Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

Lu Youjiao's eyes darted around, but he forced himself to smooth things over.

"Our leader... he's off on important business! Yes, important business! As you know, our Beggars' Sect has a vast territory. The Jurchens in the north are stirring, and the imperial court in the south is also uneasy. Our leader is going... to inspect the border defenses!"

Chen Yanzhou leaned back in his armchair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Patrolling the border? I bet they're inspecting which wine cellars haven't been sealed."

"Cough cough!" Lu Youjiao almost choked on his saliva and quickly waved his hand. "Yanzhou, some things are better left unsaid. After all, the gang leader is a peerless master, and his style of doing things... is a bit unconventional. But he does care about you as his disciple."

Chen Yanzhou snorted, but wasn't really angry.

Seeing that the matter was over, Lu Youjiao quickly changed the subject, his gaze falling on Chen Yanzhou, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"I heard you shouting outside the door just now, have you developed internal energy?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou smiled and, without saying a word, stood up and walked to the center of the council hall.

Take a deep breath and focus your energy in your lower abdomen.

The faint, newly formed heat flowed slowly along the meridians, finally converging in his right arm. Chen Yanzhou didn't use any fancy moves; he simply threw a punch.

"call!"

Where the fist passed, it produced a very slight crisp sound.

A candle flame, three inches from the fist, flickered violently. Although it didn't go out, the flame was suppressed and smoldered.

Lu Youjiao's eyes widened instantly.

He rushed over in a few steps, reached out and squeezed Chen Yanzhou's shoulder, his face full of joy.

"Good lad! You actually found one!"

Lu Youjiao was so excited his beard was trembling. "Back in the day, your Grandpa Lu was twenty-three years old when he barely touched the threshold of Qi perception. It took him three whole winters to cultivate even a trace of true Qi! How old are you? You've only been practicing for two months at most!"

Chen Yanzhou stopped his movements, rubbed his wrists, and felt quite pleased with himself.

"Just lucky."

"This isn't luck!" Lu Youjiao patted his shoulder heavily. "This is talent! It seems the leader was right, you're a rough diamond in the rough for martial arts. As long as you practice diligently, and with the help of internal energy cultivation techniques in the future, this vast martial world will surely have a place for you sooner or later!"

This shower of compliments made Chen Yanzhou feel completely comfortable.

"Alright, Grandpa Lu, you're busy. I'm going to see Old Xu." Chen Yanzhou waved his hand and walked out. "That old man has been urging me lately, saying he wants to test my studies."

"Go on, go on, studying is important too." Lu Youjiao watched his retreating figure with a cheerful smile. "Oh, by the way, the accounting office left you your monthly allowance, don't forget to collect it!"

"I already took it!"

Without turning his head, Chen Yanzhou shook the heavy money bag in his hand and strode out of the Beggars' Gang's stronghold.

……

The morning in Xiangyang City is filled with the aroma of everyday life.

Street vendors had already set up their stalls, and the aroma of steaming buns and soy milk mingled together, making people's mouths water.

Chen Yanzhou rubbed his stomach. He had been so busy practicing martial arts and building his career for the past month that he had become completely bored.

Although Lu Youjiao brought meat with every meal, the taste of that communal cooking was nowhere near as good as that of restaurants outside.

He turned and went straight into the city's most famous restaurant, "Juxianlou".

If this had happened a month ago, the waiter would have chased this teenager out with a broom long ago.

But now, as soon as Chen Yanzhou stepped across the threshold, the sharp-eyed shopkeeper immediately came up to him with a bright smile.

"Hey, isn't this Brother Chen? What brings you here today? Please, have a private room upstairs!"

Now, everyone in Xiangyang's business community knows that the Beggars' Gang has produced a "Little God of Wealth"? His "Yiyun" business is thriving, and even the prefect has to give him some face.

Chen Yanzhou didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with an air of authority.

"Shopkeeper, bring me a basket of crab roe xiaolongbao, a bowl of savory tofu pudding, with plenty of chili oil and dried shrimp. And half a pound of braised beef, thinly sliced, with the tendons!"

"Okay! Please wait a moment!"

Before long, the food was served in a continuous stream.

The xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were crystal clear, with skins as thin as paper, through which you could see the golden crab oil inside. Chen Yanzhou picked one up, gently bit a small hole, and sipped the piping hot, delicious broth. The umami flavor exploded on his tongue, making him want to swallow his tongue.

This is life!

Chen Yanzhou ate heartily while watching the bustling crowd outside the window.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Yanzhou tossed down a piece of silver, a fortune he had never dared to dream of before, but now he didn't even blink.

"Keep the change, please."

Amidst a chorus of compliments like "Thank you for the generous gift, young master," Chen Yanzhou picked his teeth and strolled leisurely toward the west of the city.

After passing through several alleys, a small courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles came into view.

This was originally Old Xu's drafty storage room. But ever since the Beggars' Sect got money, Chen Yanzhou waved his hand and had the dilapidated house demolished. He then built this three-courtyard house on the spot and even made a study for Old Xu, with all the best writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I could hear Old Xu reading aloud in a melodious and rhythmic voice.

Confucius said: "To learn something and then practice it regularly, is that not a pleasure?"

Chen Yanzhou pushed open the door and entered. He saw Old Man Xu wearing a brand-new scholar's robe, sitting in a grand chair, shaking his head, holding a scroll in his hand. He looked even more smug than if he had passed the imperial examination.

Upon seeing Chen Yanzhou enter, Old Xu put down his book, put on a stern face, and tried his best to adopt the demeanor of a strict teacher.

"You're here?"

"You're here." Chen Yanzhou found a stool and sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Grandpa Xu, how's this new tea? It's pre-Qingming Longjing tea that I specially had brought back from Hangzhou."

"So-so," Old Xu snorted, but a smirk crept onto his lips. "He's only slightly better than that Chen Chamozi. Stop trying to get close to me. How's your homework from yesterday coming along?"

"Would you like to give me a test?"

Old Xu didn't stand on ceremony and cleared his throat: "Mencius, King Hui of Liang, Part 1, the section about 'not violating the farming season'."

Chen Yanzhou put down his teacup and began to recite: "If we do not violate the farming seasons, there will be more grain than we can eat; if we do not use nets with small meshes in ponds and pools, there will be more fish and turtles than we can eat; if we use axes and hatchets in the mountains and forests at the right time, there will be more timber than we can use..."

Smooth, clear, and perfectly accurate.

Old Xu paused slightly as he stroked his beard, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

In just six months, he was able to recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently. Although his pronunciation of some obscure characters was not quite accurate, his memory and comprehension were such that if he were to take the imperial examination, it would be no problem for him to pass all three levels of the examination with top honors.

"You recited it quite fluently." Old Xu suppressed his shock, pointed to the pen and ink on the desk with a stern face, "Reciting is just rote memorization. Handwriting is the essence of a person. Go and write a Thousand Character Classic for me to see."

Chen Yanzhou's face instantly fell.

"Grandpa Xu, could you please not write it?"

"Enough nonsense!" Old Xu slammed the ruler on the table. "Your handwriting reflects your character! Look at your handwriting, it looks like it was carved out by chicken claws. If you ever need to submit memorials to the imperial court or sign contracts with wealthy merchants, aren't you afraid of disgracing the Beggars' Sect with this awful handwriting?"

Helpless, Chen Yanzhou could only walk to his desk with a bitter face.

Lifting that wolf-hair brush, it felt heavier than that stone lock weighing dozens of kilograms.

He is a modern man who has been used to ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens since childhood. His calligraphy with hard pens is passable, but this soft brush is simply his nightmare. With the slightest flick of his wrist, the stroke will fly into the sky, and with the slightest bit of force, the stroke will turn into an ink blob.

"Hold the pen steadily! Keep your wrist suspended! Keep your mind calm!"

Old Xu walked around with a ruler in his hand, correcting his posture from time to time.

Chen Yanzhou held his breath and focused intently, stroke by stroke.

Half an hour later.

Chen Yanzhou put down his pen, let out a long breath, and felt even more tired than if he had performed a full set of Hun Tian Gong (a martial arts technique).

Old Xu leaned over for a look, and his originally serious face instantly contorted as if he had swallowed a fly.

On the fine Xuan paper, twisted and struggling black lines crawled everywhere. They were of all sizes and crooked, some as big as a bushel, some as small as a bean. This was no "Thousand Character Classic"; it was practically scribbles.

"This...this is the result of your month of practice?" Old Xu pointed at the character "天" (heaven) that looked like it had been struck by lightning, his fingers trembling.

Chen Yanzhou scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Grandpa Xu, this thing is too soft, it doesn't hold up well. Maybe... I should just use charcoal sticks instead?"

"Rotten wood! Rotten wood cannot be carved!"

Old Xu was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his opponent, grabbing a ruler to strike his palm.

Chen Yanzhou reacted quickly, shrinking back and dodging with a grin.

"Grandpa Xu, please calm down. Everyone has their own expertise. These hands of mine are for practicing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, not for embroidery. Besides, when I'm rich in the future, I'll hire a few old scholars to be my scribes. I can just have them write whatever I want, right?"

Old Xu's hand, holding the ruler, froze in mid-air; he was so angry at this absurd and fallacious argument that he laughed.

"You rascal..." Old Xu put down the ruler helplessly and sighed. "Fine, fine. With your temperament, you're really not suited to sitting on the sidelines. But some things can't be solved with money alone."

He walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a yellowed booklet, and handed it to Chen Yanzhou.

"What is this?" Chen Yanzhou took it and looked at it. The cover had the words "The Great Song Dynasty Criminal Code" written on it.

"This is a copy I obtained from the Ministry of Justice through a former classmate," Old Xu said, his joking expression turning serious. "Your Beggars' Clan is now doing legitimate business, so you inevitably have to deal with the government. You must memorize the legal provisions here. What you can do, what the red lines are, and what the loopholes are—it's all in here."

Chen Yanzhou's heart skipped a beat; this was a valuable item!

In this era, the power to interpret the law rests with the officials; how could ordinary people understand these things? With this book, you'll have mastered the rules of the game.

"Thank you, Grandpa Xu!" Chen Yanzhou bowed respectfully.

"Alright, enough of that." Old Xu waved his hand and sat back down in his chair. "Don't practice calligraphy today, it hurts your eyes. Take this book home and study it carefully. If you encounter anything you don't understand, come and ask me."

Chen Yanzhou tucked the book into his pocket as if it were a priceless treasure.