"What...what happened?"
After being extorted at the city gate of Qu County, Zhou Fugui and his party of four had just entered the city when a seemingly half-dead "corpse" fell from somewhere above. Huang Daimei, scared out of her wits, shrank behind Zhou Fugui, her delicate hands clutching his sleeve as she trembled and asked.
Huang Daimei had traveled extensively with her father since childhood and was considered well-traveled. She had certainly seen dead bodies before, but this was the first time she had encountered such a horrifying scene, or perhaps her heroic father had shielded her from such sights.
The corpse had a gaping hole in its chest, its heart nowhere to be seen. Hot blood and steam still billowed from the wound. Its left hand had been severed, and its eyes gouged out. The sight thoroughly terrified Huang Daimei.
"Never mind what happened, let's go quickly." Zhou Fugui, torn between amusement and distress, half-dragged and half-carried Huang Daimei away from the spot, glancing upwards.
He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. The young lady, who claimed to fear nothing, was terrified by a barely alive corpse?
In truth, Zhou Fugui was also quite surprised. It wasn't the half-dead body that shocked him; he had seen all sorts of corpses on the battlefield and in the northern desert. What surprised him was that this brutal act had occurred in broad daylight, before the sky had even fully darkened. Where was the law?
In times of chaos, law was virtually nonexistent.
Zhou Fugui considered ordering Wu Xi and Ke Ba to fire signal flares, which would be the signal for the Snow Bear Army to attack. However, he wanted to see what other evils and heinous criminals were hidden within Qu County. Once the army was in motion, there were times when he couldn't control it, or prevent collateral damage.
"Hehe, master..."
Zhou Fugui looked up and saw a brightly painted, semi-nude, voluptuous woman leaning out of a window in a tower near the city gate. Her ample bosom was half-exposed, and she wore little clothing on her upper body. She was smiling and looking at Zhou Fugui and his companions. Soon after, a burly man appeared at the window, glaring fiercely at Zhou Fugui. They then disappeared, and the sounds of lewd gasps and moans emanated from the building.
"Let's go, let's go, they're so shameless!" Even a fool knew what was happening in the building. Huang Daimei's sense of shame overcame her fear. Blushing fiercely, she tugged at Zhou Fugui's sleeve and said.
"Indeed, utterly shameless!" Zhou Fugui said with a smile, looking at Huang Daimei.
"What are you looking at? Why are you looking at me like that?" Huang Daimei asked, surprised by the strange smile on Zhou Fugui's face.
"Nothing, let's go." Pretty and smooth-skinned? Tender and juicy? Was that it? Zhou Fugui mumbled to himself, swallowed and replied.
With a "thump," another person fell in front of Zhou Fugui, Huang Daimei, and the other two, startling them again.
This time, it wasn't a dead person, but a drunkard who stumbled and fell before them, mumbling a little tune: "At the right time... wear a light... light... shirt. Adorned with gold and embroidered tiger motifs. Embroidered silk collar and a skirt. Small... lotus... burp... scenery. Sachet, tucked with coins. Chest... front... burp... a pair of... "
The drunkard was disheveled, with a mixture of saliva and alcohol dripping from his mouth, and he exuded a foul stench.
"Sir, you have great talent!" Zhou Fugui gave a thumbs-up and praised him before kicking the drunkard aside and continuing his journey with Huang Daimei and the others.
"Hehe, vulgar... words... what great talent?" Huang Daimei whispered with a laugh.
"You wouldn't understand that, would you?" Zhou Fugui also whispered, "Throughout history, great talents have emerged from the common folk!"
"Talking nonsense!" Huang Daimei muttered under her breath. However, she seemed to have grown accustomed to Zhou Fugui's nonsensical remarks.
He was clearly a dissolute and unrestrained rogue, yet at the start of his tenure, he quelled rebellion and saved people, appearing righteous. He seemed like a street rascal, yet he was a high-ranking official of the Great Yan kingdom, unlike the public's perception of a Han thief. Huang Daimei was somewhat bewildered.
The setting sun dipped below the horizon, and as its afterglow faded, darkness enveloped the ancient city of Qu County. The streets were narrow, paved with flagstones and cobblestones. The lights on the street flickered like the eyes of wild beasts, flashing with a man-eating gleam. The streets were not wide, with many dark alleys, and houses built of stone and wood, stacked upon each other. Within the houses and alleys, however, were brothels, music halls, entertainment venues, taverns, and teahouses. Densely packed stone and wooden houses, disordered signboards, countless dark, tightly shut windows – everything exuded an atmosphere of darkness and sin.
"From dawn's first light, wine banners hang outside the song houses!"
"The gates open, ushering out old guests and welcoming new!"
"Quickly, guest, come and have a look! Newly arrived buds from Jiangnan..."
"In the land of joy, reach into your embrace, and find a pair, your heart will tremble!"
"Good sir, don't leave, don't leave, we'll share a mandarin duck bed until dawn."
Along both sides of the street, in the dim alleys, countless Han, Hu, and Fan merchants loudly hawked their wares and solicited business. What they traded were goods, but more often, it was people—slaves snatched from various regions. There were also many heavily made-up courtesans, dressed in dazzling attire, each vying for customers and putting on a show to attract countless pleasure-seeking wanderers from all over. Among the courtesans were Han, Hu, Fan, and women from unknown overseas lands.
From the taverns, brothels, and music halls, waves of sounds—merrymaking, laughter, music from string and wind instruments, even lewd remarks—were incessant, a scene of lavish spending in the pleasure quarters that was astonishing.
Zhou Fugui never expected that the small Qu County would be so lively and boisterous. Seeing this, he almost didn't want to disrupt such a vibrant scene. The Central Plains had suffered greatly from war, and all industries had long since declined. Such lively and bustling small towns, or even large cities, were now rare. Merchants and travelers were few and far between, let alone shops and businesses.
He had to cleanse the filth, but without disrupting the normal lives of Qu County's residents, or its bustling atmosphere. How should he proceed? Zhou Fugui pondered in his heart.
"Scoundrel, where are you going?"
"Kill him!"
At this moment, a wooden window on the second floor of a wine house was smashed, and several figures leaped out onto the street, continuing their brawl.
With a "crash," the broken wooden window fell in front of Zhou Fugui, Huang Daimei, and the other two. Pirates, convicts, refugees, rogues, and various other factions were clustered here, fighting and killing. In Qu County, such brawls were common, as was open murder and arson. This further strengthened Zhou Fugui's resolve to eliminate the dross, so that Qu County could become even more prosperous and lively.
"Zheng... zheng... zheng..." Just then, a zither melody drifted through the air. The music was majestic and passionate, sorrowful and heroic, imbued with a deep sense of iron-blooded battle. In the midst of Qu County's cacophony, this zither music, filled with the spirit of battle, was like a clear stream, appearing incongruous, extraordinary, and transcendent.
Zhou Fugui and Huang Daimei were both engrossed in listening. After a long while, Zhou Fugui asked, "What piece is that?"
"It seems to be the 'Song of King Dongling's Entry into Battle'..." Huang Daimei said after a moment's thought.
"The 'Song of King Dongling's Entry into Battle'? King Dongling? What is that?" Zhou Fugui asked, turning to Huang Daimei.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you talking nonsense again?" Huang Daimei gave Zhou Fugui a look and said, "King Dongling, also known as the King of the East Sea, not the King of the East Sea of Yan, but an ancient King of the East Sea. King Deng Tianlong of the East Sea was not only brave and skilled in battle, but also handsome..."
As Huang Daimei spoke, she glanced at Zhou Fugui, as if making a comparison.
"King Deng Tianlong of the East Sea..." Huang Daimei continued, "was full of righteousness and dedicated to the people. However, he was betrayed by wicked individuals and died on the battlefield after being besieged by various forces. It is a tragedy, a lament, and a source of indignation. Later generations composed this song to commemorate King Deng Tianlong of the East Sea's final battle."
"Good! Dedicated to the people! Based on this alone, Zhou Fugui should admire him!" Zhou Fugui nodded upon hearing this and said, "Let's go and see who is playing such a heroic and tragic piece!"
Thus, Zhou Fugui, Huang Daimei, and the other two followed the sound to a music hall. A music hall, as the name suggests, is a place to listen to opera and singing. However, it was not limited to just listening to performances. The music hall also served food and drinks for patrons, and one could even seek out pleasure, indulge in romance, or pursue fleeting affections.
Zhou Fugui had initially thought that a place for listening to opera and singing would be relatively elegant, but the reality was a great disappointment. The entrance to the music hall was dilapidated, and the door knockers were rusty. Upon pushing open the door, the smell of alcohol, food, sweat, vomit, and even the stench of blood assaulted their nostrils. Huang Daimei, who was usually clean, wrinkled her nose in discomfort, looking at Zhou Fugui with a hint of complaint. She had heard the majestic and passionate, sorrowful and heroic 'Song of King Dongling's Entry into Battle' from outside, so why did they have to come to such a filthy place?
The music hall had three floors, with the third floor being an open-air terrace from which the music emanated. The ground floor was piled with empty wine jars and other refuse, and many drunkards lay sleeping there.
"Young master..." The fair-faced and tender Huang Daimei always attracted attention. Two fierce-looking, but thoroughly drunk men, supporting each other, stumbled forward, their eyes bleary and askew, intending to flirt with Huang Daimei.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Crash!"
This time, Zhou Fugui didn't need to act. Wu Xi and Ke Ba each dealt with one of the drunkards, kicking them down the stairs and knocking over some wine jars. The accomplices of the drunkards were also intimidated by Zhou Fugui and his party. Three of the four men had swords or sabers hanging from their waists, and their bodies were either robust or lean, except for the "rabbit-like gentleman." These men were clearly not to be trifled with!