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

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Yanzhou read some medical books for a while and then went to bed early.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Lu Youjiao then had more than ten fast horses prepared, along with some dry rations.

Chen Yanzhou was still fast asleep when Hong Qigong pulled him up. He groggily put on his clothes and was then carried out of the house by Hong Qigong.

Before long, Hong Qigong and his group of thirteen set off for Junshan.

After walking for a while, Chen Yanzhou finally came to his senses. He yawned and asked.

"Master, should we travel to Junshan by water or land?"

"Waterways are faster, land routes are more stable," Lu Youjiao explained from the side. "The leader's idea is to take a land route first and check on how the 'righteous movement' business is doing along the way."

Chen Yanzhou nodded upon hearing this, also somewhat curious about how the other branch offices were developing.

After all, this business was his idea. Although it's currently thriving in Xiangyang, expanding it to all corners of the country will inevitably affect the interests of many people. Local officials, local security escort agencies, and even some bandits entrenched in the mountains are all potential troublemakers.

Half an hour later, dust filled the air on the official road, and cart wheels rolled on.

A bright yellow flag fluttered in the wind, bearing the four large black characters "Beggar Gang Righteousness" on it. Although the handwriting was not that of a famous calligrapher, it exuded a strong and vigorous style.

Beside the convoy, a dozen or so men dressed in matching blue short-sleeved shirts walked briskly, with batons hanging from their waists. Although they were beggars, their spirit and energy were completely different from before.

"Okay! Okay!"

Hong Qigong, riding on his horse with a wine gourd in his hand, watched the departing caravan with a wide grin.

"This is the first time in my life that I've ever seen a member of the Beggars' Sect walk with such a straight back."

Lu Youjiao rode alongside him on horseback, his old face, weathered by wind and sun, glowing with health.

"Chief, this is just a small team from the Xiangyang branch. Following Yanzhou's method, we've mobilized the manpower of several branches along the way. Before, people would fight tooth and nail to get a good spot to beg, but now it's much better. As long as you're willing to put in the effort, you can register at the Yiyun Division and even just help move goods, and you can get three full meals a day."

"good."

Hong Qigong reached out and patted Lu Youjiao on the shoulder with such force that Lu Youjiao almost fell off his horse.

"You've got feet, you did a great job. I always thought you were a blockhead, only good at following the rules, but I never expected you to be so decisive this time."

Lu Youjiao chuckled and scratched his head.

"You flatter me, Master. It's mainly Yanzhou's way of making a living."

Chen Yanzhou was lying on the horse's back like a dead fish, bobbing up and down with the horse's movements.

Hearing this, he barely raised his head, revealing a face full of bitterness and resentment.

"Grandpa Lu, please stop praising me so much. If you keep doing that, my butt will split into eight pieces."

Chen Yanzhou grimaced and changed his posture.

Modern people have never suffered like this.

These past few days of continuous travel have left my inner thighs raw and burning with pain. The saddle is as hard as a rock, and every jolt feels like being cut with a dull knife.

"You're already regretting it?"

Hong Qigong reined in his horse, looked back at his apprentice's miserable state, and took a swig of wine with schadenfreude.

"Who was it that stood on a stool in the house acting like a big shot and insisted on coming along? The old beggar told you long ago that this road was difficult to travel, but you wouldn't listen. Now you want to go back? Too late!"

"Who said I wanted to go back?"

Chen Yanzhou gritted his teeth and sat up straight on the horse. Although his mouth was twitching from the pain, he refused to admit defeat.

"Stubborn to the end."

Hong Qigong chuckled and cursed, then lightly tapped the rump of Chen Yanzhou's horse with his bamboo stick.

The horse, in pain, let out a neigh and galloped forward.

"Old man, you have no sportsmanship!"

Chen Yanzhou's screams echoed along the official road, startling a flock of birds in the forest.

……

Although the journey was arduous, Chen Yanzhou did not neglect his martial arts skills.

Instead, every day at noon, everyone would stop to cook and rest.

Chen Yanzhou would then find an open space and, without fail, practice a few sets of Hun Tian Gong.

Hong Qigong would then point and gesture from the side.

As night fell, a campfire was lit.

Everyone sat down to rest, and Chen Yanzhou sat cross-legged to practice the "Hundredfold Return to Origin Technique".

The night air in the wild is cold, but this internal skill is already domineering, and it also incorporates the agility of the Free and Easy Wandering.

With each breath, Chen Yanzhou felt the heat in his dantian grow stronger, like a trickle of water converging into a stream, flowing through his meridians and washing away the fatigue and soreness from his day's journey.

Although Hong Qigong appeared to be fast asleep, he was actually keeping a part of his mind on his disciple.

……

Three more days passed.

As the sun began to set, the outlines of the distant, rolling mountains gradually became clear, and a majestic, solitary peak stood on the shore of Dongting Lake, like a king overlooking the water.

"arrive."

Lu Youjiao pointed to the mountain peak in front of him, his tone tinged with excitement.

"We've reached Yueyang and Junshan."

Chen Yanzhou's spirits lifted.

They've finally arrived. If they hadn't, he would have started to wonder if he'd developed bowlegs.

At the foot of the mountain lies a small town called Xuanyuan Town.

Normally, this town is just an ordinary place for merchants to rest, but now it is bustling with activity.

Everywhere on the street, there were ragged beggars. Some squatted in groups of three or five in the corner picking lice, while others wandered around the street carrying dog-beating sticks. There were also many well-dressed men with weapons at their waists, who were obviously members of the Beggars' Gang.

"Looks like everyone's here."

Hong Qigong dismounted and tossed the reins to a Beggar Clan disciple who came to greet him.

"Let's go find a place to fill our stomachs first. We've been eating dry rations all this way, and this old beggar is getting really bored."

The group entered the largest restaurant in town.

Upon seeing Lu Youjiao's attire as a Nine-Bag Elder, the innkeeper, even if he were a beggar, dared not neglect him and quickly led him to a private room on the second floor.

"Bring out all your restaurant's signature dishes, like braised pork hock, Dongting fish in vinegar sauce, and steamed pork with rice flour!"

Hong Qigong swaggered into the main seat and began slamming his fist on the table, shouting.

Chen Yanzhou didn't stand on ceremony, slumping onto the table and weakly adding, "Two more jugs of good wine, something strong!"

Before long, dishes and drinks were served in a continuous stream.

The master and apprentice pounced on their prey like hungry tigers, sweeping away all traces of the wind. Lu Youjiao watched from the sidelines, amused, and could only leisurely drink a couple of cups with them.

Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps came from the stairwell.

"Has the gang leader arrived?"

A loud voice rang out, followed by three figures appearing at the top of the stairs.

Chen Yanzhou, with half a pork hock in his mouth, looked up.

The man at the front was dressed in a brocade robe, with a burly build, and leaned on a heavy steel staff. He had a ruddy complexion, and if it weren't for the nine cloth bags hanging from his waist, he would have looked like a wealthy old man.

This man is called Jian Dongshan, Elder Jian, a prominent figure in the Clean Clothes Sect. Lu Youjiao told him about him a few days ago.

Following closely behind was Elder Liang, a thin old man, dressed in tattered clothes, filthy all over, with a large ghost-head knife at his waist, and a seemingly honest but actually shrewd smile on his face.

Like Lu Youjiao, he was an elder of the Dirty Clothes Faction.

The last person was short, dressed in a faded scholar's robe, with somewhat unfocused eyes and a faint smile always playing on his lips, which made people feel uneasy.

This person was Elder Peng of the Clean Clothes Sect, who was skilled in "mind control techniques" and was also the elder who would later rely on Jin Gou.

These three were the remaining three elders of the Beggars' Sect, apart from Lu Youjiao.

"Your subordinate greets the leader!"

The three of them stepped forward together and bowed to Hong Qigong, who was engrossed in eating.

Hong Qigong didn't even look up, just waved his greasy hand.

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. Since you're here, sit down and eat with us."

Elder Jian's gaze swept over the mountain of bones on the table, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, but he quickly concealed it, cupping his fists and saying, "Chief, you must be tired from your journey. We are sorry we were unable to greet you from afar."

"sit."

Hong Qigong spat out a bone and pointed to the empty seat next to him.

The three of them sat down as instructed.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Elder Jian and Elder Peng sat together, while Elder Liang sat next to Lu Youjiao, clearly separating the two groups.

"I heard the gang leader took on a new disciple in Xiangyang this time?"

Elder Peng's sinister eyes swept across the table before finally settling on Chen Yanzhou, who was struggling with the pork hock.

"This must be the young man, right?"

Chen Yanzhou swallowed the meat in his mouth, took a cloth from the side to wipe his mouth, then stood up with a smile and bowed.

"Junior Chen Yanzhou greets the three elders."

He was neither humble nor arrogant, his eyes were clear and bright. He was neither intimidated by the imposing presence of these three martial arts masters, nor did he become arrogant because of Hong Qigong's favor.

"He is indeed a handsome man."

Elder Jian offered a forced smile and a compliment, but his gaze fell upon Hong Qigong. "Chief," he said, "while our Beggars' Sect is known for its unconventional methods, accepting disciples is a significant matter. This child looks delicate and frail; I'm afraid he can't endure the hardships of us beggars."

Those words were barbed.

This implies that Chen Yanzhou's origins are unclear, or that he was spoiled and unworthy to be a disciple of the Beggars' Sect leader.

Before Hong Qigong could speak, Chen Yanzhou laughed first.

"Elder Jian is right."

Chen Yanzhou sat down again, poured himself a cup of tea, and said slowly, "This junior really can't endure hardship. So along the way, I've been thinking about how to make our Beggars' Clan brothers suffer less and eat more meat."

Elder Jian was taken aback, not expecting this teenager to be so quick-witted.

"Oh?"

Elder Liang, standing to the side, became interested. His somewhat cloudy eyes narrowed slightly. "Less suffering, more meat? This little brat has quite the nerve. We beggars are born to suffer. Without suffering, where will we get our food?"

Elder Liang is mistaken.

Chen Yanzhou shook his head. "Beggars are human too. Humans need to eat and wear clothes. If they could earn money standing up, who would want to kneel and beg for food? If they could eat meat and fish, who would want to eat moldy buns?"

"Making money standing up?"

Elder Peng, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, his voice high-pitched and unpleasant to listen to, "Are you referring to that 'righteous movement' that Elder Lu was involved in in Xiangyang?"

He sneered, "Hmph, treating us Beggars' Sect disciples like laborers, making us guard the houses and carry goods for those merchants. This is utterly disgraceful to our ancestors! We are beggars, not镖局 (security escort agency) porters!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Lu Youjiao's face darkened, and he was about to slam his fist on the table, but Hong Qigong stopped him with a look.

Hong Qigong continued eating, as if the argument at the table had nothing to do with him.

Chen Yanzhou glanced at Elder Peng, but instead of getting angry, he smiled even more brightly.

"Elder Peng, I don't like hearing you say that."

Chen Yanzhou leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and stared directly into Elder Peng's somewhat eerie eyes.

"You wear silk, carry silver notes, travel by carriage, and stay in a superior room at an inn. Naturally, you feel ashamed to work for a merchant."

He pointed out the window to the Dirty Clothes Sect disciples squatting on the street, gnawing on hard steamed buns.

"But have you asked them? Have you asked those brothers who can't even afford shoes? If they could earn two pounds of pork, a pot of good wine, and two feet of floral cloth for their wives after a day of carrying goods, would they feel ashamed or would they find it appealing?"

Elder Peng's face stiffened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"How dare you! Who gave you the right to speak here!"

"I think he put it quite well."

Hong Qigong finally put down the chicken leg in his hand.

He slowly wiped his hands, his gaze sweeping over the three elders one by one, finally settling on Elder Peng's face.

That calm and indifferent gaze sent a chill down Elder Peng's spine, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

"Elder Peng, your mind-controlling technique is quite good, but don't use it on your own people. This child is my disciple, and what he says represents my opinion."

Hong Qigong said calmly.

"I approved of the righteous cause. I've seen it all along. The brothers at the Xiangyang branch are in a completely different spirit. What, you don't think it's good?"

Elder Jian and Elder Peng exchanged a glance, both seeing apprehension in each other's eyes.

Although Hong Qigong is usually jovial and easygoing, when he really gets angry, apart from the other four masters, no one in the world can stop him.

"Your subordinate dares not."

Elder Jian quickly lowered his head, "But this is a big matter. Our Beggars' Sect is, after all, the number one sect in the martial arts world. If we rashly transform, we may be ridiculed by our fellow martial arts practitioners."

"Laugh at?"

Chen Yanzhou scoffed, "Laugh at us for being rich? Laugh at us brothers for being well-fed? Elder Jian, these days, people laugh at poverty but not prostitution. Once our Beggars' Sect monopolizes the water and land transportation of the Great Song Dynasty, and holds mountains of gold and seas of silver in our hands, they probably won't even have a chance to curry favor with us."

"monopoly?"

This novel term surprised the three elders.

Chen Yanzhou stood up, and his young face now revealed an air of domineering authority.