Chapter 12 - 11: Qi Blood Transport, Exhaling Arrows
"Elder Li, I heard Zhao Tai ran into a tough character in Bicao Lane. They say he was beaten to death and then burned."
"That’s not the half of it. The coroner said he was burned so badly they could only tell his skull had been smashed. Serves him right! But that tough character is out of luck too; someone saw he had short hair. Now, everyone from the Poison Tooth Hall is scouring the outer city for a strong man with short hair."
"Well, while the Poison Tooth Hall is busy looking for the murderer, could you ask the folks at the Escort Agency to do me a favor? If they just show their faces and you go back to sweeping at the Escort Agency, wouldn’t that be better? It’s too easy to get bullied over at the Poison Tooth Hall."
"How could I do that? I’ve been there for over ten years, so I do have some connections. But I can’t use those favors so casually. Working for the Green Snake Gang, emptying chamber pots and sweeping floors, isn’t like fighting and killing. No one will die. It’s fine even without money; this old man still has some savings."
"Favors should be saved for when real trouble hits; there should always be somewhere to turn for help. Little Brother Jiang, this old man has had too much to drink today and is talking too much... In this world, following Teacher Qin won’t get you far. You need to practice martial arts, eat meat. Since Teacher Qin is leaving anyway, Little Brother Jiang, if you want to learn martial arts, this old man will take you to the Escort Agency tomorrow and have a guard teach you a few moves..."
"Even if you don’t learn much, being physically stronger means you’ll get sick less often. Medicine is expensive these days..."
It was unclear if Elder Li was a lightweight or if the wine Jiang Shu had brought was too strong.
Elder Li then laid his head on the table and fell asleep.
Jiang Shu looked at the dilapidated little hut, carried Elder Li to the bed, and covered him with a quilt.
He left the small hut.
「In Qu She Alley.」