Chapter 109: Greedy Carpenter Demands Ransom, Meets His Demise by the Axe

Why offer tea before the Buddha when even chanting requires the fragrance of Sanskrit?

Song Mo, Xia Yu, and Si Ya'er were enjoying tea at the Listening Rain Studio when a cacophony erupted outside, punctuated by a woman’s shrill scream claiming that a life had been taken. The patrons of the studio, always eager for diversion, swarmed out in a flurry to witness the spectacle.

"Let's go take a look," Xia Yu said, smoothing his purple official robes and picking up his broadsword. A case delivered to his doorstep was reason enough to investigate. Song Mo and Si Ya'er naturally could not remain behind; they set down their teacups and followed him out.

A crowd had gathered in the alley behind the studio. Song Mo and Si Ya'er squeezed through the gaps in the throng, only to find Xia Yu standing nearby. He did not turn his head as they approached, for his attention was entirely captured by two men in the center of the crowd.

Song Mo looked over and saw two figures: one fat, one thin; one tall, one short. The taller man was the thin one, blind in one eye and in his thirties. He wore a grey cloth jacket and ill-fitting trousers that exposed his shins. Both his jacket and pants were splattered with mud, making him look like a long, spotted luffa gourd.

The shorter man was a stout fellow in his fifties, dressed in a blue silk gown and cloth boots with stitched soles. He clearly looked like a man of means, but his face was etched with deep anxiety, resembling a withered winter melon. Most terrifyingly, this "winter melon" held a short-handled axe, his eyes bloodshot as if he longed to hack the "luffa" into pieces.

"One-Eyed Snake! I treated you with nothing but respect, never once slighting you. Why have you cast a curse to ruin my Zhou family?" the stout man bellowed in a fury. He gripped the axe so tightly that the veins on his hands bulged, as if he were ready to hurl it at any moment.

"Listen here, Zhou Da! Pay me the thirty taels of silver I demand today, and pay it now. If even one copper is missing, your family’s fortune will be gone before long!" Seeing the growing crowd, the luffa—the One-Eyed Snake—lost his fear and grew brazen.

Zhou Da, the stout man, laughed in bitter rage. "Ha! My family has been known for its integrity for generations. The contract for the main beam was ten taels of silver, and that is what it shall be. Not a single copper more."

As they squared off, the cause of their conflict became clear through their exchange and the whispers of the onlookers. Zhou Da was one of the wealthiest men in the alley. Wanting to renovate his ancestral home, he had hired this carpenter, the One-Eyed Snake. They had agreed on ten taels of silver for the installation of a new main beam—a generous sum, far more than a carpenter would typically receive.

The trouble arose precisely because the payment was too generous. The One-Eyed Snake was notorious in the area for his insatiable greed. Seeing Zhou Da’s wealth and the substantial foundation of the ancestral home, he had begun to harbor malicious intent. As the saying goes, one should not flaunt wealth, for even if no thief steals it, someone will covet it.

Once the work was finished, Zhou Da, ever mindful of etiquette, treated the carpenter to fine food and wine, fearing that any offense might lead the man to place a curse upon his house. It was said that Lu Ban, the patron saint of carpenters, had left behind the *Lu Ban Shu*, which contained the "Art of Yansheng"—a technique for self-preservation that allowed a slighted carpenter to bring misfortune, or even ruin, upon a homeowner.

The project had proceeded smoothly, and when the time came for final payment, Zhou Da provided the agreed-upon ten taels along with a generous bonus. To his surprise, the One-Eyed Snake merely sneered and demanded thirty taels. When Zhou Da refused to be swindled, the carpenter did not fly into a rage, but simply left with the parting words: "Your family is in for a streak of bad luck."

At first, Zhou Da dismissed the threat, but misfortune struck soon enough. First, his eldest son, while trading in the north, was waylaid by "Northwest Blades"—what the southerners called bandits. Fortunately, they practiced a code of honor and spared his life, but they stripped him of all his wealth. Zhou Da tried to dismiss this as coincidence, given the lawlessness of the north. But two days later, his younger son met with disaster. He had been smuggling salt in the south, hoping to make a fortune, but relentless rains ruined seven or eight-tenths of his cargo. Given the high stakes of the salt trade, this was a devastating blow.

With these two disasters in succession, even a fool would realize the One-Eyed Snake was behind it. When Zhou Da finally cornered him, the man showed no remorse and stubbornly insisted on his thirty taels. Driven to desperation, Zhou Da had snatched up the carpenter’s own short-handled axe to confront him.

"That One-Eyed Snake is truly wicked," Si Ya'er whispered, bowing her head.

Song Mo did not respond, but Xia Yu remarked, "Wicked men will meet their retribution. And it seems he has just met me." As he spoke, he stepped forward.

The One-Eyed Snake, despite his missing eye, had keen instincts. Seeing the official robes of the Six Fan Gate, he knew the situation had turned dire. He lunged toward Zhou Da and abruptly lowered his head, thrusting his own neck toward the blade of the axe in Zhou Da's hand.

"Pay me! If you don't pay, no one is leaving here today!" he shouted, resorting to hooliganism.

Xia Yu paused, finding the absurd scene both ridiculous and frustrating. Zhou Da was a strange man; even with the One-Eyed Snake threatening suicide, he remained stubborn. "A deal is a deal. Ten taels is ten taels. Not a copper more."

"Then prepare for your family to become paupers!" the One-Eyed Snake growled. He did not intend to keep this up forever and began to raise his head.

But then, the unexpected happened. The One-Eyed Snake suddenly tilted his head to sneeze, but his neck was still dangerously close to the axe. With that sudden jerk, blood sprayed from his throat. As a carpenter, he kept his tools razor-sharp, and the blade sliced deep into his neck.

"Murder!" a woman’s scream pierced the air.

The crowd scattered in panic. This time, it was no longer a dispute; a life had truly been taken.