Aunt. Do you understand what I mean?"

Jiang Xiaodao possessed a fair share of wit after all. With a brief moment of reflection, he understood.

Just as they were talking, a sudden, unheralded gale whipped through Fengtian City, snapping the shop signs and banners along the street and making them flap violently. Pedestrians turned their backs to the wind; some got dust blown into their eyes, others had their hats swept away, and the slender-framed individuals were accidentally knocked off their feet, plunging the street into instant chaos.

When the wind and sand subsided slightly, the flustered crowd looked about in all directions, only to see the mountains shaking, loose rocks flying, and the distant sky filled with swirling yellow sand, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing all at once.

When the sky casts yellow, weapons and blades shall move; when the earth is veiled in dust, men and wolves shall roam.

Jiang Chenghai stared blankly at the abnormal scenery before him, as if dragged back in a dream to his years of military campaigns, and murmured involuntarily:

"Xiaodao, perhaps your friend was right—a war is truly coming."