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On the banks of the Yellow River, the town of Kunyu was a mix of decay and dilapidation.

Once a sprawling town, half of its houses had long since collapsed. Some areas had been ravaged by fire, the charred beams standing amidst the ruins, weathered by wind and rain. In the decade and more since the Jurchens first invaded southwards, war, bandits, brigands, refugees, famine, plague, corrupt officials... each had left their mark on this place.

Where Kunyu had once been, only a small portion of the inhabited area remained. Due to its remote location, it was considered a relatively good place in the Central Plains, where nine out of ten homes were empty. Although the roads leading in and out were in disrepair, they were still passable for carts. The town had shrunk by more than half, but in its core area, inns, restaurants, and even brothels were still open for business.

In the past, many major river crossings along the Yellow River were controlled by the Jurchens and the puppet Qi regime. Kunyu, with its slightly gentler currents, had become one of the Yellow River's illegal smuggling crossings. A few small boats and a few fearless boatmen supported the subsequent prosperity of the town.

During this period, there had been several gangland fights, expulsions by the army, and raids by bandits. But somehow, the small town had gradually survived this cycle. The number of residents in the town dwindled during times of war, but when conditions improved slightly, the population slowly increased again.

In the summer of the second year of the Zhenxing era, things were relatively peaceful. However, as the overall situation in the country eased, the major river crossings along the Yellow River were no longer under strict control, and Kunyu's illegal crossing was affected, with business much slower than the previous year.

May was the flood season, and fewer people were crossing the river here. On the third day of the month, there were not many customers in the town's restaurant. Regular customers from the neighborhood sat at two tables in the lobby. A storyteller who had been staying here recently was tidying up tables and chairs, talking about the major events in the world over the past period. Because there were so few people, the middle-aged storyteller was speaking somewhat listlessly.

Around noon, two figures walked towards the restaurant along the central street of the town, their destination clearly the door of the restaurant. These two figures, one large and one small, one fat and one thin, were two monks wearing ragged robes. The fat monk was tall and imposing, like Maitreya, and looked quite old, with a package on his back. The thin monk was just a young novice, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old.

Seeing this combination, the waiter's face showed a hint of impatience. Monks beg for alms, but in these turbulent times, who could afford to spare food for charity? He carefully looked at the fat monk's back and saw no weapons, instinctively standing in front of the door.

"Two masters..."

The slightly brusque tone had just been uttered when the fat monk, walking towards the restaurant, looked at the lobby and said with a smile, "We're not begging for alms."

"We have money." The young novice held up a string of copper coins in his hand.

The waiter immediately changed his expression. "...Two masters, please come in."

The two monks stepped inside. Then the young novice asked, "Can we sit upstairs?"

"Of course," the waiter said with a smile. "But our boss recently hired a storyteller from the north at great expense. You can probably hear more clearly in the lobby below. Of course, upstairs is fine too, since there aren't many people today."

Kunyu had a smuggling business, and in the past, when business was good, there were many customers here. Moreover, the smugglers were generous when drinking and having fun. There was a row of tables and chairs on the second floor of the restaurant's lobby, near the railing, for customers to listen to stories and watch plays from above. The young novice seemed interested in the high vantage point, and when he spoke, the fat monk also said, "Let's go upstairs then." The waiter naturally said no more, smiling and accompanying the two upstairs.

After they were seated, the fat monk asked about the menu for the day and then ordered several fish and meat dishes quite generously, which surprised the waiter a little, but he naturally wouldn't refuse. After the dishes were ordered, he also instructed him to bring three sets of bowls and chopsticks, apparently because there were other companions coming here.

After taking the order, the waiter went downstairs. The storyteller in the lobby, considering that guests had arrived, raised his voice slightly, telling the story of the First Martial Arts Tournament that had taken place in the southwest last year. The young monk leaned on the railing upstairs, listening with interest.

After about a quarter of an hour, another figure came from outside. This time it was a distinctly characterized, burly Jianghu (Martial World) figure. He had scars on his face and disheveled hair. Although covered in dust, he looked very unfriendly at first glance. As soon as this man entered, the little bald head upstairs waved vigorously. He went straight upstairs. The little monk saluted him and called him "Shishu (martial uncle)." He also said to the fat monk, "Shixiong (martial brother)."

The three people who appeared here were naturally Lin Zongwu, the world's number one martial artist, his Shidi (martial younger brother) "Mad Tiger" Wang Nanda, and the young monk Ping An.

In recent times, Jin had gradually become peaceful after the departure of the Jurchens. Lin Zongwu had taken his disciple Ping An into seclusion for a period of time, mainly to solidify Ping An's martial arts foundation—actual combat could certainly train adaptability, but the basic skills were equally important. After he took Ping An out of seclusion, he felt that Jin was gradually becoming less interesting. The south was rising with events that seemed likely to cause great unrest, which was most suitable for experience, so he simply took him all the way to the Yellow River.

In recent years, he had not been too involved in the affairs of the Manichaean sect. Only Mad Tiger Wang Nanda knew of his itinerary. Learning that Shixiong (martial brother) and his martial nephew were preparing to go south, Wang Nanda wrote a letter and arranged to meet in Kunyu.

The three sat down, and the waiter had already begun to bring the dishes. The storyteller downstairs was still telling interesting stories from the southwest. Lin Zongwu exchanged a few words of greeting with Wang Nanda before asking, "How is the south?"

"Tensions are high," Wang Nanda said with a smile. "Liu Guangshi paid a high price and obtained the first batch of military supplies from the southwest. His desire to take the south of the Yellow River has become obvious. Dai Mengwei may also be mixed in, wanting a share of the pie. Chen Shiquan of Bianliang, Yin Zong of Luoyang, Zou Xu of Funiu Mountain, and others have now formed a gang, ready to fight."

"Chen Shiquan, Yin Zong...they shouldn't be able to beat Liu Guangshi."

"Liu Guangshi has strong troops and horses, but Zou Xu is a tough nut in Bianliang. He was personally cultivated by Ning Liheng. Although he is said to have betrayed, he is very good at training and using troops. Luoyang and Bianliang are now fully supporting him, and everything south of the Yellow River is focused on the 40,000 men under Zou Xu's command...they have no choice. In the past, Yin Zong was considered the boss, but now, Zou Xu doesn't play tricks or use schemes, but relies on his men, and Yin Zong and Chen Shiquan have to call him 'Big Brother'."

Lin Zongwu nodded. "If these 40,000 men are even half as good as the Black Flag from the southwest, I'm afraid Liu Guangshi will have to worry..."

"After getting aid from the southwest, Liu Guangshi is not so timid. I secretly heard that the person in the southwest is also urging Liu Guangshi to fight, and even said that if he catches Zou Xu, he will return 20% of all previous transactions with the southwest. So Liu Guangshi wants Zou Xu's head, but if a real fight breaks out, things may not be so simple. That old fox, Dai Mengwei, is secretly colluding with Liu Guangshi, wanting to take the Central Plains, but on the issue of Zou Xu, he hopes to mediate, persuading Zou Xu, Yin Zong, and Chen Shiquan to surrender, forming an alliance to resist the southwest together. So, what the fight will be like, it's hard to say now."

Wang Nanda paused. "But in any case, by the second half of the year, a fight will inevitably break out."

Lin Zongwu nodded. After saying a few more words, more people entered the lobby downstairs. This group consisted of eight people, all Green Forest (江湖 – Jianghu) figures carrying knives and guns, with arrogant appearances. The leader was dressed in expensive, flashy clothing, holding a long knife, with triangular eyes and a sinister face, and seemed to be a local underworld figure in Kunyu, very familiar with the boss.

After entering, the eight people shouted and yelled, looking around. The previous two tables were all locals, so they waved and raised their eyebrows in greeting. Then they saw the three people upstairs. Two thugs carrying knives came upstairs, probably to check if these three "outsiders" were a threat. The triangular-eyed leader had already sat down at the table closest to the storyteller, saying, "Old Xia, tell something exciting, with women, don't always talk about the damned southwest."

"Yes, yes..." The storyteller nodded quickly and began to tell a Green Forest story with heroes and heroines, which pleased the triangular-eyed man. The young monk upstairs pursed his lips a little, feeling aggrieved, and leaned back to the table to eat.

The two thugs walked to the side of this square table, looking at the three people here. They might have originally wanted to cause trouble, but when they saw Wang Nanda's fierce face, they didn't dare to act for a while. Seeing that these three people didn't have any obvious weapons, they swaggered for a while, making a gesture of "don't cause trouble," and then turned around and went downstairs.

"How is Jiangnan?" Lin Zongwu asked Wang Nanda with a smile.

"The Fair Party is gaining momentum and advancing rapidly, with more than a million soldiers under its command," Wang Nanda said, looking at Lin Zongwu. "Actually...I came this time because there is something related to the Fair Party that I wanted to talk to Shixiong (martial brother) about."

"I guessed you had something going on," Lin Zongwu said with a smile. "You and I don't need to avoid anything, speak."

"The leader of the Fair Party is He Wen, but although He Wen initially flew the banner of the southwest, he is actually not a Black Flag person. Shixiong (martial brother) should know this."

"I've heard that his ideas are actually different from Ning Yi's, and he says this to the outside world as well."

"Starting last year, He Wen raised the banner of the Fair Party, saying he wanted to distribute land, equalize wealth, and eliminate landlords and gentry, making everyone equal. At first, it seemed a bit presumptuous, and everyone thought of the Yongle Dynasty of Fang La back then at best. But He Wen did learn a lot from that Ning (Ning Yi) in the southwest. He seized power, enforced discipline, and when the Fair Party arrived in a place, they inventoried the wealth of the wealthy households, publicly tried the crimes of these rich people, but strictly prohibited indiscriminate killing. In just one year, the Fair Party swept through Jiangnan, from around Taihu Lake to Jiangning to Zhenjiang, and almost reached Xuzhou, with strong troops and horses. Most of Jiangnan is now his."

Lin Zongwu frowned slightly. "Tie Yan and Wu Qimei, are they just watching them cause such a disturbance?"

"The people in Lin'an can't stop it. They sent troops three times and were defeated repeatedly. Outsiders say that the people of the Fair Party don't value their lives when they fight, comparable to the southwest."

"Then what do you want to say..."

"The Fair Party is gaining momentum, mainly because the set of methods that He Wen brought from the southwest is easy to use. Although he attacks wealthy households and distributes land, enticing them with benefits, he also restrains the people, does not allow people to kill indiscriminately, and has strict military laws. These things are ruthless, which makes the army under his command more and more capable of fighting on the battlefield. But this matter has become so big that there are various factions in the Fair Party. Xu Zhaonan, one of the 'Five Tigers' under He Wen, was once a branch leader under us."

"You want me to go and work for him?" Lin Zongwu's face darkened.

"Shixiong (martial brother), listen to me. Xu Zhaonan now has nearly 200,000 men under his command, but he has always considered himself to be a Manichaean, and has always been respectful to the elders of the sect. This person is good at training and using troops. For a period of time, he talked about the southwest. Zhou Tong once combined his life's work and left Ning Yi with a set of cooperation and combat techniques for small teams on the battlefield. Later, Ning Yi combined this method to improve it and formed the so-called special forces from elite scouts, specializing in assassinating leaders and beheading generals on the battlefield, and repeatedly achieved miraculous achievements."

Wang Nanda said, "Shixiong (martial brother), the so-called special forces, to put it bluntly, are those Green Forest (江湖 – Jianghu) figures with high martial arts skills. It's just that in the past, people with high martial arts skills were often proud and arrogant. Cooperation and combat techniques were probably only trained frequently by close relatives. But now it's different. With a formidable enemy in front, Xu Zhaonan has gathered many people, wanting to train such a strong army. Therefore, he also told me that the current teacher is probably only the sect leader who can compare to Grandmaster Zhou in the methods of training soldiers. He wants to invite you to give some guidance."

As he said this, the young monk Ping An, who had already finished his meal, stood up and said, "Shifu (master), Shishu (martial uncle), I'll go downstairs for a bit." It was unclear what he was going to do. He walked downstairs with his rice bowl.

Wang Nanda was trying to persuade Lin Zongwu, continuing, "According to what I've seen in Jiangnan in the past, He Wen and Ning Yi of the southwest may not be that compatible. In today's world, the Black Flag of the southwest is top-notch, the one with the greatest momentum in the middle is Liu Guangshi, and among the groups in the east, only the Fair Party has been developing all the time, with unfathomable depths. I estimate that if the Black Flag ever leaps out of the southwest, the Central Plains and Jiangnan may already be the territory of the Fair Party, and there may be a battle between the two sides."

"In the past, Shixiong (martial brother) stayed in Jin and didn't come out, so I didn't say this, but since Shixiong (martial brother) wants to take Ping An to travel around the world this time, I think it might be a good idea to take a look at Xu Zhaonan's side...hmm? What is Ping An doing?"

He said this, then noticed that the situation downstairs seemed a little wrong. Ping An, holding the rice bowl, approached the triangular-eyed man who was listening to the storyteller. The knifemen who followed the local bully stood up, seemingly impatiently talking to Ping An. Because he was a child, although everyone wasn't as if facing a formidable enemy, the atmosphere was definitely not relaxed.

Lin Zongwu smiled. "Yesterday, when we walked to this place, we met a person crying by the roadside. That person had his family property seized by thugs, and his family members were killed. He was also seriously injured and dying, which was very pitiful, so Ping An ran up to ask..."

As he said this, Ping An staggered and fell in the push and shove of the people downstairs. Fresh blood shot into the sky, but it was a piece of broken tile that directly cut through the triangular-eyed man's throat. Then the thigh of the person who pushed Ping An suddenly spurted blood. Before everyone could react, the little monk's body lowered, and he rushed directly past two square tables from below.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—"

"Catch him—"

"Boss—"

"Kill him, kill him—"

The voices below suddenly exploded.

"...As a result of the subsequent questioning, the one who did the good deed was of course the one below. It's said that he is the local tyrant of Kunyu, named Geng Qiu, who usually bullies men and women and has killed many people. Then I also found out that he likes to come and listen to the storyteller recently, so it was just convenient to pass by."

The scene in the lobby was chaotic. The little monk used the cover of the tables and chairs, easily knocking down two people. Someone picked up tables and chairs and smashed them, and someone wielded a knife and slashed wildly. For a time, fragments flew around the room, the smell of blood filled the air, and it was dazzling.

Wang Nanda nodded with a smile. "So that's how it is...It seems that Ping An will be a good chivalrous person in the future."

"Whether he is a chivalrous person or not depends on himself." In the midst of the chaotic fighting, Lin Zongwu sighed. "Look at these people. They still say that Kunyu eats the Green Forest rice. The Green Forest most wants to guard against three types of people: women, old people, and children. They have no vigilance at all...Is Xu Zhaonan really reliable?"

"He is a capable person. Although he has ambitions, I don't think he dares to mess with us."

"Well, this time going south, if it's on the way, I'll go and take a look at his place."

Wang Nanda smiled. "Shixiong (martial brother) and Ping An have come out of the mountain this time, and the Jianghu (Martial World) is going to be eventful."

"Liu Xigua once wrote a poem," Lin Zongwu said, "The world's events come from our generation, once you enter the Jianghu (Martial World) , time flies, great plans and hegemony are discussed in laughter, it is not as good as a drunken life...We are old, and the next Jianghu (Martial World) belongs to Ping An's generation..."

"Liu Xigua can also write poetry?"

"I also find it strange..."

Clang clang clang clang, the downstairs was a mess. The waiter ran upstairs to take refuge, perhaps wanting to ask the two to stop all this, but in the end he didn't dare to speak. Lin Zongwu stood up, took out a tael of silver from his pocket, placed it on the table, tapped it lightly, and then went downstairs with Wang Nanda.

Ping An had already rushed out of the back door of the restaurant and disappeared.

The triangular-eyed man named Geng Qiu was sitting in his seat, already dead. His several followers in the store were injured, and some who were not injured, seeing the fat monk and the ferocious Wang Nanda, some shouted wildly and charged over. This was probably Geng Qiu's confidant. Lin Zongwu smiled. "You have guts." He reached out and grabbed him, and the next moment the man had flown out, and even the adjacent gray wall had been smashed open, slowly collapsing.

Not far from the two walking out of the restaurant, Ping An did not know where he sprang out from, and walked with them towards the pier.

************

In the afternoon, they were already on a bumpy ferry, crossing the rolling Yellow River, heading towards the southern world.

"Ping An." Lin Zongwu called to the somewhat excited child, "Are you happy to be a chivalrous hero?"

"Yes, yes." Ping An nodded repeatedly.

"Do you know that although Geng Qiu had evil deeds in Kunyu, it was also because of him that some people outside Kunyu did not come in. You killed him today, have you ever thought about what Kunyu will be like tomorrow?"

"Wh, what will happen..."

"Tomorrow there will be a fight, you only killed Geng Qiu today. The several people he brought to the store, you were soft-hearted and did not kill them. But next, the entire Kunyu does not know how many times there will be fighting, and I don't know how many people will die. I estimate that dozens of people will definitely die, and the people living in Kunyu may also be dragged into it. Thinking of this, will you feel sad?"

"But...But I'm doing a good thing, I...I'm just killing Geng Qiu..."

"You killed Geng Qiu because you wanted to do a good thing. But Geng Qiu is dead, and then dozens of people will die, and even those innocent people, just like the shopkeeper and waiter of the restaurant today, they may also have an accident, is this really a good thing, good for whom?"

"Then...what should I do?" Ping An stood on the boat, turning his head to the already distant Yellow River bank, "Otherwise go back...save them..."

"Turning back to Kunyu, when the bad guys come, kill them again, drive them away, it's not a bad idea. Then from today, you have to stay there all the time, take care of these people in Kunyu, do you want to stay here for the rest of your life?"

"Shifu (master), what exactly do you want to say, then what should I do..." Ping An looked at Lin Zongwu, in the past, this shifu (master) would always say some things that were difficult for him to understand and think about. At this time, Lin Zongwu smiled.

"Geng Qiu is dead, there is no boss here, so there will be a fight. So last night, for the teacher, I visited the second most powerful local snake in Kunyu, his name is Liang Qing. For the teacher, I told him that at noon today, Geng Qiu would die, and let him take over Geng Qiu's territory as soon as possible, so that Kunyu will have a boss again, and other people will be slow to act, so there will be no fighting, and not too many people will die. By the way, I helped him so much, and I also collected a little silver from him as a reward. This is what you earned, so it is considered our master and apprentice's travel expenses to the south."

He untied the bundle behind his back and threw it to Ping An. The little bald head reached out to hug it, a little surprised, and then smiled, "Shifu (master), you have it all planned."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"But, if you come back here in two years, you can see if the boss here is still that Liang Qing. You will see that he, like Geng Qiu, will continue to be tyrannical here, he will still bully men and women and make people lose their homes and die. Just like that pitiful person we saw yesterday, this pitiful person was harmed by Geng Qiu, and in the future, all the pitiful people will be harmed by Liang Qing. If so, are you still happy?"

The monk looked at the child, Ping An was full of confusion, and then became aggrieved, "Shifu (master), I can't figure it out..."

"All conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows." Lin Zongwu said, "Ping An, sooner or later, you have to figure out what you want? Is it just to kill a bad person and make yourself happy, or do you hope that everyone can get good results, and then you will be happy. You are still young, now you want to do good deeds and be happy in your heart, you feel that there are only good things in your heart, even if you have suffered so many things in Jin in recent years, you still feel that you are different from them. But one day in the future, you will discover your sins, you will discover your evil."

He pointed his finger on Ping An's small chest: "Right here, all people have sins, there are good things, there must be bad things, good leads to evil, and evil leads to good. When you see your sins clearly, you will slowly know what you really want..."

His gaze was serious, facing the child, like a question and a judgment, Ping An still did not understand these words. But after a moment, Lin Zongwu laughed, touched his head.

"Think slowly, don't worry." He said, "The future Jianghu (Martial World) belongs to you."

The great river flows eastward, in the bright sunshine of early May.

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