Chapter 53: The Order of Prozhou

The village disappeared, and no one seemed to care. Yet, when Li Banfeng forced his way into the ticket hall, suddenly, there was accountability. This world was too unfamiliar for Li Banfeng; he had so much to adapt to.

Xiao Yeci urged, "Benefactor, let's hurry. That old woman truly belongs to the Jiangxiang Gang; she wouldn't lie about that."

Li Banfeng turned and asked, "What exactly is the Jiangxiang Gang?"

Xiao Yeci paused, surprised. This man seemed courageous and resourceful, a seasoned figure of the jianghu, yet he didn't even recognize the Jiangxiang Gang? Perhaps it was for the best; I could explain it to him thoroughly. He could learn something from me, and it would make our journey more harmonious.

"The Jiangxiang Gang is a major organization with members in Yaowanggou, Lushuiwan, and Haichiling. However, they generally steer clear of Kudaikan, as the people there kill any Jiangxiang Gang member they encounter on sight."

Hearing these familiar place names, Li Banfeng became intrigued. "What is the nature of the feud between Kudaikan and the Jiangxiang Gang?" he asked.

"The Jiangxiang Gang comprises all kinds of individuals. There are many bandits like that old woman who commit murder and robbery, and numerous others who swindle people. Kudaikan doesn't concern itself with those activities. However, there's one particular type of person Kudaikan absolutely cannot tolerate."

"Who are they?"

"They are human traffickers—those who abduct and sell people. Kudaikan is home to many Joy Cultivators. While they cultivate through pleasure-seeking, their unique physiology makes it incredibly difficult for them to bear children. The birth of even one child is considered a monumental blessing, so Joy Cultivators hold children in extremely high regard. Since human traffickers earn their living by selling children, Joy Cultivators naturally cannot tolerate them. Given the high number of traffickers within the Jiangxiang Gang, Kudaikan and the gang are entirely incompatible, like fire and water."

The fact that Joy Cultivators valued children gave Li Banfeng a newfound perspective on them. As for the Jiangxiang Gang, Kudaikan's stance against them was entirely justified. Anyone involved with human trafficking deserved to be eliminated on sight.

Xiao Yeci cautioned, "Benefactor, you must be very careful. When the Jiangxiang Gang discovers that old woman is dead, they will surely investigate. If they trace it back to us, they will undoubtedly seek revenge."

Li Banfeng inwardly smiled bitterly. Even if he hadn't killed the old woman, the Jiangxiang Gang wouldn't have let him go; their leader was already determined to kill him! Li Banfeng had long been prepared for the ongoing feud between himself and the Jiangxiang Gang, knowing it wouldn't end anytime soon.

But would the Jiangxiang Gang truly care about the old woman's fate? Could a gang of villains really maintain such close ties among themselves?

"The old woman hid in her home every day; would the Jiangxiang Gang still care about her?"

"Yes, they do. I read about it in the newspaper," Xiao Yeci explained patiently. "There was once a poison cultivator from the Jiangxiang Gang who hid deep in the mountains, refining poisons. He frequently abducted villagers from the foothills to use as test subjects for his concoctions. Eventually, the villagers below could no longer tolerate it. They pooled their money and hired two bladesmen to ascend the mountain and kill the poison cultivator. They believed they could finally live in peace, but to their horror, the Jiangxiang Gang returned for revenge, massacring the entire village, leaving no one alive."

"Surely someone oversees such matters!" Li Banfeng exclaimed, horrified. "I've seen people in uniforms! Don't they intervene?"

"Those in uniforms..." Xiao Yeci pondered for a moment. "Are you referring to the constables?"

Constables? Weren't they only called constables in the concessions?

Li Banfeng didn't dwell on the specific term, continuing, "With a case of this magnitude, don't the constables get involved?"

"They do get involved, but only superficially. Constables are subordinates of the Barrier Emissary and act solely on the Emissary's commands. If the Emissary tells them to visit a village, they go, record the incident, and consider their duty fulfilled."

"Who is the Barrier Emissary?"

"The Barrier Emissary is from an outer province," Xiao Yeci replied, observing Li Banfeng with growing astonishment at his lack of common knowledge. However, Xiao Yeci did not deceive Li Banfeng. Throughout their journey, she imparted a great deal of common knowledge about Puluo Province.

"External matters are handled by the Barrier Emissary, while internal affairs are governed by the banners—that's the rule of Puluo Province!" This single statement virtually encapsulated the entire order system of Puluo Province.

Puluo Province comprised numerous towns, though Xiao Yeci couldn't specify the exact number. Matters between towns were categorized as external affairs, while those within a town were considered internal affairs. Yaowanggou was a town, a very large one. If its residents wished to leave legally, they had to go through the Barrier Emissary.

The Barrier Emissary was an administrator dispatched from an outer province, tasked with maintaining public order. Their primary responsibility was to regulate the movement of people between towns. "If you want to go to Kudaikan, you absolutely need a travel permit," she explained. "Without it, you can't ride a carriage, nor a boat. Even on foot, you wouldn't get past the checkpoints!"

Thanks to Xiao Yeci's explanation, Li Banfeng now understood how to obtain a travel permit. To acquire a travel permit, one had to contact both the local Barrier Emissary and the Barrier Emissary at their intended destination. A permit could only be obtained if the local Barrier Emissary approved the departure and the destination Barrier Emissary agreed to the arrival. Without a travel permit, one was not legally permitted to leave Yaowanggou—a key duty of the Barrier Emissary and their constables.

If Li Banfeng were pursued on the street, the constables might not necessarily intervene. However, if Li Banfeng were to cause trouble at the station, the constables would certainly intervene, as the station was a critical area under the Barrier Emissary's jurisdiction.

Could Li Banfeng obtain a travel permit? Based on Xiao Yeci's description, it seemed highly unlikely. In a situation like Li Banfeng's, the local Barrier Emissary would typically not grant passage to an outsider whose origins were unknown. Furthermore, the outer province might not even permit Li Banfeng's return. Given these circumstances, his chances of obtaining a travel permit were virtually nil.

"Without a travel permit, one cannot even leave Yaowanggou?"

Xiao Yeci shook her head. "Not everyone is restricted. Peddlers, for instance, can enter and leave as they please; no one can stop them." Peddlers traveled freely throughout Puluo Province, seemingly unconstrained by the Barrier Emissary. What kind of entity was he? And where did the introductory medicines he carried come from?

Li Banfeng now understood the meaning of "external matters are handled by the Barrier Emissary." But what did "internal affairs are governed by the banners" imply?

Xiao Yeci explained, "Matters within a town are handled by its prominent families. Whichever family's 'banner' is stronger, their word holds sway. Last year, an incident occurred in Haichiling involving a tofu pudding vendor named Wang and a fried dough stick vendor named Liu. Both were poor individuals who, by all accounts, shouldn't have caused trouble. However, one day at the station, they started competing fiercely for business, which escalated into a major conflict.

"Old Wang, the tofu pudding vendor, assaulted Old Liu, the fried dough stick vendor. Old Liu, unable to let it go, encountered Old Wang again outside the station and continued the fight. Inside the station, under the watchful eyes of the constables, their fight was somewhat contained. But once they left the station, the constables ignored them, and the two fought to the death. Old Wang, the tofu pudding vendor, was severely wounded."

The incident alarmed the prominent Wang family of Haichiling. Although Old Wang was poor, he was nonetheless a member of the Wang clan. The Wang family sought revenge for him, and Old Liu, the fried dough stick vendor, was also severely injured in retaliation. The Liu family also held influence in Haichiling, which led to a month-long conflict with the Wang family. Both sides suffered significant casualties, and the dispute was finally settled through the mediation of the powerful Chu family, one of Puluo Province's major clans.

"The Chu family can manage the Wang and Liu families?"

Xiao Yeci replied, "The Chu family is different. They are one of Puluo Province's four great families, along with the Ma, He, and Lu families."

The He family, the Lu family? Could these be the families of He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan? Li Banfeng remained focused, listening intently to Xiao Yeci's account. The phrase "internal affairs are governed by the banners" referred to the influence of these various families, both large and small. Prominent families wielded influence across the entire Puluo Province, while smaller families held sway in specific regions. These families, big and small, exerted varying degrees of influence across Puluo Province, leveraging their power to maintain order throughout the region.

What, then, was the connection between these prominent families and the Barrier Emissary? There was a connection, but Xiao Yeci couldn't clearly articulate it.

She spoke about the common knowledge of Puluo Province for several hours, her voice growing hoarse. Thirty *li* of muddy, rugged mountain road was negligible for Li Banfeng, but for the exhausted Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying, the journey proved immensely difficult.

By the time they reached Ligou, dawn had broken. Li Banfeng headed straight for Fengji General Store, but its doors were tightly shut. He knocked for a long time, yet no one answered. Where had Manager Feng gone? Had he run away, fearing Li Banfeng would settle accounts? Surely not? With a business worth over a hundred thousand, he couldn't simply abandon his shop.

Yu Nan, the owner of the adjacent Yu Family Cloth Store, approached him. Dressed in a qipao and holding a lady's cigarette, she took a puff, gently exhaled a cloud of smoke, and remarked, "Their shop hasn't been open for days. Who knows where they've gone to enjoy themselves." The female proprietor had a long face, a high nose, almond eyes, a full forehead, and a rounded jawline. Her tight qipao barely contained her ample figure, hinting at both her generous nature and curvaceous form. As He Jiaqing had described, she was a beauty straight out of a calendar picture.

Li Banfeng's attention, however, wasn't on the beautiful woman; he was preoccupied with Manager Feng's whereabouts. "Gone to have fun?" What could possibly make him so cheerful?

Li Banfeng turned to Xiao Yeci. "Where are you headed? I can take you to the door." After all, good business required excellent service.

"We're going to the old He family residence," Xiao Yeci replied, "I heard it's somewhere near this main street."

The old He family residence!

"You mustn't go there; it's a death trap," Li Banfeng quickly interjected, hearing the mother and daughter's destination. Lu Xiaolan resided in the old He family residence, or more accurately, Lu Xiaolan was trapped there by the house spirit. Given the mother and daughter's limited abilities, going to the old residence would merely make them substitutes for Lu Xiaolan.

Hearing that the old He family residence was dangerous, Xiao Yeci looked distressed. "Benefactor," she pleaded, "what exactly happened there? We've traveled thousands of miles precisely to go to that place, and now you say we can't..."

Li Banfeng paused for a moment, then said gently, "I told you not to go because if you do, you'll die. Do you genuinely wish to die so much? If you're so eager to die, why bother expending such effort to escape? Doesn't it matter where you die? I can help you along your way."

Xiao Yeci stared blankly at Li Banfeng, unsure how to respond. Li Banfeng gazed calmly at Xiao Yeci, conveying that he was entirely capable of following through on his threat.

Lu Chunying stepped in front of Li Banfeng. "Benefactor," she said, "we won't go. We'll listen to you!"

Xiao Yeci hesitated. She understood that Li Banfeng's intentions were surely good and that the old He family residence was indeed very dangerous. However, the entire purpose of their journey had been the old He family residence. Having come all this way, how could they not go? "Could we at least stand at the entrance and just take a look, without going inside?" Xiao Yeci looked at Li Banfeng eagerly, hoping for more advice.

Li Banfeng offered a faint, gentle smile and said, "Pay up."

"Uh..."

"One thousand kuai. Are you trying to welch on your debt?" Li Banfeng's gentle demeanor vanished.

P.S. I received over two hundred comments yesterday. My sincere thanks to all dear readers for your support!