"Many thanks to you, benefactor, for saving my life!"
The Water Monkey led the boy over. The boy was about to kneel and kowtow, but the Water Monkey caught him by the arm.
Qin Sang looked left and right, signaling Zheng Kun to stay alert, and they led the group of children into the nearby woods.
Qin Sang looked the boy up and down. "What is your name? How old are you?"
"My name is Xiao Liuzi. I'm fifteen this year. I've had no father or mother since I was small, and no name or surname."
"Have you ever studied?"
"When I was begging, a scholar took me in to sleep at his schoolhouse. I listened to lessons for three years. Later, the scholar died, and I was chased out."
"Are you all from the north?"
"Yes. There's a drought in the north, so everyone is running south. Their parents died on the road, and I've been leading them to beg for food."
"You can barely feed yourself, so why are you willing to carry such a burden?"
"When the scholar took me in, he said that saving a life accumulates a layer of merit, and I might be reborn into a better life in the next reincarnation."
Qin Sang nodded. He glanced outside the woods and said, "Those people are gone. You should go too. Don't head north, lest you run into them again."
"I beg you, benefactor, take us in!"
Xiao Liuzi plopped onto his knees. The other children, who followed his lead, all knelt in a flurry, pleading in unison.
Qin Sang shook his head. "I can barely feed myself; why would I take you in?"
Xiao Liuzi remained on his knees. "We can do anything! My younger sister can wash clothes and cook, and we can do heavy labor. Just give us a bite to eat, benefactor, and we will obey your every word!"
Qin Sang chuckled. "If I told you to kill someone, would you do it?"
Xiao Liuzi hesitated for a moment. "I could! My younger brother and sister lost their parents and were almost boiled and eaten by others. If others can kill, so can I."
"How can you accumulate merit if you kill people?"
"Then I'll just save more people. If I save more than I kill, I'll still accumulate merit."
Qin Sang and the Water Monkey exchanged a glance.
The Water Monkey pulled Qin Sang aside. "Hall Master, do you really intend to take them in?"
Qin Sang pondered, "It is time to start building a tier of assassins..."
Ignoring whether the Water Monkey understood, Qin Sang walked back and said to Xiao Liuzi, "You can follow me, but you must first acknowledge a dead man as your father. This man's name is Wu the Mute. His grave is in Zhenshui County; I will take you there later. You don't need to worry about his background, just remember that he is Wu the Mute. You will be called Wu Chuanzong. You must burn paper for him every year and carry on the Wu family line. Are you willing?"
"I am willing!"
Xiao Liuzi was overjoyed. "From now on, I am Wu Chuanzong, and my father is Wu the Mute. I have a name!"
The other children jumped for joy as well.
Qin Sang nodded slightly. He didn't care what Old Wu's original name was; he had promised to find Old Wu a son, so letting him take the surname Wu was not breaking his word.
"Zhang Wenkui, take these children and find a place to settle them. After a short rest, go immediately to inform General Mu of my decision."
"Yes!"
As soon as Zhang Wenkui left with the group, Zheng Kun ran in. "Hall Master, Liu Ji has left the city!"
The Liu family's main branch was a prominent local clan with farmland outside the county seat. After verifying their identities, the three of them washed up outside the city, changed out of their refugee attire, and disguised themselves as Liu family servants to slip into the city just as it was getting dark.
Liu Ji had purchased a property to run a business as a cover.
The group quietly arrived at the backyard. After confirming they were not being followed, Liu Ji closed the double doors and reported the situation in the city to Qin Sang.
"Reporting to Hall Master Qin, I have already investigated. There are three people currently in charge of Hening County. The County Magistrate is named Li Ji. He is only twenty-one years old but quite capable. In less than two years since taking office, he has won the hearts of the people, and the commoners in the county call him 'Li the Upright.' However, this man is a confidant of the Jiangzhou Prefect. Barring any accidents, he will be transferred to the prefecture after his three-year term ends. His future is boundless, and I fear it will be difficult to persuade him to surrender. Since Hening is a small, simple county, there is only one Registrar. This man is surnamed Ma; he is slick and worldly, following Li Ji's lead in everything, so he is not worth worrying about. Then there is a man named Chu Dazhuang. He is not an official, but all the yamen runners and local militia are currently under his command. If we want to break the city, we must take this man down. We must be cautious..."
Qin Sang asked curiously, "This Chu Dazhuang is not an official? How can he command respect?"
Liu Ji replied, "There are two reasons for this. First, he has a younger sister of exceptional beauty who married Li Ji as a concubine. Second, this man is a disciple of the Xuanji Temple. He studied under the head of the Arhat Hall and received the true teachings. His martial arts are extraordinary, and he is known in the pugilistic world by the title 'Reckless Monk.' After his sister married Li Ji, the Reckless Monk abandoned his monastic name, brought several fellow disciples to Hening County, and even the Inspector does not dare to look down on him. With the county's military preparations recently transferred and the Inspector gone, there is no one left to keep him in check."
So it was him!
Qin Sang secretly thought it was no wonder Liu Ji looked so grave.
Since joining the Blood-Clad Tower, Qin Sang had become well-versed in the affairs of the pugilistic world. Every famous martial artist was registered in the Blood-Clad Tower, and everyone on that list was a top-tier expert.
His 'master,' Yang Zhen, was considered a martial arts expert by ordinary people, but he didn't qualify to be on that list.
This Reckless Monk was different. Not only was he on the list, but he was in the top tier. His martial arts were likely not much inferior to Bai Jianglan's.
However, what was most daunting was not the Reckless Monk's martial arts, but his sect, the Xuanji Temple.
In the pugilistic world of the Great Sui, two places were renowned: the Yanlan Villa and the Xuanji Temple. They were known as the two great holy lands of martial arts, home to countless experts.
The Yanlan Villa was on Mount Yanlan in the Imperial Capital, while the Xuanji Temple's gates were right here in Jiangzhou.
Legend had it that both sects had Innate experts presiding over them. Their status was transcendent, and even the government had to show them a degree of respect.
Qin Sang knew more of the inside story: the Xuanji Temple and Yanlan Villa were not merely martial arts sects. Many of the imperial guards in the pseudo-emperor's court came from these two holy lands.
Even now, the commanders of the Duling County garrison had many Xuanji Temple experts serving as their personal bodyguards.
The Reckless Monk came from the Arhat Hall of the Xuanji Temple. With only the manpower the Blood-Clad Tower had in Hening County, they might not be able to take him down.
Since the Prince of Dongyang raised his banner in rebellion, the reason he had been so successful—conquering Yingnan Prefecture in less than a year—was largely because the Prince of Dongyang was the Emperor's own brother, sharing the blood of the late Emperor. It was not a foreign invasion, so the garrison troops, seeing that the situation was lost, felt no burden in surrendering.
But the Jiangzhou Prefect was different. When the Prince of Dongyang was still the Crown Prince, this man was a lackey of the current Emperor, and he had performed meritorious service during the succession struggle. He would never surrender.
Since Li Ji was a confidant of the Prefect, there was no need to discuss surrender.
With force unlikely to succeed and surrender impossible, Qin Sang asked Liu Ji what plans he had.
"Your subordinate has two plans. One is to hold Magistrate Li Ji hostage to force Chu Dazhuang to open the city gates. The other is to use poison. If we can poison Chu Dazhuang, the situation will be settled. However..."
Liu Ji stole a glance at Qin Sang. "Both plans require the right timing to ensure there are no mistakes. Your subordinate learned today that Li Ji intends to host a banquet for the village elders of Hening County the day after tomorrow to discuss the refugee unrest and local stability. At that time, your subordinate can lead men to infiltrate the banquet and, amidst the chaos..."