Volume One: River Town Song Chapter 25: The Return Journey

The night faded into dawn. By the time Gu Gang rose, only Li Ling remained in the inner room, busily organizing his belongings and parcels. Seeing Gu Gang approach, Li Ling smiled and asked, "How about it? Did you sleep well last night?"

Gu Gang nodded quickly. He had indeed slept soundly, his snoring thunderous enough to shake the rafters. Li Ling, however, had barely closed his eyes for an hour and now had bloodshot eyes. Observing this, Li Ling continued, "I’ve given it some thought. Since the bank has agreed to deliver the silver, it would be safer if one of us accompanied them. You go. In a little while, you will come with me to the bank to finalize things, and then you can return with them."

"And what about you, Young Master Li?"

"I’ll be fine. I’ll just hire a driver in the city to help bring the donkey cart back." Li Ling glanced at the sky outside. "It’s getting late. Let’s settle on this and head to the bank."

Gu Gang was never one to be headstrong; since Li Ling had made the decision, he saw no reason to object. He nodded, eagerly shouldering Li Ling’s pack, and followed him out of the room to settle the bill, check out, and head toward the Wanjia Bank.

Everything proceeded smoothly. Since the terms had been settled the previous day and the bank had already begun arranging the silver, adding one more person to the escort was not a problem. With the prestige of the Wanjia name, Gu Gang didn't even need a travel permit to leave the city easily, so his identification papers remained in Li Ling’s possession.

Once everything was finalized, Li Ling stepped out of the bank and beckoned. A man dressed in coarse gray cloth approached. After a brief exchange, the man climbed onto the driver’s seat of the donkey cart. Li Ling sat back inside the carriage with practiced ease, cracked the whip, and the cart began to move slowly toward the city gate.

While passing through the busiest markets, Li Ling had the cart stopped so he could purchase some freshly molded clay figurines and a hollowed-out brass bracelet—gifts, of course, for Yue'er back home. He also bought a parcel of pastries and candies for his younger sister, treats rarely seen in their county town. Only then did he feel satisfied enough to head for the city gate.

Everything appeared perfectly ordinary. With the food and gifts sitting beside him, the guards at the gate saw no reason to suspect anything. They found no issues with the travel permit he produced, and the driver’s appearance matched his credentials, so they waved them through without difficulty.

None of the guards could have imagined how close they had been to both a promotion and death. The man who looked so meek and honest was one of the key leaders of the Luotian Sect, whom they had been hunting for days. When he broke through their encirclement the night before, two soldiers had died by his blade. Even as he waited at the city gate, a dagger remained concealed in his right sleeve; had anything gone wrong, he would have struck without hesitation.

Only after they were several miles out of the city, certain that the soldiers were no longer in pursuit, did the man release a long, weary breath. His hunched posture straightened, and with a flick of his wrists, he continued to drive the cart forward at high speed. He spoke softly, "You’ve got a lot of nerve. Weren't you afraid of being exposed and getting yourself killed?"

Li Ling, eyes half-closed in comfort, was impressed by the man’s skill. The road that had nearly shaken his stomach contents out earlier was now so smooth he barely felt a bump, and the cart was moving even faster than the day before. It wasn’t the cart or the road; it was the driver.

After a moment, Li Ling smiled and replied, "I have confidence in myself. You and Gu Gang share a passing resemblance. As long as no one looks too closely, there’s no trouble." In an era without photographs, deception was all too easy.

"It still takes guts to take such a risk. We were nothing but strangers, yet you dared to risk so much to help me... and even after learning who I am, you still dared to help?"

"Aren't you the same? To trust a stranger like me with your identity?" Li Ling chuckled, then added, "I don’t know if the Luotian Sect is good or bad. I only know that if the world were truly as peaceful and prosperous as the government claims, your sect would never have emerged. Since we are all common folk, isn't it only natural to lend a hand?"

The man was stunned. He had never looked at things from that perspective. "True... if everyone could eat their fill and stay warm, who would risk their head to follow us? We are all driven to this. You certainly have a different way of thinking compared to the merchants in small county towns."

"I just enjoy reading and thinking about things. Besides, I don't know if the Luotian Sect is good or bad, but I don't think you are a bad person. So, since I could help, I did."

"I’m a 'good person'?" The man paused, then burst into laughter, drawing glances from passing travelers. He finally stifled his mirth. "If you knew how many lives had been lost by my hand over the years, you wouldn't say that."

"Is that so? What does that have to do with me? And how does it relate to me helping you get out of the city? Now that we’re out, what are your plans?"

"Plans..." The man’s gaze grew distant for a moment before turning resolute. "After this ordeal, I’ve seen through some things. It’s time I did something. Well, it’s time to part ways. I owe you a great debt; if we meet again, I will surely repay it!" With a flick of his wrists, he steered the cart into a small woodland by the side of the road.

On the main road, it was common for travelers to duck into the woods for nature's call, so it didn't draw attention. But this time, once the cart was hidden behind the trees, the driver would not be coming back.

Before leaving, he turned to look at Li Ling deeply, as if trying to etch his face into memory. "I owe you such a great favor, yet I don't even know your name."

"Li Ling. And yours?"

"My name is Shao Qiuxi. In the martial arts world, they call me the 'Kunlun Blade Saint'!"

"Oh," Li Ling nodded, cupping his hands. "Take care."

Shao Qiuxi’s eye twitched. The reaction was far too bland. Whenever he had announced his name in the past, people would show surprise, awe, or fear, but this man hadn't even frowned. He then chuckled at his own vanity; the man was neither a martial artist nor a government official, so it was only natural he wouldn't know his name.

He bowed to Li Ling, turned, and with a slight shift of his shoulders, moved twenty feet in a blink. When Li Ling looked again, he had vanished into the trees.

Li Ling sighed. "Is that what they call light-foot kung fu? Truly impressive. If he used that for sprinting, he’d win countless gold medals for the country..." He suddenly froze, struck by a serious practical problem. "Wait, if you’re gone, what do I do? I have absolutely no idea how to drive a donkey cart!"

For the next hour, passing travelers heard rhythmic slapping sounds coming from the woods, along with the braying of a donkey and the shouting of a man. No one knew what was happening in there.

Over an hour later, a drenched and exhausted Li Ling finally managed to coax the cart out of the woods. They say people are capable of anything when pushed, and Li Ling finally believed it. By the end of the struggle, he could at least handle the cart.

However, the ride was far from steady. The cart would often zigzag down the straight road, and its speed was entirely up to the donkey. When the beast was in a good mood, it trotted; when it was stubborn, it slowed to a crawl until a few more lashes of the whip spurred it on again.

Surprisingly, Li Ling didn't feel nauseated by the rough ride. Because he had to focus entirely on controlling the cart, he had no time to worry about his body, and his frame simply bounced along with the rhythm of the vehicle.

Even more miraculously, his speed was faster than it had been on the way there. By the time dusk fell, he could see the familiar walls of Jiangcheng County.

As he reached the city gate, he saw a group of people standing there: Gu Yuezi, Manager Wu, and the others from the bookstore. Worried, they had been waiting for news. They witnessed a startling scene: a man driving a donkey cart in a bizarre, erratic fashion, shouting loudly. It wasn't until he was right upon them that he yanked the reins, causing the donkey to neigh and skid to a halt, nearly tipping the cart over.

Everyone stared in disbelief. It took them a moment to realize the miraculous driver was Li Ling. His clothes were disheveled, his headscarf was long gone, and he looked utterly wretched. Fortunately, he was unhurt, and the cargo was safe.

"You... Young Master Li, what happened? Where is Gu Gang?" Gu Yuezi finally reacted, rushing forward with a look of astonishment.

"Help me down first..." Li Ling realized he was completely drained and couldn't even climb over the shafts. Only after being helped down did he explain, "I left Gu Gang in the prefecture capital to wait for the bank staff and bring the silver back with them."

"So, it really worked?" Manager Wu and the others were overjoyed. They had been truly worried, given that it was the Wanjia Bank.

"Yes, it worked. They will deliver the silver in a day or two. Five thousand taels at five percent interest."

"So you drove the cart back by yourself? Why didn't you hire a driver?" Gu Yuezi was baffled. That wasn't how things were supposed to go.

"Uh... I did hire one. You might not believe it, but the driver ran off halfway through the journey. I had no choice but to take the reins myself and drive the cart back..."