Chapter Thirty-Four: Soul Bewitchment

Early morning, Xinyou Alley.

Miao Bo, a minor leader of the White Wave Gang, walked into the alley looking sullen, followed by two dark-faced lackeys.

"Still haven't found that fisherman?" Miao Bo asked with a sour tone.

"That guy is as slippery as an eel. He vanishes in the blink of an eye. My brother and I have circled Qingshan County at least five times in the last two days, but we haven't even caught a glimpse of him."

"Useless!" Miao Bo’s face darkened. He had previously told the Hall Master that he had found a lucrative opportunity, but now, there was still no result. The Hall Master’s gaze had been growing suspicious these past few days.

"Boss Bo, it’s not like we didn't find anything."

"Shun Liu, who hangs around the city gate, said the fisherman lives inside the city. He’s seen him leaving the city with empty baskets."

Miao Bo’s expression softened. If he was a city dweller, things would be easier. The White Wave Gang had eyes everywhere; as long as he kept selling fish, they would catch him eventually.

"When we see the Hall Master, explain everything carefully. We’ll ask him to dispatch some men. I refuse to believe we can’t find one lousy fisherman!" Miao Bo felt a pang of regret. Once this matter was reported to his superiors, even if they succeeded, his own credit would be diluted. It was supposed to be his big break. He shot a fierce glare at the two men behind him.

The three walked familiarly into Xinyou Alley.

"Boss Bo, why is it so quiet?" one of the burly men asked, confused.

Miao Bo’s heart skipped a beat. Usually, Xinyou Alley was bustling in the morning as various leaders and Hall Masters gathered to receive orders. It was never this silent.

They reached the entrance of the White Wave Gang’s headquarters. The gates were wide open, yet there were no guards. The three men’s expressions changed instantly.

"Did another gang wipe out our headquarters?"

They stepped through the gates cautiously.

"Boss Bo, should we run?" the other burly man whispered.

"What are you panicking for? Let's go in and see!" Miao Bo gathered his courage and rounded the screen wall.

Inside the massive courtyard, people were sprawled everywhere in heaps!

Miao Bo’s heart sank. "It’s over!"

Just as he turned to flee, he noticed something odd. Not far away lay a minor leader he didn’t get along with. The man was lying on the ground, his mouth crooked and eyes askew, yet his pupils were still moving. *He wasn't dead?*

As he moved to check, he suddenly felt dizzy. All three of them collapsed to the ground with a thud. Before losing consciousness, Miao Bo’s peripheral vision caught sight of the main hall. He vaguely saw the Gang Leader and the Third Hall Master slumped over their chairs, their faces flushed, eyes unfocused, looking just like drunken cats. Their entire White Wave Gang had been wiped out in one fell swoop!

...

Outside Xinyou Alley, Chen Mu crouched on a tree branch. He was dressed in a straw hat and gray robes, his nose and mouth covered by a thick mask. In his hand, he held a yellow-skinned gourd, wisps of blue smoke curling from its open mouth.

The smoke spread rapidly. It didn't take long for it to drift into Xinyou Alley, carried by a light breeze.

"Concentration is sufficient." Chen Mu mentally calculated the dosage of the Spirit-Confusing Incense and tucked the gourd away. "That should be enough to keep them drunk for a day."

He hopped down from the tree and glanced at the silent alley, shaking his head with a sigh. "It’s not easy for a commoner to make a living. The White Wave Gang is lawless and backed by powerful figures; what else could I do? If I want to sell fish in peace, I have no choice but to treat these thugs to a gourd of incense. The world is cruel, and the life of the people is hard."

...

Eastern Market.

Chen Mu, wearing his straw hat and gray robes, walked along cheerfully. He set down two heavy loads and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fresh live fish! Thirty coins each! First come, first served!"

"The fisherman seems to be in a good mood today."

"Are you buying or not? If not, get lost!"

"Hey!"

...

Three days later, at the White Wave Gang headquarters in Xinyou Alley.

A group of thugs patrolled the walls with guard dogs. Inside the main hall, Gang Leader Zhang Ye, sporting a thick beard, sat confidently in the seat of honor. A ghost-head saber leaned against the table to his right, and a brown medicine box sat on the desk.

"You all have the antidote pills, right?" Zhang Ye asked.

"They are on us," Hall Master Jia Da replied, cupping his fists.

"And the men are in position?"

"The culprit uses the wind to spread the poison. We have expert marksmen stationed at all the upwind points," Hall Master Yi Si'an said solemnly.

"And the Black Tiger Gang?"

"Our brothers are watching them; they’ve been very quiet these past two days," the last Hall Master, Zhen Fan, added respectfully.

"Everything is ready. We just wait for the thief to fall into our net," Zhang Ye said, cold light flashing in his eyes. He wondered who this person was—poisoning the whole gang and then just leaving. If they were enemies, why not just kill them while they were helpless? It defied logic. But it didn't matter. "Once we catch him, we'll know everything."

Zhang Ye reached for the hilt of his saber. He had never suffered such an indignity since establishing his foothold in Qingshan County. Anyone who dared to oppose him had been decapitated by this very blade. This time would be no exception!

As he reached out, his hand grasped at thin air. He looked over and saw two saber hilts instead of one. He tried to grab again, but missed.

His head grew hot, blood rushed to his eyes, and tears flowed uncontrollably. A sense of dread washed over him. He looked up, dazed. The three Hall Masters, who had been so confident just moments ago, were now slumped in their chairs, mouths crooked and eyes askew, sliding toward the floor. Hall Master Jia Da tried to reach into his robes, but his hands shook so violently he couldn't even grab the antidote bottle. The small porcelain vial rolled into the middle of the hall, and none of them could do a thing.

Zhang Ye: "..."

*Damn it!*

*Poisoned again!*

...

Under the window outside the hall, Chen Mu stood in the shadows, silently tucking away his yellow gourd.

"These people are so hard to please. I have to deliver the drinks to them personally. Sigh, it can't be helped. Doesn't one have to be humble when asking for favors? Even if I am just a humble fisherman?"

Chen Mu clipped the gourd to his waist and followed behind a patrol team. Everywhere he passed, gang members collapsed with a thud as if drunk. Before long, Xinyou Alley fell into silence once again.

...

Behind Tianyi Zhai in the West City, Chen Mu hummed a tune while stir-frying. He had sold two baskets of fish today and made two taels of silver. He had stopped by Zheng the Butcher’s on the way back and, to his surprise, the shop was open. Chen Mu bought two pork knuckles; one was already stewing in a clay pot.

Before long, a fragrant red-braised pork knuckle was on the table. Beside the stone table under the grape trellis, Jie Jia was rolling silver beads. A pile of silver fragments, at least two hundred taels, lay nearby.

"Is the assassin business that profitable?" Chen Mu asked, feeling envious.

"Depends on the market," Jie Jia replied, focused on his task.

"Seems like the market is pretty good lately," Chen Mu said sourly.

Jie Jia glanced at him. "I found this."

Chen Mu’s eyes widened. *Where on earth can you find that much silver? Why don't I ever have such luck?*

As if sensing his question, Jie Jia packed away the silver beads and tucked the cloth bag of silver into his waist. He said calmly, "I found it in Xinyou Alley."

*That place sounds familiar...*

"There's a big mansion in that alley. The floor was covered in money bags that no one was claiming, so I just picked them up." Jie Jia used his chopsticks to peel off a piece of tender pork skin, chewing it slowly with a look of pure enjoyment.

Chen Mu: "..."

*Those were supposed to be mine!*

"I’m curious though," Jie Jia said with genuine interest. "You knocked them all out, why didn't you loot the bodies?"

"I f***ing forgot!"