Chapter Seventy-Two: Meeting at the Southern Town

"You... you... you..." Yao Yu was drenched in sweat, his clothes torn into strips, yet he looked at Li Sanjian and burst out laughing, "Ha! Brother, are you well?"

Yao Yu had come to the Eastern Prefecture of Kaifeng to prepare for the military examination. Displeased by Zhen Nanjiao’s arrogance, he challenged him to a bout. After a fierce struggle, Yao Yu managed to win by virtue of his agility, defeating Zhen Nanjiao, though he himself was battered and bruised, his face and body mottled with purple and blue marks, a truly sorry sight.

"What do you mean, 'you'? Brother? Who is your brother? To show such disrespect to your elder—what punishment should you receive?" Li Sanjian looked at Yao Yu and spoke with feigned authority.

"Elder? Ha, ha, ha!" Yao Yu stared at Li Sanjian, pointing at him as he laughed, "Once, you might have counted as my elder, but now... well... heh heh."

Yao Yu was, of course, referring to Li Sanjian being expelled from their sect. With that, how could Li Sanjian still be considered his elder? Yao Yu had always been indignant that Li Sanjian had once been his senior uncle, and now he could not hide his delight at the reversal.

"Once a teacher..." Li Sanjian began, grinning.

But before he could finish, Yao Yu’s heart sank. According to custom, even if Li Sanjian had been expelled, so long as he had once been Yao Yu’s teacher, Yao Yu must treat him as such for life—he could neither deny nor defy him.

Realizing this, Yao Yu paused for a long moment, then, with no choice, clasped his hands and bowed respectfully, "Uncle Master, please accept your disciple’s obeisance."

Though Yao Yu performed the salute with due reverence, the reluctance and vexation on his face were plain. Ran Yunbiao, Zeng Gongming, and the others were stunned. Since when did Li Sanjian have such a formidable nephew, and one who looked even older than himself?

Li Sanjian laughed and helped Yao Yu up, saying, "No need for such ceremony when we are out traveling, dear nephew."

A sixteen-year-old youth loudly calling a young man "nephew" in public drew many curious glances from passersby.

Zeng Gongming and the others couldn’t help but laugh, leaving Yao Yu deeply embarrassed.

"Here..." Yao Yu then stuffed a gold ingot weighing five taels into Li Sanjian’s arms.

This gold was Yao Yu’s prize for defeating Zhen Nanjiao.

"Uncle Xing, what is the meaning of this?" Li Sanjian asked, puzzled, holding the gold.

"It’s a special instruction from Master before I left—he told me, if I met you in the capital, to look after you," Yao Yu replied.

"Brother Qin..." Li Sanjian sighed, "It’s a pity that Master has already... Ah, come, let’s go."

He had only met Qin Guan once—why would he specifically instruct Yao Yu to care for him? This left Li Sanjian quite perplexed.

This gold ingot, though given by a junior, was a token of respect, not a handout. Though Li Sanjian felt unworthy, he accepted it, for at this moment, he was indeed in need of those five taels of gold.

Then Li Sanjian took Douya’s little hand and continued strolling through the Great Xiangguo Temple fair with Yao Yu, Ran Yunbiao, and the others. The New Year’s temple fair offered much more than wrestling competitions; there was merriment everywhere. Yet Li Sanjian, thinking of Su Shi, found his spirits dampened, sighing all the way.

"Thief! Stop! Give back my gold!" As they made their way toward a garden, a loud shout rang out.

Li Sanjian and his companions halted and turned. They saw a burly, dark-skinned man brandishing a cudgel as he charged toward them, his fury palpable.

He was built like a mountain. As he thundered forward, the very ground seemed to tremble, and the crowd hastily parted before him.

Who else could this be but Zhen Nanjiao?

Seeing this, Yao Yu’s anger flared. He tucked up the hem of his long robe into his belt and pointed at the approaching Zhen Nanjiao, shouting, "That rascal dares come for revenge? I’ll take him down and hand him to the authorities!"

Li Sanjian quickly stopped Yao Yu and addressed the dust-covered Zhen Nanjiao, "Sir, why are you here?"

This was no longer a contest on the stage—if someone were hurt, the officials would get involved. Even if they were in the right, Li Sanjian was soon to enter the examination hall, and better to avoid trouble. So he intended to reason with the man and resolve the matter peacefully.

Zhen Nanjiao planted his cudgel on the ground and, squinting at Li Sanjian, said, "I’m here for that scoundrel. Who are you, meddling in my business? Step aside, or else!"

Li Sanjian, unfazed by the crude invective, simply smiled and responded, "I am Uncle Xing, Yao Yu’s uncle master. If you have something to say, say it to me."

"Uncle master?" Zhen Nanjiao’s eyes bulged as he looked at Li Sanjian. "You... this shabby wretch is his uncle master? Oh... ha ha ha!"

Zhen Nanjiao’s foul tongue and utter lack of manners enraged everyone. Shankui, in particular, was fit to burst, pointing at Zhen Nanjiao and shouting, "You good-for-nothing beggar, how dare you insult my master? Careful, or I’ll carve out your heart and throw it to the Dragon King!"

Ran Yunbiao and the others joined in berating Zhen Nanjiao, while Zeng Gongming hid behind Shankui, shouting insults of his own.

Zhen Nanjiao was incensed. "So you think you can bully me just because you have numbers on your side? I’ve feared neither heaven nor earth since I was born! Blackhead, you convict, unless you return my money today, I swear I won’t let this go!"

Though Zhen Nanjiao was darker than anyone, he still called Shankui "Blackhead." While Shankui was indeed swarthy, compared to Zhen Nanjiao, he was positively fair.

"Return the money? What money?" Li Sanjian asked, bewildered.

"Today I... lost to... him, the gold ingot..." Zhen Nanjiao stammered, pointing at Yao Yu.

Li Sanjian could only shake his head and laugh. "That was a wager. You lost, so it’s gone. Since when does the loser get his stake back? Where in the world is such a rule?"

Zhen Nanjiao slammed his cudgel on the ground. "My cudgel is the rule! Today, you’ll return it to me, whether you want to or not!"

As he spoke, he glanced sidelong at Yao Yu. He might not be Yao Yu’s match in a brawl, but he was proud of his cudgel skills and reckoned Yao Yu could not beat him with weapons.

Li Sanjian was speechless. He had never met such a brazen fellow, demanding the return of a lost wager. Moreover, Zhen Nanjiao had already lost to Yao Yu on the stage, proving his skills inferior. Yet Li Sanjian couldn’t help but admire his nerve.

Was the man a fool, or was his courage truly worth praising? Li Sanjian wondered.

Yao Yu, instead of getting angry, laughed, spreading his hands, "The prize is no longer with me."

"Oh... so where’s the gold?" Zhen Nanjiao asked.

Yao Yu glanced mischievously at Li Sanjian and pointed at him, "I’ve already presented it to my uncle master."

The words "uncle master" were delivered with extra emphasis, clearly teasing.

"Oh..." Zhen Nanjiao then glared at Li Sanjian, "Hand it over."

Li Sanjian shot Yao Yu a look, then said to Zhen Nanjiao, "Yes, the gold is with me. But why should I return it to you? Give me a reason and perhaps I’ll consider it."

"A reason?" Zhen Nanjiao’s eyes widened. "The gold isn’t yours. Why can’t you give it back?"

Li Sanjian laughed, "If it isn’t mine, is it yours?"

"It was the official prize given to me! Didn’t you all see that?" Zhen Nanjiao protested.

"You’re absolutely right," Li Sanjian replied, "but didn’t you stake it as a wager? And then you lost. So, is the gold still yours?"

"No... but..." Arguing with Li Sanjian, Zhen Nanjiao was outmatched and, growing frustrated, lunged for him.

"You stingy wretch, give me back my gold!" Zhen Nanjiao shouted in fury.

Startled, Li Sanjian retreated hastily.

Just as Zhen Nanjiao’s hand was about to seize him, Shankui stepped forward and blocked him.

Zhen Nanjiao tossed aside his cudgel and struck out with both palms, trying to push Shankui aside. But Shankui was not about to yield, and the two locked together, each exerting all his strength.

The two strongmen strained against each other, feet digging deep furrows into the earth as they grappled with all their might.

Wrestling in this fashion was little more than a contest of brute strength, with minimal technique involved. And Shankui possessed Herculean power, having trained diligently for years. Though Zhen Nanjiao was also strong, he was no match for Shankui.

After a long struggle, Zhen Nanjiao began to falter, and Shankui gradually pressed him down.

"Down you go!" Shankui shouted, forcing Zhen Nanjiao to the ground.

With a thud, Zhen Nanjiao fell, sending up a cloud of dust several feet high.

...

"You’re all bullies... My mother... my mother is ill, and I needed that money for her treatment... What will become of her now?" Zhen Nanjiao sat on the ground, rubbing his swollen hands, weeping uncontrollably.

In truth, Zhen Nanjiao was barely twenty himself.

Li Sanjian fell silent at his words.

"If that’s so, why did you wager the prize money?" Li Sanjian asked.

"Someone told me that if I won, I’d get double the gold, and if I lost, he’d pay me back," Zhen Nanjiao replied.

"And where is that man now?" Li Sanjian pressed.

"Curse him, I couldn’t find him afterwards," Zhen Nanjiao answered mournfully.

"So, you came looking for us?" Li Sanjian asked.

"Yes—who else could I look for?" Zhen Nanjiao replied.

Everyone laughed—such simple-minded honesty was rare indeed.

"Come," Li Sanjian said to Zhen Nanjiao.

"Where to?" Zhen Nanjiao asked in confusion.

"Let’s go see your mother. If it’s as you say, I’ll return the gold to you," Li Sanjian replied calmly.