Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 13: Killing and Fleeing

Tonight’s commotion was loud and intense.

Twenty or thirty people had died, even Lu Shan, the leader of the Strong-Force Gang, was dead.

It must be known that some of these haulers had families, wives and children.

With these young men dead, their families would surely report it to the authorities.

Therefore, the aftermath had to be dealt with carefully.

He hurried back without resting, gave some instructions to Sixth Uncle, coordinated a few details in their testimonies, and then buried himself in writing.

As a modern man, Li Qi deeply understood the importance of literacy.

Though the characters in this world were different from those in his original world, they were still Chinese characters in essence, largely similar. Over more than three years, he had learned a good deal.

Writing a proper essay was likely out of the question, but copying a couple of lines of poetry wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be of much use, no one cared to hear a long-winded speech from a mere boat hauler.

However, now it could be put to use.

He took up rough cowhide parchment, material used by the boatmen allied with the Wave-Breaking Gang to make oiled paper. Oiled paper was commonly spread on boats to waterproof them.

This cowhide paper was extremely durable, hard to tear. Made into oiled paper, it resisted water and fire, making it a very practical material.

Precisely because of these qualities, Li Qi chose cowhide paper.

Holding a piece of charcoal, he swiftly wrote something on the paper.

Upon closer look, one would see he was writing down the essentials of the Bull Strength Art!

Including how to circulate energy, how to activate it, its nature, characteristics, how to enter quickly, how to learn it. Every little detail was recorded.

Having learned the Bull Strength Art through progress bars, although he did not understand why, he was already completely familiar with the technique, every detail engraved clearly in his mind.

Was this a good thing?

Perhaps it was.

At least for now, it was.

The night passed without incident.

He stayed up the entire night, writing down how to learn the Bull Strength Art, four full sheets of cowhide paper were filled edge to edge.

He knew the principle of the technique, but he didn’t really know what “principle” meant.

For example, the principle of black powder was: 2KNO₃ + 3C + S → ignition → K₂S + N₂ + 3CO₂.

He clearly knew the string of characters.

But what exactly is 2KNO₃? What is 3CO₂?

He didn’t understand.

Anyway, just write it down like this. In short, it shouldn’t be wrong.

If it were wrong, he wouldn’t be able to use the Bull Strength Art.

After finishing, he called Sixth Uncle.

“Sixth Uncle, this is the technique. Don’t worry if you can’t understand the principle, it has the training methods afterward.” Li Qi handed the folded cowhide paper to Sixth Uncle.

Not understanding the principle did not prevent practice; not understanding black powder’s principle didn’t stop one from making firecrackers from sulfur, nitrate, and charcoal step by step.

“Little Li, are you really going to leave?” Sixth Uncle carefully put away the cowhide paper, looking at Li Qi with worry.

Three years ago, when he took Li Qi in, he hadn’t expected this young man to be so useful.

He had long been used to following others’ advice when problems arose. Now that Li Qi said he was leaving, Sixth Uncle truly felt at a loss.

“Don’t worry, Sixth Uncle. I’m just going out to lay low. After killing so many people, the government won’t be happy, they’ll investigate. But this place is full of fish and dragons; it won’t be easy to catch me.” Li Qi said.

There was one thing he didn’t say: even if the government used divination, they probably wouldn’t catch him.

He remembered clearly what the young scholar who taught the technique had said…

“Outer Dao objects are strange and unpredictable. Divination cannot easily track them.”

If even Outer Dao things were hard to trace, then what about a Outer Dao person like him?

If divination couldn’t locate him, then purely by deduction, he felt it would be very difficult for him to be found.

Yes, it wasn’t about them discovering what he did, but about being found.

He planned to bear the blame himself, then decisively flee this place.

Where to go, he didn’t know, just run away carrying the guilt for now.

Because if the authorities couldn’t find anyone in a short time, they probably wouldn’t file a case. An unsolved homicide would affect the year-end evaluations, and the constables wouldn’t want that either.

As long as no case was filed, it would remain a cold case, forgotten in one or two years.

This was dangerous, because if caught, it would be over.

But there was no way around it. Killing always carried some risk. He’d gambled once last night; doing it again made no difference.

“From now on, I’ll be running from the law. But I will definitely come back, don’t worry.” Li Qi said to Sixth Uncle.

“Remember, insist it has nothing to do with you all, that it was all me.” Li Qi emphasized.

“I understand... but you must take care. Oh, here’s the money rewarded from the river-opening, plus some savings from the gang. You can use it outside. Also, remember to buy some nice clothes, people judge you by your clothes out there. Don’t let yourself be looked down upon.”

“A man away from home is treated like a dog. Without the gang, life will be hard. Endure when you encounter trouble. Wait for the heat to die down, then come back.” Sixth Uncle chattered, then handed Li Qi a heavy bundle full of coins, some new, some old, but no clothes or food.

He knew why no clothes were given, there wasn’t a single new garment to be found in the gang. As for food, it couldn’t be taken along on his escape route.

“Don’t worry, Sixth Uncle. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Li Qi took a breath, took the bundle, and strapped it to his back.

Killing and fleeing one's homeland, he really felt like some chivalrous wanderer of the Spring and Autumn era of Chu¹. Though he was no wandering hero, merely a ragged boat-hauler, nothing more.

But he had no choice. If he hadn’t taken the initiative, he’d have died tonight.

Li Qi was decisive as always. Without hesitation, he promised Sixth Uncle he’d return, then immediately set off. Not through the city gate, but clinging beneath a cargo boat, ready to drift downstream.

Though the Li River was not fully thawed yet, as long as haulers were willing to pull, the boat could still move.

As for the cargo boat, that information came from the boatmen.

Li Qi carried two ceramic jars. Their mouths were covered with oiled cloth and empty inside. He only needed to invert the jar, open the cloth underwater, and he could breathe the air inside.

With the help of Wave-Breaking Force, the air in these two jars could keep him underwater for another hour.

The other Wave-Breaking haulers had taken the cargo boat’s towing order at rock-bottom prices, almost free, just to ensure they got the job.

They would tow the boat where Li Qi was hidden out of the city.

Everything arranged, Li Qi took a deep breath, filling his lungs, then dove underwater, clutching the boat’s underside.

Hidden beneath the cargo boat’s hull, he heard the Wave-Breaking haulers outside start shouting their hauling chants.

“Rope on the shoulder, thirty feet long! Heave-ho!”

“Hard life tied to shoulders! Hoo-hah!”

“Feet grind stone, hands claw sand! Hoo-hah!”

“Don’t say boats can't sail upstream! Hoo-hah!”

The chants continued as the cargo boat left the city, departing Li Prefecture.

(Chapter End)

¹ Refers to the romanticized image of wandering swordsmen from the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE), known for acting outside the law with a personal code of honor. Precursors to later wuxia heroes.