The next day at dawn.
Chen Anshun left the Zhao Residence and headed towards the northern docks of Qingquan County.
It was still early, and there were only a few people sparsely scattered around the docks.
Two young laborers were leaning against a wooden post, yawning.
Both wore coarse hemp short coats, with broad shoulders and sturdy waists, clearly seasoned laborers accustomed to carrying heavy loads.
The one on the left had a scar on his face, while the shorter one on the right was picking his teeth with a grass stem.
Chen Anshun approached them and pulled out a folded piece of straw paper from his pocket.
"Could I trouble you two to deliver this to an old acquaintance in the Water Gang?"
The scar-faced laborer glanced at him sideways, stifling a yawn halfway through.
"Who are you?"
The shorter laborer also looked up, the grass stem dangling from his mouth as he scrutinized Chen Anshun.
An old man with a hunched back and white hair, wearing old clothes from the Zhao Residence, holding a crumpled piece of straw paper—he didn't look like someone from the Water Gang.
"My name is Chen Anshun. I was with the Water Gang forty years ago. I'm looking for an old friend."
"Who are you looking for?"
Chen Anshun quickly sifted through old names in his mind.
"Wang Dachui, is he still around?"
The scar-faced laborer shook his head.
"What about Liu Heizi?"
Still a shake of the head.
"Zhao Tiezhu?"
The shorter laborer pulled the grass stem from his mouth and spat.
"Old man, you rattled off three names, and I haven't heard of any of them. Are you sure you're in the right place? Don't think you can come to the docks and mess with us just because you're old..."
"Xu Liang."
Chen Anshun uttered another name.
The shorter laborer's words came to an abrupt halt. The scar-faced laborer's body visibly tensed, and the two exchanged a glance.
The scar-faced one spoke first, his tone suddenly much more cautious.
"You said... Xu Liang?"
Chen Anshun nodded.
The scar-faced laborer furrowed his brow, sizing him up again.
"Xu Liang is the Chief Well Boss of our Thirteen Wells. Do you really know him?"
Thirteen Wells? Chief Well Boss?
Chen Anshun's heart trembled. He didn't quite understand these terms, but he could hear the respect in the scar-faced laborer's voice.
The young man who had once gnawed on cold steamed buns and licked the blade's edge with him in the hold of a canal boat had truly made a name for himself in the Water Gang.
"I know him."
He handed over the straw paper.
"Just show this to him, and he'll understand."
The scar-faced laborer hesitated for a moment, then took the straw paper, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
A wave pattern with three dots. He couldn't make sense of it, but with the words "Chief Well Boss of Thirteen Wells" pressing on him, he dared not be negligent and signaled to the shorter one.
"You stay here and watch, I'll make a trip."
The shorter laborer nodded, put the grass stem back in his mouth, and leaned back against the post. His gaze at Chen Anshun had shifted from impatience to curiosity.
Chen Anshun said no more, found a stone block to sit on, and waited.
The river breeze blew through his graying hair. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and closed his eyes slightly.
Chief Well Boss of Thirteen Wells.
That was quite a title. After forty years, old Xu had done far better than he had.
But it was only natural. In terms of connections and social skills, he had never matched Xu Liang. Back in the Water Gang, Xu Liang was adept at getting along with everyone, offending no one, and could talk to anyone. Such a person was born to thrive in a gang.
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the docks, accompanied by a loud, robust voice.
"Where is he? Where's the person?"
Chen Anshun opened his eyes and saw a tall, white-haired old man striding briskly towards him.
Seventy-year-old Xu Liang was much more spirited than he had imagined. Though his hair was completely white, his back was straight, and he walked with a vigorous stride.
Dressed in a dark blue silk robe, with a short knife at his waist, he exuded the sharpness of an old hand in the jianghu.
The aura of a Second-rate Martial Artist was unmistakable.
Xu Liang took three steps in two and rushed forward, still clutching the straw paper. He looked down at Chen Anshun and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Old Chen! It's really you!"
He pulled Chen Anshun up from the stone block with one hand, his arm wrapping around his shoulder with such force that Chen Anshun staggered a couple of steps.
"Easy, my old bones are going to fall apart."
"You son of a bitch, forty years! For forty years you never came to find me!" Xu Liang cursed, but his grip didn't loosen, pulling him towards the back of the docks. "Come, come, let's go to my place! Standing here in the wind is no good!"
The shorter laborer's eyes widened, the grass stem falling from his mouth without him noticing.
The Chief Well Boss of Thirteen Wells, what kind of figure was that in the Water Gang? He managed over a hundred people, and even the hall masters in the gang spoke to him with respect. Was this really the same Xu Liang, the Chief Well Boss, who was now laughing and cursing with the white-haired old man?
...
Xu Liang's residence was less than two streets south of the docks.
A large courtyard with three entrances and exits, blue bricks and dark tiles, with two stone lions crouching at the entrance.
A plaque with the words "Xu Residence" hung above the door, the paint freshly applied, gleaming with gold.
Inside the courtyard, Chen Anshun glanced around.
The parlor was furnished with a complete set of rosewood tables and chairs, ink wash landscapes hung on the walls, and a few porcelain pieces adorned the antique shelves in the corners.
Not the height of luxury, but in Qingquan County, this was the setup of a well-to-do family.
Xu Liang had indeed prospered.
Chen Anshun felt reassured, a sense of stability settling in.
A maid brought in hot tea, and Xu Liang waved her away, filling a cup for Chen Anshun himself before leaning back in the grand master's chair.
"So, what have you been up to all these years? I asked around, only knew you became a stablehand at the Zhao Residence, then lost track."
"A stablehand is just a stablehand, nothing much to say." Chen Anshun sipped his tea. "But you, Chief Well Boss of Thirteen Wells, that's impressive."
Xu Liang chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Just lucky, with a tough life. Over these forty years, brothers who died on the river were no less than eighty or a hundred, yet I somehow survived each time. About ten years ago, I broke through to the Second-rate Realm, and the Gang Leader, in his delight, put me in charge of Thirteen Wells."
Second-rate Martial Artist.
Chen Anshun silently pondered those three words. The threshold he had struggled to reach for sixty years, Xu Liang had crossed.
Envious? It would be a lie to say he wasn't. But more than that, there was an indescribable sense of relief. After his Fate Mandate awakened, that threshold was no longer an insurmountable barrier.
"What is Thirteen Wells?" Chen Anshun changed the subject. "Isn't the Water Gang involved in canal transport?"
Xu Liang waved his hand.
"That's old news. We still do canal transport, but it's no longer the only source of income for the Water Gang. After you left, the Gang Leader expanded into several trades. Thirteen Wells refers to the thirteen sweet water wells in Qingquan County."
He gestured with his hand.
"These wells used to be a free-for-all, with frequent fights. Then the Gang Leader stepped in, consolidated the wells under the Water Gang, and organized water delivery to households. Each household pays a hundred coins a month. Qingquan County has ten thousand households, you do the math, how much income is that?"
Chen Anshun did a quick mental calculation.
Ten thousand households, a hundred coins each, that's a thousand taels of silver a month. Over a year, just from water delivery, that's twelve thousand taels.
And that's just one of the Water Gang's businesses.
His hand holding the teacup paused slightly. The small gang that once scrounged for food at the docks had now ballooned into a behemoth in Qingquan County.
"What a pity," Xu Liang sighed. "If you had stayed with the gang back then, with your experience and skills, you'd at least be a Chief Well Boss. You might have even broken through to the Second-rate before me."
Chen Anshun didn't respond.
He lowered his head to drink tea, the reflection of his wrinkled face in the tea.
What if he had stayed with the gang? With his poor aptitude, gaining twenty pounds of strength a year, even with the Water Gang's resources, before his qi and blood declined at sixty, he'd still be at the peak of a third-rate level. No different from now.
What truly changed everything was that golden finger that came too late.
After a moment of silence, Xu Liang, thinking he was upset, quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, you still have that wave and three dots pattern we agreed on back then, which means you came to me for something."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"If you have any difficulties, just say the word."
Chen Anshun put down his teacup and got straight to the point.
"I've practiced the Virgin Boy Skill all my life. Now in my twilight years, by a stroke of luck, I've mastered it, temporarily locking in my declining qi and blood."
Xu Liang raised an eyebrow.
"I want to seize this last window of opportunity, to give it my all and see if I can break through to the Second-rate. But practicing requires a lot of money, and I've spent all my life's savings. I wanted to ask if you have any work that could help me earn some silver."
Xu Liang stared at him for a while, then suddenly leaned back, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Old Chen, why bother?"
"Hmm?"
"Even if you do break through to the Second-rate, then what? I'm Second-rate now, but the Gang Leader is First-rate, and at most, he'll live to be a hundred and twenty. In the end, aren't we all just dust? You're eighty, why struggle? Better to take the money, go to Spring Breeze House, drink, listen to music, and warm your bed with a girl. Isn't that better?"
Chen Anshun shook his head.
"I've been persistent all my life. Now that I finally have this chance, if I don't try, I won't be at peace even in death."
He looked at Xu Liang.
"I just want to see with my own eyes what the world of a Second-rate Martial Artist is like."
These words were spoken plainly, yet left Xu Liang unable to refute. He knew Chen Anshun too well. Forty years ago, he had the same stubborn streak, once he set his mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
Xu Liang was silent for a few moments, then suddenly stood up, walked to a large redwood cabinet in the corner of the parlor, unlocked it, opened the door, and pulled out a heavy cloth bag, placing it on the table.
The dull clink of silver.
"Three hundred taels."
Chen Anshun was taken aback.
"Don't bother looking for work, what can your old bones do?" Xu Liang pushed the bag towards him. "Consider it a loan. If you really break through to the Second-rate, pay me back. If not... then forget it, consider it thrown into the river."
Chen Anshun stared at the bag of silver, his throat moving slightly.
Three hundred taels. Not thirty, but three hundred.
This money would allow him to train for another half month.
From the peak of a third-rate level to the Initial Second-rate Realm, at the speed of his Fate Mandate, another half month... might just be enough.
"Old Xu."
"Spare me the sentiment," Xu Liang cut him off, rolling his eyes. "Are you taking it or not? If not, I'll take it back."
Chen Anshun reached out, pulled the bag over, and weighed it in his hand. It was heavy, pressing down on his hand.
"If I break through, I'll repay tenfold."
"Yeah, right!" Xu Liang snorted. "I'd rather you take this money and enjoy yourself at Spring Breeze House a few more times, at least make use of your virgin body. An eighty-year-old virgin, tsk tsk, it's embarrassing to even mention."
Chen Anshun ignored him, tucked the bag into his coat, and stood up.
"I'm leaving."
"In such a hurry, not even staying for a meal?"
"No time."
Chen Anshun stepped out, not looking back.
Xu Liang stood at the parlor door, watching the thin figure cross the courtyard, walk out the gate, and disappear around the corner.
He leaned against the door frame, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.