Chapter 107: Dragon and Tiger Meet in the Capital (3)

The sky was already dim by the time Tie Xinyuan headed home. He walked the streets alone, without Baozi or Xiao Qiao and the others to accompany him. Just by himself, he strutted through the crowd, feeling quite content.

Passing by the Bell Tower, he paused for a moment. After gazing at it, he turned around and carefully studied the Drum Tower opposite. In the Great Song Dynasty, most cities of any size possessed such structures. They were usually built to be exceptionally tall, for only with such height could the sounds of bells and drums travel far.

For years, he had suppressed an urge: the desire to climb these two towers and overlook the entire city of Dongjing. Standing at such heights, everything below appeared small, but the heart would grow vast. Once the heart grew too large, it would harbor all sorts of wild ideas. Heaven only knew what crazy things he might do. He had always wanted a "peace-of-mind pill," but unfortunately, while he had consumed all kinds of meat-based meatballs over the years, none had been able to soothe his spirit; if anything, eating too many had only made his temper volatile.

A small child stood in the flow of people, looking aimlessly at the bell and drum towers, a trace of confusion lingering on his delicate face. Had he not been silent, many would have assumed he was a lost child. The distinct, pungent odor of the Dongjing streets continuously assaulted Tie Xinyuan’s senses, making his already restless heart feel somewhat violent.

Whenever he did something unsavory, Tie Xinyuan’s mood would sour. Helping Yang Huaiyu had become an obsession—not out of affection, benefit, or sentiment, but linked solely to his ambition to control everything. He felt the need to start honing his ability to exert control in this new environment; at the very least, he had to learn how to manage these unfamiliar Song people.

Just as he was lost in these thoughts, his waist tightened, and his mouth was immediately muffled by a hand. It seemed he had been targeted by someone intending to abduct him. Tie Xinyuan did not scream. Instead, he helplessly bent his arm and drew a large bamboo needle from his sleeve. He stabbed the bastard holding him several times. Because there were so many people around, the man pinning him under his arm dared not shout; instead, he wore a forced, bitter smile, explaining to those nearby how disobedient his child was.

Suspecting the toad venom on the first bamboo needle was exhausted, Tie Xinyuan drew a second one and continued to selectively prick the man where the flesh was thickest around his ribs. In the span of a hundred paces, Tie Xinyuan had already cycled through four needles.

This time, he struck hard. The man’s pace slowed significantly, his breathing grew ragged, and the hand over Tie Xinyuan’s mouth turned limp. When Tie Xinyuan lightly pricked the man’s pulse, the man panicked and released him, realizing something was wrong. He tried to let the child go, only to find the small boy clinging to him tightly like a supple, venomous snake.

Tie Xinyuan did not want to let a real criminal go so easily. He could understand those who killed or burned for profit, but he could not fathom those who stole children to sell them. Moreover, this was a parasite who had dared to target him. If he were truly kidnapped and sold, his mother would likely have no path to survival—a fate even more tragic than death.

Thus, having made up his mind, Tie Xinyuan clung to the man. The toad venom would soon course through the man’s entire system, starting with muscle spasms that would strip him of his strength. A villain without strength was nothing more than a pile of rotting meat.

***

There were many pedestrians on the road. Instead of crying out, Tie Xinyuan offered sweet smiles to the kind-hearted onlookers, appearing exactly like a mischievous child being dragged home by his father for a scolding.

The bamboo needle pierced deep into the man’s spine, where nerves were densest, making the pain felt all the more acutely. With his muscles growing rigid, the man stumbled into a small alley. His only thought now was to shake off this child and find a doctor, for he felt as though he had contracted a grave illness.

Once inside the alley, Tie Xinyuan let go and slid to the ground. Seeing no sign of accomplices, he tucked his hands behind his back and followed the man into the depths of the alley.

Toad venom was not a sedative; it would not cloud one's consciousness. The man slowly felt he could no longer control his legs, and after a stumble, he collapsed to the ground.

"Spare me..."

Ignoring the plea the man managed to squeeze from his throat, Tie Xinyuan crouched over him and asked, "Are you from the Fushou Cave?"

Veins bulged on the man’s neck as he shook his head violently. Seeing he was truly not from the Fushou Cave, Tie Xinyuan lost interest and began rummaging through the man’s chest.

The items he carried were a motley collection: a fire-striker, a thumb-thick bamboo tube containing thin incense sticks—likely some form of hypnotic incense—and a small cloth pouch. Inside the pouch, he found a pearl the size of a thumb, which was quite valuable. There were also some copper coins and silver shards, which Tie Xinyuan unceremoniously swept into his own bag.

After finishing, he looked around again. Still seeing no one, he held up the pearl and asked, "I know you’re a thief now. Tell me, where did you steal this bead? If you tell me everything, I won't kill you."

The man was too terrified to speak. Everything he was experiencing felt like an absurd and bizarre nightmare. He had seen a handsome, wandering child and thought he had found an easy profit, never expecting to encounter not a child, but a monster with fangs.

"Gao Liansheng, Iron Lion!"

Hearing the thief’s words, Tie Xinyuan finally smiled. He felt his luck was finally turning. Ever since he failed to blow up Zhao Yunrang’s estate, he had been plagued by bad fortune, with countless complications arising in everything he did. It seemed that things were finally back on track.

"I don't know if you'll live. I pricked your spine with the bamboo needles; the nerves are dense there, and I don't know if the venom will destroy them. If it only kills the nerves, you’ll likely be paralyzed. I also don't know if the venom will paralyze your kidneys or liver. If those organs fail, you won't escape death. Just lie here; whether you live or die depends on if Heaven gives you a chance."

A rattling sound came from the man’s throat. Tie Xinyuan tidied the man’s disheveled clothes and stood up, returning to the street.

***

Tie Xinyuan was in a wonderful mood. The sense of confusion and gloom had vanished completely. He went to Old Man Chen’s candy stall, pried at the base of the wooden tray, and flicked the bamboo needle at the front of the stall.

The needle spun wildly across the tray, which was painted with various birds and beasts, finally coming to a rest near the largest phoenix. Old Man Chen laughed heartily, pointing at Tie Xinyuan. "If you wanted a phoenix, you could have just asked, little one. Why ruin my mechanism?"

Tie Xinyuan laughed. "That wouldn't do. You’ve been tricking me for seven years. In the last seven years, I’ve spun your wheel countless times, and every time it landed on a tiny sparrow. I’ve come for revenge today; from now on, I’m only taking the phoenixes and the three-clawed dragons."

"Fine, fine, wait there. I’ll pour you the candy. As long as you show up, you can have those two. But don't break my mechanism again—Sanyou and Siyou are waiting on these candies to earn money for food."

Watching Old Man Chen boil the sugar and pour the phoenix, Tie Xinyuan watched with rapt attention. The melted brown syrup fell onto the jade slab, quickly solidifying into a lifelike phoenix. The old man even added two glistening red beans as eyes, making the phoenix look even more vivid.

Tossing two copper coins to the old man, Tie Xinyuan bit the head off the phoenix with a crisp *crunch*, chewing away happily.

"Murder! Catch the thief!" Someone shouted, startling Tie Xinyuan so much that his hand shook, and the half-eaten phoenix nearly fell.

Just as he considered whether to flee, he noticed everyone rushing toward the place he had just come from. Old Man Chen grabbed Tie Xinyuan, lifted him from the crowded street onto his stall, and the two stood on a bench to watch the commotion.

With a loud *boom*, the support pillar of the imperial city neighborhood snapped, a thunderous sound echoing through the dense crowd.

"I didn't kill anyone! I was just chasing a thief! I didn't kill him—he was already dead when I got there!"

"Hmph, excuses! I stepped out just now and saw you strangling him with your hands! If you didn't kill him, did I? Listen, neighbors, this murderer is a military candidate. Don't let his martial arts fool you; he’s a wanted man on the government’s boards. To commit a crime at the very roots of the Imperial City is sheer madness. I am the neighborhood head here—don't be afraid! Help me take him down, and the government will reward you!"

The scene inside was spectacular, but Tie Xinyuan couldn't see anything; no matter how he jumped, he could only see a sea of black heads. Seeing the boy’s eagerness, Old Man Chen hoisted him onto his shoulders so he could see clearly.

Now, he saw it.

The man shouting and bellowing was indeed Iron Lion. He stood in the crowd holding a heavy copper staff, looking as majestic as a lion king. Every time he roared, the surrounding crowd retreated several paces. The gaunt and skinny neighborhood head, Liu Shifeng, faced off against the lion king without showing any weakness, pointing at Iron Lion and shrieking, all while repeatedly blowing on a bamboo whistle...