Above the Great Dao
Chapter 523 - 246: Bandit Leader of Qingzhou

Chapter 523: Chapter 246: Bandit Leader of Qingzhou

Xinxiang lies to the north of Qingzhou, with Xianzhou and Chongshan States in between.

From Xianzhou to Qingzhou, there is a waterway known as Xianzhou River, which cuts across two provinces and leads straight to Qingzhou’s provincial capital.

Chen Shi rested for a night in Xianzhou’s provincial city, and early the next morning, he arrived at the wharf by the riverbank. Many passenger and cargo ships ply the waters, traveling between the different provinces. Amidst the numerous vessels, a painted barge was docked at the shore, from which a boat girl peered eagerly towards the land.

Chen Shi was as important as the mighty Lord of Justice himself. Hence, his daughter and he divided their responsibilities—one to watch over the Lord of Justice, the other to watch over Chen Shi.

She was tasked with guarding Chen Shi.

For this trip to Qingzhou, the waterway was the most convenient, so she had her painted barge moved to the Xianzhou River early on, to wait for Chen Shi.

After a short while, Chen Shi indeed came into her view.

The boat girl’s heart leapt with joy. She walked back into the cabin, thinking to herself, "Once he sees my barge, he will inevitably come over. I’ll then tease him a bit, pretending it’s a chance encounter."

No sooner had she entered the barge than a loud splash resounded, and she heard many boatmen exclaiming in surprise and admiration.

She hurriedly looked out, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

She saw Chen Shi’s wooden cart leap onto the Xianzhou River, with Chen Shi and a black dog jumping onto it.

The Hua Gai on the cart unfurled with a swish, the wheels began to turn, and it set off towards the open boat dock.

The boat girl watched dumbfounded as the wooden cart moved farther and farther away, and beneath the Hua Gai, the ghostly figure of the Marquis of Wind materialized, no larger than three inches tall, wielding a bulrush fan and summoning great winds that propelled the wooden cart swiftly through the water, its speed even surpassing the fast boats on the river!

"Am... am I no longer needed?"

Two days later, Chen Shi arrived within Qingzhou’s provincial borders.

He took out the letter from Li Tianqing, flipped to the back, compared it to the geographical map, and looked up at the mountain ranges on both banks.

According to the geographic map drawn by Li Tianqing, the Guan Sheng Emperor Temple was not in the provincial city of Qingzhou but located at the foot of the mountains on the left bank.

He found a simple country wharf; the wharf was deserted, with only a few dilapidated fishing boats moored.

The wooden cart leapt onto the pier and skillfully shook off the water from its surface.

Chen Shi glanced at it, feeling that this action seemed somewhat familiar.

Not far away was a town, where some government officials were putting up notices outside the town.

A man carrying a hoe walked by and was seized by one of the officials, who pressed a steel knife to his neck.

The man fell to his knees in terror, begging for mercy, while the official kept the knife to his neck and looked at the notice.

"He’s not the wanted criminal." The official chuckled and waved his hand, telling him to get lost quickly.

Chen Shi looked towards the notice board, which displayed many wanted notices for outlaws; some were already yellowed, others were torn and their faces could not be recognized, and still others had notices pasted over previous ones, stacked up thickly by more than a dozen.

A cursory glance suggested some three to five hundred wanted notices were on that board.

One notice identified a man named Wang Erniu, who had stolen a hoe from next door and was condemned to death, on the run.

Chen Shi read it over twice and saw that Wang Erniu was indeed sentenced to death, which left him dumbfounded.

Another notice was about a Scholar named Fang Jin, who threw rocks at the County Magistrate’s palanquin, sentenced to death, on the run.

The widowed Yue Xiu’e did not wish to be enshrined as a virtuous widow and wanted to remarry, sentenced to death, on the run.

Xu Tiezhu stepped on more than ten seedlings in a field, fined five coins, refused to accept the penalty, sentenced to death, on the run.

...

The government officials took notice of him and, seeing that he wore a Scholar’s Daoist robe, approached him respectfully, "Scholar, do you recognize any of these outlaws? If you can capture and bring them to justice, the government office has a reward of a hundred taels of silver."

Chen Shi spoke seriously, "I am a Scholar from Xin Xiang Province, law-abiding by nature. If I encounter any outlaws, I shall take them to the government office to claim the reward. Do you gentlemen know the way to Weidang Village?"

"Weidang Village? Follow this road for about ten miles; there’s a mountain path. Travel along it for about seven or eight miles, and you will see a lake, with reed marshes along its edge. Weidang Village is right beside it, directly opposite Qingzhou city."

Chen Shi thanked them.

The government officials watched him drive off with the wooden cart and the black dog, then scanned the notices on the board, failing to find a face that resembled Chen Shi’s. They sighed in disappointment.

As Chen Shi continued on his way, many wooden stakes lined both sides of the road. The stakes were in the shape of crosses, and upon each one was a half-naked person, both men and women, some still alive and emitting low moans—presumably criminals sentenced to death.

The sun was scorching hot today, dehydrating these criminals to their deaths, their bodies blackened. As Chen Shi passed by, he heard only a buzzing sound as a dark swarm of flies rose from the bodies and circled around them.

After he had passed, the flies settled back down, and the corpses turned black again.

He also saw two officials leading a criminal, a rope looped around the man’s neck, and hanged him beneath a large tree.

The hanged man kicked out vigorously and then was still.

"What crime did he commit?" Chen Shi stopped and asked.

Seeing he was a learned man, the officials said, "He lost his mind from hunger, stole a bag of grain from the granary. By the law, he must be put to death."

Chen Shi puzzled, "The legal code of Qingzhou, is it not the Great Ming laws? Why so harsh?"

The officials’ faces changed instantly, the younger one gripping the hilt of his saber and rebuked, "To speak ill of Qingzhou’s laws, you commit a grave offense!"

The older official quickly quieted him down and smiled at Chen Shi, "He’s drunk, not really looking to arrest you. I offer my apologies on his behalf."

The young official, puzzled, was silencingly pressed by the hand of the older one, signaling him not to say more.

Chen Shi drove away.

The older official grumbled, "Didn’t you see? He’s dressed as a Scholar, his cultivation surely far exceeds ours! Had you laid hands on him, we would be the ones hanging from the tree!"

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