Chapter Seventeen: Buddhist Sorcery (Five)

The city of Yangzhou in the early morning was shrouded in thick mist, like a virgin clad in a thin garment, exuding a unique charm in the haze.
Small shopkeepers in the city were leisurely arranging the best items in their shops, preparing for the day ahead. There were not many pedestrians on the streets; aside from the clatter of horse hooves from noble youths returning after a night of revelry in brothels, hardly any noise could be heard.
This was especially true on Qiyan Street, adjacent to NanGuang Gate. Since this gate was reserved for the victorious return of armies, it was almost never opened to the public. As a result, the gatekeepers had an easier time—even if they woke up a bit late, it wouldn’t affect their duties.
It was quite pleasant to brew a pot of fragrant tea on the city wall and read a leisurely book. After all, this place was different from Chang’an or Luoyang—less full of scheming and intrigue, and more relaxed.
Gatekeeper Feng Han felt his life was fulfilling. Even if immortals came to exchange him for someone else, he wouldn’t agree. As a native of Yangzhou, he did what was right for Yangzhou. As long as he had enough money, why strive desperately for more? Having an official position was enough—after all, one could even aspire to become a marquis. The people of Yangzhou had seen too much hardship and had long become indifferent to fame and wealth. Chang’an was too far from Jiangdu; it took over half a month for a messenger horse to make a round trip. By the time an imperial order arrived, it was already a fait accompli. Could they really defy fate?
Feng Han took a sip of his tea as usual and gazed down at the city gates. He saw a group of about a dozen cavalrymen approaching NanGuang Gate. Frowning slightly, he inwardly cursed them for not knowing the rules.
Logically, they should also be soldiers—why didn’t they understand that NanGuang Gate was only opened when armies returned victorious?
“Hmph, Qi San, go to the city wall and ask them who they are.”
Feng Han assumed it was another wealthy young master leading his guards, carelessly barging in. Not wanting to make a fuss, he sent his subordinate to investigate first.
Qi San took the order, threw his oil cake onto a small wooden board, wiped his mouth, and walked toward the city wall grumbling under his breath.
Damn it, which idiot has come to cause trouble again, preventing me from having a proper meal?
Feeling frustrated, he vented his anger on the people below.
“Where did you come from, you ignorant brat? Can’t you see the notice posted at the government office? NanGuang Gate isn’t open on ordinary days!”
He was already thin, and his exaggerated facial expressions made him look even more despicable.

The group at the foot of the city wall was Li Kuo and his companions. After sneaking out of the mansion early in the morning, he, along with Zhang Yanji, Zhou Wuzui, and other trusted men, followed the scouts to track down the Tibetan Buddhist monks. These evil monks not only practiced dark magic but also moved in highly secretive ways. If not for Xianyu Yu Cheng summoning the most skilled scouts from the camp, it would have been impossible to trace the Tibetan Buddhist monks.

To avoid alerting them, they kept a certain distance from the Tibetan Buddhist monks. However, once they entered Qiyan Street, the Tibetans suddenly disappeared, which greatly surprised everyone.

Already frustrated from losing track of them, how could they not get angry when they encountered such an insolent soldier?

“Grandpa is a general under General Li Kuo, the commander of the Jianghuai Militia. Who the hell are you to be shouting around here?”

Pu Dachui was furious and spoke mercilessly, using as harsh language as he could.

Qi San’er, used to bullying others, had never suffered such humiliation before and immediately turned hostile.

“Pah! If that kid is the commander of the Jianghuai Militia, then I’m the governor of Jingzhou! Even liars should look at themselves before lying. If you’ve got guts, don’t run—wait for me to send someone to capture you!”

Although the people of Yangzhou were indifferent to power struggles, they were not easy to bully. After all, they were soldiers of the Tang Dynasty—how could they fear a few thugs?

Thinking this, Qi San’er turned around to seek help on the city wall, vowing to teach those reckless villains a lesson.

Before long, more than fifty people appeared on the city wall, including Feng Han, the gatekeeper.

Feng Han glanced at the men below and frowned. Judging by their leather armor, they must be soldiers. How could Qi San’er lack such judgment and almost get his own people fighting?

“I am Feng Han, the gatekeeper of NanGuang Gate. May I ask which unit these brothers belong to?” Feng Han said firmly, bowing to the men below. Qi San’er was stunned and stammered, “Feng, that’s not right! These people are blatantly defying the law—why are you being so polite with them?”

Feng Han wanted to kick that fool hard in the ass, but with everyone watching, he merely glared at him and whispered, “Shut up. I’ll deal with you later.”

Qi San’er shuddered at these words and instinctively stepped back.

Seeing that the gatekeeper seemed sensible, Li Kuo nodded slightly and said, “I am Li Kuo, the commander of the Jianghuai Militia. It’s an honor to meet you!”

Feng Han’s heart trembled as he carefully studied Li Kuo.

Although he had never met Li Kuo before, he was almost certain based on the man’s demeanor and bearing. Besides, impersonating an imperial official was a grave crime—who would risk their life for no reason?
“So you’re Commander Li. I often hear Secretary Xu speak of you, praising you as the Li Yaoshi of our time, a master strategist in warfare!”
Over the years, Li Kuo had indeed won many battles, but calling him comparable to Li Jing was somewhat flattering.
“I’m ashamed,” Li Kuo replied with a slight smile. “A few friends and I have urgent matters to attend to outside the city. I was wondering if General Feng could do us a favor?”
“Of course, of course!”
Feng Han, fearing Li Kuo might hold grudges, hurriedly agreed.
“The city gates are meant for people to pass through. If they stayed closed all year, they’d rust away long ago. I’ll order them opened right away. Hehe, hehe.”
Feng Han bent over slightly, acting obsequiously like a shrimp. Though the people of Yangzhou were indifferent to fame and wealth, they weren’t averse to taking it when it came their way.
Just how remarkable was General Li? In the Tang army, surely no one was unaware of him?
“Boss Feng, we can’t let them leave the city. There are rules—these city gates…”
Qi San’er couldn’t understand why Feng Han’s attitude had changed so suddenly. Unable to swallow his anger, he kept provoking him. But before he could finish speaking, Feng Han cut him off: “What rules? Aren’t rules made to be broken? Open your eyes—that man below the city wall is the Commander of Jianghuai, General Li Kuo, who’s renowned throughout the Western Regions! If you dare stop him, are you just impatient to die?”
Feng Han regretted hiring such a bunch of foolish idiots as subordinates, nearly causing a disaster.
“Hurry up and open the city gates!”
“Sigh!”
Qi San’er waved his arm in frustration and left in anger.
Soon, the South Light Gate was opened, and Li Kuo’s group immediately rode through without delay.
In a dark corner, Qi San’er clenched his fists, took a deep breath, then ran back into the city in anger…
Outside Yangzhou City, there were many estates, owned mostly by nobles and wealthy families from the city. As the financiers of these wealthy young masters, the yields of these estates were always a concern for their owners. To motivate the tenant farmers to work hard, some owners even introduced benefits, offering rewards to those who performed well throughout the year.

Of course, such rewards were a drop in the bucket compared to what could be earned from the manor, and they were far from proportional to the hard work of the tenant farmers. Most often, they served merely as a benchmark to encourage the farmers to work even harder for their masters. But comparison is key—when other manors offered no rewards at all, having a unique incentive, however small, could help win people’s hearts to some extent. The Wu family manor was one such place with reward systems in place. By treating its laborers well, the Wu family manor gained the support of many tenant farmers and became quite renowned in the suburbs. Wu Siwei worked as a laborer there, specifically as a cook. Unlike ordinary tenant farmers, he had a status few others possessed—he was a disciple of Mahayana Buddhism. Thanks to his mother, he had been devoutly Buddhist since childhood. Whenever he had extra time, he would go to the temples in the city to burn incense and pray for protection. Later, when his mother fell seriously ill and could hardly speak, on the verge of death, a Tibetan Buddhist monk approached him, giving him a yellow talisman and a bowl of holy water, instructing him to soak the talisman in the water and crush it for his mother to take. Desperate, he tried it anyway, and to his surprise, his mother coughed several times after taking the talisman and then awoke. Overjoyed, he was utterly awed by the Tibetan monk and vowed to repay his kindness. From that moment on, he became a preacher of Mahayana Buddhism. As a faithful believer in Buddha, he firmly believed that the people’s hardships stemmed from their disrespect for Buddha. He hoped to use his own efforts to persuade more people to become followers of Mahayana Buddhism, helping them escape their misfortunes. “Siwei, go prepare the meat brought by Second Master. The young master has shown kindness and decided to give everyone meat to eat today.” Outside the kitchen, a middle-aged man’s voice rang out—it was Wu Nan, the head steward of the Wu family manor.