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

"Alright, stop overthinking." Hong Qigong wiped the grease from his mouth, his eyes flashing like lightning as he swept over the three elders in front of him, each with their own thoughts. He then said, "This matter of 'Yiyun' is not for discussion, it's for notification. I've seen Old Beggar's work. This approach is legitimate and can ensure that the brothers in the gang can have enough to eat, so we have to do it."

He leaned forward slightly, and the grandmaster's aura that he usually kept hidden was now released without reservation, making Jian and Peng gasp for breath.

"I know what you're thinking. You think it's shameful? You think it's hard labor? Hmph, when you're starving and gnawing on tree bark, let's see if you still have any shame!" Hong Qigong sneered. "Lu Youjiao is fully responsible for this matter. Anyone who dares to trip us up behind our backs, don't blame the old beggar for his ruthless beating stick."

Elder Jian's face was somewhat unpleasant, and the steel staff in his hand creaked as he gripped it, but he didn't dare utter a single word of "no" in front of Hong Qigong.

Elder Peng's eyes darted around, his sinister expression instantly vanishing, replaced by a look of utter trepidation. He cupped his hands and said, "Chief, you flatter me. Since it was the Chief's plan, we subordinates will naturally follow your lead. However, this is a matter of great importance, and the specific procedures..."

"The specific rules will be discussed at tomorrow's meeting," Hong Qigong said impatiently, waving his hand as if shooing away flies. "Alright, everyone go and rest."

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

Elder Jian, his face dark, stood up, bowed, turned and strode away, his footsteps so heavy they seemed to shatter the floorboards.

Elder Peng gave Chen Yanzhou a deep look, his eyes filled with meaning, before leaving as well.

Elder Liang of the Dirty Clothes Faction, however, gave Lu Youjiao a simple and honest smile before leaving, and glanced at the leftover food on the table a few more times, seemingly still somewhat unsatisfied.

Once the three had walked away and the footsteps at the top of the stairs had completely disappeared, the tense atmosphere in the private room suddenly relaxed.

"These old bastards, they're all so cunning." Hong Qigong cursed as he grabbed the wine jug and took a big gulp.

Chen Yanzhou sat back down in his chair, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth. He mumbled, "Master, you certainly put on a good show of power, but that's only temporary. Who knows what kind of bad ideas those people are plotting at tomorrow's meeting?"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Hong Qigong glared. "In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and tricks are just paper tigers. Besides, don't we still have you, kid?"

Lu Youjiao, standing to the side, said with some worry: "Chief, Yanzhou, these two, Jian and Peng, represent the majority of the Clean Clothes Faction's power. Although we suppressed them today, if we cannot truly resolve the conflict of interests between the two factions, I'm afraid this 'Righteous Movement' will not be able to proceed. If they outwardly comply but inwardly defy us, putting in the work without putting in the effort, or even secretly causing trouble, we will be unable to guard against it."

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong put down his wine pot and looked intently at Chen Yanzhou.

"Did you hear that? Your Grandpa Lu is so worried his hair is turning white." Hong Qigong kicked Chen Yanzhou's stool. "Stop eating! Tell me quickly, what exactly is your so-called 'method to resolve the conflict'? Don't try to fool me."

Chen Yanzhou sighed and reluctantly put down his chopsticks.

"Let's go back inside and talk; there are too many people watching here."

……

As night fell, the inns at the foot of Junshan Mountain had already closed.

Inside the top-tier room, the lights were dim.

Hong Qigong sat cross-legged on the bed, his hand still glued to the wine gourd. Lu Youjiao moved a stool and sat opposite him, looking on expectantly.

Chen Yanzhou stood by the window, looking at the pitch-black night outside and the faint firelight visible on Junshan Mountain in the distance, and remained silent for a moment.

"Speak," Hong Qigong urged.

Chen Yanzhou turned around, walked to the table, dipped his finger in tea, drew a large circle on the table, and then drew a line in the middle, dividing it in two.

"Master, Grandpa Lu, before we discuss a solution, we need to clarify one thing first," Chen Yanzhou said, pointing to the divided circle. "Why exactly are the Dirty Clothes Faction and the Clean Clothes Faction of our Beggars' Sect fighting?"

Without a second thought, Lu Youjiao blurted out, "Is that even a question? We can't stand them wearing gold and silver, forgetting their roots, and abandoning their beggar's duty; they look down on us for being dirty and messy, thinking we're a disgrace to the Beggars' Sect. To put it bluntly, we're just people with different values."

"Different paths?" Chen Yanzhou shook his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Grandpa Lu, you're only half right. What absolute path is there in this world? The so-called difference in paths ultimately boils down to the unequal distribution of benefits."

Hong Qigong frowned: "Explain in detail."

Chen Yanzhou pointed to the left half of the table: "The Dirty Clothes Faction, which is most of our brothers. What are their advantages? They have many people, are powerful, have nothing to lose, and are willing to fight. They control the violence and intelligence network at the lowest level of the Beggars' Sect. But their disadvantages are also obvious—they are poor, have no money, no connections, and don't know how to manage."

Lu Youjiao opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found he had no way to refute, so he could only nod sullenly.

"Now look at the Clean Clothes Faction." Chen Yanzhou's finger slid to the right semicircle. "These people are rich, have businesses, have connections with officials, know how to do accounting, and know how to run a business. But what do they lack? They lack a sense of security, manpower, and status in the martial arts world. They joined the Beggars' Sect for its prestigious reputation and the intimidating power of its hundreds of thousands of disciples, so they can protect their wealth."

"In the past, these two factions were divided," Chen Yanzhou said in a low voice. "The Dirty Clothes Faction felt that the Clean Clothes Faction was taking advantage of the Beggars' Sect but not doing anything worthwhile, while the Clean Clothes Faction felt that the Dirty Clothes Faction was just a bunch of bloodsucking paupers. Both sides felt they were at a disadvantage, so naturally they fought each other."

"So what do you mean?" Hong Qigong asked thoughtfully.

"Let's establish a symbiotic relationship and bind our interests together," Chen Yanzhou said slowly.

"Symbiosis?" Lu Youjiao was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Like a rhinoceros and a rhinoceros bird, or..." Chen Yanzhou glanced at Hong Qigong, "or like beggar's chicken and lotus leaf mud. Without mud, the chicken is burnt; without chicken, the mud is just a lump of rotten mud."

Chen Yanzhou continued.

"In the past, they couldn't coexist because there was no vehicle that could combine the advantages of both. But now there is—'Yiyun'."

He picked up the teacup and placed it heavily in the center of the circle.

"We want to transform the Beggars' Sect from a simple Jianghu gang into a huge business alliance."

Within this alliance, the Dirty Clothes faction provides manpower and military force, responsible for escorting, transporting, and gathering intelligence—this constitutes labor and security. The Clean Clothes faction, on the other hand, provides capital, shops, and connections, responsible for navigating official channels and managing branch offices across various regions—this constitutes capital and operations.

Hong Qigong's eyes gradually brightened, and the wine gourd in his hand stopped in mid-air.

Chen Yanzhou continued, "We will divide the profits of 'Yiyun' into three parts. One part will go to the public treasury as development funds and retirement funds for the gang; one part will be used as salaries, distributed according to work, with those who do the work getting paid, and the more they do, the more they earn, mainly for the Dirty Clothes Faction brothers; and the last part will be used as bonuses."

Chen Yanzhou explained, "We let the elders and leaders of the Clean Clothes Faction invest money. The local branches of the Charity Movement also let them contribute capital to repair warehouses and purchase carriages. When they make a profit, they receive dividends at the end of the year. The more they invest, the more they receive."

"In this way, the 'dirty clothes' brothers will have work and money to earn, and they won't have to beg from the 'clean clothes' faction anymore. And those clean clothes people, for their share of the profits and for that pile of hard-earned money, will not only dare not cause trouble, but will actually be more attentive than anyone else! They will work desperately to get business and cultivate good relations with the government, because if the business fails, it will be their own money that is lost!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Hong Qigong and Lu Youjiao were both stunned by this theory. In the Southern Song Dynasty, an era dominated by small-scale peasant economy, Chen Yanzhou's concept of a modern joint-stock company was simply a game-changer.

After a long while, Hong Qigong finally exhaled a long breath of alcohol.

"Good lad..." Hong Qigong looked at Chen Yanzhou with a complex expression, a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. "How did you even get into this? This isn't resolving conflict; it's practically binding them all together like grasshoppers on a rope—they can't escape even if they want to!"

"That's called a bond of shared interests," Chen Yanzhou chuckled. "As long as there's a common interest, even your father's killer can sit at the same table and drink together, let alone fellow disciples who are just dressed differently?"

Lu Youjiao was so excited that his hands were shaking. Although he didn't understand what "capital" or "operation" meant, he understood one thing—this method could work!

"But..." Lu Youjiao suddenly thought of something, and his brows furrowed again, "Those Clean Clothes Faction people are only interested in profit. What if they use their money to try and control the Righteousness Bureau, and then turn around and exploit the Dirty Clothes Faction brothers?"

"Good question." Chen Yanzhou snapped his fingers. "This requires us to set the rules. All accounts of the Yiyun Division must be centrally accounted for by headquarters. Local branches only have operational rights, not financial rights. Furthermore, we will establish an inspection team to specifically monitor them. Anyone who dares to steal will have their hand chopped off; anyone who dares to be unscrupulous will be expelled from the Beggars' Sect!"

At this point, Chen Yanzhou looked at Hong Qigong.

"Of course, all of this depends on you, Master, as our anchor. As long as your dog-beating stick is there, no one will dare to break this rule."

Hong Qigong laughed heartily, quite satisfied with the result.

Lu Youjiao was also beaming, as if he could already see the future prosperity of the Beggars' Sect.

"However..." Chen Yanzhou's tone shifted, his eyes turning slightly cold, "Elder Jian and Elder Peng might not be so easily subdued. Especially Elder Peng, with his sinister eyes, he's clearly a wicked person. Giving them carrots won't do; we need to prepare a big stick as well."

Hong Qigong's smile faded, and he said, "Don't worry. Although this old beggar is usually lazy, if anyone dares to ruin the Beggars' Clan's grand plans, or even betray us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, and a gust of wind swept across, instantly turning the small piece of hardwood on the corner of the table into dust.

"Then send him to see the patriarch!"

……