The Jianghu of Feng Qingcheng and Mo Xibei

Chapter 84

There will be another chapter updated tonight, hehe...

Volume 3, Chapter 9: Setting a Trap

The gates of the Tongxian County government office remained tightly shut, and no matter how loud the drums sounded outside, the inside remained quiet and unresponsive. Finally, Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng scaled the wall and entered. Fortunately, the county government office was quite small, with several courtyards and rooms. After searching through several rooms, they finally found the county magistrate in an inconspicuous side room.

"Who are you people, daring to trespass on the private residence of this county magistrate?" The county magistrate, surnamed Liu, was a short man. Although his voice was not loud, it trembled as it came out, revealing his outward strength but inner weakness.

"We are the people of Tongxian County. Today, Japanese pirates have launched a large-scale looting, burning, and killing operation in the county. We, the humble people, dare to ask Your Excellency to come out and take charge of the situation." Mo Xibei sat leisurely in a grand chair in the room, speaking with great ease.

"What a joke!" Magistrate Liu almost bit his tongue. "I am a civil official. When the Japanese pirates came to harass us, you should have gone to find the garrison commander." "But now the Japanese pirates have retreated. We killed some of them, and they also killed many civilians and burned houses. Shouldn't the magistrate come out to pacify the people?" Mo Xibei rested his chin on one hand and laughed, very sarcastically.

"They've retreated?" Magistrate Liu's voice immediately stopped trembling. "You killed a few Japanese pirates? Good, I'll send men to bring their corpses here right away. You've done a good job fighting the Japanese pirates, and naturally, I will petition the court to reward you." "No need for a reward, what's important is for you to quickly bring peace to the people. Also, the Japanese pirates are cunning. Having suffered a loss this time, they might retaliate soon. Tongxian is located in a low-lying and remote area. Asking the court to send reinforcements would take too long. Since you are the local official, you should have already worked with the garrison commander to strengthen the city's defenses, just in case." Mo Xibei dusted off his clothes, left these words, and departed. "What do you plan to do with this little girl?" Outside the county government gate, Mo Xibei looked at the sleeping San'er, whom Chu Junfeng was holding, and asked with a frown.

"Her background is pitiful. She had both parents in the morning, but in less than a day, she was all alone. It would be best to find her a kind family to adopt her." Chu Junfeng had already thought about this. He was a wanderer in the martial world and naturally couldn't take such a young girl with him. Moreover, Mo Xibei seemed quite hostile towards her and naturally wouldn't agree to take her in.

"You've considered a lot for her, but haven't you really considered that such a young child's behavior today is inconsistent with her age and status?" Mo Xibei stopped and looked at Chu Junfeng.

"You mean, there's something suspicious about her appearance?" Chu Junfeng nodded. "I thought about it too. There should have been quite a few children on the beach at the time, so why was she the only one who survived? Not only did she survive, but she wasn't even injured. When you came back today, you also suspected something was amiss. It's as if someone deliberately lured you away and then came to Tongxian to rob the place. But thinking about it the other way around, my appearance on the beach was probably a coincidence. These past few days, I've been searching in the mountains... Anyway, seeing the fire on the beach was purely accidental, and saving her was also accidental. If it were deliberate, if I had arrived even half a moment later, her life would have been in danger. How could such a young child gamble with her own life? Perhaps, it really was her mother who risked her life to protect her."

“But what about her home?” Mo Xibei shook his head. “Her home is in a remote location, with no gold or silver to plunder. Although the Japanese pirates seemed to be burning, killing, and looting all over the city today, there was money to be stolen from several places where they made their moves. It’s clear they scouted the area and studied the routes beforehand. There’s no need to waste time burning down a few rows of houses and killing some people who can’t afford much money.” “You’re right, this child…” Chu Junfeng sighed. He knew the child’s identity was suspicious, but during the past six months searching for Mo Xibei in the mountains, he had thought about many things from the past, about the hardships he endured as a child being chased, about his parents gently tucking him in before bed and then passing away the next morning. He had thought about it too much, and so, almost unconsciously, he had come to accept the little girl’s tragic fate. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any doubts, but rather that he had experienced such bizarre suffering himself, making it impossible for him to question it.

"I noticed you're quite different this time I saw you. Is something wrong?" Mo Xibei had been observing Chu Junfeng's expression, noticing that the composure and certainty he used to possess seemed to have faded considerably. His clothes were no longer as spotless as before; in fact, his entire demeanor had changed. Yet, he seemed more comfortable to be around than before. What kind of feeling was this? Mo Xibei pondered for a moment, concluding that perhaps it was because he had finally let go of his obsessions, making him appear more peaceful and composed.

“Nothing much happened. I had just reached the top of the cliff when the explosion occurred. By the time everything calmed down, the cave you were in had completely disappeared. I’ve been on the mountain for the past few months because I heard that there might be another way to enter Chen Youliang’s treasure. I’m still not convinced and want to know.” He paused, gazing tenderly at Mo Xibei. “I always want to know if you’re still here. Actually, you’re down the mountain, but for the past few months, I haven’t had any other thoughts on my mind. I’ve come to Tongxian a few times, but I’ve only bought some dry food and never paid much attention to my surroundings. Have I gone stupid?”

Mo Xibei truly hadn't expected that Chu Junfeng's sudden appearance was actually because he had been on Zilang Mountain all along. Before, she had thought that the clam business had accidentally revealed his whereabouts, but she didn't expect... "Who said you've become stupid?" She wanted to change the subject with a joke as she used to, but she found that it was really difficult to laugh nonchalantly and pretend that she didn't understand what he was saying.

"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about what you plan to do right now. If there's really something wrong with this child, how do you plan to deal with her?" Chu Junfeng naturally noticed that Mo Xibei's eyes were red before he lowered his head slightly. A warm feeling of hope welled up in his heart, and he changed the subject accordingly.

“Let’s play along. It seems we’ve worked together before.” Mo Xibei smiled, this time genuinely. They had both been silent for too long, hoping to solve problems through avoidance. However, the current situation didn’t seem to allow them to simply avoid the issue and live out their lives peacefully. Since running away wouldn’t solve the problem, the only option was to face it.

On the way home, the sun set, and a large patch of bright red clouds rose in the west. "It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow should be a good day," Mo Xibei said.

I'm sleepy, time for bed. Before I go to sleep, I'll shout: "Let the votes come even more fiercely!!!"

Volume 3, Chapter 10: Preparing for War

The Japanese pirates came and went. In fact, there have been several such incidents in Tongxian County over the years. People are always good at forgetting. After a period of tense vigilance, their taut nerves gradually relaxed.

Mo Xibei's clam business was not affected too much. Although a fire burned down the processing factory by the sea, the losses were not significant because she insisted that the finished products be transported back to the county every day.

She thought long and hard about what to do with the little girl, San'er. Sending her too far away would be less reassuring than keeping her close by. But if she placed her too close, with so many people and such a messy household, it would inevitably cause people to worry about other troubles.

“I’ve heard that in Japanese ninjutsu, there’s a technique called Soul Capture, which can manipulate and control a person’s words and actions. I wish I knew that skill.” Mo Xibei once jokingly said to Chu Junfeng, “Then I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I could just control her and ask her whatever I wanted. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“I’ve also heard of Soul Seduction, but it’s said to only work on people with weak wills. If you use it on someone with a strong will, the Soul Seduction technique might even backfire.” Chu Junfeng smiled. He already knew that Mo Xibei’s thoughts jumped around very quickly and he often said surprising things, so he wasn’t surprised.

"If only we had a lie detector, we could know whether someone was telling the truth or just being insincere without needing to use a soul detector." Mo Xibei seemed not to have heard Chu Junfeng's words at all, and then he got up and left without hesitation.

What is a lie detector? Chu Junfeng pondered this for a long time. He had only heard of the seismograph, but he didn't know there was such a thing as a lie detector. Could lies be detected by some kind of measurement? He found it amusing; Mo Xibei was indeed full of whimsical ideas. However, she wasn't happy. Chu Junfeng knew this from the moment they reunited. Mo Xibei wasn't happy, despite her daily smile.

Mo Xibei was indeed unhappy. But she was very busy because of the Japanese pirates.

The magistrate of Tongxian County did not send anyone to report the attack by the Japanese pirates. Mo Xibei could roughly guess the reasons. Reporting to the imperial court might not even attract their attention. Tongxian was a small place; even larger areas attacked by Japanese pirates had not seen the imperial court take any substantial and effective measures, let alone this place. Furthermore, if the imperial court was destined not to send reinforcements, then reporting such a matter would only highlight the incompetence of the local officials. Serving as an official here already offered no hope of promotion; losing one's official position would be even more of a loss. After all, the dead were just ordinary people; it wasn't worth jeopardizing one's future.

It's true that less trouble is better, but Mo Xibei currently desperately wants more things to do, to fill his time to the brim. With more things to do, one's mind will wander less, and thus, one will be happier.

Her busy schedule involved recruiting local militia to prepare for a possible next invasion by the Japanese pirates.

At that time, the most advanced weaponry of the Ming army was firearms, but civilians could not possess them at will. Moreover, the Ming army had made some ridiculous mistakes regarding the use of firearms. For example, when using matchlock guns, there was a joke circulating among the Ming army that some people were so afraid of firing that every time they fought against the Japanese pirates, they would discard the gunpowder and bullets, smear gunpowder on their faces to pretend to be blackened by smoke from multiple shots, and then turn around and run away while others fired a few shots, shouting "I'm out of ammunition!"

“Instead of learning things that may not be applicable in actual combat, let’s do something more practical,” Mo Xibei said to the local people who had been invited. “Tongxian is a small town. Although it doesn’t have very strong city walls, our natural terrain is more conducive to defense. Coming from the sea, there is only one passage to enter the town. The first thing we need to do is send people to keep watch here every day. Once we spot a Japanese pirate ship, we will light a signal fire.”

“But the Japanese pirates are all highly skilled. Even if we spot them, it won’t do us any good. Our small town will fall in a single attack. Holding out will only delay everyone’s escape time,” someone questioned dismissively. “Besides, the Japanese pirates don’t come to our little town every day. Last time might have been a coincidence. If they don’t come for ten years, are we supposed to send people to guard it every day?”

As soon as he finished speaking, many people below nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. To deal with the Japanese pirates, simply discovering them is useless, and fortifying the city is not a fundamental solution either.” Mo Xibei wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he nodded. “What this brother said makes sense. Tongxian is a small place. If I were a Japanese pirate, I would rather go to Ningbo, Suzhou and Hangzhou, or even go north to Liaodong. But who can stand up and tell everyone with their hands on their chest that the Japanese pirates came once, and that in ten or eight years, no, not even ten or eight years, let’s say three or five years, who dares to stand here and tell everyone that in three or five years, the Japanese pirates will not come again?”

Silence fell again. No one could say for sure when the Japanese pirates would come, but no one dared to make such a guarantee that they would never come again.

"No one can guarantee anything, right?" Mo Xibei confidently surveyed his surroundings. "No one knows when the Japanese pirates will come again; they could come at any time." As he spoke, the long sword that had been hanging at his waist was instantly drawn, slicing the wooden table in front of him in two with a single stroke. Amid the gasps of astonishment, he continued, "I'm not exaggerating, but if the Japanese pirates come again, with this sword in my hand, I am more than capable of protecting my entire family. Who among you can confidently say that you can single-handedly keep your entire family from being slaughtered?"

The news that Mo Xibei's family had killed more than a dozen Japanese pirates had already spread throughout the county. Now that everyone had witnessed Mo Xibei's skills again, they all admired her. Even the few hooligans who had previously been spouting nonsense were now silent. So, an elder and a prudent man in the village said, "We never expected that at such a young age, you would not only have such extraordinary knowledge but also such good skills. We have lived here for generations and do not want to leave our home. We don't know when the imperial court will take care of our poor and remote village. In order to protect ourselves, we are all willing to follow your lead. Please tell us what to do."

Having said that, Mo Xibei had essentially achieved her desired outcome. Her requirements weren't particularly high; she only needed each family to provide one able-bodied young man. If no able-bodied young man was available, a strong woman or a healthy elderly person would suffice. Once the manpower was determined, the work was assigned. The women and elderly didn't need to participate in the training; they only needed to collect easily combustible branches that produced a lot of smoke and dark color while chopping firewood in the mountains, and then carefully pile them up at the watchtowers. The able-bodied young men, in addition to their watchtower duties, also had to gather for training every evening, which consisted of simple combat.

Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng had repeatedly refined the moves. They had both fought against the Japanese pirates many times and understood their martial arts style. To teach someone with no foundation, the moves had to be simple, effective, and powerful. The two of them repeatedly broke down the moves and came up with more than a dozen moves, which they taught every day and then practiced intensively.

During the day, Mo Xibei led Chu Junfeng on repeated walks along the road from the city to the beach. Many people in Tongxian County saw them repeatedly examining a large tree or even a rock by the roadside, but no one knew what preparations they were making. Working day and night like this for about a month, the situation changed drastically. First, those practicing martial arts found themselves stronger and more energetic in farm work. Then, more and more people joined in martial arts training, many of them children. Those on lookout duty also became more proactive, and everyone secretly hoped to have a major battle with the Japanese pirates to release the pent-up frustration of the past few years. (Recommendation votes...)

Xiao Mo's appearance is still a long way off. *Sigh* He needs to make a grand entrance. Of course, he's definitely not a Japanese pirate, absolutely not.

Volume 3, Chapter 11: Hidden Weapons

On one side were the people of Tongxian, eager to try their luck; on the other side were the Japanese pirates who had come once and then disappeared without a trace, their whereabouts unknown. As time went on, more and more people began to lose their patience.

"Miss Mo, what do you think we'll do if the Japanese pirates don't come, given how much effort we put in every day?" During a break in the evening training, someone came over and asked Mo Xibei.

"Learning some kung fu to strengthen our bodies would be better if the Japanese pirates didn't come." Mo Xibei understood the importance of pressing things head-on, but the Japanese pirates were notoriously brutal, and many of them were disillusioned martial artists from various parts of the Central Plains. They were definitely not ordinary people without any skills, and the few moves they learned each day for the past month or two wouldn't be enough to deal with them. The purpose of creating such a large commotion was simply to use the words of spies who might be lurking in the surrounding area to intimidate and deter the Japanese pirates, hoping they would back down.

"But what's the point of us training so hard if they don't come? Are we just going to fight each other all the time?" Some who wanted to take shortcuts couldn't help but feel discouraged.

"You practice martial arts mainly for prevention. It's best if the Japanese pirates don't come. But if they do, we can attack and defend in a balanced way, so we won't be helpless and waiting to be killed," Mo Xibei sighed and said to everyone. "Martial arts training isn't something that can be mastered overnight. It's similar to the imperial court's system of raising troops. You raise troops for a thousand days, only to use them for one. If you find it too hard, and the Japanese pirates aren't even around, then it doesn't matter whether you practice or not. I won't force you. I'll just say this: you're not practicing for me today; you're practicing for yourselves, so that if something unexpected happens one day, you won't have to watch helplessly as your families are slaughtered. That's all I have to say. If any of you think martial arts training is useless, or feel that you've already learned it well, then you can go home." "We pay such heavy taxes every year, why doesn't the imperial court send people to protect us? Why do we, unarmed commoners, have to protect ourselves?" The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then someone whispered, immediately echoing the sentiment.

“The court doesn’t protect us. That’s why we have to protect ourselves,” a childish voice suddenly boomed into everyone’s ears. “We not only have to protect ourselves, but we also have to learn martial arts. In the future, we can become great generals, lead the court’s army to the sea, and wipe out all those Japanese pirates.”

Mo Xibei followed the crowd and almost immediately spotted the child who spoke very loudly but was actually quite small.