Chapter 2

"Child of the Lord, meeting me is a sign from God. Let me ask you, do you know God? Do you know Christianity?" The big-nosed foreigner pulled out a small silver cross from inside his suit collar. "I am a pastor from America, my name is Lewis, and the black man is my assistant, the young Simon..."

"I know, I know, of course I know. Christianity originated in Palestine, initially as a doctrine of the Jews, then spread to ancient Rome, and later split into the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. I also know that most Americans believe in Protestantism. And isn't America currently in a civil war? Lincoln is about to win, and you still have the heart to come and preach?" Xiao Letian's mouth was like a machine gun, spitting out words so fast that Lewis was left speechless.

"God, God, you actually know so much?" Lewis frantically made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"Don't pray anymore, solve my problem first. Save me, if I'm treated as a Taiping, I won't survive..." Just as he was speaking, Qing San Ye was already leading over a dozen house slaves. "Enough, you Taiping, stop pretending. Just because you know a few foreign words, you think you're something special? Don't think the foreigners will help you. Did they help you when you were causing trouble in the South?"

Qing San Ye waved his hand. "Someone, tie him up. When we get to Yixian, I'll personally interrogate him. Ha, I never thought I, Qing San Ye, could capture a Taiping. When I report this to the Imperial Clan, it will be a great achievement..."

Just as the house slaves were about to pounce on Xiao Letian, Pastor Lewis suddenly stood up and stretched out his hands to block them. "You cannot do this, it violates the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Tianjin. This young man is a believer, one of my followers..." He then took off the cross from his neck and hung it around Xiao Letian's neck.

Qing San Ye was stunned. He never expected Pastor Lewis to stand so firmly on the side of this strange man. The entire caravan was taken aback. This was after the Second Opium War, when the Qing Dynasty had fully opened the interior to foreign missionaries and merchants, and the fear of foreigners among the people began from this time.

"Foreign... foreign sir... please don't joke with me. You didn't know this person just now, and you accepted him as a follower just by talking to him? Are you teasing me?" Qing San Ye tried to push back, seeing Xiao Letian as a walking merit.

Unfortunately, Pastor Lewis firmly rejected his request. "A treaty is a treaty. Your emperor has recognized our conditions. Do you dare to defy him?"

"No, no, no, don't misunderstand. I was just asking... Go ahead, continue..." When Qing San Ye heard the name of the emperor, he knew he couldn't do anything. He quickly backed off.

Pastor Lewis returned to the caravan and had a serious conversation with Mr. Fan, the shopkeeper. For the time being, Xiao Letian was safe. Simon, the black man, brought him some food—dry bread, smoked meat, and clear water. Xiao Letian, who was hungry, ate it with great relish.

However, while he was eating, his eyes were not idle. This caravan of over a hundred people seemed very peculiar. Mr. Fan and his assistants were the largest group, numbering about ninety, and almost every assistant carried a knife or a gun. It seemed they were not just a regular caravan, and the assistants had a bit of a bodyguard's demeanor.

As for Qing San Ye, Simon had introduced him as a colonel under the Eight Banners, a hereditary minor noble. The thirty Eight Banners soldiers guarding him were partly his household slaves and partly the guards of the Western Mausoleum in Yixian.

A group of merchants and a group of Eight Banners soldiers mixed together was already strange enough, but the presence of two foreigners, one of whom was a missionary, made it even more confusing. However, Xiao Letian, with his public relations skills from his previous life, managed to gather some information from Simon and a few bold assistants.

It turned out that this caravan had set out from Shanxi, traveling from Taiyuan to Xinzhou, then to Dai County, Lingqiu, Laiyuan, Yixian, and finally to Baoding, continuing north to Beijing. Mr. Fan was a well-known member of the Fan family, a prominent Shanxi merchant, and this trip to Beijing in late autumn was likely for the winter holidays.

As for Qing San Ye, Fuqing, he had been on a mission for the Imperial Household in Shanxi and happened to meet Mr. Fan on his way back. They seemed to have some prior acquaintance, so they decided to travel together. This was common in the Taihang Mountains, where the dense forests were home to wild beasts and bandits, and strength in numbers was essential.

However, this route passed through Yixian, which was under the jurisdiction of the Western Mausoleum of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government's control over this mountainous area was strict, and there were no major bandits, only small thieves. Therefore, caravans on this route rarely hired security.

After all, if the Qing government couldn't protect the resting place of its ancestors, it would be considered very disrespectful.

As for the American missionary Lewis, he had been assigned to the Fan family by the county magistrate of Dai County. The foreigner had traveled extensively in Shanxi, and local officials had been cautious, sending people to accompany him to avoid any mishaps. When the foreigner decided to spend the Spring Festival in Beijing, the local officials were relieved. However, despite his high status, the foreigner could not be escorted by the military, so the county magistrate passed the hot potato to the Fan family, who were experienced in this trade and unlikely to have any major issues.

"Wow, a caravan from the leading Shanxi merchant family, the Fan family, plus a genuine Eight Banners noble, and an American missionary who crossed the ocean to China? Good grief, where have I time-traveled to? All these are people I can't afford to offend. I need to be low-key, very low-key..." Just as Xiao Letian was self-hypnotizing, someone playfully tapped his left shoulder. When he turned his head to the left, he saw no one.

As Xiao Letian turned his head back, a ghost face suddenly appeared in front of him, giving him a big scare. "Oh my, what is this..." Before he could finish, he noticed that the ghost face was actually a girl.

"Ha ha ha, so you're the 'second ghost' the assistants talk about? I heard you can speak the language of the foreigners? Say something, and what about your braid? Aren't you afraid of being beheaded without a braid? Hey, what's that cross around your neck? Is that the Buddha of your foreign religion..."

This little girl, with her dimples and tiger teeth, was incredibly lively. Xiao Letian was stunned; he never expected a girl in the Qing Dynasty to be so open and joke with a stranger. He was momentarily speechless.

The tiger-toothed girl was disappointed. "You look good, but you're a fool? You can't even speak. What a bore..." She then walked away.

"I'm not a fool, my name is Xiao Letian. You scared me when you tapped me and suddenly appeared..." Xiao Letian wasn't a novice at flirting. When a beautiful girl shows interest, you have to respond, or you'll be destined for a life of loneliness.

"My name is Hu Nv. Tell me, how did you learn to speak the language of the foreigners? Oh, you've been to foreign lands? Tell me, what's the place where they went to fetch the scriptures like? Is there really a Flaming Mountain..."

The little beauty's mouth never stopped, and Xiao Letian could barely get a word in edgewise.

Just as they were talking, a thin, yellowish girl ran over. "Oh, Miss, why are you here? Ah... a ghost!" The girl immediately saw the dark-skinned Simon and the blond Lewis, and despite having seen them once before, she was still frightened.

The girl's scream immediately caught the attention of Mr. Fan and Qing San Ye, who were having a private conversation at the front of the caravan. The old shopkeeper was furious to see his daughter talking to the "second ghost."

"Hu Nv, you shameless girl, talking to a stranger in broad daylight. How embarrassing..." The old man rushed over and raised his hand to slap Hu Nv, but she defiantly tilted her head. "Go ahead, you killed my mother, and now you want to kill me? Hit me, hit me, hit me..."

Mr. Fan's face turned black with anger, but his raised hand couldn't bring itself to strike. It was clear that he usually doted on his daughter, making her fearless. Xiao Letian was amazed; the old man must be in his sixties, and his daughter couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen. What a strong father-daughter bond.

At this moment, Xiao Letian didn't dare to speak. The old man not hitting him was already a sign of respect. However, in the chaos, Xiao Letian suddenly noticed that Hu Nv had natural feet. "Oh, how much dowry will the old man need to marry off this big-footed daughter? But it's good, she suits my taste. Hehehe..."

Finally, Qing San Ye stepped in to smooth things over, and Mr. Fan's hand dropped. Hu Nv, fuming, returned to her black carriage. "You don't let me do this, you don't let me do that, you won't even let me out of the carriage. I might as well be dead..."

Mr. Fan, with a red face, bowed and said, "I apologize, Sir. My family lacks discipline, and I have embarrassed you. I will send this girl to Beijing to be taught proper manners by her aunt..."

"Not at all, not at all..." Qing San Ye said a few polite words and then turned his eyes back to Xiao Letian. "My friend, although the foreigner has protected you, your identity is still suspicious. If you want to travel with us, you must be blindfolded and escorted..."

Qing San Ye nodded, and two fierce house slaves pounced on Xiao Letian. One grabbed his hands, and the other put a black sack over his head. "Boy, behave yourself. Not killing you is already a favor from the foreigner. Don't be ungrateful..." They then tied Xiao Letian's hands.