The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1638 Huoshan
"This is our branch in Hefei. If you need anything in the future, please come to us. If we can help, we will do our best!"

In the south of Hefei, amidst a row of escort agencies, martial arts schools, pharmacies, and pawnshops, Zhao Yunting, the head of the escort agency, pointed to the plaque of Zhiyuan Escort Agency and introduced it to the four young men and women beside him.

"If you can't find a way to make a living, you can come and join our escort agency. We can't dream of wealth, but at least you'll be able to eat meat, drink wine, and have a place to stay. There's quite a commotion in the south right now, so you should make plans early."

Zhao Yunting spoke sincerely and genuinely wanted to recruit Wang Yan into the escort agency. Wang Yan was simply too skilled in combat; even before he was fully grown, he had already killed over ten people to help them out of a predicament. Although their men were also tied down, Wang Yan simply seized opportunities to strike with deadly precision and ruthlessness—but this wasn't something that could be done with just anyone.

Later, after making inquiries, he learned from the man who had been chatting with Wang Yan that Wang Yan had acted swiftly and decisively, taking down two men in one fell swoop. Although it was a sneak attack, his speed was remarkable; he was truly a first-rate fighter, easily outmatched by three or five ordinary men. Even within their escort agency, few could match Wang Yan. As for the outcome, that was even less of a question.

Such a strongman would be sought after anywhere. With him leading the way, those who followed him would become even more courageous, increasing their fighting strength by at least 30%. He was truly a good candidate for banditry, thuggery, and military service.

If Wang Yan were to join the escort agency, he would be fully capable of independently leading a team of escorts, which would certainly be a great help to Zhiyuan Escort Agency.

"Thank you for your concern, Chief Escort Zhao. If you need anything, please do." Wang Yan bowed and thanked him, then said, "However, we still have some money on hand and are financially secure. Let's settle down for a while before making any further plans."

"Alright, then I won't insist. Let's stay here and rest for as long as we like."

"Let's not disturb you any longer, Chief Escort Zhao. We are young and playful, and it's our first time here, so let's explore a bit more. We'll find an inn when night falls and leave early tomorrow morning."

"Then I won't force you to stay. We'll meet again someday."

"See you later!"

Having acknowledged the place, Wang Yan and the others bid farewell and left to find a restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal.

"Big brother, it smells so good!" Jiang Wuyang chuckled like a fool and devoured the food.

Zhao Erhu also joined in, grabbing a roast chicken and gnawing on it: "Brother, this is what a human life should be like!"

Wang Yan, who was also gnawing on a chicken, shook his head: "This is nothing! Didn't you see what kind of family the Li family is? Even in Yangzhou, they're not considered respectable. You're satisfied with just one roast chicken?"

Lian Sheng's face was full of disgust. These three people were too rude and had no manners at all. She used chopsticks to eat one bite at a time. Fortunately, there was a table full of dishes, so there wouldn't be any left if she ate too slowly.

That's why she felt there was something wrong with the three brothers...

This is because the food she eats at the training center is usually quite good; it's always oily and flavorful.

"Brother, I think this city is not bad. Why don't we stay here and make a living?" Zhao Erhu muttered.

"A gentle embrace is a hero's grave." Wang Yan tossed a chicken bone precisely onto Erhu's forehead, then glanced at Jiang Wuyang, whose eyes were filled with anticipation. "Hefei is the seat of two levels of government. Do you know who has a higher or lower rank? And there are so many rich people. Do you know who has power? Who is not to be trifled with? If we don't provoke them, won't they provoke us? Remember, when you are weak, you see others as sinful!"

We've inadvertently gotten ourselves into trouble, and it's not something easily resolved. You want to talk about murder? Murder is easy, but have you considered how you'll clean up the mess afterward?"

"Of course we run, brother! We can't just wait for someone to come and kill us, can we?" Zhao Erhu said in a muffled voice.

“Run? Then tell me, what’s the point of staying here and making a living?” Wang Yan glanced at him and gave him a sharp rap. “When you’re in trouble, you just kill people; when someone dies, you just run away. What kind of livelihood can you make? Why don’t those officials and wealthy people run away when they kill people? They have connections and influence, understand?”

“Then what kind of foothold can we get if we go to the countryside or the mountains?” Zhao Erhu hesitated for a moment, but still spoke frankly, “Brother, I’ve been thinking about this for the past two days. We’ve become bandits, but there’s no money there. Even if we rob people on the road, we won’t be able to find anyone with money.”

“Yes, eldest brother, second brother is right, that place is very poor, it can’t compare to Hefei.” Jiang Wuyang muttered like Sha Wujing.

Wang Yan shook his head, exasperated: "Do bandits have to stay in the mountains? They hide in the mountains to avoid government crackdowns. If no one's after us, we can go wherever we want, as long as we can escape to the mountains. Do you understand?"

Lian Sheng's eyes lit up: "So we're going to make a scene in this small town. If we succeed, we'll have a foothold and can come to a big city like Hefei to make our fortune. Even if we fail, we can just leave and hide in the mountains. Right, brother?"

"Look at that, those who have studied are really different." Wang Yan nodded in satisfaction. "I'll find a scholar to give you two a lesson later. People really need to read more. Otherwise, you'll end up like the two of you, knowing nothing and doing nothing, only knowing how to pull out a knife and start fighting when trouble arises. You won't last long..."

They said they would leave the next day, but in reality, the four of them stayed in the city for a few more days. They all took a bath, shaved their heads, and washed their clothes to calm down from the shock of running away from Yangzhou. Of course, it was Zhao Erhu and the other two who calmed down.

Wang Yan spent his days wandering around, chatting with people, and compiling a survey report on Hefei County, including what kind of businesses there were, how many businesses there were, what kind of people there were, the power structure within the city, and the various resources in the surrounding counties, etc.

It sounds simple, but it's a meticulous task. To do something, you must first understand it before you can take action and achieve results. Infiltration, espionage, and statistical analysis all require such reports; they are a prerequisite for decision-making.

However, as he and Erhu and others had said, Hefei was home to three levels of government offices and was the political and economic center of Anhui Province. It was a place where the best of the best converged, a place of complex and unpredictable dealings, and not one he could easily navigate at his current level. Or rather, the cost-effectiveness was simply too low.

After resting, the four of them set off again, traveling slowly for two days until they reached a small village below Lu'an. This place was located between Lu'an and Huoshan, at the foot of the Dabie Mountains.

This village is small, with only a few dozen households and a little over two hundred people, all of whom rely on the barren land for their livelihood.

"Is this how you recruit people to become bandits?"

Inside the earthen house, Wang Yan lay on the wooden bed, smoking a short-stemmed pipe. Fortunately, the sunlight was still bright, shining through the paper windows and illuminating the room, which was filled with swirling smoke.

This place is Zhao Erhu's old house. His parents are gone, and it now belongs to his older brother.

Zhao Erhu lowered his head, remaining silent.

He had made a good promise before, saying he would come back and gather men to become bandits, but he was not welcomed at home. He found several men around his age, about sixteen or seventeen, but of course, none of them were willing to work with him.

As for Liansheng, she went home to visit her elderly mother, but returned after only a few words. After all, it was her parents who sold her, using the money from her sale to pay for her brother's wedding. And she left at such a young age; it was hard to expect her to have any affection for her family…

After a long silence, Zhao Erhu said, "I thought everyone was having a hard time, and if I took the lead, they would definitely be willing to follow. I didn't expect them to be so cowardly..."

“This has nothing to do with courage. Look at our coarse clothes. Our words won’t carry much weight, especially since we’re doing something like beheading with you. Even if we were wearing the silk clothes from the wealthy Li family, it wouldn’t work. I was thinking you had a few brothers at home you could rely on, but it turns out you were just daydreaming.”

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, making Zhao Erhu blush even more.

Jiang Wuyang asked, "Big brother, what should we do?"

"Let's not cause any more trouble for the villagers. Let's make do here for now, and head to Huoshan first thing tomorrow morning. I heard that it's in the heart of the Dabie Mountains, and it's practically a county town. We have options: hold onto a few gaps or retreat into the deep mountains. It's a good place to establish ourselves. Let's go there and get a foothold first."

The three of them, of course, said nothing more. The next morning, after eating the cornbread made by Zhao Erhu's elder brother, Wang Yan left two taels of silver. Then, to the astonishment of Zhao Erhu's elder brother, they left the small village.

"Thank you, brother."

"It's nothing, just two taels of silver. Is it worth mentioning? Your elder brother and sister-in-law are good people. They may scold you, but they haven't let us go hungry."

As they chatted, they arrived at Mount Huo.

Located in the upper reaches of the Pi River, the terrain slopes from southeast to northwest, with abundant rainfall and a moderate temperature. Thanks to the favorable climate, the land is relatively fertile. There are also many terraced fields, and the land area is considerable. With over a thousand households and several thousand people, it can be considered a lower-level county.

"Big brother, is everything alright here?" Jiang Wuyang asked innocently.

“Killing people here isn’t a big problem. As long as we do it discreetly, we won’t have to run away,” Wang Yan replied matter-of-factly.

The four walked for most of the day before finally seeing the county town surrounded by low earthen walls. The walls were over two meters high, enough to prevent people from easily scaling them over. There were several gatekeepers and soldiers guarding the town. There were also a few rough-looking men dressed in short-sleeved clothes.

"Gentlemen, where are you from? What brings you here?" The clerk was arrogant, glancing up at them once before turning away and drinking his tea.

"I heard there's a war in the south. This place is surrounded by mountains, it's a good place to hide." Wang Yan took out two taels of silver from his pocket. "I'll treat you gentlemen to some drinks."

The clerk sneered, "As if anyone wants to kill you. You're carrying a few broken knives, but the young lady is quite pretty. Go inside."

So the four thanked him and entered the small county town.

Before the crowd could even take in the city's surroundings, the thugs at the entrance crowded around them.

"Gentlemen, we all know about your lodging, gathering information, gambling, and finding women. Just now, we heard you say that you want to settle down in Huoshan, find a house and buy dozens of acres of fertile land, or perhaps open a shop to make a living. What do you think, young man?"

Wang Yan smiled and asked, "I wonder who's in charge in this city?"

"Is there even a question? Of course it's our county magistrate. Who could be more powerful than him?"

"I'm asking which wealthy family here is the richest, and who you send tribute to."

"What do you mean?" The thug frowned, looking wary.

"Of course, you'll fawn over whoever has money, and work for whoever is powerful. Brother, don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, you know what's good for you." The thug laughed loudly, extremely arrogant.

So Wang Yan said, "Let's be more straightforward. You take us directly to your boss's place so we can pay him a visit, hear his teachings, and better establish ourselves here."

The thug paused for a moment, then glanced at Lian Sheng, his eyes darting around before he chuckled, "Little brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but our boss is a big shot in Huoshan. He can drink and chat with the county magistrate. He's not someone anyone can just meet."

"Understood, understood. Please accept this small token of our appreciation, brother, and do me a favor. We are truly eager to serve this important person."

The thug glanced at Lian Sheng again, took the silver and chuckled, "No problem, no problem, then come with me."

He turned around and gave his henchmen a meaningful look, and they immediately dispersed, subtly surrounding the four men.

"Big brother?" Zhao Erhu gripped his knife tighter.

"It's alright, I was just worried we'd get lost, right, brother?" Wang Yan was very understanding.

"That's right, that's right, young man, you're the most sensible one. Let's go."

This county town wasn't large, but it had everything you needed. There were shops selling daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt. In addition, there was a small market, and gambling dens, opium dens, and brothels were plentiful. There was even a martial arts school…

Wang Yan and the others followed a few thugs to the backyard of a gambling den on the street. Once inside, the thugs tightly closed the gate.

"Big Brother!" Zhao Erhu's eyes turned red.

Jiang Wuyang trembled slightly, gripping the knife hilt tightly: "Brother, aren't we just sending ourselves to our deaths?"

Lian Sheng clutched her handkerchief tightly, remaining silent. She knew that the more noise she made, the more danger she would face. At the same time, she also knew that she wouldn't die, but her fate was uncertain…

"Keep calm." Wang Yan waved his hand. "If I were to throw my life away, we wouldn't be alive now."

After saying that, he ignored the number of people and went into the house with his knife.

As soon as I entered, I saw a tall, burly man with a big beard sitting at a table, listening to the thug's report.

Hearing the commotion and seeing Wang Yan enter with a knife, the thug immediately shouted angrily, "Are you tired of living? Who let you in?"

That wasn't all; he even tried to kick me.

Wang Yan slapped him across the face, sending him flying, and then suddenly drew his sword.

The bearded man, who had drawn his dagger to get close, stopped in his tracks. Glancing at the knife across his neck and feeling its coldness, he politely tossed it aside.

“My friend, we can talk things over. We’ve just met and have no grudges against each other, so why ruin our relationship with knives and guns? I heard you’re planning to settle down here, is that right? I can help you. Let’s have a good chat, and you can put down your knife.”

"You can really chat?"

"We can chat!"

Wang Yan put down the knife, raised his leg and kicked the gang leader, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall before landing on a stool...

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