Lanzhou was the eighth largest prefecture among the thirteen prefectures of the Kingdom of Yue, yet in terms of wealth it ranked second only to Xinzhou. Situated in the southern reaches of the kingdom, its fertile soil and countless waterways, lakes, and canals—blessed by consistently favorable weather—made it the nation's premier rice-producing region.
At the heart of Lanzhou lay Jiayuan City. Though not the provincial capital, it was indisputably the largest city in the prefecture. The Xianglu Grand Canal, which ran the entire length of the kingdom from north to south, cut straight through its center. Several other major waterways and overland routes converged here as well, making the city a vital nexus of river transport and commercial trade. Merchants and travelers passed through in unending streams each year, fueling explosive economic growth. It was hardly surprising, then, that Jiayuan City had risen to become the foremost city in the entire prefecture.
Across Jiayuan City, cart companies, docks, and boat operators were everywhere. The porters, laborers, and boatmen who made their living in this trade numbered in the tens of thousands. Sun Ergou was one of the many who relied on the docks for his livelihood.
True to his name, Sun Ergou had crooked brows and shifty eyes—the very image of a petty ruffian. Yet his talent for reading people and flattering superiors had earned him a minor leadership post on the docks, where he commanded several dozen porters who carried goods and luggage for passing merchants.
That morning, when Sun Ergou arrived at the small dock, several of his men hurried over and greeted him with exaggerated respect.
"Good morning, Second Master!"
"Second Master is here!"
Hearing these titles, Sun Ergou felt a pleasant swell of pride. Being called "Master" by others was proof enough that he cut a respectable figure in these parts. He put on airs, giving a dismissive snort from his nose in acknowledgment of their greetings.
"What Second Master? He's just Second Dog!"
"Right—a two-legged dog at that! Dog-faced and dog-mannered!"
"Hah! Hah! Hah!..."
A chorus of ridicule and scorn drifted across the dock, aimed squarely at Sun Ergou's ears.
His face darkened instantly, and his mood plummeted.
He slowly turned his head toward the group of several dozen men standing on the opposite side of the dock. His gaze settled on a hulking, broad-shouldered black-skinned giant, and a flicker of hatred crossed his eyes.
If anyone asked who Sun Ergou despised most in Jiayuan City, this black giant would rank comfortably in the top three. If someone told him he could trade his entire fortune to make the man vanish from the world forever, Sun Ergou might hesitate—but if the price dropped to half his wealth, he would agree without a second thought. Of course, thanks to his habits of drinking, gambling, and visiting brothels, his so-called fortune wasn't much to speak of.
The black man's real name had long been forgotten. Dock workers either called him "Lord Black" or simply by his nickname, "Black Bear." He was the leader of a small gang called the Iron Fist Society, holding roughly the same rank as Sun Ergou did in his own Four Peace Gang. He had been posted to this same dock to oversee another group of laborers.
One mountain could barely hold two tigers, let alone this cramped little dock. From the very beginning, the two factions had been at odds. After several clashes over merchant clientele, their relationship had deteriorated further. Whenever they crossed paths now, the two sides exchanged jeers, curses, shoves, and jostling—the only thing missing was an outright brawl.
Their subordinates behaved this way, so one could only imagine how their leaders felt. Sun Ergou and Black Bear could barely stand the sight of each other. But as gang leaders with a measure of status, they both knew that their respective organizations—the Iron Fist Society and the Four Peace Gang—were allied against a larger rival, the Poison Dragon Gang. Though each man wished to drive the other out and monopolize the dock, they had to restrain themselves for the time being. Their accumulated frustration and anger, however, found an outlet through their subordinates' verbal skirmishes, which had become a daily morning ritual.
Sure enough, before Sun Ergou even had to give a signal, several of his sharper-tongued men launched into their counterattack without hesitation.
"Do you know what the dumbest animal in the world is?"
"A bear!"
"And what kind of bear is the dumbest?"
"Why, a black bear, of course!"
"Hah..."
Black Bear had been listening to his own men mock the opposition with a smug look on his face, but at this retort, his complexion turned ashen. Sun Ergou, on the other hand, broke into a grin. He clapped several of his men on the shoulders in satisfaction.
Black Bear's men refused to be outdone. Every filthy insult they could muster came pouring out in a torrent. Sun Ergou's side naturally gave as good as they got—these were all grown men, and none were about to back down. They selected the crudest, most offensive words they could find and hurled them right back.
As for the leaders themselves, Sun Ergou and Black Bear sat on the sidelines observing coldly. Men of their stature naturally could not descend into the kind of squabbling favored by market women.
Just as the nearly hundred men were growing hoarse from shouting and spitting at each other, one of Sun Ergou's men suddenly cried out: "A boat is coming in!"
The shout silenced every last one of them in an instant. All heads turned toward the river. After all, the gleam of silver coins was far more tempting than a momentary verbal victory.
But when the men got a clear look at the boat pulling up to the dock, their excitement deflated. It was a flat-bottomed skiff, barely large enough to seat three or five passengers. This was clearly no major shipment of cargo.
That was to be expected. This dock was ramshackle and tiny, located in a remote corner of the waterfront. Under normal circumstances, no sizable vessel would bother stopping here. Only during the busiest trading seasons did large ships, unable to find berths at the main docks, reluctantly make use of this one.
The small boat came to rest against the dock, and two figures disembarked. The first was a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, unremarkable in appearance. The second was a giant who towered a full two heads above an ordinary person.
The young man wore a plain blue robe, with a small yellow bird perched on his shoulder. He stepped off the boat and looked around with open curiosity—the very picture of a country boy newly arrived in the city. The giant behind him wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and a green robe that concealed his features. His getup was somewhat bizarre. He followed the young man a single step behind, never straying, like a loyal servant attending his master.
This young man and his towering companion were none other than Han Li and Soul-Summoner, who had traveled for three full months before finally reaching Doctor Mo's hometown.