Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

With the completion of the Tiantong Steel Plant, the construction of the giant air-raid shelter was also nearing completion, and Liu Mang held a particularly grand ribbon-cutting ceremony. He personally took the lead by donating a large sum of money and also called on people from all walks of life to contribute money and effort.

On the other hand, Zhang Zhiwei didn't mistreat the heroes who contributed to this massive project, giving them a large sum of money as wages. He spent the money like it was free, since in the end the landlords of Sichuan province would foot the bill anyway.

Some extraordinary individuals, such as Zhang Qishan and Hong Guniang, didn't want money; they wanted Zhang Zhiwei's personal guidance so they could further improve their skills. Zhang Zhiwei was generous and gave them individual instruction.

As for the other Unloading Ridge Warriors, although they are all extraordinary individuals who have obtained Qi, most of them are not very talented and are not strong in themselves. They rely on Warrior Talismans and tools from the Unloading Ridge lineage.

They weren't interested in Zhang Zhiwei's guidance; they just wanted to make more money. The wages they received for this project were equivalent to the money they had earned from several raids on the large tombs.

However, Zhang Zhiwei still gathered many of the Unloading Ridge Warriors together and gave them a lecture, but the results of this lecture were somewhat unsatisfactory.

He used to be known as a human-shaped opportunity because the people he guided were all geniuses and outstanding individuals. Even if they couldn't understand everything immediately, they weren't exactly blockheads either.

But these Unloading Ridge Warriors are different. They can't understand various "Tao" and "principles". No matter how simple and easy to understand Zhang Zhiwei's explanation is, they still can't understand it, or they only understand a little bit, and their improvement is very limited.

Zhang Zhiwei finally understood the saying: No matter how slow a person is, can't they learn calculus by the age of fourteen?!

Zhang Zhiwei didn't force others to learn it if they couldn't understand it; he just gave them more money and that was it. However, Chen Yulou, the leader of the Unloading Ridge lineage, took the initiative to ask Zhang Zhiwei to take a look at their lineage's heritage and see if it could be optimized and improved.

The methods of the Unloading Ridge Sect are said to be closely guarded secrets, but this varies from person to person. Chen Yulou did not believe that Zhang Zhiwei would be interested in learning their methods, so he generously shared them.

After all the help he had given, Zhang Zhiwei didn't refuse and took the document to examine it carefully.

One Dharma assembly leads to the understanding of all Dharmas. Zhang Zhiwei indeed found many points for improvement and made some deletions and optimizations to the Qi circulation method of the Unloading Ridge Warriors, making the cultivation more efficient and the future potential greater.

Not only that, Zhang Zhiwei also took the opportunity to improve their commonly used warrior talismans.

Although Zhang Zhiwei did not major in talismanic arts, he was, after all, a disciple of the talismanic sect. Even if he only practiced it as a sideline, his skill was unmatched by other sects. Modifying a talisman was a piece of cake for him.

This thrilled Chen Yulou immensely. The ancestral techniques had been enhanced in his own hands, a feat comparable to opening a new family genealogy.

Moreover, not only did he receive a large sum of money for the project, but he also built a good relationship with the Little Celestial Master. With the Little Celestial Master protecting him, his title as the head of the underworld in thirteen provinces across the south and north was finally solidified. Who would dare not give him some face?!
More importantly, this project made them famous. Before the project was even finished, many legitimate businessmen came to them to build things, and each of them offered a high price. This made Chen Yulou's eyes light up, and he felt like he had opened the door to a new world.

He glanced at Zhang Qishan beside him. They were both bandits, but Zhang Qishan was able to clear his name, become a general, and command the troops of a city. Was it necessary for him to continue down the path of banditry?

During this period, he was very clear about Liu Mang's anti-bandit campaign. Many mountain bandits and outlaws were wiped out, including some mountain strongholds that he knew well. They all died tragically.

This also served as a reminder to him that it was necessary to find a new way out. After all, they were different from ordinary bandits who robbed and plundered. There was no need to keep carrying this black mark. It was very necessary to have an easy-going legitimate identity. If they were ever besieged by the authorities, they could use this identity to mediate.

Moreover, and most importantly, by operating in both the legal and illegal worlds, they earn even more money.

Chen Yulou had many thoughts, but his strongmen didn't think so much. All they could think about was that since the Little Celestial Master had improved their tradition, they should worship him as their ancestor.

To be fair, the Unloading Warriors had a very good way of worshipping their ancestor. Because they were skilled at opening mountains and unloading ridges, their ancestor was Xiang Yu, the Overlord known for his strength and power.

Xiang Yu was the strongest extraordinary person of that era, and now they want to worship Zhang Zhiwei. Zhang Zhiwei can also be considered the top extraordinary person of this era, and he has a first-class eye for choosing a patriarch.

Zhang Zhiwei just smiled at this, and didn't think it was shameful for a group of tomb raiders to recognize him as their ancestor. He generally wouldn't interfere with such subjective matters; let them worship however they wanted.

While everyone was celebrating the successful relocation of Tiantong Steel Plant, Zhang Zhiwei, the leader of the Zhang Pockmarked gang, was finally about to take action.

Previously, when the lord sought to rob landlords, apart from the time with Liu Cai where it was a head-on confrontation, he mostly picked on the weak. He skipped over those protected by extraordinary sects, simply writing their names down in his notebook.

After all, the Tang Clan's methods are very conspicuous. If they are used, unless you kill them all, they will be easily recognized.

Exterminating everyone is an act that is absolutely against all reason and law, and even a killer organization like the Tang Clan would not dare to be so reckless.

After discovering that landlords protected by sects of extraordinary individuals would not be robbed, many landlords began to invest money to seek their protection.

Money offered so readily was too good to pass up, so more and more landlords sought the protection of these extraordinary individuals.

They felt that paying for protection from a sect of extraordinary individuals was more effective than paying Liu Mang to suppress the bandits, since Liu Mang couldn't raise much money anyway.

Zhang Mazi's plan was greatly thwarted. With no other option, Zhang Zhiwei, the big Zhang Mazi, could only find a mask with the number nine of bamboo and put it on before setting out.

With Zhang Zhiwei in charge, the Tang Clan experts were naturally replaced. The recent commotion at the Tiantong Steel Plant was quite significant, and to prevent any troublemakers, the replaced personnel were all assigned to the factory's security duties.

With two experts, Tang Menzhang and the Grand Master, in charge of the Tiantong Steel Plant, Zhang Zhiwei could confidently go and deal with the landlord.

Since he was personally leading the operation, having more people would be pointless. Therefore, he did not bring either the escort team or Liu Mang's personal guards this time. He only brought Lü Ci. If Lü Ci had not insisted, he would not have even brought Lü Ci.

The first landlord he was going to deal with this time was Rossini, the biggest landlord in the wine capital.

This person should have been dealt with long ago, but because he was one of the major benefactors of the Huode Sect, he asked disciples of the Huode Sect to protect him after Liu Cai's incident.

The Huode Sect is one of the top sects in the Southwest region, and its strength is no weaker than that of the Tang Sect. They also placed a fire seed in Luo Xinian's mansion so that if there is any situation, the experts from the Huode Sect headquarters can provide support instantly through the fire seed.

This is also the main reason why the master was unwilling to take action against Luo Xinian. If things went wrong, the entire Huode Sect might descend upon them. At that time, let alone robbing landlords, it would be difficult to even escape.

However, Zhang Zhiwei was not afraid of these things. He would take action against those whom the Grand Master dared not touch. The Tang Clan could not afford to offend the Huo De Sect, but he was not afraid. Although the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Huo De Sect had a good relationship, such matters should be handled separately.

Zhang Zhiwei arrived in the wine capital, but did not make a move against Luo Xinian immediately. Instead, he ate and drank first. The wine capital is famous for Wuliangye liquor and Ranmian noodles. Since he was already there, he naturally had to try them. He could make his move after he was full.

During the meal, he also tried to inquire about Luo Xinian's deeds. The information Liu Mang provided only detailed the landlords' assets, but never mentioned the heinous crimes they had committed.

Zhang Zhiwei wasn't quite sure about Luo Xinian's reputation, so he came to inquire beforehand. This was important, as it concerned how he would treat Luo Xinian's family later.

He had just ordered his food and drinks and hadn't even started eating when he noticed an old beggar standing outside the window, staring at the food and drinks on his table and swallowing hard.

Zhang Zhiwei waved to him.

The old beggar paused for a moment, then limped into the shop. As he entered, he was chased away by the shop assistant, but Zhang Zhiwei threw a few silver dollars at him to shut him up.

The old beggar looked at the food and wine on the table and kept clasping his hands in gratitude, saying, "Living Buddha, please have mercy! I haven't eaten for days, please have mercy!"

"Please have a seat, there's plenty for you today!" Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile.

The old beggar thanked him a few more times, then sat down and began to wolf down his food.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't mind the old beggar's dirtiness. He ate his food with a normal expression while asking:
"Old man, do you know this person, Rossini?"

The old beggar immediately became alert: "What do you want to know about Luo Banguan?"

Lu Ci noticed that something was wrong with the old beggar. His pupils suddenly contracted and his hands were trembling, characteristics that only appear when a person is in a state of extreme fear or extreme anger.

"Have you heard of Zhang Mazi? I am Zhang Mazi, and I'm here to take him down!" Zhang Zhiwei laughed.

Upon hearing this, the old beggar was startled again, staring blankly at Zhang Zhiwei. He didn't know why, but even though the young man in front of him, who was almost half a head taller than him, was just saying it casually without providing any evidence, he believed it without a doubt.

During this period, Zhang Mazi, who specialized in killing and robbing landlords, was almost a god-like figure in Sichuan. Everyone cheered and hoped that he would come to their area to punish the landlords.

These heroes have actually come to the wine capital! Heaven has opened its eyes! Heaven has opened its eyes... The old man's breathing suddenly became rapid, and he was too excited to speak.

"Tell me what this person is like?" Zhang Zhiwei said calmly. "If he's a decent person, I'll let it go if I rob him of some money. But if he's a terrible person, I'll kill him!"

After a long while, the old beggar finally recovered and said urgently, "Kill him! You must kill him! That son of a bitch deserves to be torn to pieces!"

"Don't rush, tell me slowly!" Zhang Zhiwei said.

The old beggar tearfully recounted his ordeal: "The reason I ended up in this state is all his fault. I used to have four acres of land, and although my family of four lived a meager existence, we were at least able to make ends meet."

“But that Luo Ban Guan’er took a fancy to my land, so he wrote an IOU saying that I owed him thirty-two silver dollars and wanted to use my land as collateral.”

"My God, I've never spoken to him before, how could I possibly borrow money from him? But he's unreasonable and tried to take my land. My two sons refused and rushed out with hoes, only to be beaten to death. I also had one leg broken, and my wife died of anger. My family is ruined!"

"Won't the local officials care if we do this?" Lü Ci asked.

The old beggar said bitterly, "Mind your own business! His name is Luo Banguan'er. It's because the highest-ranking official here is his cousin. They're family. If you report to the authorities, he'll drag you to the torture chamber in the house and torture you to death."

Lu Ci remained silent; he had killed many landlords, and this was not an isolated case.

Zhang Zhiwei, however, was focused on something else: "The torture chamber?"

“Yes, the torture chamber!” the old beggar said. “It’s located in his manor. It has iron bars, tiger benches, whips… it’s a replica of an old-fashioned prison.”

“He also has a group of men called the Guards, all of whom are armed with pistols. If he takes a fancy to someone’s land, he only needs to write an IOU and send people to seize it.”

"If he takes a fancy to someone's daughter or daughter-in-law, he'll just write an IOU on the fly, stating how much money you owe him, offering your daughter or wife as payment, and then he'll kidnap you."

"If anyone is dissatisfied, then just tie them up and put them in the torture chamber to be tortured. Once they're in, they basically won't get out. If they do get out, they'll either be dead or crippled."

The old beggar was crying his eyes out.

"He's so arrogant, doesn't anyone teach him a lesson?" Lu Ci said. "I've heard the bandits here are quite arrogant. He's so rich, don't the bandits try to plunder him?"

"That's arrogance, because the bandits are also his men," the old beggar said. "The two biggest bandit gangs around here are his men. He not only robs our farmers' fields and collects our 'iron plate rent,' but he also robs the merchants' goods and collects their protection money!"

Landlords typically collected grain based on their tenants' harvests, paying more when the harvest was good and less when the harvest was poor.

"Iron plate rent" means that a fixed amount of grain must be paid regardless of whether the harvest is good or bad. This rent is usually very high. If the harvest is poor, it is possible to work hard for a year but get nothing, or even owe the landlord grain.

"Heh, you've got connections in both the legal and illegal worlds. We've taken down quite a few landlords lately, but this one's so arrogant is rare!" Lü Ci sneered.

"Heroes, you must do us justice!" the old beggar pleaded. "This man is no human being! He stole nearly 20,000 acres of land by writing fake IOUs."

“Just a month or so ago, he took a fancy to a fourteen-year-old girl from a family, so he led a group of people there and forced her old man to his death and beat her brother to death.”

"That girl was lucky; she ran away and hid in the mountains. A few days ago, someone saw her in the mountains; she looked like a wild woman."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. He remembered who this person was. If nothing unexpected happened, this girl would hide in the mountains for nearly twenty years until she was rescued after the country was at peace.

Because the environment in the mountains was too harsh, he grew gray hair early and had a full head of white hair at a young age. Because his experience was almost exactly the same as that of the famous opera "The White-Haired Girl", he was also called the prototype of the White-Haired Girl.

After listening to the old beggar's lament, Zhang Zhiwei patted Lü Ci on the shoulder and said, "Erbi, let's split up. You go and wipe out the two gangs of bandits around here, and I'll go and kill this Luo Banguan." (End of Chapter)