knife

Chapter 4 Li Dachui

After settling down, Li Dachui looked at the Yuan brothers, Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong, across from him, his face full of admiration.

"Brother Yuan, you are heroes too! Amazing, truly amazing!"

The compliment left the Yuan brothers somewhat bewildered. They were primarily active around Chang'an, the capital of Qin, and were well aware of their own limitations. While they might have some reputation in the Chang'an area, in this vast region beyond the Great Wall, it was likely that no one had ever heard of them.

But Li Dachui's praise seemed genuine, not at all perfunctory.

"Little cat, don't you think those two are heroes?"

Seemingly feeling that his own words were not enough to convince others, Li Dachui turned to ask Fang Xiaomao, the guard sitting next to him.

The towering man was taking out shelves, bottles, and jars one by one from his bundle. When he heard Li Dachui's question, he paused and said, "If we can make it to Zhenwu City alive, we'll be even more heroic."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Rong took a deep breath, looked at the two people opposite him, and said, "I wonder what you mean by that?"

Li Dachui smiled as he assembled the items Fang Xiaomao had brought out, saying, "Brother Yuan, in Tai'an City, someone has offered a hefty sum to have someone take Zhang Gong's life. The price is quite high. Ten thousand taels of silver! I wonder how many people would be tempted! Brother Yuan, you are truly righteous and courageous in escorting Zhang Gong; you are heroes."

Wu De, who had been listening intently, stood up and walked over, cupping his hands in greeting. "Brother Li, I am Wu De, the Chief Censor of the Court of Judicial Review. May I ask if you know anyone interested in this business? If you could reveal any information, I would be extremely grateful!"

"There are many powerful and influential people outside the Great Wall, I really don't know!" Li Dachui shook his head: "I just guess that your journey will definitely not be peaceful."

Wu De remained silent for a long time, then turned and walked back. He sat down with a dejected look on his face, and his eight subordinates also looked as if they had lost their parents. If they had still held onto a glimmer of hope before, after hearing Li Dachui's words, their last bit of hope had been shattered.

Ten thousand taels of silver!
Wu De was the Chief Censor of the Court of Judicial Review, a sixth-rank official. His salary, including various benefits, would never exceed one thousand taels of silver. As for the lower-ranking constables like them, it goes without saying that they earned even less.

Even for powerful figures like the Yuan brothers, 100,000 taels of silver would be a huge sum.

Now, it's just buying a life.

The temple wasn't that big, and Li Dachui's voice wasn't quiet either; everyone in the room could hear him clearly.

Zhang Ruo, the person involved, remained calm, and even Zhang Qingyun showed no emotion. Her hand, which was pouring tea for her father, was as steady as a rock, as if she had not heard Li Dachui's words.

Taking a sip of tea, Zhang Ruo said, "Once the rain stops, you can all leave! Instructor Wu, give me the official documents, and I will go to Zhenwu City myself, if I can still make it there."

Wu De smiled bitterly: "Scholar, you jest. If I were to return to Chang'an like this, I would still be doomed."

"Like I said before, if things don't go your way, then run away and don't worry about me!"

Li Dachui had already assembled the pile of odds and ends, which turned out to be a barbecue grill. Fang Xiaomao then took out pieces of fresh meat, cut into squares and wrapped in oil paper, from his bag. He opened the oil paper, placed the meat on the grill, and started grilling. The bottles and jars were filled with various seasonings. Looking at the small skewers, brushes, and other trinkets in the other's hand, Yuan Rong was speechless.

He looked exactly like a spoiled brat.

But it really does smell delicious!

In a short while, the fragrance filled the temple.

Eating barbecue in a temple dedicated to a Bodhisattva—if the Bodhisattva were truly sentient, one wonders if he would jump down and beat them up. But the Bodhisattva enshrined there is missing limbs and even half a head, so he probably wouldn't care about their outrageous behavior.

“Master Zhang, would you like to have a drink with me?” Li Dachui suddenly looked at Zhang Ruo as he pulled out another gourd from his leather bag. “It’s homemade wine, a bit strong, but it’s perfect for this season.”

Before anyone could stop her, Zhang Ruo stood up with a smile and walked over. Zhang Qingyun followed a step behind.

Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong stood up and separated themselves to the left and right, leaving the middle seats for Zhang Ruo and her daughter. The two of them sat on the left and right, and Wu De also came over, but he went straight to sit next to Fang Xiaomao.

Li Dachui raised an eyebrow, pulled out four small, exquisite cups from his pocket, and chuckled, "Only four cups? What should we do?"

Yuan Rong smiled and said, "We brothers do not drink alcohol."

"That makes things much easier!" Li Dachui laughed, picked up the copper kettle from the fire, poured the boiling water inside into the cup to rinse it, then placed it on a blanket on the ground, and carefully poured in the wine.

"Master Zhang? And this must be the young lady, right? Please!" Li Dachui said, "And this official, please also!"

Zhang Ruo picked up the wine glass, first looked at the bubbles in the small glass, then brought it to his nose and took a deep sniff. After holding his breath for a moment, he said, "Good wine!"

Zhang Qingyun held the wine glass, but her attention was drawn to a lifelike flower at the bottom of the glass. The wine remained still, and the flower seemed to be blooming at the bottom of the glass.

"How did you carve the flowers inside the cup so vividly?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

Even though she came from a prestigious family, she had never seen a wine glass like this before. "Where are the flowers?" Wu De picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. Only after putting down the glass did he notice that the three people who had picked up their glasses at the same time had not yet drunk from them, which made him quite embarrassed.

"The craftsmanship of the family artisans is nothing to mention, nothing to mention!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

Compared to Wu De, Zhang Ruo was a connoisseur of wine. His glass was small, holding only a sip of wine. He held it in his mouth, swirling it around to savor it for a moment before swallowing it with a gulp.

"Young man, you are too modest. Whether it is the art of brewing wine or the skills of making and engraving wine cups, these are all things that can be passed down through generations. It seems that your family is quite extraordinary in Tai'an City!"

"So-so! So-so!" Li Dachui poured wine for a few more people. This time, Wu De looked closely at the bottom of the glass and saw an extremely delicate little flower gently swaying in the water. He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Judging from your speech, young man, you are educated. May I ask what kind of business you are doing now?" Zhang Ruo asked.

"I didn't study for many years." Li Dachui laughed. "When I was young, my family hired an old teacher named Yu Entai to teach me, but he left after less than two years because I was angry with him. After that, no one came to teach me, so I just read some books randomly on my own!"

"Mr. Yu?" Not only Zhang Ruo was stunned, but Zhang Qingyun also exclaimed in surprise.

Looking at the two of them, Li Dachui said, "Is the old master very famous? Back then, he came to Tai'an City and stayed at my house for two years. After I angered him, he left. I heard from my family that he went to Chang'an."

Zhang Ruo shook his head and sighed, "So many people beg to become disciples of Master Lieyu but cannot, yet you managed to drive him away. You truly don't know anything! Tell me, how did you manage to drive him away?"

"How could a beggar have two wives? How could a neighbor have so many chickens? There was still the Zhou emperor back then, so why all the talk about Wei and Qi!" Li Dachui raised his cup to invite people to drink, while reciting poetry in a leisurely voice.

Zhang Ruo was stunned, but Zhang Qingyun burst out laughing once again.

After a long while, Zhang Ruocai said, "No wonder, no wonder!"

"When I failed to learn literature, my family hired someone to teach me medicine. After three years of studying medicine, a single dose of herbal medicine knocked out my own teacher, who left in a rage." Li Dachui shrugged.

Zhang Qingyun lowered her head, but the trembling veil betrayed her current state. Strange sounds came from her throat, and she was really struggling to hold back her laughter.

"In the end, the old man had no choice but to let me learn martial arts. After ten years of training, I've achieved some success!" Patting the sword at his waist, Li Dachui said with no small amount of pride, "Little cat, isn't that right? You can't beat me, can you?"

"We really can't beat them!" The kitten, who was intently grilling meat, looked up and answered seriously.

Zhang Qingyun laughed out loud for the third time.

Yuan Rong and his brothers, including Wu De, all laughed.

In any case, this Li Dachui is truly a remarkable person.

"I never expected to run into you today, young brother, and to drink such fine wine as yours. Hmm, your poem was quite good too." Zhang Ruo said, "If I hadn't died this time, we might have become friends!"

“Master Zhang, judging from your temperament, you are not an inflexible person. Why do you do something like a moth drawn to a flame or a mantis trying to stop a chariot?” Li Dachui asked thoughtfully.

“A true man knows what to do and what not to do. Great Qin may look splendid now, but in reality, it is like oil being poured on a raging fire, and it is already fraught with crises.” Zhang Ruo sighed, “In the north, the hungry wolf Great Yuan is eyeing us, and in the south, the fierce tiger Chu is watching us closely. The country itself is also in dire straits, with uprisings breaking out one after another. It is almost terminally ill. If we do not take drastic measures soon, I am afraid that it will become too late to save it.”

So you're going to take a gamble?

"Yes, it's a pity I lost!" Zhang Ruo sighed. "If they want to take this life, let them take it. But they still have to put on all sorts of gestures, needlessly dragging so many people into this mess. It's truly hateful."

"Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years!" Li Dachui shook his head repeatedly: "So, I will never be a good person in the future, Little Cat, don't you think?"

"Don't be a good person!" The kitten handed a piece of roasted meat to Li Dachui.

"The guests should be served first!"

The kitten glanced at the other side and handed the meat to Zhang Ruo, but Yuan Rong snatched it away, saying, "Let me try it first."

Li Dachui chuckled, while Yuan Rong, without batting an eye, swallowed the piece of meat in a few bites.

"Brother Yuan, rest assured, I have some wealth at home and I won't covet this 100,000 taels of silver! Besides, it seems that I and Xiao Mao are no match for so many of you."

Yuan Rong laughed heartily, offering no explanation, but simply gave Fang Xiaomao a thumbs-up: "Top-notch skills!"

Fang Xiaomao glared at him, but then turned to Li Dachui and said, "Young master, a cavalry is coming."

Everyone was startled.

(End of this chapter)