Section 045: The Master of Five-in-One

The government soldiers, weapons in hand, had encircled the pharmacy so tightly not even a drop of water could seep through. Luo Shixin chuckled, “Well, everyone’s here! Guests are always welcome, but with so many of you, there’s no room to sit! You’ll have to stand where you are!”

From the moment the first soldier marched into the shop, Li Dong was already aware of their presence. But as he was in the midst of treating Du Yu at a critical juncture, he couldn’t spare any attention for them. He acted as though they were invisible, not exchanging a single word.

A short while later, Zhang Xutuo arrived. Stepping into the pharmacy, his eyes immediately found Li Dong, beside whom sat a dispirited-looking monk. Though the patient’s clothes were tattered, they were unmistakably the official dress of the Sui dynasty.

The Sui’s official attire was regulated with utmost strictness: from top to bottom, the colors were red, purple, scarlet, green, and blue. Minor clerks wore blue robes, soldiers donned yellow garments, and all wore black shoes with white socks. Even the highest officials had the same footwear, their rank distinguished only by the embroidery on their robes and the style of their hats.

Du Yu wore a blue robe, his simple tunic lined with a semi-circular stiff collar, and black shoes over white socks. This marked him as a minor clerk of Zhangqiu.

Why would Li Dong go to such lengths for a mere petty official? Was there some special identity at play? Zhang Xutuo questioned Li Dong about this.

Li Dong could ignore the government soldiers, but he could not leave Zhang Xutuo without an explanation. While still busily working, he replied in haste. After much effort, nearly draining the little monk of blood, he finally managed to explain Du Yu’s situation in full.

At this point, the little monk was already at death’s door—perhaps experiencing a last flicker of life—when he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the man lying on the couch was his mortal enemy, he struggled to break free from Li Dong, only to discover all his limbs were broken and his strength spent. With a sigh, he asked, “Why must you make things so hard for me?”

Li Dong sneered, “Because you’ve offended someone you should never have crossed. For you to die this way is almost too easy. In my hands, I’ll make sure you wish for death but cannot have it.” With that, he pressed even harder to draw his blood.

Zhang Xutuo was a most loyal commander, as devoted to the Sui as Du Yu himself. The two were men cut from the same cloth—kindred spirits. After Li Dong finished explaining, Zhang Xutuo’s interest in Du Yu only deepened. How could such a loyal and brave man be allowed to die so easily? The life of a little demon monk was nothing; if it came to it, he would not hesitate to feed Du Yu with his own blood.

Yet Zhang Xutuo had other pressing matters that had brought him to the pharmacy in such haste.

After Wang Bo’s defeat and retreat from Zhangqiu, the county constable was executed, the deputy’s fate unknown, and the magistrate, Lu Lier, was neither seen dead nor alive. The chaotic aftermath fell entirely on Zhang Xutuo’s shoulders, leaving him overwhelmed and at a loss.

As the assistant prefect of Qi Prefecture, Zhang Xutuo was unfamiliar with the affairs of Zhangqiu, making the situation all the more difficult. If only Lu Lier were around, the responsibility could be shifted, and he could enjoy some peace. When entering the city, Li Dong had claimed to know Lu Lier’s whereabouts, but then vanished. Now, having finally caught word of him, Zhang Xutuo had come in person.

Thanks to Li Dong’s explanation, Zhang Xutuo now had a clear plan: Lu Lier would resume his post as magistrate; with the constable executed, Du Yu would take his place; and with the deputy missing, Li Dong’s father, Li Hun, would fill the role. They would first put Zhangqiu’s affairs in order before worrying about anything else.

If Li Dong were of the same age as Du Yu, the position of deputy would have gone to him. But he was far too young, merely a sixteen-year-old youth. Although his contributions to defeating Wang Bo were considerable, the proper order could not be disrupted. His father, Li Hun, had long managed the granaries, and after the recent turmoil, his promotion was only fitting.

With Zhangqiu’s matters thus settled, Zhang Xutuo planned to break camp and return to Licheng in Qi Prefecture, his true base of operations. Coming to Zhangqiu had been solely a matter of duty, but the journey had not been in vain; at the very least, he had met two heroes.

The first, without doubt, was Li Dong—young, cunning, and ingenious, with a masterful grasp of battlefield strategy. When reporting to the Emperor, Zhang Xutuo would be sure to sing his praises. The second was Du Yu, a kindred spirit and fellow loyalist.

Thus, Li Dong became a man of great influence in Zhangqiu. The magistrate, Lu Lier, was his father-in-law; the deputy, Li Hun, his own father; and as for the constable, Du Yu, he was both his savior and the one who had recommended him for promotion. With these three pillars supporting him, a mere stomp of his foot would send tremors through Zhangqiu. Moreover, his superior, Zhang Xutuo, held him in high regard and was eager to extol him before the Emperor. If he earned the favor of Emperor Yang of Sui, his power would be unassailable—five mighty supporters in one, radiating invincible authority.

But the most urgent matter now was to wrest Du Yu back from death’s grasp. Li Dong’s unorthodox method of nourishing him with the blood of the living to speed his recovery won Zhang Xutuo’s utmost admiration. Upon returning, he tested the blood of a dozen government soldiers and, finding it compatible, had each one donate a small bowl of blood daily for Du Yu’s recovery.

With Zhang Xutuo’s support, Li Dong was finally free from the crisis of saving Du Yu. Coupled with the old physician’s meticulous care and the miraculous properties of the thousand-year-old lingzhi, Du Yu slowly began to recover, new flesh growing over the wound in his abdomen.

After Zhang Xutuo returned to Licheng, Li Dong found himself at leisure, at last able to dedicate time to teaching Luo Shixin the arts of war, both on horseback and on foot.

Though Luo Shixin was strong and simple-hearted, he was not particularly quick-witted, and for a long time made little progress under Li Dong’s tutelage. Yet he was stubbornly persistent—if he failed once, he tried ten times, then a hundred, then three hundred, practicing every day as tirelessly as a herder tending his cattle. Day after day, he drilled in the arts of riding, archery, spear, and sword as Li Dong had taught him.

Heaven does not disappoint the diligent. After a few months, Luo Shixin achieved some skill in mounted archery, though his strength was so great that he often snapped the hardest bows in two, driving Li Dong to roll his eyes in exasperation. If only Luo Shixin could have a weapon suited to his might, it would be as if a tiger had grown wings. Li Dong, too, yearned for a weapon to call his own; to this day, he hadn’t found one that truly suited him.

Back at Daming Temple, Li Dong had two wishes—one was to build his own force, a goal now achieved. The thousand troops under Du Fuwei’s command at Great Wall Ridge were essentially being kept for Li Dong’s use, ready to be summoned whenever he wished.

During these months, Du Fuwei had come down from the mountains more than once to recruit Li Dong to join the bandits. No matter how eloquently he pleaded, Li Dong remained unmoved. He was freer than a local despot in Zhangqiu; why turn to banditry? Besides, within the city was the beautiful Lu Rou, his constant companion, with whom he spent days in gentle delight and nights as her newlywed, his life more carefree than that of an immortal.

Li Dong went about his affairs without revealing his intentions, busying himself with one thing today, another tomorrow, each task seemingly unrelated to the next. Before the coming storm, all preparations had to be in place. That was always his way—when he acted, the winds and clouds would shift. All this he did in secret; even Lu Rou and Luo Shixin, ever at his side, noticed nothing amiss.

One day, after finishing Luo Shixin’s lesson and leaving him to practice on his own, Li Dong strode briskly towards the Lu residence, where a sweet, delicate woman awaited the embrace of his iron arms.