A Pawn's Passage

Several old glazed ceramic wine jars were placed on a dark countertop, emitting a pleasant aroma that wafted throughout the lobby. A silver Taiping coin was spinning on the counter.

The Innkeeper in a worn robe with a discolored green silk scarf on his head, stood behind the counter. He propped his chin on his right hand as he stared at the spinning Taiping coin in a daze.

A waiter sat on a long bench against the wall and nodded off, his head bobbing up and down like a chicken slowly pecking at its food.

Suddenly, a man hobbled into the lobby.

The Innkeeper hurriedly reached out to stop the spinning Taiping coin on the countertop. He slowly removed his palm, revealing the words “peace to the world” that were engraved on the coin.

When the Innkeeper raised his head again, he had already plastered on his signature smile.

The man who entered looked to be in his forties, with a weathered face and scars all over. His left sleeve was void, and he was limping on his right leg.

However, this type of appearance was commonplace here. It neither frightened nor surprised anyone.

That was because this was The Inn.

Unlike ordinary inns, this “inn” was a rowdy place.

People from all walks of life—immortals and bumpkins alike—gathered here. Some patrons were rich and noble, dressed in lavish clothes, while others were criminals who could not see the light of day. There were also many mysterious figures around.

Facing the man, the Innkeeper asked, “Sir, what kind of services would you like today? Everything is negotiable, as long as the price is right.”

The limping man took out a brand-new cash note from his robe and slapped it on the counter in front of the Innkeeper. He said in a hoarse voice, “This cash note can be redeemed at any bank. It’s worth 1,000 Taiping coins.”

The Innkeeper glanced at the cash note and did not rush to speak.

The limping man continued, “Such a large sum of money is enough for most people to leave this industry, turn over a new leaf, and retire as a rich man.”

The Innkeeper nodded in agreement. “Sir, if you’d like to buy someone’s life, many people here are willing to take the gamble.”

The man shook his head and stressed. “I don’t want a hitman. I just want to keep someone safe from the hands of the Green Phoenix Guard.”

The man’s voice was not loud, but it was clear. The moment he uttered the words “Green Phoenix Guard,” the originally loud lobby turned silent. All the other “guests” paused in their movements, which showed how much of a notorious reputation the Green Phoenix Guard had.

The Innkeeper fiddled with the Taiping coin in his hand and explained, “In the Great Xuan Dynasty, the most terrifying thing to happen to office-bearers is not being dismissed from office. If they are dismissed, they can simply return home and enjoy their time with their wives and children. The most terrifying thing is to be arrested and interrogated by the Green Phoenix Guard.

“Once the Green Phoenix Guard is involved, it’s just a matter of time until someone dies and households are ruined. When someone falls into the Green Phoenix Guard’s hands, they often only have the chance to pray for a quick death. Most people are scared of death, but compared to being tortured by the Green Phoenix Guard, death is the greatest relief.”

The limping man remained silent.

The Innkeeper glanced at the uniform boots on the limping man’s feet and the blood stains on his clothes before he continued, “The Green Phoenix Guard have existed for two dynasties over the past 400 years and have a notorious reputation. Even the royal family, ministers, wealthy merchants, and master swordsmen are afraid of them. I’m afraid no one will dare take up your offer to protect someone from the Green Phoenix Guard. Do you understand what I’m saying, sir?”

The limping man sighed heavily. “I know, but this is The Inn.”

The Innkeeper laughed self-deprecatingly. “Well, we’re no longer what we used to be. The Inn and the Green Phoenix Guard don’t mess with each other’s business. If we cross the line, the Green Phoenix Guard will make life difficult for us. Do you understand what I’m saying now?”

The limping man fell silent and turned to scan the lobby.

No one dared to look him in the eye.

At first, the limping man was disappointed, but this disappointment gradually turned into despair.

Suddenly, a voice came from the corner of the lobby. “I’ll take this deal.”

After a moment of silence in the lobby, a flurry of whispers ensued, sounding like the annoying chirping of insects on a summer night or like a rat scurrying around in the night. Even the waiter, who had been dozing off, jolted up from his dream. He looked around first, then hurriedly got up from the bench and left the room, as if he was afraid of being implicated.

A sliver of hope arose again on the limping man’s face as he turned his head to look in the direction of that voice.

That voice came from a young man who was wearing a cloak and a bamboo rain hat—common attire for seasoned traveling swordsmen.

The young man sat in the corner of the lobby, occupying a table by himself. His short sword was placed on the table.

He stood up, walked over to the counter, then glanced at the cash note and commented, “One thousand Taiping coins is not a small amount. One could easily exchange it for a small mountain worth of Ruyi coins.”

During the previous Wei Dynasty, private currency was common, and forged money was rampant, leading to chaotic transactions and cumbersome conversions. Some office-bearers even made profits from it.

The Great Xuan Dynasty was aware of this problem. Thus, they created a standard system of three types of coins—gold, silver, and copper. They got rid of the square holes from the previous dynasty’s coins and made them into solid whole coins, which they named yuan.

The back of the gold yuan was engraved with the characters Chengping Wuyou.[1] Thus, the gold coin was more commonly known as the Wuyou coin.

The back of the silver yuan was engraved with the characters Tianxia Taiping.[2] Thus, the silver coin was known as the Taiping coin.

Similarly, the back of the copper yuan was engraved with the characters Pingan Ruyi.[3] Thus, the copper coin was known as the Ruyi coin.

The Innkeeper glanced at the empty bench not far from the counter and stretched out his hand to hold down the cash note. He advised calmly, “Young man, regardless of how much money you can get out of this deal, please listen to my advice. I’m afraid that you won’t have the opportunity to spend all this money anyway.”

The young man replied, “Thanks for the advice, but I can weigh the pros and cons myself.”

The Innkeeper sighed slightly, withdrew his palm that was pressing on the cash note, and did not say much more.

The limping man looked at the young swordsman and asked cautiously, “May I know your name?”

The young man replied, “Qi Xuansu.”

The Inn did not directly participate in fighting or killing. Instead, it acted as an intermediary, providing guarantees for both parties in the transaction and earning a commission from it.

To be able to do such a business, one must be knowledgeable and resourceful. This was proven by the established network of The Inn’s many branches all over the continent. It was rumored that a headquarters existed, but no one truly knew where it was located.

Since Qi Xuansu was willing to take this deal, the two signed a contract in the presence of the Innkeeper. Three copies of the agreement were signed and kept by each party: the Innkeeper, the limping man, and Qi Xuansu.

If Qi Xuansu completed the deal, he could reach out to the Innkeeper with this agreement and take away 900 of the 1,000 Taiping coins. The Inn would only take one-tenth of the money, which was 100 Taiping coins.

If Qi Xuansu could not fulfill his task, the limping man would still be able to get back 950 Taiping coins from the Innkeeper with the agreement. The Inn would only take a routine fee of 50 Taiping coins per transaction.

If a dispute arose, the two parties could use this agreement and ask for mediation at The Inn. The Inn would take appropriate measures if mediation failed.

However, no one really knew what “appropriate measures” The Inn would carry out if it came down to it.

After finalizing the agreement and explaining the details of the transaction, the limping man handed over the cash note equivalent to 1,000 Taiping coins to the Innkeeper. The Inn had a good reputation for doing business; even big deals worth tens of thousands of Taiping coins. Thus, the man was not worried about being scammed because The Inn would not ruin their reputation for a mere 1,000 Taiping coins.

The specific requirements of this deal were quite simple. Qi Xuansu was to rescue Li Hongwen, the magistrate of Fengtai County, from the county government office.

Li Hongwen was about to be arrested by the Green Phoenix Guard due to a major court case. He would likely not survive the journey to the Capital, much less the imprisonment.

Qi Xuansu had heard about this major court case. Two political factions were at odds with each other, and the situation was so confusing that it was difficult to determine who was in the right.

Furthermore, it was not difficult to guess the identity of this limping man. Judging from his appearance, Qi Xuansu guessed that the limping man was probably a close aide of the county magistrate, Li Hongwen. He had probably risked his life to flee and seek help at The Inn.

The limping man was relieved upon seeing the Innkeeper put away the contract and the cash note for 1,000 Taiping coins. Putting away his own copy of the contract, the limping man found an empty table nearby and sat down. Then he asked the Innkeeper for a small pot of wine.

As soon as the Innkeeper opened the big wine jar behind him, the aroma of wine immediately filled the room. The Innkeeper filled a small pot of wine without warming it[4] and delivered it to the limping man.

When the Innkeeper passed by Qi Xuansu, their eyes met for a moment. The Innkeeper’s gaze flickered with regret and helplessness, as if he were looking at a dying man.

Qi Xuansu did not care much about this. He kept his copy of the agreement in his sleeve pocket, walked back to his table, and hung his short sword at his waist. Then he stretched out his hand to press down on his bamboo hat, further covering his eyes so that people could only see his slim and chiseled chin. Lastly, he shook out his cloak to cover the sword at his waist.

The limping man took a big gulp of wine to calm his nerves and warned. “Brother Qi, I have told you all the details. Let me remind you again that this task is dangerous, so please be careful.”

Qi Xuansu, who was on his way out, paused in his footsteps, but he did not look back. “Thanks for the reminder.”

The limping man wanted to say something else, but he was afraid to scare off Qi Xuansu from this deal, so he kept silent in the end and drank away his sorrows. Soon, he passed out drunk on the table.

Since The Inn was built underground, Qi Xuansu had to walk into a long corridor that led above ground after leaving the lobby.

A row of torches lit up the long corridor, and it took about fifteen minutes to reach the exit.

The moment Qi Xuansu walked out of the corridor, he was greeted by a crossbow bolt that was aimed at his left leg. The intention of this was obvious, which was to incapacitate him, making it easier to capture him.

Qi Xuansu was able to dodge the bolt at the last moment. The bolt grazed his thigh and embedded itself deeply into the wall behind him. The black tail feathers of the bolt were still trembling from the strong impact.

This kind of crossbow bolt was familiar to him.

It was a standard weapon of the Green Phoenix Guard. The bolt head had blood grooves and barbs. If one was shot by this bolt and were to pull it out, a large piece of flesh would be torn off by the barbs. If the bolt was left in place, the barbs would cause constant bleeding. It was an extremely brutal weapon.

Qi Xuansu turned in that direction and saw a figure striding out of the shadows and stopping more than ten feet away from him.

The man held a pitch-black crossbow in his hand, so it was obvious that he was the one who had shot the bolt earlier.

Qi Xuansu sized up the man’s attire—a green, narrow-sleeved, long-breasted brocade robe with a black metal belt buckle representing a beast head at the waist and a pair of black square-tipped, upturned-toe military boots with white outsoles. It was undoubtedly the typical uniform of the Green Phoenix Guard.

1. Peace and blitheness. ☜

2. Peace to the world. ☜

3. Peace and contentment. ☜

4. Note that this is Chinese rice wine, which is often served warm. ☜