Chapter 143 - Why Are You Still Here?

Chapter 143: Why Are You Still Here?

Fang Shanding made a deal with Dragon. He must kill Xiao Baoshan within seven days.

Meanwhile, Fang Shanding gave Xiao Baoshan’s portrait to Dragon and told him that Xiao Baoshan was working in the dock.

When Dragon got the portrait, he glanced at it with one eye, which made Fang Shanding’s heart suddenly skip a beat.

When Dragon had looked at him just now he felt like he was looking somewhere else, but now, when Dragon looked at the portrait, Fang Shanding felt that Dragon was looking at him.

This made Fang Shanding feel rather uneasy and wondered if this Dragon guy was really able to kill Xiao Baoshan. In short, Fang Shanding did not have much faith in him.

Dragon also sensed Fang Shanding’s doubt, so he was thinking of showing off some of his moves in front of Fang Shanding.

He suddenly jumped high up, aimed at a little tree beside them and slashed it hard. The tree was instantly sliced in half down the middle.

Fang Shanding was shocked and speechless, so he then paid the money without hesitation.

When Dragon went back on his way, he started unfolding the portrait and looked at it carefully. The moment he saw the portrait clearly, his one eye opened wide all of a sudden.

Xiao Baoshan?

…

At the dock.

Xiao Baoshan also went sailing with a ship today. On this trip they would go to a town a thousand miles away. What they were carrying was a shipment of cotton cloth made in the south.

Just as they set out he heard Seven talking to him. “Brother Baoshan, a boat is following behind us.”

“I know!” Xiao Baoshan was standing peacefully on the bow of the ship. However, he was paying attention to their surroundings the whole time.

“I think the boat looks very strange,” said Seven.

Xiao Baoshan only said, “Seven, stay calm.”

Okay, Xiao Baoshan is always calm like this.

One time in the previous month they had gone sailing when pirates had showed up in front of them, though Xiao Baoshan still asked Seven to remain calm.

Just then the ship behind them suddenly sped up. They had two boatmen rowing and panting and they caught up in no time.

Seven was horrified. “Baoshan, they’ve caught up with us and the guy has one eye. He, he…has come up.”

In the small boat, Dragon used his lightness kung fu and reached Xiao Baoshan’s ship quickly.

Apart from Xiao Baoshan and Seven, there were still two subordinates of the ship owner. Seeing someone suddenly jump up on deck, the two ordinates were so scared that they began to shout for help. “Pirates! Pirates!”

Before long, some other men who could fight came up on the deck, but they dared not step up and fight but just observed the situation from a distance. They hoped that Xiao Baoshan could make the move and go to fight as, after all, Xiao Baoshan was paid to protect them.

However, Xiao Baoshan did not speak and simply looked at Dragon.

Dragon was looking at Seven the whole time. Seven was so scared that his legs gave out and he collapsed to the deck.

Actually, Dragon was staring at Xiao Baoshan.

“Dragon.”

“Baoshan!”

The two of them spoke at the same time which shocked Seven on the other side.

Seven asked, “Baoshan, this guy, do you know him?”

Xiao Baoshan nodded.

“But why does he keep staring at me?” Seven asked.

“He isn’t looking at you. He’s looking at me,” said Xiao Baoshan.

Seven was speechless. Did his eyes or Dragon’s eye have some problem?

Seven then stood a bit further away from his line of sight. As expected, Dragon stopped looking at him and it was clear where he was looking now.

“Then, then is he a good person or a bad person? Is he going to rob this ship?” asked Seven.

Dragon looked at Xiao Baoshan and said, “I’m not robbing the ship. I’m here for Xiao Baoshan. He and I are old friends.”

Seven breathed a sigh of relief.

Dragon added, “But someone wants his head for ten taels of silver.”

“…” Seven knelt down again.

Xiao Baoshan asked Dragon, “Who wants my head?”

“Can’t you figure it out for yourself? Who did you provoke recently?” said Dragon.

“I’ve provoked too many people. Who might it be?” asked Xiao Baoshan.

It was impossible for a man who went sailing with ships not to provoke others. Besides, even if he just stayed at the dock, he would still provoke someone.

Dragon said, “A person called Fang Shanding.”

“So, it’s him,” said Xiao Baoshan plainly.

“When I took the job I didn’t see your portrait clearly. He said it was someone called Xiao Baoshan. I felt that it sounded familiar. Later when I saw the portrait, I remembered you.”

“You’re pretty forgetful too.” Xiao Baoshan smiled.

“Not forgetful. I just didn’t expect that I’d meet you here and, more surprisingly, you actually came.”

Xiao Baoshan asked, “Now you’ve found out it is me, are you still going to kill me?”

Dragon did not say that he would kill or not kill. He said, “Ten taels is nowhere near enough for killing you. Your head is worth a whole city, I’m afraid.”

Xiao Baoshan asked, “So you’re going back to ask him for more?”

“No, I’m going back to return the money. I quit!”

When it turned out like this, Seven felt relieved again. He quickly got up and said to the people behind him, “It’s just a misundertanding. They’re friends and happen to see each other on their trips, so they come together to chat about the past.”

The others behind were not pleased.

They happen to see each other on their trips? You think you’re in the street? You’re now on a long river. This way of chatting about the past was too horrifying to the others.

…

Xiao Baoshan and Dragon finally stopped standing there and talking. Instead, they sat down on the deck, took a small square table and poured some wine with a tray of peanuts. The two of them drank wine while chatting. The breeze on the river was cool.

“Baoshan, you haven’t answered my question yet. Why are you here? Why do you work on the dock?” asked Dragon.

Xiao Baoshan laughed. “I was born here, so where else should I go? Talking about you, you don’t sound like a local, so why are you here yourself?”

“Me? Ah, I’m now an assassin, wandering around everywhere, so any place is home for me.”

“What kind of people do you kill?” asked Xiao Baoshan.

“I don’t kill often. When the client pays me I have to check out who they want me to kill. If I don’t like the look of them I will kill them, but otherwise I won’t.”

“I seem to remember something someone once said. If an assassin is picky about his targets like prostitutes are picky about their clients, that way he will ruin his reputation,” said Xiao Baoshan.

Dragon was in a daze and gave a feeble look. “I’d say that work hasn’t been going too well for you this past year or so. You’d never have said such things in the past. You used to be so majestic. You only talked about tactics and the military.”

Xiao Baoshan took a mouthful of his drink and did not answer Dragon.

Dragon added, “Do you really plan to do this sailing work in the future? Nothing else?”

“Actually going sailing with ships pays well. I’ve earned much more than from any other job I’ve done.”

“I heard that you’ve also got a wife?” asked Dragon.

“Yeah.” Thinking about Ye Xiaoxian, Xiao Baoshan’s lips slightly curved with a smile.

Dragon tutted. “I would never have expected that. It’s really so hard to predict things in this world. Xiao Baoshan ends up marrying and leading such a life. Well, does your wife know who you were before?”

“She doesn’t. She’s just an ordinary farm wife.”

“If she knew, she might almost die of fright and obey every word you say.” Dragon laughed loudly.