Tie Niaofei and his men settled into the largest inn in Daizhou City.
There was no fine wine, no elaborate dishes. Years of drought had shattered local economies everywhere, and private businesses were barely surviving. Daizhou was no exception. The inn provided only the most basic food, and even that came at an outrageous price.
Tie Niaofei held a coarse steamed bun in his hand, chewing slowly, without appetite. Just as he was considering asking his men for some dried meat to wash it down, a sudden burst of noise erupted from the second floor.
Footsteps thundered down the stairs.
Tie Niaofei looked up—
And the instant his eyes landed on the group, murderous fury surged through him.
"Tian Shenglan!" he growled.
Among the descending crowd, one man walked at the front. Tian Shenglan—later counted among the Eight Great Jin Merchants. His gaze swept the hall and immediately locked onto Tie Niaofei. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but it vanished in an instant.
"Well, well," Tian Shenglan said calmly, "if it isn't Tie Niaofei."
Tie Niaofei's hand dropped to the hilt of his saber.
Behind him, all thirty cavalrymen followed suit, hands resting on their weapons.
Tian Shenglan's men did the same.
In an instant, the inn's main hall turned into a powder keg.
The innkeeper ducked behind the counter without hesitation. The servants scattered, clearly prepared to bolt at the first sign of bloodshed.
Everyone knew—if these two sides clashed here, the authorities would be alerted immediately.
Tian Shenglan, usually a man of few words, now spoke at length.
"I never expected a bandit siege to save your miserable life. And now you've chased me all the way to Daizhou. What—do you really intend to start a fight here?"
"This isn't Hedong," Tie Niaofei snapped back.
"Your bribes don't run this city's salt administration. Since your men didn't attack me the moment they saw me, I know the prefect here hasn't been bought—and won't cover for you."
"And he won't cover for you either," Tian Shenglan sneered.
"I am a legitimate merchant, sanctioned by the court, supplying the Nine Border Garrisons. Touch me, and see if the local troops don't tear you apart."
Tie Niaofei's mind raced.
Could he kill Tian Shenglan instantly, burst out of the city, and rely on cavalry speed to escape pursuit?
Was it actually feasible?
At that moment, a faint voice rose from the small avatar resting against his chest.
So soft only he could hear it.
"Don't act rashly," said Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Tie Niaofei's face lit up.
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun has arrived!"
Remembering the warning, he immediately lowered his voice.
"If this subordinate strikes now and escapes quickly, there's a chance I could get away."
"There's also a chance you won't," Dao Xuan Tianzun replied calmly.
"And even if you escape, your men may not. Several lives would be lost."
The logic was irrefutable.
Tie Niaofei instantly cooled down, silently cursing himself for letting hatred override reason.
"Think carefully," Dao Xuan Tianzun continued.
"You now possess a lawful identity—a merchant with salt permits. From now on, you can walk openly into border garrisons, drink and mingle with soldiers as equals. Is it worth throwing that away for a moment of rage? Becoming a wanted criminal—does that truly appeal to you?"
Tie Niaofei scratched his head awkwardly.
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun's wisdom is flawless."
"What you reported to Sun Chuanting," Dao Xuan Tianzun said,
"he didn't fully believe—but he believed enough. He has already written a document urging stricter border control and closer scrutiny of Jin merchants."
Tie Niaofei's eyes sharpened.
"Zhang Zongheng is stationed at Yanmen Pass, only twenty li from here," Dao Xuan Tianzun went on.
"A mounted courier can deliver that letter in half an hour. Zhang Zongheng understands border affairs far better than Sun Chuanting. Once he reads it, he will act."
Tie Niaofei understood completely.
Slowly, his hand moved away from his saber.
Behind him, the thirty cavalrymen relaxed as well.
Across the hall, Tian Shenglan let out a silent breath of relief. Seeing Tie Niaofei back down, his confidence surged at once.
"Hmph," Tian Shenglan sneered.
"Stay put, like a good dog. A petty salt smuggler like you can't touch me."
He paused, then added coldly,
"And take my advice—stay away from the border with your so-called business. Otherwise… heh."
With that, he turned and headed back upstairs.
"Bah!" Tie Niaofei spat.
His old comrades had been slaughtered by salt officials and Jin merchants alike. He himself had been tortured in their dungeons. Seeing Tian Shenglan's smug retreat made him want to tear the man apart with his bare hands.
But a divine order had already been given.
Suppressing his fury by force, he thought grimly:
Just wait. Dao Xuan Tianzun will not let you off so easily.
An hour and a half later—
At the gates of Daizhou City, a massive formation of cavalry arrived.
Every rider was impeccably equipped, exuding lethal discipline—elite border troops at a glance.
At their center rode a civil official, armored and mounted.
Zhang Zongheng, Supreme Commander of Xuan-Da, had arrived.
He had originally been preparing to depart Yanmen Pass and return to Datong when he unexpectedly received an essay from the famed scholar Sun Chuanting.
Sun Chuanting was well known—fond of discussing border affairs, endlessly proposing strategies against Mongols and Manchus alike.
Thus, when the essay arrived, Zhang Zongheng read it with mild impatience.
After finishing, he scoffed inwardly.
Merchants colluding with enemies? Supplying invaders? Do you think we don't know? Of course we do. But the border is vast—how could anyone control it? A few small peddlers sneaking goods across on dark, windy nights—what can I do? String barbed wire across the entire frontier? Even if I did, someone would cut a hole.
He was about to dismiss the matter entirely—
When his eyes caught a name at the very end of the document.
Tian Shenglan.
Zhang Zongheng's expression changed instantly.
This was no petty smuggler. Tian Shenglan was a prominent Jin merchant, dealing in massive volumes. Zhang Zongheng himself had heard of him—had even admired him.
He had personally received Tian Shenglan before, praising him for easing the supply hardships of Datong's border troops.
Such a man… colluding with the Manchus?
Zhang Zongheng could not remain still.
Daizhou was close.
He immediately assembled a cavalry escort and galloped there at full speed.
The arrival of a large cavalry force threw Daizhou City into uproar.
Rumors spread like wildfire through the streets.
In the inn's main hall, whispers buzzed:
"A high official has arrived!"
Li Daoxuan sensed it at once.
He chuckled softly—and with a familiar whoosh, shifted his consciousness back into the palm-sized puppet.
The Puppet Dao Xuan Tianzun lay hidden among fallen leaves. The stone table beneath its branch was now empty.
The puppet twitched, then sprang to life.
It pushed off the branch with both hands, dropped heavily to the ground without pain, and scampered swiftly toward the front hall.