Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

It was late at night, but Cang Zhenye lay awake in bed, his eyes wide with worry. The villagers' gossip from the daytime, his eldest son's stubborn face, and Liu Tietou's infamous reputation echoed repeatedly in his mind. As the temple fair drew nearer, his ominous premonition grew stronger. He dared not imagine what might happen to his three sons at the fair…

What could he do to stop his eldest son's reckless actions? He thought of his second brother, Cang Yuanzhi. His second brother was a war hero and the elder his eldest son respected most; perhaps Li Feng would listen to him. He decided to go and discuss it with his second brother first thing the next morning.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Cang Zhenye hurriedly knocked on his second brother's door.

The door opened, and the moment Cang Zhenye saw his second brother, this usually resilient man's voice trembled with suppressed sobs: "Second brother, please help me persuade Lifeng. He... he's going to take Xiangyang, Tianci, and the other kids to the temple fair to confront Liu Tietou head-on. Isn't that like throwing eggs against a rock? I... I'm afraid the children won't come back!"

He had assumed his second brother would immediately set off to dissuade Li Feng. However, upon hearing this, Cang Yuanzhi praised him with satisfaction: "What a courageous and responsible Li Feng! Why should I try to dissuade him? This is how a man of the Cang family should be—better to bleed standing up than to beg for life on his knees!"

Cang Zhenye was stunned by these words and stared at his second brother in astonishment.

Cang Yuanzhi patted his younger brother on the shoulder, his tone softening: "However, your concerns are valid. It's good to have guts, but we can't let our children die in vain. Having fists but no backup plan is just being a reckless fool."

He paused, a resolute glint in his eyes, "Go back and tell Lifeng to act exactly as he's supposed to, and to make sure he's in the right. The rest is none of your concern; leave it to me. It's time to put my old face and the goodwill I've earned through this leg to good use."

After saying that, Cang Yuanzhi said no more and waved to Cang Zhenye.

After Cang Zhenye left, Cang Yuanzhi stood there for a long time, as if performing a silent memorial. Finally, he returned to the house and took out an old telephone book, wrapped in oilcloth and well-preserved, from the deepest part of the bottom of a box. With trembling fingers, he dialed a long-forgotten number that went directly to the provincial military region.

When the call connected, his back straightened instinctively, as if he were still wearing his military uniform.

"Old squad leader," he said into the microphone, his voice heavy with sorrow, "I, Yuanzhi... today, I have to say this to you..."

On the fifteenth of August, the "Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings" temple fair in Futian Township arrived as scheduled. The spacious square in front of the temple was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder. The air was filled with the aroma of incense, the sweetness of fried cakes, the salty fragrance of braised dishes, and the sourness of sweat. Various food stalls, acrobatic stalls, and fortune-telling stalls were packed full, creating a festive atmosphere. However, beneath this lively surface, a cold undercurrent was quietly surging on the east side of the square.

On the makeshift stage erected on the east side, the youth martial arts team from Xiqiao Village stood in neat formation. The boys wore clean training clothes, their faces showing tension, yet they tried to straighten their chests, their eyes revealing the stubbornness of newborn calves.

The procession was a little sparser than expected—just the day before the temple fair, several worried parents approached Cang Lifeng, asking him to remove their children from the performance the following day.

"Lifeng, it's not that the children are afraid, it's that we, their parents, are afraid! Who is Liu Tietou? If the children go with you, what if... what if something happens to them? How will we survive!"

After a long silence, Cang Lifeng solemnly said, "Uncle, Aunt, don't worry. Tomorrow, we're just going to perform, not to fight. I, Cang Lifeng, guarantee the children's safety with my life. If anything happens, come at me alone; I will never let the children take the lead!" His firmness and sense of responsibility barely calmed the parents, allowing the determined teenagers to stay and follow him. At their feet were placed a lion head, an embroidered ball, a red-tasseled spear, a performance sword, and Cang Lifeng's ever-present nine-section whip.

Cang Lifeng stood at the very front of the group, his posture upright and his gaze calm. He slowly scanned the throng of people below the stage, and also glanced over the area that had been deliberately cleared out, his eyes filled with a sense of responsibility as heavy as a mountain.

He recalled every village he had visited with the children over the past few months—from initially being ridiculed as "showy" to gradually being invited to perform and entertain, the children clutching every penny they earned with burning warmth in their palms. It was money they had earned through their own abilities, income that the poor families of Xiqiao Village had never experienced before. But it was precisely this that blocked Liu Tietou's path to wealth. Master Zhou had said, "Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents, but if you bend your back for money, you'll never be able to straighten your spine again."

On the other side of the stage, a clearing had been forcibly partitioned off. Liu Tietou sat imposingly in a grand chair, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight, the centipede-like scar on his head appearing particularly menacing. Behind him stood a group of twenty-odd burly men, their eyes fierce, like wolves ready to devour their prey. Some carried short sticks, others had chains coiled around their arms, and their clothes bulged, clearly concealing weapons.

Wang Zhenkun and Wang Youfu hid behind a stall selling incense and candles at the edge of the square, where the view was excellent. The two men wore undisguised smirks and smugness, like hunters waiting for their prey to fall into a trap.

Wang Youfu lowered his voice and whispered in Wang Zhenkun's ear, "Big brother, just you wait and see. I had someone make that thing look exactly like the real thing." Wang Zhenkun grinned, revealing a sinister smile. He didn't say anything, but just stared at the tall figure in the center of the stage, as if he were staring at a dead man who was about to breathe his last.

An eerie vacuum had formed around the stage. Liu Tietou's men roughly shoved and drove the onlookers away. The villagers, though angry, dared not speak out and could only watch from afar. The air seemed to freeze, thick with the smells of sweat, dust, and gunpowder, waiting for a spark.

Liu Tietou slowly stood up, stretched his thick neck, and his knuckles cracked. He strolled to the front of the stage, looked Cang Lifeng up and down, and said in a deep voice:

"Kid, you're that 'Little Martial God' from Xiqiao Village? You've got quite the airs! Putting on such a show on my turf? I heard you're pretty good with your fists? Come on, let me see if your fancy moves are faster, or if my fists are harder!"

Cang Lifeng clasped his hands in a salute, his voice steady: "Brother Liu, you flatter me. I, Cang Lifeng, brought the children here today only to add to the festivities of the temple fair and to bring some joy and excitement to the villagers. We have absolutely no intention of challenging anyone. We'll just put on a few stunts to make you laugh."

"Bullshit!" A burly man with a scarred eye and a face full of scars jumped out from behind Liu Tietou, pointing at Cang Lifeng's nose and cursing, "Performance? Performance my ass! Look at this!" He waved a crumpled piece of paper and continued, "Dare to write a challenge but don't dare to admit it? I heard you're incredibly arrogant, planning to establish a presence at the temple fair and climb over our Brother Tietou's shoulders! What? Daring to do it but not daring to admit it? A cowardly wimp?"

After saying that, he laughed triumphantly. The thugs behind him joined in the laughter.

Behind the shed, Wang Zhenkun grinned, revealing yellow teeth, and whispered to Wang Youfu, "See? With this fake document out, it'll be hard for Liu Tietou not to go all out. This fire has been lit."

Liu Tietou raised his hand, silencing his men's incessant chatter. He stared at Cang Lifeng and said coldly:

"Misunderstanding? Do you think I'm some clay figure that you can fool? Or do you think that the reputation I, Liu Tietou, have made on the Fushui River is just empty talk?" Liu Tietou's voice wasn't loud, but it had a harsh, metallic quality to it.

The thugs behind him stepped forward in unison, their weapons slightly raised, flashing with a threatening glint, and the air instantly tensed to the extreme.

The martial arts team boys turned even paler, their breathing becoming rapid. Cang Lifeng, however, remained as unmoved as an iron stake driven into the stage. He took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping over Liu Tietou and the ferocious pack behind him, finally settling on the scarred face. His clasped hands slowly lowered, his voice still steady, yet hardened with the hardness of steel:

"Brother Liu, I, Cang Lifeng, have acted with integrity, in accordance with heaven and earth, and with my own conscience. Today, I brought the children here only to perform and add color to this temple fair. I have never written a challenge letter; this challenge letter must be a forgery by someone else. Please, Brother Liu, do not fall for someone's scheme to sow discord."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenkun, who was watching from a distance, was startled and became uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Liu Tietou scoffed, his fleshy face twitching. His gaze, seemingly casually, swept towards the shed where Wang Zhenkun was hiding, as if he could see through the crowd to that terrified face. "Hmph," Liu Tietou sneered, "Why would I, Liu Tietou, need a brat like you to teach me? Do you think I don't know what that old bastard Wang Zhenkun is scheming about? I'm here today not just because of him, but also because you broke the rules of Futian Township. I'm here to set some rules for you."

Liu Tietou's words sparked murmurs among the audience:

"Who is this Wang Zhenkun? How dare he scheme against the Iron Tyrant?"

"He is the Party Secretary of Xiqiao Village, and I heard he has a grudge against the little martial arts master on stage."

"Oh, no wonder. This Party Secretary is really insidious."

……

Liu Tietou's words elicited a variety of reactions from the audience members from Xiqiao Village: some were enlightened, some indignant, some worried, some fearful, and some indifferent, their expressions calm—the one huddled at the back of the crowd was Li Dazhuang, the one who had dragged his son Tiedan away from the martial arts team last night. Hearing the people around him discussing Wang Zhenkun, he subconsciously shrank back and lowered his head even further.

In the crowd, Cang Shouzheng looked at his son, Cang Xiangrong, on the stage, wanting to shout but not daring to. He suddenly remembered the look in Cang Xiangrong's eyes when he told Cang Lifeng, "It's good to fight it out." There was a glimmer of light in those eyes. That light was given to him by Cang Shouzheng. But now, he could only stand here, unable to do anything. Cang Yongqiang's expression was equally solemn. He was worried about his younger brother and also feared Liu Tietou's notorious reputation. As for Cang Jianguo and his son Cang Xiaoren, they didn't come to the temple fair at all, fearing trouble.

When Wang Zhenkun heard Liu Tietou say his name in public, his heart trembled violently. When he heard the discussions of the surrounding audience and the occasional glances directed his way, he felt extremely uncomfortable and could no longer stay still.

"Youfu, you stay here and keep watch for me. I'll go first." He whispered hurriedly to Wang Youfu, then, with Wang Youfu and another trusted confidant covering him, he lowered his head, awkwardly squeezed into the depths of the crowd, and quickly disappeared.

Upon hearing Liu Tietou's words, Cang Lifeng thought to himself, "I was right. It really was Wang Zhenkun behind all this." A chilling anger welled up within him, but he had no time to dwell on it. The immediate crisis was the priority.

He took a deep breath, refocusing his gaze on Liu Tietou, his tone still restrained and respectful: "Brother Liu is very perceptive. Since you know that someone is framing you, you shouldn't let your loved ones suffer while your enemies rejoice. I, Cang Lifeng, have just returned to Futian Township and don't know what the rules are. Please enlighten me, Brother Liu."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tietou's face twitched, and he winked at a weasel-faced subordinate beside him. The subordinate understood and jogged to the edge of the stage, gesturing for Cang Lifeng to come closer.

Cang Lifeng frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then leaned down slightly. The thug leaned close to his ear, lowered his voice, and said quickly, "Kid, listen up! Iron Head's rules are rules! You and your gang of bastards have to give back 70% of the money you've earned from jobs in Futian Township these past few months as a tribute and apology! From now on, if you take on any jobs, you'll have to get Iron Head's approval first, and he'll take 30% of each job! Understand?"

Upon hearing this, Cang Lifeng's face instantly darkened. This was no longer a provocation, but a chain aimed at strangling them. If he accepted it, how could he face the young men who trusted him? His unyielding spirit could not be broken here. His master's teaching, "A righteous heart makes one's bones strong," echoed in his ears, and he no longer hesitated.

He straightened up, his gaze like two cold bolts of lightning shooting towards Liu Tietou. His previous restraint had been replaced by a chilling resolve: "Brother Liu, this rule... I'm afraid I cannot comply!"

"Oh?" Liu Tietou seemed to have expected this, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "I'll give you a way, but you won't take it. Then let's go by the rules of the arena. If you win, we'll follow your rules; if you lose, the previous rules will be doubled!" Without waiting for Cang Lifeng's response, he suddenly waved his hand: "Black Bear, let him see what's what!"

"Roar—" The black bear let out a deep, thunderous roar, its massive body suddenly accelerating like a heavy tank at full power, charging towards the rickety stage with a gust of wind. Its heavy footsteps made the wooden planks groan under the strain. Its fist, the size of a clay pot, whistled through the air, without any fancy moves, aimed straight for Cang Lifeng's face. If this punch landed, it would be enough to shatter a person's skull.