Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 2: Suspicion

“We’ve got a situation? What do you mean?” Li Qi shook his head, casting aside the distracting thoughts. He looked intently at Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu was one of the elders of the Wave-Breaking Gang, a respected leader known for his fairness, warmth, and seasoned experience, earning the trust of everyone in the gang.

This man in his forties or fifties already had graying hair, and his back was hunched from years of towing ships. His spine was visibly twisted, and from his neck down his back stretched a long, scar-like groove, clearly the result of decades of friction from the hauling ropes.

Most aging boat-haulers bore such marks, especially the twisted spine, a telltale sign.

Dragging thousand-ton ships by sheer muscle strength, it was impossible to do without leaving damage.

“After the river opening, there are rewards for the lead shift, but wasn’t that supposed to be the Strong-Force Gang’s spot?” Uncle Liu asked.

“What does ‘supposed to’ matter? We’re halfway through the river opening, and we’ve already hauled the lead shift right in front of the Prefect himself. Are they going to come snatch it after the fact? Even if they retaliate afterward, the Strong-Force Gang is about equal to us in strength. Competing for the lead shift has always been a matter of merit, what’s the issue?” Li Qi was puzzled.

If being “targeted” meant that, then the three hauler gangs could be said to be watching each other all the time.

They were competitors, of course they’d keep an eye on each other. That was just how it worked.

“Yes, that’s how it’s always been. The Strong-Force Gang can’t exactly declare war over losing the lead shift. But just now, word from our informants said, not a single one of them came to watch today’s river opening,” Uncle Liu said.

That made Li Qi frown.

Something wasn’t right.

“We got the lead shift, the Water-Horse Gang’s doing second shift, and there’s no official third shift but we always have haulers getting exhausted and needing replacements. The Strong-Force Gang should’ve had people ready to fill in, and yet… none of them showed up?” Li Qi rubbed his chin, thinking aloud.

By tradition, even if a gang missed out on the main shifts, they could still send people to cover for injuries and pick up some scraps, there was always some reward to be had. The Strong-Force Gang had plenty of struggling members. Just filling in here and there could net a dozen or so a piece of the prize.

So normally, if they couldn’t get the first shift, they’d go for the second. And if that failed, they’d at least show up to mingle, hoping for a share.

But now, not one person from the Strong-Force Gang showed up?

No wonder Uncle Liu had rushed over in such a hurry to consult him.

Something unusual was definitely going on.

He clapped his hands. “Uncle Liu, I’ll skip the next shift. I’ll go check out the Strong-Force Gang’s side.”

Uncle Liu nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too. You’re sharp, and you’re good in a fight. You’ve mastered the Wave-Breaking Force well, second only to me in the whole gang. I trust you most for something like this.”

Maybe Li Qi really did have a natural talent for cultivation. In just two years of training in Wave-Breaking Force, he’d already surpassed most of the gang’s members.

Coupled with his educated brain, he had practically become the second-in-command of the Wave-Breaking Gang, just under Uncle Liu.

“Alright then, I’ll head out now.” Li Qi didn’t waste time and stood up immediately.

“Be careful. Keep yourself safe, that’s the most important thing,” Uncle Liu reminded him.

“Don’t worry.” Li Qi nodded, then swiftly departed.

...

During the river opening, every household in Li Prefecture City was busy preparing.

Merchants were stocking up. Street vendors were preparing food. Everyone was gearing up for the business that would boom once the river opened.

After the river thawed, traders and goods from all over the Great Lu Kingdom would flood into Li Prefecture City, using the Li River to transport their wares in every direction.

So the river opening was the city’s biggest annual event, more important even than the New Year.

At times like these, the whole city had its own urgent tasks. So the streets were mostly filled with laborers hauling goods or couriers delivering messages. There were hardly any idle pedestrians.

So when a man dressed like a boat-hauler wandered the streets, many cast curious glances his way.

Most were just puzzled, no one really interfered.

People were too busy with their own lives to bother with a boat-hauler.

Li Qi strolled around for a while, then suddenly stopped in front of a street vendor. “Hey there, brother. Why’s everyone giving me such strange looks?”

The vendor rolled his eyes and shot Li Qi a glance. “You’re a hauler. The river opening’s happening and you’re not out there trying to snag the lead shift? Wandering the streets like this, you don’t think people are gonna stare?”

He wasn’t polite about it. Haulers ranked lower than merchants.

Merchants had guilds backed by rich patrons. Each guild controlled prices in their trade, cutlery sellers, blacksmiths, even porters had their own associations.

In this world, everyone grouped together around cultivation techniques to survive. Haulers were clearly at the bottom.

“Oh, I see. But aren’t there a bunch of other haulers out today? Why’s everyone staring just at me?” Li Qi scratched his head, pretending to be confused.

“You out of your mind? Where do you see other haulers on this street? You’re the only one. Now scram if you’re not buying anything. Don’t waste my time. The river opening’s almost over, everyone’s about to swarm in. You gonna pay for my lost sales or what?” The vendor waved him off impatiently.

Li Qi backed away right away, not wanting to interfere with his business.

But he’d gotten exactly the information he wanted.

Just as he’d thought, no normal hauler would be wandering around the city right now.

So if none of the Strong-Force Gang had shown up at the river… and they weren’t on the streets either…

That meant they were all holed up together somewhere.

Most ordinary haulers lived hand-to-mouth, work a day, eat a day. Even those with some savings didn’t have much. Young single guys like him could get by, but married men with families faced huge financial pressure.

Even under that kind of pressure, if they were still choosing to gather together instead of joining the river opening or wandering about…

Then the situation was definitely serious.

In this era, more than two hundred haulers gathered in one place, what could they be doing? Throwing a party?

What is this, Chengdu¹?

Li Qi picked up his pace.

That many people gathered together, it could very well be a war council or something. He needed to find out what was really going on.

He knew where the Strong-Force Gang’s base was, by a tributary of the Li River within the city.

The Li River’s tributaries were spread across the city like capillaries, reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan². These canals were the lifeblood of the city’s water supply.

He quickly made his way to the riverside. The many tributaries threading through the city were still frozen over but the ice remained intact.

Exactly what he’d hoped for.

Thanks to the heat island effect, temperatures in residential zones were always higher than by the riverbanks.

The thinner the ice here, the more fragile it was.

Li Qi casually picked a tributary, stepped onto it, stomped twice, and glanced around. No one.

Empty.

Good.

Suddenly, he stomped down hard the ice shattered.

Without hesitation, he plunged through the crack.

In Li Prefecture City, there were three hauler gangs.

The Water-Horse Gang’s cultivation method emphasized endurance. They were said to be as tireless as oxen and horses, able to haul for three hours nonstop. Their skin was thick, and the friction of rope couldn't wear it down, making them last even longer.

The Strong-Force Gang focused on brute strength. Where the other two gangs needed fifty men to move a ship, they only needed thirty.

As for the Wave-Breaking Gang…

The name said it all, they specialized in water. They could haul from within the river, not just from the banks.

Li Qi took a deep breath and activated his Wave-Breaking Force. His body moved like a fish beneath the frozen surface.

The icy layer above granted near-perfect concealment. Though he couldn’t breathe, the Wave-Breaking Force allowed him to stay underwater for half an hour.

And it only took five minutes to reach the Strong-Force Gang’s turf.

Soon, he arrived at their section of the river, a narrow alley with a tributary running through it.

The people living here were poor, mostly tailors and members of the Strong-Force Gang. Thanks to this connection, the Strong-Force Gang’s clothing was noticeably better than that of the other gangs.

The tailors weren’t to be underestimated either. They used flying needles as hidden weapons and had a good relationship with the Strong-Force Gang. Since they had no conflict of interest and lived side by side, the two groups had formed an alliance.

Once there, Li Qi grew more cautious.

He noticed holes cut in the ice with fishing lines dangling through.

Poor folks by the water naturally had to fish for food.

But they used hooks, not nets.

Using fishing nets was a monopoly held by the city’s fishmongers. Anyone daring to use nets or fishing boats without permission would be challenging the entire fishmongers' guild and those burly fishers armed with harpoons were not to be trifled with.

This was the world he now lived in, every class, every group was layered and rigid.

Carefully avoiding the hooks, he swam toward a section near the riverbank with no holes or lines.

He tilted his ear up, listening.

Half a quarter-hour passed, and Li Qi noticed none of the hooks had budged.

Realizing this, he dove deeper, caught a fish with his bare hands, pinched its gills, and swam over to one of the lines, hooking the fish onto it.

The fish thrashed wildly as the hook pierced its lip!

The fishing line jerked and stretched, eventually even pulling one of the rods into the water.

And still, no one reeled it in.

No one was above!

Li Qi had already sensed no sound earlier while pressed against the ice. Now, seeing no reaction to the tugging fishhooks confirmed it, no one was on watch.

After waiting a little longer, he grabbed the sunken fishing rod, reeled the fish back in, removed it, and hooked it onto another rod.

Reuse was necessary, catching fish wasn’t easy.

After being hooked so many times, the poor fish’s mouth was full of holes. Finally, it managed to break free, wriggling away in terror.

A single cut kills a fish. Who gets hooked three times!?

As for Li Qi, he couldn’t hold out much longer.

The half an hour limit was nearly up, and even with the protection of Wave-Breaking Force, the icy water had numbed his limbs. His face had turned bluish-purple.

Having confirmed no one was above, he picked a hole in the ice and burst from it with a splash. Without pausing, he rolled forward and dashed to the riverbank.

Originally, if anyone had been stationed there, he’d planned to break the ice elsewhere and create a diversion.

But with no one around, it was better to act fast.

He moved quickly and the slick surface helped, he slid right across.

Entering the alleyway, he leapt up, staying alert to his surroundings while hurrying toward the Strong-Force Gang’s base.

The area was all residential, but it was eerily empty. Just as he suspected, the members had all gathered somewhere, leaving the outer homes deserted.

The only people to avoid were the tailors, so he made sure to skirt their dwellings, slipping through narrow paths as much as possible.

No one on the streets, and careful as he was, he made it all the way to the Strong-Force Gang’s usual meeting spot without being seen.

Calling it a plaza was generous, it was merely an open space in front of the gang leader’s house, maybe seventy square meters at most. Normally used for drying fish and airing laundry, it also served as a gathering spot during important meetings.

After all, it was the only place in this alley big enough to hold a hundred or two muscular men.

Li Qi crept close, hid behind a wall, and listened carefully.

There were voices, lots of them. The haulers were definitely gathered.

Some were chatting, not even bothering to lower their voices.

They were haulers, not soldiers. Expecting perfect discipline was unrealistic. Even college students couldn’t sit together silently, let alone rough men like these.

Li Qi knew that, so he didn’t even try to peek and just listened while hiding.

At the same time, he stripped off his outer layer and wrapped it around his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Nearby haulers were loudly discussing the situation.

“You think that ritualist’s words are really reliable?”

“That’s the fourth time you’ve asked. The boss believes him, what’s it matter if you don’t?”

“You guys are hopeless. You saw it with your own eyes and still doubt? That was real sorcery! Way better than our body-tempering arts. If we get the chance to learn sorcery, what’s there to complain about?”

“But this is the river-opening day! What if that ritualist is a fraud? Then we’d be missing out on the reward for nothing!”

“Quiet, quiet! He’s coming!”

With that, Li Qi heard the shuffle of people standing up and the sound of a door opening.

He’d come at just the right time. A ritualist… the Strong-Force Gang was involved with a ritualist? And he promised to teach them sorcery?

Impossible!

Li Qi knew full well how precious “cultivation methods” were in this world.

Even the crudest technique was a treasure that could establish a legacy!

So when he heard that, even he couldn’t resist peeking out from the alley to glimpse the open ground.

Just as expected, a group of burly men stood in a ring, all staring intently at the two figures in the center.

One was a hulking man, Li Qi recognized him as the gang leader of the Strong-Force Gang.

The other was a slender young man, dressed in cotton rather than the coarse hemp worn by haulers.

And in this young man’s hand…

Li Qi’s eyes went wide.

Wasn’t that… his old game console!?

How the hell did half of it end up here!?

(Chapter End)

¹ Chengdu is often seen as a relaxed, vibrant city in China, associated with leisure and quirky lifestyles.

² Jiangnan, a real life place south of the Yangtze River, known for its picturesque water towns, canals, and stone bridges.