Chapter 100

Lanzhou is the eighth-largest of Yue Kingdom’s thirteen prefectures in area, but in wealth it ranks second, behind only Xinzhou. Located in southern Yue, its land is fertile, dotted with countless rivers, lakes, and canals, and blessed with consistent weather, making it ideal for rice cultivation and the nation’s top grain-producing region.

Jia Yuan City, situated in central Lanzhou, is not the prefectural capital, yet it is unquestionably the largest city in Lanzhou. The Xiang-Lu Grand Canal, which runs north-south through the entire kingdom, cuts directly through its center, and several other major land and water routes converge here, making transportation exceptionally developed—it is a true water transport hub and commercial artery. Every year, countless merchants and travelers pass through, greatly boosting local trade, so it is no surprise that Jia Yuan City stands as the largest in the prefecture.

In Jia Yuan City, carriage firms, docks, and boat operators abound throughout every district. Drivers, laborers, and boatmen in this trade number in the tens of thousands. Sun Ergou is one such man who makes his living at the docks.

Sun Ergou lived up to his name: slanted brows, crooked eyes, a scoundrel’s face. But his skill at reading people and buttering up superiors earned him the position of a minor gang leader at the docks, commanding dozens of laborers who earned their living hauling goods and luggage for passing merchants.

So when Sun Ergou arrived at this small dock early that morning, several of his men hurried over and respectfully greeted him:

“Good morning, Second Master!”

“Second Master has arrived!”

…

Hearing these titles, Sun Ergou felt a swell of pride—being called “Master” meant he was someone of standing here. He put on a grand air, snorted through his nose, and deemed that sufficient reply.

“What Second Master? You’re just Second Dog!”

“Yeah, a two-legged dog, dressed like a man!”

“Hah! Hah!…”

…

A wave of mocking laughter, blunt and unhidden, reached Sun Ergou’s ears.

At once, his face darkened, his mood souring in an instant.

He slowly turned his head toward the group standing across the dock, fixing his gaze on a broad-shouldered, muscular black giant, his eyes flickering with resentment.

Of all the people in Jia Yuan City Sun Ergou hated most, this black giant ranked among the top three. If someone told him he could trade all his wealth to make this black giant vanish forever, Sun Ergou might hesitate—but if the price were halved, he’d agree without a second thought. Of course, due to his drinking, gambling, and whoring, his “entire fortune” was already nearly gone.

No one remembered the black giant’s real name. At the docks, he was called “Black Master” or simply “Black Bear.” He was the leader of another small gang, the Iron Fist Society, holding a status nearly equal to Sun Ergou’s in his own gang, the Four Peace Society, and thus assigned to manage another group of laborers at this same dock.

One mountain cannot hold two tigers—how much less a tiny dock? From the start, the two gangs clashed. After several disputes over customers, their rivalry grew bitter. Now, whenever they met, their men either hurled insults and jeers or shoved and blocked each other—only the actual fighting was still held back.

If the underlings acted this way, how much worse were the two leaders, Sun Ergou and Black Bear? They despised each other intensely. But as minor gang leaders with some standing, they knew their gangs—the Iron Fist Society and the Four Peace Society—were allies, jointly opposing the larger Poison Dragon Gang. So though both wanted to drive the other out and monopolize the dock, they had to suppress their urges—for now. Their pent-up anger and hatred found release through their men’s verbal spats, becoming a daily morning ritual.

Indeed, before Sun Ergou even signaled, several of his sharp-tongued men launched a counterattack.

“Do you know which animal is the dumbest?”

“The bear!”

“And which bear is the dumbest?”

“Of course—the Black Bear!”

“Ha…”

Black Bear, who had been smirking at his men’s mockery, turned his face black as ink at these words. Sun Ergou laughed aloud, patting the shoulders of his men in approval.

Black Bear’s men, unwilling to yield, hurled a torrent of vile insults. Sun Ergou’s side didn’t hold back—they were all grown men, who feared whom? They struck back with the crudest, most offensive words they could find.

As their leaders, Sun Ergou and Black Bear stood aside, watching coldly. They were men of status—they wouldn’t lower themselves to such vulgar brawling.

Just as both sides grew hoarse and spit flew, one of Sun Ergou’s men suddenly cried out: “A boat’s coming in!”

At once, the hundred-odd men fell silent and turned toward the river. After all, silver coins were far more tempting than fleeting verbal victories.

But when they saw the boat docking, their hopes sank—it was only a small, flat-bottomed skiff, barely large enough for three or four merchants. Definitely no big business.

No wonder. This dock was dilapidated and remote; large ships rarely came here. Only during peak trade season did vessels unable to dock elsewhere reluctantly land here.

After the small boat stopped, two people stepped ashore. One was a young man, about seventeen or eighteen, ordinary-looking; the other, a giant towering two heads taller than an average man.

The young man wore a plain blue robe, a small yellow bird perched on his shoulder. He gazed around eagerly, like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time. The giant wore a hooded cloak and a green robe, obscuring his face, dressed in an eerie manner. He followed the young man closely, never straying, like a servant.

The young man and the giant were none other than Han Li and Qu Hun, who had traveled nonstop for three months and had just arrived in the hometown of Master Mo.

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