Chapter 2: Big Fish

A large ship sailed down the Yangtze River. It was late autumn, and the mountains on both sides of the river were layered, filled with golden hues. As the wind blew, countless withered leaves swirled and fell into the river, carrying a unique sense of desolation.

Tang Xiao stood at the bow, looking into the distance, lost in thought. Suddenly, he began to recite: "Where can one gaze upon the divine land? The scenery is full before the Beigu Pavilion. How many events of rise and fall through the ages? Leisurely, the endless Yangtze flows on! In my youth, I had ten thousand troops, sitting firmly in the southeast, the war never resting. Who among the heroes of the world is a match? Cao and Liu. A son should be like Sun Zhongmou!"

This poem, *Nanxiangzi: Climbing the Beigu Pavilion at Jingkou with Thoughts*, was the work of the Southern Song dynasty's great poet Xin Qiji. At the time, he was serving as the Prefect of Zhenjiang, and he was moved by the scenery when he climbed the Beigu Pavilion at Jingkou.

This poem expressed a heroic sentiment of longing to be like the ancient heroes, riding horses with golden armor to recover the old mountains and rivers and serve the country, which quite matched Tang Xiao's state of mind at the moment.

However, an untimely voice came from below: "Master, that line 'Who among the heroes of the world is a match?' is quite domineering. It suits our Embroidered Uniform Guard quite well."

The one speaking was Lin Zuo. The kid had a blade of grass he'd pulled from somewhere hanging from his mouth, his hands pillowed behind his head, eyes closed, leaning against the ship's railing to soak up the sun, looking completely lazy.

Seeing his disciple like this, Tang Xiao shook his head helplessly—the kid was good in every other way, but his only flaw was that he seemed indifferent to everything he did, always looking so careless that it made people worry.

He simply walked over and sat down beside Lin Zuo, looking at the mountains on both sides of the river while asking, "Do you know why I want you to learn Japanese?"

"I know, isn't it to go undercover?" Lin Zuo said in that same indifferent tone.

"Mm." Tang Xiao nodded. "In the last two years, river bandits have been rampant along the coast of Jiangzhe. They not only attack passing ships, but some even collude with corrupt officials, waiting for opportunities to go ashore and harass people. According to the intelligence we've received, these river bandits are mainly composed of Japanese pirates. Their leader is named Yagyu Ichiro, a ruthless man who has gathered a group of desperate criminals under his command."

"The government has tried to suppress these river bandits before, but unfortunately, they are very slippery. As soon as there is any sign of trouble, they flee, and once the situation calms down, they return, so the results have been minimal."

"Not long ago, we received intelligence that the river bandits were active near Zhenjiang Prefecture and were colluding with officials in charge of water transport in Zhenjiang. However, we don't know if the bandit leader Yagyu Ichiro is here as well. To catch them all in one net, I decided to send you to infiltrate the interior of the river bandits and investigate the enemy situation."

"This matter is extremely dangerous. If you blow your cover, the consequences will be unimaginable. So you must never take it lightly. If the situation becomes impossible, don't force it. We..."

"Alright, Master, don't worry." Lin Zuo opened his eyes and interrupted Tang Xiao with a smile. "I'm not stupid. I know the stakes of this head-lopping business."

"If you feel it's too dangerous and don't want to go, I can think of other ways."

"Forget it. If I don't go and the mission isn't completed, what will you use to report to your superiors, Master?" Lin Zuo laughed. "Master, you saved me from a pile of dead bodies five years ago, which shows my life is tough enough. It won't be that easy for the King of Hell to take it."

This time, Tang Xiao didn't respond, but stared at Lin Zuo for a while before nodding and saying, "In any case, be careful."

"Yes, Master!"

Ten days later, upstream of the Grand Canal at Zhenjiang Prefecture, a merchant ship was quietly docked in the middle of the river.

However, if one observed carefully, one would find that this merchant ship was somewhat different from ordinary ones. The crew standing on the deck and railing were all burly, with a hint of ruthlessness in their eyes, and their waists were bulging, as if they were hiding weapons.

If one had sharper eyes, one could see that several crew members with their clothes open had a palm-sized Ghost Face Tattoo on their chests, looking somewhat ferocious.

At this moment, inside a room on the merchant ship, two people were sitting opposite each other drinking. The one on the left had sparse hair and a greasy face, looking like someone hollowed out by alcohol and lust. The one on the right had a sinister complexion and a small mustache.

"Lord Yagyu Ichiro, I heard you had a good harvest last time."

"That was all thanks to Lord Wu's help in providing us with information. Otherwise, how could things have gone so smoothly?"

The sinister man's Chinese was a bit stiff. As he spoke, he stood up and opened a box beside him.

A burst of jewelry's luster radiated from the box, making Lord Wu squint involuntarily, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

"Lord Yagyu Ichiro, according to our previous agreement, this is your share." Yagyu Ichiro gestured with a "please" motion and smiled. "Please take a look."

Lord Wu swallowed subconsciously, stood up, walked to the box, picked up a string of jewelry to observe its quality, and then a smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Lord Yagyu Ichiro is indeed a man of his word."

"You flatter me. There is a Chinese saying, 'What helps a person is trust.' I deeply agree."

"I didn't expect Lord Yagyu Ichiro to be so proficient in Chinese culture. I admire you." Lord Wu put the string of jewelry back into the box and smiled. "Now that I am in charge of the defense of the Grand Canal in Zhenjiang Prefecture, if we can cooperate for a long time, the profits will be very rich."

"Of course." Yagyu Ichiro also smiled, raised his wine glass, and said, "It's all thanks to Lord Wu's guidance. I'll toast you. Please!"

"Please!"

The two clinked glasses and drank them in one gulp.

Neither of them noticed that an eye was peeking through a small hole in the window nearby.

*Good fellow, caught with the stolen goods. We've caught a big fish this time, * Lin Zuo muttered to himself.

At this moment, he was holding a pot of wine, crouching, holding his breath, and pressing his eyes against the window. Everything happening in the room was captured by him.

If anyone who had known Lin Zuo before saw him now, they would probably find it hard to recognize him—the originally scholarly youth had now turned into a big man with a full beard and a face full of pockmarks. Especially from his open collar, one could see a ferocious Ghost Face Tattoo, looking no different from the other crew members.

Since disguising himself and sneaking onto this ship three days ago, Lin Zuo had been waiting for such an opportunity. For these three days, he had been carefully hiding his identity. Perhaps because of his excellent acting skills and a little bit of luck, he really hadn't blown his cover.

And now, he had finally obtained the information he wanted—the bandit leader Yagyu Ichiro and the official colluding with him were on this ship. As long as the news was sent out, there was hope of catching this group in one net.

Thinking of this, Lin Zuo's mood became somewhat excited. However, at this moment, a ruthless voice suddenly sounded from behind: "Nani mono desu ka?" (Who is it?) ===== CHAPTER 3 =====