Chapter 481: We'll Go Persuade Him
Since the Heavenly Lord had spoken, everyone else naturally had no objections. "Alright," they agreed, "let Reverend Zhan Seng try to persuade him towards goodness first. We'll be ready outside, and if Reverend Zhan Seng can't persuade him, then we'll carve him up.”
Zhan Seng, seeing that everyone agreed to try reasoning first, was immediately overjoyed. "I knew it," he declared, "the Heavenly Lord and all of you are compassionate people.”
“Master,” Tie Niaofei said, “you are a revered monk, and I am a salt smuggler. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to move together; it might tarnish your reputation. We should enter Hedong Circuit city in two separate groups.”
Zhan Seng nodded.
There was no need for the enemy to know that he and Tie Niaofei were allied; separate actions would be better. After all, he was a famous high monk from Puji Temple and could confidently walk into Hedong Circuit. Gripping his staff, he set off immediately.
Tie Niaofei, on the other hand, retrieved a black bag, muttering an apology, and placed the Puppet Heavenly Lord inside. Then, he carried it with him into the city.
Although the puppet was half a person tall, it wasn't heavy. Its limbs were merely thin wooden sticks, so putting it into a bag didn't add much weight. Once it was secured, he slung the bag over his shoulder with one hand, as effortlessly as if he were carrying a sack of smuggled salt.
However, Li Daoxuan couldn't see outside from inside the bag, which made him quite annoyed. He gently poked with his wooden fingers. The burlap bag wasn't very sturdy, and he managed to poke a small hole in it. Now he could see outside.
Tie Niaofei, his subordinates, and the Puppet Heavenly Lord arrived at the gates of Hedong Circuit city. Despite him being a notorious salt smuggler, the city guards greeted him with friendly smiles, welcoming him as if he were a god of wealth, and didn't even require him to pay the entry tax. In contrast, law-abiding citizens had to pay their full entry tax before being allowed inside.
This was Yuncheng, Shanxi, famous in later eras. The character'yun', meaning'transport' or'fortune,'perfectly captured the city's essence: commerce. Merchants flocked here from all corners, with countless Jin merchants dealing in salt, tea, grain, and military horses, transporting these goods to the border garrisons in the north.
Most of these merchants were decent people; they ensured the supply of vital goods to the border troops, which contributed to centuries of peace along the Great Ming's frontiers. However, scoundrels like the Eight Great Jin Merchants, notorious traitors, also thrived among them...
After passing through the merchant district and turning into a side street, the scene grew grim. Salt workers, driven into the city by the rebel army, huddled in alleyways and hidden corners, their faces filled with apprehension as they watched the outside world.
Li Daoxuan let out a long sigh. Tie Niaofei immediately understood. He pulled out a handful of silver fragments, walked through the alley, and placed a small silver ingot into the hand of each salt worker. Then, he leaned in and whispered, “If you want a way to live, escape Hedong Circuit. Head west; someone will be waiting to meet you...”
The salt workers were startled. They looked at the silver in their hands, then glanced up, only to see Tie Niaofei and his group already far away.
The salt workers pondered their current predicament. Leaving the city felt dangerous. Although the rebels had been repelled for the moment, they might return. The salt villages were perilous, and Hedong Circuit itself was unsafe.
Go west? If someone was waiting to meet them, perhaps they could try. This gentleman seemed like a kind person.
In any case, things were chaotic outside now, and their chances of a successful escape were high. Afterward, the Salt Administration would likely assume they had been killed by the rebels, and wouldn't pursue them. This was a perfect opportunity to flee.
The chance to escape their artisan registration was now.
The braver salt workers steeled their resolve and departed.
Tie Niaofei, meanwhile, returned once more to the Salt Administration's official residence.
He was an old acquaintance here—no, more like an old benefactor. As soon as he sent in his calling card, the Salt Administration's household guards invited him in and arranged for his men to rest in a side courtyard.
Tie Niaofei's smuggled salt dealers immediately set to work. After a short reconnaissance, they returned to report, “That Huang Yunfa is staying in the courtyard right next to ours, heh heh heh. Reverend Zhan Seng arrived before us and is also staying in another side courtyard next door.”
Tie Niaofei chuckled, “Being a revered monk certainly has its perks. He can walk into Hedong Circuit freely, and even enter the Salt Administration's residence as a guest without issue. We, on the other hand, had to pay to get in.”
No sooner had he finished grumbling than a figure flickered over the courtyard wall. Zhan Seng had actually climbed over the wall. Landing, he clasped his hands together in a prayer gesture. “Amitabha! Excellent, excellent! If this benefactor finds being a revered monk so convenient, why not wash your hands of worldly affairs and join this humble monk in cultivating Buddhist teachings?”
Tie Niaofei gestured to the black bag his subordinate was carrying, which contained the Puppet Heavenly Lord. He spread his hands. “Even if I were to become a renunciant, I’d follow the Heavenly Lord and be a Daoist priest.”
Zhan Seng exclaimed, “Amitabha! You truly misunderstand the Heavenly Lord’s boundless compassion. He doesn’t care whether we are Buddhists or Daoists. Look, he shows no disdain for this humble monk at all.”
“Alright, we've successfully infiltrated,” Tie Niaofei said. “Should I make contact with Huang Yunfa first, or should Master go?”
Zhan Seng replied, “Of course, this humble monk should speak with him first and persuade him towards goodness. If I cannot persuade him, then the benefactor may try.”
Naturally, no one objected to his request. While everyone knew he was bound to fail, he wouldn't be in any mortal danger. No matter how bad Huang Yunfa was, he wouldn't lay hands on a monk inside the Salt Administration's residence. Let him try.
Half an hour later, Zhan Seng returned, looking dejected. “This humble monk advised him to stop doing business with the Manchus, but he flatly denied it, insisting he had no such dealings. As for this humble monk's other advice, it went completely unheard.”
Tie Niaofei laughed. “Perhaps there are too many people here, and he’s embarrassed to admit he’s a traitor to the Han? Once he leaves the city, and there are fewer eyes, Master can try persuading him again. If he still can’t be persuaded, then we’ll take him out.”
Zhan Seng said, “Excellent, excellent!”
Tie Niaofei declared, “Since Master was unsuccessful, it’s my turn. I’ll find out when he leaves the city and which route he’ll take, so our people can ambush him along the way. If we don’t get this information, once he’s out of the city, the Manchu cavalry will escort him northward swift as the wind, and we might not be able to intercept him.”
Zhan Seng asked, “How will you find that out?”
Tie Niaofei chuckled. “It’s actually not difficult. I’ll just talk business with him.”
Zhan Seng was speechless.
Tie Niaofei said, “Just watch me, Master.”
He adjusted his clothes, adopting a more refined merchant demeanor, and then, with a confident smile, headed toward the adjacent courtyard. Li Daoxuan realized he might miss the fun, and, highly displeased, quickly slipped out of the burlap bag.
He scurried to the courtyard wall separating the two compounds. The wall was covered in vines and climbing ivy, and dotted with small cracks and holes, giving it a venerable, aged appearance.
Li Daoxuan wasn't sure if the puppet had enough strength to climb it. He thought, *This is a good chance to test the agility of my ‘Co-sensing’ avatar. Let's try it.*
He extended his two wooden hands and gripped a vine. The puppet's hands were surprisingly intricate, possessing a genuine gripping ability. Then, he used his two small wooden stick-feet to step into a hole in the wall. *Hmm? It's steady!* Excellent. The puppet's mobility was roughly a scaled-down version of Li Daoxuan's own, which was the essence of 'Co-sensing.' Only, its joints weren't as flexible as a real person's, making its movements somewhat stiff.
With stiff, clattering movements, he clambered onto the top of the wall.
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