Chapter Twenty-One: Turmoil at the Marketplace

At that moment, Li Longfang suddenly recalled a familiar person, and he couldn’t help but be startled. But then, on second thought, he felt it was unlikely—if it really were that person, the other party should have recognized him. Yet just now, Zhang Desen had clearly shown no sign of knowing Li Longfang. Still, the man’s voice was exactly the same as the one etched in his memory, and the name matched as well. Could it be amnesia?

The thought left Li Longfang uneasy. He felt it necessary to hurry back to the Prime Minister's residence and discuss this matter with his lord. Thus, he immediately urged everyone to clear the battlefield quickly and return to Xidu as soon as possible.

…

Meanwhile, Zhang Desen, after a long walk, finally arrived at a large market south of Xidu. In truth, Xidu of the Great Xing Kingdom was a place of considerable economic prosperity. There were so many merchants doing business and trading here that the city itself could not contain them all, forcing many to seek commerce beyond the city walls.

At first, few merchants were willing to do business outside the city; after all, it was neither as safe nor as convenient as being within the walls. But the pressure of limited space soon forced the weaker merchants to operate outside. Luckily, there were many villages near Xidu. When these weaker merchants set up shop outside, villagers found it much easier to trade with them, preferring to buy necessities nearby rather than travel farther.

Thus, what seemed a misfortune became a blessing; many of these merchants prospered, some even surpassing those who had monopolized prime spots within Xidu. Eventually, the merchants who had once been so pleased with their city locations turned their eyes outward, and more and more began to conduct business beyond the city. Over time, this grew into a bustling marketplace, thriving though not within the city walls.

However, as these markets were outside Xidu, they lacked the city’s protection. As the political situation grew more unstable, the number of mountain bandits increased around Xidu, and these prosperous markets were the first to suffer, gradually declining.

Yet, it was precisely because Zhang Desen had been active in the area for some time, miraculously rooting out one bandit den after another, that the threats to the southern market vanished almost overnight. Merchants who had stayed now felt safe to do business, and those who had left began to return. Even merchants from other markets flocked to this one. As a result, the market not only recovered but flourished more than ever.

Zhang Desen, now known as the “Strange-Clad Hero,” became a legend and a local champion. Many merchants even hung imitations of his supposed belongings at their doors as talismans of good fortune. Of course, the stories were often inaccurate—few had actually seen Zhang Desen, so most of the imitations were crude and fanciful. But this did nothing to dampen people’s enthusiasm.

Although Zhang Desen was aware of the rumors about the “Strange-Clad Hero,” he merely smiled at them, thinking that if he ever reestablished contact with headquarters, he might have to leave one day.

Now, wearing his special forces camouflage, Zhang Desen entered the great marketplace. He was considering whether to buy more laundry supplies from this universe. He had only a few sets of uniforms from his home universe, and they needed washing. Though the local detergents might not match those from his world, his stock was limited, and he did not know when he could contact headquarters again. It seemed prudent to buy more.

He also needed to purchase some local clothing, even if only to wear over his uniform; otherwise, his activities would be too conspicuous to blend in.

As he gazed at the various people in their ancient attire, Zhang Desen made up his mind. Unbeknownst to him, someone nearby had already taken notice. A passerby whispered to his friend:

“Hey, look! That fellow’s dressed so strangely—could he be the Strange-Clad Hero?”

“You know, it’s entirely possible…”

“They say the Strange-Clad Hero always wears a mask. Look, is that mask just like the one in the stories?”

“Yeah, let’s compare it.”

…

Before long, more and more people began to talk about him, making Zhang Desen uneasy. He hurried toward a clothing shop, intent on buying local garments as soon as possible. But suddenly, a group of people began to cheer for him, calling out:

“Hero, thank you for ridding us of evil and bringing us peace!”

“Hero, if you need anything, come to me!”

…

Zhang Desen found this rather overwhelming—he hadn’t expected to gain so many admirers. All he wanted was to buy what he needed, preferably a change of clothes to cover himself. So, uttering words of thanks, he stepped into the clothing shop.

The shop assistants, seeing him and his unusual attire, immediately guessed who he was and greeted him with great enthusiasm, which made Zhang Desen a bit embarrassed.

Just as he was about to finish his shopping and leave, a sudden commotion arose in the street. Everyone began shouting:

“The Tiger is coming! The Tiger is here! Run!”

Zhang Desen understood that “the Tiger” here meant a real tiger, but he was perplexed because he had never seen any tigers in Xidu. The shop assistant quickly explained the true reason.

It turned out that “the Tiger” referred to a local thug named Wu Dahu—renowned for bullying people on the street and robbing merchants. Since everyone called him “the Tiger,” when he appeared, people would shout in warning and scatter.

Zhang Desen asked, “Doesn’t the local government do anything about him?”

The assistant replied, “How could they? To be honest, we’ve all reported him many times, but he has powerful connections in Xidu. No matter what he does, as soon as someone from the court intervenes, he’s released right away.”

The assistant added ruefully, “What’s worse, anyone who reports him gets bullied twice as badly. Eventually, everyone realized that complaining was useless—best to avoid him if you can. To tell you the truth, before you wiped out all the bandits, he never dared leave Xidu. Now that the bandits are gone, he’s become an even worse menace.”

Zhang Desen asked, “Is he connected to your Prime Minister?”

“No, not the Prime Minister,” the assistant replied. “It’s just that the official in charge of us happens to be in his pocket.”

“I’ll go take a look,” said Zhang Desen.

The assistant led him to the shop’s entrance, where they saw merchants fleeing and shopkeepers shutting their doors. The clothing shop’s owner also came out and said to Zhang Desen:

“Hero, we must close up to avoid trouble. Please come inside, too.”

“There’s no need,” Zhang Desen replied. “I’d like to see what sort of person he is.”

The owner insisted, “Your intentions are noble, but it’s not worth confronting someone like him. He has a powerful backer—craven when facing real bandits, but vicious toward the commoners. If you teach him a lesson, his backer will surely make trouble for you. If anything happens to you, who will protect us in the future?”

Zhang Desen was surprised, but told the owner, “Don’t worry. I have my own ways. Let me deal with him.”

He borrowed a stool from the owner and sat outside the shop to wait for the street thug. As for the owner and assistants, Zhang Desen sent them back inside.

Not long after, he saw a hulking brute approaching from afar, staggering drunkenly with every step. Zhang Desen sized him up and found his features coarse and ugly. Amused, Zhang Desen recalled a passage from “Water Margin,” as though it were written for this very villain:

“A face vaguely resembling a ghost, a body roughly human. A gnarled tree, twisted into a grotesque form; a rotting stump, transformed into a ghastly apparition. His skin was rough and scaly like a shark’s hide, his head covered in coiled, unruly hair. His chest sported a patch of tough, mottled skin, and his forehead was furrowed with three deep, stubborn creases.”

But Zhang Desen minded his own business, waiting to see what the thug would do, as the street had already emptied.

Wu Dahu, the street bully, soon noticed Zhang Desen sitting there, not hiding like the others. He swaggered up and tried to grab Zhang Desen’s QBZ-95 assault rifle, saying:

“Hey, you masked brat! Where did you buy that long sword? Give it to me!”

Zhang Desen was taken aback, and immediately understood—the bayonet on his QBZ-95 had not been removed, so Wu Dahu mistook it for a sword.

Of course, Zhang Desen would never let him take the rifle. For a soldier, a gun is like a part of one’s life. He brushed aside Wu