Gunpowder Alchemy by Jeannie Lin Read Free Book Online

sleeping area from the rest of the crew.
    â€œHave you sent word to my family?” I asked him anxiously. Merchant Hu would have known something had happened when I didn’t show up at our meeting place, but he was unaware of where I was or who had taken me. By now, he would have returned to our village with the alarming news.
    â€œWe have more urgent matters to attend to.”
    â€œBut my mother will worry.”
    The inspector was unmoved. “Country first and family second,” he droned. “Especially in a time like this.”
    I had to bite my tongue. Aguda held complete power over me.
    â€œPerhaps when we reach our destination,” he relented, though his dismissive tone was hardly any comfort.
    â€œWhere would that be?”
    Inspector Aguda’s answers, when he gave them, were always simple. “Canton.”
    â€œBut that journey would take a week,” I said with a gasp. A week with my family not knowing what had become of me. “Why must we go to Canton?”
    A hollow feeling settled in my chest. My life was no longer my own. I was at the inspector’s mercy.
    â€œAll will be made clear in time,” was all he said.
    I hated him. I hated the imperial authority that could demand everything from its subjects, every last drop of blood, and offer nothing in return.
    But even thinking such things was akin to treason, so I kept quiet.
    Several days later, I watched from the bow as the river funneled into a canal. A sprawling city loomed on the horizon, at least three times the size of Changsha. I was an ant lost on a mountain.
    As we docked, Inspector Aguda gestured to me. “Come with me, Miss Jin. They’re waiting for us.”
    Beyond his shoulder, I could see a row of warehouses along the water. From what little I knew, Canton was a crowded city at the mouth of the river full of brothels and gambling dens. It was also swarming with
Yangguizi—
or so the rumors said.
    Inspector Aguda educated me on one crucial element in the last day of our approach. Our empire had been forced to grant access to the foreigners after our defeat. From their section of the port, they were able to sell and trade whatever goods they pleased and there was little the empire could do to stop them.
    â€œTheir commerce usually involves opium,” Aguda said darkly. “It also involves the abduction of men and women.”
    My countrymen. Our people. What was becoming of our land?
    I’d never seen a foreigner before, and they grew even more twisted in my mind. Pale, soulless demons. I searched for ghost-white skin at the dock, bracing myself for the sight. But only my own countrymen wandered among the boats.
    Inspector Aguda preceded me down the plank and onto the dock. I stepped in-line alongside him, and a small escort of armed men joined us. I wished I had my needle gun, though it was hardly any protection in this strange place. It didn’t matter. All of my belongings had been taken away: the puzzle box, my gun, every last coin I’d brought with me.
    Aguda took the lead, keeping me close by his side. A rifleman slung his weapon over one shoulder and followed closely behind. Escape never entered my thoughts. Disobedience to imperial authority meant death.
    A layer of smudge and grime lay over the area, from the flat stones that lined the streets, to the walls of the buildings. Even when we moved away from the water, the swampy smell of the docks stayed in the air. Businesses were laid out side by side and crammed together along the canals. Canton was a place where too much was happening in too small a space.
    As we navigated deeper into the streets, the clinging dampness of the docks receded, though the air remained heavy. Aguda led us to what appeared to be a municipal building that rose three stories high. The signboard over the front door declared it as a trade office.
    Inside, the hallways were swept and every surface was polished meticulously clean. I was taken