At the third mark of noon, the clouds to the east seemed to draw closer. Though the sun hung high in the center of the sky, it was not as fierce as it had been the previous two days.
The humidity made the summer heat even harder to dissipate. If it was like this in the city, it was even more stifling by the water. Everyone was listless; even those traveling moved with leaden limbs.
Along the narrow path that served as the mandatory entrance to the city by the Huangniwan Pier, several dilapidated straw shacks and bamboo huts were huddled together in an uneven row. Before each shack sat a few indolent figures. These people could not compare to the glamorous, flourishing martial sects on the lake, yet they were the "Land Gods" of this pier in every sense of the word—sharp-eyed and cunning. With a single glance, they could distinguish between those who frequently traded fish and traveled abroad and the "new guests" who had just arrived. When there was no business, they cooled themselves with tea under their ragged awnings. But once they locked onto a target and decided to strike, few fish ever escaped the net. Since most of the suckers who were swindled could never find their way back, the scammers simply fleeced whoever they could, one by one.
Pier business was largely like this, never straying far from the word "deception."
To "deceive" meant to use nothing, or a very small price, to seize something precious from another’s hands. Unlike "robbery," "deception" was often packaged as something beautiful. It made a person give and sink into it unconsciously, only feeling regret the moment they woke up.
The most unacceptable fact in all of this was that "deception" usually corresponded with "trust." If you did not trust, the deceiver would naturally be powerless. Conversely, it was precisely because a person offered their trust that they could be deceived.
This was what many people hated most in their lives.
Whether it was the traveler who prepaid their boat fare only to find the boatman missing, the buyer who impulsively bought fresh fish only to find the scales were rigged, or the unlucky soul who entered a gambling den out of a desire for fun—the expressions on their faces were much the same. First came shock, then disbelief, and finally rage. However, after stomping their feet and cursing, there was usually nothing they could do. They could only cut their losses, find another way, and leave this heartbreaking world of the *jianghu* as quickly as possible.
Standing by that dusty, chaotic pier path where dragons and snakes mingled, Qin Jiuye suddenly understood what she had been resenting over the past day and night.
She hated that Li Qiao had lied to her.
His lies and hypocrisy were harder for her to accept than the fact that he came from the First Manor Under Heaven.
She was a very cautious person. Before this, she had not been cheated for a very, very long time.
She was no saint, either. Before she was first cheated, she had cheated others.
She was very young then. Thinking it was fun, she had used a string of elm seeds threaded together to trick a string of copper coins out of the fool in the neighboring village. She had bragged about it to Jinbao, but Qin Sanyou found out. Qin Sanyou beat her half to death and forced her to swear an oath: she must never deceive the weak in this life. He even made her swear upon Aunt Yang before he would let the matter rest.
She had been forced to swear, but she was defiant in her heart. She felt that Old Qin didn't understand "business," and she intended to do big business and make big money in the future. Business was a matter of mutual consent; how could it be called cheating?
Later, after her master passed away, she came to Dingweng Village to open the Guoran Residence. She finally started her business and finally understood that some money simply shouldn't be earned.
However, just because she didn't plot against others didn't mean others would let her go.
Not long after, when Jinbao went into the city for the first time, a few thugs at the city gate swindled him out of the money meant for buying rice. This forced them to survive on moldy sweet potatoes for an entire month. Had Qin Sanyou not come to their aid, they might not have survived that winter.
Only then did she finally understand the loathsomeness of the word "deception." The incident became a knot in her heart; she would often wake up screaming in anger from her dreams.
Back then, it had taken her three whole months to smooth over that knot. Now, how long would it take to completely forget that beautiful yet dangerous youth?
He hadn't swindled her of her silver, but he had taken something more precious and painful. That was why she felt so miserable now.
But what was it?
Qin Jiuye chewed on the bag of rice crusts Qin Sanyou had left her, staring blankly at the distant clouds, forgetting to blink for a moment.
The Huangniwan Pier was noticeably quieter today. Even the fishmongers had entered the city early. Instead, there were more hurried, taciturn travelers.
A few more small boats approached the shore, but the boatmen didn't seem in a hurry to dock. They just poled their boats, searching for their own guests among the travelers.
Qin Jiuye finally snapped out of her daze. Her gaze swept over the faces of those shifty-eyed "boatmen," and she instantly recognized several familiar faces she had seen just yesterday at Xuanyu Shoal.
These were the "Huang Guzi" among the Huang Guzi—not only did they have massive appetites, but they were also incredibly bold. Like her, they wanted a piece of whatever was happening on Qionghu Island. A broken boat would only ferry those "destined" to pay.
Looking across the water, their eyes met. A small boat immediately turned and headed toward Qin Jiuye. She slowly took out her water skin and drank half a bag to moisten her throat, preparing for a new round of haggling.
The cicadas chirped noisily, but they couldn't drown out the sound of two people with money in their eyes clashing. After an unknown amount of time, both sides were parched from arguing. The Huang Guzi, unable to agree on a fare, flicked his sleeves and left first, muttering curses about the stingy woman’s offer as he hurried toward the pier to find a real "big customer."
In this day and age, even those in the shady trades found it hard to earn silver.
The black-hearted businessmen who usually loitered at the pier watched from a distance, all becoming much better behaved. They would rather hide in the shade and pick at their feet than step forward to hawk their business as usual.
They, too, had caught the scent of those *jianghu* folk. Everyone knew that the oil from *jianghu* people was hard to skim. If one ran into a ruthless character, not only would they fail to touch a single coin, but they might also lose their lives. They were truly not to be trifled with.
A few more ferries docked, and countless busy feet stirred the dust on the path. After a long while, a slow-moving figure emerged from the haze.
It was a young man dressed in coarse cloth, carrying a hoe on his back and leading a green ox behind him. The hoe was broken in half, and the short bamboo hat on his head was crooked. As he moved, half of a round face was occasionally revealed. He looked inexplicably foolish, neither like a fisherman who frequently ran boats nor like the *jianghu* guests with their hidden blades and murderous eyes. He looked more like a rustic villager hurrying into the city from the countryside.
The scammers had thought they wouldn't get any business today, but unexpectedly, Heaven had delivered a "fat sheep" to their doorstep.
The shadows that had melted into puddles before the tea stalls and post stations took human form, swaying as they rose from the darkness, waving invisible antennae to sniff out the scent of prey in the air.
They had clearly all noticed the "sheep." After a brief exchange of looks, they put down their palm fans and tea bowls, waiting to see who could "lead the sheep into the pen."
Liu San from the post station was the fastest. In a few steps, he was in front of the man, greeting him in a local dialect, talking about the coming rain, and then offering advice on feeding the ox. But the round-faced man leading the ox only waved his hand and did not stop.
Akang from the gambling den saw this and felt his chance had come. He immediately approached with a few dice, performing sleight of hand and spinning tall tales. Young people from the countryside who hadn't seen such things usually couldn't resist stopping to watch. However, the round-faced man acted as if he were blind and continued walking forward.
The tea stall waiter, witnessing all this, calmly set down his cup. When the man drew closer, he picked up his teapot and moved to a prominent position, setting out his tea bowls. His stall was conveniently pitched under a thick shade. The tea poured from the raised spout in a long, thin stream, tinkling into the bowl. Ordinary travelers passing by would find it hard to resist the "temptation" to stop and rest.
This was a master of deception, one who knew how to hide malicious intent beneath a peaceful exterior, only revealing the black hand after the prey was lured close.
He rarely failed, and this time seemed no exception. The man leading the green ox finally stopped, then hesitantly walked toward the tea stall. Before long, he was welcomed inside by the enthusiastically greeting waiter. Only the large green ox remained under the shade, completely unaware that its master was about to be delivered into the tiger's mouth.
The ox chewed grass and flicked its tail, occasionally looking up. Its clear, innocent bovine eyes met those of the woman across the road who was munching on rice crusts.
Qin Jiuye turned her head away, telling herself to focus on her own business, but she couldn't concentrate no matter what.
It was all Qin Sanyou’s fault for bringing up that painful memory of her lost money this morning.
That incident was a history of humiliation for the Guoran Residence, and for her, Qin Jiuye.
She still remembered how, during those countless nights of tossing and turning, the regret she drank with her tears fermented in her stomach, eventually condensing into a scar in her heart.
At first, she hated the unscrupulous deceiver. Later, she hated that useless Situ Jinbao. Finally, she hated this cold world where human feelings were as thin as paper, where people only had eyes for themselves and what concerned them, blind to the strangers they met by chance.
Later, she slowly accepted this fact and only hated herself. She hated that she wasn't careful enough to warn Jinbao beforehand; she hated that she wasn't cunning enough and had entrusted something as important as rice money to another all at once; she hated that she wasn't fierce enough, not daring to go to the door to demand her money even when she knew who had cheated her.
And later still, she became one of those cold-hearted people.
She walked with her head down, asking no questions, staring only at the small patch of ground before her, letting everyone else become a fleeting backdrop.
She had long ago accepted the oath Qin Sanyou made her take. She didn't want to be the object of someone else's vicious curse, nor did she want to think about whose rice or medicine money the swindled silver might have been. But she also didn't want to meddle in anyone else's business.
Because she couldn't help but recall the bit of rice money she had lost. If someone could have helped her and Jinbao back then, perhaps they wouldn't have had to suffer through that month. Why should others receive the kindness she never had?
The "hunters" lingering before the tea stall had dispersed in twos and threes, knowing the waiter was about to succeed and the "sheep" was gone.
Qin Jiuye tried to look away, attempting to lower her head and pretend she didn't see, as she had done countless times before, so she could put this eyesore behind her.
But perhaps because she had stayed up late reading, she found her neck exceptionally stiff, as if she had a crick, and her gaze found it difficult to move toward the ground.
In fact, it wasn't just this moment; she had been like this often lately.
She no longer always walked with her head down. More and more often, she looked into the distance, yearning for the vast scenery that could only be seen from a height.
Back then, that youth had walked toward her out of the rain and mist, bringing with him the waters of the *jianghu*. That water seemed to possess a strange magic, like strong liquor distilled from grain, or a wicked wind on a hot afternoon, capable of blowing a spark into the embers burning in one's heart, making one's eyes dizzy and head hot.
The cicadas screaming in the trees were finally tired, and a brief silence fell over the world.
The wind carried the sound of the Huang Guzi poling their boats into the distance, but the tea stall waiter’s incessant chatter became clearer and clearer, as if he were whispering right in her ear.
Savagely grabbing a piece of rice crust and stuffing it into her mouth, Qin Jiuye wiped her lips, clapped her hands, and shook off the last of the crumbs. Then she packed her things, stood up, and walked toward the tea stall.
Inside the stall, the waiter, wearing an indigo apron and sporting a small mustache, filled a coarse ceramic bowl with murky tea. He then cast a subtle glance at the round-faced youth standing before the counter.
"Where does little brother come from? Are your travel permit and Heavenly Prefecture Document ready?"
The freshly poured tea was steaming hot, but the round-faced youth seemed not to feel it at all. He picked up the bowl and drained it in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and spoke blankly.
"What is a Heavenly Prefecture Document? I only have a travel permit..."
Hearing this, the waiter immediately put on an expression of disbelief and asked with great exaggeration, "You don't even know about the Heavenly Prefecture Document? How do you dare enter the city at a time like this?"
"But I entered the city a while ago..."
"A while ago was a while ago; things are different now." The waiter pulled him closer without a word and lowered his voice. "Lately, the Protector and our Prefect, Lord Fan, have been fighting fiercely. Lord Fan just issued an order yesterday: outsiders must have their documents strictly checked and stamped with the Prefectural Office's official seal. If you're caught without one, you'll be taken to the yamen for questioning."
He couldn't be taken for questioning.
He had things to do. If he were taken away, his task would be delayed.
The round-faced youth looked up at the mustache. "Where can I get this document?"
The mustache squinted and smiled, patting his chest as he pulled the man toward the inner part of the tea stall. "You've asked the right person. It just so happens a friend of mine was going into the city but got delayed. I can transfer his document to you. Come with me..."
The round-faced youth in the bamboo hat said nothing and was about to be led away when, suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed his sleeve.
The youth stopped. His somewhat dull eyes rolled and landed on the person half a step away.
The waiter also sensed something and turned around. He saw a thin, small woman revealing half her face from behind the youth.
"What Heavenly Prefecture Document? How come I haven't heard of it?"
The waiter's expression froze. After a long moment, he forced a smile at the youth. "And this is..."
Qin Jiuye yanked the youth behind her, still crunching on something. She gave the waiter a very experienced look.
"I'm his creditor. I have words for him. What? You want to listen in?"
In the pier business, everyone relied on their own skills. But though they all worked this area, he had never seen someone so overbearing as to cut in like this.
However, the woman's words were indeed arrogant. The waiter couldn't gauge her background for a moment. Though he was unwilling, he eventually let go. His small eyes stared fixedly at the woman who had "cut off his path to wealth" until she and the round-faced youth disappeared down the small path outside the tea stall.
Qin Jiuye didn't need to look back to guess his reaction.
She pulled the man to a secluded spot by the road in one breath, pricked up her ears to listen for any movement behind them, and then peeked back from behind a tree trunk.
At the tea stall not far away, the waiter had picked up his teapot and lain back down on his broken bench, ready to scout for his next target.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, seeing her hand still holding the other person's, a wave of regret washed over her.
Qin Sanyou’s rice crusts must have been a bit moldy after being carried for several days. It was because she ate that moldy crust that her brain had gone bad, leading her to meddle in someone else's business before she had even figured out her own.
How could she, Qin Jiuye, do such a stupid thing?
But she had done it. And she had done it all so fluidly that she only realized it afterward.
Qin Jiuye looked up at the unlucky soul she had saved.
The person before her had a round face without much definition, and his features had a blunt quality. His eyes didn't seem to like blinking; he could stare at one spot for a long time. The whole person gave off a faint air of foolishness.
While she was sizing him up, he was also staring blankly at her. Perhaps frightened by the scene just now, his voice was inexplicably stuttering when he spoke.
"You... you... you are..."
Qin Jiuye shook her head inwardly, thinking she had meddled and saved a fool, unsure if he could even understand her well-intentioned advice.
However, the stupid deed was done, and there was no turning back. It was better to settle this quickly.
Thinking this, she took a deep breath and said as concisely as possible, "Stay away from those people. That Heavenly Prefecture Document is just a way to swindle your silver."
Ren Xiaohan finally blinked, then pointed a finger at the woman's mouth.
"What were you eating just now? The sound is very pleasant."
Qin Jiuye was stunned for a moment before realizing his attention had never been on the waiter or the document. Amidst her frustration, she found it somewhat amusing. After a thought, she felt for a cloth bag at her waist and took out a small piece of rice crust.
"This is rice crust," she said, deliberately tossing it into her mouth and chewing in front of him. "This is a rare thing. You can't have it just by looking at it."
The crisp sound of the crust filled the air. The man's round face lifted slightly, but his eyes looked even more vacant.
"How rare is it? Can it not be bought with a lot of silver?"
Not entirely a fool; at least he knew about silver.
But he wasn't much better, not even knowing what rice crust was.
Qin Jiuye sighed and asked while chewing, "Are you entering the city alone?"
Ren Xiaohan nodded.
Qin Jiuye looked at the green ox under the tree not far away, then at the worn bamboo hat on his head.
"What are you going into the city for?"
"To find someone. And then... and then..."
The "and then" was something the Master had told him he couldn't say.
Ren Xiaohan closed his mouth.
Qin Jiuye swallowed the crust, but the words still lingered on her tongue. She struggled for a moment but still spoke up to warn him.
"The city is not like the countryside. People need to have a few more wits about them to survive. If you don't want to be cheated or plotted against, don't always talk to people. Keep your head down, walk, and just do your own thing."
"I don't usually talk to people."
He just thought the sound of the tea falling into the bowl was very pleasant. The Master had told him to just do his own thing. If anyone harassed him, he should just kill them.
Ren Xiaohan thought this, and his gaze fell back onto the bag of rice crusts.
Some commotion came from the pier. Qin Jiuye looked back and saw that the last batch of Huang Guzi preparing to set sail had taken their positions, beginning to organize the business for the final day of the Sword Appreciation Assembly.
Landing on Qionghu Island was different from watching the excitement by the lake the previous two days. Those who dared to hawk this business were significantly fewer. Whether they had any real skill was hard to say, but they certainly had more courage than others. If she missed this wave, she didn't know if there would be another chance.
Qin Jiuye felt a bit anxious and intended to turn and leave. After a thought, she handed the bag of rice crusts to the round-faced youth.
"I have business and must go. Take care of yourself."
With that, Qin Jiuye turned and hurried toward the pier.
Ren Xiaohan watched her back for a while longer before taking a piece of crust from the bag and putting it in his mouth.
The overnight burnt crust was cold and hard, leaving his mouth black, but his eyes, which usually lacked light, became animated.
He liked the sound this food made in his mouth; it sounded even better than the sugar cubes the Master gave him.
He walked to the tree, led the green ox, and reached out to touch its horns, sighing softly.
"The Master was right. She really is a good person."
***
When Qiu Ling arrived at Huangniwan Pier, it was crowded as usual with people boarding and disembarking. But he still spotted the person he was looking for with a single glance.
The woman's figure appeared exceptionally small among the crowd of passengers. When she spoke to those burly men, she often had to tilt her head back.
But her aura did not lose an inch. With one foot planted on her ragged basket, she maneuvered among five or six people at once, rejecting an offer here and picking at conditions there. Her thinking was clear and methodical, leaving those Huang Guzi dizzy until they could only shout, trying to suppress her with their voices.
He watched for a while before finally calling out, "Shopkeeper Qin."
The familiar voice suddenly rang out behind her. Qin Jiuye wiped the spit from her face and turned around. She was stunned when she saw the man dismounting from his horse.
Today, he was not wearing his black light armor, nor his dark official robes. Instead, he had changed into a light green robe with narrow sleeves embroidered with honeysuckle patterns. His long hair, which was always tucked into a high hat, was much looser today, held only by a jade hairpin. The silver-scabbarded longsword still hung at his waist. He looked no different from the disciples of famous *jianghu* sects.
If there was any difference, it was that he looked much more pleasing to the eye than those "rising stars" who had been fighting on Lixin Lake yesterday.
Qin Jiuye blinked, trying not to let her gaze linger on him for too long. However, perhaps seeing that she hadn't responded for a long time, Qiu Ling walked straight toward her.
"Did I interrupt your business?"
His steps were not fast, and his manner was not arrogant, yet the crowded, noisy pier instantly cleared a path for him.
Something invisible called "righteousness" spread through the air. The Huang Guzi, who had been red-faced and thick-necked from arguing with her over a few dozen coins, now shrunk their necks like guilty thieves and hid in corners. They secretly prayed he wasn't there for them while regretting their earlier verbal spat with the thin woman.
Though the man who came on horseback was in plain clothes, the pride in his bearing could not be hidden. Anyone in the *jianghu* could tell with a glance that he was likely an official. Seeing how familiar he was with that sharp-tongued woman, they feared she was a government scout, pretending to be poor and foolish to lull them into a false sense of security while actually gathering evidence to wipe them all out.
The "government scout" Qin Jiuye naturally understood those looks. But she didn't want to entangle herself with a group of Huang Guzi right now, fearing Qiu Ling’s identity might be exposed and bring unnecessary trouble to their future plans. She immediately stepped forward, pulled him aside, and mimicked the secretive and cautious manner Lu Zican used when meeting her. Looking around shiftily, she asked in a low voice, "Why did you come personally?"
Mindful of his identity, she uncharacteristically did not call him "Protector."
Qiu Ling’s gaze slowly fell on the hand she used to pull him. After a long moment, he mimicked her manner and replied in a low voice, "Zican and the others are all busy with things, so... I came personally."
Qin Jiuye didn't suspect anything else, only sighing inwardly. How booming was the business at Lu Zican’s noodle stall that he was busier than a Protector?
She forced herself to pack away her somewhat sour mood. Rubbing her hands, she looked eagerly behind him. "Are you also going to the island? But there aren't many boats left at this pier, and they're all hiking up their prices. Each one is more black-hearted than the last. I'll talk to them again in a bit..."
"Gao Quan has already prepared a boat. We don't need to squeeze onto one with others."
Qin Jiuye was stunned, then realized he must have come prepared. There was really no need for her to worry. She said sheepishly, "General Gao is indeed very reliable. This boat truly comes at the right time. I was worried about not finding a way to the island and was thinking that if all else failed, I’d have to go beg the Second Young Master again..."
In truth, it wasn't that she couldn't find a boat, but that she couldn't afford the exorbitant fares. She had been hoping to negotiate a fair price, which was why she had lingered at the pier until now.
The unspoken embarrassment of her empty pockets caused her voice to trail off, a faint hint of a sigh appearing on her face. Qiu Ling stared blankly, somehow remembering Lu Zican’s secretive report from the previous night.
She had been called onto the boat by Xu Qiuchi. Could that playboy have used some means to win her over and made her suffer?
His heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Last night, were you on that flower boat..."
Qin Jiuye’s face stiffened, and alarm bells rang in her heart. In an instant, she thought of everything that had happened with that youth the previous night. Poor thing—though she hadn't done anything wrong, she couldn't help but show a bit of guilt. She immediately cut him off to change the subject.
"I heard the Protector was also by the lake last night; you must have been busy all night. That Ciyizhen is very cunning and ruthless. Was the Protector injured?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Qin Jiuye regretted her haste.
Though they knew of each other's presence last night because of Xu Qiuchi, they hadn't spoken about the Ciyizhen matter, and Lu Zican and the others shouldn't have had time to tell her about it. Her mentioning it now was essentially a self-incrimination, unintentionally revealing that she knew about it last night but hadn't reported it, clearly implying there was more to the story.
If it were any other time, her guilty appearance, no matter how much she tried to hide it, would not have escaped the young Protector's eyes.
But now, as he watched her speak of last night, he found it hard to focus on the expression on her face or the secrets behind it. His mind was filled with only one phrase: *Was the Protector injured?*
"I... I am fine."
He struggled to finish the sentence and then said no more, standing there with his face half-turned away.
Qin Jiuye peeked at him tentatively for a while, feeling that she had passed this hurdle. But she didn't feel much relief; she only felt that she had just finished cursing those deceivers, only to unknowingly become a "deceiver" herself.
"It's good that you're fine, good that you're fine." She forced a smile, then rubbed her hands. "Then... shall we board the boat now?"
"Yes."
The young Protector dropped the short word and walked forward with hurried steps. Seeing this, the woman quickly followed.
***
**Glossary**
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Secret Recipe | Chapter 151 | The Deceiver and Deceived | Novela.app | Novela.app
