Chapter 4: Jianghu

“Someone actually followed me?”

Li Rui glanced behind him; given his cautious nature, how could he lack even a hint of counter-surveillance awareness?

The lean man behind him had stared at him at least seven or eight times while he bought medicine, and as soon as he stepped out of the black market, the lean man followed.

But he had deliberately worn extra clothing and covered his face, making himself look intimidating.

Why had the man specifically chosen him?

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace further.

“Trying to run?”

Seeing Li Rui accelerate ahead, the lean man hurried after him.

They passed a corner.

He was about to see what lay on the other side of the corner.

Suddenly—

A handful of yellow sand shot straight into his face!

“Damn!”

The lean man cursed aloud, his eyes blinded by sand, his body stumbling wildly—but he had plenty of brawling experience, so he raised both arms to shield his head, curled into a ball, and protected his vital spots.

Yet—

Li Rui stepped forward and kicked the lean man’s left leg.

From his earlier observation, he knew the man had a limp in his right foot.

Kicking the good leg of a cripple was definitely the right move.

The lean man screamed in pain from his left ankle, beads of sweat bursting from his forehead, stumbling and falling to the ground—Li Rui lunged forward, straddled him, and unleashed a barrage of punches.

Soon, the lean man was beaten black and blue, begging for mercy.

Damn, damn, damn!

Wasn’t he supposed to be a seventy-year-old old man?

How the hell is he so fierce?!

His punches are stronger than those of any martial arts master in the dojo—he could knock out an ox, and if this kept up, he’d be dead.

Just as the lean man was about to pass out, Li Rui stopped, his fist held mid-air.

The force and injuries were perfectly controlled.

“Throw a vine!”

The sudden phrase stunned the lean man, then filled him with joy: “Tip vine, vine’s next character bright.”

“Which waterway do you travel?”

The lean man’s joy deepened: “So you’re Master Wu’s man—Rong Gate, ‘Laugh to Heaven, Draw Sword and Walk Out.’”

“So you’re from Master Wu’s crew,” Li Rui loosened his grip: “Great flood washed over the Dragon King’s temple—eight gates are one family. Northwest Xuantian’s lone rooster—forest folk don’t betray forest folk.”

The lean man scrambled to his feet, bowing with a grin: “If forest folk betray forest folk, they’re definitely no good.”

Li Rui: “Rules vine, eat Ge’s.”

“Big Brother!”

The tense atmosphere dissolved significantly.

What they spoke was the Jianghu spring code—the underworld slang of Qinghe.

“Vine” meant stating one’s name; “tip vine” meant surname Ding, “vine’s next character bright” meant Ding Liang.

“Which waterway do you travel?” meant asking what trade the lean man practiced.

“Wind, Horse, Goose, Sparrow, Cross-Lan, Rong, Ge”—these were the Eight Secret Gates of the Jianghu, all engaged in illicit trades.

The lean man belonged to Rong Gate—that is, a thief.

“Laugh to Heaven, Draw Sword and Walk Out”—the ‘mouth’ and ‘ten’ characters formed the character Wu.

Each of Qinghe’s Eight Secret Gates had a leader, called the ‘piao-ba-zi’ in slang; Rong Gate’s leader was a man surnamed Wu.

Rumor had it he once served as a blade-wielding outlaw in Hengmen, notorious for his brutality, but somehow later became Rong Gate’s boss.

Li Rui’s phrase “eat Ge’s” referred to Ge Gate—that is, hired thugs and bandits.

The lean man thought inwardly: “Truly a seasoned Jianghu veteran!”

Li Rui first established dominance with his fists, then revealed his identity through the code—the lean man was completely subdued by this combination of force and diplomacy.

Li Rui had lived fifty years—he hadn’t lived in vain. Years ago, he learned many Jianghu codes while traveling with the Zhu family’s caravan, and understood many underworld rules.

He had long passed the age of reckless bravado; if he’d been young and hotheaded, his martial bones might have killed this man outright.

But what then?

Those who kill often know: killing is easy, but covering it up is hard—perfectly erasing traces in a crowded market is nearly impossible.

These underworld types usually have accomplices; if the authorities or this man’s partners found out, trouble would never end—he could easily lose his family and life.

This was precisely why Jianghu experience mattered.

Those who knew the codes were old hands, with powerful backers behind them.

When encountering trouble on the Jianghu, not only were you afraid—the other side was too. If you exchanged the right signs, understood the patterns, and recognized each other’s halls, you saved yourself a world of trouble.

Fortunately, this lean man wasn’t a greenhorn—otherwise Li Rui had already planned eighteen ways to dispose of the body.

The lean man slapped himself twice: “Blinded by eyes, crawled over an elder.” (Blind eyes, touched a fellow.)

Li Rui: “We’re brothers—this area’s full of hawk-claws. Watch your step.”

“Hawk-claws” meant government officers.

He turned to leave.

The lean man quickly called out, spat on the ground, and bowed: “Had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai—today I was fooled by a brat who said you were seventy, easy prey. Easy prey?!”

Thinking of it, he seethed—he came to bully an old man, and ended up being ridden and pounded by one.

Where was the promised beating of the old man?!

If he hadn’t met someone who knew the code, he’d be dead.

Li Rui stopped: “Was he a young man, six feet tall, wearing black?”

The lean man froze: “You know him too?”

Li Rui’s face darkened.

Ma Yang!

“Thanks, brother.”

The lean man: “Brother Li, you’re righteous—I won’t hide anything. Come drink with me at Rong Gate—I’ll treat you.”

“No problem, no problem.”

Li Rui didn’t linger—he picked up the herbs he’d left in the alley corner and vanished through twisting turns.

Seeing the lean man was out of sight, he finally released the breath he’d been holding.

On the Jianghu, knowing the codes alone wasn’t enough—seasoned veterans knew to read tone and expression; even if the code was correct, if you leaked your nerves, no one would believe you.

He’d prepared meticulously for this outing—no wonder he was still followed. Someone had sold him out.

“My good disciple!”

Li Rui felt no anger—his mind was strangely calm.

It seemed his master-disciple bond with Ma Yang had reached its end.

Ma Yang had conspired with underworld types—who didn’t know Rong Gate didn’t just steal money? Murder was common.

Clearly, they were after his life!

If he died, Ma Yang would become the Zhu family’s next stable hand—his salary would double.

The abacus beads were practically flying into Li Rui’s face.

Since the disciple was unrighteous, the master had no reason to hold back—he’d survived decades in the Zhu household not just through honesty.

A flash of cold light passed through Li Rui’s eyes.

With a blade in hand, the will to kill arises!

“Return to the Zhu household first.”

But just as Li Rui was about to leave the alley—

A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, Host! Achievement Completed: “Famous in the Jianghu”—Initial Entry into the Jianghu.】

(End of Chapter)