A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Luo Han and his men had always placed their hopes of intercepting and surrounding the city outside Guangzhou because once a Grand Master-level figure entered a city with complex terrain and intentionally hid, it would be almost impossible for ordinary soldiers to find him.

Rivers, pavilions, high walls, and houses are all obstacles for ordinary people, hindering their movement and blocking their view, but for a master boxer, they are as smooth as flat ground, with easy access in all directions.

As dawn broke and the sun slowly rose amidst the eastern sea of ​​clouds, the soldiers who had been searching frantically ceased their efforts and stopped their futile work.

All the troops available for Luohan and his men to mobilize were redeployed to the south for defense.

After hearing about what happened that night, Nalando felt uneasy and asked Luohan to meet him.

The Arhat entered the mansion alone to explain his purpose.

"These rebels are determined to come to Guangzhou because they are attracted by Guangzhou's convenient water transport. They want to use Guangzhou as a transit point to go overseas. The best course of action now is to guard the waterways. Perhaps then we can still gain something."

Nalando nodded slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "Your Imperial Household Department's Sticky Rod Office deals with rebels the most, so you naturally know them well. However, that Blue-Faced Ghost has been entrenched in the three cities and seven villages for several years, and his methods are quite different from those of ordinary rebels. Now that he has come to Guangzhou, I am afraid that he will harm the wealthy merchants and some officials of the court in the city."

Luo Han pondered, "The instructor's most urgent task is to send the roster away. Since that blue-faced ghost has chosen to travel with the instructor, he must be influenced by the instructor to some extent."

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

Nalando said worriedly, "Guangzhou is not like those rural places like the Three Cities and Seven Villages. There are high-ranking officials of the imperial court here. If they were to be assassinated by him, it would surely bring shame to the imperial court. Those rebels would probably be happy to see that happen."

Luo Han understood his implication and went along with it, saying, "In Guangzhou, Lord Nalan is the most important person. I will immediately send those boxers and some men from the Sticky Pole Bureau to the General's Mansion to protect Lord Nalan."

Nalando feigned hesitation, saying, "But this would inevitably dilute our forces. If those two traitors were to actually show up, I wonder if you could handle the situation?"

"Rest assured, sir. Now we only need to focus on the two sides. Besides, if they want to cross the sea, they will definitely have to show up and board the ship during the day. As long as we can find out, we can surround them with heavy troops during the day. The situation will be much different from that at night."

Luo Han said, "The instructor was injured when he escaped from only two hundred men that day. Now, thousands of troops have been mobilized in broad daylight. Moreover, the locations on both sides are clear and they can support each other. The result is predictable."

"That's good, that's good."

Having achieved his goal, Nalando felt somewhat relieved. Then he remembered, "I heard that several experts from the Sticky Rod Bureau also unfortunately perished at the hands of those two traitors? I will immediately order them to be given a grand and dignified burial."

It's better not to mention it. We've dragged it out until now, and we still have to bring it up as if it were just a side note. Luo Han couldn't help but frown and said stiffly, "The traitors are still on the run. Giving them a proper burial at this time is not a respectable thing to do. Besides, we are all prepared to serve the court. With the grace of the palace, their bodies will be transported back to the vicinity of the capital for burial."

Nalando could tell that he was actually in a very depressed mood and did not want to linger there any longer, so he said a few words of condolence and then wisely got up to see him out of the mansion.

Back in the living room, even my favorite Huangshan Maofeng tea tasted bland and tasteless.

After sitting alone for a long time, Nalando covered his lips with his hand and exhaled a foul breath. The stench rushed into his nostrils. Without the tea to moisten his mouth, he pursed his lips slightly, and the taste of blood spread from the roots of his teeth.

The taste was truly unpleasant. It was fine if you didn't pay attention to it normally, but once you did, you felt a dull ache in all your teeth. Nalando consulted many doctors to treat this dental problem, but nothing worked.

Two years ago, I went to see a Western doctor who said it was a problem of high sugar levels in my blood and urine. The doctor told me not to eat meat or eggs, not to drink alcohol, and to eat less rice. He said that this would help control the condition. Otherwise, not only would my dental problems not get better, but any sores on my body would also take a long time to heal, and I would even die young.

Although Nalando was nearly fifty years old, living longer than five or six tenths of the people in the Qing Dynasty, he still cherished his life.

For the sake of his life, he had considered abstaining from certain foods. However, sitting in this position meant he had a lot to worry about. According to his long-standing habit, he would eat and drink excessively when he was happy and when he was unhappy in order to relieve his depression and resentment. How could he possibly control this illness?

Sometimes, when his colleagues or even people from the palace come to invite him to a banquet, how could he possibly refuse?

Nalando has recently come to realize that the Qing Dynasty is becoming increasingly unstable, with the rebels gaining momentum each time. There are also likely disloyal thoughts among the Beiyang Army, and sooner or later, chaos will ensue and war will break out everywhere.

Rather than occupying this position and waiting for chaos to strike, it would be better to accumulate enough wealth early on and take a large group of guards and family members to flee overseas.

I've heard that the land there is sparsely populated, and some well-off families can ride horses in their gardens, with groups of foreign doctors following around to serve them. How wonderful!

However, Nalando understood a principle even better: whether it was foreigners or the Qing Dynasty, there were always some unspoken rules, both overt and covert, that would be ruthless and cruel. Especially for an outsider like him, relying solely on guards and guns was useless; he also needed connections and influence.

To this end, Nalando actively cultivated relationships with many British people. The man now living in the mansion, Seymour, had an uncle who was the first commander of the Eight-Nation Alliance. His background was quite strong. Once he met Seymour's demands, the network of relationships he had built with the British would be almost complete.

"Someone come here!"

Thinking of this, Nalando called someone in, "How's the search for that ancient painting going? Didn't Li Duo say he had news a couple of days ago?"

Li Duo was a staff member in Nalando's household, and the servants usually called him Master.

"Master Li has already identified who has the painting and says he'll go talk to them today."

Nalando then asked, "In whose hands?"

"I heard it's the Ma family of Baoshengtang."

Nalando slapped the armrest of his armchair and said, "Alright, now that we've found out, let's go and inform the foreigners. They've been waiting for so long, it's time for them to give us some definite information."

"Yes."

After his men left, Nalando picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

He was alone in the room, and he chuckled to himself, "These foreigners aren't handling guns and cannons, but instead they're acting like old scholars looking at ancient paintings. Oh well, it's better than them directly asking me for money."

Nalando's original intention was simply to give the foreigners a message to reassure them and prevent them from losing patience.

But Dimon Seymour valued the painting far more than Nalando had anticipated.

Upon receiving the news, Seymour put down his half-finished morning tea and immediately urged someone to lead the way, taking his guard with him, and headed straight for Baoshengtang.

The Ma family of Baoshengtang was quite famous in Guangzhou. It is said to have a history of nearly a hundred years. When it was passed down to Ma Baiwen and his son Ma Zhixing, the family business gained even more good reputation.

Both father and son were highly skilled in medicine, especially Ma Zhixing, who had studied in the West and, upon returning, used a combination of Western and Chinese medicine, successfully curing several serious illnesses that even his father could not.

However, his father loathed foreign things, which caused a rift between him and Ma Zhixing. They argued for a long time before he was finally allowed to enter the house this year.

When Dimon Seymour and his group were still half a street away from Baoshengtang, they heard a gunshot.

The person leading the way felt a sudden gust of wind pull him away, and when he turned around, the two foreigners who had been following him were gone.

When Dimon Seymour and McPhell arrived at the location of the shooting, they smelled a strong stench of blood emanating from the doorway.

In the front yard, several soldiers stood there at a loss. In the living room lay two corpses, both old men wearing melon-shaped hats, long robes, and mandarin jackets.

A man with water and bloodstains on his face and gunshot wounds on his body was lying on the ground. He was Li Duo, the clerk of the general's mansion.

Another person was sitting in a chair with a dagger stuck in their chest, blood gushing out.

Seymour glanced around and saw shards of broken porcelain on the ground, as well as a pistol lying on the steps. He asked, "What happened here?"

These soldiers were frequent visitors to the general's residence and knew that these two foreigners were the general's distinguished guests, so they dared not be negligent and rushed to answer.

Their voices were a jumble of dialects, spoken urgently. Seymour frowned, unable to understand a word, and shouted, "Shut up!"

He pointed to the soldier on the far left and said, "You go first, and speak slowly."

The soldier was startled by his shout, and when those emerald green eyes looked over, he felt inexplicably tense all over. He stammered for a while before he could speak clearly.

Seymour listened to him and understood what had happened.

After Li Duo and his men arrived, they talked about the Ma family's collection of ancient paintings, and then, putting on airs like a general's mansion, they wanted to buy their painting at a low price.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. When Ma Baiwen heard that Nalando wanted it, he was already prepared to swallow his anger and let his son go and get the painting. But he asked one more question: Why is Nalando suddenly appreciating calligraphy and paintings?

After all, everyone knew that this Guangzhou general disliked literature. To go to such lengths to find the whereabouts of an ancient painting and come knocking on their door was unlike his usual style.

Li Duo was probably in a good mood at the time, thinking that he was about to complete the task assigned by his superiors and could also get some kickbacks, so he truthfully told them that the British wanted the painting.

Unexpectedly, when Ma Baiwen heard that it was a foreigner who wanted the painting, he flew into a rage and refused to sell it. In the ensuing argument, he even smashed Li Duo's head with a teacup.

With his head bleeding and his face red from being scalded by hot tea, Li Duo, driven by malice, pulled out a dagger and stabbed Ma Baiwen to death.

This scene was witnessed by Ma Zhixing, who had just retrieved the ancient painting. It is unclear how he came to have a gun, but he fired on the spot, hitting Li Duo.

After the nearest soldier shot him out of his pistol, Ma Zhixing escaped.

As the soldiers who remained behind were talking, the soldiers who had gone to chase after the man also ran back.

They lost track of Ma Zhixing.

The gunshots attracted more soldiers, who sealed off Baoshengtang. Luohan even sent someone over to take a look.

The steward of the general's mansion arrived and repeatedly assured Seymour that he would definitely bring Ma Zhixing back and present the ancient painting.

"No need to trouble you."

Seymour raised a hand to stop the butler from speaking, and said, "Please go and ask if anyone knows which room the son lives in."

The apprentice who was helping to dispense medicine at Baoshengtang was soon trembling as he was locked up and taken over, and pointed to Ma Zhixing's room.

Dimon Seymour went inside by himself, while McPhell stood outside the door, preventing anyone else from approaching.

The general's steward could only watch from outside the door.

Dimon Seymour walked around the room without leaving any trace of ransacking, but he would linger a little longer whenever he reached a table, wardrobe, or bed.

The morning sun hadn't fully penetrated the room yet. Dimon Seymour stood in a slightly shady and dimly lit spot, raised his hand to lift the insect-proof curtain, and looked down at the bed.

The butler thought he might be seeing things. Just now, when Seymour raised his hand and lowered his head, he suddenly seemed to see fine lines on the Englishman's neck, like faint blue fish scales.

It extends from the neck to behind the ears and disappears in a flash.

………………

Half of the green hills enter the city, and all six rivers flow to the sea.

Guangzhou is nestled between mountains and water, with the Yangtze River flowing outside the city and waterways crisscrossing the city itself.

There is a saying that one-tenth of the people in Guangzhou live on the water. Each family owns only a small boat. They eat, live, and use the boat for food and shelter. They either fish on the Pearl River or carry passengers and goods on the smaller rivers.

Just like what I saw in the three cities and seven villages, the area outside the city was mostly desolate, dilapidated and simple, while the area inside the city was much better, at least on the outside.

However, even combined, the prosperity of Diancheng, Tancheng, and Heyang was far from comparable to that of Guangzhou.

As the sun gradually warmed up, the city of Guangzhou was bustling with people. On the streets, big and small, there were sorcerers with ropes tied around their waists and wearing masks, leading the way. There were also monks chanting scriptures and Taoist priests ringing bells. Paper boats were placed in front of each house, and the owners would throw some wood chips and straw scraps into them.

The faces of ordinary people bore the roughness and sorrow etched by wind, frost, rain, and night, yet they were also infected by the atmosphere, revealing some lively smiles as they faced the sunlight.

Children wandered the streets, carrying cheap trinkets, some of which were just a tattered piece of red cloth, yet they laughed happily.

The coach squatted by a small river, gazing at the scene on the street.

Guan Luoyang handed over the steaming hot buns and squatted down beside him, asking, "What holiday is it today?"

The coach said, "Not only today, but from September 23rd to September 28th is Huaguang's birthday. Everyone usually has a tough time, but during these days, we can all have some fun."

"So it's Huaguang's birthday." Guan Luoyang nodded.

The Huaguang Festival is also held in the three cities and seven villages, but it is only held on the 27th and 28th of the lunar calendar, and it is not nearly as lively as it is now. It is just a two-day opera performance by a troupe.

The instructor took a bite of his steamed bun: "This isn't the most exciting time yet. The past few days have just been for shamanistic rituals to ward off evil spirits and pray for no fires. On the 28th, the statue of Master Huaguang will be returned to its place, and there will be dragon and lion dances, with torches and lanterns everywhere at night."

The streets were filled with theatrical performances. All the Peking Opera performers who revered Huaguang Dadi as their patron saint had to be fully focused, performing rituals and singing on stage.

Just then, a small boat passed by them. The man on the boat was shirtless, wearing a headscarf, and looked to be over forty, but was probably only in his early thirties. He sang a few lines of a tune whose lyrics were indistinct.

Guan Luoyang looked in the direction of the sound and couldn't help but smile.

Inside the cabin, a little child held the last yellowed candied hawthorn, carefully stuck out the tip of his tongue to lick it, quickly closed his mouth and laughed, then wrapped the candied hawthorn up again.

Guan Luoyang, who had just been enjoying the pleasant atmosphere, slowly lost his smile upon seeing this scene.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable squatting, so he sat down.

Both sides of the river are paved with stone bricks, which are much higher than the water level. Behind them are bamboo sheds connecting several pavilions with flying eaves. Sometimes tourists wait for boats or unload their cargo here, where they can find shade and shelter from the rain.

Guan Luoyang sat down with his feet barely touching the water's surface; the heel of his right shoe was still worn out. He said, "The time you agreed upon was September 28th, right?"

The coach nodded.

It's not hard to guess; September 28th is the busiest time, and choosing that time to make contact is naturally the safest.

"But then I won't have enough money for food to last until that day."

In the past few years, when carrying out assassinations, Guan Luoyang would sometimes rummage through the money pouches on the targets. He couldn't take the silver notes, so he only saved up some loose silver, most of which he left with Tian Gongyu.

Guan Luoyang said, "I'll go see if there's any work I can do this afternoon."

After finishing his steamed bun, the coach rubbed the crumbs and sweat from his hands into the water, then clapped his hands and said, "No rush. Let's go to the agreed place first today, so that if anything unexpected happens, we won't be delayed because we're unfamiliar with the terrain."

"Hmm? Can I go too?"

"certainly."