A Pawn's Passage

The ironclad ship had three floors, with many first-class rooms on the third floor. There was a small hall on the second floor in a similar layout to a restaurant, where wine and food were served. Additional food and drinks were excluded from the room package, which only provided three meals a day, so an extra charge was required.

Xu Kou invited Qi Xuansu for a drink, so they agreed to meet on the second floor. Before that, Qi Xuansu sent Liu Hu back to her room.

As soon as Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu went upstairs, they met a man dressed like a member of the gentry. However, the man’s skin was rough and tanned, which were traces of weathering by constant exposure to the wind and sun. Thus, he did not look at all like a typical pampered gentleman. Even so, there was no need to jump to conclusions because some gentlemen from well-off families liked to travel around the world and even went out to sea.

After all, the Confucian School no longer dominated the world, so academics were not seen as superior to everyone else. The Daoist era encouraged being in touch with nature, which included exploration.

While Qi Xuansu was sizing up this man, that man was also doing the same to Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu. His eyes swept across Liu Hu and landed on Qi Xuansu’s Divine Dragon Pistol on his waist. Seeing this, his expression changed slightly.

The Divine Dragon Pistol was associated with the Black Robes who were at the Mobile Corps General’s station or above. Those who spent money to buy the Divine Dragon Pistol would not carry it so openly on their waist unless they were a member of the Imperial Court or the Daoist Order. Otherwise, they would be inviting unnecessary trouble.

The tanned man hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively, “Brother, are you from the Black Robes?”

“I am.” Qi Xuansu lied.

“No wonder!” The man nodded. “There aren’t many people on land who would dare to openly carry firearms.”

Qi Xuansu asked with great interest, “Oh? Does everyone at sea carry firearms?”

“Absolutely. After all, we are far from the land authorities, so we often have to rely on ourselves for everything. We not only have to guard against pirates but sometimes even against our own crew. Our weapons will never leave our bodies.” The man touched his waist and continued, “To be honest, I have been a seafarer for many years. I didn’t expect to find that the Imperial Court had already banned civilians from carrying firearms. That’s why I have no choice but to keep my old companion at home. I feel empty and uneasy without my trusted weapon.”

In the past, private possession of crossbows and armor was considered treason. Now, that ban had been lifted, but firearms were still restricted. Talisman armor that could withstand firearms was the proud work of the Daoist Tianji Hall, on par with the Spirit Guard’s armor created by Huasheng Hall. People who were restricted by the imperial ban were not capable enough to imitate this kind of armor, and those who were capable enough to create an imitation were usually not restricted by this ban.

Qi Xuansu smiled. “I am Wei Wugui. I haven’t asked for your name.”

“Wang Baoyue.” The man took out a metal box from his sleeve pocket and offered a stick of paper-wrapped tobacco to Qi Xuansu.

“No, thank you.” Qi Xuansu waved his hand to decline. He asked with interest, “Brother, you mentioned that you’ve been a seafarer for many years. Where have you traveled to?”

Qi Xuansu was quite interested in sea voyages. There was a fad not long ago because of claims that the New World had mountains of gold and silver. Many of those who went overseas had also made a fortune, so Qi Xuansu was tempted to go.

After all, he had no dependents or family. Madam Qi did not need his support, so he had nothing to worry about. Besides, Qi Xuansu had not yet gotten the opportunity to work for Tiangang Hall at that time. He was alone and could go wherever he wanted, so he thought of going to sea.

However, going on voyages in this era was not as easy as it was in the early days. One would need significant capital to purchase a batch of goods for trade with the New World before one could go on board. Solo travelers would only be accepted if they worked as crew members, which was tough work.

Young people were always ambitious and arrogant, so the young Qi Xuansu refused to be a crew member who would be manipulated by others. He was also extremely poor then, with barely any savings. He once tried asking Madam Qi for a loan, but she ridiculed him, saying that he was not suited to be a businessman. She then advised him to wait while she arranged for more suitable jobs for him.

Qi Xuansu was not rebellious, so he completely gave up the idea of ​​going on a voyage to make a fortune. In the end, Madam Qi kept to her word and arranged a job in Tiangang Hall for him. That was how he met Zhang Yuelu, leading to all these twists and turns that seemed to secure him a bright future. However, one flying ship crash overturned Qi Xuansu’s promising future, forcing him to hide his identity until another opportunity arose for him to return legitimately.

Every time Qi Xuansu thought of his past dream, he lamented the possibilities that the voyage could lead to. The sea was where he longed to explore.

Wang Baoyue was indeed an experienced seafarer. He briefly told Qi Xuansu the places he had been to and introduced some of the interesting customs and goods that he had seen, like the samurai swords and gold from Fenglin; the wood and rubber from Borneo Island; the sari and spices from the Samudra Kingdom; the firearms and armored ships of the West; as well as tobacco and silver from the New World.

After the flying ship crash, Qi Xuansu thought that he could go out to sea and try his hand at becoming a wealthy maritime trader if he could no longer return to the Daoist Order.

The two men got along well, so Qi Xuansu suggested, “It’s fate that we get to meet each other here. I was just on my way to meet my friend for a drink in the small hall on the second floor. Would you like to join us? It’s my treat.”

Wang Baoyue waved his hand and declined. “Maybe next time.”

Qi Xuansu insisted. “Come on, there’s no better time than today!”

Wang Baoyue pursed his lips. “Brother Wei, your friend may not welcome me, so I don’t want to intrude. How about this? If you want to drink with me, you can come over to my room. I happen to have a bottle of sake from Fenglin. It tastes different from our usual rice wine, shaojiu, and the Western red wine. But I can’t really say that it tastes better. Come over and try some.”

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment. Then he patted Liu Hu’s shoulder and said, “Xiao Hu, go downstairs and tell Uncle Xu that I won’t be accompanying him today.”

Liu Hu nodded obediently and left.

Hearing this, Wang Baoyue grinned and stretched out a hand. “This way, Brother Wei.”

Wang Baoyue was also staying in a first-class room. It was very spacious and exquisite, consisting of a bedroom and a small, carpeted living room with a table and chairs.

As Qi Xuansu sat down, Wang Baoyue took out a trendy green glass bottle and two sake cups. He explained, “Actually, this type of wine originated from the Central Plains as ceremonial wine. After it was introduced to Fenglin, they changed their production methods, so it is different from our rice wine. Sake will change color over time if exposed to light, so it’s best to finish it in one go after opening the bottle.”

While talking, Wang Baoyue filled Qi Xuansu’s cup with sake.

Qi Xuansu picked up the cup and saw how clear the wine was, with no rice solids or a trace of cloudiness.

Wang Baoyue poured himself another cup. When he picked up his cup, Qi Xuansu could see the spiral stripe pattern at the bottom. “Bottoms up, Brother Wei!”

After that, he took a shot and showed Qi Xuansu the bottom of his cup. Then he looked at Qi Xuansu expectantly.

Qi Xuansu had never had this kind of wine, so he was curious about its taste. He drank the sake in one gulp and showed Wang Baoyue his empty cup.

This wine had a slight fragrance and a hint of sweetness, making it suitable for women and children. Speaking of women, Qi Xuansu’s mind wandered to Zhang Yuelu. She probably would not like this type of wine because it was not strong enough. She preferred hard liquor like shaojiu.

“Nice one, Brother Wei.” Wang Baoyue filled Qi Xuansu’s cup again, and the two clinked their cups once more. They gradually warmed up to each other.

Wang Baoyue continued to tell Qi Xuansu stories about his voyages, and the bottle of sake quickly ran out.

Qi Xuansu did not deliberately resist the aftereffects of the alcohol because he enjoyed this tipsy feeling.

At one point, he accidentally dropped his chopsticks on the floor, so he bent down from the waist to pick them up. That was when Qi Xuansu discovered a reddish-black spot on the carpet.

Ordinary people might neglect it, but Qi Xuansu was familiar with this color. It was aged blood.

Sake would change color when exposed to light; the same was true for blood. Judging from the degree of darkening, it seemed that the stain was created not too long ago.

Qi Xuansu instantly sobered up and slowly straightened up.

When he was sitting upright again, he saw the black hole of a muzzle aimed right between his brows.

Qi Xuansu often held his opponents at gunpoint, but he did not have much experience being at the open end of the barrel.