Blade - Unbound

Chapter 78: Washing Hands In A Golden Basin

“Washing his hands off this matter and retiring isn’t that simple!”

Inside the teahouse, an old man in a sheepskin jacket took several pulls from his long tobacco pipe. He shook his head amid drifting smoke and said leisurely, “The phrase ‘washing hands in a golden basin’ originally referred to the boatmen who transported grain to the royal palace in Chang’an during the Han Dynasty. After docking at the Wei River crossing, they would perform a ceremony signifying that their work for the imperial court was complete.

“This basin wasn’t actually made of gold, but bronze. Later, the custom spread to all walks of life, and every trade adopted the tradition.”

The speaker was Old Donkey, a lifelong carriage driver who had traveled widely in his youth. In old age, he spent most of his days lingering around Xianyang’s teahouses. A crowd of idlers had already gathered around him. Some knew nothing about Jianghu customs and laughed.

“Old Donkey, sounds like you washed your hands in a golden basin long ago, huh?”

“Ahh!” The old man waved his hand repeatedly. “This old man just got too old to keep working. I still teach the little brats from time to time. That’s not called washing hands in a golden basin. It only counts when someone completely withdraws from the trade. Actually, retiring and washing your hands in a golden basin off your business is actually simple. You publicly announce that you’ll no longer be part of your trade. Usually, you also invite those from the same profession to witness it.

“Since those in your fellow profession lose one competitor, they’re naturally happy about it. Some even bring a small gift as congratulations. Those qualified to do something like that are all major figures in their local industries. If some nobody like us tried pulling this stunt, wouldn’t it just become a joke?”

“Hahaha, true enough!”

The crowd burst into laughter.

One young nobleman asked curiously, “But the jianghu’s version of doing so must be something different, right?”

“Naturally.” Old Donkey sighed. “Where there are people, there’s the jianghu. Where there’s the jianghu, there are grudges. If you’re some tyrant who’s killed countless people, how can those karmic debts disappear just because you say so? Even if the victims agree, the authorities wouldn’t! The same goes for martial art halls. Retiring is fine, but some debts still need settling. As long as someone refuses to acknowledge it, retirement doesn’t count.”

Someone asked, “How do they refuse?”

“When words fail in the jianghu, fists do the talking. In short, all grudges must be settled first. Only then does it count as washing hands in a golden basin. Once you pass that hurdle, anyone seeking revenge afterward is considered breaking jianghu rules. But if you yourself get involved in jianghu affairs again, then you’ve broken your oath as well.”

Those around suddenly understood.

“So that’s how it is!”

“No wonder the whole city’s making such a fuss.”

“Monkey Zhou probably won’t get through this.”

“Why not? Who can beat him?”

“Can’t they just hire people to fight on their behalf?”

The crowd discussed animatedly.

Only the young nobleman shook his head. “These rules are ridiculous. If there’s revenge to be taken, then take revenge. Can a mere oath really stop anyone?”

Old Donkey took another puff from his pipe and said meaningfully, “If jianghu rules have survived this long, there’s naturally a reason for them.”

Someone else snorted. “The jianghu grows old. No matter who you are, there’ll come a day when you can no longer hold on. Monkey Zhou has no choice but to retire.”

Inside the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall, after the disciples served tea and withdrew, Zhang Shitong grinned and said quietly, “When fortune turns against someone, even if Monkey Zhou has three heads and six arms, he would still have no choice but to admit his bad luck.”

Li Yan took a sip of tea and sighed. “So Chang’an finally reached a conclusion?”

The matter had erupted too suddenly. The root cause could only lie higher up.

“Exactly.” Zhang Shitong smiled. “Minister Li’s fortunes are soaring. Apparently the Li Family fleet rendered great merit, and the Emperor personally issued an edict promoting him. There’s even a chance he’ll enter the imperial court in the future.

“As for Left Minister Lu Kang, he’s completely lost hope. Since he previously used underhanded methods, he had no choice but to resign and retire back to his hometown to protect himself.”

Zhang Shitong shook his head emotionally before he continued, “A man may scheme in every possible way, but in the end, none can overcome fate.”

Li Yan had no interest in the petty scheming of the officials, and asked calmly, “So Zhou Pan wants to retire. What’s your stance?”

Zhang Shitong shook his head. “Minister Li also suffered greatly before, but to demonstrate magnanimity, he chose not to pursue the matter. He even petitioned the court to grant Minister Lu’s family an honorary memorial archway. Since that’s the case, our side naturally can’t go too far either.

“The Canal Gang and Taixing Carriage and Horse Company value profit above all else. As long as the Zhou Family honestly withdraws from Xianyang and hands over some territory, they won’t make trouble. As for the older martial arts seniors, they mainly feared being oppressed if the Zhou Family became too powerful. Now that the storm has passed, they don’t wish to stir up more grudges.

“Only Senior Luo Shihai insists the Zhou Family hand over the culprit from back then.”

Li Yan glanced at him. “What about your Zhang Family?”

Zhang Shitong chuckled smugly. “My father has already been nominated as the next president of the Xianyang Divine Fist Association. How can we kick a man while he’s down? One should spare others whenever possible.”

“Tsk.” Sha Lifei immediately grew irritated at his self-satisfied expression and mocked. “Of course you can afford to be generous after getting all the benefits. When the Zhou Family ruined other people’s families and lives, did they ever think about sparing others? What about all those victims? Nobody’s going to cause trouble?”

Zhang Shitong did not become angry. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. “You’re also a man of the jianghu. How can you say something like that?

“When Zhou Pan retires, the only people he truly needs to stabilize are the major powers of Xianyang. If those victims come knocking, then he’ll simply settle the grudges through force. Why would he fear them? In the jianghu, only the person with the bigger fist has the right to speak.”

Sha Lifei choked on his words, muttered a few curses, and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Li Yan calmly asked, “Since you’ve all already made your decision, why invite me here?”

Zhang Shitong replied, “Didn’t you cripple Zhou Bai? Even his father Zhou Peide has already been imprisoned. My father intends to use this opportunity to clear things up completely, so there won’t be trouble in the future.”

“He wants you to join the Divine Fist Association. After training for a few years, you can open your own martial hall or establish an escort agency, thereby building a foundation for the Li Family. It would also fulfill the friendship between the older generations.”

Li Yan looked somewhat surprised. But after a moment of silence, he still shook his head. “Thank you for Senior Zhang’s goodwill, but I’m afraid I cannot comply.”

Zhang Shitong froze. “Why?”

Li Yan took another sip of tea and answered calmly, “My fists may not be big, but I’m also one of the victims.”

***

The sixth day of the ninth month rolled around. It was an auspicious day for meeting relatives and forming alliances, but inauspicious for burials.

“Hurry up! Hang the lanterns!”

“Why hasn’t the fish arrived yet?”

“The boatmen said something strange has been happening on the Wei River these past few days. Fish have become scarce, so they went to other waterways instead. They’ll definitely make it in time.”

“Remember to check carefully. Don’t let them fool us with dead fish.”

“Where’s Martial Uncle Wang Yao?”

“He said the medical hall’s too busy and he can’t get away.”

“Bullshit. Doesn’t he know what day today is? He clearly just...”

“Ah, forget it. Tell Master instead.”

Outside the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall courtyard, disciples bustled about in every direction. Everyone knew exactly what the day meant. Yet despite their frantic activity, confusion lingered in all their eyes.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The Zhou Family was no exception to this. Over half the martial hall disciples had already taken their leave in recent days. Though those remaining were loyal, anxiety still filled their hearts. No one knew what the future held.

The last time the Zhou Family had been so lively was during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Back then, the Eight Vajras had personally gathered. Martial halls, escort agencies, and even government officials from across the city had all come bearing gifts. The opera troupe had been invited all the way from Chang’an.

Honored guests had filled the seats under bright moonlight in joyous celebration. Who could have imagined that things would become like this in such a short time?

Among the Eight Vajras, Zheng Xianhuai’s entire family had died. Zhou Peide had been imprisoned and sentenced to execution after autumn. Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei had fled, later dying after colluding with a demonic Daoist. All their properties had been confiscated. Wang Yao of the medical hall and Liu Jincheng of the escort agency both claimed to be too busy to attend.

Clearly, they wanted to distance themselves from Zhou Pan. After all, they still had to survive in Xianyang. Among the Eight Vajras, only two remained present, and both were members of the Zhou Family itself.

The collapse of the great tree had come so quickly that many still could not process it. Quite a few people had already begun making plans for themselves. After Zhou Pan retired, he would likely lead the Zhou Family away from Xianyang and return to their ancestral hometown.

As for these disciples, they had relied on the Zhou Family’s power to swagger arrogantly for years, offending countless people along the way. After today, they likely wouldn’t be able to remain in Xianyang either.

Outside the Zhou Family gates, large crowds had gathered to watch the spectacle. They pointed and whispered, their expressions filled with schadenfreude. The martial hall disciples burned with anger at the sight. At the height of the Zhou Family’s influence, these people wouldn’t even have dared approach. Now they openly mocked them.

Yet no one stepped forward to argue. Once the day passed and the Zhou Family collapsed, they too would become akin to rootless drifting duckweed. If conflict broke out, no one would stand up for them anymore. It was better to borrow fewer troubles than more.

Soon, the auspicious hour arrived. Firecrackers crackled as the invited guests appeared one after another.

At the entrance, a disciple loudly announced each arrival:

“Hall Master Liu of the Qingquan Martial Hall has arrived!”

“Guard Chief Li of the Changsheng Escort Agency has arrived!”

“Head Qin of the Taixing Carriage and Horse Company has arrived!”

“Gang Leader Han of the Canal Gang has arrived!”

“Old Master Zhang of the Zhang Family Martial Arts Hall has arrived!”

“Constable Guan from the courthouse has arrived!”

The onlookers outside were not surprised.

Anyone attending Zhou Pan’s ceremony was naturally a prominent figure in Xianyang. Of course, those with shallow ties and no grudges would still send a small gift out of courtesy, even if they did not attend personally.

What everyone truly wanted to see was whether anyone would come to make trouble.