The Heavenly Wandering Sword

Chapter 26

The Tax Collector simply looked at him like he was an idiot. “Listen here citizen, I am an official empowered by the Governor to collect taxes on this part of the city. Get out of here before I have you arrested.” The two city guards also stepped forward with dark look on their faces. Liao Ping held up a hand to the tax collector. “Honoured tax collector, please let us just forget this. I have the red envelope prepared right here..” Li Jian shook his head. “Tax collector, please do not say in the future that I did not warn you. Sister Ling? Leave him alive.”

Ling Xin bowed slightly in acknowledgement before suddenly appearing behind the tax collector, her right foot kicking in behind his knees without using spiritual force to avoid killing him. However the physical strength of someone in the Dao Seeking realm was still quite powerful. Even cutting back the power of her kicks, she sent the tax collector sprawling on his knees. The two city guards looked as if they were going to attack but Ling Xin with a slight flicker of her eyes used one of the moves she had picked up as an assassin. Two dark energy ropes appeared from behind the two guards and quickly bounded their arms and legs together, rendering them unable to move.

Liao Ping’s mouth dropped open. He had no idea that the woman that accompanied the honoured benefactor of the Street Vendor association was a powerful martial artist. “Tax collector, do you see what happens when you abuse your own position for power?” The tax collector was too stunned to speak. “Let me give you a lesson that you will not soon forget.”

The tax collector’s mule began to walk the way back to the Governors palace by memory as the tax collector and the two city guards tied to the back of the mule with their pants pulled down around their ankles. “Shameless Corruption” and “Coercing bribes” were written on their buttcheeks for everyone to see. Various citizens could not help laughing at the sight while many city guards themselves simply turned a blind eye. There were always cases of city guards or city officials using their position to collect their own wealth.

A week later, Li Jian and Ling Xin were walking along Traveler street again and this time they saw the same tax collector making his rounds. Only this time, he brought twenty members of the city guard. Li Jian narrowed his eyes at the sight. He was going to need more mules.

The Governor after hearing of the humiliation suffered by the tax collector was furious. He knew of course many officials would practice underhanded things using their position but he left it be as long as they did not let it go overboard. Now he had twenty of his city guards and a tax collector sent back to the Governor’s palace with their pants stolen from them and phrases such as “Corrupt city guard” as well as “Stealing from the citizens” written on their butts. To make it worse, this time the ink used not regular ink but engraved into their skin with spiritual power.

“What is going on? Can anyone tell me why my city guards and tax collector was sent back in this state?” He fumed at his seat as he looked towards the room filled with various advisors and officials. “Governor, I have heard that this happened when the tax collector tried to collect red envelopes from the street vendors on Traveler street.” The Governor frowned. This was getting out of hand. He gave the order; the tax collector was to be sent with an escort of one hundred city guards. This was fully half of the guards in Baiyang city but he wanted to see if anyone dared to make a move after that.

A week later, an escort of twenty Imperial Guard and a royal carriage stopped in front of Sword Manor. Li Jian heard the knocking on the door, and mentally dismissed the Sword Spirits guarding his manor and instead went to open the gate himself to see who it was.

“Senior Master, I am honoured that you have accepted me at your residence.” The Crown Prince Jing Wu Die bowed towards Li Jian at the gates of Sword Manor. Li Jian handed him one of his tokens and smiled. “Prince Jing, you honour me with your words. It is a good time for you to show up, your sister has just come out of seclusion.” After a few moments, Ling Xin appeared with Jing Hong beside her. Jing Hong bowed towards her brother and Li Jian. “Sister, have you recovered from the Golden Curse?” She simply nodded. “Typical Sister Jing Hong, a month of not seeing me and she bows and nods only.” Jing Wu Die thought to himself. “Brother Li, I have learned the Phoenix Sword Art, at least the first three stages.”

Li Jian nodded and examined her carefully. “Princess Jing, you have broken through to the Spirit Realm.” He phrased it as a statement, not as a question. Jing Hong bowed. “It is thanks to the medicinal herbal baths and guidance by the Senior Brother.” Jing Wu Die was shocked, but also a bit sheepish. It seemed that he had been surpassed by his younger sister in strength now. Ling Xin stood there and smiled to herself. The more time she had spent with Li Jian, the more mysterious he had become. “You will need to consolidate your inner sea and make it waveless now that you are in the Spirit Realm. It is also a good time to take a break..” He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming slightly with both mischief as well as a plan coming together in his head.

“I know of a series of excellent street vendors who make some of the highest grade treats that I can guarantee you have not tasted at the Imperial palace.” A few moments later, Jing Wu Die and Jing Hong were each munching on a hot pancake while also eyeing the other vendor stalls around. “Brother Li, this is delicious. What is it?” Li Jian grinned to himself, he knew that the two Imperial family members would enjoy these street snacks. As fine as the food was at the Imperial palace, they lacked the variety that was found in common street food. At the same time, Li Jian considered these street fruit vendors as peerless masters. Li Jian was someone who had cultivated and reached the Heavenly Palace but he could not cook a pancake as thin nor know the perfect time to boil hand-pulled noodles.

“Prince and Princess Jing, what the two of you are enjoying are simple flour pancakes with green onion cooked on a hot griddle with an egg and salted bean sauce added to it. Next I must present to you two Imperial Highnesses the magical treat that is the omelet fried rice.”

The two Royals stared as Chen Ning, or who Li Jian referred to as the “Egg Saint” cooked an aromatic batch of fried rice before carefully wrapping it inside a fluffy omelet. “Lord Li, do you wish for spicy sauce or sweet sauce?” Li Jian would reach into his pocket and presented 5 silvers as an offering. “Please Honoured Egg Saint, add on both sauces. Please be generous.” The Egg Saint nodded and ladled on a generous portion of the sweet sauce and the hot sauce.

Jing Wu Die had known his sister and grew up with her for over 18 years of his 22 year lifespan. It was the first time he had seen her with something other than the usual expressionless look on her face. Jing Hong stood there, her eyes gleaming while her face reddened slightly from the hot sauce. “Brother Li, I understand why you refer to this street vendor as the Egg Saint.” Jing Wu Die tried some of it and had his mind opened by the omelet fried rice. The rice was fried to perfect with soy sauce, and the omlete simply added texture and flavour. The sweet and the spicy sauce made the combination of the rice and egg develop and transform into something exquisite in his mouth. When he tried to have a second serving, Jing Hong stared at him and placed a hand on her sword.

“Please enjoy the rest of it Sister Jing, even Crown Prince must have limits.” He said sheepishly, putting up his palms in a gesture of defeat. “Ling Xin, please present the two honoured guests with the specialty.” Ling Xin bowed and held up two skewers of candied chunks of apples and apricots. The two siblings each took a skewer and bit into them. Jing Wu Die was bewitched by the intensely sweet crunch of the outer candied layer that was then quickly washed away with the slightly tart juices of the apples and apricots. He looked over at Jing Hong but she had already finished her skewer with a look of longing at the empty bamboo skewer. “Brother Li, I understand what you mean about the true hidden dragons in Baiyang.” Jing Hong said this as she looked around at all the stalls around them.

At this moment, the tax collector came, this time with the one hundred members of the city guard. “Make way, make way for the tax collector.” Li Jian grinned to himself. He had planned this the moment he had opened the door to Jing Wu Die. He had gone around to each stall and collected the taxes themselves, held in paper envelopes with the amount and the stall name written on each envelope. He held out the collected taxes to the tax collector. “Tax collector, I have done you a favour. Now take the taxes and leave, your corrupt practices do not have any sway here.”

The Tax collector sneered at him. “You might have a bit of strength you stinking bastard, but the Governor has sent one hundred members of the city guard. Do you think you can take on all of us? If you kneel down and break your arms yourself, I will let you keep your life.” Li Jian simply shook his head and sighed. “Honoured Crown Prince and 3rd Princess, this corrupt tax collector dares to threaten the lives of citizens in front of you.” The Tax Collector frowned at him, a bit puzzled. Who the hell was this kid talking to?”

Jing Wu Die frowned and stepped forward. “Brother Li, what do you mean by this?” Li Jian shot an evil grin towards the tax collector. “Your Highnesses, the tax collector here has been coercing the various master vendors around here by forcing them to give bribes. Now he has come with one hundred members of the city guard to try and coerce them again.” Jing Hong was expressionless but placed a hand on her sword. Jing Wu Die frowned again at hearing this. “Tax collector, government officials must act with righteousness.” The Tax collector looked at the young man dressed in plain clothes in front of him. “Listen young boy, you best run back to your parents before you get involved in this fool’s rebellion. Otherwise I will have to cut your legs off as well.”

Jing Wu Die’s face became darker as the way the tax collector spoke to him. A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward. “On your knees when you speak to the Crown Prince of Huaxia.” He reached out and simply shoved the tax collector onto his knees with brute force while Jing Wu Die glared at him. “A government official daring to bring the city guard along to coerce the hard-earned income of the citizenry, and then has the balls to threaten the Crown Prince in this manner? You must not hold the Imperial Palace in your eyes at all.”

When the Tax Collector saw the members of the Imperial Guard move forward threateningly with weapons drawn towards the city guard, the city guard simply blanched and ran for it. The temper of the Emperor was well known and now to have threatened the Crown Prince? “Imperial Guard, arrest this tax collector. Brother Li, you are truly a master and a scholar, with such concern for the common citizen. This humble prince understands this lesson you have imparted upon me.” The tax collector as he was tied up by the Imperial Guard, could only look at Li Jian in stunned horror. Who was this man that the Crown Prince spoke so humbly to? Just who in the hell has he offended?