Chapter 1

Rumour has it the bandits are very ferocious

How does you, a scholar, eat so much

The dusk sky was deep. A squall whistled across the yard, lifting up countless yellow fallen leaves.

Inside the yamen [1] study, the dim candlelight also flickered with the wind, and the newly appointed lord prefectural magistrate was holding a ledger and abacus, carefully checking the accounts.

After half a shichen [2], frowning, he finally came to the conclusion.

This Cangmang City, was really very very poor...

Cangmang City was poor, because there were bandits on the mountain outside of the city, ferocious and evil, who dared to rob even the yamen, not speaking of the common people. And because of this, the last couple of prefectural magistrates were all big, strong men, one of them even a martial tanhua [3], but they all resigned very quickly, including one person who hung up his stamp [4] and left straight away – in time Cangmang City's reputation spread in official circles, and even less people were willing to come.

The new prefectural magistrate was called Wen Liunian, a skinny and weak bookworm, originally a county magistrate in Shuzhong, until one day an order came from above, turning him from County Magistrate Wen to Prefectural Magistrate Wen with great flair and then packed and sent him to Cangmang City. The previous lord prefectural magistrate had been waiting day and night for his saviour to finally come. Crying in excitement, he finished all the work within a shichen, leaving with his family that same night, not wanting to stay for even another meal.

Looking at the dirty and battered state office, Lord Wen's attendants and servants felt very hopeless.

And looking at the feeble new prefectural magistrate, the people of Cangmang City also felt very hopeless – he looked like he would get blown over by the wind, how can he lead the army to suppress the bandits, this is so sad.

But Wen Liunian didn't really mind, on his first day of appointment he led his attendants and servants to clean up the place, and then chose a local scholar as his private advisor, with the plan of reading through the whole backlog of scrolls.

The private advisor was called Mu Qingshan. He wore white cloths and held a folding fan, and had thin eyebrows and a soft voice. When he stood together with Wen Liunian, it didn't matter how you looked at it, it looked like they would get beaten together by bandits on the ground.

The people couldn't stop wiping away tears for their lord official. Apparently he used to administer Yunlan City, which was rich til it flowed oil, but he was moved to Cangmang City for no reason, what a sad fate.

"I have heard of Cangmang City before I came," Wen Liunian exclaimed as he flipped through the scrolls, "But I did not think it would be this poor."

"There is nothing we can do about it." Mu Qingshan sighed, "The soil here was already barren, the roads to the outsides are blocked, plus there are bandits on the mountains. It's already pretty good that the people can manage to live, so of course it cannot compare to the abundant and rich fertility of Shuzhong or Jiangnan."

"We can't remain poor forever." Wen Liunian stood up, "I'm going outside, do you want to come?"

Mu Qingshan looked at the sun and said awkwardly, "I invited a few villagers to repair the house, I'm afraid they would be here soon."

"That's alright." Seeing he had other matters to attend to, Wen Liunian did not force him, and left the state office alone, planning on looking around.

At midday, most people were resting after a meal, so there were not many people on the streets. With barren hills and turbulent waters, this place was naturally not as prosperous as Yunlan City, and had only a few shops. Wen Liunian only took around a shichen to mostly memorise the layout of the city. Seeing that it was still early, he left the city gates, planning on walking around the villages close by.

Cangmang City's soil was barren, so rough and easy-to-tend-to crops were grown in the fields. It was harvest time for soybeans. Wen Liunian stood on the ridge of the field and extended his arm, wanting to pinch a pod to check its growth.

"Oi!" He hasn't reached the pod, when a reproach came from behind him.

Wen Liunian instinctively turned around, and saw a rock flying at him. He dodged to the side in panic, but he did not notice that he missed a step, so he rolled into the soybean fields with screams from his entire body.

......

"Who are you?" Wen Liunian was angry and shocked, it was difficult climbing back up. Even though there was no water in the field, he was still covered in dirt.

"You are really..." The other man looked speechlessly at him, walked forward and picked a pack off the ground.

Wen Liunian finally saw clearly, it wasn't a rock flying at him just now, but a cloth pack – not that hitting people with cloth packs is much better!

"I saw you trying to steal food, so you're probably hungry." The other man opened the pack and threw a bun across, "Here, eating raw beans will poison you."

Wen Liunian managed to catch it this time. Looking at the white bun in his hand and feeling a little surprised, he finally studied at the other man's appearance. He looked to be in his twenties, with a sabre at his waist, messy hair, a fierce expression, a high nose, a sliver of disdain and impatience in his narrow eyes. He probably had a violent temper too.

"What are you looking at!" the other man furrowed his brows.

"Many thanks." Wen Liunian cupped his hands in salute, "Is this hero-"

Before he could finish the sentence, the other man had already walked away.

"Wait for me." Wen Liunian ran and followed.

The other man walked faster.

Wen Liunian started sprinting.

The other man could only reluctantly stop.

Wen Liunian huffed, "This hero, I, ahem."

The other man shook his head and squatted down to open the pack, giving him all the buns, "Is this enough?"

"No, no." Wen Liunian waved his hands.

"Not enough?" The other man looked at him the way he would look at a rice bucket, thinking, this scholar looks pretty skinny, how does he eat so much.

"Not the buns." Wen Liunian could finally breathe again, "Is this hero going into the mountains?"

"Yes." the other man nodded, "You are as well?"

"No, I live in the city." Wen Liunian said, "But there are bandits in Cangmang Mountain, and it will be dark soon, so it would be dangerous to go alone."

"Bandits?" the other man looked amused, "You're worried I'll be robbed?"

"They are apparently very ferocious." Wen Liunian explained, "If you are not in a rush, how about stay in the city for a while. In four days, locals will lead merchants around Cangmang Mountain out of the city."

"The mountain is so big; it will take a long time to detour around." the other man reminded him.

"Not much we can do about that." Wen Liunian sighed, "Bandits prowl in the mountains, it's better to be safe."

"You're from the city?" the other man blurted out, seemingly interested.

"I just moved here." Wen Liunian answered, "I have family here." In front of a stranger, even one who just gave him a bun, he was not honest to the point of telling him everything about himself.

"It will be dark soon; you should get back." the other man did not keep conversing with him, reorganised his pack, and decided to keep walking to the mountain.

Wen Liunian mentally shook his head. Even though he looked like he knew martial arts, but to be fighting one on a hundred against the bandits would not be easy, but just when he wanted to persuade him some more, but the sound of horns came from the distance. Dust billowed at the end of the mountain path, dozens of black-clothed horsemen were galloping forward. Wen Liunian was greatly alarmed as these were probably bandits. Surrounded by fields with nowhere to hide, he dragged the man with him into the field in haste.

"What are you doing?" the other man was caught off guard, staggered around and almost tripped.

"Shhh..." Wen Liunian made the sign to be quiet, "Bandits have come, squat down and hide."

"Are you scared of being kidnapped by bandits?" the other man picked a piece of dog's tail grass and flicked it on his nose.

"Achoo!"

"You can keep hiding, I'm going home." The other man stood, grabbing the ridge trying to jump back, but was dragged back down.

"Stay here!" Full of majesty expected of a parent official.

"You bookworm really..." the other man didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Do you know what the bandit looks like?"

"Of course." Wen Liunian took out a booklet, on the first page is the drawing of an evil-looking man, hair as messy as grass, a large black mole on his left cheek with a large sword on his back, obviously not a kind person.

"That looks like him." The other man said to himself, touching his chin.

"He's called Zhao Yue, a bandit leader in Cangmang Mountain." Wen Liunian said.

"What?" the other man furrowed his brows.

"He's a bandit head." Wen Liunian repeated good-temperedly, "Called Zhao Yue."

Before he finished speaking, he was knocked forcefully on the forehead.

"Bookworm." the other man glared at him, "This man is called Wang Tianhu, nickname Wang Dadao [5], not Zhao Yue, remember that next time!"

"How do you know that?" Wen Liunian was suspicious.

The other man jumped onto the ridge, taking out a jade whistle, and blew on it. The sound was crisp and melodious, and when the leader of the horsemen heard it, he signalled them to stop, looked in their direction, and turned his horse around, "First Master!"

"Who are you exactly?" Wen Liunian was greatly alarmed.

The man mounted the horse, grabbed the reins and cocked his eyebrows at him, "Zhao Yue."

Wen Liunian inhaled a breath of cold air.

"Don't remember the wrong face." There was ridicule in Zhao Yue's tone, then he raised the horse whip, and boomed, "Brothers, back to mountain!"

"Yes!" Their voices were synchronised, horses' hooves stirring up dust. Wen Liunian stood in the field, and got covered in dirt.

It is spread by the people that Zhao Yue is a big bandit in Cangmang Mountain, who kills without blinking, and has messy hair and infinite strength. He wields the sabre Jiyue, and if it didn't touch blood for three days, it would start buzzing at night, an evil object worse than the Chiyan [6] sword.

But rumours of the mill didn't seem to be accurate – at least this portrait wasn't.

Wen Liunian opened the booklet and looked at the ugly and ferocious demon on the first page, and thought of the young man just then, thinking that even if the painter's eyesight was bad, it still wouldn't be drawn like that – the difference is more than eighteen thousand li [7]. Other than the fact that they were both men, there was nothing similar about them.

The booklets were released by the government, so that the common people could recognise each of the major bandit leaders in the mountains and know to run when they meet them. Wen Liunian carefully studied the dozens of portraits, and still hadn't found one that looked like the man that called himself "Zhao Yue", so he patted the dirt off himself, and went back to the yamen to ask the private advisor.

"What happened to you, my lord?" Inside the government office, Mu Qingshan is watching craftspeople fix the roof, seeing Wen Liunian coming back covered in dirt, he was of course freaked out.

"Have you ever seen Zhao Yue?" Wen Liunian asked him.

"No." Mu Qingshan shook his head quickly, "Apparently, nine out of ten people who met him died, please don't curse me, my lord."

"Then where does this portrait come from?" Wen Liunian took out the booklet.

"It's based off word-of-mouth from the people," Mu Qingshan said, "Bandits have been a problem in Cangmang Mountain for a long time, someone in this city would've seen him."

"In other words, it's not very precise." Wen Liunian looked deep in thought, "What about Wang Tianhu, nickname Wang Dadao?"

"A bandit in Cangmang Mountain as well, came into the city to loot a few times." Mu Qingshan said, "But comparing their ruthlessness, he is far behind Zhao Yue."

"What did Zhao Yue do?" Wen Liunian asked.

"My lord, please wait." Mu Qingshan went into the study, and came out holding a pile of scrolls, even some that were yellowing on the edge, "These cases are all related to Zhao Yue, my lord can read through slowly."

Wen Liunian was first shocked by the number, and when he randomly picked out one and dusted off the cover, shocked by the year, "Chaochu year 37, Zhao Yue's bandits were already prowling in Cangmang city?"

Mu Qingshan nodded, "According to the scroll, it is so. It is just that at the time I was still in swaddling clothes, so I was not aware of the exact situation."

Chaochu year 37 was still during the previous emperor's reign, and even if Zhao Yue was a little over thirty, at the time he would've been a child, how could he have led hundreds of bandits on horses into the city? On top of that, from what he'd seen today, he should've been in his twenties at most.

Wen Liunian gently placed the scroll back.

Either the man he met today was not Zhao Yue, but another bandit, or these scrolls were fake. Either way, as the parent official, he couldn't ignore it.

Wen Liunian thought for a while, and then called for Mu Qingshan, "Are there painters in this city?"

"Yes." the private advisor said, "He lives next door, a failed xiucai [8], mediocre in literary composition, but not bad at art."

Wen Liunian nodded, "Please invite him here, this official would like him to paint something."

Footnotes

1 – Government office in ancient China

2 – A time unit used in ancient China. One shichen is 2 hours, so half a shichen would be an hour

3 – Tanhua is the person who scored third in imperial exams to look for talent in both martial arts and literary composition

4 – In ancient China, a stamp is used by officials as a sign of their identity, used similarly to a signature

5 – It means "big sword"

6 – An ancient demonic sword with its blade reddened by blood. It belongs to Qin Zhaoyu, one of the protagonists of Everywhere in Jianghu is Wonderful and Everyone in Jianghu is Rich

7 – A unit of measurement used in China. One li is approximately 500 m.

8 – Someone who participated in the literary composition imperial exams