Chapter 34: The Fate of the Red-Plumed Duck
Zhang Wannian has fled...
A martial artist over fifty, the underground tyrant of Heyang County, the leader of the Chishui Gang—tonight, he was reduced to a wretched fugitive, like a stray dog. Not only did he lose his foundation in the Chishui Gang and his son perished, but he was also chased for dozens of miles by Ning Sanniang, whose age was not even half his own!
He escaped in utter disgrace...
Meanwhile, Liu Shen was taken back and detained by the men of the Qingsha Gang.
Yet he was not mistreated; on the contrary, the Qingsha Gang hall master who guarded him made sure he had meat on time, gave him wine, and even clicked his tongue in admiration, saying, “You’ve got guts!”
For three days straight...
Liu Shen was confined in a room at the Qingsha Gang’s headquarters. Aside from being forbidden to leave, he had food and drink at his disposal, and his days were far more comfortable than when he worked as a dock laborer…
Perhaps it was the shock of teetering on the edge of life and death that night, or perhaps it was the catharsis of slaying Zhang Shichen before Zhang Wannian’s eyes, unleashing the peak momentum he had cultivated…
Over these three days, Liu Shen felt his mind clear and his body invigorated, and managed to break through three more meridians: the Foot Taiyang, Foot Shaoyin, and Hand Jueyin!
He had saved nearly three months of arduous cultivation—fortune born from disaster.
...
Feng Jun entered, holding a food box in one hand and pushing open the door with the other, only to find the young man inside soundly asleep. He couldn’t help but sigh at his carefree attitude.
He deliberately cleared his throat and set the food box down on the table with a loud thud…
Liu Shen, hearing the commotion, rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawned, stretched, and acted as if he were at home.
Upon seeing who had arrived, he feigned surprise and cupped his hands in salute. “You do me too much honor, Hall Master Feng—what brings you here to deliver food in person?”
“Tch…”
Feng Jun snorted and scolded, “I heard you were clamoring for Drunken Wind Tavern’s red-skinned duck. I bought one on my way back to the hall.”
“Drunken Wind Tavern’s red-skinned duck?”
Liu Shen’s eyes brightened a little at the words. He hurried to the table and opened the food box, and indeed, the top layer was steaming red-skinned duck.
Carefully, he lifted out the duck, then took out the rest of the dishes one by one. Scraping every last grain of rice from the bottom of the box into his own bowl, he finally began to eat heartily.
Watching him devour the food, Feng Jun laughed, “Were you a starving ghost in your past life?”
“Not quite…”
Liu Shen shook his head and explained in earnest, “Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘A growing boy can eat his father out of house and home’? I’m still growing, so my appetite’s bigger…”
“You’re still growing?”
Feng Jun sized up his robust physique and the mature-looking face, made so by sun-darkened, rough skin, and asked, frowning, “How old are you?”
“Just turned eighteen…”
Liu Shen kept shoveling rice into his mouth.
“Only eighteen?”
Feng Jun was a little surprised, then teased, “With your looks, I’d believe it if you told me your son was eighteen.”
...
“It’s really eighteen…”
Liu Shen tore off a leg from the red-skinned duck and took a bite, explaining, “When I was thirteen, my family was hit by a flood. I fled to Anqing Prefecture and survived on the Canal Gang’s food. Ate a lot, grew fast, and spent all day under the sun on the docks, so I look a bit mature.”
...
Feng Jun fell silent, recalling that night when this fierce youth had killed Zhang Shichen and declared, “When I was thirteen, I fought for scraps on the docks like a wild dog. It took a lot to become a real person.”
He hadn’t expected the speaker to be, in truth, a youth not yet of age.
Few in the world of gangs had comfortable backgrounds; most were wild dogs fighting for scraps, just glad to finally look like proper people.
Feng Jun sighed inwardly, watching Liu Shen peel off the crispy skin from the duck, carefully dip it in sauce, and chew slowly—so meticulous, a stark contrast to his earlier ravenous eating. Curiosity piqued, Feng Jun asked,
“Doesn’t the red-skinned duck suit your taste?”
“It suits me very well…”
“Yet you’re not eating like it does.”
“Because it’s red-skinned duck…”
Liu Shen smiled and shook his head, took another piece, dipped it, and savored it before saying, “When I first fled to Anqing, I nearly starved on the street. Desperate, I stole a red-skinned duck when the Drunken Wind Tavern’s boy was preparing a banquet.”
He smacked his lips in reminiscence, and sighed, “After stealing that duck, I decided to fight for scraps like a wild dog and work for the Canal Gang. Thinking back, that duck was truly awful…”
“Four years ago, Drunken Wind Tavern, red-skinned duck?”
Feng Jun stroked his chin as if remembering something, then casually asked, “If it was so bad, why do you want it again?”
“It’s different.”
Liu Shen smiled. “After I joined the Canal Gang, my first month’s pay was four silver beans. I used all four to buy another red-skinned duck.”
He smacked his lips again, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, “That duck was damn delicious!”
“Oh?”
Feng Jun was surprised, then laughed, “Drunken Wind Tavern’s red-skinned duck costs two silver beans, hasn’t changed in years, yet you spent four on one?”
“Yes!”
Liu Shen nodded seriously. “Because I spent four silver beans, that duck tasted amazing…”
Feng Jun understood. The duck was always the same; whether it tasted good or bad depended on one’s state of mind.
He found the youth intriguing and asked, raising his eyebrows, “And the duck you’re eating now? Is it good or not?”
“Hmm…”
Liu Shen pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, “Since Hall Master Feng bought it for me, it’s not a last meal—I think it’s delicious!”
“Hahaha!”
Feng Jun laughed heartily and said, “You might not believe it, but four years ago, our second-in-command returned to Heyang after honing his skills. The boss held a banquet at Drunken Wind Tavern, and a red-skinned duck went missing that night.”
“Huh?”
...
Liu Shen was taken aback.
“I was the one who organized that welcome banquet,” Feng Jun continued, thinking Liu Shen didn’t believe him. “The tavern’s serving boy was stubborn. I said a duck was missing, he insisted none were gone, so I knocked out one of his teeth, but he never admitted fault. That’s why I remember it so clearly.”
...
Liu Shen blinked in confusion, then swallowed the duck meat in his mouth and muttered, “Such a coincidence?”
“Yes…”
Feng Jun shook his head in disbelief. “Hearing you mention it just now, I can hardly believe something could be so coincidental.”
“I caused someone to get beaten?”
“You mean I wronged someone?”
“Not exactly…”
Liu Shen’s face twitched, and he asked, “Forgive me for asking, but how did it end at Drunken Wind Tavern? The serving boy—he didn’t die, did he?”
“He didn’t die.”
Feng Jun laughed. “It was a minor matter. The boy was stubborn, so I slapped him twice. The tavern manager came and apologized, replaced the duck, and that was that.”
“That’s good…”
Liu Shen let out a breath.
He’d been dizzy with hunger when he stole the duck, desperate beyond measure, never expecting his action would indirectly cause another to be beaten.
He felt a bit guilty.
Had the tavern boy died because of him, Liu Shen reckoned he’d never sleep at night…
“In truth, it had little to do with you,” Feng Jun said, seeing Liu Shen’s thoughts. “The boy was beaten for being stubborn and lacking sense. Had he understood a little, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
...
Liu Shen smiled wryly and shook his head, saying no more, but privately resolved to make it up to the boy someday.
“By the way…”
Feng Jun’s eyes gleamed mischievously as he asked, “Things have settled down the past couple of days. At the celebration banquet, our second-in-command mentioned you to the boss. Guess—how do you think they’ll deal with you?”
...