20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 846: Turning against guests
The funeral procession suddenly stopped at the foot of Longshan Mountain.

Li Zhengxi brought over a folding chair, and Jiang Lianheng sat down in front of the pavilion, lit a cigarette, waved his hand and said, "Alright, everyone, take a break first!"

Everyone looked at each other, confused except for their own brothers.

After all, there is usually no stopping along the way during a funeral procession; no matter how far the journey, the body must be carried to the cemetery in one go.

Because the dead are considered to have heavy yin energy, it is considered a major taboo not to bury them after they have been laid to rest. Not only will the deceased not be able to rest in peace, but their relatives will also suffer misfortune. This is especially true for those who died violently. They should try their best to avoid such situations. To put it more eerily, if the coffin is left unburied, it might even cause evil spirits to appear.

Moreover, this was not good for the pallbearers either, so no matter how tired they were, the pallbearers gritted their teeth and refused to stop easily.

If the host requests to rest, that would be unheard of and unseen.

In an instant, the music band stopped playing, and the monks, nuns, and Taoist priestesses ceased chanting scriptures.

Everyone stared at each other, completely baffled as to what had gone wrong.

"Hey, why aren't we moving forward? What are we waiting for?"

The geomancer, who was in charge of the overall situation, saw the procession come to a standstill and immediately jogged over from near the coffin. Upon realizing that it was Jiang Lianheng who had given the order, he was even more puzzled and hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Boss Jiang, why did you suddenly stop?"

Jiang Lianheng didn't explain to him, but simply said, "Sir, why don't you go and rest for a while? I'll send someone to call you when we need you."

“Oh dear! Mr. Jiang, please forgive my bluntness, but there’s an old saying: ‘A kind coffin on the ground signifies reluctance to part, while a wicked coffin on the ground signifies resentment.’ We’ve already come all the way to the foot of the mountain. No matter what, we must get the old lady to her final resting place first! Otherwise, if she’s not buried on the ground, it will surely disturb her spirit, which is bad luck!”

"Then don't put it on the ground. Just get a few more people to carry it. There are plenty of porters!"

"Hiss, that's not good either!" The geomancer suddenly lowered his voice. "Mr. Jiang, the old lady died a violent death. If you stop here for no reason, who knows what kind of trouble will arise in the family later!"

Jiang Lianheng said, "If I don't stop today, who knows how many more people will die!"

Upon hearing this, the geomancer froze on the spot.

He was also a man of the underworld, involved in shady dealings, and knew the true nature of the Jiang family. He had also recently heard many rumors circulating that Qin Huaimeng was challenging the Jiang family.

However, most people in his line of work are scholars who are literate and value propriety. There is little fighting or killing involved, so when he considers issues, he is inevitably a bit naive, or rather, he values ​​the rules of the underworld more.

In his eyes, the dead are the greatest, and this is an unchanging truth.

Gangs fight each other, and it's not uncommon for people's brains to be turned to mush. But if someone were to launch a sneak attack during someone's funeral, that would be despicable. It would not only violate morality but also be despised by the underworld. I always feel that there should be some bottom line in being a person.

Little did they know that there are no bottom lines in this world; it's all about the victor taking all and whoever wins is right.

Jiang Lianheng's answer was simple: "If something goes wrong, can you take responsibility?"

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, the fortune teller immediately slapped himself across the face, then quickly slipped away and ran to the back of the line, no longer daring to utter a word.

The other employees were completely bewildered, utterly confused.

This is understandable; things are accomplished in secrecy, and only by being half true and half false can the false be mistaken for the true.

Jiang Lianheng always kept the number of people who knew about the funeral plan to a minimum. Even Xifeng and others were only arranged the night before.

Moreover, everyone only knew that Qin Huaimeng planned to ambush them halfway, but no one knew who had obtained the information.

Jiang Lianheng trusts no one now, and he will never easily reveal his Seventh Uncle's trump card before he completely defeats Qin Huaimeng.

The employer offered no explanation, so the other employees had no choice but to stand there and wait for orders.

As the eldest grandson, Jiang Chengye has always silently followed his father's side.

He was young and had grown up in the city, so he didn't understand those old rules and regulations. But seeing that the line had stopped moving, he felt something was wrong. After thinking for a moment, he went over and asked, "Dad, why are we not moving?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zhengnan patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "Nephew, go back and find your sister first. Go with them. We still have things to do here. We'll call you back when we're done. Go on!"

"No need!" Jiang Lianheng suddenly interrupted. "Have him stay and keep a close eye on him later!"

Wang Zhengnan was taken aback, then frowned and asked, "Brother, Chengye is too young. Is it really appropriate to let him stay here with us?"

"Young?" Jiang Lianheng asked himself, then answered, "Not young anymore. I'll be fourteen by the New Year, according to the Chinese age reckoning. How much older do I have to be to be considered old?"

"But what if we encounter any danger..."

“If there’s danger, deal with it! He’s my son, he’s got a penis, he has to act like one. What kind of person is he, hiding with women all day long?”

“Brother, Chengye has too little experience, he can’t compare to us! Back then, we had no choice but to roll around in the mud, which was like taking a bath. He’s only been through a few things. Even if you want to train him, you have to take it slowly!”

"I'm living on the edge, I don't have time for that! You think you can take it slow? Do you think others will agree?"

Wang Zhengnan fell silent.

Born into the Jiang family, this is his destiny. Even if he lives an honest and law-abiding life, as long as he is still a member of the Jiang family, there will always be people plotting against him in the dark, either by kidnapping and extorting him or by demanding blood for revenge!
Even if he doesn't stay in the underworld anymore, he still needs to open his eyes as soon as possible and see the cruelty and filth of this world.

It was a matter of life and death, and Jiang Lianheng was doing it for his own good.

Whether Jiang Chengye wanted it or not, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and obey the arrangements—everything was predestined, and there was nothing he could do about it!

"Chengye!" Jiang Lianheng called his son to his side, "You stand here and watch carefully, don't embarrass me!" "Yes!" Jiang Chengye nodded hesitantly.

Not long after, Zhao Zhengbei suddenly came up from the back of the group and whispered, "Brother, Manager Xue and the others have already left."

"Alright!" Jiang Lianheng flicked away his cigarette butt, gestured with his chin towards the road ahead, and said, "Let's begin the search of the mountain!"

Zhao Zhengbei nodded in response, then turned and walked to the vicinity of the coffin, shouting loudly, "Everyone in the back, come and lend a hand, change the pallbearers!"

The funeral procession stirred.

Soon, more than a dozen "Zaibang" brothers arrived after hearing the news, took over the palanquin, and carefully received Xu Ruqing's coffin cover.

The porters, their shoulders suddenly lightened, immediately took off their red-tasseled hats and green-framed clothes, stretched their limbs, and finally revealed their true colors.

Upon closer inspection, they were clearly not coffin bearers, but rather the personal guards of Zhao Zhengbei and Lin Zhidong!

The group moved around in place for a moment, twisting their necks a couple of times, their expressions calm and composed, leaving the surrounding employees dumbfounded.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Zhengbei stepped to the front of the large coffin cover, reached inside and rummaged around. In the blink of an eye, he pulled out two flower-shaped mechanical weapons and several large mirror-faced boxes made in Dagu, and turned around to distribute them to the guards who had come with him.

At this moment, the funeral procession became agitated.

Seeing the Jiang brothers line up in formation, everyone was afraid of being implicated, and a few timid employees hurriedly inquired about the situation.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Are there bandits roaming the mountains lately?"

"Let's make this clear beforehand: we're only responsible for the funeral procession; we won't get involved in the gang fights!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Zhao Zhengbei shouted angrily. "This has nothing to do with you. Go do what you're supposed to be doing. What are you all asking around for?"

No one dared to utter a sound, but a sense of unease was spreading rapidly.

Seeing this, Wang Zhengnan hurriedly ran over to comfort the workers, smiling apologetically and saying, "Don't worry, everyone. Even if something terrible happens ahead, it's the Jiang family's business and has nothing to do with you. Just follow the master's arrangements and I guarantee you'll all be safe and sound."

The funeral workers looked at each other, then at the guns in Zhao Zhengbei's and the others' hands. How could they dare to utter a single word of "no"?
Wang Zhengnan continued, "How about this? The boss just instructed that today's funeral wages will be doubled afterward, so that everyone can have a good New Year. This is also a small apology from the Jiang family. What do you all think?"

Money can make anything possible!

When everyone heard that their wages would be increased, although they were still somewhat reluctant, they were at least given appropriate compensation, and their emotions gradually calmed down.

Besides, given the current situation, there's no way to leave even if we wanted to. We might as well do a favor and consider it as serving the Jiang family.

Zhao Zhengbei was still rummaging inside the large coffin. After firing all the guns, he actually took out more than a dozen mourning clothes from inside.

For a funeral procession, this outfit is indispensable. A two-meter-long piece of coarse white cloth is cut, a slit is made in the middle, it is put over the head, and then a white cloth strip is tied on. This is the simplest mourning garment.

While everyone was changing their costumes, Li Zhengxi came over and instructed the music troupe, "The coffin has stopped, but you can't stop. Keep playing!"

The musicians looked at each other and thought to themselves, "Let's just play then, isn't this what we're here to do?"
So, the sheng, xiao, and suona, after a moment of preparation, began to play again, "didi da da".

"Louder!" Li Zhengxi ordered. "Everyone, give it your all! Nobody's going to slack off. The louder you blow, the bigger the reward! And you, the one banging the gong and the one playing the cymbals, keep going! Move forward a bit and start banging into the woods!"

The musicians responded and took a few steps forward. In the bitter cold of winter, in the empty mountains and forests, the mournful music grew louder and louder.

"Bang—bang—bang!"

"Tick-tock—tick-tock!"

At this moment, Zhao Zhengbei and his men changed their clothes and walked up to Xifeng, whispering, "Third Brother, I'm going to meet them. You stay here and keep an eye on Big Brother!"

Li Zhengxi nodded and said, "Xiao Bei, be careful in everything you do, don't be careless."

Zhao Zhengbei, arrogant and proud, immediately snorted twice and said with a smile, "Third Brother, you underestimate me too much. Those few thugs are nothing. I'd be lowering myself to even glance at them!"

After saying that, he walked over to Jiang Lianheng, whispered a few words to him, and then waved his hand, calling to the guards who had come with him, "Let's go!"

At a command, the group immediately formed a reconnaissance formation, took a shortcut, and ventured into the woods, slowly making their way up the mountainside.

A few days ago, Fengtian was hit by a heavy snowfall.

The city was bustling with people and vehicles, and the snow melted quickly, leaving almost nothing behind.

However, the outskirts of the city are sparsely populated, and as far as the eye can see, the mountains are covered in white, like a sculpture of jade.

After Zhao Zhengbei and the others changed into these clothes, their figures became somewhat blurry after walking a dozen meters or so. If they walked a little further, they would blend into the mountain scenery and become indistinguishable.

At the foot of the mountain, the musicians, with their cheeks bulging and veins popping on their necks, played mournful music that echoed through the forest, providing excellent cover for the others.

Looking again at the north wind rising up the mountain, its sound and shadow were utterly silent, nowhere to be found...

(End of this chapter)