Chapter 9: Canal Trackers, Part Two

Just as everyone thought Lu Lvzi would be crippled for life, a sudden furious shout exploded in the arena like a thunderclap out of nowhere, making the ears of both fighters ring. Chen and Liu, standing thirty paces away, were also startled. They saw a dark, burly man in a short cotton jacket, his chest hair exposed, charge into the arena. Unlike the other lean and wiry trackers, he was tall and powerfully built, his whole body bulging with muscle. Gripping a thick, heavy iron staff, he rushed at Qingshou like a wild bull. Instead of going to Lu Lvzi's aid, he swept the staff horizontally at Qingshou's chest. If that blow landed, Qingshou would surely meet his end. Seeing this, Qingshou pulled back his blade and tried to retreat, but Lu Lvzi on the ground suddenly lunged forward and clung desperately to his leg, immobilizing him for a moment. In desperation, Qingshou could only raise his sword to block. With a loud clang, the iron staff smashed the Japanese sword in two at the waist. The top half of the blade flew far away. The iron staff slowed only slightly before crashing thunderously into Qingshou's chest. Unable to move his legs, Qingshou barely leaned his upper body back to deflect some of the force, but was still struck with a long, miserable scream. He flew back several paces, vomiting fresh blood, and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

The burly man's might awed the entire crowd. The moment the canal boss's men saw his face, they scattered in all directions as if they had seen a ghost. Tang the Canal Boss shuddered, turned, and fled, stumbling repeatedly in his panic, exactly as if a tiger were chasing him. The hairy-chested man did not pursue him, but laughed heartily and said, "Tang the Turtle hasn't borrowed any money from me, so why is he in such a hurry to leave the moment I arrive?"

The burly man did not chase Tang the Turtle, but walked back into the arena to check the injuries of Lu Lvzi and the others.

The onlookers were in high spirits, buzzing with discussion. The dramatic twists and turns in the arena would surely give them material to boast about for a long time to come. Seeing Lu Lvzi rescued, Liu Minyou also felt relieved. Tang the Canal Boss had been vicious and ruthless, so naturally everyone sympathized with the weaker side.

Hai Gouzi said enviously, "That staff must weigh at least forty or fifty catties. He must be the reincarnation of a Liangshan hero to wield it like that. I couldn't even swing it."

Zhang Dahui disagreed. "It's Sun Wukong, actually. Liangshan heroes don't use staves."

"Lu Zhishen does."

"Lu Zhishen uses a monk's spade, not a staff."

Liu Minyou looked at the two of them and asked, "How do you know about Sun Wukong and Lu Zhishen?"

Several youths answered in unison, "The storyteller told us!"

In the arena, the burly man examined the injuries of his own people. None were fatal, but many had broken bones or torn muscles. Lu Lvzi's chest was a patch of blood. The burly man roughly bandaged them up and ignored Qingshou, who was lying on the ground. Qingshou was badly hurt, but not fatally. Yet at this moment, he dared not get up and flee, afraid of provoking the fierce man before him, so he could only lie there.

Seeing the fight was over, the crowd of onlookers slowly edged closer again.

They heard Lu Lvzi say to the burly man, "Brother Dai, that turtle has gone too far. Er Tun and Huang Yuan both have newborns at home and are desperate for money. He took advantage of your absence to snatch two of our tallies in a row. If we don't fight him today, we won't even be able to feed ourselves."

Dai Tiezi said while bandaging him, "We're outsiders here; we're bound to suffer grievances. You were so rash. Do you have any idea how powerful the Luo Sect is? Once a fight starts, even if you win, you lose. If I had been any later today and you lost your hand, how could I face Aunt Lu? After this is over, all of you go back to Yanggu. A year's hard work there will at least put food on the table, which is better than losing your lives out here."

Lu Lvzi refused to accept this. "He was clearly the one who stole ours…"

Dai Tiezi cut him off. "If reason counted for anything in this world, why would we have to come here and work as trackers in the first place?"

As the two were speaking, Tang the Canal Boss, dragging an old man along, pushed back into the crowd. Seeing Dai Tiezi was still there, he hastily hid behind the old man, pointed at his own men on the ground, and said, "Brother Qi, these Pinggu gang fellows, relying on Dai Tiezi's brute strength, not only forcibly stole the tracking tallies but also beat up my brothers. They were brought here by you, and you are our senior. Today, you must give me justice, or else…"

The old man looked extremely anxious. He pulled Dai Tiezi aside and scolded him incessantly, "You young fool, when you came, I told you not to stir up trouble. Now so many people are injured. What is to be done?"

Dai Tiezi scratched his head and said, "Uncle Qi, I'm the one who beat these men. But Tang the Canal Boss bullied us first. If we must go to the lodge to argue and assign blame, I'm not afraid of him. I'll take full responsibility for everything."

Tang the Canal Boss, on the contrary, grew bolder. He pointed at Dai Tiezi and cursed, "Dai Tiezi, you think just because you have some brute strength you can bully others? Last month you ruined three of my small-business deals, and today you've gone further and injured my men. This matter will not be settled easily."

Dai Tiezi looked at him with utter contempt and said, "Not settled easily? What are you going to do about it? I'm a bachelor with a worthless life. Are you willing to trade yours for mine? Today, you drew your blade first, and several of my men are also injured. Let's not go to the lodge. If we're going anywhere, let's go to the Qingjun Office. Do you think I really don't know that you and that Qingshou on the ground are from the Luo Sect? If you still deny it, I'll go to your house myself and see if I can find the Five Books and Six Volumes."

Tang the Canal Boss said angrily, "So what if I am from the Luo Sect? My home is not a place you can search as you please. I haven't killed anyone or committed arson. Can you even arrest me?"

Dai Tiezi laughed heartily and said with contempt, "And you still call yourself a Licentiate. 'So what if it's the Luo Sect?' What about the destruction of the printing blocks for the Five Books and Six Volumes in Nanjing during the Wanli reign? And what about the public notice issued by the Nanjing Ministry of Justice? Do you think no one knows about it just because you've come north?"

Tang the Canal Boss gave a sly laugh. "I wouldn't have guessed you, Dai Tiezi, knew about such things. But you can't just label me a Luo Sect member with empty words. If you want to search, then go ahead and search. Brother Qi here can be the witness. But if you find nothing, what will you say then?"

Seeing his demeanor, Dai Tiezi knew he certainly hadn't hidden any forbidden books at home. He was momentarily speechless and could only glare at him furiously.

At that moment, a man's voice suddenly spoke from the crowd: "Then have him say, 'The Luo Ancestor is a bastard.'"

Tang the Canal Boss flew into a rage upon hearing this. He turned his head and looked around everywhere, but with so many onlookers, he couldn't possibly see who had spoken.

This Tang the Canal Boss, whose name was Tang Siyou, was originally a down-and-out Licentiate from Tianjin who had worked as a hanger-on in brothels. In recent years, as the Luo Sect expanded northward, he had eagerly joined and obtained the position of Canal Boss. How would he dare utter a single word of disrespect against the Luo Ancestor? If he said such a thing with so many witnesses present, the sect would certainly deal with him, and he would no longer be Canal Boss.

Tang the Canal Boss's face flushed bright red with rage. He bellowed, "Who the hell said that? Get the hell out here!"

Hearing this, Dai Tiezi suddenly understood and laughed. "Exactly. Then say it. Otherwise, come with me to the Qingjun Office." The trackers on Dai Tiezi's side all chimed in, "Yeah, say it! If you say it, then you're not from the Luo Sect."

"Enough!" Brother Qi shouted loudly. He turned to Dai Zhenggang and said angrily, "Whether it's the Luo Sect or the Canal Guild, we all earn our living on the Grand Canal. There's only one waterway running north to south on this canal. Who can do without whom? If every dispute had to go to the Qingjun Office, what use would the Tianjin Canal Guild be? Since I was the one who brought you here, and you've caused such a major incident today, I can no longer keep you here."

After saying this, he turned his head and said coldly to Tang the Canal Boss, "Dai Tiezi's father and I shared a bond of life and death. Though he was in the wrong today, his men were also injured. My suggestion is this: from now on, they are not allowed to seek work here. As for the injured on Brother Tang's side, I will pay for their medical expenses. This matter ends here. If you don't accept this settlement, I will have other things to say when we reach the lodge. What is Brother Tang's opinion?"

Tang the Canal Boss had lost the group fight and had just been cornered verbally, losing his edge. Brother Qi had chosen an excellent moment. Hearing the implication in Brother Qi's words, Tang was also unwilling to offend this old man. Moreover, his goal of driving out Dai Tiezi's group had been achieved. He immediately cupped his hands to Brother Qi and said, "How could I not accept a settlement made by Brother Qi? We'll do as you say. Our friendship remains undiminished. When Brother Qi's boats reach the south, they will receive the same care as always."

Brother Qi cupped his hands in return and said, "That is for the best, preserving our goodwill. The money for the medical expenses will be delivered this afternoon." He then looked at Dai Tiezi. "Zhenggang, what do you say?"

Dai Zhenggang also cupped his hands and said, "I will abide entirely by Uncle Qi's decision. Once our wounds heal, we will leave this place."

Seeing that Dai Zhenggang had agreed, Tang the Canal Boss said no more. In his heart, he was indeed somewhat afraid of Dai Zhenggang. He called over his nearby underlings, had them lift Qingshou from the ground, and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Brother Qi watched them leave, sighed, and said to Dai Tiezi, "Settling the matter this way may seem unfair to you, but now you also know how hard it is to make a living on the canal. Although the Luo Sect operates in the shadows, its hidden power is immense. Even if I didn't make you leave, the Canal Guild would force you out anyway. It's better to go home and farm in peace. Do you still have money yourselves to buy medicine for your wounds?"

Dai Zhenggang said respectfully, "I understand these principles. I have already troubled you greatly, Uncle. We can still afford the medical expenses and dare not impose on you further."

Brother Qi nodded, parted the crowd of onlookers, and walked far away.

Dai Zhenggang helped Lu Lvzi up, then made a cupped-hand salute to everyone around and said, "To the brother who spoke earlier, since you choose not to show yourself, it is inconvenient for me to invite you. I offer my thanks here."

With that, he led the group of Yanggu trackers away, supporting each other as they left.