Just As They Want It

Duho and I made straight for the Great Saber Gang’s home base. The place was far bigger than I’d expected. A three-story wooden pavilion stood at the center, with halls large and small ranged in rows around it, and the yard could have held several dozen men at once. Even now, with a crowd of thugs packed inside brawling all at once, it still didn’t feel cramped. Nothing less would do for one of the unorthodox sects that split Qingzhou three ways.

I ran my eyes over the men at their training.

Rougher than I thought.

I’d heard most of the Great Saber Gang’s men were third-rate, but seeing them for myself was another matter. They drilled as though it were a real fight, and nothing in it looked third-rate to me. The rumors had it wrong. Up close, the Great Saber Gang was more than a gang of thugs thrown together.

Hearing a hundred times is not the equal of seeing once. Checking a thing with your own eyes really was the surest way.

No more snap judgments from here on.

I couldn’t put blind faith in the memories of my past life. A rumor might be wrong, as this one had been, or somebody might have padded it out along the way. And besides, the man I’d been back then had left no mark whatsoever on the Central Plains.

Now it was different.

I’d saved old Hwang of House Hwang Timber, who was meant to die; brought in Doctor Yu, who was meant to go on wandering; rescued Duho, who was meant to be dragged off to Blood Sand Plain. A great deal had changed, and nobody could say how the future would run because of it. So I would go on using the memories of my past life, and keep the variables in mind at all times.

Duho and I went into the three-story pavilion. The gatekeepers looked us over and opened the way. We climbed to the top floor, and a man came into view, a great slab of muscle with a squared-off face. I didn’t need to ask who he was.

That was Black Leopard, the leader of the Great Saber Gang.

He poured wine into the cup sitting on the table, tipped the whole thing back in one swallow, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

“So you’re the Red Headband Hall?”

His voice rang through the pavilion, as big as the rest of him.

“That’s right. Duho, boss of the Red Headband Hall, they call me.”
“Ojeong. Deputy boss.”

We answered in turn, and the name I gave was the first thing that came into my head. Black Leopard looked from one of us to the other, and one corner of his mouth curled up.

“Two second-rates, they said. So it was true. You’d be far stronger than my boys.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s as may be… but there’s a price to pay for touching my territory, wouldn’t you say?”

He dropped his voice low and fixed us with a look that said he’d kill us where we stood the moment the talk went the wrong way.

We were bandits, though, who’d seen every kind of trouble there is.

“Oh, come now, how could that be? We were only scrabbling not to go hungry. We never once did it knowing this was Great Saber Gang territory. Please believe me.”

Duho fired it back without turning a hair. The lie came out of him without a moment’s hesitation. Proper bandit’s craft, sure enough.

“Hahahaha!”

The leader of the Great Saber Gang slapped the table and roared with laughter.

“You’re a funny one. I like you.”
“You’re generous to think so.”
“You’ve got nerve. That’s the sort of bite a martial artist ought to have. Very well — I’ll pardon the offense of touching my territory. On one condition.”
“And that condition would be…”
“Nothing difficult. Simple job. You just bring me some goods.”

Black Leopard filled the empty cup to the brim and beckoned Duho over. Duho went quickly to him, lifted the cup and drank.

“Ahh! That’s a stunning drop!”
“That one cup you just drank is worth a tael of silver.”
“No wonder! Even what you drink is first class, Boss. Won’t you give me just one more?”
“Drink as much as you like.”

He filled the cup to the brim again, and Duho tipped it straight down his throat.

“Kuuuh—!”
“There’s a man who knows how to drink. Will you take a cup as well?”

He looked at me and raised the bottle.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink.”
“Can’t drink? Then you’re living at a loss on half your life. You there — drink his share for him. Take it with you.”
“Thank you! I’ll serve you properly from here on.”

Duho took the bottle Black Leopard held out and tucked it away without a blink.

“Do as I say and I’ll see that you drink like this often enough. Which brings me to it — that job I mentioned. You’ll be doing it for me.”
“Just say the word.”
“There’s a shipment going from Qingzhou to Jinan. Take it off them and bring it to me, and I’ll let you run the territory you’ve taken for yourselves.”
“Leave it to me. Robbing happens to be my specialty. Whose goods are they, though?”
“What, frightened?”
“Haha… If it’s more than my boys can handle, I thought I’d ask for help, that’s all.”

Black Leopard threw back his drink and said,

“Don’t fret yourself. It’s a house of no account, so it’ll be no trouble at all. And if they do catch you at it, I’ll stand between you and them, so you’re fine. From today you’re an outfit under the Great Saber Gang.”
“Just hearing it puts my mind at ease. What is it we’re robbing?”
“Medicine.”
“Medicine?”
“That’s right. Healing pills and wound salve — the ones there’s been talk about among martial artists lately.”

This bastard was planning to rob my medicine?

That, I hadn’t seen coming. I’d known an attack would come sooner or later, but not while my father was home. The Great Saber Gang might be an unorthodox sect with a name to it in Qingzhou, but my father and Uncle Ju were awkward opponents. Both were masters close to the far edge of first-rate, and the damage from touching them carelessly would be no small thing. I’d expected the man to wait until one or the other was out on an escort run. Black Leopard was bolder than I’d given him credit for.

“They set out in four days, so bear that in mind. Lie in wait somewhere along the road to Jinan.”

How did the bastard know that?

He had the day of departure exactly. The leader of the Great Saber Gang might be a far more meticulous man than I’d taken him for.

“Understood. I’ll strip them clean and bring it to you, Boss.”

Duho answered with vigor, and Black Leopard nodded, satisfied.

“Ah — and just in case, I’ll put one of my men with you. Move together. He’ll come to you on the day.”
“Thank you.”

We came out of the pavilion. Once we were well clear of the Great Saber Gang’s home base, Duho spoke up.

“Hey. What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“The man’s telling you he’ll rob your goods. Play dumb and sit still, and the Red Headband Hall is finished; let him take the medicine, and you’re the one out of pocket. You’re damned either way.”
“Since when do you know words like that?”
“I know that much, all right? The kid’s got no respect for a man. I’ve eaten a good few more meals than you have.”
“Impressive.”
“…Why does it feel like I lost? Am I imagining it?”
“You’re probably not imagining it.”
“Fine. You’re a marvel. Ugh—”

Duho let out a sigh and changed the subject.

“Anyway. How did he know the day the medicine ships?”
“Looks like there’s a rat in the house.”
“You’re saying there’s a spy?”
“I expected as much. He’s moving faster than I thought, though.”

He wasn’t a man to take lightly. He hadn’t come by the top seat of an unorthodox sect for nothing.

I turned it over in my head. Was there some clever way to keep the medicine from being taken and hold on to the Red Headband Hall both? Nothing came to me on the spot, but I had to find something. I had no intention of ruining my first deal with the Shandong Escort Bureau, and none at all of throwing the Red Headband Hall away.

I went back over the memories of my past life one by one. Somewhere among the countless things I’d lived through at Blood Sand Plain there had to be a way out of this. Ten years streamed through my head, over and over.

“So what are you going to do? Let them take the medicine? Or throw the Red Headband Hall away? Say something, at least.”

Beside me Duho pressed, out of patience. I raised a hand to tell him to wait, and went on turning it over.

Then one memory surfaced.

That’s it. If I do it that way…

The medicine wouldn’t be taken, and I wouldn’t have to give up the Red Headband Hall. I’d hit on a neat trick that killed two birds with one stone.

“I’ll give them just what they want.”
“What? You’re going to let the medicine go? Hey — think this through.”
“He says he needs medicine, so he gets medicine. Only I’ll be collecting a handsome price for it.”
“Explain what you mean to do, would you?”
“Here’s how it goes.”

When I laid out the plan I’d put together, Duho shook his head in admiration.

“Wow… You really are a lunatic.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”

I wondered how well the leader of the Great Saber Gang would pay up. The dearer the better, so far as I was concerned.

Four days, then.

Until then I’d have to prepare down to the last detail, so the accounts could be settled properly.

Four days later, the day of the medicine shipment.

I took charge of the whole thing myself and set out hauling one of the carts. Elder Kang came out to see us off.

“Young master, please take care on the road.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before long.”

I waved to Elder Kang, then led the party out toward Jinan.

About half a day on, as we were climbing a mountain road, dozens of masked men came out of the trees. At a glance they were four or five times our number. They surrounded us, drew their weapons and threatened us.

“Halt!”

I knew who it was the moment I heard it.

It was Duho. A mask could cover his face, but it couldn’t cover his voice.

I put our people behind me and stepped forward.

“What is it you want?”
“Hand over everything you’ve got and clear off!”
“If we give you the goods, you’ll let us go?”
“All we want is what you’re carrying. Do as you’re told, and we’ve no wish for needless deaths either.”
“Very well. Take it all. Everyone, step away from the carts.”

Our people looked at me, plainly at a loss, asking without asking whether that was really all right. Handing the goods over without so much as a pause must have looked strange to them. I spoke to them again, firmly.

“Step back, now!”

At the second telling, the people who had been reading my face moved away from the carts, and I stepped back as well.

Duho, still masked, took hold of a cart and gave a nasty little grin.

“A wise choice. Take the goods!”

At Duho’s order the masked men took the carts and moved off. We only stood and watched the bandits dwindle into the distance. Once they were out of sight altogether, our people came up to me.

“Young master, what do we do now? The contract with the Shandong Escort Bureau…”
“Don’t worry. The responsibility for breaking the deal is mine to carry.”
“Should we not have put up at least some resistance?”
“When you can plainly see you’re no match for them, there’s no call to put their backs up. Handing it over is the right answer.”
“Even so…”
“Medicine can be made again; a man’s life can’t be brought back. In House Yang, the safety of the people who stand with us comes before anything else.”
“Young master…”
“Thank you. Thank you, truly!”

They bowed their heads and swallowed back their feelings.

Where none of them could see, I smiled. Now the die was cast.

I was already keenly curious just how much the leader of the Great Saber Gang would end up paying for that medicine.