Chapter 2: Rely On Oneself
After exiting Chaodou Hutong and heading north for three li, one arrives at Weihang Street in Tongzhou Wuqing County.
The water station to which Chen Shun’an belonged was in a corner alley on Weihang Street.
Old Ghost Tang’s patch was on Jinyuan Street next to Weihang Street.
The corpse had just been fished out and was still lying on top of the well on Jinyuan Street.
Although the corpse was bloated from soaking and looked like a giant, Chen Shun’an recognized at a glance that this guy was Old Ghost Tang, that dead ghost.
Thus, Chen Shun’an suddenly felt sorrow for a fellow sufferer, sensing something amiss.
Good news: the major worry in his heart had been eliminated.
Bad news: it seemed an even greater worry had arrived.
Chen Shun’an did not believe that the two water carriers from the water stations had accidentally fallen into the wells one after another purely by coincidence.
The water station was a local tyrant in the Capital City, with countless ruffians, Qing Pi, and even warriors mingling there.
It was backed by the Capital Water Merchants Association, whose president was a genuine “Bai Shan Ren,” a Zuoling from the commandery office.
Now someone actually dared to boldly target the water station?
A storm was brewing…
Chen Shun’an was weighed down with worries.
He hiked up his robe hem and hurried toward Weihang Street with quick steps.
San Dezi also sensed something wrong, his face somber, and tacitly said nothing more.
The sun was already high, turning heaven and earth into a massive kiln.
Horse-drawn carriages streamed continuously on the street, with dust billowing on the dry yellow earth road.
A camel caravan from the northwest slowly passed through the county gate, temporarily buying red willow branches and reed clumps on Weihang Street.
Camel bells jingled in the dust, then headed toward the Capital City.
On the road, they encountered arrogant Bai Shan Ren and big shots galloping their horses through the street; the entire street fell silent, and Chen Shun’an and San Dezi quickly turned their backs and hid by the roadside to give way.
Only after the big shots on horseback had completely passed did they continue on their way.
They arrived at Weihang Street.
The ground was sopping wet, with various cursing voices and splashing water sounds rushing toward them.
Chen Shun’an, dressed in a long gown and jacket, paused at the alley entrance.
He wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve cuff, straightened his back, then crossed his arms and stepped over the wet ground into the alley.
Many water carriers, twisting their hips in short shirts and trousers while pushing unicycles, were stunned upon seeing Chen Shun’an, then showed enthusiastic expressions and greeted him.
“Brother Chen is here?”
“Brother Chen, have you eaten? You! My stir-fried liver is fresh; try a chopstickful and give me your opinion?”
“Brother Shun An, why not rest more? Leave the water station to us brothers; put your mind at ease!”
Chen Shun’an was quite popular among these water carriers; even the reticent and aloof ones nodded in greeting when he looked their way.
“I’ve troubled the brothers to push the carts and deliver water for Chen Mou these days; Chen Mou is deeply grateful!
When it’s my turn this month, Chen Mou will book a table at the Second Meat Shop in Hawthorn Alley—dry-fried balls, stir-fried balls, slippery pork slices, order whatever! I’ll cover a full day’s meals; everyone must come when free!”
Hearing this, the crowd knew Chen Shun’an sincerely meant to treat them, so their enthusiasm grew even more.
At the water station, two young twin shop assistants were working together to turn the pulley handle to draw water, then pouring the hoisted turbid water into a large water trough.
The other water carriers scooped water from the trough to fill the wooden water tanks on the unicycles, about five hundred jin each, totaling over ten loads.
Chen Shun’an took off his long jacket, revealing the short jacket underneath, rolled up his trouser legs, then carefully folded the long jacket and put it in the cabinet under the shed.
The two shop assistants knew Chen Shun’an had the habit of going to the teahouse for tea and listening to stories after his shift; this black coarse cloth long jacket was for appearances, something poor folk couldn’t afford.
After informing the twin shop assistants, Chen Shun’an walked to the water trough and saw that San Dezi had already filled his water cart.
San Dezi said: “Elder Brother, are you up to it?”
Chen Shun’an stretched out his palms, twisted his arms, and his muscles rolled and writhed like streams of quicksilver, letting out a faint air wave with a ‘whoosh’.
This was Gathering Muscle Strength, tempering the muscles with force permeating the whole body!
Chen Shun’an laughed: “You little glass marble rascal, your brother has been pushing water carts for seven or eight years; what’s not to handle?”
San Dezi chuckled and said no more.
Splashing water sounds rose and fell, but soon quieted down.
After more than thirty water carriers finished drawing water, none pushed their carts to deliver; some leaned single-legged against the wall, some squatted on the ground, all waiting in the alley as if expecting someone.
People occasionally passed outside the alley, but after glancing inside, they hurriedly averted their gazes as if seeing a pack of jackals, tigers, and leopards, and hurried on.
Yet even until the end of the chen hour, these water carriers hadn’t waited for the person they wanted.
“No more waiting; let’s go find Shopkeeper Li!”
“Right, someone actually dared bully into our water station, making Elder Brother Chen lie down for half a month; this isn’t over!”
“Old Ghost Tang is dead! I heard several others from other patches died too!”
“I’d say it’s definitely those kidney-loss guys from the Pounding House who did it! Damn their ancestors!”
In the heated agitation, the water carriers roared red-faced and thick-necked; some even pulled out firewood knives, axes, darts… even crossbow bolts from under their water carts.
Martial Virtue was abundant.
This group of water carriers standing up for Chen Shun’an had both sincerity and self-interest.
After all, if lips are gone, teeth feel cold; if Chen Shun’an had been at home or somewhere else had an accident, that would be one thing.
But it happened right at the water station, falling into the well!
This time it was Chen Shun’an; who next?
Moreover, other patches had incidents too!
This was slapping the face of all water carriers, the landlord, and the entire water delivery trade!
As for the “Pounding House,” it was a blood feud with the water station.
In the previous dynasty, drawing water in the Capital City was still free, with most well water public.
But with mountains high and roads far, streets deep and alleys winding, some households found it inconvenient to draw water, so Qingzhou People helped draw it, earning meager profits to feed their families.
But after the Changbai Sacred Dynasty was founded, to reward the merit-makers, well water was made private and granted to the Jizhou People who charged into battle for them.
The Qingzhou People were driven out and turned to the Pounding House business, specially hulling coarse rice into polished rice for people.
If the customer bringing rice to mill was a Bai Shan Ren with court-issued monthly stipend rice, the Pounding House would naturally fawn and cry “master.”
If it was just ordinary folk, the Pounding House would make endless difficulties, skimming off every ten.
As for “Bai Shan Ren,” they were the imperial clan of the Changbai Sacred Dynasty and those elevated to Bai Shan Ren status… Shun People.
Chen Shun’an and his group, along with Jizhou People and Qingzhou People, were all Shun People.
Qi and Blood roiled in the alley, murderous aura rising.
Chen Shun’an said nothing, his gaze turning to a corner.
Many water carriers, seemingly furious with Qi and Blood surging to their heads, also glanced there with their peripheral vision.
By the well edge sat a figure silently smoking dry tobacco, never once lifting his head from start to finish.
“Alright, what are you doing? Don’t cause trouble for the landlord.”
The man raised his head, revealing a fierce and ugly face with a triangular head and toad eyes.
His voice was soft, but it rang clearly in everyone’s ears.
The clamoring water carriers all calmed down.
The man pursed his lips toward the pipe bowl and slowly blew out the ash with a ‘puff’.
He stuffed soft, bright yellow fine shreds into the pipe bowl, then pursed his lips to blow on the fire paper, spewing two streams of thick smoke from his nostrils.
The smoke pillar did not dissipate, like a mist dragon.
The man suddenly stood up, his arms swinging like punishment pillars, striding with wind that shattered the smoke pillar; in a blink, he was before the crowd.
“Instructor Lin.”
“Instructor Lin, you say how to handle it; we’ll listen to you!”
Instructor Lin glanced at Chen Shun’an, then turned to face the crowd, eyes showing contempt.
“If they dare strike at our weak spot, they must have full confidence; with your three-legged-cat skills, how many can you kill?”
These water carriers were mostly those who brought their arts to join, each with inherited skills, basically at third-rate warrior realm, Gathering Muscle Strength.
Whereas this Instructor Lin had already perfected muscle strength, stepping into second-rate “He Yu Shu” realm.
Jade Tree meant the skeleton; quenching bones like jade, joints gleaming, every move brimming with power.
So sometimes, Instructor Lin would also instruct these water carriers’ martial arts, earning the title of instructor.
“As for whether the Pounding House did it, does it matter? To put it bluntly, you’re all rotten cowards and broken jars—weak in strength! That’s why others can squat on your heads and shit!”
Cold light flashed in Instructor Lin’s toad eyes as he said mercilessly,
“Get lost and push carts to deliver water! Less dawdling and more punching, less chasing women and more piling stances! This matter isn’t for you to worry about!”
Hearing this, the water carriers didn’t argue and immediately dispersed.
Water buckets sloshed, wheel ruts pressing into the ground.
Chen Shun’an was about to push his cart when Instructor Lin suddenly came to his side, glancing at him indifferently and saying,
“Feeling better?”
Chen Shun’an cupped his hands and smiled: “Thanks for Instructor’s concern; about seventy to eighty percent recovered—King Yama won’t take me.”
“You’re quite comfortable; you lay in bed for half a month, while us brothers worked day and night on your share.”
Instructor Lin’s attitude was cold, his tone somewhat unkind, yet he pulled a goose-neck medicine bottle from his bosom and tossed it directly onto Chen Shun’an’s water cart.
“This is Gold Foil Cow Bezoar Pill; one morning and night, settles the spirit, clears evil Qi from the five organs… Take good care of yourself; don’t delay the water delivery livelihood!”
With that, Instructor Lin ignored Chen Shun’an’s reaction, stomped to brace his waist, and the water cart was already out of the alley.
Perhaps in Instructor Lin’s eyes, he didn’t want Chen Shun’an dragging everyone down, so he used both favor and authority.
But a gentleman judges by deeds, not intentions.
Chen Shun’an was silent for a moment, but still remembered the favor and stowed the medicine bottle.
……
Pushing the cart out of the alley to the main street.
San Dezi and a few water carriers were waiting for Chen Shun’an.
Seeing Chen Shun’an emerge, the group leisurely pushed their carts on the road.
Though somewhat curious what Instructor Lin had said to Chen Shun’an.
But the crowd tactfully didn’t ask.
A water carrier said with a worried face: “Instructor Lin is right; we’re still too weak! I’ve been stuck at force permeation for a long time; after this shift, I want to buy a dose of Turtle and Deer Two Immortals Paste at Qian Zhi Hall to try achieving force permeating the whole body.”
Someone frowned: “Think it through; Two Immortals Paste is a tiger-and-wolf drug—if it fails…”
As they spoke, their gazes inadvertently glanced at Chen Shun’an.
Chen Shun’an had perfected muscle strength; back then, he had risked taking “Turtle and Deer Two Immortals Paste,” forcibly connecting his strength step by step, but it left major drawbacks.
No longer nodding in respect to kin brothers was one of them.
Of course, these secrets weren’t for outsiders.
San Dezi said somewhat pained: “Turtle and Deer Two Immortals Paste isn’t cheap—over ten taels of silver; brother, think thrice! Don’t spend the money and fail the deed!”
“What to fear! With Elder Brother Chen’s precedent leading the way, if I lack even this courage, I might as well roll home to farm!”
The group joked and cursed.
Chen Shun’an wanted to speak but hesitated.
With a storm brewing, facing this crisis, some were buying Great Medicine, some seeking instruction from first-rate great heroes at the Martial Arts Hall, some preparing handy weapons.
At the street end, the crossroads.
San Dezi and the others parted ways with Chen Shun’an one after another.
Chen Shun’an followed the familiar street map to his old clients.
Just recovered from a major illness, the five-hundred-jin water cart felt heavier than usual.
His arm muscles trembled faintly, great tendons aching.
Chen Shun’an took a deep breath, splashed some cool water on his arms—icy and piercing, forcibly suppressing the anomaly in his Qi and Blood.
He was weighed down with worries.
Though this matter had Instructor Lin, the landlord, and others holding it up.
But if…
They couldn’t hold?
In the end, one could only rely on oneself.
At least, having strength like Instructor Lin’s would mean some self-preservation.
With a thought, Chen Shun’an looked toward the Three Officials of Water True Treasure Edict in his mind 【】.
