Staring at the mask in his hand, Han Jiuqiu suddenly recalled a past memory—when he’d bought this mask, the shopkeeper had heard his Northern Dynasty accent and gotten instantly excited, grabbing his hand and chattering away. The shopkeeper said he’d been born and raised in the workshop, working there for decades,serving countless travelers from north to south, but he’d never met anyone from the Northern Dynasty. Overjoyed, he’d made an exception and given Han Jiuqiu a buy-one-get-one-free deal, smiling and saying, "I’m breaking the rule today to soak up some of your Northern Dynasty fortune—here’s to good luck!"

  "My head’s killing me." Han Jiuqiu rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling like his head was about to explode. On one hand, he had the urgent task of delivering the letter; on the other, he was flat broke and at risk of being recognized by the mask shopkeeper. He was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  As they talked, the two walked into a street-side tavern—elegantly decorated with two red lanterns hanging at the door, bustling with people and filled with the aroma of wine. It looked lively and inviting.

  It wasn’t until they sat down at a window seat that Han Jiuqiu belatedly realized his mistake, panicking inwardly: Crap, this is walking right into a trap! If he snuck away halfway, he’d not only lose his own face but also bring shame to the Northern Dynasty—he could never do that. But if he stayed to pay the bill, he had no money at all, not even a single copper coin. Was he really going to owe a debt here, or get beaten up for eating and dashing?

  He patted himself down frantically. The only valuable thing he had was the hairpin token of the hostage lady—a crucial item for negotiating the ransom with her family. He couldn’t touch it for a second; if he lost it, their entire kidnapping plan would go up in smoke.

  If all else fails… A ridiculous thought crossed Han Jiuqiu’s mind: I’ll just drink myself into a stupor. Maybe I can muddle through and get out of paying the bill?

  He was lost in his thoughts when a waiter walked over quickly with food and wine, wearing a warm, eager smile and speaking politely: "Enjoy your meal, honored guests! Our tavern specializes in all kinds of wine, paired with these side dishes—it’s the best in the city. Please taste it!"

  Speak of the devil!

  Han Jiuqiu’s eyes lit up instantly, his worries vanishing into thin air—Drinking is perfect! First, he could get the lackey to spill the beans while they drank, subtly asking which wealthy family in the city had lost a daughter. That way, he could find the hostage’s family and finish delivering the letter. Second, he could pretend to get drunk; if he was truly wasted, maybe the other guy wouldn’t be too hard on a "drunkard." It was like a gift from the gods!

  He put on a pretense of not being able to hold his liquor, but he was secretly overjoyed. He politely declined: "No, no. I’m never good at drinking—I’ll pass out after one cup. I don’t want to ruin your fun…"

  "What are you saying, honored guest!" The lackey quickly picked up the wine pot and filled Han Jiuqiu’s cup, his tone warm and enthusiastic. "Meeting is fate—please, let me keep you company. I’ll drink till I drop with you!"

  Before he finished speaking, Han Jiuqiu—who’d just claimed he couldn’t drink—suddenly picked up his cup, tilted his head back, and chugged it down in one go, showing the bottom of the empty cup. He wiped his mouth pretending to be bold and said, "Since you’re being so kind, I can’t refuse. I’ll drink first to show my respect!"

  Laughing, the lackey raised his own cup and drank it all. Then the two clinked cups, drinking one after another, chatting animatedly. They soon got carried away, and most of the side dishes on the table were eaten.

  As he drank, Han Jiuqiu secretly channeled his internal energy, forcing some of the alcohol fumes to his cheeks to fake being drunk—his face turned as red as blood. If it got any redder, he’d look like he was poisoned, which was quite a sorry sight.

  With the wine flowing, they opened up completely.

  They chatted about everything under the sun—from customs to the hardships of making a living, pouring out their troubles and grievances. The more they talked, the more they hit it off, feeling like they’d known each other for years, like old friends.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Seeing the time was right, Han Jiuqiu subtly changed the subject, asking casually: "Brother, I see Pisha City is really wealthy. There are so many rich families here, all flaunting their money and jewelry without a care. Aren’t they afraid something bad will happen?"

  The lackey took a sip of wine, put down his cup, and smiled openly and proudly: "You don’t understand, honored guest. That’s just how we do things in the Southern Dynasty—we build our country on commerce, gain wealth through trust, and we value open tactics! We say what we mean to your face and plan things openly; we never hide anything. When you said ‘something bad,’ did you mean street fights or robberies?"

  "Naturally the latter," Han Jiuqiu followed up, pretending to be curious. "It’s fine if young people fight out of stubbornness, but if there are real bandits robbing rich families everywhere, wouldn’t that cause trouble and panic?"

  "That’s where you’re wrong!" The lackey perked up immediately, leaning forward slightly and speaking eloquently. "The bandits in our Southern Dynasty are also rule-abiding and moral! Even hot-headed young guys who get drunk and act recklessly have to follow the rules of the jianghu once they become bandits—they can’t mess around at all!"

  "Take the most famous master thief in the city, for example. Every time he’s going to steal something, he sends a formal note to the rich family in advance, clearly writing: ‘I am so-and-so. I will come to your mansion to take a certain treasure at a certain time on a certain day. Please be on your guard.’"

  "After giving such a warning, he always keeps his promise—he only comes at the agreed time. Then, the defenders try their best to protect the treasure, and the thief tries his best to steal it. Whether he succeeds or not, he must leave immediately when the time is up—he never comes back a second time!"

  "That’s what we call ‘even bandits have principles’! They never touch poor people’s things—they only steal the extra money that rich families don’t need. If a family is in trouble or facing a life-or-death situation, they never take advantage of their misfortune; they only steal the spare money that rich families have in peaceful times! So the bandits in our Southern Dynasty live quite comfortably—they don’t have to hide at all!"

  Han Jiuqiu was stunned, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg. After a long while, he managed to say: "Then… what’s the point of the government? With such rule-abiding bandits, doesn’t the government have nothing to do?"

  "The government? The government is in charge of catching bandits and recovering stolen goods, of course!" The lackey laughed even harder, sounding completely reasonable. "But when the government in our Southern Dynasty catches bandits, they’re just taking from the rich to feed themselves—they post wanted notices and arrest plans on the gates of rich families, and they strictly follow the plans to catch the bandits."

  "Outside of those plans, even if government officials run into bandits on the street, they’re not allowed to arrest them without permission! Sometimes, when government officials and bandits meet on the road, they even greet each other politely—‘Thanks for your hard work’ or ‘Good luck to you’—it’s quite polite!"

  "This…" Han Jiuqiu was left speechless, his face full of disbelief. "So the government actually thanks bandits for committing crimes? That’s absurd!"

  "Of course!" The lackey retorted confidently. "Think about it—if there were no bandits committing crimes, what would the government do? Where would officials’ salaries come from? Where would the constables make a living? The government and bandits are interdependent!"

  Han Jiuqiu was left tongue-tied by this twisted logic, unable to think of a rebuttal. He sat there in a daze. Just then, a loud cheer erupted from the next table, and someone shouted "Master" loudly. Faintly, he heard words like "kidnapping" and "young lady"—they were talking about a kidnapping case!

  Talk about finding a needle in a haystack—this was too easy!

  Han Jiuqiu perked up instantly, pricking up his ears and holding his breath, afraid to miss a single word. Listening to the conversation at the next table, he secretly rejoiced: Sure enough, a wealthy young lady had gone missing in the city last night. Some people guessed she’d been kidnapped, while others thought she’d run away to elope. Everyone had different opinions, chatting excitedly.

  The group talked animatedly, their faces beaming, not caring at all about the family’s feelings—as if they were talking about an unimportant trivial matter.

  Unexpectedly, the lackey also heard the conversation at the next table, and he was even more eager than Han Jiuqiu. He immediately stood up and called out to the next table: "Brothers, what are you talking about that’s so fun? Why not share it with us two—let us join in the fun too!"

  Truly, fortune favors the bold!

  After asking, Han Jiuqiu found out that the men at the next table were servants from the missing young lady’s mansion. Strangely enough, even though their young lady had suddenly gone missing last night, presumably kidnapped, the entire mansion was not the least bit sad. Instead, they decorated the house with lanterns and streamers, held a three-day celebration, gave the servants a holiday, and even rewarded them with silver!

  No wonder these servants were so happy to come out drinking and celebrating. This abnormal behavior made Han Jiuqiu feel confused and curious.